- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Orion; New edition edition (13 Sep 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0752843869
- ISBN-13: 978-0752843865
- Product Dimensions: 17.4 x 11 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 930,735 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Thomas H. Cook's Instruments of Night won the prestigious Edgar crime novel award in the US, and gleaned a considerable following on this side of the Atlantic. His new book, Places in the Dark, looks likely to consolidate that success with an elegantly textured narrative in which the past casts a long shadow on the present. Like Hitchcock, Cook is concerned with guilt and malign human intention, and the way in which he marshals his cannily structured plot is truly compelling (this novel is, in fact, precisely the kind of thing that would have tempted The Master in one of his famous trawls for film material). In 1937, a woman appears in a small town on the coast of Maine. Dora March is unforthcoming about her background, but the people of the town come to like and admire her--particularly the Chase Brothers, Cal and Billy. But within a year, Billy is dead, and Cal is mercilessly pursuing the woman who appears to have killed his brother. Needless to say, all is not as it seems, and the slow accretion of suspense is handled with a very sure touch. Cook's speciality, though, is characterisation--and that is particularly acute here, not least in the enigmatic Dora. And the first person narration by Cal Chase never puts a foot wrong, as in a description of the brothers' attempt to save a young girl from drowning:
She was moving swiftly on currents that had not yet been tamed, and which would inevitably propel her across the still turbulent surface that lay between the bridge and the lethal, churning waters that waited just beyond the bend, water that would, within minutes, carry her over Linder Falls. The horrible truth hit me instantly. Jenny Grover, five years old, was going to die... it was an irrefutable fact.--Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
The new novel by the Edgar Award-winning author of THE CHATHAM SCHOOL AFFAIR
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
`Places in the Dark' is not the usual crime fare that I read. Set in the depression ridden America of the 30s it follows two brothers and the impact that a strange woman has when she enters their lives. This book has a strangely ethereal feel to it as Thomas H Cook packs it with non linear storytelling and whimsical description. For the first 50-100 pages I was seriously worried that the book would turn out to be all show and no substance. Luckily this was not the case as the story begins to unfold beautifully as small clues are revealed in the past, present and future. The three threads come together near the end in a very effective way.
However, drawing the threads together does not completely resolve this book of its sins. Firstly, for all its intelligent pretentions this was a very simple book and more of a novella. I was able to complete it in one afternoon. I also felt that the book was almost too light and airy. The book deals with some dark issues and Cook seems to write about them is some sort of haze. What I did like was the flawed nature of all of the characters from those open to emotion, to those stunted by them. The two brothers are an interesting comparison and Cook cleverly allows the reader to decide who the noble brother is and who is selfish. Overall, I found `Places in the Dark' and quick and entertaining read that was something different from my usual reading matter. However, although the split narrative was effective, it was undermined by the off-putting whimsical, almost fairy tale like, nature of Cook's writing.
However, drawing the threads together does not completely resolve this book of its sins. Firstly, for all its intelligent pretentions this was a very simple book and more of a novella. I was able to complete it in one afternoon. I also felt that the book was almost too light and airy. The book deals with some dark issues and Cook seems to write about them is some sort of haze. What I did like was the flawed nature of all of the characters from those open to emotion, to those stunted by them. The two brothers are an interesting comparison and Cook cleverly allows the reader to decide who the noble brother is and who is selfish. Overall, I found `Places in the Dark' and quick and entertaining read that was something different from my usual reading matter. However, although the split narrative was effective, it was undermined by the off-putting whimsical, almost fairy tale like, nature of Cook's writing.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Cook has the knack of drawing you into the world of his characters from page 1. And once the story has hold of you, you most certainly won't want to get out. Appealing and flawed characters, compelling sub-plots and comlex storylines are the ingredients that keep you hooked. Think you've guessed the ending? Well, think again, and again....Cook has the ability to throw you off the scent and shroud everything in dark mystery until the final chapter. With an ending that will literally leave you in tears, Places in the Dark is essential reading.
0 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
After waiting beyond a long delivery estimate I was asked to assess the product. I couldn't do so because I didn't received the ordered product
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