January 2015

FEAR THE DARKNESS is Becky Masterman’s follow-up to the Edgar Award and CWA Gold Dagger finalist RAGE AGAINST THE DYING starring ex-FBI agent Brigid Quinn. From the start, Masterman delivered a strong character in Brigid --- someone with a past that has shaped her, but not one that has crippled her. I love that she is not perfect, but instead embraces her flaws.

In FEAR THE DARKNESS, instead of keeping her in the same direction as RAGE AGAINST THE DYING where she chased down a serial killer, Masterman pivoted Brigid into a new challenge and ramped up her domestic story, layering in new characters and having Brigid wrestling with personal emotional drama. Her husband, Carlos, is still getting to know Brigid, and it is nice seeing their relationship grow. The teenager she is raising is challenging, but at the same time, the author is giving Brigid a chance to explore another side of herself.

I will not go into the plot as you can read that elsewhere. I will say that I read a lot of thrillers and sometimes can get jaded thinking that the story has been told before and lacks energy. Not here. I felt that the story was fresh and the pacing tight.

Masterman definitely is an author to keep an eye on, and Brigid is a character you are going to want to watch for the long haul. I already am looking forward to book three.