Are you in the mood for a superb crime book? Or just want something that is absolutely page-turning? Why not have both with Candice Fox’s latest page-turning crime book, Gathering Dark!
Set in Los Angeles, we meet a doctor turned convicted killer, an extremely skilled thief, and a cop who doesn’t feel like she fits in with her colleagues. The drama that unfolds is realistic, and definitely felt like it could happen in real life, which is rather chilling. The way Fox portrayed Jessica, the policewoman, made me feel super empathetic, as she was just trying to give her job her all. This is despite her police department appearing to dislike her- perhaps of her dedication to all her cases, or the fact that she was included in a will of a past client, who bequeathed her a mansion worth a lot of money. The jealousy truly made her partner and commanding officer appear very jerkish, which I feel is part of why she doubts herself so often.
Blair Harbour also just wants to get her life back on track, after being released from her jail sentence, thanks to the one and only Jessica Sanchez. She was trying to live a quiet life, earning some cash from being a convenience store attendant. Little did I know that her life was about to get a little more dramatic (which was a huge catalyst for me not putting this one down), with a girl coming in to steal money from the till. The next morning, she finds her friend from jail, Sneak, and learns that she was the last person to see Sneak’s daughter before she went missing. I really disliked the mischievous ways Sneak tries to sneak back into Blair’s life, given that parolees aren’t supposed to be around each other, but it really did work for this story.
Sneak goes out of her way to steal things, and stealing items from Blair isn’t an exception. When Sneak steals Blair’s car, Blair goes to the police station to file a report, and to ask if Sneak’s daughter has had a missing persons report filed. This definitely raised some suspicion to the police officer who ‘interviewed’ her to find out what she knew about this girl. Whilst I grimaced at the descriptiveness of what went down, I was also so keen to make sure that Blair would be a-okay on the other end.
I loved how these three ladies, from different paths of life band together, not only to find where and what of the girl, but also focusing on the aspects of family, friendship, and also police corruption. I was somewhat amazed at how well Fox blended all these themes together, and it made the book flow in a pace that I really liked. It was really nice to also have a realistic-sounding family dynamic that has its ebbs and flows between Blair and her son (who she doesn’t get a lot of page or so-called time together), as it wasn’t overly inflated, nor pushy. I also liked that there was comic relief, in the form of a pet gopher, something I had to blink and reread a couple of times because I couldn’t believe it at first. I also had to google what a gopher was, and not going to lie, they do look kind of cute!
Overall, if you want a fun but also seriously thrilling crime read with a side of gophers and police corruption, this is definitely a book you should read!
Gathering Dark is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore!
Will you be picking up Gathering Dark? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
A convicted killer. A gifted thief. A vicious crime boss. A disillusioned cop. Together, they’re a missing girl’s only hope.
Blair Harbour, once a wealthy, respected surgeon in Los Angeles, is now an ex-con down on her luck. She’s determined to keep her nose clean to win back custody of her son.
But when her former cellmate, Sneak Lawlor, begs for help to find her missing daughter, Blair is compelled to put her new-found freedom on the line. Joined by LA’s most feared underworld figure, Ada Maverick, the crew of criminals bring outlaw tactics to the search for Dayly.
Detective Jessica Sanchez has always had a difficult relationship with the LAPD. And her inheritance of a $7 million mansion as a reward for catching a killer has just made her police enemy number one.
It’s been ten years since Jessica arrested Blair for the cold-blooded murder of her neighbour. So when Jessica opens the door to the disgraced doctor and her friends she expects abuse, maybe even violence.
What comes instead is a plea for help.
