THE DARK HOURS by Amy Jordan is an excellent crime thriller catapulting readers into the world of law enforcement operations in Cork, Ireland. A past serial killer’s connection to current murders puts the spotlight back on retired Detective Inspector Julia Harte, a woman trying to hide from the darkness of her past.
It is 2024, and sixty-year-old Julia Harte has found some solace in a place called Cuan Beag off the east coast of Ireland. She has left her life behind as a Detective Inspector and the fallout from a book she published on her past cases. She receives word that James Cox, an imprisoned serial killer, has died. It’s been over thirty years since the madman killed several people, including Julia’s partner.
In 1994, Julia was a young Garda when two teenage girls went missing. When Julia and her partner arrived at a home where neighbors reported hearing a young woman screaming, Julia was unprepared for the horror that awaited her and the devastation that followed.
Now in 2024, Julia’s former Superintendent has called to ask for her help. Two college girls are found dead with the same markings that James Cox used in his crimes. Julia reluctantly agrees to return to Cork to not only help stop the killings but also settle the demons from her old partner’s death. As the investigation gets underway, Julia must endure the changes that have taken place since her retirement, including large egos at the Garda station, complex pathology results, new procedures, and memories of past cases and her personal life that continue to haunt her.
THE DARK HOURS is an impressive and mesmerizing novel, grabbing the readers’ attention from the first page. From its complex main character, Julia Harte, a woman who sacrificed so much to rise through the ranks to become an Inspector Detective, to the law enforcement officers in Cork who close ranks to catch a ruthless killer. Told in two alternating timelines, the momentum is non-stop and includes great conflict, plenty of twists, DNA science, and interesting police investigative techniques. One particular scene when a piece of the puzzle falls into place for Julia and she races to stop a murder was perfectly executed and heart-stopping. As the clues are revealed and connections are made, the motive behind the crimes becomes known and the perpetrator corners Julia in her darkest hours. Will Julia triumph and make peace with her past? THE DARK HOURS is an exceptional and thoroughly entertaining thriller that will keep readers glued to the pages deep into the night.
Her worst nightmare just returned—but this time she’s ready
1994: When Gardas Julia Harte and Adrian Clancy are called out to a sleepy housing estate in Cork to investigate a noise complaint, they are entirely unprepared for what they find. What happens next will haunt Julia for the rest of her career, leaving her plagued with nightmares and terrified of the dark. There is a serial killer at work in Cork, one as clever as he is deadly. Julia may not be a detective yet, but after the harrowing events of that night, she is determined to be the one to catch him…
2024: Julia Harte has chosen just the right place to disappear. Now retired, with an illustrious career behind her, she has moved to a tiny cottage in a remote part of Ireland, where she hopes to find peace. But then she receives a phone call from her old superintendent—two women have been murdered, their bodies marked and staged, just like in ’94.
It’s happening again. Only this time, the stakes are even higher. Julia must return to Cork to face a vicious killer and the memories that haunt her. Yet Julia is no longer a naive junior officer but a seasoned, tough professional who proves more than a match for any murderer…
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