Alone in the Dark by Karen Rose

January 12th, 2017 Kimberly Review 41 Comments

12th Jan
Alone in the Dark by Karen Rose
Alone in the Dark
by Karen Rose
Series: Romantic Suspense #17, Cincinnati #2
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Heat Level: One FlameOne FlameOne FlameHalf a Flame

Homicide Detective Scarlett Bishop has seen enough bad guys slip through the cracks and too many innocent victims go unavenged to know good doesn't always prevail. So far she’s been able to lock away her rage and her vigilante fantasies. That lock is about to break.

Former Army Ranger Marcus O'Bannion is a fierce champion of victims’ rights. His secret past gives him good reason. He believes he’s seen the depths of human depravity, but then his investigation into the murder of a young girl who once asked for his help lures him and Scarlett down a dark, dark road—and straight into the crosshairs of a dangerous, powerful underground ring that deals in human trade. To stop them, Scarlett and Marcus have to be just as cunning and just as ruthless. But first they have to make it out alive.

SUSPENSE thriller well written ROMANCE

Alone in the Dark is the second novel in the Cincinnati series and the seventeenth in the Romantic Suspense series by author Karen Rose. Alone in the Dark features a dark, suspenseful, murder mystery surrounding human trafficking and offers a side dish of romance involving Homicide Detective Scarlet Bishop. Unexpected twists and pure evil await you in this page turner.

Five reasons to grab Alone in the Dark

Trigger Warning: This case deals with human trafficking, torture and there is violence. View Spoiler »

  • Set in Cincinnati the tale picks up a few months after Closer Than You Think and gives us Homicide Detective Scarlet Bishop story as we begin a dark case involving human trafficking. Fans of psychological thrillers and darker romantic suspense will find themselves quickly pulled in. Rose delivers the full story from the case to her depth of characters. Alone in the Dark weighed in at over 700 pages allowing us to see the case, the criminal, the victims and especially the main characters -Scarlet and Marcus O’Bannion.
  • The characters are complex and allow you form attachments even to secondary characters. Scarlet is Decker’s partner, and I knew going into the tale I was going to love this courageous woman. She presents this tough as nails exterior, but we quickly get to learn about some of the baggage she carriers. These issues drive her to excel. Former Army Ranger Marcus O’Bannion runs the local paper called the Ledger, along with his brother Cal, friend Diesel and a crew he considers family. Marcus is driven and events from his past drive him and his team to help victims in ways the law cannot. I loved the reporter angle and the more I got to know him and his crew the more I loved them. Secondary characters from familiar ones to new ones added depth, fellowship, and interest. I loved Cal, Diesel and even Jill with all her attitude. The victims had a voice here, and I appreciated it.
  • The case was interesting and begins when Scarlet gets a phone call in the wee hours asking her to meet in a shady section of town. She goes because the caller is Marcus O’Bannion a man she met on a previous case. Marcus was meeting a young woman who apparently needed help, but things quickly go south. The young woman ends up dead, but not before saying something that soon has Scarlet and Bishop working side by side.
  • Rose delivers the full picture as she relates the case to us. We spend time with the FBI and local authorities as well as time with the criminals and victims. I love this attention to detail, and it makes the seven hundred pages read more like a book half that length. The change is perspectives enhanced my reading pleasure even as I squirmed when the criminal elements of this tale had theirs.
  • The romance was well done and tugged at my heart-strings. Scarlet and Marcus have met previously, so there was chemistry established. Working together forced them to admit the attraction and be brave enough to act. I love when damaged or scared individuals open up and grow. Rose gave us delicious banter, snark, and attitude. These two clicked making their emotions and actions felt genuine. While the romance is threaded throughout and we enjoyed a little heat, it stayed firmly on the sidelines of this thrilling and suspenseful tale.

Alone in the Dark was a fully developed tales with twists that will hold the reader spellbound. Perfect for fans of dark, gritty suspense thrillers and memorable characters. Every Dark Corner, the next book set to release February 7th will feature two FBI Agents we met in Alone in the Dark. I cannot wait to devour it!

 

Alone in the Dark by Karen Rose -a gripping romantic suspense will keep you flippin' the pages Share on X

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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

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41 Responses to “Alone in the Dark by Karen Rose”

  1. Judy

    I am reading Alone in the Dark. It is a very good story, but I think it would be better if it weren’t 700+ pages long.

  2. Deborah

    I love Karen Rose but haven’t read any of her books in a few years. I don’t seem to get them for review (and I’ve requested them a couple of times – and have no idea who publishes them in Oz). But I loved the linkages between books and I thought she had the romantic / suspense balance just right!

  3. Lily B

    Holy cow bells, 700 pages long? o.o and 4 stars? must have been interesting since books that long can drag also. I never read any of her stuff though, but I love a good thriller. Trafficking always gives me the shudders 🙁 such an intense subject , but important

  5. Genesis

    I looooove romantic suspense novels!! (Have you read Rebecca Zanetti’s books?) 700 pages is a lot!! But I’m really intrigued by this one. Great review!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      LOL, while there are 17 books, they are all standalone and this is the 2nd book in the Cincinnati series. So you could jump in with the previous book or read any of them as standalone 🙂

  9. Rowena

    Romantic Suspense is hit or miss for me. Karen Rose has been such a big hit with a lot of my friends that every time I read a review of her books, I wonder why I haven’t tried her yet. I have no idea but thanks so much for this review, Kim. It was great!

  11. Cyn

    Oh boy! Sounds like a pretty intense read! Glad to hear it was well written and the romance sounds great! I love when side characters get their happily ever after (: Great review, Kim!

  12. Heidi

    This one is not for me right now. I don’t like the human trafficking and the violence. It makes me so upset.

  15. Dragonfly

    oK I’m back! 🙂 Comments are closed for Shadow Falling so I’ll leave the comment here: but it seems Shadow Falling it fall sunder Romantic Suspense so I am happy to discover DO read romantic suspense! 🙂 I really liked book 1 so happy to see book 2 is good too! I’ll get to it soon 🙂 Thanks for the review Kim 🙂

  16. Dragonfly

    I often wonder if I’d enjoy Romantic Suspense. I think I’m going to click in the UBB link and pick one of your favorite 5-star and try it 🙂

  17. Laurel-Rain Snow

    I have been meaning to read this author….and I LOVE romantic suspense. Forming attachments with the characters is a favorite thing of mine, and I also relate well to characters with baggage…so I’m adding this author to my list. Thanks for sharing.

  18. Sophia Rose

    Love this series and I thought Scarlet was a fantastic heroine. She’s intelligent and tough. She and Marcus fit well. I’m so excited because I have Every Dark Corner already (just need to finish up a few other books first).

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Yes, this is one of those series that has mini-series (typically 3 or 4 books) scattered throughout, primarily on the location of current FBI team. Heather Graham does this with her Krewe of Hunters books. It is nice because you can jump in and out anywhere.