Darkness, My Old Friend (The Hollows, #2)

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Darkness, My Old Friend (The Hollows #2)

by Lisa Unger (Goodreads Author)

3.63 of 5 stars 3.63 · rating details · 1,727 ratings · 282 reviews

The New York Times bestselling author of Fragile returns to The Hollows, delivering a thriller that explores matters of faith, memory and sacrifice.

After giving up his post at The Hollows Police Department, Jones Cooper is at loose ends. He is having trouble facing a horrible event from the past, and finding a second act. He’s in therapy. Then, on a brisk October morning,...more

Hardcover, 368 pages

Published August 9th 2011 by Crown (first published April 5th 2003)

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Aug 24, 2011 Jeanette rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-fiction, miss-trees, did-not-work-for-me

If you like to sniff other people's emotional and psychological armpits, this book will probably work for you. Me? I'm letting it go after 170 pages. Lisa's good at pit-sniffing, if that's what you're into. I was expecting a mystery/thriller like her other books.

So, imagine a small town in the Northeast where NONE of the citizens are average and mostly boring like you and me. Absolutely everyone is screwed up, hiding secrets, trying to reconcile traumas from many years ago that they've all sudd...more If you like to sniff other people's emotional and psychological armpits, this book will probably work for you. Me? I'm letting it go after 170 pages. Lisa's good at pit-sniffing, if that's what you're into. I was expecting a mystery/thriller like her other books.

So, imagine a small town in the Northeast where NONE of the citizens are average and mostly boring like you and me. Absolutely everyone is screwed up, hiding secrets, trying to reconcile traumas from many years ago that they've all suddenly decided they need to come to terms with RIGHT NOW. AND...They all just keep bumping up against each other. Surprise! All their weirdness is somehow intertwined, even though some of them aren't even originally from this little town. Oh, and they're almost all in therapy, so we get to sniff their psychological socks, too.

*One guy is a sociopath, and he's about to do something awful to his family. His wife is a fool who knows he's planning something, and she should get out right away, but gee, I'm just not quite ready yet, so I'll stick around and wait for the hammer to fall!

*One lady had a horrible accident many years ago that put her in a coma and when she woke up--WHEEEEE!!--she had developed magical psychic powers!

*One guy's mother disappeared many years ago, while he was still a boy, and now, all of a sudden, he's decided he's going to find out what happened to her, just when all this other weird stuff is going on in town!

And on and on it goes with all the characters. I couldn't see any cohesive story developing. Unger just skips back and forth between all these characters. I couldn't stay interested for more than a few pages at a time, so I decided to let it go rather than force myself to read it and then bitch about it.

It may eventually go somewhere good, but after just recently slogging through The Upright Piano Player four or five pages at a time, I couldn't do another one like that. If you decide to read it all the way to the end and you really like it, that's groovy. I certainly wouldn't discourage anyone from giving it a try.(less)

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Oct 16, 2011 Aubrey Tate rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fiction

Gosh, where do I start but to say I was extremely disappointed in this book. Darkness, My Old Friend was my first Lisa Unger book. I picked it up because I was told that she's a great suspense and thriller writer and I thought the cover and title of this book was rather appealing. Granted, this book has a tie in to a few of her others but it can be easily read as a stand alone.

Now to get into why it was so disappointing. I'll start by saying about 20+ pages into this I thought wow, Unger is very...more Gosh, where do I start but to say I was extremely disappointed in this book. Darkness, My Old Friend was my first Lisa Unger book. I picked it up because I was told that she's a great suspense and thriller writer and I thought the cover and title of this book was rather appealing. Granted, this book has a tie in to a few of her others but it can be easily read as a stand alone.

Now to get into why it was so disappointing. I'll start by saying about 20+ pages into this I thought wow, Unger is very descriptive in her writing. I mean in a beautiful and not annoying way (well, at first). She paints a great picture of the characters and scenery. Then as I went along in the story I began to crave the suspense. That is where I was disappointed. I picked it up because she is known to be a suspense and thriller writer. I LOVE a good thrill or scare. There was NO thrill or suspense in this book. Heck, there was very little action. However, there were plenty of descriptions. Personally I think there was too much time spent on the descriptions and building each character, and the drama of their lives, than the actual suspense.

