DARKROOM by Mary Maddox

4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE

Reviewed by me as a member of Rosie Amber's Book Review Team

Darkroom is a slick murder mystery/thriller set in the mountains of Boulder, Colorado in the winter - the setting itself was a plus point for me. 

Kelly Durrell's friend, scatty, bohemian photographer Day Randall, is missing.  So is Marcus, the lover of Day's married friend, Odette.  Kelly knows nothing of the murky world inhabited by those surrounding Day and Odette, and isn't aware what she's getting into when she starts to make investigations. 

The story is told from the third person points of view of Kelly, and Animal, a bouncer from Cascade, a club owned by Day's former lover, Tyson.  Animal was a most appealing character, I liked him very much.  I thought the story was tidily put together, with the strengths being the characterisation of the minor characters (such as the awful Dustin) and the dialogue, which is excellent; I felt the author really understood her characters and what made each one tick.  The only one that didn't really come alive to me was Kelly, who seemed like a slightly bland vehicle for the plot, some of the time, but this didn't make me like the book less.  Tyson is sexy and sinister, Day lovely but infuriating, Welch revolting... the rest all came across so well. 

The plot itself did not throw up many surprises for me, but it's so well written that it kept me wanting to turn the pages.  Recommended for anyone who likes a sharp thriller ~ oh, and I smiled to see the mention of 70s band It's A Beautiful Day.  I didn't think anyone but me had heard of them, but perhaps that's a UK thing!