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Book Review By John A. Roynesdal
Living In Darkness by John A. Roynesdal

Someone is brutally executing young men around the slopes of Diamond Head: a vicious stabbing, a sadistic hanging, and a horrific death. Detectives Nick Keone and Paul Noa of the Special Division Detective Team [SDDT] Honolulu Police Department are convinced that the victims are gay. When the three victims turn out to be members of a notorious gay-bashing gang, The Gang of Four, both detectives join forces with detectives Philip Michael Carnegie and George Maikai'moku on a desperate search to catch the killer who appears to be on a horrific campaign of revenge. The team follows a twisted trail that takes them from the luxurious heights of the volcanic slope that overlooks Honolulu - into the sordid depths of Hotel Street in Chinatown. Their search also takes them into the middle class world of the naval and marine encampments on the island and into the world of young gay runaways. In the novel's dramatic denouement, the team, with the help of an unexpected ally - the fourth gay basher - uncovers the identity of the killer on the verge of committing his final, sadistic murder.


Plot & Themes
Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain? - Challenging
Time/era of story:
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 80%
Special suspect? - best friend
Kind of investigator
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
descript. of violence and chases - 10 %
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 50 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 %
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 %
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status:
Age: - 40's-50's
Ethnicity/Race

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Setting
Asia/Pacific Yes
Asian country: - Pacific Islands

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
Unusual forms of death - flamed
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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