Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Spiral Into Darkness” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Spiral Into Darkness

Joseph Lewis (Goodreads Author)

3.21 · Rating details · 52 ratings · 24 reviews

He blends in. He is successful, intelligent and methodical. There are no clues. There are no leads. The only thing the FBI and local police have to go on is the method of death: two bullets to the face- gruesome and meant to send a message. But it's difficult to understand any message coming from a dark and damaged mind. Two adopted boys, struggling in their own world, hav ...more

Get A Copy

Or buy for $5.99

Paperback, 358 pages

Published January 17th 2019 by Black Rose Writing

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Spiral Into Darkness, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about Spiral Into Darkness

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.21 ·

Rating details

· 52 ratings · 24 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Spiral Into Darkness

Dec 23, 2018 Felicia added it

DNF @ 40%

This is the first time I've failed to finish an ARC, however, I'll offer my thoughts on what I was able to get through.

The description sounded very intriguing as I really love serial killer stories. This ended up being more of a police procedural story which is not a genre that I favor with virtually no time spent with the killer at all.

There are sooooo many characters in this book it borderlines on ridiculous. I'm talking more than a dozen, probably closer to twenty, honestly it could ...more

flag 62 likes · Like · see review

Oct 02, 2019 Linda Strong rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley-2019, read-in-2019

3.5 STARS

Are they random killings? A professional businessman, school principal, stay at home wife, and a 15 year old boy are just some of the victims of a serial killer. He walks up to them, assures himself they are indeed his target, then shoots them twice in the face and calmly walks away.

There are no clues .. no leads ... no witnesses. Is he sending a message? Are these cases connected? And who could possibly be next?

This is a well written crime fiction, but there's a lot more involved. Not ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Jan 09, 2019 Pat Welte rated it really liked it

I really liked this story, the suspense was there. At first, this seemed like random killings and this author kept me interested from beginning the very end. I found the characters were well written and that I cared about what happened to them. I have never read a book by this author, but I will definitely be looking for more to read.

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Dec 27, 2018 James Glass rated it really liked it

I got an advanced copy to read. The story is solid, the characters are solid and unique, and the plot kept my attention. It's a crime thriller I'd recommend once the final version is edited. ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Jan 26, 2019 Caroline Venables rated it it was amazing

I really enjoyed this book. It was obvious from reading it, that there was an ongoing story but I found this could be read as a standalone.

The story is quick paced and well written, and explores lots of different themes. I love the family the author has created in the book. A bunch of young, damaged boys all now loved and cared for by Jeremy and Vicki. The bond that the boys share is unique and an interesting theme that the book explores, their love for each other forged through each others sens ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jan 20, 2019 Jessica Belmont rated it really liked it

Spiral Into Darkness really takes you on a ride into darkness. Admittedly, there are uncomfortable aspects of this novel, but it fits the overall theme and ideas.

Joseph Lewis has created this as a stand alone that follows characters from his previous books, but honestly, I wasn’t confused. There was enough history to understand who these people were to read this and not feel lost.

There isn’t a main character. Instead, this is a really in depth look into human psychology and that is where some of ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Nov 14, 2019 Rowena Hoseason rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019

Great title. Great cover art. Very confused book. It comes over as a curiously explicit young-adult domestic drama tacked on to a plot about a seemingly random serial killer. Spends more time exploring the confused sexuality of teenage boys than it does investigating the series of murders. It’s a bit like an X-rated version of The Brady Bunch with a homicidal maniac for added interest.

The plot is actually quite engaging, but it gets buried beneath a vast cast of characters and way too much adole ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 18, 2019 Kathy Whitby rated it it was amazing

This was another one of Joe’s books I just couldn’t put down! His character development is phenomenal and I feel as if I know each of them personally. The plots are intricate and present day. Can’t wait for the next book!
Kathy Whitby

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 15, 2018 Justin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2018-reads

Great book. Thrilling mystery with an underlying psychological theme. Lots of action, suspense, twists, and a focus on protecting your own. Recommend reading all of books by this author first to understand the characters best. There are a few graphic parts involving sexual acts among teenagers, but it fits into the context of the overall series.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 25, 2018 Elli (Kindig Blog) rated it did not like it

A serial killer is on the loose, with the eight victims seemingly picked at random. As time runs out who will be the next victim and can the killer be stopped?

I was really irritated with Spiral into Darkness as nowhere on its NetGalley, Amazon or Goodreads page does it mention that this is part of a series and you really need a lot of context to understand the truly weird dynamics of the many characters in this book.

The story itself starts well - a police chief is called to join a large, special A serial killer is on the loose, with the eight victims seemingly picked at random. As time runs out who will be the next victim and can the killer be stopped?

I was really irritated with Spiral into Darkness as nowhere on its NetGalley, Amazon or Goodreads page does it mention that this is part of a series and you really need a lot of context to understand the truly weird dynamics of the many characters in this book.

