Well written but I just couldn't get into it. The characters didn't connect with me so I lost interest.

There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

Great story by Andreas Pfluger. Really fabulous story, that kept me turning the pages!! A thrilling plot, and characters.

I found it really hard to engage with the characters and connect with the book - i ended up not finishing it, which is practically unheard of for me. A dIsappointing read.

This is a fairly long book so be prepared to enter this for the long haul.
A blind ex government assassin on the hunt for a serial killer using her disability to pick up on clues that other colleagues have missed.
This is a great spin on the serial killer thriller that works and works well.
A great read and an author I will keep my eye out for in the future.

Loved the idea of this book - a blind heroine with very special skills who works in Germany’s elite police unit. But the way the author wove the past with the present often left me confused and I’m sure I missed crucial plot details. I liked the characters, their fixation with honour and courage (the Bushido code was intriguing), the way Jenny Aaron’s team would do anything to protect her, yet knew that despite being blind she could handle herself exceptionally well in combat. I could visualise the amazing fight scenes in my head! Kept having to remind myself every time I read her name that Aaron was the heroine and not one of her predominantly male colleagues. Interested in reading more by this writer.

It was so good! I really enjoy any books that feature assassins as the main character. Extra points for said assassin to be a woman. Bonus points if the woman is strong and independent. In the Dark had all three so I was super excited to start this book.

It could be a little slow in some parts and in the rest it was really enjoyable and interesting.

I am always keen to read about protagonists that stand out from the rest, so was very interested to meet Pflüger’s Jenny Aaron. How ambitious, I thought, to cast a blind woman as a highly trained police interrogator, who chases down a serial killer. Ambitious – perhaps. But Pflüger has certainly done his homework, and somehow a blind detective works, especially since Aaron has come to train other senses to such an extent that she is able to function quite efficiently without the sense of sight that most of us are totally reliant on. I found Pflüger’s descriptions of Aaron’s special skills fascinating, especially echolocation, her ability to use sound as a kind of sonar device similar to how bats and dolphins find their way around. Very kindly, Pflüger provides some links to find out more about his research in the postscript, which explained the skills in more detail and were certainly an “eye-opener” (pun intended) for me!

To get back to the book, here we have Jenny Aaron, who is basically an indestructible machine – super intelligent, highly skilled and afraid only of her own failings. Picture a type of female Jack Reacher. Noone messes with Aaron and gets away with it. Whilst being blinded in the line of duty may have slowed her down slightly, she has bounced back with a vengeance, even beating some of her colleagues at the shooting range. So catching a serial killer should not present much of a challenge to Aaron, except when the killer is just as ruthless, intelligent and fearless as she is. There is also a great cast of supporting characters, which at times held more interest for me than Aaron herself, especially the equally clever and fearless sniper Pavlik. And strangely the killer, Holm, was so compelling that I yearned for a “let’s all be friends and live happily ever after” ending.

In the Dark is an action packed thriller that will have you at the edge of your seat many times. I imagine a few casualties amongst the stunt crew if there ever is a film version – especially scenes where the blind Aaron must balance on the tow bar of a truck to escape her captors; or swim against the strong pull of a ship propeller in freezing water to save her life. Yes, there is a strong degree of having to suspend disbelief, but this is an action thriller, so this is almost a no-brainer. In fact, I would be surprised if no one snaps up the movie rights to this book, as it would make a fantastic film. It is certainly a story that will appeal to a wide audience, containing not only a solid murder mystery, but also the kick-ass action packed elements of a thriller.

Ok, now to the things that didn’t work for me – and mind you, I had a preview copy of the book that had a few formatting issues, which didn’t help. But I felt that in parts the book was too long and convoluted and could have done with some paring down. The large number of characters, some of which appeared under several names (family name, first name, nick name) didn’t help and I did a lot of flicking back and forth to find my bearings. With several plots and timelines intertwined throughout the book with little to distinguish them, it was easy to get lost and disorientated to person, time and place. Aaron’s inner dialogue, in which she reflects on her past experience in Barcelona, constantly cut into the current plot to a degree where it interrupted the smooth flow of the story. Perhaps some of these issues are related to the translation from German, but I felt that the 446 pages could have been edited down a bit to put more emphasis on the focal story. Seeing that this is the first book of a trilogy (I believe), some of these issues may naturally get ironed out as the characters evolve and grow. I am certainly interested in seeing this die-hard cast back in a new setting and look forward to Book 2!

