All Dark Places New And Latest Book Review

Book Review 

Considering this is a debut novel, Terry Parlato's All Dark Places is a decent little thriller. All the usual hallmarks of the genre are in place, a list of suspects whittled down over time, a self-doubting protagonist who is also a victim, and a rough-and-tumble detective desperate to get to the bottom of the case, but that's enough. a page turner that will last until the end. 

 The book is scattered between the perspectives of two different characters, Molly and Rita. After the party, Molly wakes up to find her husband murdered, and the suspects are likely to be one of half a dozen friends who came over for the party that night. Haunted by ghosts of the past and a potential killer who has his (or her!) sights set on Molly next, he seeks salvation and comfort in his friends. But can he really trust them?

  Speaking of trust, the Boston PD has its hands full with it. So who better to take on the job than veteran officer Rita? But is this one job too many and the solution too complicated?

  The framework of the book actually works quite well with short, quick chapters that you can easily get through in about 5 minutes or less. This helps pace things along just the right amount, though personally it would have been nice to see a few longer chapters - especially in the middle of the book - to really go through the list of possible suspects.

  Of course, I won't reveal who it is, but this reviewer guessed the killer wrong, which is always a bonus with a book like this! The actual exposition and reasoning around what's going on is useful enough, and the motives make sense in the context of the story. This was also helped by a decent final act that greatly increased the tension and drama.

  You can tell that Terry Parlato has hit all the usual beats of the genre, and while that's great, it sometimes makes the book feel too familiar, like a recurring sense of Deja Vu if the book hits the beats you want. Expect to find yourself on the road with little in the way of real surprises.

  The characters are pretty good, and Rita in particular has a few unusual segments, especially her old-school sense of writing and sketching on laptops rather than phones. These little additions give it some nuance and character, and it really helps you rally around it for the investigation.

Overall 

  All Dark Places isn't great, but it's a perfect thriller and a good way to curl up on the couch reading for a few days. It's certainly a decent debut, and I hope Parlato builds on his confidence from this and delivers a second book that takes some interesting turns. We'll definitely be there to read it, that's for sure!