Official Review: Sudden Darkness by L. R. Erdmann
Posted: 02 Jun 2015, 08:14
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Sudden Darkness" by L. R. Erdmann.]
2 out of 4 stars
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A brilliant private investigator. A frightened woman. A satanic cult. Sudden Darkness by L. R. Erdmann delivers the story of Bill Radner, who works as a private investigator and Alice, who needs immediate assistance in dealing with her brother, Adam. Adam has gotten in too deep with a satanic cult. Soon, his bizarre behavior provokes Alice to enlist Bill to help her with Adam. Bill and his partner must travel down the rabbit hole to discover how far Adam and his followers have gone, and they must stop Adam’s cult before they can complete a horrific sacrifice. Before the end, Bill will discover which force is greater: good or evil.
The concept of Sudden Darkness is an interesting one. The concept of good vs. evil has been done before, but some stories can put new spins on the concept and prove to be entertaining and thought-provoking reads. However, this novel fails in its execution to deliver anything entertaining or thought-provoking. The plot drags along, without any major plot advances. The planning of Adam’s takedown is overly long. It seems there is enough content in this book for a short story but not for a novel. One part of the plot that is unbelievable to me is the climax. I will not give away too much, but a Sheriff would never allow that many civilians to be around a major takedown, and he would never allow the events to progress to that level before stepping in.
The dialogue proves to be very frustrating to read. Names are added awkwardly and unnecessarily to a lot of dialogue. “Okay, Alice”, “now, Alice” and “week, Bill” are just small bits to give a small example of how many times these characters say each other’s names. It’s almost as if the author wants to clarify who is speaking, but readers can easily decipher which character is speaking. Also, the dialogue does not further the plot at all, but it does seem to drag it down. It is often repetitive, and it provides explanations for things readers already know or should pick up on.
The characters in the book are not exactly complex. Each character spells out everything that he or she thinks. Bill explains every move he makes and why he makes it. Alice is the only character I felt any sympathy toward. Having her brother transform into someone unrecognizable, Alice feels lost and abandoned. It is easy to feel sorry for her, however, she does not really do anything in this book. While reading, I kept thinking she would make some big moves to save or stop her brother, but she just kind of becomes a background character with no real depth.
One good thing about the book is the editing. There are no apparent or glaring spelling or grammatical errors, but the book’s lack of errors does not really earn it much favor from me.
I give Sudden Darkness by L.R. Erdmann 2 out of 4 stars. I would give it 1 star, but I do recognize others many like the plot more than I, and the book has been well edited. However, the one-dimensional characters and frustrating dialogue do not allow me to give this book more than 2 stars.
******
Sudden Darkness
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2 out of 4 stars
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A brilliant private investigator. A frightened woman. A satanic cult. Sudden Darkness by L. R. Erdmann delivers the story of Bill Radner, who works as a private investigator and Alice, who needs immediate assistance in dealing with her brother, Adam. Adam has gotten in too deep with a satanic cult. Soon, his bizarre behavior provokes Alice to enlist Bill to help her with Adam. Bill and his partner must travel down the rabbit hole to discover how far Adam and his followers have gone, and they must stop Adam’s cult before they can complete a horrific sacrifice. Before the end, Bill will discover which force is greater: good or evil.
The concept of Sudden Darkness is an interesting one. The concept of good vs. evil has been done before, but some stories can put new spins on the concept and prove to be entertaining and thought-provoking reads. However, this novel fails in its execution to deliver anything entertaining or thought-provoking. The plot drags along, without any major plot advances. The planning of Adam’s takedown is overly long. It seems there is enough content in this book for a short story but not for a novel. One part of the plot that is unbelievable to me is the climax. I will not give away too much, but a Sheriff would never allow that many civilians to be around a major takedown, and he would never allow the events to progress to that level before stepping in.
The dialogue proves to be very frustrating to read. Names are added awkwardly and unnecessarily to a lot of dialogue. “Okay, Alice”, “now, Alice” and “week, Bill” are just small bits to give a small example of how many times these characters say each other’s names. It’s almost as if the author wants to clarify who is speaking, but readers can easily decipher which character is speaking. Also, the dialogue does not further the plot at all, but it does seem to drag it down. It is often repetitive, and it provides explanations for things readers already know or should pick up on.
The characters in the book are not exactly complex. Each character spells out everything that he or she thinks. Bill explains every move he makes and why he makes it. Alice is the only character I felt any sympathy toward. Having her brother transform into someone unrecognizable, Alice feels lost and abandoned. It is easy to feel sorry for her, however, she does not really do anything in this book. While reading, I kept thinking she would make some big moves to save or stop her brother, but she just kind of becomes a background character with no real depth.
One good thing about the book is the editing. There are no apparent or glaring spelling or grammatical errors, but the book’s lack of errors does not really earn it much favor from me.
I give Sudden Darkness by L.R. Erdmann 2 out of 4 stars. I would give it 1 star, but I do recognize others many like the plot more than I, and the book has been well edited. However, the one-dimensional characters and frustrating dialogue do not allow me to give this book more than 2 stars.
******
Sudden Darkness
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Barnes and Noble
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