Darkness Peering

by Alice Blanchard

Book Overview

Darkness Peering The dead girl lay face up on the edge of the pond, a snake coiled in the muddy hollow of one arm. For Police Chief Nalen Storrow, it was a shocking reminder of the violence he thought... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553111531
• ISBN13: 9780553111538
• Release Date: August 1999
• Publisher: Bantam
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.6" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Two for two

Also inspired to read Blanchard's first book after burning through "The Breathtaker." I think this one is nearly as good, though slower-paced. I was impressed by the descriptions of New England countryside and the conflict in all of her characters, especially her heroine, Rachel. I suppose you could call this the grandmother of all dysfunctional family stories. I was surprised by the killer reveal, though it was a bit of a cheat and I thought there could've been a little more to chew on where he was concerned leading up to the ending. But that's a minor quibble. I definitely recommend this.

A Great Book

This is the best psychological thriller I've read in a long, long time. I would recommed it for the intelligent reader. I suspect it's not for the average mystery buff, though I may be wrong. It's dark, complicated and challengingly difficult. At a very high level of prose. The characters are brutally real. As someone else mentioned, it reminded me of Thomas Harris. This is a great book and I think it does an impressive balancing act between literary fiction and page-turner. I'm looking forward to what else Alice Blanchard has to offer the world.

The BEST BOOK I've read in YEARS!

I'm in a book reading club with ten other people and we just read this one. EVERYONE IN THE GROUP LOVED IT! We all agreed this qualifies as a novel much more than "just" a mystery/thriller. It rises high above that predictable and formulaic genre. It is smart, disturbing and beautifully written. What I most loved about this book is how it weaves its way through the dark little worlds of many troubled souls in a small New England town in such a way that their tragic, mundane lives stay with you long after you put it down. I haven't read a novel this good in years. For those looking for your standard mystery novel, go read any one of the thousands of forgettable ones out there. For those looking for something truly remarkable, go buy this one immediately. Color me impressed, Ms. Blanchard, and count me as one of your lifelong fans. And hurry up with your next masterpiece. You have a hungry book-reading club tapping their feet most impatiently.

THIS IS A GREAT BOOK. DEEPLY SCARY AND BRILLIANT.

I agree with The New York Times Book Review that this is one of the best books of the year. Blanchard has pushed the envelope in the police procedural genre, creating a complex tapestry of emotional characters with haunted lives. This book is not only sumptuous, atmospheric and literary, but also a shocking page-turner with jarring, unexpected twists. Read it. This is a high recommend.

A great read. Not your run-of-the-mill mystery.

This was something different than I expected-- a literary mystery/thriller. A few horror scenarios (I won't give them away) are incredibly scary, gripping and believable. The heroine is quite conflicted on several levels-- haunted, actually. This book left me disturbed yet strangely satisfied. It's much more thought-provoking than your average mystery. I'm definitely looking forward to her next one.