Evelyn Talbot became a psychiatrist because she survived the ordeal her teenage boyfriend, Jasper Moore, inflicted on her: raped, left for dead with her throat slit, she dedicated her life to the study of psychopaths. Jasper had also murdered three friends of hers, then he had vanished into thin air, and Evelyn knew he would kill again, and she would be the first on his list. Evelyn has realised her dream to some extent: she is one of the administrators of the Hanover House in a small town in Alaska. Hanover House is a facility for the incarceration and treatment of serial killers. Because of her traumatic experience, Evelyn's personal life is nil, except for Sergeant Benjamin Murphy, a State Trooper known to the locals as Amarok, who still hopes to convince Evelyn to give romance a go.

When I saw the blurb, I knew I had to read HER DARKEST NIGHTMARE, which turned out to be a phenomenal read! Novels about serial killers are often over the top, even the best of them, and Brenda Novak avoids all the pitfalls of the genre; a little subtlety goes a long way! Ms. Novak researched her subject so thoroughly that she comes off as an expert; I even think she could write a book on the subject, and yet she doesn't bog down the narrative with superfluous details.

Dr. Evelyn Talbot is an extremely complex character, ever the professional, she has not been able to trust any man since Jason, and understandably so, and it just breaks your heart. Amarok is younger than her, he's a police officer, he understands to some extent what she went through, and their relationship is excruciatingly difficult because as hard as she tries, she pushes him away because she just can't. And it is not the annoyingly usual push-and-pull situation: this woman has gone to hell and back, and even though it was several years before, she has still not fully recovered. Amarok is not a saint, but he keeps trying, and he is admirable.

I don't recall having ever read a romantic suspense with such a strong story: HER DARKEST NIGHT is a real thriller, it is dark, it is heavy, and it would not have worked as well without the romance because it defined Evelyn's life as well as her work. It is a real tour de force that Ms. Novak managed to combine the two so successfully. It felt real from beginning to end: the characters, the harsh Alaskan landscape, the dark nights and atmosphere. Although I had an inkling as to who the killer was, it did not matter one iota, because getting there was one of the best reading experiences I have ever had. HER DARKEST NIGHTMARE is the first in The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles and I cannot wait for the next book because this series promises to be one of the most exciting ever!