Search - A Darker Place (Anne Waverly)

Very engaging. University Professor Anne Waverly investigates alternative religious movements ("cults"). Although she has vowed not to take another assignment, she learns of hundreds of children living in the Change Movements compound in Arizona. Now she decides to confront the demons of her past while trying to save the lives of innocent victims in this bizarre and dangerous religious cult.

An excellent mystery with lots of suspense. Laurie King writes books like no one else. This book was first-class.

A real page turner.

I picked this up at one of those perpetual book-sale-for-charity tables at my doctor's office for half a buck, and I wouldn't say I overpaid... but almost.

This was my first Laurie King and while overall it was well-presented, it left me feeling a bit empty. First, the good: her ability to paint a picture is amazing. Much of the action takes place in Arizona, and her representation of Sedona, Prescott, Jerome, and their surrounding landscape are spot-on (at least as far as I can recall from my 2008 AZ tour). Her characters are also well drawn, especially (and most importantly) her main protagonist/ antagonists. And the main premise! Who'd've ever thought you could have an alchemy theme in a modern setting? She pulls it off well, not really stretching credibility at all.

The bad: she writes the protagonist as if she's a continuing character. Too often, events from the past are referred to so peripherally, you can only presume they're from another book. Bit by bit these pieces get filled in, but in the end, never completely. At least, not enough for my taste. Lastly, the ultimate showdown seems to be rushed. Whereas in the Arizona branch of Change all her actions appear to be cautious, sensible, and purposeful, her attitude at the branch in England borders on reckless. They lead to a throroughly unsatisfying and disastrous resolution. So unsatisfying, in fact, I had no idea I'd read the last sentence of the book until I turned the page and there was nothing else there.

Overall impression: a decent read for the imagery and characters, but a tad lacking in structure.

Laurie R. King is in my opinion the master of women's suspenseful mystery today. This is one of her best. She has the ability to take what is going on in the heroine's mind, twist it into the plot, and tweeze out what might be hiding in your own mind....you'll see....