Sweetest Darkness is the kind of book that makes you remember why you love to read. It features an unusual locale, interesting characters and a terrific twisty story, all set in motion by Leslie Lutz’s wonderfully crafted writing. Protagonist Quinn O’Brien and his compatriots come off the page as real people with actual fears, real-world problems and concerns that seem to give them even more weight when the story takes its spooky turns. There are enough supernatural activities going on to keep even the most die-hard Stephen King fan enthused, and yet it feels grounded in the rocks and soil of the fictional setting of Gypsum, Texas (population around 1000, depending on who has been eaten recently.)
Yes, there’s a monster lurking in the dark of the gypsum mines beneath the old hotel, and it’s a wonderfully inventive monster with a paranormal connection to Quinn. The tug of war on that tie pulls the reader from cliffhanger to cliffhanger (literally) and a very satisfying climax. Lutz does a magnificent job of building suspense without feeling that she’s manipulating the reader – the peril seems genuine, and the danger is palatable. So when not everyone makes it, and the hero suffers for his part of the bargain, the reader feels the loss, but by the time that happens, you’ll hope that Lutz has a few more stories about the intriguing inhabitants of Gypsum.