It Happens in the Dark

A Mallory Novel, Book 11

By: Carol O'Connell

Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat

The reviews called it "A Play to Die For" after the woman was found dead in the front row. It didn't seem so funny the next night, when another body was found - this time the playwright's, his throat slashed.

Detective Kathy Mallory takes over, but no matter what she asks, no one seems to be giving her a straight answer. The only person - if "person" is the right word - who seems to be clear is the ghostwriter. Every night, an unseen backstage hand chalks up line changes and messages on a blackboard. And the ghostwriter is now writing Mallory into the play itself, a play about a long-ago massacre that may not be at all fictional. "MALLORY," the blackboard reads. "TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT. NOTHING PERSONAL. If Mallory can't find out who's responsible, heads will roll. Unfortunately, one of them may be her own.

©2013 Carol O'Connell (P)2013 Recorded Books

Awful narrator!

What did you like best about It Happens in the Dark? What did you like least?

This book was different from those that came before it. Not sure if I liked it. The narrator was abysmal!

How could the performance have been better?

Different narrator

Was It Happens in the Dark worth the listening time?

The narrator pretty much ruined it for me.

Great story even if not read previous Mallory

Even if a person not having listened/read the Mallory series can fall captive with this story. This is an exciting story that draws you into the personalities and drama. I'm not talking about if you love them or not. Their flaws hold your interest. I keep hoping for something more, since Mallory was/ is such a strong character (and can be unlikeable). The story pulls you in, then dances with your imagination until you don't want to stop until the finale. This is not a book to be passed up.

Competent if You Are Already a Fan of the Series

Read by Barbara Rosenblat who does a good job although she sounds a bit old for the twenty something Mallory. However a lot of the story is told from the viewpoint of other characters which works out pretty well. No dispute, Rosenblat is a good narrator and her work on the Amelia Peabody novels would be hard to top.

Back to this novel though. Kathy Mallory is brought in to investigate the death of the author of a Broadway play. In the Audience. At the end of the first Act. And then she finds that this is the second death during a performance of the play. But it appears that both deaths might have been natural. So Kathy has to work back toward the beginning and forward toward the conclusion.

She also has an older case that is involved with the current mystery.

Because I've liked Mallory ever since her first appearance in 1995. Therefore, it was easy enough to fill in the bits that the author doesn't really explain. Mallory seems less ambiguous and more annoying. The ghost writer starts out rather effectively but loses steam before the last revelation. Poor Charles is treated badly by both Mallory AND the author.

So go with this one if you like the series, otherwise go back to the first book in the series and read forward.

Tired Tropes

I don't recommend this as an introduction to the Mallory series. I have read or listened to all the Mallory novels; I will probably read or listen to the next one. This book contains all the usual Mallory elements, and that's the problem. There's no new character development, no new challenge, no new revelation about Mallory. Her fan club of middle-aged men continues to adulate her while she treats them with indifference. She continues to exert a near-supernatural power over other people. O'Connell's most vivid and stylish character is New York itself.

Nor was this Rosenblat's best work, either. She read with a little too much ironic disdain.

The plot. Did I care about the plot, who killed whom and why? I was relieved when a particular character finally exited and hoped a few more would drop dead. The story just didn't convince me.

enjoyable audio additon to the series

If you could sum up It Happens in the Dark in three words, what would they be?

Kathy Mallory

Who was your favorite character and why?

Although this book is not as good as some others in the series in developing the Kathy character, she is a complex and always interesting lead. The author also gives you a wide variety of characters, not a run of the mill mix.

What about Barbara Rosenblat’s performance did you like?

Rosenblat's narration is spot on--she understands the characters and the script. The reading is fluid and enjoyable.