About
Reviews
Search
Submit
Home

Mystery Books for Sale

[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]


  

THE DARKENING
by Stephen M Irwin
Sphere, December 2009
400 pages
6.99 GBP
ISBN: 0751543969


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

When his wife dies suddenly, Nick Close decides to return home to Australia in the hope that he can escape his demons. He finds, however, that his childhood home of Tallong simply brings him more misery, it being the place where his best friend Tristram was brutally murdered. Nick is disturbed to find that the woods that so terrified him as a child remain, as impregnable as ever, and it is not long before another child is murdered in circumstances startling similar to Tristram’s death. Nick finds himself compelled to investigate, only to discover horror beyond his worst nightmares.

THE DARKENING (or THE DEAD PATH in Australia) is a stunning debut and I have to confess my surprise that it is being published as a paperback original. I would have thought that it would have been suited to a hardback release and would likely sell well. The Australian setting is very refreshing, as are the characters and the language. They feel authentically Australian and the protagonists interact with one another in a realistic and satisfying way. The relationship between Nick and his sister works well and the characters are pleasantly candid and blunt.

While the novel is not a typical thriller, given its large number of supernatural elements, it will appeal to thriller readers, with its pace, mystery and excitement. Irwin uses pathetic fallacy extremely well: the dark and foreboding woods and the teeming rain provide a fitting backdrop to the bloody slaughter of children. He also does well to draw on things that most readers traditionally find disturbing: things that go bump in the night, spiders, demonic possession, etc. As Close is drawn deeper and deeper into the web of witchcraft and evil, readers will find themselves shuddering and recoiling alongside him.

Irwin also does a great job describing the natural surroundings of Tallong. At first, I was left a little confused to why there were so many descriptions of the beautiful flowers and trees throughout the town, particularly as they are so different to those to which we are usually accustomed in novels, but then I came to realize that those descriptions were intended to contrast with the darkness and gloom of the malevolent woods. A very good technique.

Overall, THE DARKENING is a brilliant debut and one that I enjoyed immensely. I look forward to reading his future work with gusto.

Reviewed by Luke Croll, November 2009

[ Top ]


QUICK SEARCH:

 

Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]