A Deeper Darkness

Sam Owens, Book 1

By: J. T. Ellison

Narrated by: Joyce Bean

Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

As a medical examiner, Samantha Owens knows her job is to make a certain sense of death with crisp methodology and precision instruments.

But the day the Tennessee floods took her husband and children, the light vanished from Sam’s life. She has been pulled into a suffocating grief no amount of workaholic ardor can penetrate - until she receives a peculiar call from Washington, D.C.

On the other end of the line is an old boyfriend’s mother, asking Sam to do a second autopsy on her son. Eddie Donovan is officially the victim of a vicious carjacking, but under Sam’s sharp eye the forensics tell a darker story. The ex-Ranger was murdered, though not for his car.

Forced to confront the burning memories and feelings about yet another loved one killed brutally, Sam loses herself in the mystery contained within Donovan’s old notes. It leads her to the untouchable Xander, a soldier off-grid since his return from Afghanistan, and then to a series of brutal crimes stretching from that harsh mountainous war zone to this nation’s capital.

The tale told between the lines makes it clear that nobody’s hands are clean, and that making sense of murder sometimes means putting yourself in the crosshairs of death.

©2012 J.T. Ellison (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

4.5 stars Incredible Book Under $10

While the story is a fantastic thriller it is also so much more. The story is loaded with incredible forensic details that all lend a realistic credibility to the story. The h (Samantha, "Sam") is a three dimensional person with rapier intelligence, guts, heart and soul. Character development in this book is incredibly rich, principals and secondary. I was glued to my Kindle and only stopped once, due to bad eye fatigue.

The story is fast paced and filled with incredible and often unexpected twists and turns. It flows beautifully and smoothly. A flood, friendly fire, PTSD, some OCD, military aspects, army Rangers dying like flies, grief, a diary written in Latin, old lovers, new romantic interests, autopsies, and illegitimate child and a mountain hermit are all tied together in one rip roaring fabulous book. The story is 4.5.

This is the first book I have listened to by J.T. Ellison, but it sure will not be the last. I have already bought the second book in this series. More over Patricia Cornwell because there is a new author in town who has what it takes!

Joyce Bean was outstanding with the delivery of the story.

Suspenseful, great setting.

Loved it! Captivating mystery with a little romance. Didn't want the story to end.

Must read!

This incredible book kept me awake all night through to 3pm next day. I’m going to take a nap 💤 now!

Coincidence may be more than you think

it is a moving story stressing the truth and past relationships still can affect a person's present. Protect those you love and know that everyone has secrets.

Great all around

I enjoy Ellison's writing and story lines. Joyce Bean did a well job. Good read.

Great storytelling

loved the Nashville connection, since I lived through the great hundred year flood in 2010.

great book

good story, well told. I don't see why there is a word minimum. I said enough.

Not bad at all

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, it is a nice change from my other mystery books. Killer not obvious

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The last few chapters definitely did. Good ending

Which character – as performed by Joyce Bean – was your favorite?

Sam, the main character. I am not too adventurous

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No one particular moment

"Speak: Woof"

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes and this was a daily deal, so double the value! Fast pace and a full mystery, note: must use the new 1.25x speed to get the impact author intended.

What other book might you compare A Deeper Darkness to and why?

Lots of characters which reader does very well. This has a bare hint of Karin Slaughter's medical examiner without the awful horror that Karin includes in her stories.

Note to author: please add more humor to this series.

What does Joyce Bean bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She is a pro and has only gotten so much better in recent reads. A must is Tammy Hoag's Still Waters. J.B. is our heroine in that story. Another great read is Sandra Brown's Witness as J.B. brings that story to brilliant life.

Any additional comments?

thank audible for this great daily deal

Unanswered. Questions

I kept listening thinking okay it becomes clear now. It left me wondering and unsatisfied