I inhaled Alexis Soloski's debut thriller, Here in the Dark; but, even readers who don't feel a professional kinship with Soloski's main character should be drawn to this moody and erudite mystery ... Soloski...might have played it safe, but, fortunately for us readers she didn't. Instead of writing a coy send-up of a theatrical thriller, she's written a genuinely disturbing suspense tale that explores the theater of cruelty life can sometimes be.
It's a sturdy premise, with echoes of a movie I won't name because it would give away too much. Soloski's plotting is brisk and her writing is hilarious ... Soloski has a good ear for dialogue, with distinctive voices for most of the suspects and pals in Vivian's orbit. The best of the lot is her brash friend Justine, an actor who keeps Vivian supplied with a steady supply of illicit meds.
Soloski crafts a psychological thriller around Vivian Parry ...Somehow the story seems entirely plausible ... Soloski smoothly transfers her masterful journalistic writing to this novel, creating a classic yet entirely modern noir. Fast-paced, funny, sexy, and witty, Here in the Dark is a satisfying read to the very last word.
A tightly paced and expertly crafted noir whose heroine is both hilariously wisecracking and deeply troubled. From curtain up to curtain call, Here in the Dark is flawless.
Fun supporting characters...ultra-snappy dialogue and metaphors, rough sex...and finally an over-the-top payoff that neatly pulls all the wild threads together, followed by a totally impossible but nonetheless touching denouement. Like Dorothy Parker, the narrator's role model, this book is almost too clever for its own good.
Uneven ... Though Vivian’s self-destructive tendencies and jaundiced first-person narrative nod at noir, Soloski’s plot and characters lack nuance and authenticity. Theatergoers may appreciate Vivian’s copious references to classic plays, but crime fiction fans are likely to be left wanting.
