One girl disappeared. After fifteen years, her cold lifeless body was found on the damp forest floor. Not an inch of her was unmarked by the horrors she endured. Alone, malnourished, abused in horrific ways; this was how she died.One girl was found walking the streets, covered in dirt and scars. She had no memory of who she was, where she came from, or what happened to her. Even though the marks … the marks on her body attested to years of heinous abuse, her strength shone through at every turn.
Revenge and justice were sworn.
Years of searching brought up nothing but dead ends. Detective Niko James was too late to save his childhood friend, but he vows not to let down another.
The clock is ticking and the trail is pitch dark.
*This book contains dark triggers.*
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PITCH DARK by Alex Grayson (who I have read before) and A.M. Wilson (new to me author) have written an unforgettable, mysterious, suspenseful and very dark book. Once I started I could not put it down. My only warning would be that the abuse set off my triggers, to the point where I struggled with some scenes. If you have triggers of abuse and molestation, read with caution.
Niko James is a detective that has been devoted to his work since he joined the police force. His childhood best-friend, and sole owner of his broken-heart was kidnapped on her way to the bus stop at age 13. She had lived next door and was his entire world. He was her protector, confidant, and the love of her life. He had been sure that they would always have each other, and be partners in life. Suddenly without a clue, she was gone, leaving his world empty. No witness to were she went or who took her. His only certain knowledge was that she never would have left him by choice. 15 years later and he is no closer to finding his Aslin.
When a dead young woman was found in the woods, Niko’s search seemed to come to a tragic end. But he vowed he would find the monster who took her and make sure that he payed for all his harm and sins. When a traumatized woman was found in his neighborhood, walking the streets, covered in dirt and scars, with no memory of even who she was, once again Niko swears for revenge and justice for this Jane Doe. He may have been too late to save his beloved childhood friend, but he vows this time not to let another down. There are so many turns, twists and surprises. Plus that ending just WOW!! 4.5*
Pitch Dark had me on the edge of my seat and left me speechless. There are no words to describe how I’m feeling after reading this book. This book had me from page one and had me guessing and hoping throughout the book. These two amazing authors did a fabulous job writing this romance thriller.
Five DANGEROUS stars! Get ready to be caught in a web of situations that will play with your mind! A read darkly written.
Holy sh*t! I am left speechless. I do not know how to start my review. This book is one of the darkest I have read. Every page have me at the edge of the abyss. It is twisted and darkly written. In my opinion this book would make a really good suspense movie. It has everything for making it painfully addictive. To be honest I do not know who is more twisted, if the authors for writing it or me for reading it. I keep wondering.
Alex Grayson and A. M. Wilson deliver a really good book. I hope soon they work again together. Both ladies are dangerous.
The story goes smoothly from past to present and it is told by each character. There is not a way you miss anything. The characters are complex. At the beginning maybe you will lose the thread of the story but as you carry on reading many things are clarified.
Some scenes made pull my hair many times. My nails suffered too. I bite them. I am a girl who can’t handle pretty well the suspense but I am a masochist and I enjoyed the suspense and darkness created by the authors.
The plot is original and refreshing but if you are sensitive to topics like child abuse do not read it. It’s always hard to believe that people can hurt a child. Children must be always be protected.
Two children living in a rough neighborhood surviving to the worst until they were separated by destiny. North was abducted and Niko never stop searching for her. Years going on and he became a detective determined to find Aislin. But fate has other plans for him.
“I’m not sure how I’ll survive knowing the truth, knowing I didn’t protect the one person I was meant to protect.”
Finding a lifeless body will left Niko cold and heartbroken. He failed to the girl he swear he will protect. Guilt will eat him up.
“I was her protector, and she was my North Star, lighting up my world and making it seem less harsh.”
His mission in life will be to catch the responsible who kidnaped his North Star. To take make him paid for all the pain and abuse to his girl. There will be few clues that will lead him to nothing until an abused girl appeared.
“This woman makes me feel things I haven’t felt in a long time, if ever. Things I’m not really sure if I want to feel but still feel regardless.”
She will be his light through the darkest time he is facing. There is something about this poor girl that drawn him. Being close to her will heal some wounds.
“It doesn’t matter, North. No matter what happens later, you’ll always be my number one girl. You’re my North Star, my beacon.”
Get ready to be caught in a web of situations that will play with your mind! I highly recommend you to read it. If you are searching for something darker and twisted, pick this book which is darkly written. You won’t be disappointed.