Sure there was a simple mystery, woman missing and man looking for missing woman. Yet no edge of your seat action or even anything that make me think, oooooh, I wonder who it could be? Actually there was no wondering. That was my other disappointment, without revealing the ending, it was obvious who it could be. The ending was outright predictable. So not only was there no suspense but there really was no "who dun it" because the reader already pretty much knew "who did it."

They say don't judge a book by its cover, which I think is silly because covers are the first place the author markets his or her story, thus his or her first form of communication about the story to the reader. However, in this case, I'm not going to judge the author by the one book. I'll eventually try another, but with some hesitancy, as I don't want a story filled with beautiful descriptions and characterization but with a weak plot, that is neither suspenseful and is predictable.(less)

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Apr 11, 2012 David Roth rated it 4 of 5 stars

I generally review local authors who are either self published, Indie Writers or published by small imprints. The common link between them is that in most cases, you probably never heard of them. There are exceptions of course, and this is one of them.

Clearwater author Lisa Unger is a New York Times bestselling author whose books have been published in more than twenty-six countries around the world. Her newest mass market paperback is called Darkness, My Old Friend, e-ISBN 978-0-307-46519-1, ©...more I generally review local authors who are either self published, Indie Writers or published by small imprints. The common link between them is that in most cases, you probably never heard of them. There are exceptions of course, and this is one of them.

Clearwater author Lisa Unger is a New York Times bestselling author whose books have been published in more than twenty-six countries around the world. Her newest mass market paperback is called Darkness, My Old Friend, e-ISBN 978-0-307-46519-1, © 2011 by Lisa Unger and Crown Publishing. I read the Kindle® version.

The story is resplendent with characters, from whom it is difficult to really pick the main protagonist. Is it retired detective turned handyman/dog walker/ investigator Jones (pronounced Jonas) Cooper? High school freshman and loner Willow Graves? Eloise, the local psychic? Could it be Michael, the bad boy come home to the Hollows to solve the mystery of his mother’s death while cleaning out the old homestead? Cole, whose mother ran away when he was a child, and whose step-mother has just followed suit?

I haven’t even considered the plethora of incidental and less important characters, or what may in fact be the most important character of all – the one that links all of them together: The Hollows itself, the small, seemingly perfect suburb to which they all have some kind of tie, and of which Jones says there is “Too much history there, like everything in The Hollows. Everything was tangled and connected across years and families.”

Agatha Christie’s fictional sleuth Hercule Poirot once said of a case in which he was involved, “There are too many clues here.” If Darkness, My old Friend has a singular flaw, to paraphrase Mssr. Poirot, it may be that “there are too many stories here”. By my count there are at least four major threads and three minor ones, and any of the major story arcs could easily provide the fodder for a standalone novel. Unger even gives at least three endings viewed from individual character’s perspective and leaves the door open for a couple of them to make a return visit.

I give Darkness, My Old Friend four stars because the author managed to confuse me with so many side issues and clutter that the murderer (did I mention that there was a murder buried – literally – in there somewhere?) caught me completely by surprise, something that doesn’t happen much after fifty-plus years of reading mysteries.
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Feb 19, 2013 Anke rated it 3 of 5 stars

Lisa Unger - Vriend van de duisternis
(Hollows, deel 2)

Beschrijving:
Jones Cooper is zichzelf niet na het opzeggen van zijn baan als hoofdrechercheur bij de politie. Door een verschrikkelijke gebeurtenis uit het verleden heeft hij moeite zijn leven weer op de rails te krijgen. Hij hoopt met therapie hier verandering in te brengen. Als hij plotseling bezoek krijgt van waarzegster Eloise Montgomery, hoort hij voorspellingen over zijn toekomst. Sommige daarvan zijn rampzalig. Michael Holt is een jong...more

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Nov 15, 2012 Matt Schiariti rated it 5 of 5 stars

What is it about small remote towns that makes them such excellent backdrops for thrillers and mysteries? In this case it's the ability of Lisa Unger to craft fantastic stories centering around interesting and three dimensional characters.

While not really a sequel to Fragile, Darkness does follow the 'further adventures' of Jones Cooper, recently retired Hollows police detective. It features some characters that played smaller parts in Fragile, namely Eloise Montgomery, local reclusive psychic.

D...more What is it about small remote towns that makes them such excellent backdrops for thrillers and mysteries? In this case it's the ability of Lisa Unger to craft fantastic stories centering around interesting and three dimensional characters.

