That Darkness by Lisa Black
Take one vigilanti cop, add a criminalist who won’t let go and you get That Darkness, a crime novel with an interesting moral dilemma at its heart.
About the Book
As a forensic investigator for the Cleveland Police Department, Maggie Gardiner has seen her share of Jane Does. The latest is an unidentified female in her early teens, discovered in a local cemetery. More shocking than the girl’s injuries—for Maggie at least—is the fact that no one has reported her missing. She and the detectives assigned to the case (including her cop ex-husband) are determined to follow every lead, run down every scrap of evidence. But the monster they seek is watching each move, closer to them than they could ever imagine.
Jack Renner is a killer. He doesn’t murder because he savors it, or because he believes himself omnipotent, or for any reason other than to make the world a safer place. When he follows the trail of this Jane Doe to a locked room in a small apartment where eighteen teenaged girls are anything but safe, he knows something must be done. But his pursuit of their captor takes an unexpected turn.
Maggie Gardiner finds another body waiting for her in the autopsy room—and a host of questions that will challenge everything she believes about justice, morality, and the true nature of evil …
My Thoughts
That Darkness is a novel that wants you to think. Black pits two adversaries with equally valid arguments against each other to raise a moral question. It does it well. Mostly. At a recent literary festival one of the presenters made the point that a novel with a message is propaganda. This novel manages to stay within the realms of story, but there are times when it gets close to beating that message drum a little too vigorously.
Jack and Maggie make interesting adversaries and there is plenty in this novel to generate heated book group discussions. Black has created a strong sense of place and uses locations, real and imagined, beautifully. Detail about Cleveland’s history and buildings, while interesting, somewhat slowed the pace, especially toward the climax. Black’s knowledge as a forensic scientist shines through and gives Maggie veracity. For me, there was a little too much detail about Maggie’s job, but if you are a Patricia Cornwall fan this might well appeal.
Ultimately, That Darkness does what it sets out to do. I found myself conflicted about Jack’s behaviour and Black gives him a heck of a backstory that helps you understand his choices. Maggie’s choices are interesting too. There are a few nicely done twists: sometimes Black makes you worry for Maggie’s safety while with Jack, at others she lets you think there might be something between them.
That Darkness is well worth a read, particularly if you are a fan of Lisa Scottoline and Patricia Cornwall.
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About the Author
New York Times bestselling author Lisa Black is the author of seven novels in the Theresa MacLean mystery series and two novels written as Elizabeth Becka. As a forensic scientist at the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office, she analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence, as well as crime scenes. Now she is a latent print examiner and CSI for the Cape Coral Police Department in Florida, working mostly with fingerprints and crime scenes. READ MORE
**My copy courtesy of Kensington Books**
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