A Deeper Darkness

By J.T. Ellison

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Aug 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781472041289

J.T. Ellison

New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison writes dark psychological thrillers and pens the Brit in the FBI series with #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter. With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim, prestigious awards, and has been published in twenty-seven countries. She is also the Emmy Award–winning cohost of the premier literary television show A Word on Words. Ellison lives in Nashville with her husband and twin kittens. Visit JTEllison.com for more information, and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @ThrillerChick or Facebook.com/JTEllison14.

Reviews for A Deeper Darkness

[smithhoosier3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful, beautiful book. I loved J.T. Ellison's story about Sam. It was so different from her Taylor Jackson series but more heartfelt and emotional. I found myself crying quite a few times. The surprises kept me guessing until the end. My only complaint is that I thought maybe Sam would call Taylor or Taylor would pop in her friend's story more as the two have been through so much together. I didn't want this book to end and I can't wait for another!

[antao-3 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Unfortunately my first and last J. T. Ellison's book. One of the worst vooks I'be ever read. It was a chore to finish it. I was truly curious how she would tie all the threads together in the book to a satisfying conclusion (at least that). I wish... It was truly hilarious the way (in a bad sense) she chose to conclude it.

Sam's character was what really got on my nerves. One moment she's on her knees begging Detective Fletcher to let her contribute to the investigation, the next she's ignoring his phone calls. A protagonist "are allowed" inner contradictions, but they must be believable, ie, they must come from the writing itself not from "outside".

On top of that, other main characters keep coming to her, or search her out, as a person in whom to confide or someone who could render assistance in eliminating that specific character's turmoil. This was a quite odd phenomenon, as Sam's character was never shown to have any special talents, skills, knowledge specific to the case, or investigative powers.

This character was a sort of deus ex-machina that, for me, was annoying and not believable.

[melannc-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a great novel! It is the first J.T. Ellison that I have read, and my introduction to Dr. Samantha Owens. I was hooked from the start because of my curiosity - what happened to Sam's family, what happened to Donovan, when are they going to figure out that the little girl saw the killing, what happens to Susan (Donovan's wife)? I liked that different chapters were from different characters' perspectives. I did have a hint of who the killer might be, but I did not expect the reasons for the killings. I enjoyed learning about Sam's first love, Eddie Donovan who became a brilliant leader as a Ranger in the military, and about the men in his unit who became his friends. I also enjoyed the inter-play with Eleanor (Eddie's mother), Sam, and Susan. I am looking forward to another Samantha Owen's story.

[jodeneg-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I love stories with a twist at the end!! Debated about three or four stars. Still on the edge.

[eadieb-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Book Description 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.

My Review This book has it all - romance, mystery, and a forensic medical examiner who is smart and sexy. Samantha Owens is called by the mother of her ex-boyfriend to help solve his murder. This book kept me turning the pages as I was eager to find out what happened to Eddie Donovan to make someone want him dead. It has a cast of interesting characters and an intriguing plot that keeps you twisting, turning and guessing until the very end. This was my 2nd Ellison book and I look forward to reading the next book in this series as I find her a very talented writer. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys mystery thrillers with a bit of romance.

[shelleyraec · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I am sure I have read at least one or more of JT Ellison's Taylor Jackson series novels though I don't seem to have a record of it. A Deeper Darkness is an engaging spin off from that series featuring Taylor's best friend, Medical Examiner Samantha Owens.Asked what I thought of A Deeper Darkness, the first phrase that came to mind was 'easily consumable'. It's a quick read that demands very little and provides a few hours of entertaining escape. The novel is deftly plotted with clues to piece together and twists that maintain suspense. The pace keeps the pages turning and the main conspiracy storyline resolves in a tension filled confrontation. Ellison references topical events and issues - the Tennessee floods, women in front line combat, the struggles of returned armed forces servicemen and women and obsessive compulsive disorder which provides added interest and depth to the story.The characters of A Deeper Darkness are well developed with interesting personal histories and motivations. I liked Samantha and thought Ellison did a credible job of creating a well rounded, sympathetic protagonist. The details of Samantha's tragic personal background is revealed piecemeal throughout the story with her OCD a symptom of her grief and emotional stress. Donavon's death is yet another blow despite it being so long since their intimate relationship ended and explains why Samantha is so willing to get involved further in the case. The conflict between Samantha and Donovan's wife, Susan, seemed a little forced to me though that element is quickly resolved.Detective Darren Fletcher is the the cynical but dedicated officer, I enjoyed his wry sense of humour and his partner, Detective Lonny Hart provides a good foil for him.Even though we meet a few members of the Ranger team briefly, and others not all, Ellison ensures they are encapsulated as individuals. I would have liked to learn more about them but it wasn't strictly necessary in terms of the story.I enjoyed A Deeper Darkness and I am intrigued by the premise for the second installment of this series, titled Edge of Black, due for publication in December.

[nsjlh_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have not read any other J.T. Ellison books before this one, even though they have been on my TBR list for a while. I love a good mystery and this definitely was enjoyable. Once it hooked me, I quickly finished it not wanting to put it down for regular day chores. I plan on reading her other books soon.This book was definitely not a light read as a lot was going on and you definitely had to keep track. Sometimes I felt like I was getting confused, not due to the writer’s ability, just trying to remember everything. So this is definitely a book to read when you’re wanting to think and use your brain. There is no fluff. I did like the main character Sam. As her story is really woven in between all that has and is happening. I was able to connect with her. What a tough situation she was in, but became stronger by the end of the book. This book is definitely a must read for readers of thrillers, suspense, and/or mystery. There was a small amount of romance, but definitely not enough to categorize it is a romantic suspense, or for those who don’t like romance to be concerned.

[wiccked · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I didn't like this book at the start, but by the time I got to the end I loved it and was left wanting more!I didn't feel like this was the same Sam who was in the Taylor books, but maybe she isn't. Maybe losing her family changed her so much that this isn't the old Sam any more. Not having Sam as a major character in the Taylor books we didn't get to know her intimately, but now we're seeing a side of her that was maybe always there, but we just didn't see it. Despite that, I really enjoyed this book, and I would like more. I'd like to see more of quite a few of the characters too - not just Sam, Xander and Fletcher, who I believe will be back, but Susan and Eleanor too.

[rhonda1111 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A Deeper Darkness J.T. Ellison 4 STARSIt was moving for me, other wise I cried in parts of the book. Was not sure who the bad guys were till the end.Dr. Samantha Owens is having hard times since the death of her husband and daughters. She is head of medical examiner for the state of Tennessee. She can't be around drowning victims and has developed washing hands as a way to cope.Edward Donovan and Samantha were lovers in collage till he left medical school to go back into the army as a ranger. Edward is now married and has two daughters. He works as a contracter advisor. He was killed by a carjacking.Susan Donovan father was a general and husband was a Major till he got out of army. When late at night their is a knock on the door when her husband was supposed to be home knows its bad news.Eddie mother has kept in touch through the years with Samantha and kept her informed about her son. Now she does not believe her son was killed in a car jacking and asks Samantha if she will come to D.C. and do another autopsie. She knows it will be hard on her but needs her help.Samantha agrees to help. Susan does not want her to help she is jealous of Sam's history with her husband, but finally agrees.Their are more deaths of Edward rangers squad. Sam gets right involved in the case.I stayed up late because I could not put the book down. Look forward to more books like this one.I was given this ebook to read in exchange for honest review from Netgalley.04/24/2012 PUB Harlequin HarlequinMira