While not really a sequel to Fragile, Darkness does follow the 'further adventures' of Jones Cooper, recently retired Hollows police detective. It features some characters that played smaller parts in Fragile, namely Eloise Montgomery, local reclusive psychic.

Darkness is actually a multi tiered story. The brunt of the story is about a missing persons case which happened to be Jones' first on the Hollows PD. The disappearance of Marla Holt. Beautiful, smart, completely unhappy in her marriage. Her son Michael, now an adult and local cave diver was just never able to give up the search for his mother. He enlists the help of Eloise Montgomery and her partner in order to finally put to rest what actually happened to his mother. Did she run away? Was she kidnapped, murdered? Have an affair? It's when Eloise starts in on the case that it comes to the desk of the Hollows PD as a possible cold case to be reopened. Since Jones worked on the original case it's only a matter of time before he gets caught up in the dredged up case.

The novel is also about Willow and Bethany Graves. Bethany, a famous author and NYC implant to the hollows and Willow her fish out of water and difficult teenage daughter. Their back story and on going story as the novel progresses is just as interesting as the Holt case.

Then there's Paula and Kevin Carr and Kevin's son Cole from a previous marriage. Paula the warm and wonderful mother, Kevin the cold control freak.

Coupled with all of that we have Jones Cooper coming to terms with his new found retirement as well as trying to deal with the events from Fragile.

Don't let my horrible reviewing skills make you think that the book is overly busy or disjointed. It's not. It's paced well, plotted well, and excellently written. All the characters come together and they do so in a way that Unger pens magnificently. Darkness My Old Friend is some of Unger's best work and any previous fans or fans of well written mysteries and thrillers should check out her work. (less)

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Mar 22, 2012 Susan Tunis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Lisa Unger’s second Hollows novel is stronger than the first

Readers first met Jones Cooper in Lisa Unger’s previous “Hollows” novel, Fragile. He was the police officer married to that novel’s protagonist, who resigned in disgrace over deeds from his past. When I reviewed Fragile, I had commented at the time that Maggie Cooper wasn’t a strong enough character to rest a novel upon. Jones, however, is.

As the novel opens, this man, still in the prime of his life, is at loose ends. He’s puttering ar...more

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Lynne Thomas You wrote the Review, I wanted to write but was unable to! Thank you. Every point you made was one, I myself thought but just couldn't get the wording...more
Mar 23, 2012 04:33pm

Susan Tunis Hi Lynne,

Thanks for your very kind words.

BTW, did you know Lisa Unger has a new book out on June 26th? It's called HEARTBROKEN, and it doesn't sound l...more
Mar 23, 2012 05:35pm

Mar 04, 2012 Cora Lockhart rated it 4 of 5 stars

What I like about Lisa Unger's work is that she has a nice way of blending literary and genre fiction. She develops great characters but never loses sight of the plot in the story. The combination is what I look for in the novels I choose to read.

I think my favorite character in Darkness is Eloise Montgomery, the psychic. She invokes a sadness in me that probably comes from her authenticity as a woman in a city such as the Hollows. She is trying so hard to make a life for herself but she knows s...more

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Sep 21, 2011 Luanne Ollivier rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've long been a fan of Lisa Unger. When I read and reviewed Fragile last year, I said it was my favourite of her books so far. I was thrilled to find out that her latest book - Darkness, My Old Friend - reprises the town and characters from Fragile.

Jones Cooper, a former detective in the town of The Hollows, has retired and in now keeping himself busy by pet watching for vacationing homeowners, small home repairs and the like - a far cry from his former occupation.

He is visited one day by Elois...more I've long been a fan of Lisa Unger. When I read and reviewed Fragile last year, I said it was my favourite of her books so far. I was thrilled to find out that her latest book - Darkness, My Old Friend - reprises the town and characters from Fragile.

Jones Cooper, a former detective in the town of The Hollows, has retired and in now keeping himself busy by pet watching for vacationing homeowners, small home repairs and the like - a far cry from his former occupation.

He is visited one day by Eloise - the psychic from Fragile. She has come to tell him she has seen a vision of Jones - diving in the river after someone and that it would be too much for him. Eloise works with local PI Ray Muldane as well. Muldane has been hired by Michael Holt. Michael was born in The Hollows and has recently moved back after the death of his father. His mother had disappeared when he was young. Bethany Graves and her daughter Willow have just moved to The Hollows to help Willow start fresh. One of Willow's first encounters in The Hollows? Michael - in the woods - digging...

