Dark Mountain

I’ve read every David Wolf book. In this one he’s more cerebral, less physical. But his body has taken incredible punishment in past books, and he is a little older. Still a great story.

I WAS annoyed by all the errors in spelling, word usage, and the like. This is more common in ebooks, it seems, but it is a distraction. Do instead of due. Heroine instead of heroin. He instead of she. EDITING is still important.

This was my first Jeff Carson book but it won’t be my last. David Wolf has all the makings of an outstanding detective, one you’d really enjoy following from book to book. In this case, he’s after The Van Gogh killer. Whoever he is, he takes a souvenir when he leaves them dead, one of the victim’s ears. The thing is, they haven’t seen or heard anything from this killer for several years. Now, all of a sudden he’s back and killing again?

Wolf is aided in his investigation by FBI agent Kristen Luke. When the book opens Wolf’s girlfriend, Lauren, who has a six year old daughter, gives Wolf the impression she’s breaking up with him due to the nature of his job and this latest killing. This opens up the possibility of Wolf getting involved with Luke.

I really liked the suspense in this. There were a couple of scenes that had me on the edge of my seat just waiting for something bad to happen. I was expecting the killer to jump out at any moment and wreak havoc on Wolf or one of his colleagues. A fellow officer, Tom Rachette, plays a sizable role in the story which added another dimension to the plot. He had an even bigger reason than Wolf to want to catch the killer.

I’m looking forward to reading more of this author’s work.

3.5 stars (rating may vary depending on whether site allows half star postings)

I’ve read other David Wolf books and I would rate this one as better than the others that I read in this series.

Warning: Spoilers Possible Ahead:

****

What I liked: David doesn’t assume that he and Lauren are through or “on a break” and take up with Kristen; the few times there are cooperation between the agencies as well as admiration of the skills of others.

What I didn’t like: the FBI seems to have put its needs ahead of alerting local law enforcement that a serial killer might be targeting someone in their area, resulting in additional deaths; David seems to have a relationship with Lauren which is somewhat interrupted by circumstances and the presence of Kristen;

I look for two things in a book: first, it must keep my interest from page one to page last. Second, if I put it down for whatever reason, I must be able to get back to the story line without having to re read previous pages.
Having read that, you might surmise my reading level is, at best, high school. However, after having read all nine books by this author, I think I can get away with reviewing this book without my usual critique of such things as plot development, character development, rising climax, anti climax, leading to resolution, etc.
Needless to say, Jeff Carson puts out an extremely engaging read, and one of which I am a huge fan.
Having said that, I will admit this book was a complex read in my opinion, and yes there were times I needed to re read several pages, but not from a lack of plot development, rather just to ensure I was on the “same page” so to speak. In other words, the story line was not a light read. It had to be closely read in order to get the full flavor of the plot and characters, both protagonists as well as antagonists. So complex, yes, but confused no.
This writer takes his reader on a trip, which at times leads down paths that are not what is expected. It is a “who dunnit” of who dunnits in other words. As I said, interesting from beginning to end.
If this is your first introduction to Messr. Carson, take it from me it won’t be your last. The chief protagonist, David Wolf, is as tantalizing a character to get to know as Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch.
Trust me.

A young woman has been murdered… The killer has left a well-known signature… The FBI are first on the scene… The town is in a panic… Is this murder connected to others that took place two years ago? Can SBCSD Chief Detective David Wolf and the FBI solve the crime before there are more murders?

This was a decently paced mystery with an interesting storyline. By the time you get to this ninth book in the series, Rocky Points is a familiar place and so are the people that live there. Readers are invited to follow the clues and the investigation with Detective Wolf and the SBCSD, along with Kristen Luke and the FBI. We find out who a guilty party is about half-way through the book, but there are still a few surprises in store for that person. Trying to figure out the rest of the mystery is not as easy. I was sure I had cracked the case wide open soon after, but I was wrong. I changed my mind a few times along the way. There were the usual twists and turns to keep you guessing. The final showdown(s) were well worth the wait.

AfterThought: I took away one star for the unnecessarily graphic sex scene. Any more details and I would have taken away four stars…

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