I can’t think of the last time a book held me so completely riveted. Parts of this story were very graphic that they were truly hard to read and both terrifying and heart wrenching, particularly when the abuse is detailed, but at the same time, I couldn’t stop reading. I had to know who Doe was and if Niko found the resolution he sought. The book is wonderfully written and so well done that it was easy to see myself, right there, watching it all play out. With its whiplash inducing twists and horrifying acts of a madman that is so much scarier than any of the things that go bump in the night. This is one tale that will stick with me and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the genre. Wilson and Grayson make a great team and are certainly authors to watch.
Jesus wept!!! Talk about a story that punches you straight in the gut.
I have no words right now, literally no words that will justify just how good this book was.
What Alex and A.M have delivered is a heart wrenching story that will leave you completely speechless.
To fully appreciate the magnitude and mystery of this story you need to go in blind, so I’m not going to tell you anything. But be prepared.
It’s brutal.
It’s raw.
And it’s incredibly graphic and not for the feint of hearts. I flinched and cringed so many times while reading some of this and normally it doesn’t bother me.
If you can get past that, you will fall in love with this story and its characters.
Alex and A.M have not only delivered a gripping story, they have delivered a masterpiece with “Pitch Dark”.
You can feel the blood, sweat and tears gone into writing this book and it is worth so much more than the 5 stars I’m giving.
I didn’t expect this story going in. I didn’t expect to be knocked on my arse, gasping for breath only a couple of pages in, but by god did I love every bit of the emotional ringer I was put through.
Definitely one of my top reads for 2017!!!
A riveting tale of criminal intents and lost loves, that will stick to your heart and keep you burning midnight oil to finish the book .
The worst kind of tragedy in this world is a child being kidnapped . Their disappearance is horrific for both the child and the parent and their loved ones. There are so many monsters , predators lurking in the shadows , waiting for the opportune moment to grab them for their nefarious deeds
I shudder so hard at that prospect for any kid. The story sends shivers down your spine. The chilling sequence of events that lead to Aislin’s dissappearnace is the start of inhumane torture, abuse and sexual assault on the poor girl and frustrating for her best buddy and next door neighbour – Niko James. He not only loses his best friend but his “North Star”.
The story covers a span of 15 years . Of heartbreak, frustration and rage. He grows up to be a cop and runs around blind corners, knocking on dead ends, stumbling over false leads.
It’s agonising to watch him helpless & angry .
She was the one who kept the small spark of light shining off in the distance. Without her, that light will disappear for good. I may have family and friends who care for me, but I’ll still be alone because she won’t there anymore.I’m not ready to let it go yet . I’m not sure if I ever will. I know it’s an unhealthy obsession to keep something that’s connected to a dead girl, but Aislin was so much more than just a girl.
The story is dark , no doubt, but not pitch dark ( that’s just my opinion) cause I have read some darker , reads. But the twists, turns, surprises in the story will keep you glued to this book.
The story is very well written, the plot thickens and builds in tension as it goes. It’s very well researched project, definitely. Small details are sprinkled throughout the story to give authenticity. The pace is quite fast , despite the time span. You feel as if the perpetrator is just beyond the reach of your fingertips, and it makes the journey heart pounding and grossly captivating.
The feels are very strong. Characters are so endearing and likeable. It’s not rushed and Doe takes baby steps to build trust and relation. Her fear is very real and palpable. Niko is very alpha protector , he exudes strength and safety. The poignant rediscovery of life by both Niko and Doe brought tears to my eyes. It’s so thoughtfully worded , I loved the blossoming relationship. And Betsy is just adorable
I wish gruesome and strictest punishment and death sentence for such heinous crimes.
Couple of things that seemed odd to me , so I’m taking away half a star just for that.
4.5 Heart Thumping Stars
This book will stay with me for very along time. It was co-written by two of my favourite authors. So I knew it would be good, but it wasn’t just good it was a whole new level of awesomeness…
I have struggled to put into words a review that will do it justice. Without giving too much away. So your able to experience the book the way I did. Going into it totally blind. Only knowing it would be really dark…Not for a minute realising it would completely blow my mind!
It was a lot like SVU but way better. So many twists and turns, that I didn’t see coming. Like one big rollercoaster ride, where you buckle in and hope for the best. I think I had my kindle in a death grip from start to finish. Permanently hanging on the edge of my seat, turning page after page to find out what happens next. I have to say, this one of the most dark and twisted books I’ve ever read…It was bloody fantastic!
4.5 Stars
Well my goodness!!! Popping a double cherry with this book. Two New to Me authors and what a book to pop my cherry with. A page turner from the very first page till the last. Sat down yesterday and started this one, pulled me in immediately…didn’t stop till I finished late last night.
This is a different story, one that is full of emotion. One for the young boy who lost his best friend. Now a Detective, 15 years have passed and he is still looking for his best friend. Refusing to give up, his life has revolved solely around finding the girl who just disappeared.
