Spiral Into Darkness - Book Review

Spiral Into Darkness by Joseph Lewis is a fictional crime novel that begins with two accounts of what looks like senseless killings by a deranged killer, whose modus operandi appears to be two bullets to the face. The killer is not satisfied in only killing his victims, but he appears to also express his hatred for the victim by shooting them a second time in their face, but why?  He is a killer who leaves no clues of why he is doing the killing. He is also a very busy killer, racking up multiple murders contributed to his .38 pistol in just a very short period of time. A woman is shot at her home as she answers her front door, a young boy is shot in an alleyway, a man is shot in a parking garage, and more. Lewis adds some adolescent love into the mix which gets seriously unhealthy for the participants.

Spiral Into Darkness has a good, even flow to it, the action proceeds at a steady pace and the police procedural aspects carrying a realistic feeling. This is a story that you can sink your teeth into, and I never got the feeling that the author would let me down by introducing surrealistic twists. It was authentic and had that creepiness that a book of good versus evil should contain. Spiral Into Darkness is dark in its tone and very disturbing in some parts, but isn’t that what murder in real life is?

 Chief of Detectives, Jamie Graff is the city’s lead detective in the investigation of these murders. He is assisted primarily by a very attractive FBI Agent Summer Storm and FBI Agent Pete Kelliher. The killer is out there, and they intend to stop him before he strikes again.

Lewis inserts some bisexual teenage relationships into the story and creates some awkward experiences between them. These teenagers are tightly woven into the murders and the ultimate outcome.

Some of the cast of characters in this book had also appeared in Lewis’ previous work; George, a teenager, who had been forced to kill three killers in a previous book plays a bit of detective work in this novel and through a vision adds some direction to their search of the killer.

The story is related through multiple characters, giving us a chance to experience it through multiple lenses. The novel is certainly raw and a purposely edgy thriller.  If you are a fan of suspenseful, gripping thrillers, you will certainly enjoy Spiral Into Darkness by  Joseph Lewis.