Darkness Hides Book Review & Book Tour Giveaway

I have been reading a lot of mysteries lately--and it has been wonderful to both continue some favorite series, read some familiar authors and to find some new authors to follow! Today, I have a mystery / thriller to share from a "new to me" author. This is the first book that I have read from JC Gatlin--but, it certainly will not be the last! Learn about Darkness Hides, read my thoughts on the book and enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.

Book Title: DARKNESS HIDES by J.C. Gatlin
Category: Adult Fiction (18 + yrs), 251 pages
Genre: Mystery / Suspense
Publisher: Milford House Press
Release date: April 2021
Format available for review: print and ebook (Gifted Kindle)
Will send print books out: USA and Canada
Tour dates: June 14 to July 2
Content Rating: PG-13: There are a couple of murders and mild language (damn, shit)

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About the Book

Someone she knows is watching.
Someone she knows is stalking.
And something hides in the darkness.

With a Category 4 hurricane about to make landfall, boat safety instructor Kate Parks is running out of time. Bodies are piling up--and they're not from the raging storm. An injury may have ended her career as a Fish and Wildlife officer, but nothing can keep her away from the investigation.

And it doesn’t take long for her to see that the clues have one thing in common: a connection to the recent death of her five-year-old nephew.

In a brewing storm of rage, guilt, and family secrets, Kate fights to protect her grieving sister just as the hurricane threatens everything she knows and loves. But before her world is completely ravaged, she must uncover one final truth:

Run from the water.
Hide from the wind.
Flee from the shadows where a weeper seeks revenge.

My Review

Darkness Hides is Action-Packed from Page One. The author sets the story in motion from the first page and keeps an action-packed, intense storyline flowing to the last few pages. From introducing more characters, killing off characters, creating scenes for backstories, and bringing characters together through twists and turns--the author keeps readers turning those pages. When the character's stories slow a bit--there is also a raging hurricane brewing, coming in, in full force as well. There is no lull in the story at all. The author does a wonderful job taking readers into his novel and his characters' lives while creating a pace that allows a lot to happen throughout the book!

The Author Brings Well Developed Characters and a Suspenseful Story. The storytelling brings a lot of development to the characters in this novel. Each character has a role to play in the final resolution of the story's pieces--and the author does a beautiful job building those pieces separately until ready to reveal the whole picture. Expect some unexpected. Even if you know things aren't quite right--he keeps you a bit in the dark with some extra twists and turns.

Would I Recommend Darkness Hides? I loved this book. I found myself reading way too late because I wasn't going to put it down until I finished it. I have already put it on the shelf to share with my murder mystery-loving teen daughter. If you love a good mystery thriller that doesn't have a single dull moment--this book must be on your reading list.

About the Author

JC Gatlin lives in Tampa, Florida, and writes mystery novels that include sunny Florida locales and quirky locals as characters. His last novel, H_NGM_N: Murder is the Word, won the coveted Florida Royal Palm Literary Award for Best Mystery in 2019. He is active in the Florida Writer’s Association and is a board member on the Florida Writer’s Foundation, a charity organization that fights illiteracy.

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