Chasing Darkness, by Danielle Girard

>> Monday, December 23, 2002

Next, I'm reading a mystery novel: Chasing Darkness, by Danielle Girard.

Plot summary:
"Samantha Chase, a special agent for the Department of Justice and a former homicide detective, spends her time apprehending child abusers and caring for her orphaned twin nephews. At all times she represses her own traumatic childhood experiences and maintains an aloof distance from her colleagues, friends and family. But when a copycat killer begins targeting women who are connected to Sam through her cases, her life starts to unravel. Her colleagues wonder what she's hiding behind her icy veneer could she be a rogue cop? and a single-minded police chief who's convinced of her guilt is determined to put her away. Sam's primary ally is her ex-lover, Detective Nick Thomas, but his lingering affection for her may place her life in jeopardy."
Chasing Darkness was ok, a well-crafted mystery, but it didn't really catch my attention. A B-.

The characters were nice, both protagonists and secondary characters (though Nick's mom was such a cliché! Stereotypical wise woman, dispensing advise and talking in aphorisms), but I never really warmed up to Sam. Yes, traumatic past and everything, but some of her backstory didn't check out for me... like her divorce. This was SO melodramatic, and the strong Sam described in the book wouldn't have reacted this way.

Also, I don't really see the fascination of serial killers and, more recently, child molesters. Both appear prominently here in this book, and I'm a bit sick of reading about them.

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