" She thought him the dutiful son, sitting at his father's deathbed. But he wasn't that. He was a grave robber, waiting for the night watchman to drift off once and for all. Then, and only then, could he dig his fingers into the earth and exhume the truth."

At the end of Fragile, I thought there were more stories to be told with these characters and I was right. Jones Cooper is a great protagonist, conflicted with his past and what his role should be now. His wife Maggie, a psychologist in town, still has not won me over, but her clinical take on events and emotions provide a needed element. Eloise is explored more fully in this book, letting us know her back story. I appreciated this 'fleshing out' as she is the character I enjoy the most, besides Jones. There are many other players, all with their own stories.

There is a secondary plot line that eventually intersected with the primary case Jones is working on. I was able to foresee what was coming and the outcome of the mystery fairly easily. But, the real strength of Unger's writing seems to be the exploration of relationships, problems and emotions of her characters. Unger skillfully weaves together all the threads she's created into one compelling read.

"If you're looking, you can find trouble anywhere. It's waiting - not just on city street corners, in subways, in nightclubs, but on quiet country roads, in a peaceful stand of trees."

Those looking for a hardcore murder mystery won't find it here. But if you enjoy a good story, this one's for you. (less)

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Sep 10, 2011 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-crime

The Hollows, a rural town not far from The Big Apple, is populated by people who have lived there for generations. It's a quiet place, where the only danger comes from a patch of woods, where disused mine shafts and passages lie concealed under the ground. There's generally little drama, and folks still talk, 20 years later, about the disappearance of Marla Holt, a beautiful young wife and mother. While that event comprises the focal point of Darkness, My Old Friend, it's really a book about ab...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars

I found the second half of this book to be much better than the first. The first half limped along, with no action, and a lot of setting the stage, back and forth between the multitude of characters and their story lines. I had read Fragile (and liked it), but I have since ready MANY books since then and could not remember the details. Even reading the reviews on Goodreads again, I couldn't pull to the front of my mind the ending of that book. I kept waiting for Unger to fill me in on the detail...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Jacqui rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: thriller-mystery

I recently had the pleasure of previewing an advanced copy of Darkness My Old Friend by Lisa Unger (Crown 2011). This is the first novel from Ms. Unger I have read and will not be my last. Ms. Unger has characters galore throughout the novel but cleverly weaves them together for a very exciting, although somewhat predictable ending. If one is looking for good beach reading material this will certainly qualify.

The story begins with a mother (this character is also an author of some renown) and he...more

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Aug 17, 2011 Jocelyn rated it 5 of 5 stars

In her latest novel, bestselling author Lisa Unger returns to The Hollows, the fictional setting of her previous novel Fragile and brings back some of the same characters. You don’t have to have read Fragile in order to fully enjoy Darkness, My Old Friend. I have not read Fragile and yet was completely consumed by Darkness. I loved it so much that I have now moved Fragile up on my to-be-read list! Each character is trying to conquer their own personal demons or “darkness.” Library Journal gave D...more In her latest novel, bestselling author Lisa Unger returns to The Hollows, the fictional setting of her previous novel Fragile and brings back some of the same characters. You don’t have to have read Fragile in order to fully enjoy Darkness, My Old Friend. I have not read Fragile and yet was completely consumed by Darkness. I loved it so much that I have now moved Fragile up on my to-be-read list! Each character is trying to conquer their own personal demons or “darkness.” Library Journal gave Darkness, My Old Friend a starred review and called it “one of Unger’s best thrillers yet.” I have read other reviews online that suggest reading Fragile first, as it makes the journey back to The Hollows and with some of the same characters, a more entertaining read.

Retired cop, Jones Cooper and his wife, Maggie, are trying to figure out their next step in life. Willow Graves is a moody teenager who is saddened and depressed by her parents divorce and her move from New York City to The Hollows. Paula Carr, a woman who is treated badly by her husband is facing the decision to stay or go. Eloise, the town psychic is trying to decide whether it is time for her to stop helping others and focus on herself. And finally, Michael Holt, who wants to understand what happened to his mother. Did she leave him and his sister or did something evil happen? The interaction between these characters is where the story takes off and the mystery truly begins. Each character is facing their own personal demons and their stories are fascinating for the reader to explore. I went into Darkness expecting a mystery but what I got was so much more. There was strong character development, intriguing plot turns, fascinating story lines and authentic characters. The Hollows itself becomes an intriguing character, a mysterious umbrella that all of the characters huddle beneath.

