Under Dark Skies (Nightshade Forensic Files, #1)

by A J Scudiere

• ASIN: B00MY8JUD4
• Publish Date: 2014 (first published 4 November 2014)
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Format: eBook (Kindle)
• Pages: 390
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

We meet Eleri Eames as she is waiting outside of a psychiatric hospital. On her last case, her insight into the killer found her being detained as a possible accomplice. She has just learned the FBI has assigned her to the NightShade division and secured her release. Donovan a former medical examiner has just completed his training at Quantico. Eleri is appointed lead and the two are assigned their first case.

The case focuses on a secluded cult and their leader. They are believed to be responsible for several kidnapping cases and most recently the abduction of an FBI agent's daughter. As the two dig deeper and get to know each other each notices odd things about their partner. For example, while on recon Donovan wearing a GPS device, clocked thirty-two miles an hour. Was it a glitch? Instinctively Eleri knows who to question and where to search for clues. None of these things quite add up and the NightShade division may just be more than either of them expected.

From the mysterious NightShade division to the characters, I found myself slipping right into this case. The tale was well balanced and the paranormal elements had a plausibility to them. It is somewhat how I imagine those different from us living among us. The procedural aspect was not overwhelming as NightShade follows its own guidelines. Any forensics was light on procedural details and focused more on the abilities of certain characters. I loved that the focus was on the case itself and it read like an FBI thriller. The concept of this special FBI division is not a new one, just look at the Krewe of Hunters series by Heather Graham but Scudiere adds twists and I quite enjoyed it.

It took me a little time to connect with Donovan and Eleri. Given the burden/secrets they have been carrying, it was understandable. There is no romance in this novel, although one could develop going forward. I am curious to see if we will get to know other members of this unit and the cases, we will encounter.

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

[Chelsea]

**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

Cover
It’s kind of a creepy cover isn’t it? I think it’s pretty cool though. I love the Nightshade Forensic Files part. It looks really cool.

Initial Thoughts
Have you ever started a book and could immediately tell it was going to be good? That’s exactly how this book made me feel after reading the first paragraph. Maybe it’s the writing style or the author just made a really good impression, but I knew I was going to like this book.

My New BFF
I love Eleri so much! She’s really interesting to me because we get little peeks into her life but it’s just enough to keep me wanting more. She also has a great personality and it fits well with the personality of her partner. I also love how she seems really perfect until you really get to know her. It’s almost like getting to know an actual person, slow and steady. Nothing is pushed at you all at once. Even at the end after finding out she isn’t perfect, she’s still such a great character with so much personality that you can’t help but love her.

My Crush
I don’t know if I’d say Donovan is my crush or not. Maybe a little bit because he is also a great character. It was harder getting to know him because he’s much more reserved than Eleri. It’s actually Eleri that starts to figure stuff out about him instead of him telling anyone else. I think his personality goes great with Eleri’s. They aren’t completely opposite but they both see things in different ways and it helps them put the pieces of their case together.

Writing Style
At the very start of this book I could tell it was going to be quirky and fun just by the writing style. It’s well written but it also has so much personality in the writing. I found it was easy to read and the information really stuck in my head. I really loved that there was no romance in this book. Maybe there will be later on but realistically there’s no way the two characters would fall in love so quick. I’m really grateful that the author kept their relationship simple and realistic.

Closing Thoughts
I really, really loved this book. I could not put it down. The characters were great and both had different personalities. I really loved how subtle the supernatural parts were. We didn’t even know there was going to be supernatural aspects until a little ways into the book. It was like a mystery within a mystery! It was so much fun trying to figure out the supernatural parts but then trying to figure out the case they were working on too. I was never bored because I was constantly trying to figure everything out. This will not be the last book in this series that I read. I can’t wait to see where Eleri and Donovan go next!

5 out of 5 stars