Hello, everyone! Today I'm a stop on the Compulsive Readers tour for Johan Thorsson's debut, Whitesands!
It's been two years since John Dark's daughter went missing. And everyday he wonders what kind of detective he is if he can't find her.
His actions in those two years have resulted in the otherwise gifted detective riding a desk and working minor calls. Until he's called to what at first appears to be a domestic disturbance.
The first officers on the scene quickly realize they're dealing with a homicide. But it seems to be an open and shut case as far as the evidence is concerned—weird as said evidence may be. Except that John isn't convinced. Especially after interviewing the suspect.
And then another murder occurs and everything is thrown into question.
Whitesands is a great blending of horror and police procedural! It's also the start of a promising new series from Thorsson!
John Dark is, as the all the best series leads are, damaged. He's been carrying the weight and guilt of his daughter's disappearance for two years now. But he's just as determined as ever to find out what happened to her.
Understandably.
But, as mentioned, it's affected his work. And it's affected his relationship with his wife and his son.
And yet, John is known for having something of a sixth sense when it comes to a suspect's guilt. And everything about his suspect screams innocence. And that's before the weird stuff really starts happening.
I absolutely love genre-bending stories like this! Horror/supernatural elements work so well in a suspense/thriller setting, making it kind of the perfect marriage in my opinion. And Thorsson has a cinematic element to his writing. The whole time I was reading, I could picture everything so clearly. Which makes for some deliciously disturbing reading, let me tell you!
There's also a great set up here as the start of a series.
Whitesands is out now from Headshot Books. It's a must for anyone who likes a good atmospheric and dark (sorry, pun intended) read that will keep them up at night!