The story itself starts well - a police chief is called to join a large, specialist taskforce with the FBI to help catch a serial killer who has taken 8 lives so far. They begin profiling and investigating and that started to draw me into the story. At this point you know something bad has happened the previous summer but I assumed it was character backstory that you’d find out as you went along.

Then at around 20% the book takes a sharp left turn and drops the investigation and police storyline to focus on 6 brothers and their daily lives. As far as I can gather these 6 brothers are central characters in the other books, kidnapped as part of a child sex ring and are now all adopted into the same family. The family dynamics are weird and uncomfortable; the teenagers seem far too overly familiar with each other and two of the adopted brothers are having an intimate relationship (which is often graphically described). This relationship is no secret – the entire family know about it including the parents (one of the boys is their biological son) and all they do is just reassure them that they are definitely not gay. It also really doesn’t help that the kids all have really similar names for some reason – Brian, Billy, Bobby, Brett and Brad which made it really difficult for me to work out who was who.

Inexplicably the boys are drafted in to help the police and FBI team with their investigation. They make them walk the crime scene with the body still present, where they give basic information that surely trained and experienced police officers should already know. They then are given a victim’s book of poetry to analyse as if it was an English Lit project - the whole prospect is just bizarre. This is all interspersed with the underage sex scenes, overly repetitive family arguments and far too much description of everyday events (why should I care what brand of running shoe and sock every boy buys at the store when it has no relevance to the story?)

There are also far too many characters; the 6 brothers, their parents, all their friends, the 5/6 core members of the police team, their families and the killer themselves. I was desperate to DNF this book, particularly when I discovered it was part of a series but I persevered. I needn’t have bothered really - as there were so many characters, none of which got much ‘screen-time’, the final reveal wasn’t shocking or surprising at all – just ‘oh, that person, I’ve heard their name mentioned before’. The final show-down had some ridiculous decisions, unrealistic events and even a bit of the paranormal thrown in – it was all a bit ridiculous.

Overall if you’ve read the rest of the series perhaps you are used to the overload of characters, the uncomfortable family dynamics and the repetition of everyday events instead of a focus on the action. For a new reader however, Spiral into Darkness simply wasn’t for me. Thanks to NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for a copy of the ARC in exchange for a (very) honest review.

For more reviews check out www.kindig.co.uk ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 17, 2019 Shohinee Deb rated it really liked it

This review was originally posted on https://trailsoftales620253622.wordpr...
Riddle me this

An ambitious man in his early 30s, youngest partner at his advertising firm, a workaholic, competent, always dressed to the nine….

A 54 year old middle school principal, a devoted wife, kind, affectionate, sensitive, well loved….

What do these two have in common?

Nothing but that they were both shot

Twice

In the face

And all that the shooter said was this

You should not have done it

A series of murders, same modus ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 10, 2019 Neonila rated it did not like it

I tried not to DNF this completely, but it was just so bad that I had to at least skim read this. At first I thought that this book was just going to be a regular mystery/thriller book, but boy was I disappointed.

I don't use the word "hate" very often, but this book made me hate my entire existence, and the fact that I had to keep reading this made me want to disappear from Earth. The beginning was super boring, but then we got introduced to these 6 half-brothers, who went through very terrible ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 20, 2019 Katrina rated it it was ok

Shelves: e-book, crime, netgalley

There were some aspects of the story that I liked, unfortunately, I didn't realise this was part of series so that threw me a little. Also felt there were far too many characters introduced too quickly to keep track of.

With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the Arc in exchange for an honest review ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 22, 2019 Steph Warren rated it liked it

*I received a free copy of this book with thanks to the author and Rachel Gilbey at Rachel’s Random Resources blog tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

Spiral into Darkness is an unusual psychological thriller, with some disturbing and thought-provoking content.

Firstly, I would highly recommend that the author’s previous books are read before you try this one, as there is a lot of context and history between the characters prior to this story. The author does fill us in as h *I received a free copy of this book with thanks to the author and Rachel Gilbey at Rachel’s Random Resources blog tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

Spiral into Darkness is an unusual psychological thriller, with some disturbing and thought-provoking content.

Firstly, I would highly recommend that the author’s previous books are read before you try this one, as there is a lot of context and history between the characters prior to this story. The author does fill us in as he goes along here, but there are so many characters involved and the relationships are so unique that I really feel more of the back story would be useful.

The story itself has two distinct threads: one is a tight and tense police procedural with a multi-disciplinary team investigating a serial killer with an efficient method and obscure motive; the other an emotional family drama about blended and adopted families, teenage hormones and exploring sexuality. The connection that binds these two disparate elements together is the history between the family in question and a number of members of the investigative team; which can lead to some unusual decisions such as drawing on the expertise of teenage boys in a FBI murder investigation!

I am not sure if there is a trigger warning here or not, but I was slightly uncomfortable at the sheer volume of teenage sexual behaviour explored in the book and particularly at the casual acceptance of such behaviour between (adopted) siblings. I appreciate that the author stresses the importance of love, openness and communication in family relationships, and includes some very positive messages about acceptance and body confidence. My personal preference was for more of the psychological thriller and less of the teenage pleasures, but I am well past my own teenage years and quite British too, so fond of tea and euphemisms!

Whilst I found some plot points somewhat difficult to believe, I did enjoy the characters in the investigative team and their working relationships, and the suspense elements of the story were intriguing and kept me guessing. I think this would be a good read for those who are as interested in psychology as they are in crime thrillers, and don’t mind a LOT of sticky sheets!

He rarely displayed emotion except when the appropriate social situation called for it. On demand, he could feign anger, surprise, shock, or doubt. Even happiness and joy though they took more work. Like an actor. However, he viewed himself to be more of a chameleon than an actor.
He watched the news conference and concluded they did not have a clue. None. The blond FBI agent was no match for him. Beauty over brains, except that he did not think she was all that good looking either.
Free and clear, just as he had been and always will be, forever and ever, amen. He chuckled at his little joke, the smile disappearing as quickly as it appeared.

– Joseph Lewis, Spiral into Darkness

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 08, 2019 David Cain rated it did not like it

The first paragraph in chapter seven of this garbage novel told me everything I need to know about the author's writing style: "Eiselmann wore his sports coat with his t-shirt and jeans, just as Batiste and Dahlke did. Alamorode wore an expensive tailor-made three-piece suit. Weist and Storm wore nearly matching pantsuits with a white blouse on Storm and a cream-colored blouse on Weist. Graff had dressed down to khakis and a police polo. O’Connor did not bother with any formality. He wore what h ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 27, 2020 New Book Reviewer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The story is a blend of psychological thriller/mystery with crime fiction.

The story starts with the murder of a young advertising executive. One day he was following his everyday normal routine, and when he reached the garage, suddenly he heard a voice and was shot dead.

The story continues with the next murder of Shirley Bodencamp, a middle school principal. One day after work, she heard a voice calling her name. As she turned, she was shot dead.

The story continues by appointing Jamie as Chief ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 30, 2019 Valerie Joy rated it did not like it

I know you should never judge a book by its cover...but we all do. A crime thriller about a serial killer with a dark and foreboding looking cover? What could be more perfect! I was really excited to start reading!

The scenes with the killer in them were gripping but there was so much else wrong with this book that I did not finish reading it.

There are some problems with the writing. Typos that are so bad that a few times I had to stop reading to try and work out what the sentence was supposed t ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 25, 2019 Natalie Gardner rated it did not like it

I never normally don’t finish books but 2019 has already bought me a second such one, after previously being unable to continue listening to an audio book I talked about in my January Book Reviews.

I started off slowly with this one as it was quite laden with ‘technicalities’ of the policing system and how people are organised. The first two chapters were great, describing the two murders and this really grabbed my attention, leaving you with many questions like why, who and what could link them. ...more

flag Like · see review

Apr 01, 2019 M rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Because I always finish my books, regardless of whether I am enjoying them or not, I finished this one . I struggled to do just that with it. This book would not inspire me to buy another by this author. However one bad does not make an author bad. I dreaded each time I picked it and counted down the percentage of reading that remained on my Kindle. There is a lot of guy on guy action in the book. It was hard to believe the story; found it to be over the top in so many ways. Ending was unfulfill ...more

flag Like · see review

Aug 20, 2020 Sue Blanchard rated it it was ok

Thankyou to NetGalley, Black Rose Writing and the author, Joseph Lewis, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of Spiral Into Darkness in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I struggled to maintain an interest in the storyline. The narrative seemed quite flat to me.

flag Like · see review

Dec 10, 2018 Joseph Lewis rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

Suspenseful, thoughtful. A Crime Thriller with psychology thrown in. Solid characters. Entertaining. Highly recommend.

flag Like · see review

Seonaid rated it liked it
Jul 06, 2019

Chris Downey rated it liked it
Jun 11, 2019

Feb 10, 2019 Sharon C rated it did not like it

I forced my way through about 50% of Spiral Into Darkness and then quit. It was so badly written; where was the editor? In the first 10% of the book, the author presents no fewer than 34 named characters, including 14 cops or FBI agents!!! By the 50% mark, none of the characters had been fleshed out and what characterization there was didn't ring true. Beyond that, the subject matter was extremely dark, not just murder but the sex trafficking of young boys. And I say that as someone who reads th ...more

flag Like · see review

Olga Spice rated it it was amazing
Feb 10, 2019

Patricia W. Housand rated it liked it
Sep 04, 2020

Jan 14, 2019 Rachelle rated it did not like it

Shelves: arc

I really try not to DNF a book and I try not to write a negative review but this was a very difficult book for me.
The overall plot is good but gets lost in all the extras. There are way too many characters, most of which have absolutely no bearing on how the story plays out. I don't feel like any of the characters get fleshed out, especially the central ones.

There is a whole lot of unnecessary information and repetition. If all the unnecessary things were removed the book would be about half as ...more

flag Like · see review