A Darker Place

by Laurie R. King

Book Overview

Called "one of the most original talents to emerge in the '90s" by "Kirkus Reviews, " award-winning author Laurie R. King delivers an intelligent, terrifying, engrossing drama of good and evil, unlike... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553107119
• ISBN13: 9780553107111
• Release Date: February 1999
• Publisher: Bantam Books
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Laurie R. King is an amazing writer

Not only has Laurie R. King created two amazing original series, the Kate Martinelli and Mary Russell books, but she has written this riveting book as well. She is a master at creating suspense, not in a cheesy John Grisham way, but deliberately leaving you hanging at the end of the chapter so you can't wait to turn the page and find out what happens. This book has a lot of interesting psychological discussions of people involved in cults and shows the mentality of the leaders, and the followers. I think King is a very fair and balanced leader and doesn't make the mistake some writers would make with this subject by showing all cult leaders as amoral, or all cults as harmful. The book keeps you hanging until the ending, which is concise bordering on abrupt. I could see how some people were dissapointed with the ending because it was so curt, but in a way, that's more interesting than books with a long drawn out conclusion and typical "happy ending." King leaves it ambiguous and more up to the reader's imagination (or maybe open to a sequel, I'm not sure). Once again, Laurie R. King shines in the world of shallow popular fiction, outstanding among her peers.

I hope this isn't a stand-alone novel

Everything about this book fascinated me. The presentation--journal pages, drawings, excerpts from memos and alchemical allusions for the section divisions--the subject matter and the character development. A Darker Place impressed me with the depth of the author's research into comparative religions, alchemy and psychology. King has the reader walk the fine line between seeking spiritual obedience and being gullable to those who appear to "see all and know all." The ending is maddeningly tantallizing but not incongruous. The character describes her role of infiltrator as one who has to drop into and fit into a given situation, gather information regarding potential danger to the community's inhabitants and drop out, leaving the FBI to work out the solution. She expressed regret at not having known what became of certain characters she'd met on her previous forays. I hope this means King is leaving the door open for Anne Wakefield to return.

Anne Waverly might be Laurie King's next best series!

When I noticed that Laurie King had a new book out, I bought it without even checking to see if it was a Kate Martinelli or Mary Russell story. Both of those heroines are so satisfying that it really didn't matter which it concerned. Imagine my delight to meet a new friend-Anne Waverly. I hope that this is the first of many in a long line of Waverly books. King is an adept writer who can take you through the back streets of London with Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, modern day police matters with Kate Martinelli and her crippled, female lover, or - now - penetrate religious cults with Anne Waverly. Far from being a stuffy theologian, Anne is all too vulnerable to the task at hand. Male readers, don't be afraid to try this, or any of King's books. This is not a "chick" writer. I've read some of her other works to my husband, and he is as spell bound as I am. "A Darker Place" had me up until 2:00am several nights until I finished the last page.

excellent and different thriller/mystical novel

This book goes away from the usual style of thriller and examines in detail cult situations and when and where they may go wrong. The main protagonist, Anne Waverley - a professor in religion and occasional FBI agent provocateur in cult situations, is easy to identify with. The supporting characters are also well written, with none of them being one-dimensional, not even the "Baddies". The plot is very gripping, I HAD to find out how it ended.I have enjoyed all Laurie King's previous books. In this one she has come up with an original situation and an interesting character and presented them in a thought-provoking and exciting way. This is up there with the Mary Russell books!! I look forward to reading more about Anne Waverley.

Regal look inside a cult

Almost two decades have passed since the catastrophic event that forever destroyed Professor Anne Waverly's inner peace. Eighteen years ago, the professor of religious studies left a Texas cult whose members, including Anne's spouse and daughter subsequently committed suicide. Anne, blaming herself, has always tried to make up for that disastrous day. So when the FBI asks for her help to infiltrate the California-based Change, she agrees because she figures the group to be led by either maniacs or con artists. Anne easily joins the group and learns that the leadership is modern day alchemists. She is surprised because she quickly understands that the Change is different than she expected, as they believe they have discovered a path to righteousness. Still, they are a cult, willing to risk the innocence of children. Though she suffers from monumental guilt, Anne risks her life to try to protect two of the innocents. Award winning Laurie R. King shows why she is one of the regal fiction writers of the last few years. A DARKER PLACE highlights the dim environment of a cult so that readers obtain a fascinating and quite interesting look inside a well-designed story line. However, what make this novel so good are Ms. King's characterizations. Motives are obvious and bring various players into full scope. Especially brilliant is Anne, whose dichotomy of feelings makes her one of the best and most compete characters of the decade. Ms. King remains the true king.Harriet Klausner