Whitesands: A John Dark Case - Horror Meets Psychological Crime Noir
Johann Thorsson provided me with an ARC of this debut novel, and I must honor this fantastic piece of fiction with a review.
I am always in for a ride-along with a brooding, damaged detective trying to keep his life together while solving crimes. John Dark is just the man for this. His life was turned upside down when his daughter went missing, and with minimal sleep he utilizes the tools at the precinct to try and track steadily-cooling leads to locate her. His real job seems like it’s just getting in the way of what he really needs to do and his conscience will not let him rest, “If you were a proper detective, you would have found her by now.” When some strange and gruesome homicides come to light and John and his partner Monique are put on the case, his focus is forced elsewhere for a while and things take a supernatural turn. Parallel to John is the life of Daniel Hope, a programmer who carries the anchor of schizophrenia that proves to be a blessing and a curse.
The writing in this book is phenomenal. Thorsson paints with words. He makes me feel like I’m in the rain with John Dark, in the labyrinth that is Daniel Hope’s mind, and lost in the ether with the dead.
Thorsson wrote something that I found thought-provoking and also revealing of the vivid interior of Daniel’s mind, “Everyone has problems of their own that they think negate the urgency of others. Everyone can help. Daniel was distracted for a moment by this realization, and his mind cascaded down a river of philanthropic logic. There is always someone who has less than us, so if everyone just gave something it could flow downhill until all was even. Until everyone had the same. Why didn’t they? He felt like he had just discovered a great potential truth, a way to change the world but couldn’t grasp it. Too big for one mind. His mind too dynamic to hold onto it.”
The fact that the author is well-versed in horror and literature makes this story richer, darker, and also more empathetic to the pain of humans experiencing racism, mental illness, and loss. I noticed this because he makes direct and subtle references to the movies Paranormal Activity, E.T., and Poltergeist while also touching on Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken, L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz, and Stephen King’s The Body and IT.
Truly, this book has it all: horror, crime, the supernatural. The characters are likeable and relatable and the writing is spot-on. With these winning combinations, Johann Thorsson will you have you begging for more John Dark cases.
Do yourself a favor: pre-order a copy so you can read it when it comes out on September 26th!
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