Hello Darkness by Sandra Brown

Item: Hello, Darkness
Rating: 5
Author: Nadene @ Totally Addicted to Reading

Posted on January 13, 2020 by Nadene @ Totally Addicted to Reading in Reviews / 0 Comments

Title: Hello, Darkness
Author(s): Sandra Brown
Published by Simon & Schuster on October 7, 2003
Pages: 560
Genre(s): Romantic Suspense
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Format: eBook

Purchase: Amazon
Reading Challenges: Kindle Unlimited
Rating:

Updated cover of this Kindle edition.
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Seeing Red comes Hello, Darkness, a brilliant, fast-paced tale about a woman haunted by her past and caught in a nightmare that threatens to destroy her future.
For Paris Gibson, her popular late-night radio show is both an escape and her one real contact with the outside world. To her loyal listeners, she is a wise and trusted friend who not only takes their requests but listens to their problems and occasionally dispenses advice.
Paris’s world of isolation is shattered when one listener—a man who identifies himself only as “Valentino”—tells her that the girl he loves jilted him because of Paris's on-air advice. Now he intends to exact his revenge: first he plans to kill the girl—then he will come after Paris.
Joined by the Austin police department, Paris plunges into a race against time in an effort to find Valentino before he can carry out his threat. To her dismay, she finds that she must now work with crime psychologist Dean Malloy, a man with whom she shares a history. His presence arouses old passions, forcing Paris to confront painful memories that she had come to Austin to forget.
As the clock ticks down and Valentino’s threats come closer to becoming reality, Paris finds herself forced to deal with a killer who may not be a stranger at all.
Tense and compelling right up to the chilling climax, Hello, Darkness is suspense at its very best, by the author USA TODAY dubbed “a masterful storyteller, carefully crafting tales that keep readers on the edge of their seats.”

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I borrowed Hello Darkness through kindle unlimited in October 2019, but just got around to reading it. Honestly, I do not know why I took so long to read, but I am glad I finally got around to it.

I went into Hello Darkness with high expectations based on my familiarity with the author’s work and she did not disappoint. The story pulled me and held me captive to the end.

The main characters, Paris and Dean, had a tumultuous history between them. They had not seen each other in years, but when Paris received the chilling call from the villain, their lives would once again intertwine.

Paris’s life has changed drastically in the last seven years. She was once a well renowned television reporter, but after a tragic incident touched her life, she walked away and moved to Austin. Now a late night radio personality she grants her listeners their music requests and provides sage advice on their personal issues when required. However, there was one listener, whose chilling call would shake up her world.

Dean moved to Austin to work as a psychologist with the police department. His experience has a cop made him a valuable asset and the best person to assist with this situation. He never expected that he would cross paths with Paris once again.

Brown weaved a tale that kept me guessing at every page turn and had me anticipating the result. Riddled with a stream of suspects, I had a hard time figuring out the identity of the perpetrator. Each of them had an opportunity, a motive and a proclivity towards sexual perversion. There was a moment when I thought I had it figured out, but then Brown sent me in another direction. Even when she narrowed it down to two suspects, I almost had whiplash trying to figure out the real villain’s identity.

The suspense arc formed the major part of the story while the romance was served on the side. The relationship between the main characters had its share of complexities. Their journey towards becoming a couple had major bumps and hurdles from the past and the present. I loved the glimpses I got regarding Paris and Dean’s past. It gave a full understanding for the decisions they made then and now.

There is not much I can say about the villain more than he is one sick puppy and for that matter all the suspects were on the nutty side with their proclivities and obsession with Paris.

The investigation and the events leading up to the capture of the villain moved quickly leading to a fast-paced tale.

Conclusion/Recommendation

Hello Darkness took me on a suspenseful journey, filled with twists and interesting revelations. Overall, it was a great read and one I would recommend to fans of romantic suspense.

About Sandra Brown

Sandra Brown is the author of more than sixty New York Times bestsellers, including STING (2016), FRICTION (2015), MEAN STREAK (2014), DEADLINE(2013), & LOW PRESSURE (2012), LETHAL (2011). Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into over thirty languages. In 2009 Brown detoured from romantic suspense to write, Rainwater, a much acclaimed, powerfully moving historical fiction story about honor and sacrifice during the Great Depression. Brown was given an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University. She was named Thriller Master for 2008, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer’s Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Nadene @ Totally Addicted to Reading

Nadene's addiction to reading began at an early age, when a family friend gifted her a copy of Wuthering Heights. From that moment she was never without a book.She will read anything as long the material is compelling enough to hold her attention. She gained many experiences through the pages of the books she had the opportunity to read.She created this blog to share her love of books with like minded individuals hopes that in sharing reviews of the books read visitors to the blog will discover their next addictive read. When not reading, Nadene enjoys cooking, listening to music and watching television.

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