#allthebookreviews – The Deep Dark Descending by Allen Eskens

Let’s start October out right!

Thanks to Prometheus and Seventh Street Books for the advanced copies in exchange for our honest reviews.

THE DEEP DARK DESCENDING – Allen Eskens (releasing October 3rd)

Here’s what Chandra and I thought for #allthebookreviews

Chandra’s Thoughts: 4/5 stars

Detective Max Rupert’s wife dies in a hit and run accident, or so they say.  As clues arise to show that this was indeed a murder and not a freak accident, it becomes his mission to find the killer and get his vengeance.

My first Eskens novel and I am blown away.  He takes us on a journey on a frozen lake where he is with the killer fighting with himself on the justification of the act he may or may not take to the steps he went through to find out who the killer was.  A fast paced thriller that is fairly straight forward… you know from the beginning that Max has his killer.  What you learn is the process he went to find this person and the inner turmoil he faces in extracting his vengeance.  There are no huge revelations or twists and they are not needed for this book.  I was completely invested and felt for Max the entire way.

I hear this is the fourth book that Eskens has written with some of the same characters.  I never would have known had I not had conversations about this book with others.  However, it IS a stand alone novel and it’s not necessary to read the other three… though I will as a little of the characterization may have been lost or already fleshed out in previous books.  Eskens is a fantastic author and I am thoroughly impressed with how he hooked me right into this story.  I want to know where Max goes on from here.  Eskens! Where are you? TELL ME WHAT HAPPENS!

A novel about grief, vengeance and the inner battle of your own demons.  I was extremely satisfied with the entirety of this quick paced, gritty novel.

My Thoughts: 5/5 stars

Considering I live in Minnesota, I’m embarrassed to say that I haven’t read one of Allen Eskens’ novels yet. THE DEEP DARK DESCENDING was a fantastic way to start! It read very well as a standalone novel – I have seen from other readers that you can read them in or out of order because it isn’t entirely chronological in the events.

Detective Max Rupert experiences tragedy when his wife is killed in a hit and run accident. He quickly finds out that this wasn’t just an accident, but it was a murder. He takes the law into his own hands to find and confront her murderer. The unique thing about this book is that you know from the very beginning that he has the killer and he is about to face him.

This is a short and fast thriller. It’s action-packed and I couldn’t stop reading it. Even though this is definitely a standalone novel, you don’t get too much character development into Max – but that doesn’t take away from the connection the reader creates with him. I loved how we knew the ending right away – he has the killer. I need to know how he got him!! So the rest of the chapters jump back and forth between present day and the past few days leading up to now.

Eskens did a great job setting the scene. With this being on the US/Canada border (in winter) he perfectly captured the harshness of the weather. As a Minnesotan, I have experienced this awful subzero and frigid weather and know how it can affect your body. So being able to connect to the novel in that way was refreshing.

Overall, if you want a thriller that you can’t put down with a uniquely told story, then you have to pick up THE DEEP DARK DESCENDING by Allen Eskens. This was a story about vengeance, fighting your inner demons, moral struggles, and we get to see a grief-stricken husband pushed to his limits.

 

Time to go get his other three books!

–Jess