Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
London : Severn House, 2018.
Description
"Ishmael Jones and his partner Penny have been despatched to assist a group of scientists who are investigating a mysterious black hole which has appeared on a Somerset hillside. Could it really be a doorway to another dimension, an opening into another world? When one of the scientists disappears into the hole, with fatal consequences, Ishmael must prove whether it was an accident or murder. But with no clues, no witnesses and no apparent motive, he has little to go on. Is there an alien predator at large, or is an all-too-human killer responsible? Only one thing is certain: if Ishmael does not uncover the truth in time, more deaths will follow."--Publisher's description.
User reviews
LibraryThing member lostinalibrary
Strange holes that seem to defy all the laws of physics have been appearing and disappearing in the English countryside. During a scientific investigation of the most recent appearance, an archaeologist disappears into the hole and doesn't return. Now Ismael, alien (as in not of this world alien)
Murder in the Dark by Simon R. Green is the sixth book in his Ismael Jones Mystery series but only the second one I have read. There are plenty of interesting plot twists and a nice touch of humour and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Green is able to meld different genres and make them work well together - in this case, although it is called a paranormal mystery, it is more scifi and murder mystery. Overall, a fun read with some pretty dark overtones and I recommend it to fans of this or his other series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
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investigator and his partner and girlfriend, Penny have been sent by his boss at The Organization to investigate while protecting the rest of the scientific team. Ismael had thought it would be easy to keep a bunch of nerdy scientists safe. Turns out, though, scientists are a competitive, not to mention unruly and rebellious bunch who don't follow instructions well. Then another scientist leaps into the hole seemingly deliberately only to have his lifeless body dragged out - there are no signs of violence but his face is 'contorted into an expression of utter terror'. On top of that, someone or something seems to be stalking the camp in the dark. And, if all this isn't enough, all links to the outside world seem to be severed. Ismael realizes that if anyone is to survive, he must solve the mystery of the hole quickly. As he delves deeper into the mystery (literally), he begins to suspect that his presence at the hole may not be an accident - it may be linked in some way to his alien origin.Murder in the Dark by Simon R. Green is the sixth book in his Ismael Jones Mystery series but only the second one I have read. There are plenty of interesting plot twists and a nice touch of humour and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Green is able to meld different genres and make them work well together - in this case, although it is called a paranormal mystery, it is more scifi and murder mystery. Overall, a fun read with some pretty dark overtones and I recommend it to fans of this or his other series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
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LibraryThing member JalenV
Murder in the Dark is the sixth book in the Ishmael Jones mystery series. I'd checked out book seven, Till Sudden Death Do Us Part, as soon as I spotted it on my library's new books shelves. Chapter two of that book made reference to a couple of incidents I didn't remember, so I checked the series
Poor Ishmael has been a mystery to himself since his spaceship crashed in England in 1963. He and series readers know that the ship made him look as if he were human. He's thought that the loss of his previous memories meant something went wrong in the transformation process. What we learn about his past in this book makes me suspect the memory wipe was intentional.
Ishmael has been called to a real-life site named Brassknocker Hill, near that city of Bath so familiar to readers of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer. This series appears to be a homage to the late William Hope Hodgson's Carnacki the Ghost Finder, though, so we can't expect an examination of society or a Regency Romance. Mr. Green does emulate the late Ms. Heyer in providing some wickedly diverting dialogue, which is sorely lacking in Carnacki stories. He also provides an intelligent and intrepid heroine in Ishmael's lover, Penny Belcourt. I can think of only one Carnacki story with a female character who was more than a damsel in or potentially in distress, and she was Carnacki's mother.
The Beast of Brassknocker Hill is a real legend (see chapter one), but the mysterious hole is not. Protecting the investigators of that hole is Ishmael and Penny's assignment. The archaeologists who first found the suddenly-appearing hole were yanked off the case and replaced by scientists after one of the archaeologists disappeared into the hole. The more we learn about the hole, the more frightening it becomes. Ishmael and Penny have worked on cases where they were the only two to survive. Will this turn out to be one of those?
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list. This means I was spoiled for those incidents when I checked out and read this one, but they didn't give away the killer or the main plot.Poor Ishmael has been a mystery to himself since his spaceship crashed in England in 1963. He and series readers know that the ship made him look as if he were human. He's thought that the loss of his previous memories meant something went wrong in the transformation process. What we learn about his past in this book makes me suspect the memory wipe was intentional.
Ishmael has been called to a real-life site named Brassknocker Hill, near that city of Bath so familiar to readers of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer. This series appears to be a homage to the late William Hope Hodgson's Carnacki the Ghost Finder, though, so we can't expect an examination of society or a Regency Romance. Mr. Green does emulate the late Ms. Heyer in providing some wickedly diverting dialogue, which is sorely lacking in Carnacki stories. He also provides an intelligent and intrepid heroine in Ishmael's lover, Penny Belcourt. I can think of only one Carnacki story with a female character who was more than a damsel in or potentially in distress, and she was Carnacki's mother.
The Beast of Brassknocker Hill is a real legend (see chapter one), but the mysterious hole is not. Protecting the investigators of that hole is Ishmael and Penny's assignment. The archaeologists who first found the suddenly-appearing hole were yanked off the case and replaced by scientists after one of the archaeologists disappeared into the hole. The more we learn about the hole, the more frightening it becomes. Ishmael and Penny have worked on cases where they were the only two to survive. Will this turn out to be one of those?
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LibraryThing member Kurt.Rocourt
There are few things that bring a good mystery to the imagination. This book reminds me of some of those things. I had no idea where this book was going with all its twists and turns until the end. That it did not drag itself down into pointless plot twists was a relief. This is the kind of book
I read this book via NetGalley. I thank them for this book. #MurderInTheDark #NetGalley
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that keeps the mystery to a mystery protagonist going. If you thought the characters were getting stale or just not moving forward this is the book that brings you back to why you read these books in the first place.I read this book via NetGalley. I thank them for this book. #MurderInTheDark #NetGalley
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LibraryThing member AQsReviews
The elements that were enjoyable and recommended the series in the early books are nearly absent in these latest books. There are (in print) at least five novels beyond Murder in the Dark, but at this point, I really cannot see myself reading them. This is sad to say, because for about six
So, lazy effort, again, by this author. I am glad I did not stop reading the series after the last book – this one was worth a read, more or less. However, I think I am done with this series now. It has lost all of the good writing that enticed me in the beginning.
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Decembers this series has been a relatively easy-reading end of the year during the fireworks and the weather and whatever else.So, lazy effort, again, by this author. I am glad I did not stop reading the series after the last book – this one was worth a read, more or less. However, I think I am done with this series now. It has lost all of the good writing that enticed me in the beginning.
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Subjects
Language
Physical description
192 p.; 23 cm
ISBN
0727888234 / 9780727888235