The stakes keep rising as Edgar continues his seemingly random attacks; he takes a personal interest in Susan, believing that in her he has found a kindred spirit who simply needs a bit of education in order to help him usher in the new world that will exist after the transformation he is about to unleash. Susan struggles with her addictions and her personal failings even as she faces evil personified in Edgar, struggles that intensify as Edgar manages to capture her himself.
Dark Eye is a challenging thriller, certainly not one for the faint of heart. Bernhardt's prose is swift, his narrative structure intriguing (he allows Susan's tale to unfold in first person, while Darcy's perspective on events is seen through a series of journal entries, and he also brings the reader uncomfortably close to Edgar's demented mind), and his characters are tightly, almost painfully drawn. There are no saints in Bernhardt's Sin City, not even ones with tarnished halos. Even those on the side of the angels are flawed, damaged goods, crawling back from the brink of their own personal hell. In Susan Pulaski, Bernhardt has created a compellingly flawed character who can barely seem to do one thing right (that'd be catch the bad guys), and in Dark Eye he's crafted a thriller as ruthlessly efficient Edgar himself.
Article comments
1 - Eric Berlin
Excellent work as always Bill.
This book review has been selected for Advance.net. You’ll be able to find this and other Blog Critics reviews at such places at Cleveland.com’s Book Reviews column.
2 - Laura
A really gripping novel, incredible in its use of detail. I can't wait for the next one.