Book Review: Hello Darkness, My Old Friend by David Kessler

Hello Darkness, My Old Friend
by David Kessler
An Alex Sedaka Thriller
Thriller/Crime Drama
5 Stars

Blurb:

SWITZERLAND - the Jungfrau Region: A wealthy young man dies in a skiing accident.

SAN FRANCISCO: A few months later, two homeless men stagger into a bar. One of them leaves his friend there, but minutes later the friend is stabbed by another homeless man: George Stone.

Arrested at the scene and charged with murder with special circumstances, Stone asks for Alex Sedaka to represent him. However, it soon becomes apparent that this is anything but a straightforward case of violence between homeless people. After all, how many homeless people have $2000 on them. And why would a homeless killer leave such a large sum on his victim? Also... why is the British Prime Minister taking such an interest in the murder of a homeless "John Doe" over five thousand miles away?

But when Homeland Security become involved and an attempt is made on the accused man's life, both Alex and the DA realize that matters are running out of control. And as powerful forces up the ante, Alex also has to face the fact that his client isn't the only one in danger.

Review:

I've never read any of the previous books featuring lawyer Alex Sedaka, but that doesn't really matter. This is a novel that stands on its own with a few mentions of the cases Alex dealt with previously, but you don't need to know all about those to enjoy this book. And it is an enjoyable book. Alex is a very likeable character, he's very down to earth, has normal troubles like everyone else but does his job to the best of his ability.

What I liked best about this book was at no time did it turn into a soap opera. It wasn't about who was sleeping with who (or not), the main focus was on the crime and Alex's client's part in it. Yes, Alex and his law firm partner Juanita have a personal life (not with each other), but those parts were few and far between before we got back to the main meat of the story.

There are twists and turns, red herrings galore and you don't really find out what is really going on right till the end. It's a fast-paced, easily read book and you find yourself getting lost in it, wondering what the next revelation is going to be. It keeps you guessing right till the last and I was surprised by both twists near the end. A great read.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby