Synopses & Reviews
From Daniel Judson, Shamus Award winner and emerging master of the modern literary thriller, comes a riveting and accomplished crime novel set in the seedy underside of a celebrated beach town.
During a bone-chilling snap of record cold, a series of enigmatic drowning deaths plays out in a small Hamptons community on Long Island's Shinnecock Bay. Local college professor Deacon Kane, himself recovering from the accidental drowning of his only son years ago---recovering slowly, with the help of alcohol and an addictive, messy affair with a married woman---is implicated in the deaths.
As the police and several other interested parties watch his every move, Kane befriends a hypnotically alluring bartender named Colette and quickly continues his brutal downward spiral with little regard for self-preservation. How---and whether---Kane is connected to the young men is the question everyone wants the answer to. As it becomes clear that Kane himself may not know the extent of his own involvement, all must admit that something dark and sinister is at work in Southampton.
Daniel Judson has a virtuoso's touch and a diabolical ability to layer suspense, plot, and character study into an engrossing and completely surprising crime novel that will not soon be forgotten.
Review
"Riveting."--
Booklist "Terrific...a complex plot that's full of surprises."
--Publishers Weekly "Searing...Intense."--Florida Sun-Sentinel "Harrowing."--New York Daily News "I could not have been more impressed. Daniel Judson has written a novel of depth and dimension about characters with blood in their veins and fire in their hearts. The Darkest Place is the kind of honest, powerful novel that gives crime fiction the very best parts of its reputation. To Mr. Judson I say, 'Well done, sir.'"--Robert Crais, author of The Two Minute Rule
"Well-drawn moral and amoral characters, and permeated with violence...Offers a strong sense of place along with thoughtful rumination about doing the right thing and finding redemption."--Booklist
"The Darkest Place must not be missed. Daniel Judson writes likes a fallen angel, taking us to the darkest corners of the human heart. Destined to become a classic piece of American crime fiction."--G. M. Ford, author of No Man's Land
"Daniel Judson writes beautifully about the peculiar satisfactions of self-destruction, but his characters' convincing familiarity with darkness can't conquer their author's ultimately hopeful heart."--S. J. Rozan, author of Absent Friends
Synopsis
"Terrific...a complex plot that's full of surprises."--Publishers Weekly
The cold of winter has come to the far reaches of Long Island, New York. The summer people are gone. So is the sunshine. And in the dark, a man carries a body to the water's edge. It's not his first--and he's not done yet...
"Searing...Intense."--Florida Sun-Sentinel
The police are talking about suicides. But a handful of people suspect something darker is going on. One is a college teacher drowning himself in booze and dangerous sex. One is a former high school football star who wants a second chance. And between them is a mysterious private investigator who believes that a beautiful, amoral young woman is connected to the killings.
"Harrowing."--New York Daily News
Soon, things will spin out of control. Clues will point in all the wrong directions. Then, it will be up to a few lost souls--men and women who know all about monsters--to bring a killer into the light....
THE DARKEST PLACE
Synopsis
“Terrific…a complex plot that’s full of surprises.”—Publishers Weekly
The cold of winter has come to the far reaches of Long Island, New York. The summer people are gone. So is the sunshine. And in the dark, a man carries a body to the water’s edge. It’s not his first—and he’s not done yet…
“Searing…Intense.”—Florida Sun-Sentinel
The police are talking about suicides. But a handful of people suspect something darker is going on. One is a college teacher drowning himself in booze and dangerous sex. One is a former high school football star who wants a second chance. And between them is a mysterious private investigator who believes that a beautiful, amoral young woman is connected to the killings.
“Harrowing.”—New York Daily News
Soon, things will spin out of control. Clues will point in all the wrong directions. Then, it will be up to a few lost souls—men and women who know all about monsters—to bring a killer into the light….
THE DARKEST PLACE
Synopsis
“Terrific…a complex plot that’s full of surprises.”—Publishers Weekly
The cold of winter has come to the far reaches of Long Island, New York. The summer people are gone. So is the sunshine. And in the dark, a man carries a body to the water’s edge. It’s not his first—and he’s not done yet…
“Searing…Intense.”—Florida Sun-Sentinel
The police are talking about suicides. But a handful of people suspect something darker is going on. One is a college teacher drowning himself in booze and dangerous sex. One is a former high school football star who wants a second chance. And between them is a mysterious private investigator who believes that a beautiful, amoral young woman is connected to the killings.
“Harrowing.”—New York Daily News
Soon, things will spin out of control. Clues will point in all the wrong directions. Then, it will be up to a few lost souls—men and women who know all about monsters—to bring a killer into the light….
THE DARKEST PLACE
About the Author
Daniel Judson is the Shamus Award-winning author of two previous novels, The Bone Orchard and The Poisoned Rose. He lives in Connecticut, where he writes full-time. He is a graduate of Southhampton College, and his time spent living in the Hamptons (particularly the parts you don't find in the society pages) was the inspiration for the setting and characters in The Darkest Place.