in the dark
reviews
TOPShelf
REVIEWS
magazine
love is about to be tested when
stopping cliffhangers that all
Brooke’s case spirals out of control
slowly build up to a series of
with a chain of related murders,
ticking-clock scenarios to
including Brooke’s
round out her
"Quite the storyteller,
roommate.
third person
Patchell
has
created
a
Patchell pens a
narrative.
diverse cast that ranges Certain to
nail-biting story in
her second novel.
from those who exude provide
Quite the storyteller, compassionate to a few nightmares, IN
Patchell has created a
THE DARK is
downright
loathsome
as
diverse cast that
a top-of-thewell
as
extremely
ranges from those
line spineterrifying individuals." chilling thriller.
who exude
compassionate to a
– IndieReader.com
few downright loathsome as well as
Reprinted with Author’s permission..
extremely terrifying individuals.
Patchell focuses a couple different
techniques to develop Marissa and
Seth, her principal characters. While
surrounding her featured figures
A mother’s search for her daughter with a well-defined cast, Patchell
places Marissa and Seth into highly
leads to circumstances that go
challenging situations—all set within
beyond her worst nightmares.
Seattle and rugged and remote areas
After three divorces, all that
Marissa Rooney has to live for are her of the Pacific Coast.
Patchell’s style of writing is
girls. Marissa learns that Brooke, her
nothing less than gripping,
college-aged
visceral. Alternating between
daughter, never
unexpected and rapidly
showed up to her
changing character scenes filled
Monday classes.
with plenty of red herrings,
Besides Brooke’s
Patchell deftly captures the
mysterious
emotions of each moment.
disappearance,
Tops on the emotional list are
Marissa is at her
the dread and despair of a
wit’s ends since
worried mother, the rambling
Kelly, her younger
Chris Patchell
and sick thoughts of a monster, An amusement park featuring
daughter, doesn’t
and the utter terror of girls
want to have
werewolves, vampires, and
trapped in a kidnapper’s lair. In
anything to do with her. Romance
zombies is a facade for a
begins to bloom when Marissa meets addition to her literary complexities,
diabolical plan: MONSTERLAND
Patchell closes chapters with heartDetective Seth Crawford. But their
www.TopShelfIndie.com
AUGUST2016
The kidnapping of
a college student is just
one in a chilling series of
events in: IN THE DARK
monsterland
TOPShelf magazine
AUGUST2016 13