The Dark Corners Of The Night – UNSUB #2

Author: Meg Gardiner
Genre: Crime/Police Procedural Thriller
364 pages
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing, 2020

Synopsis
I am the legion of the night …

He appears in the darkness like a ghost, made of shadows and fear—the Midnight Man. He comes for the parents but leaves the children alive, tiny witnesses to unspeakable horror. The bedroom communities of Los Angeles are gripped with dread, and the attacks are escalating.

Still reeling from her best friend’s close call in a bombing six months ago, FBI behavioral analyst Caitlin Hendrix has come to Los Angeles to assist in the Midnight Man investigation and do what she does best—hunt a serial killer. Her work is what keeps her going, but something about this UNSUB—unknown subject—doesn’t sit right. She soon realizes that this case will test not only her skills but also her dedication, for within the heart of a killer lives a secret that mirrors Caitlin’s own past. Hesitancy is not an option, but will she be able to do what must be done if the time comes?

My review
The Dark Corners Of The Night is the third installment in the UNSUB series and another top-notch police procedural crime fiction novel by Meg Gardiner. She’s a brilliant writer, and this one is easily my favorite in the series so far. Gardiner’s writing is sharp, gritty, and smart, and the police procedural and criminal profiling details feel meticulously researched. I was pulled into the action from the the first page and the pace never slowed down. The story is intense and haunting at times, but also a gripping deep dive into its characters.

Caitlin Hendrix, the FBI behavioral analyst we met in UNSUB #1 and #2, is back on the West Coast six months after a bombing at a local hospital where her boyfriend’s ex-wife and her friend Michelle is recovering from her injuries. Hendrix is still reeling from that attack when she gets called to Los Angeles, where a new serial killer is terrorizing the outskirts of the city.

The storyline is brutal. The unsub, self-named The Midnight Man, targets homes in dimly lit neighborhoods, going after nuclear families. First, the unsub murders the parents. Then, the killer taunts and torments the children. As Hendrix dives into the case, she starts seeing unsettling parallels between the Midnight Man and her own past. Is this one going to hit too close to home?

Gardiner doesn’t waste a single word in this novel. Her writing is sharp, intentional, and the pacing is spot on. Every paragraph moves the story forward while giving us deeper insight into the characters and the twisted mind of the serial killer.

This book continues to develop Hendrix as a character, and I felt like I got to know her even better. She’s relentless in her pursuit of justice, completely dedicated to her work. We also see more of her relationship with Sean, her FBI bomb specialist boyfriend, which adds another layer to the story. As a bonus, Gardiner seamlessly weaves in the ongoing storyline from the first two books, as Hendrix and Sean start to suspect that The Ghost might be behind the series of bombings in the area.

The Dark Corners Of The Night is an intense, twisted, atmospheric tale told by one of the genre’s best. The forensics, profiling, and psychological aspects are all there in just the right amount, detailed without ever feeling overly technical. Once again, Gardiner proves she’s a master storyteller, weaving a chilling, intricate story without ever slowing down the pace. While you could read this as a standalone, I highly recommend starting from the beginning – every book in this series is pure gold.

My recommendation: definitely worth the read!