The Darkness Within by Graeme Hampton @Gham001 @HeraBooks

Book Description:

You can run… but death will always find you

A man is discovered on a leafy North London street, fighting for life after a brutal beating. DI Matthew Denning and his team are quickly called in to to track down the monster responsible.

Except the victim is hiding secrets of his own. His name shows that he was reported missing two decades ago – but it’s clear that the missing person is not the same man lying broken in a hospital bed.

A visit to a squalid East London flat unearths a victim with his throat slit, his body left to decompose. A sad end to any life – but when it is identified as former DCI Frank Buckfield, star of the Met police, the case takes on a new significance.

Two seemingly unrelated cases – but as Denning, along with DS Molly Fisher, investigates further, they uncover links between the two victims that lead back to a ring of silence cloaking the blackest of crimes.

But as Denning and Fisher try to track down a killer with revenge on their mind, they find themselves pitted against a psychopath who will kill to keep their secrets hidden. Can they uncover the truth, before they end up the latest victims?

The latest in the gripping London crime series featuring DI Matthew Denning and DS Molly Fisher, The Darkness Within is a must-read if you like Angela Marsons, L.J. Ross or Joy Ellis.

My Thoughts:

This is quite different to the previous book in the series. It very much focuses on the investigative side so not quite as much action although there was enough to make sure it is still an engrossing read.

Molly becomes fixated on the disappearance of a male from years before which has repercussions on her job. What I love about Molly is that she isn’t afraid of going above and beyond in her role. Where as Denning tends to do everything by the book, she is a bit more of a live wire which makes things so much more interesting. Without a doubt she is my favourite between the two but Denning does come a close second.

My feelings for certain characters altered the further into the story I got and as certain revelations come to light. There are a fair few secrets and lies being covered up of which someone is determined to keep them that way and will stop at nothing to ensure they do. There is certainly an air of danger throughout.

The Darkness Within was quite a sombre read due to the nature of the storyline. How it all ends, affected me more than I had expected as like Molly, certain characters had got under my skin more than I realised. This meant that the story and characters stayed with me long after I had finished reading which is definitely a sign of a good writer. A solid and enjoyable read.

Graeme Hampton was born in Paisley, and grew up in Stirling. After leaving school,
he trained as a stage manager and worked in London for a number of years. He
returned to Scotland in his late twenties to study for a BA in English Literature at
Stirling University. His first novel, Know No Evil – featuring Met detectives DI Matt
Denning and DS Molly Fisher – was published in 2019 by Hera Books. This was
followed by Blood Family in January 2020. The Darkness Within is the third novel in
the series.
Graeme lives in Hastings, East Sussex.

Twitter: @GHam001

Instagram: graeme_hampton
Website: www.graemehampton.com