Review: DARKNESS FOR LIGHT, Emma Viskic

• format: Kindle (Amazon)
• File Size: 4347 KB
• Print Length: 213 pages
• Publisher: Echo (2 December 2019)
• Sold by: Amazon Australia Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0821FDXFL
• #3 in the Caleb Zilic series

Synopsis  (Amazon)

The third thrilling instalment in the award-winning Caleb Zelic series. After a lifetime of bad decisions troubled PI Caleb Zelic is finally making good ones. He's in therapy, reconnecting with the Deaf community, and reconciling with his beloved wife.

But he can't escape his past.

A violent confrontation forces Caleb back into contact with his double-crossing partner, Frankie. When her niece is kidnapped, Frankie and Caleb must work together to save the child's life. But their efforts will risk everything, including their own lives.

My Take

This must have been just a bit too noir for my tastes, but I just found it a bit of a slog.

I don't actually warm to the central character Caleb Zelic, nor to many of the central characters he works with.

There is a lot of background material where I feel I have missed out on the full story, and that was actually how I felt when I read the previous title in the series.

The rating I gave it reflects the way I felt about the book, but others readers may well rate it more highly.

My Rating: 4.2

I've already  read
4.3, RESURRECTION BAY
4.3, AND FIRE CAME DOWN
 

Review: RESURRECTION BAY, Emma Viskic

Synopsis (Amazon)

 Caleb Zelic, profoundly deaf since early childhood, has always lived on the outside - watching, picking up telltale signs people hide in a smile, a cough, a kiss. When a childhood friend is murdered, a sense of guilt and a determination to prove his own innocence sends Caleb on a hunt for the killer. But he can’t do it alone. Caleb and his troubled friend Frankie, an ex-cop, start with one clue: Scott, the last word the murder victim texted to Caleb. But Scott is always one step ahead.

 This gripping, original and fast-paced crime thriller is set between a big city and a small coastal town, Resurrection Bay, where Caleb is forced to confront painful memories. Caleb is a memorable protagonist who refuses to let his deafness limit his opportunities, or his participation in the investigation. But does his persistence border on stubbornness? And at what cost? As he delves deeper into the investigation Caleb uncovers unwelcome truths about his murdered friend – and himself.

My Take

Caleb and his business partner Frankie are insurance investigators. Frankie is a former cop in the Victoria police and her contacts are often useful in getting information not normally readily available.

Caleb asks police friend Gary to assist with information about their current case, a warehouse fire, and then gets a text message from Gary indicating he is in trouble. He gets to Gary's flat too late and the police find him sitting on the kitchen floor, covered in blood, holding his friend's body in his arms.

The investigation into Gary's death sends Caleb to his ex-wife Kat for help and it appears that those who killed Gary now think that Caleb has the incriminating evidence that Gary once held.

As the blurb says, a fast paced thriller set in Melbourne and a seaside Victorian town. The characters are well drawn and the result is a solid debut novel.

My Rating: 4.3