Lisa Unger has an incomparable talent for creating the perfect mix of mystery, thought-provoking literary tale and suspense. Darkness, My Old Friend was a fantastic story and one I couldn’t stop thinking about long after I had turned the last page. I will certainly be recommending this title to friends and family so that they too can explore the mystery within The Hollows.(less)

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Aug 05, 2011 Susan Johnson rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a wonderful book about people changing their lives. It talks about how hard it is to make difficult changes in our lives-either good or bad. The story revolves about several people in flux:
*Jones Cooper- a retired cop who has to figure out what to do next with his life
*Willow Graves-a young teen-ager forced to move from New York City to the small town of Hollows after her parents divorce and quite unhappy about it
*Paula Carr-a mistreated housewife who must decide if living with her co...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Fran rated it 5 of 5 stars

Darkness My Old Friend
Author: Lisa Unger
Reviewed by Fran Lewis

Darkness comes to many people in different ways. Some fear death and hope it will never come or overtake them quickly. Others dread going in a car, swimming in the ocean or just living life in general fearing that someone ominous or evil lurks and they are just waiting for it to come. Others like Jonas Cooper live life one second at a time hoping that nothing will take away what he already has yet leaving his position as a police offi...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Somer Schaffer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Crime Fiction is one of those genres that I'm hesitant about. I tend to like learning about people's relationships, but sometimes crime just seems too unrealistic for me. I usually opt for romances, but those can get so cheesy that I roll my eyes and get bored of reading.

I'm very glad I chose this book while cruising through my local Walmart. I had a few books in my hand, but I only buy one at a time to save money and so I don't buy 10 every time I shop (ha ha). The cover caught my eye, the titl...more Crime Fiction is one of those genres that I'm hesitant about. I tend to like learning about people's relationships, but sometimes crime just seems too unrealistic for me. I usually opt for romances, but those can get so cheesy that I roll my eyes and get bored of reading.

I'm very glad I chose this book while cruising through my local Walmart. I had a few books in my hand, but I only buy one at a time to save money and so I don't buy 10 every time I shop (ha ha). The cover caught my eye, the title, and then the back cover. I was captivated you could say.

I love how the whole town gets involved, how everyone has their own story and it just ties together so perfectly. I liked the different point of views too. Willow seems to be a lot like me - a teenager, not good with friends, on her own - and I liked reading her perspective. But when it came to the crime, the clues, and the investigation, Willow knew nothing. That's why I'm glad Ray, Eloise, Jones, etc... had their share at being the protagonist. Usually I don't understand books when they swap around like that, but not in this case.

I was oddly surprised with this book. I do like Mary Higgins Clark too (seeing if I chose a crime fiction, I gravitate towards her writing), but sometimes I want more in her books. So when I grabbed this book, I initially thought 'This will be a risk, it looks good, but this isn't my favourite genre'. There was something that made me keep the book and buy it. I'm glad I did. Sometimes it's just instinct, kind of like Eloise in this book; there are times where you just have to go with your gut!

All together, I thoroughly liked this book. Cover to cover it was fascinating, fast, yet everything tied so well together and it made so much sense that nothing seemed rushed. There were moments of surprise, but also times where the author let you in a little more than the readers. Dramatic irony? Hmm, high school literacy devices much? They make for a great read!

I'll definitely consider Lisa Unger as a potential author for a book I'll read in the future; she knows how to write, so let's just hope she continues with this amazing skill!

Thanks!
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Aug 01, 2012 Sandra rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What a great book! This book was a sequel to Lisa Unger's book

. I read "Fragile" so long ago, that I didn't immediately make the connection. It didn't take long for the character's and their pasts to become familiar enough for me to look up Lisa Unger's other books. I remembered Fragile being such a great book, that it was no surprise that Darkness, My Old Friend was equally amazing!
This book had all the makings of a terrific story. There were several unique, equally interesting characters &...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Kathy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Darkness, My Old Friend is the second Lisa Unger novel to be set in The Hollows. I am a huge Lisa Unger fan and am pleased to report that her latest is even more thrilling than her earlier books.

