A Darkness Absolute

How it reads

A Darkness Absolute is mystery (wilderness police procedural, specifically), and its dominant mood is tense. The suspense is the kind you feel in your shoulders. The pace is moderate — neither a page-turner nor a slow burn — so it holds up whether you read it in long sittings or short ones.

It's set in the wilderness or at sea, in the present day, told in the third person, staying close to one character. Its central concerns are justice, survival and secrets. In weight it sits in the middle: substantial without being heavy going.

It's a later book in a series — you'll usually want to start earlier. The ending resolves happily. At 400 pages it's an ordinary novel's length. It's moderately known: read by plenty of people, but not a household name.