From back cover:
A woman off the grid.
Darby Graham thinks she's on a much-needed vacation in remote Idaho to relax. But before she even arrives at the ranch, an earthquake strikes. Then a barn on the edge of town is engulfed in flames and strange problems at the ranch begin to escalate, and Darby finds herself immersed in a chilling mystery.
A town on fire.
More fires erupt around town, and a serial arsonist sends taunting letters to the press after each. As a forensic linguist, this is Darby's area of expertise...but the scars her work has caused her are also the reason she's trying to escape her life.
A growing darkness.
As the shadows continue to move in, pieces of the town around her come into sharper focus. To make it out alive, Darby must decide if she can trust the one man who sees her clearly.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I really enjoyed the Gwen Marcey series and everything I've read by this author since then has been disappointing. Fortunately, this book was better than her last several books. It still didn't reach the same level as the Gwen Marcey series, but it's an improvement.
I found Darby to be an interesting character. She was unique and flawed and had experienced a lot of trauma in her life; but I still felt disconnected to her. There was a lot going on, (maybe too much going on.) a lot of characters, and a lot of information at the beginning it was hard to really get to know Darcy quickly.
Darby is a forensic linguist, and while it did play a part in the story, I wish it would have played a bigger role. It's such an interesting job that I would have liked to have learned more about it!
There is certainly something mysterious about being somewhat stranded in a remote location that makes for a very interesting read. The setting is really interesting and having grown up in the Northwest as well as having lived in Idaho, I was easily able to picture the scene and what was going. Even if you've never been to the area it's described well enough that it almost plays like a movie in your mind!
There was a large cast of characters at first and I had a hard time keeping them straight. A couple of them were unique and easy to remember, but the rest were kind of a blur. To the point when the killer was revealed it took me a minute to remember who they were.
I thought the arson plot line was a bit unnecessary. Or at least wished it had tied into the main story-line better.
I also agree with other reviewers that the romance was a bit odd. It just didn't fit in the story very well and just felt odd and stiff. I don't like it when characters instantly fall in love. The 'tension' between them was ridiculous.
Overall I found this to be a good story. Not one I would probably go back and reread, but certainly memorable!
I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
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