Amidst the Darkness

Tori Spark #1

by Laura Rise

When the FBI assembles a BAU unit to hunt down killers who strike during natural disasters, Agent Tori Spark finds herself in the eerie wake of catastrophic emergencies—while hunting down deadly killers...In the wake of a devastating hurricane, FBI Agent Tori Spark plunges into a coastal town to hunt a sinister killer. As nature's wrath wreaks havoc, will Tori find and stop him before he strikes again?AMIDST THE DARKNESS (A Tori Spark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 1) is the first novel in a new series by mystery and suspense author Laura Rise.A captivating crime thriller that centers on a brilliant but tortured female protagonist, the Tori Spark series offers an exhilarating experience filled with unrelenting suspense, ingenious narrative turns, shocking revelations, and a fast pace that will have you eagerly turning pages deep into the night. Fans of Rachel Caine, Mary Burton, and Kendra Elliot are sure to fall in love.Future books in the series are also available!

Genres: Mystery, Audiobook, Ebooks, Fiction, Amazon, Thriller, Mystery Thriller

149 pages, Paperback

Published April 11, 2024

Reviews

[Robert S Mezinko]

Unbelievably bad

Easily the worst book I've read in many years. I couldn't finish this horribly written mess. The author offered up an unending collection of word vomit. Hundreds of unnecessary adjectives and metaphors. Nothing could be described simply. It was always a statement followed by some comparison to something equally as pointless. She must have described Tori's eye color in a hundred variations of blue and gray. Just an unmitigated and horrible disaster of an effort.

[Avid · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tori, the main character, is made out to be the energizer bunny who doesn't stop until she catches the perpetrator as well as the only one capable of doing so apparently. Everyone else is incompetent in seeing the scene effectively, can't think like she can, isn't driven like her, and misses clues. Tori is always right until she's not. Tori risks her life and that of her partners on more than one occasion, but she justifies it because she's right and others think she has a special talent. (A talent that is driven... yes. However, all the rest is simply risky and self-centered.)

The book was annoying. It was difficult to enjoy the story due to the constant use of her actual name. Tori, this, Tori, that... Tori, Tori, Tori! Ugh! It is like reading a paper written by someone in kindergarten. Every sentence begins with I for these young writers. In this book, the author couldn't find another avenue to call this character.

If the author rewrote the main character some and fixed the overuse of proper nouns to other titles or pronouns, I feel this book could be at least a 3 star.

Not recommended 👎
📚

[Maryann Hornbaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too Unrealistic

Tori and Javi are FBI agents assigned to solve a murder that happened during a terrible storm. The storm didn’t cause the death so finding clues was next to impossible. Then another woman is murdered under similar circumstances. And then another. I found this so unrealistic. How can one storm after another, after another be believable. In order for the storms to be the cover for these murders there would have to be a storm at least every week. And how could the murderer be sure one would occur?

This made the reading become tedious since I kept doubting the senerio with every page. On top of that Tori insisting on driving throughout the storm, driving around fallen trees is ridiculous. I realize this is fiction but this was unbelievable.

[Debbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I never want to hear the word cacophony again. Seven times in two chapters is enough to make you take notice. I hoped for a promising story but it was all overly descriptive narration like you see in a creative writing course. When there was dialog, it was not executed well and lacked depth or interest. I love good descriptive scene as much as the next person, but the rambling and repeated use of words and phrases made me wonder if the author was paid by the word. Chaos, tempest, steeled herself. Over and over. The ending was a let down.

[Jill Bowman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is beyond a joke. The writing is awful. So many sentences and thoughts are repeated over and over - and over.
But get this one… “For a brief moment a smile tugged at the corners of Tori’s nostrils”. 😬😅 I’m sorry!! WTF??

Yes - Tori is the FBI agent, not a goldendoodle.

It’s worth a laugh - but only if you’re stuck in a car with nothing else downloaded.

[Laura Costa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know why I finished this book.

