DARK OF NIGHT by Suzanne Brockmann

DARK OF NIGHT by Suzanne Brockmann

This isn't so much an interview as it is a stream of consciousness of my thoughts about reading this book.

Life is hard. Life is complicated. And, boy oh boy...life is messy!

Once again I'm in the shower, the place I do some of my best thinking, and I just can't shake my thoughts about DARK OF NIGHT. Is it the characters? The plot? The ending? What? What? I'm thinking...and thinking...and thinking.

The stories that Ms. Brockmann writes, whether about her Navy SEALS or the gang at Troubleshooters Inc., in theory would seem a bit implausible. However, that's never what I'm thinking when I'm reading her books. I'm usually wondering how I would react in the same set of circumstances.

Would I find love? What would I do after excruciating loss? Do SEALS really come and go with as much frequency as her books imply? And, most frequently, I'm wondering how I would endure being a military wife. Could I, with a life and career of my own, in love with a man who's life and future are dictated by someone else, stay in that relationship? Accept our lives being tossed about by the Navy's whim? Do I have enough spine to endure the worry and separation?

Back in the shower I'm wondering whether it says more about me or the writer that I'm thinking this much about the book. Like the proverbial mouse on the wheel over and over again I'm trying to break down why Decker and Tracy, the most unlikely of friends, much less lovers, won't let me go.

I bought this book because as a general rule I love the way Suzanne Brockmann writes. Not every book is a grand slam, but I've never left one of her books feeling cheated either. I also bought it because I wanted needed to read how Ms. Brockmann was going to resolve the surprise ending in the previous book INTO THE FIRE. Frankly, though, I really enjoyed the focus on the relationship dynamic between Tracy and Decker.

One other thing I was conscious of while reading this book was the dense and complex world Ms. Brockmann has created. More so than many other books and series, her characters populate more than one book and may have a secondary story in another book after they've been the focal story. Conversely, a single or group of characters can have secondary story lines for several books before taking center stage.

It makes the reading both more fun and more frustrating. However, it is always a marvel to see these characters from previous books grow, evolve and see their lives go on beyond the book they 'starred' in.

As I was reading DARK OF NIGHT snippets and vignettes of characters came and went through the pages. I was amazed that these didn't feel like add-ons and one dimensional people appearing on the page. Some how Ms. Brockmann retains their character integrity and often enhances it.

At the end of the day and this book, I find myself thinking about what loving someone means. How far do you go? How much do you endure? Is it really 'falling' in love or walking straight ahead knowing that it's going to be hard and saying 'yes' to it anyway?

So maybe I should have started by saying,

Love is hard. Love is complicated. And, boy oh boy...love is messy.

Good book. B+ from me.