From the highs of possibly getting a break in the case, to the lows of just another dead end on the lead, this story tells a fantastic tale of what a person goes through when a loved one goes missing. Never give up hope and continue to live each day searching.
The star that shines the brightest is the North Star. If you keep looking, hopefully one day your path will be paved in the direction the brightest star is shining!!!
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Oh my days!! I don’t even know where to start with this book!…….and I know I may have started a review with that line before……but seriously!!!!! This book! I cannot begin to tell you what this book has put me through or how I am still thinking about it! But I will try for the sake of this review and the amazing authors that wrote it.
Yes this has been written by two authors, A. M. Wilson and Alex Grayson but you wouldn’t know it as it is totally seamless……this couple compliment each other’s writing style to bring you a book that will have on the edge of your seat, gasping for breathe, shouting at your kindle!
From the first page this had me gripped, my heart split in two for Niko whose loss and pain can be felt emanating from the pages…….this guy has been through so much looking for his ‘North’ and the opening chapter shredded me.
But not all is as it seems! These authors take you on a journey that will leave you on your very last nerve and just when you think you know where you are……BOOM! There was a certain point where I just gripped my hair and shouted Nooooooo! Seriously, my heart nearly gave out!
Please, please, please go read this book!
Much like its name, this story is Pitch Dark. Some of the things you will read are tough to take, but just makes the anger that Niko has match your own.
I read a lot, so I had a few theories boiling in my brain, but that never took away from the story. I was smacking my finger across the screen flipping the pages until 3am because I couldn’t shake the story, I couldn’t put it down, I had to know how it ended!
This is what Alex executes perfectly. I have loved Alex Grayson from the first book I have read of hers (and I have read them all). She continues to deliver. I always feel that I fall into the story with her characters. Like I am there holding their hands through their journey. I am also a sucker for a good epilogue.
Nicely done Alex and even though at this point I have not read anything from A.M. Wilson, that will change quickly because you two meshed so well on this that I doubt I would ever guess who wrote what part. Bravo.
This book has left me speechless. If I could give this book, more than five stars I would.
I have read books before from Alex but not from A. M. Wilson but I will be sure checking them out…
I stayed up all night reading this book I really could not put it down.
This book will have you guessing most of the way through it is dark heartbreaking amazing.
The writing is brilliant I would never have been able to tell two authors it flows so well. The characters are so well written so well developed. It is as if you are going through the emotions they are while reading.
I will tell you a little about the book without spoilers.
The story follows Niko James he is trying to find his childhood friend who went missing when they were children, he got a job as a detective to be able to help or have more resources to find her he doesn’t believe what people told him she had run away, but he never believes that.
I loved Doe she is another great character. If you love these authors’ works then do not miss a book you will not be disappointed, if you have not read any by these authors then again pick it up and give it a read.
So many Twists and turns in the book it kept me up reading all night it sucks you right in from the start and does not let go. I really did not figure out things until they were revealed.
Holy Darkness Batman!!!
I am not even sure how to explain my joy over this book. I know that those have read it are looking at me like I have seven heads. Joy?!?!?!
Let me explain. This book is not for the faint hearted. It had triggers and very uncomfortable situations. It has a being so evil it makes your skin crawl. You will be tempted to back away but it will torture your soul to not know. You will NEED to know. You may drive yourself crazy spouting theories, suspects, and plot twists. You are wrong. Or at least I was…until 30 seconds before the reveal.
Go with your gut but honestly don’t eat while reading. I almost lost it at least twice. It’s so well written and I may be too empathetic because I could feel/experience certain situations and it is not pleasant.
I may not have ever read A.M. Wilson prior but Alex Grayson is a must read for me. This book was a definite must. Hold strong and you will be rewarded. Life isn’t all unicorns and rainbows but sometimes you get exactly what you wish for…
Revenge. In my case, I wish for an epic revenge. I know I will get it.
There are some very emotional parts in this book (synonymous with Alex Grayson) while I recommend a tissue or two handy- long sleeves will work too. I experienced some dirty in my eye or something definitely at the fault of the authors. I have so many quotes I would love to share but they give away too much of the story. So I will leave you with one that caused eye leakage and some sniffling…. “…as if she’s the most precious thing in the world. To me, she is, and she always will be.”
Niko never forgot her. He formed his entire being around her. She was and is his North. He just has to find her. Or grieve her. Niko isn’t prepared for one and prays for the other. Too bad we can’t all get what we want.
