I've been on a roll with solid, great reads lately, and this one is no exception. I don't understand the low rating and almost wonder if it's some kind of glitch. I did a cursory scan of ratings and it seems mostly 4s and 5s, with a few 3s here and there.

This is very atmospheric and paced very well. Highly recommended! ( )

I really wanted to love this one but that just wasn’t meant to be. I didn’t hate it and in fact, liked it well enough but it wasn’t the kind of book that I couldn’t wait to get back to. I had a few guesses about what was really going on in this book early on which took some of the fun out of the book once I discovered I was right. I did like the concept behind the story and feel like I would have enjoyed the book more if I hadn’t guessed the twist so early in the book.

Caleb is a toxicologist who is studying the effects of pain. After a painful breakup with his girlfriend, he decides to go out for a drink where he meets Emmeline. He is instantly taken and is willing to do anything to be with her. Someone who was at the bar at the same time as Caleb is missing and the police are looking at Caleb. To make matters worse, he has already helped his friend, who happens to be the medical examiner, with some of the evidence. This book did have a lot of excitement and enough twists and turns to keep things interesting. There were times where I wondered why Caleb was making some of the choices that he was. There was a lot going on in the story and I was satisfied by how everything eventually came together. I can’t say that I really loved any of the characters as I didn’t feel like Caleb was exactly likable.

I decided to listen to the audiobook after learning that it was narrated by Luke Daniels. He did a great job with the narration and I loved the different character voices that he used to bring this story to life. I had no trouble listening to this book for hours at a time and believe that his narration added to my overall enjoyment.

I would recommend this book to others. I am sure that I would have enjoyed this one more if I hadn’t guessed the big twist (and it is kind of strange that I did). I feel like a lot of readers would really enjoy this one and I wouldn’t hesitate to read more from this author in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library. ( )

Yikes!. How to review this book and avoid spoilers, and while I generally have no problem with spoilers, in this case letting you know that the light at the end of the tunnel is indeed a train might ruin the splat.

Caleb's girlfriend, Bridget, has left him after throwing an ashtray at his head. We are not sure precisely what the infraction might have been (nor do we ever find out for certain although the hints are there,) but while drowning his sorrows in the bar he sees a stunning woman, an instant infatuation. Caleb is doing research on the physical manifestations of pain, e.g. hormones released, etc. Chemicals. "Guy gets hurt, his endocrine system responds. Adrenaline, endorphins. Damaged cells dump out different histamines. There’s paracrine signaling going on—that’s cell-to-cell communication—with compounds like prostaglandin and thromboxane. Bunch of other stuff. Pain leaves markers, and I’m following them. To quantify it."

He's also an expert in bizarre toxins. “Batrachotoxin." ...."The median lethal dose is ninety micrograms—a couple grains of salt,” Caleb said. “And all you’d have to do is touch it.” People start turning up loaded with this toxin.

I shall say no more other than to recommend this book if you have an interest in the bizarre mechanisms of the mind. Whether the events here represent anything approaching reality is a bit frightening. ( )

I felt this book was a little slow to start. I actually put it down for a couple of weeks around page 70 and read a few other things. Then I felt guilty for not finishing it and decided to forge my way through. It picked up after page 100. It had a decidedly noir feel to it, which isn't my usual cup of tea, probably why I put it down. However I found the storyline and twists and turns interesting. The book is well written and the reader does become immersed in the world. I was impressed by the sensuality of the writing, usually men struggle with that, but all senses were engaged and it felt real. It's not impossible to figure out what's really going on, but as a reader you'll probably make a few false guesses first. Overall I enjoyed the book immensely and would recommend to anyone who likes dark thrillers. ( )

Wow, I really struggled to get through this book. Two things made it hard for me.
1. The first half moved very slow for me, and I struggle with books that reference events ( that have happened in the past) to a main character, but the reader is not made aware of the specifics until later in the book.
2. The second half certainly paced much better, but the storyline blurred, and was too hard for me to figure out, was this book horror, fantasy, or a murder mystery.
I read The Dark Room also by this author before reading this book, and I am really glad I did, as I really liked it, which made me like the author, but this book didn't work nearly as well for me. ( )