Darker Than Desire, by Shiloh Walker - Book Review

Darker Than Desire, by Shiloh Walker

This book was a very difficult read for me.  I got the book without any description or summary to give me a clue what it was about.  That was my first mistake.  Never, ever, EVER, again will I read for review a book without a description.  Had I been given any indication what the book was about, I would never have read it for review.

This story is dark from page one.  It begins with a funeral and a wounded soul.  The main character, David, is a man who has been hiding within the Amish community for 20 years,  Known as Caine to the Amish, he is able to avoid the outside world's horrors.  Caine/David was severely traumatized as a young man and is dealing with the emotional aftermath.  With the death of his mentor in the first pages of the book, Caine's world is turned upside down.

He returns to the world outside the Amish community to face the demons of his past.  It is a horrid place that he must travel through to eventually find peace.  A major portion of the book is about the grizzly murders that are taking place in the small town.  Someone who knows of Caine's past is systematically killing everyone involved in his trauma.  No one is safe from this retribution.

As I read this book, there were parts that just made me want to puke.  The graphic nature of one murder scene in particular was far too graphic and detailed for me.  While others might not be bothered by it, I seriously had to put the book down for a few days before I could stomach reading further.

The sex scenes in the story between Caine/David and his lady were no more than a booty call.  There was nothing loving or tender about it.  This is one area that bothered me as well.  Caine/David and this lady had a long history of these booty calls.  She had feelings for him, but he denied his feelings for her up until the very end of the book.  There was no developing of a true relationship between them.  Their relationship screamed of the "friends with benefits" status and never went further, even though at the end the author tried to make it all sweet and nice.

I have not been familiar enough with Ms Walker's books, so have no idea if this book is typical of her writing style.  Unfortunately for me, this book hasn't left me feeling inspired to seek out more of her books.  Others who are not bothered by the graphic violence may enjoy the book.  It just wasn't something that I enjoyed nor could recommend.