Jenny Aaron aka Aaron is an ex elite government assassin who lost her sight during a mission which went wrong. Offered the chance to help trace a ruthless serial killer she sees it as an opportunity to solve the case and ease the burden of guilt she carries with her. Aaron notices clues missed by other investigators and is someone who has death as a friend. Using her blindness to listen to the sound of lies and sense the truth draws her closer to the killer.
Pavlik is the crack sniper who looks out for Aaron and became my favourite character. He had his own family yet he was fiercely protective of her without any hint of it developing into a physical relationship.
The school bus hijacking was the scariest part of the book for me and in particular, when the killer threatens to blow the children up. All I could think of was how terrifying it would be in that situation.
Using a blind person as an assassin certainly gives this story an edge over the usual thriller. I wonder if it is possible to train someone in real life as she was after losing her sight. I guess it would never make up for not being able to see. It was very impressive and interesting to see all the research the author did in preparation for the book.
The beginning felt a little like an old picture frame movie and that isnt a criticism. I felt it helped create a certain ‘atmosphere’ before the story started to gather momentum. At the start, I had a little trouble keeping up with all the names and when it went backwards and forwards in time. On the other hand, parts of the book really zinged with life and contained sentences so full of imagery and suspense I almost had to gasp.
I would describe this book as a mystery/thriller packed with some impressive imagery created with the author’s skillful use of words. In addition, I have just discovered this is the first in a series of Jenny Aaron books and it will be interesting to see what she gets up to in future.
Thanks to the publisher for providing a digital copy of the uncorrected manuscript via Netgalley. I enjoyed reading the book and having the opportunity to provide a review.

In the dark by Andreas Pflüger.
Jenny Aaron was a government assassin, part of an elite unit tracking Germany's most dangerous criminals. She was one of the best, until a disastrous mission ended with her abandoning a wounded colleague and losing her sight forever.
This was a long read very slow too. But I read it. Some bits were really enjoyable some were a bit confusing. 4*.

Andreas Pflüger, In the Dark, tr. Shaun Whiteside
Head of Zeus

This is a thriller (translated from the German by the able Shaun Whiteside) that should please the RNIB, not because the central character lost her sight during a botched special-police manoeuvre, but because Pflüger has done a lot of homework. As the dust jacket indicates, hers is a world of braille, of clicks and sticks, of trying to retain memory and experience in a new world empty of light. I taught one summer at a school for advanced blind or partially-sighted students hoping to find their ways to university, where the second thing I learned was basic braille; the first thing I learned was my utter helplessness under an eye-covering mask, as in artificial ‘NLP’. That’s ‘no light perception’; my brief training was in the hands of a blind colleague, who introduced me to many coping strategies in not much time: just two days before the arrival of the students. I'd say the descriptions are accurate, though there's a tendency to make the heroine a superwoman.
Some are born to endless night, but Jenny Aaron is not one of them; she is an adult whose injuries are—as the current euphemism has it—life-changing. Her sweet delights are few and far between, not to mention that she is deeply invested in Japanese martial arts and the literature of Bushido. She sometimes quotes famous Bushido poems; the best I can do in English is Keats:
I have been half in love with easeful Death,
Call’d him soft names in many a mused rhyme,
To take into the air my quiet breath.
Aaron’s mentors are, by and large, other, more experienced, officers whose respect for her exemplary interrogation skills mean she is on call throughout the service, a largely male institution. The previous director was (of course) a man, though the current one is not just a woman, but a woman of Turkish descent. Beyond that, however, this novel is all over the place, and only just about holds its thriller plot (read, ‘an updated boys’ own fantasy’) together. The villains are two brothers whose lives were wrecked by a sadistic father, what we now call ACE: adverse childhood experiences. The older one is a brilliant psychopath who nonetheless honours the same martial arts Aaron does. He is completely preposterous, though not as sick as his younger brother, of the kill-for-pleasure persuasion.
Pflüger is a screen-writer, and the habits of the story-board world are evident throughout, as he ratchets up the excitement. He plays fast and loose with the love interest, if that’s what we should call it. Close to the end, Aaron, attempting to cross a road, loses her stick, finds herself trapped between a truck and its trailer, manages to stay upright, and live to fight another day. I could feel the camera angles. At 550pp., the book is very long for what it does; a good editor could have made it more taut, less repetitious, and less peppered with sadistic violence (it is not easy to keep all one’s ducks in a row when trying to figure out how everything fits). Still, I read the whole thing, and didn’t skip very much. You may find you want to reverse those two phrases.