This is a story about change and it is story about the darkness in our lives. Jones Cooper and his wife are back as is psychic Eloise Montgomery from Fragile, Lisa Unger's first book set in The Hollows. Jones no longer is a detective with The Hollows Police Department...and he has a lot of changes to fa...more

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Oct 03, 2011 Darcia Helle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads-giveaways, fiction, suspense-thriller-mystery

I like Lisa Unger's writing style, the flow of her sentences and the way she takes readers into the characters' heads, but I had problems with this book. First, I would not call this a stand-alone read. Darkness, My Old Friend is the follow-up to Fragile, which I did not read. And while many series books can be read as stand-alones, this is not one of them. The first half of the book in particular was frustrating for me because characters kept dwelling on issues and traumatic events in their pas...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Lynda rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a companion book to Fragile. It is not strictly a sequel because the reader gets a sense of the events in the previous book as the story progresses. Jones Cooper, the detective husband of psychologist Maggie Cooper is now unhappily retired. Jones fills his days doing odd jobs around their neighborhood and reluctantly visiting a therapist. Willow Graves and her mother Bethany have moved to the Hollows after a divorce. Willow is having difficulty making friends and is continuing old habits...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Laurel-Rain rated it 5 of 5 stars

In a small town called The Hollows, several individuals are on a collision course that is bound to bring devastating consequences.

A retired cop, Jones Cooper, wrestles with secrets and fears from the past, yet is compelled to seek out the darkness in the world around him.

Michael Holt has returned to The Hollows with questions about what happened to his mother when she disappeared twenty years before.

And a teen, Willow Graves, whose mother writes bestselling mysteries, struggles with the issues i...more

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Aug 17, 2011 Jo Anne B rated it 3 of 5 stars

There were so many characters in this book of all ages, genders, classes, and occupations. Some of these people were "bad- vacant, conscienceless, malicious, brimming with bad intent." There were common " honest people who obeyed the law and did the right thing." But there were the rare breeds, "the genuinely good people, the innocent people who thought of others and put themselves last.

But no matter what kind of person you were in the Hollows, they all had secrets and unresolved problems they w...more

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May 08, 2013 Stephanie Reiner rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: radical-red

I think i would have enjoyed this book more if i would have read the first book before this one...but i still was able to follow along.

I did feel the jumping between characters randomly made it had to follow along with the book. If it wasnt for that i would have given the book a 4 stars.

Jones Cooper has walked away from his job as a police officer and is struggling with his past when a psychic shows up at his door with a chilling prediction. Eloise Montgomery has been seeing things psychically...more

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Oct 25, 2011 Susanhayeshotmail.com rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've been dithering a bit on the star factor. I read through this one like a hot knife through butter so I obviously enjoyed it. It was just exactly what I was in the mood for and it's definitely more than just an ok read but it's basically what I think of as brain candy. There are some good plot twists and the theme of lies and lying is nicely woven into the story. Why do the various characters lie, to themselves and to others, and what are the consequences of those lies? And what about those l...more

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Apr 07, 2012 John rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book was a disappointment. I thoroughly enjoyed Fragile, which balanced domestic disappointments with a suspenseful thriller which even occasionally veered into horror territory. In Darkness, I felt that Unger focused too much on rather pedestrian domestic issues (problems with the teenage daughter, problems with the empty nest and between the empty nesters, etc.) I respect that I probably don't fit the average Unger reader's demographic and that part of her charm may well be the way she re...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Eva rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked this book better than the first one I read by her, Beautiful Lies. To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that I read all the books I brought to a recent camping trip and this was the only remotely interesting book at the grocery store, I probably would not have read it based on the last book I read by her. I'm glad I did though. Now I'll have to check out her other ones.

The book jumps around from character to character, which I know some people don't like, but I always find it intere...more

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Oct 13, 2011 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books-read

Having enjoyed all of Lisa Unger's earlier books, I was anxious to return to The Hollows, after reading her last book Fragile. It would be good to read Fragile first, but not absolutely required.