Just know that this book may be disturbing but it will give you peace- eventually. Not what you want or expect, but comfort and sighs are guaranteed.
reviewed for Naughty Book Blog
Niko James had a childhood friend and, while everyone thought her a runaway, he knew deep in his gut she’d been kidnapped. Then he grew up and became a police officer.
Now a detective, with years under his belt in the department, a dead girl is found in the woods and another one is found wondering the streets near his home. The similarities lead him to believe there is a relation and, once again, he’ll trust his gut rather than what his colleagues are telling him.
This book is a full-length standalone touching a lot of sensitive issues. It’s one, if not the most, difficult book I’ve ever read, dealing in highly descriptive detail with physical and emotional abuse, but it is nonetheless a powerful read.
Personally, friendship is one of the biggest and most important relationships in my life and the bond between Aislin and Niko touched my heart deeply. Both these characters are strong in their own right, relentless in their fight and I suffered with them every step of their journey.
This is a dark and gripping tale of love, pure and selfless on one side and misguided and sick on the other, but still love no matter what. It brought out feelings of sadness, hopelessness and fear, but I still power through it and really liked how the story developed and ended. It is definitely not for everyone, but if you can deal with your most delicate sensibilities, I think it’s worth every minute of your time and reading every last word.
4.5 stars
This is a very dark emotional book.
An absolutely brilliant read and a beautiful story.
There is tragedy and the storyline has many different twists and turns that keep you hooked until the very end.
Highly recommend
Niko and Aislin were childhood friends and on their way to something to more when Aislin was taken. Niko becomes a cop and spends his adult life tracking down what happened to his “North” star. A body is found and Niko’s world is turned upside down. This was a good story. I’ll warn you that the “Lelu” chapters are very hard to read. It’s a trigger for sure. Some scenes I just couldn’t even get through, it was too much. The ending will make you WTF??? all the way through it.
5 Stars
*Please be aware this book has many triggering topics and if you are concerned that it may not be for you, check out some more information before starting.*
If dark, intense, and sometimes horrifying circumstances that lead to a happily ever after, through many twists and turns, are your thing, you need to read this book today!
The childhood beginning of Niko and Aislan’s friendship is heartwarming and beautiful, but readers know from the start it will not stay that way. As readers follow Niko’s journey through loss, pain, grief, frustration, guilt and eventually happiness, expect to experience this roller coaster ride of emotions as well.
I am a huge fan of Alex Grayson and her dark romance, so reading this series is a no brainer for me. Her collaboration with A.M. Wilson (new to me) has caused me to find a new author to follow. I look forward to Broad Daylight, the next book in the Westbridge series.
Cara – Alphas Do It Better Book Blog
This is a dark, brutal and even terrifing story. Niko is a detective, his best friend Aislin had disappeared 15 years ago. Niko has never believed that she just ran away, and never stopped looking for her. Two women are found, one is dead, the other alive but with no memory. Both have horrific scars which attest that both have had endured abuse which is beyond your imagination.
Niko’s search is over, he was too late and his best friend is dead. Now he vows to find whoever commited these heinous crimes. This book is written through a series of current day events and flashbacks to when Niko was a teenager. I’m not generally a fan of these flashback type stories but in this book, they really added another dimension to the characters and how they got to where they were today. There are a few twists to tale that will take your breath away.
Murder – Mystery – Madness -Mayhem -MMMMMMMM Yes Please!
A Suspense thriller that will take you into the darkest recesses of the depraved
– It is intense –
Aislin disappeared – they claim she ran away Niko knew his North Star would never leave without telling him –
Move forward in time 15 years- Nikko is a detective his life mission is to find Aislin – he is consumed by it – he knows she is out there and he knows she did not just run away she would not do that and he intends to prove it
During his investigation, he stumbles across Doe
Things just went from complicated to impossible
This story alternates between time periods and character POV –
Nikko is obsessed to the point of endangering his own sanity
There are so many subtle clues, puzzle pieces that I missed
A definite must-read for those who favor their thrillers with a whole lot of stomach-turning, breath-stealing,white-knuckling suspense
I received advanced readers copy for review consideration.
Just WoW!!!! I don’t have any triggers that I am aware of when reading books, but I have to say some of the scenes in this book made me squirm so beware if you have them. This book is dark and twisted but so well written that I was hooked from the very start. I absolutely did not see that twist coming and literally gasped as I started to put things together near the end. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading Broad Daylight when it releases.
What an amazing 6 star must read this was. Warning. This is a very dark story. I have no triggers and I managed to cringe a few times.
I will not say what the story is about because there are so many variables, twists and turns to the storyline plot. It’s dark and gruesome. I was hooked from the first page to the last one. It’s an highly addicting story that will hold you captive till the very end.
Standalone with an HEA. I strongly recommend this story.