Rory Moore, a forensic reconstructionalist, has difficulty in social situations, struggles to make eye contact, and has intensely focused interests, but Rory has also had a childhood that supported her--both her parents and her great-aunt Greta have given her a sense of stability. Her long-term partner Lane Philips understands her, and his career dovetails with Rory's so that they have a shared interest.
So...on to the plot. Rory works with the police and with her partner's Murder Accountability Project, both of which allow her to work on her own. After her father's death, Rory finds herself in a difficult situation when a judge requires her to become involved with the prison release hearing of a murderer her father defended decades ago. The murderer known as The Thief (because the bodies were never recovered) was convicted of only one murder, even without the evidence of a body, but is suspected of the disappearances of the other women as well.
Rory has a law degree, but has never practiced, partly because of her difficulty dealing with people, but the judge gives her no choice. As she prepares for the hearing, she is puzzled by some of her father's notes and continues digging.
Told in two time-lines, the book shifts from Rory in the present to Angela Mitchell, a young married woman in 1979, when women in Chicago were going missing. Rory becomes fascinated with her father's involvement with the case and with Angela Mitchell, who suffered from some of the same symptoms Rory has. Rory recognizes that Angela was on the Autism spectrum, which was not widely recognized at the time. Angela had developed a hyper-focused interest in the missing women and was doing research on her own when she disappeared shortly before The Thief was arrested.
Some Choose Darkness is compelling and has a few twists that kept me engrossed throughout. I'm hoping Donlea is considering a series with Rory Moore.
NetGalley/Kensington Books
Crime/Suspense. May 28, 2019. Print length: 304 pages.
I love his books. I'm definitely looking forward to this one.
ReplyDeleteRory is an interesting character, and the plot kept me involved!
DeleteRory sounds like a compelling character! Looking forward to reading this one soon.
ReplyDeleteRory's skills are certainly apt for her work as a forensic reconstructionalist. :)
DeleteI like the sound of Rory's character and think this would be a great book to add to my radar. On a totally unrelated note, thank you for letting me know about the rubber stamp! I love that site and am thinking of some other stamps I may need :)
ReplyDeleteI've really enjoyed my snail mail stamp. I like the return address stamps, too. :)
DeleteI do like Donlea. At least the few books of his that I've read. This one sounds good. :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't like the prologue, but after that, I really enjoyed the book!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds great! And the autism angle makes it even more interesting.
ReplyDeleteThe autism angle was the most interesting to me. Rory manages so well because she has had all the right support. Angela Mitchell, however, wasn't so lucky with her background.
DeleteMy first book of his wasn't the best experience, but my goodness is this author getting better and better!
ReplyDeleteI DNF Summit Lake, but I did like The Girl Who Was Taken. And this one. :)
DeleteHi, Jenclair. I've been ailing for almost three years and haven't had the energy to do much book blogging during most of that time. I'm checking in today for the first time in almost exactly two years, and I'm thrilled to find you still going strong. I've found that about four out of five of the blogs I used to read have closed up shop and that makes me sad. Anyway...keep up the good work. I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things on Book Chase now that I finally feel better (two near-fatal car accidents and a bad fall that broke my left hip really knocked me for a loop). Sam
ReplyDeleteHey, Sam! Good to hear from you. Sorry to hear about your accidents--you've had a bad few years. Hope things are on an uphill swing now that you're back to blogging.
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