The Dark Room by Lisa Gray
| The Dark Room by Lisa Gray | |
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| Category: Crime | |
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Reviewer: Ruth Ng
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| Summary: Written around a really intriguing idea for a story, this is full of very readable twists and turns! | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 287 | Date: October 2022 |
| Publisher: Thomas & Mercer | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 9781542035354 | |
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What if you knew someone was dead, because you'd watched them die several years ago, but then you come across a photograph that seemed to show their murder happened in a different place and time? This is what happens to Leonard in this story. He is an ex-crime reporter for a newspaper, and since leaving journalism he's found himself an unusual hobby where he finds old, undeveloped rolls of film and develops them in his own dark room at home. One of these photographs turns out to show the murder scene of a young woman he met some years ago, and who he thought he had watched die in front of him one night in a hotel. He'd felt guilty ever since that night, and lost everything because of it - his fiancee and his career - but now finds himself wondering if she hadn't really died the night she was with him, what on earth actually happened?
I found this to be a really engaging story. I love the idea of hunting out old rolls of film to see what photos are on there. Remember the old days, when you'd maybe only take one photo, and then another photo three months later, and when your roll of film was developed you'd find images captured from a year ago, or more, that you'd totally forgotten about? I did momentarily wonder if this hobby is something that is possible, do people actually sell used film? But a quick internet search revealed that you can, indeed, buy rolls of film to develop yourself as a mystery surprise! So anyway, the idea was intriguing, and I could see the appeal of these mystery surprise photos, although it does also feel a little bit creepy.
Of course, that creepiness adds to the sense of danger within the story. It's weird to have the photographs of unknown strangers hanging on your wall, and for that to be the thing you do for fun! Anyway, for Leonard, having discovered that this woman is now dead, but wasn't dead when he thought she was, he gets caught up in investigating what on earth happened, and who is responsible for her murder. Leonard is a tricky character, as he's not a very nice person. But I still found myself wanting to know what had happened, and I enjoyed all the sleuthing that goes on. Leonard finds himself working with someone else to uncover the truth, and I felt these two characters played off each other well. The layers within the mystery are intriguing, and I really wanted to know how things were going to resolve. Actually, it's not just Leonard who isn't very nice - nobody in the book is particularly likeable! But still, it's a crime story, and you don't need to be emotionally invested in the people in the story in order to enjoy it.
Although Lisa Gray is Scottish, this story is set in the US, and it feels authentically American. I could easily imagine the New York locations. I think that adds to the grimy feeling too, and you can picture the edgy back streets, dodgy staircases outside of motels. You get a real sense of how Leonard's life has fallen into misery too, and it's interesting to watch him change as he gets more and more caught up in the investigation.
Gray writes the Jessica Shaw PI stories, but this is a different, standalone novel. I felt it ran a little bit long in places, and just occasionally I got lost and wondered what was going on, but overall it was an enjoyable read, great for holiday reading, and I didn't guess what was coming!
For more photography with your murders, you could try A Snapshot of Murder (Kate Shackleton Mysteries) by Frances Brody or Sherlock Holmes - The Spirit Box by George Mann
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Dark Room by Lisa Gray at Amazon.com.
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