Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Carved in Darkness

       It was October first.
       Sabrina rolled over and stared at the wall. She knew the date. Not because she'd checked her calendar or because the leaves on the trees outside her bedroom window were turning from green to gold. No. It was because she hadn't been able to take a deep breath for weeks now. The feeling that someone was watching her. The long hours stretched between the setting and the rising of the sun spent wandering her silent house, kept awake by the certainty that if she closed her eyes, she'd never be able to open them again. That was what told her what day it was.
      Fifteen years ago, today, she'd been kidnapped. Held for eighty-three days. Raped. Tortured. Left for dead in a churchyard.
  


Carved in Darkness by Maegan Beaumont is such an intense read it left me breathless. And the killer who is after Sabrina is downright scary. Be warned, the bits with him in it are pretty dark and graphic. Luckily, most of the book centers around Sabrina Vaughn, who has managed to stay off the killer's radar for the past fifteen years. Until now. Someone's tipped him off that she's still alive, and now he's determined to get her back. At any cost. As for Sabrina, she's a lot stronger now, but still a bit broken inside:  she's a homicide detective who's afraid of the dark and who has a hard time trusting anyone, including her partner, and an even harder time admitting she might need some help. That's where Michael O'Shea comes in; he's after the killer, too. And at first he wanted to used Sabrina as bait, but now he just wants to keep her safe.

This book definitely qualifies as a thriller. It's very suspenseful and Beaumont does an excellent job of maintaining that tension from the first page to the last. It's not a perfect read, some of the things about Michael's situation felt a little far-fetched, and Sabrina's roommate and younger siblings had such minimal roles I wondered why they were there at all, but overall I ended up liking this book a lot, although I could have done without all the language in it, especially all those F-bombs. But if you don't mind that...

Happy Reading!

16 comments:

  1. I usually like books like this, but sometimes they're just too graphic for me. This one sounds like it's not TOO bad on that score. I've heard good things about it, so I'll probably give it a go!

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    1. I liked it; the opening is probably the most graphic part, but then the rest of the mystery isn't that bad. And Beaumont writes well and really keeps the pace moving, which I appreciated.

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  2. Yeah, it sounds very good but super graphic. I'd be nervous to try it.

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    1. Yeah, if you're not into books that are kind of dark, don't read this one, because the few parts that are graphic are really graphic. The good thing is that they don't last more than a few pages.

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  3. Great review, I will keep this in mind next time I am looking for a good thriller to read. What I like about mysteries and thrillers is how propulsive they are in terms of reading. I love it when I can’t wait to get back to a book I am currently reading.

    Have you read any books by Ruth Ware? I have been side-eying a few of her titles recently, such as “In a Dark, Dark Wood”.

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    1. I have not read Ruth Ware yet, but I really want to; if only other people would stop putting them on hold at the library. :D

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  4. This sounds right up my alley, Lark. Onto the ever-long wishlist it goes, lol.

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    1. Right? We're never going to catch up...but at least we'll have fun trying. :D

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  5. Wow! This sounds great! I love thrillers - they are always such fun reads (even though they can get dark and twisty). So glad you posted about this one ;)

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    1. Definitely give this one a try and let me know if you like it! Beaumont has written several other novels about Sabrina and Michael and I'm excited to give them a read, too.

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  6. Just the blurb left me breathless! This sounds like a very intense read, Lark. I think I would like this one.

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    1. I think you would, too. It's got some good page-turning suspense in it, for sure. :)

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    2. Even if I get overwhelmed at times, I love suspense. I haven't read this author, but will see if the library might have copies!

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    3. She's written several about these characters, so I would think your library would have some? Let me know what you think of this one if you get a chance to read it! :)

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  7. Sounds like a good one! I enjoy a good dark thriller now and then.

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    1. Then you might want to give this one a try. :)

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