The Hollows is a sleep rural town full of secrets. Willow Graves, age fifteen, and her mystery writer mother, Bethany have relocated from Manhattan to The Hollows after her parent's divorce. Willow has a hard time adjusting to life here; she just doesn't seem to fit in. She likes to fabricate stories to...more Having enjoyed all of Lisa Unger's earlier books, I was anxious to return to The Hollows, after reading her last book Fragile. It would be good to read Fragile first, but not absolutely required.

The Hollows is a sleep rural town full of secrets. Willow Graves, age fifteen, and her mystery writer mother, Bethany have relocated from Manhattan to The Hollows after her parent's divorce. Willow has a hard time adjusting to life here; she just doesn't seem to fit in. She likes to fabricate stories to make herself seem more interesting, and she gets in with the wrong crowd as well. Despite her behavior, I felt sorry for Willow, as high school is difficult enough without beating to a different drummer, as was the case with Willow. Early on, one day Willow decides to leave school early, and while cutting through some woods, she sees a man digging a massive hole, with what looks to be a huge bag near by. He spots Willow when her cell phone begins to ring. Startled she drops the phone and runs all the way home. He however, has he phone ----

Jones Cooper is recently retired from the Hollows Police Department. He moonlights doing odd jobs for neighbors and watching their homes while they are away. He's encouraged to do some PI work, and eventually agrees to help look into the disappearance of a woman year's earlier at the request of her adult son.

Eloise Montgomery, lost her husband and son in a car crash and nearly died herself. She survives, but when she recovers she finds she has psychic abilities, which are both a blessing and a curse. She teams with Jones to try and solve the disappearance.

There are a few lesser characters as well, but the commonality for everyone in this novel seems to be the fact that each person has a dark secret from their past or "darkness" in the present which they need to confront. There was a lot going on in this mystery / psychological thriller. The setting created by Unger seemed ideal for this particular story, and although the story wasn't perfect, I remained anxious throughout to see how the story would end. I liked this novel, it held my interest, but I thought the ending was a bit predictable. The reader Nancy Linari, did a terrific job. (less)

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Oct 25, 2011 Sheila rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jonas, a recently retired police detective is struggling with his retirement. He left the force under a cloud of controversary. His wife, a psychologist is frustrated with his avoiding the ability to face his actions and move on. He receives a visit from a psychic, Eliose with whom he has had prior contact. She relates a vision she had involving him. A prior resident, Michael moves back to town looking for answers about his mother who disappeared when he was a teenager. Jonas gets drawn back int...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Alyssa Archambo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, thriller

I saw this available for a digital checkout at my library and decided to give it a chance. I'm glad a did, because it's a thoroughly decent story. With all the different viewpoints, I was confused at first, but once I got everybody's story straight in my head, I had no further problems.

Darkness, My Old Friend isn't the sort of thriller mystery that is quite popular with mystery readers. It's a slow read and takes awhile to build up, but the pay off is worth it. In the end, I was so invested in t...more

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Nov 13, 2011 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, mystery, small-town, suspense, family-relationships, play-book-tag, kindle, murder, library, mother-daughter-relationship, pick-a-year-challenge, detective

In this sequel to Fragile we are once again in The Hollows, a small town in the suburbs of NYC. It’s a nice town, but it’s harboring some unsavory secrets.

Jones Cooper has retired from the police force and slowly becomes enmeshed in the case of a woman who disappeared twenty years earlier. Michael Holt is the adult son of the missing woman, he is obsessed with learning what happened to her. Jones’ wife Maggie is the therapist to a troubled teen newly relocated to The Hollows with her mother who...more

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Dec 13, 2011 Linda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Some of Lisa Unger's books are very good, others are not. This is in the latter category. There are numerous small stories that come together at the end but are confusing when she jumps around. Jones Cooper is a retired police officer getting slowly bored by house chores and helping out neighbors. When he is asked to locate a woman, he jumps at the chance. Michael Holt is a disturbed young man who has returned to the home of his deceased father to put the house up for sale. He asks the police to...more

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About Lisa Unger

Lisa Unger is an award-winning New York Times and internationally bestselling author. Her novels have sold more than 1.5 million copies and have been translated into twenty-six different languages.

Her writing is hailed as "stellar” (USA Today), “sensational” (Publishers Weekly) and “sophisticated” (New York Daily News) with “gripping narrative and evocative, muscular prose” (Associated Press).

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Darkness, My Old Friend (The Hollows #2)

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