The Dark Room

By: Lisa Gray

Narrated by: Michael Orenstein

Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

All’s fair in love and revenge in this taut thriller from bestselling author Lisa Gray.

Ex-crime reporter Leonard Blaylock spends his days on an unusual hobby, developing strangers’ forgotten and discarded rolls of film. He loves the small mysteries the photographs reveal to him. Then Leonard finds something no one would ever expect, or want, to see captured on film—the murder of a young woman.

But that’s impossible, because the woman is already dead. Leonard was there when it happened five years earlier.

He has never been able to shake his guilt from that terrible night. It cost Leonard everything: his career, his fiancée, his future. But if the woman didn’t really die, then what actually happened?

©2022 Lisa Gray (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Revenge piled on revenge, all of it served ice cold.”—Kirkus Reviews

“This taut, twisty standalone from [Lisa] Gray is dense with buried motives and betrayals…Fans of Colleen Hoover’s Verity will find much to enjoy.”—Publishers Weekly

“Another triumph from Gray…It’s all thrills in this police procedural with a twist.”—The Sun

Spellbinding

Will keep the reader on the edge of their seat. Surprise ending at its best.

I loved this book!

I can say that I was truly surprised at the end. I personally loved all the details, stories, and perspectives of multiple characters. The performance was kind of meh, but I didn't hate it. I did have to slow the voice down to .8 speed and I've never had that problem before.

#abrknpoet reviews The Dark Room

The Dark Room by Lisa Gray is a gripping thriller that will keep you hooked until the end. The story follows Leonard Blaylock, a former crime reporter who has a hobby of developing old rolls of film. One day, he finds a shocking photo of a woman being murdered - a woman he witnessed dying five years ago. He soon realizes that nothing is what it seems, and that he has been lied to and betrayed by the people he trusted the most. The Dark Room is a fast-paced and twisty read that explores themes of revenge, guilt, and identity. Lisa Gray writes with skill and flair, creating realistic and complex characters and a plot that never slows down. The book is full of surprises and suspense, and will keep you guessing until the final reveal.

Positives: The Dark Room is a well-written and engaging thriller that will appeal to fans of psychological suspense. The author does a great job of building tension and mystery throughout the story, and the chapters alternate between Leonard's present-day investigation and flashbacks to the night of the murder. The book also has a strong sense of place, as it is set in Glasgow and Edinburgh, and the author captures the atmosphere and culture of these cities. The book also explores some interesting topics, such as the power of photography, the ethics of journalism, and the consequences of secrets and lies.

Negatives: The Dark Room may not be for everyone, as it contains some graphic scenes of violence and torture, as well as some strong language. Some readers may also find some of the characters unlikable or unsympathetic, especially Leonard's ex-fiancée Caroline, who plays a major role in the story. Some readers may also find some of the twists too predictable or implausible, or feel that the ending was too rushed or convenient.


@stuartbrknjohns Twitter/Goodreads Author

Good read!

The book was good. Not sure if I like the ending and the performance was not as enthusiastic as it could’ve been.

Not bad. Enjoyed how it wrapped up

Decent mystery with a cool premise about a niche hobby. Fairly tight with mostly realistic characters, with the exception of the protest bit. Clever weaving of details and generally fast-paced. Smiled at the reveal(s) — plausible and didn’t feel tricked by the author. Narration was a little dull but otherwise not bad.

Great twist at the end!

This was a very easy book to listen to. I really enjoyed it. Has a great twist at the end!

Guilt, Relief, then rinse and repeat!

This was a good thriller. I was intrigued by the premise of a newspaper reporter who collected and developed “lost and found” film. Leonard grabbed my interest from the first photo to the last. His collection results in many unexpected twists and turns as Leonard tracks down the subjects in those photos-and becomes the subject of someone else’s photos. Because he has some character flaws, Leonard has guilt and regret over some of his own actions and those become a major part of the plot.
This was a fun listen and I recommend it to those who are looking for a mystery thriller that’s a bit shorter than some others, but packs a lot of enjoyment into those hours. A little humor doesn’t hurt either.

Lots of twists and turns

Leonard Blaylock's hobby is purchasing rolls of discarded film and developing the pictures to see what is on it. One film which is dated only weeks ago shows what looks like the bloody stabbing death of a beautiful redhead. The date on the film shows that the pictures were taken recently. But Leonard knows this woman. As a matter of fact, he was there when she died nearly five years ago. How could she be in these pictures now?

We learn at the beginning of the story that Leonard is a serial cheater who picked up the redhead in a bar and went back to her hotel room. She ended up dead and he quickly left the hotel. He has been living with guilt ever since. Now that he knows she really didn't die that night five years ago, he is interested in learning what exactly happened.

As usual with Lisa Gray's books, the story is told from multiple timelines. Jumping from past to present with various characters points-of-view sometimes got a little confusing. I really had to concentrate on what was happening. I'm glad I did. This story has lots of twists and turns that I didn't expect.

I listened to the audiobook which was read by Michael Orenstein. It only took two days since it was a rather short book, and I didn't want to stop listening to it. My rating: 4 Stars.

The ending is perfect.

This is on book that you don’t want to skip to the last few chapters.
The ending is surprising and perfect

My all-time favorite Lisa Gray book

I'd give this a solid a 5 star rating, but there is something derivative about this book I can't yet quite identify. It's a great listen. Well worth the purchase/credit. VG+ narration. Seems just OK at first, then really picks up steam. Warning: it *will* keep you awake (as it did me). Listen closely. Pay attention. So many quick, quirky turns in this plot, there are some "blink and you'll miss it" moments.