With
Into The Dark, Karen Rose has outdone herself, which
is hard to do. This story is a great read for the holiday
season: full of intense scenes of suspense, a sprinkle of
romance, and great characters the readers will fall in love
with. The core of the story is finding acceptance, trust,
and love while struggling to avoid extreme danger. But an
added bonus is how Rose delves into subjects such as living
with the handicap of deafness, being HIV positive, and child
abuse.
“Since I also have Waardenburg Syndrome, I didn’t
realize I was subconsciously writing about it with Deacon’s
character until it was on the pages with his white hair and
unusual eyes, a blue and brown eye. I am deaf in one ear,
and my daughter is completely deaf. It is a genetic condition
that primarily causes deafness and lack of pigmentation.”
The story opens with a bang as teenager Michael Rowland is
being chased by his stepfather while carrying his younger
brother Joshua. Michael knows that Joshua is going to face
a fate worse than death after seeing his stepfather drug,
the younger boy. From his hiding place, he sees a man murder
his stepfather. Not knowing what to do, yet having a sense
of safety, hoping that the danger has passed with the stepfather’s
death, Michael and Joshua return to their home.
Everything appears back to normal as Michael realizes that
his drugged-out mother will not be able to pick up his brother
from soccer practice. As he shows up, the soccer coach, Diesel
Kennedy realizes Michael is bleeding from his head. Knowing
something is dreadfully wrong, he convinces Michael to accompany
him to the clinic where Dr. Dani Novak works. Once she examines
the boy, it’s obvious he’s been abused and is
deaf.
Because
of the abuse, both Michael and Joshua have to be put in a
foster home. Dani is an emergency foster parent for deaf children
and decides to take both these boys into her home. She knows
she can help Michael because she is deaf in one ear and has
learned sign language. She and coach Diesel decide to work
together to protect Michael and Joshua from their mother and
the killer who wants to eliminate all witnesses. Besides trying
to keep the children safe, Dani and Diesel also are dancing
around their feelings for each other, attempting to overcome
the emotional baggage. Their support group of friends and
family come together to help in both cases.
“I
want the drama in the book to be the aftermath. I like to
take a page out of the old movies where the body is shown
without blood and viewers see the reaction of the on-lookers.
Many times, these scenes are scarier and people get a lot
more emotionally involved. I showed how Michael feels embarrassed,
fearful, humiliated, and scared. Probably because society
tells men who were abused, they are somehow less of a man.
This is why I wrote the scene where Diesel tells Michael how
it happened to him also.”
After reading this novel, people will wish this heartbreaking
and emotional story never ends. The protagonists are complex
and caring with good hearts who teach each other how to trust
again. The mystery is intense and will keep readers guessing
until the very end.
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