TLC Book Tour: Darkness All Around

Darkness All Around

Doug Magee

Touchstone

352 pages

Risa is married to a local politican and has a teenage son from a previous marriage.  She owns a local diner and she seems to have it all.  Turns out though that her first husband disappeared years ago and has been declared legally dead.  Risa has no idea what has really happened to him.  Until the local high school’s Scrimmage Day when he shows up again.

Sean comes back out of the blue.  A recovering alcoholic, he is now in recovery and has come back to his small hometown to confess to the murder of his and Risa’s high school friend Carol, who was killed years ago.  Sean is having flashbacks of her dead body and he is convinced he is the killer, but Risa cannot fathom her former husband committing such an atrocity.

Darkness all Around was good but not great.  The mystery in itself was interesting enough but I felt like Magee didn’t go into the initial murder enough.  There was a chapter at the beginning of the book detailing the discovery of Carol’s body, but I never felt that there was a picture painted for the reader of the actual murder, which is kind of important when you’re talking about a murder mystery.

I also had issues with the characters. They seemed a little two dimensional to me.  I was able to understand who they were and what they were about, but I never really ended up caring about them or drawing a connection with any of them. It was unfortunate because I liked Sean and Risa and I was intrigued by their story, especially that of Sean, but it just never panned out.

My two main concerns made this book just an ok read for me.  I am glad I read it.  It kept me involved for the most part.  I just don’t think I’ll remember much of it in a few weeks time.

About Doug Magee

Doug Magee has been a photojournalist, screenplay writer, children’s book author, death penalty activist, film producer and director, war protestor, college football player, amateur musician, and the basis of the Aidan Quinn character in Meryl Streep’s “Music of the Heart.” This is his first novel. He lives in Spanish Harlem with his wife and two teenaged children.

Learn more about Doug and his work at his website, dougmagee.com.

Doug Magee’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Tuesday, June 19th:  Crime Fiction Lover

Thursday, June 21st:  You’ve GOTTA read this!

Monday, June 25th:  Bewitched Bookworms

Tuesday, June 26th:  Life in Review

Wednesday, June 27th:  House of Crime and Mystery

Thursday, June 28th:  Inside of a Dog

Monday, July 2nd:  Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Tuesday, July 3rd:  Reviews by Lola

Thursday, July 5th:  Chaotic Compendiums

Monday, July 9th:  Man of La Book

Tuesday, July 10th:  Wordsmithonia

Thursday, July 12th:  Well Read Wife

Monday, July 16th:  A Chick Who Reads

Tuesday, July 17th:  Unabridged Chick

Wednesday, July 18th:  Reviews by Elizabeth A. White

Thursday, July 19th:  Drey’s Library

TBD:  Murder by Type

TBD:  Raging Bibliomania

The Sunday Salon: 7/01/2012

I bet you all are surprised to see me! I know I have been a bad blogger recently.  Some of you have asked for updates so I wanted to post about what has been going on recently.

Baby Genevieve should be her shortly.  My due date is August 16, however she is a BIG baby.  My doctor believes she will be a July baby and I hope he’s right! I am ready to be done with the constant heartburn and I am getting so swollen that I feel like the Michelin man!

We have been slowly getting everything we need and but for a few final touches, we are pretty much ready for baby.

Sorry about the photo quality–it was snapped on my phone!

Since this is a book blog, I suppose I should also talk about what I have been reading.  Here is what I read this week.

I enjoyed all three books but I must admit that I was disappointed with 84 Charing Cross Road.  I loved the wittiness but I just didn’t draw that connection that I had hoped for.  The other two books were great for holding my attention–especially The Future of Us.  I couldn’t put it down!

I have now moved on to Gone, Girl, by Gillian Flynn.  I was too tired last night to read anything but the first chapter (don’t you hate that!), but I can already tell I will love it.  It is the book club choice for my IRL book club this month so we’ll see how it fares.  I have a feeling it will be a resounding success!

I hope everyone enjoys their Sunday and stays out of the heat!