Alone In the Dark (Cincinnati, #2)

by Karen Rose

In ALONE IN THE DARK, Karen Rose - the Sunday Times bestselling author of CLOSER THAN YOU THINK - returns with a breath-taking new novel in the Cincinnati series - would you cross the line between danger and desire, justice and revenge? A desperate hunt to find a young girl's killer is about to turn deadly...

Former Army Ranger Marcus O'Bannion and homicide cop Scarlett Bishop have met only briefly but when Scarlett receives a phone call in the middle of the night, she immediately recognises the hauntingly smooth voice asking her to meet him in one of Cincinnati's roughest areas.

On arriving, Scarlett finds the body of a seventeen-year-old Asian girl and Marcus injured. A fierce champion of victims' rights, Marcus claims the young woman was working for an affluent local family and the last time he saw her she was terrified, abused, and clearly in need of help. Having agreed to meet her, both Marcus and the young woman were targeted for death.t, how many other girls may end up alone in the dark?

• ISBN13: 9781329709522
• Publish Date: 23 November 2015
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 3 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Lulu.com
• Format: eBook (OEB)
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

Five reasons to grab Alone in the Dark

Trigger Warning: This case deals with human trafficking, torture and there is violence. (show spoiler)[Rape is mentioned primarily in the past tense and is not overly graphic. But might trigger a response from those who have a sensitivity. There are torture scenes and while things are heavily implied (he pulled his array of tools into view), most is told after the fact. For example, he finally gave up the codes, but it cost him several toes and fingers. ] (hide spoiler)

• Set in Cincinnati the tale picks up a few months after Closer Than You Think and gives us Homicide Detective Scarlet Bishop story as we begin a dark case involving human trafficking. Fans of psychological thrillers and darker romantic suspense will find themselves quickly pulled in. Rose delivers the full story from the case to her depth of characters. Alone in the Dark weighed in at over 700 pages allowing us to see the case, the criminal, the victims and especially the main characters -Scarlet and Marcus O'Bannion.



• The characters are complex and allow you form attachments even to secondary characters. Scarlet is Decker's partner, and I knew going into the tale I was going to love this courageous woman. She presents this tough as nails exterior, but we quickly get to learn about some of the baggage she carriers. These issues drive her to excel. Former Army Ranger Marcus O'Bannion runs the local paper called the Ledger, along with his brother Cal, friend Diesel and a crew he considers family. Marcus is driven and events from his past drive him and his team to help victims in ways the law cannot. I loved the reporter angle and the more I got to know him and his crew the more I loved them. Secondary characters from familiar ones to new ones added depth, fellowship, and interest. I loved Cal, Diesel and even Jill with all her attitude. The victims had a voice here, and I appreciated it.



• The case was interesting and begins when Scarlet gets a phone call in the wee hours asking her to meet in a shady section of town. She goes because the caller is Marcus O'Bannion a man she met on a previous case. Marcus was meeting a young woman who apparently needed help, but things quickly go south. The young woman ends up dead, but not before saying something that soon has Scarlet and Bishop working side by side.



• Rose delivers the full picture as she relates the case to us. We spend time with the FBI and local authorities as well as time with the criminals and victims. I love this attention to detail, and it makes the seven hundred pages read more like a book half that length. The change is perspectives enhanced my reading pleasure even as I squirmed when the criminal elements of this tale had theirs.



• The romance was well done and tugged at my heart-strings. Scarlet and Marcus have met previously, so there was chemistry established. Working together forced them to admit the attraction and be brave enough to act. I love when damaged or scared individuals open up and grow. Rose gave us delicious banter, snark, and attitude. These two clicked making their emotions and actions felt genuine. While the romance is threaded throughout and we enjoyed a little heat, it stayed firmly on the sidelines of this thrilling and suspenseful tale.

copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer