Dark Corners: A Novel
When his father dies, Carl Martin inherits a house in an increasingly rich and trendy London neighborhood. Carl needs cash, however, so he rents the upstairs room and kitchen to the first person he interviews, Dermot McKinnon. That was colossal mistake number one. Mistake number two was keeping his father's bizarre collection of homeopathic "cures" that he found in the medicine cabinet, including a stash of controversial diet pills. Mistake number three was selling fifty of those diet pills to a friend, who is then found dead.
Dermot seizes a nefarious opportunity and begins to blackmail Carl, refusing to pay rent, and creepily invading Carl's space. Ingeniously weaving together two storylines that finally merge in one shocking turn, Ruth Rendell describes one man's spiral into darkness--and murder--as he falls victim to a diabolical foe he cannot escape.
This is masterful storytelling that gets under your skin, brilliant psychological suspense from Ruth Rendell. "No one surpasses Ruth Rendell when it comes to stories of obsession, instability, and malignant coincidence" (Stephen King).
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Community Reviews
I highly enjoyed The Night Swim and was eager to pick this one up.
It was interesting to read a story set in the world of social media influencers. I enjoyed guessing throughout the book and getting (some) things right. I enjoyed reading about the characters and loved the connection between them.
Overall, I’d give this book a 3.5 out of 5 star rating just because I feel like it didn’t have the same captivating quality as The Night Swim. I wish the podcast element would have been used during the book rather than Rachel just picking up pieces of information to use later on. I’d be interested in seeing more from Rachel Krall, perhaps alongside a certain someone. ;)
Thank you to St.Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Publication date: August 8, 2023
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