THE DARKNESS KNOWS Review

Not sure why but I've been fairly nostalgic lately, and not necessarily for times I actually lived in or remember. Funny how these moods can take you & color so much.

How about y'all? What have you been reading and has it been influenced by your moods?

Anyone else feeling nostalgic?

 Bright lights. Big city. Brutal murder.

Chicago, 1938. Late one night before the ten o'clock show, the body of a prominent radio actress is found in the station's lounge. All the evidence points to murder—and one young, up-and-coming radio actress, Vivian Witchell, as the next victim. But Vivian isn't the type to leave her fate in the hands of others—she's used to stealing the show. Alongside charming private detective Charlie Haverman, Vivian is thrust into a world of clues and motives, suspects and secrets. And with so much on the line, Vivian finds her detective work doesn't end when the on-air light goes out...

The gripping first novel in a new series from debut author Cheryl Honigford, The Darkness Knows is a thrilling mystery that evokes the drama and scandal of radio stardom in prewar Chicago. (synopsis from Amazon)

3 Stars

Ms. Honigford does a great job taking readers back to an era when the world stood on the cusp of recovery, advancements, and tragedy. My grandparents told me stories of these days and, with my current nostalgia phase, THE DARKNESS KNOWS was a pleasant evocation of those memories.  That feeling and her mastery in portraying the era make for a very entertaining cozy. The beginnings of the noir period I so enjoy in books and movies. There were, however, a few things that were disappointing.

Viv’s desire and determination to be a modern woman with a career were betrayed, for me, by the way she went about it. There wasn’t as much grit when it came right down to it. It wasn’t necessary for her survival and there were times it came across, for me, that she was doing this in defiance rather than a real resolve to be independent. Her modernity didn’t extend far enough in some instances while going a tad too far in others. Her role in the mystery, while central, had very little to do with its resolution, and one of the most important facets never even occurred to her until much later than it should have.

THE DARKNESS KNOWS was a pleasant read, but I’m on the fence as to whether I’ll read the next one.