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*


My thoughts while reading:

Tori apparently holds her breath often without realizing it. Javi never hesitates to follow Tori's lead. The partners rarely actually speak to each other. They apparently just speak telepathically. I don't know why we need to hear that Tori's hair is white so frequently or about her "storm-colored gaze" on every page. We get it - she's specially trained. I should hope so since she's an FBI/BAU agent, even though we never get any behavior analysis. There's never any conflict between characters - sure, there are murders and suspects to the crime, but somehow, there's still a lack of conflict. Not once, "despite the turmoil inside her," (insert eye roll) does Tori's lose her cool. There's too much figurative language - a simile or metaphor in close to every paragraph is excessive. Just about everything is done "with precision."

[Clara S. Shockley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly Cliche Ridden

After around 150 words, I began highlighting cliche descriptions, overused phrases or sadly passe wording this author uses to attempt depiction of terror or pursuit. Soon, nearly every line was highlighted.

A near obsession with the heroine's "boots," specifically, became burdensome and downright embarrassing--described as they were numerous times per chapter.

It was extraordinary effort just to get through...

[Meredith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tori was very one dimensional, and the book repeated “her training kicked in” and how tough and determined she was. Her thinking about her little brother Sammy was also very repetitive. Frankly, it was also hard to imagine that anyone would investigate murders during a hurricane, and that hurricanes would last multiple days.

[Gerry Spence · Rating 3 out of 5]

not the best read

Fleshing out!! I became constantly distracted with all the added verbiage over one statement. It became extremely tiresome to the extent on a couple of times I almost just quit reading. If it wasn’t the fact that behind all the distraction I sensed a fairly good plot. Plus there were a number of proofing misses…another distraction.

[Miss Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever listened to a whole book & have no idea what happened or who the characters were when the last word was spoken? Well, I have & this was the book. I feel bad that I can't rate it a 5 Star, as I have 99.99% of the books I've read or listened to, but, it just did not hold my attention at all.

[Glenda Noble · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent story however, very repetitive with descriptive lines. I was starting to think I accidentally jumped back a few pages with my Kindle. The layout wasn't good either. The word chapter would appear in the middle of the page without a reason, no number. It didn't make any sense. It was confusing at first until I realized what was happening. And what happened to the dog?

[Eirlys · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read

Tori is a FBI agent, along with her partner, Javi. There is a dramatic hunt for a killer who uses storms to cover up his crimes. Incredible story, and the drama is ramped up with the intensity of the violent storms.

[Serita Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

FBI goes rogue?

Although the story line is good, books where the main character goes rouge and puts themselves in danger is getting old. I like the Tori character well enough, she just needs to calm down. And please find another word for "tempest." There are so many. LOL

[Lynne Bliss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good plot and characters, but too much hyperbole. The description was a bit over the top. Also, I had trouble figuring out how much time had passed from one chapter to another. Was this one hurricane or two? Couldn't tell. I probably will not read this author again.

[Stormy Shadows · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was kinda boring. Tori is just very one dimensional and the plot was just kinda basic, the only thing I liked about this was that it has to do with natural disasters and stuff like that, I had better hopes for this but very basic and meh.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn’t impressed with this book. It certainly could be just me. I read it in the car over a few weeks and often took time to reconnect. However, I have read other books and not had this experience.

[Lori Simpson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly, I think this author needs a thesaurus as well as a writing lesson! No need to use so many adjectives! She describes the moments using the same words over and over. I won't be reading anymore of her books.

[Anne Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tense

This book is full of tension and twists. The book keeps you engaged and trying to figure out what's going on.

[Tammy Felden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

About the FBI, police and a killer on the loose, using the weather as a scape goat to kill. Find out who did it.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cliff-Hanger of a Yarn

This author had me in the palm of her hand from the get-go. Graphic descriptions as clear as any painting. More, please!

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Timely choice with Hurricane Helene

[cindy Plagman · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book i am glad there was another one after that

[Deedee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to audio on my Kindle. Started off promising, then just so, so.

[B Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75⭐️

[Jeff J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book in the Tori Spark series. Homicide during a hurricane.

[patricia sendelbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tori Spark goes where angels fear to tread. She must have an angel keeping her safe.

[Kalina · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. the description sounded really good. I just couldn't get into it.