Darkness, My Old Friend

A Novel

By: Lisa Unger

Narrated by: Nancy Linari

The New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Lies and Fragile returns to The Hollows in a thriller that explores matters of faith, memory, and sacrifice.

“Will have you racing to the last page.”—Michael Connelly

After giving up his post at the Hollows Police Department, Jones Cooper is at loose ends. He is having trouble facing a horrible event from his past and finding a second act. He’s in therapy. Then, on a brisk October morning, he has a visitor. Eloise Montgomery, the psychic who plays a key role in Fragile, comes to him with predictions about his future, some of them dire.

Michael Holt, a young man who grew up in The Hollows, has returned looking for answers about his mother, who went missing many years earlier. He has hired local PI Ray Muldune and psychic Eloise Montgomery to help him solve the mystery that has haunted him. What he finds might be his undoing.

Fifteen-year-old Willow Graves is exiled to The Hollows from Manhattan when six months earlier she moved to the quiet town with her novelist mother after a bitter divorce. Willow is acting out, spending time with kids that bring out the worst in her. And when things get hard, she has a tendency to run away—a predilection that might lead her to dark places.

Set in The Hollows, the backdrop for Fragile, this is the riveting story of lives set on a collision course with devastating consequences.

©2011 Lisa Unger (P)2011 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Darkness, My Old Friend is deeply plotted and complex and carries an undeniable momentum. Lisa Unger's enthralling cast of characters pulled me right in and locked me down tight. This is one book that will have you racing to the last page, only to have you wishing the ride wasn't over.” (Michael Connelly)

"Lisa Unger is one of my favorite authors. She gets better and better with each book." (Karin Slaughter, New York Times best-selling author of Fallen)

“A satisfying story with an eclectic and interesting cast of characters and believable dialogue. Unger shows her usual deftness at intricate plotting and explores the mother-child relationship from multiple angles…. Sure to be another hit with Unger fans.” (Kirkus Reviews)

Great!

I loved this book! It had some of the main characters that were in Fragile, which I also enjoyed. These two books give one a lot to think about in your own lives. The narrator has a soft, pleasant voice that keeps you calm, but doesn’t bore you.

Lisa Unger "gets" people.

I love Lisa Unger's books. This one was no different. The way she draws her characters so deeply is quite amazing. Her descriptiveness and the way in which she delves into a character's thoughts and feelings is second to none. You listen to the book and you care about them and more importantly, you understand them not in spite of their inner turmoil but because of it. The reader can relate to her characters, I imagine because we have had some of the very same thoughts and feelings and because of the masterful way in which she tells the story. Along with the beautiful and in depth descriptions (but never to the point of tedium like some authors) there are several mysteries and stories woven together. The narrator, Nancy Linari, does a lovely job and has a soothing voice that is never stilted as though you are "being read to".

The way everything tied together

I love all of it, I plan to recommend this book to everyone I know. I think what made it even more special is that I read Fragile first and loved it so I was able to sink even deeper into the characters. This book also shows another, more likeable side to Jones. Now I am going to listen to Ink and Bone and I am sure I will not be disappointed.

Great Title

I enjoyed this novel which tells the beginning of Jones Cooper and the local psychic’s relationship. Nancy Linari did a great job of capturing each character’s essence and perspective. I appreciated the strong female characters. There was a little redundancy in some of the discriminations which I felt wasn’t necessary. Overall though it was a good thriller/mystery.

Well, written, and great character development

I enjoyed this book. I see this part of a series so I will likely read the other books in the series. I had never heard of this offer, but she’s very good.

Depth of her characters is amazing

I like how Lisa Unger seems to have more than a basic understanding of people and the emotions that everyone feels and also, the world around her. It is why I continued with her books after listening to the first. Her stories do have a tendency to start off slow, which at first turned me completely off. Then I understood. She lays the ground work for you to understand the character, so you can develop a genuine feeling for the story.
This book was good. There are alot of different lives going on and at first I was going..' Wait..who?' But then you find that all of them are woven together somehow and it became less confusing. It may be helpful to listen to her book.. Fragile.. first because there are people here that I believe came from that book and there was this constant underlying thing I thought I should know about Jones and Maggie. So that might be helpful.
I did enjoy it . The best part about about her books, as I have already stated is that she devolops wonderful characters. If you have never listened to her before you will see what i mean.
I had never heard Nancy Linari narrate before and at the beginning couldn't get past the idea that her voice sounded, to me, like SIRI from the ipone. But she did well and I ended up liking her without being irritated and that also for me, is good. Still I kept the vision of SIRI every once and awhile.
Believe this book is worth it and don't feel you would be disappointed.

A captivating captivating with interesting characters

This book kept me guessing while enjoying the complex dynamics in the families inhabiting the Hollows, a small community with long term residents and more recent settlers. Although there are familiar themes (domestic abuse, unruly teenagers, an unsolved disparition) there are no graphic details, no serial killer, and unnecessary violence. The protagonists muddle through common dilemmas, secrets and existential questions. I was particularly intrigued by Jones Cooper’s trials , the difficult relationship between Bethany and her daughter Willows and of course the dangerous journey of the Carr family. My favorite psychic Eloise Montgomery reappears. The plot itself resolve itself satisfactorily. Great book!

Fantastic

Great novel, so glad to have discovered Lisa Unger. I loved all the characters and the details of each personality and character. Also her ability to get in the teenage mind!

Better than a sleeping pill!

Don't waste your money, this book is so boring. The story is fragmented and never really comes together. The characters are so dull, there are so many characters they never really develop.
I see where the writer may have been going with this, but seems like the story never really made it past her imagination into the story.
Very disappointing, I had just got done listening to Lisa Unger in the Blood and loved it, so thought I would give another one of her books a shot. I realize now, In the Blood must have been a fluke!

seemed to go nowhere

This story was all over the place. i had to return it. The narrator was good the story was just off.