Holding Back the Dark


Fiction - Thriller - Psychological
506 Pages
Reviewed on 10/11/2020
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Darryl Greer for Readers' Favorite

It is common knowledge that Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city, known primarily for its gambling, shopping, fine dining, entertainment, and nightlife. It bills itself as the Entertainment Capital of the World. But the city has its dark side. According to an online crime index, where 100 is the safest city in the United States, Las Vegas comes in only at 11. Historically, it has also had its share of serial killers. So, it is a prime candidate for the setting of John David Bethel’s Holding Back the Dark. William Lattimore is Acting Sheriff, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and a Lieutenant in the city’s Homicide Division. Lattimore has seen it all – until he is called to the scene of a double murder where he is shown the bodies of a male and a female. As if being murdered wasn’t enough, the couple’s bodies have been desecrated to an extent that shocks even the seasoned homicide detective. Unfortunately for Lattimore and his associates, Sergeant Reg Nelson and FBI Special Agent, Charlotte (“Charlie”) Rhodes, the scene is to be repeated over and over. As the media and the public scream for answers – none are forthcoming. The team learns early in the investigation that not only are they dealing with a psychopath, but a most intelligent one. It will take all the tenacity they can summon to return the city to its rightful place as the Entertainment Capital of the World.

Holding Back the Dark is not for the faint-hearted but for lovers of dark, psychological thrillers. The scene that greets the reader at the very outset is as gory as a murder scene can be – and that’s only for starters. John David Bethel has obviously undertaken an enormous amount of research to write this novel. He seamlessly moves from one scene to the next, describing in credible detail police and FBI procedures, Nevada, indeed United States politics, and how crime and political journalists operate. The dialogue between criminal profilers and psychologists is believable. For most of the story, the perpetrator is anonymous, but the author helpfully describes what is going through his or her mind from time to time. There is a considerable amount of factual material regarding other US serial killers, which, when woven into the fictional story, adds to its plausibility. There is a plethora of characters with whom the reader must get to grips but the author provides a dramatis personae at the beginning. There is also a useful reference section at the end, relating to the factual cases featured in the story. Holding Back The Dark is a page-turner, a psychological thriller, and is highly recommended for lovers of the genre.