Some Choose Darkness
by Charlie Donlea
I am very conflicted as I finish Charlie Donlea’s Some Choose Darkness. The reason? It turned out to be more of a thriller than I had anticipated. This reader’s taste leans towards Agatha Christie and cozy mysteries. I cut my teeth on Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. I avoid thrillers because they stir me up too much. I chose to read Some Choose Darkness because I had read a book by Donlea previously and enjoyed it. Somehow I did not expect an intense work of fiction about a serial killer. The problem is that although in some ways I didn’t enjoy reading it, I felt compelled to finish the tale, to make all of the pieces fit together. Donlea has masterfully crafted a thriller with so many layers and connections that rapid page turning is a necessity. Add to the plot not one, but two characters with autism and obsessive/compulsive disorder and this retired teacher is all over it.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery and Thriller
Publication: May 28, 2019—Kensington Books
Memorable Lines:
With Lane’s reputation as a forensic psychologist and criminal profiler for the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit, and Rory’s credentials as a reconstructionist who pieced together the very findings the algorithm looked for, they made the perfect team. Police departments listened to their conclusions, and many had started using Lane’s software to track homicides on their own.
Like a tuning fork that has been tapped, the vibration from the mystery surrounding the woman was at once barely audible but yet impossible to ignore.
Rory’s greatest gift was her ability to piece together cold cases, to pore over the facts and discover things other investigators missed until a picture of the crime—and sometimes the perpetrator—became clear in her mind. Her understanding of a killer’s thinking and motive came from examining the carnage he left behind.
education pathways 
I was surprised when I read serial killer in the title— I had to double check I was reading one of your reviews! Any thriller that could make you feel compelled to keep going has to be good. I’ll be checking in on this one.
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Your comment is funny but true!
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Wonderful review Linda. I have heard great things about Charlie Donlea, but have not taken the plunge yet to read one of her books. I think this one sounds like one I would really enjoy. I am going to try and find this one. I am also intrigued by the characters with special abilities that help them do a good job, even if others find those abilities a bit strange.
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BTW, it’s not a big deal, but Charlie Donlea is male. I thought of the author as female at first, but that is not the case. For some reason, probably the type of books I tend to read, most of the authors I read are female. There are exceptions such as the cozy mysteries by James J. Cudney. He does an awesome job with his cozy mysteries with a male protagonist.
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I remember checking once to see if Charlie was male or female but that was a while ago. I tend to read a lot of female authors as well. I have a few males I read, but they are few and far between. Funny, I never thought about it before.
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