Book blurb...
Jenny Aaron was a government assassin, part of an elite unit tracking Germany's most dangerous criminals. She was one of the best, until a disastrous mission ended with her abandoning a wounded colleague and losing her sight forever.
Now, five years later, she has learnt to navigate a darkened world, but is haunted by her betrayal. When she is called back to the force to trace a ruthless serial killer, she seizes the opportunity to solve the case and restore her honour.
Strong-willed, fearless – but vulnerable too – Jenny Aaron is a character to stand side by side with Clarice Starling and Lisbeth Salander.

My thoughts…
The challenges this writer faced by depicting a character without the sense of sight would have been enormous. Congratulations for do so. In the Dark certainly had a suspenseful plot and I was along for the ride with the main character, Jenny Aaron.
Thank you for the opportunity to get involved in this story.

Characters – I love every single character, even Sascha and Holm. They all have a beautifully told history that explains their individual character and actions and I felt like I knew all of them personally by the end of the book. My favourite perspectives are Pavlik, Aaron and Holm.

Aaron is an incredibly inspiring woman, especially knowing she is based on experiences of real people. Her narration is so beautifully written that after reading every other page, I had to stop and reflect on what I’d learned. She’s such a pure and honest character and everything she does is completely credible and typical of someone as amazing as her. Her introspect is stunning. I usually hate reading introspect, especially in thrillers, but I could have read an entire book of hers and loved it. As someone who rarely gets invested in characters, Aaron gave me almost permanent tears in my eyes.

Pavlik is cool as Hell. He’s funny, straight to the point, so courageous and dedicated, I couldn’t imagine anyone else leading the department. I wish he was my dad.

Holm is a troubled and beautiful soul. His story is so tragic but fascinating and the conclusion to his character arc is perfect to me.

Plot – Wow. The plot is masterful. My heart was racing pretty much constantly throughout the book. The prose is so sharp, fast and unapologetic that a million things seem to happen and each chapter is more gripping than the last.

The exposition is written brilliantly, delicately woven into each chapter in threads rather than clumped up together and dumped onto the page like is sadly common in so many books of this genre. I couldn’t predict the ending and I wouldn’t want to. The story is more than just the plot, it is the histories of the characters and their desires and desperate needs that drive the plot forward at a break-neck pace.

Every time a part of a backstory is told, giving the reader a chance to breathe, the pace isn’t slowed but my feelings and understanding amplified. The intricacy with which this book is written is no less than awe-inspiring. Not a single word is superfluous or wasted. Everything written is meant to be there, adding either to the movement of the plot, the deep and poignant inner thoughts of the characters or the fascinating purpose behind ancient philosophies that characters live by. Ugh. I wish to write like this some day.

Writing – My review can never do this book justice so I’ll conclude it with a few of my favourite quotes from In The Dark:

‘He has an ancient face. Eyes like stones with salt drying on them.’

‘Harbour lights race past like photons in a particle accelerator.’

‘Four minutes. They sped past like seconds and lasted for centuries.’

‘His footsteps fade away like those of a man counting every day until his retirement.’

‘A life as interesting as dust on a sideboard.’

‘…she would become a quite different police officer and follow her father onto the thin ice, beneath which you could see the faces of the dead with every step you took.’

‘Her heart thumps as if it isn’t in her chest, but a long way away, a speeding metronome that she wants to throw out the window to make everything quiet.’

‘…she kicks open the door to her inner room, throws in the truth, shuts the door and dances with him.’

‘She lies half-dead on the mattress and is grateful.’

‘Mrs Burri’s face might appeal to a middle-aged man with a weakness for jerkily painted lips that are used to passing on instructions in an entirely humourless way.’

“You have something to lose. The only thing I have to lose is my patience.”

‘Her next answer plunges like a meteor from the sky and opens up a crater between them.’

“May the dead wait for us.”

I really hate to leave a bad review but I did not like this book. I was unable to finish it. I found it to be very confusing and all over the place. I still had no idea what it was about when I stopped reading. Sorry !

Im awfully sorry but I could not get past the first few chapters,wasnt for me