Title: Every Dark Corner
Author: Karen Rose
Series: Cincinnati #3
A+++++ … but maybe read last couple of books to better understand big picture
FBI Special Agent Griffin “Decker” Davenport, along with Special Agent Kate Coppola and their team in Cincinnati, must work together to uncover a sociopathic pedophile who sells drugs, makes kiddie porn, steals and sells people as though they were objects, and kills anyone who gets in his way.
Well, I hunkered down for a three-day weekend and tackled this 600-page monster. I loved it, as I’ve loved all of Rose’s books without exception. I’ll try not to get too fangirly talking about them.
Honestly? I could only come up with one complaint about this book: it makes a valiant effort to stand alone, but the history of not only the characters, but the plot, is so rich and dense and convoluted at this point that I think someone picking this up without having read a Karen Rose book before is going to feel pretty disconnected. There are references made in this book reaching as far back as the eighth and ninth books of Rose’s career, published almost ten years ago.
Allow me to explain. All of Rose’s eighteen published books take place in the same universe, meaning all the characters from each book exist in the same world and follow the same timeline. Also, all the characters are connected to one another somehow, whether they’re family, coworkers, or just friends. Some of those eighteen books are said to be part of different series (which drives me nuts, because I consider them all one series); don’t be fooled—it’s all still the same universe. They may, however, take place in different cities on the eastern side of the US. So, for example, Every Dark Corner is advertised as the third book in the “Cincinnati series”—and that just means it’s the third book to be based in Cincinnati. Rose’s website has a really cool map listing which books take place where. The books based in the same cities are usually involved in an overarching plot.
That said, I really, really recommend that anyone interested in Every Dark Corner read, at the very least, Alone in the Dark beforehand. Closer Than You Think, the first book in the “Cincinnati series,” is a seriously fantastic book and stars Deacon Novak, my absolute favorite of Rose’s characters, so I highly recommend that one as well. Don’t feel you have to go back too far; Rose does a decent job explaining her references. But by all means, read all her books! You won’t regret it. (Although it might take you a while—500 to 700 pages is normal for a Karen Rose mass market paperback. Two thirds of them are available on audiobook; listen to them while you do chores.)
Anyway, Every Dark Corner is a wonderful story crafted with care and precision by a master storyteller. I won’t say it’s my favorite Rose, but it wasn’t disappointing. Decker was a decent hero, but, though he had his share of past trauma, I’m not sure he was as complex a character as Kate. That’s not to say he wasn’t well-developed; I just feel that Kate had more interesting stuff going on inside her head, that she was more conflicted. They made a cute pair; they were lost souls that provided each other with an anchor, with a base.
The level of detail Rose incorporates in her characters and plots is simply astounding. She uses not only the perspectives of the hero and heroine, but she does a phenomenal job using the villain’s POV to advance the plot—but she doesn’t reveal too much. There’s also a good amount of humor to keep the book from getting too depressing, but it’s not cheap humor; the jokes are subtle and witty. I snorted and cackled at times, but I balled my eyes out, too. The story is deeply emotional and doesn’t shy away from sensitive topics, but it does respect them. Rose is an author determined to expose the underbelly of society, to show realistic circumstances while keeping her protagonists mature and dignified.
Okay, I have thought of a couple more cons. When the protags finally saved the day and defeated the villain—it was rather anticlimactic. Satisfying, but not as dramatic as I’d hoped. Second, I’m not really sure what the point was for the one or two scenes between Meredith and Kimble. It definitely wasn’t necessary to this plot; probably it was setting up their relationship for a future book that they may star in, but I think it could have been cut out of this book. Their reactions to one another were enough to suggest a past relationship.
But speaking of future books—I am so fricken excited that Rose has another book coming out later this year! Except I think it’s going to be based in Baltimore again and not Cincinnati, which means we’ll have to wait to see how all the relationships she set up in Cincinnati turn out—and she set up a LOT. Meredith and Kimble, Stone and Delores, Diesel and Dani, Wendi and Colby, and I wouldn’t mind a book centered on Kendra, Trip, or Mallory. Audrey could be matched up, too, and there’s Quincy Taylor. (That sounds like a lot of characters, but don’t be intimidated—you’ll keep them straight.) And I’m sure Rose left other relationships undeveloped in other cities. If only she wrote faster! (Though, to give credit where credit’s due, she does write pretty darn fast to turn out one, sometimes two, gigantic books every year. One of hers could easily be two for most authors.)
Overall… *dreamy sigh* I love Karen Rose. Excuse me while I go prepare myself for the next one by rereading the books set in Baltimore.
