Official Review: The Darkness at Decker Lake

[JuliaKay]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Darkness at Decker Lake" by Martin H. Zuckerman.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The residents of Decker Lake are on edge. A general wave of unease and trepidation has overtaken even those inhabitants with the stoutest constitutions. A feeling of impending doom shadows them on their evening walks. The sense of something sinister lurking in their once peaceful town has them trembling in their beds at night. Nobody stays out after dusk, and nobody speaks of the lingering presence, for they fear that will make matters worse. Has something evil come to Decker Lake?

It's an isolated lake community in upstate New York, inhabited by predominantly retired senior citizens – loners, individuals who don't have much as far as social lives, people who wouldn't be missed. One of the townspeople, George, has taken notice of the strange happenings that began several years ago – the despair felt by all the occupants and the townspeople who suddenly decided to leave Decker Lake for a retirement home in Florida and were never heard from again. His unease has intensified since the disappearance of Evelyn Jones and the lack of communication from his friend, Mary. He begins trying to unravel the mystery of what is happening to his town.

One of the strengths of The Darkness at Decker Lake by Martin H. Zuckerman is that readers are allowed to be insiders. Typically, with a book of this nature, I wouldn't appreciate that, but in this case, it works. Readers know what has come for the residents of the community and what malicious presence haunts their town. The sense of knowing something that the characters don't know makes this story thrilling. Intelligent is the best word I can think of to describe this book, and while it may not seem like a fascinating term, intelligent books are some of the best. It almost seems as if the author lived through the events and has psychologically evaluated the characters – he wrote about their strengths, weaknesses, motives, fears, histories, plans, and deeply hidden thoughts. It becomes clear that what could be labeled as a pretty standard mystery novel to individuals who merely read the synopsis is actually twisted, genius, and incredibly thoughtful.

Sometimes when I read books, I get discouraged by conversations that go on for longer than is necessary, character's with no layers, and loose ends. I'm pleased to say that this book has none of those issues! However, the number of technical errors is almost overwhelming, and this is distracting and detracts from how good the story is. A couple of examples of the errors found in this book are tenses that disagree such as is and was - making it unclear if an event is currently happening or had happened in the past - and an accidental colon in front of a backward quotation mark. This book does not seem to have been professionally edited. Due to the negatives mentioned, this book is rated 3 out of 4 stars.

The Darkness at Decker Lake is appropriate for more mature readers as there are topics discussed that may be over the heads of teenagers and children. There are also a few violent and gruesome descriptions that some readers may find disturbing. There is not much to mention as far as vulgar or mature language, and there are no intimate scenes. Fans of mystery, suspense, or horror genres will probably appreciate this narrative.

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The Darkness at Decker Lake
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Like JuliaKay's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Sonya Nicolaidis]

I am very keen to read this book; it sounds just up my street. Thanks for your clear review and I'm pleased you seem to seem to have enjoyed it so much. I'm also relieved there are no intimate scenes between the retirees - I think that would put me off a bit

[JuliaKay]

I am very keen to read this book; it sounds just up my street. Thanks for your clear review and I'm pleased you seem to seem to have enjoyed it so much. I'm also relieved there are no intimate scenes between the retirees - I think that would put me off a bit

I didn't even think about them being retirees when I mentioned that! Haha! I hope you enjoy the book.

[Connie Otwani]

The book sounds intriguing and full of suspense. I'm happy about the 'insider trading!' Great review!

[kandscreeley]

I'm interested. An evil in Decker lake that the reader is actually privy too? I'll have to find out more. Glad you enjoyed this one.

[T_stone]

This seems very engaging; filled with suspense and mystery. I wonder what becomes of George as he tries to unravel the mystery. Nice review.

[Espie]

This book seems to be as layered and complex as what reality could really be. It also has the telltale signs of circumstances that one wouldn't want to happen in real life but would make a piece of its genre more appealing to its fans. Thank you for your insightful review.

[Sahani Nimandra]

I like a good book that closely relates to the psychological personality factors of a character. A book as this, as you say has it's gripping moments and it's certainly has it's own standards to expect. Thank you for your descriptive review!

[fernsmom]

Great review!
I normally wouldn't like to be an insider but you did mention in this scenario it worked. Shame about the editing though.

[Shrabastee Chakraborty]

Sounds like a thrilling read. I love the concept of disclosing important information to the readers even before the characters come to grasp all that is happening. It certainly creates an anticipation to see how the things unfold later on. Good to know that the author elaborated the psychology of the characters as well. Thanks for the great review!

[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

One of the strengths of The Darkness at Decker Lake by Martin H. Zuckerman is that readers are allowed to be insiders. Typically, with a book of this nature, I wouldn't appreciate that, but in this case, it works. Readers know what has come for the residents of the community and what malicious presence haunts their town. The sense of knowing something that the characters don't know makes this story thrilling. Intelligent is the best word I can think of to describe this book, and while it may not seem like a fascinating term, intelligent books are some of the best. It almost seems as if the author lived through the events and has psychologically evaluated the characters – he wrote about their strengths, weaknesses, motives, fears, histories, plans, and deeply hidden thoughts. It becomes clear that what could be labeled as a pretty standard mystery novel to individuals who merely read the synopsis is actually twisted, genius, and incredibly thoughtful.

I usually don't like knowing what's really going on, as I enjoy twists and turns but apparently it works in this novel so I'll give it a chance. And I love diving into character's psychology!
Seems like a great read for me and it's definitely going to my to-read shelf. Thanks!

[Beatus]

I wish I could read this book. I feel you when you say,

...twisted, genius, and incredibly thoughtful.

Most authors do not think their stories through to a level that characters can pull in a reader and evoke the necessary feelings. Good review.

[keiyoshi]

Thank you for the detailed review. The book seems like a thrilling read, but it might not be for me. I've read a few pages and there's just something about it that threw me off. Even so, congratulations for the BOTD!

[Harty Muli]

I like the mystery and suspense in this book as residents of Decker Lake get wondering about what has become of their town. Nice review.

[Sweetie_banana]

The review sounds great. Awesome stuff there. I downloaded it and was so dissapointed that it had so many pages. Possibly three thousand. Will keep on reading it through the day. I mostly liked the grammar used. It is simple to understand.