When All Light Fails by Randall Silvis is an interesting book: part mystery, part philosophy. Protagonist Ryan DeMarco had been ambushed and shot: it had all happened very fast...a man out of his past, a note, not much time. Fortunately his lady love had chosen moments later to come to the kitchen, see the note, called their former colleague at the police station, who called a patrol person who lived closer to the scene. There was DeMarco, lying on the pavement with a bullet in his chest and the patrol person, trapped in her care with a huge gash in her leg. But, the perp was dead. She had used her car to stop his. He paid even more than she had. After a few days, DeMarco woke up having experienced death. It's called a Near Death Experience. The NDE left him a changed man. He tried to explain what he had seen, where he had been, but there were no words. It was a moving experience for both DeMarco and the reader. A little esoteric at times. Good vocabulary. A really enjoyable book.

A judge he knew called upon he and Jayme with a case: he and some fishing buddies had gone off the reservation with a willing barmaid some years before, out of town. Now he was in receipt of a letter from her 9-year-old daughter, telling him he may be her father. He is embarrassed. Jayme is angry. They agree to take the case. They get to Michigan to find the girl's mother, Jennie, on her way to hospice and the little girl, Emma, in the care of a most unimpressive grandmother. Jayme falls in love. DeMarco and Jayme return to Pennsylvania. Jennie dies. Jayme calls Emma to lend support and invites her to come and visit them, all expenses paid, so the grandmother is amenable. When Emma doesn't show, DeMarco calls and discovers she and her grandmother had died in Jennie and Emma's trailer: carbon monoxide poisoning, common in trailer deaths. Jayne's heart is broken. They are forced to investigate. It is a good story. So much more to it. Loved it.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of When All Light Fails by Netgalley All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #whenalllightfails

The plot for this novel hooked me from the very beginning! The story surrounds private investigator, Ryan DeMarco, as he takes on a new case involving a 9-year-old girl searching for her birth father. As DeMarco begins his investigation, his case morphs from a simple paternity investigation into a more deadly mystery.

Going into this novel, I had not read any of the Ryan DeMarco Mystery Series books. That said, this book worked exceptionally well as a standalone title. I had no trouble following along and was still able to feel connected to the characters.

While I think this book could have been condensed—it's nearly 400 pages—it's well written and fast-moving.

Overall, I enjoyed the plot, liked the characters, and was eager to see how the investigation would be solved. I plan to read the rest of the series.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This is the first book that I have read by Randall Silvis. When All Light Fails is the 5th book in a series. It can be a stand-alone book but, reading the first four books, would probably have enhanced my enjoyment of this book.
Which I really enjoyed.

I had no idea what to expect. I liked the title. The book starts out with a near death experience (the author kept using NDE and I had to look it up in the dictionary. I think it's a stretch to assume the reader would know what an NDE is) then moves into a mystery that the two retired detectives, Ryan DeMarco and his partner, Jayme, want to solve. However, the detecting takes a back seat to DeMarco's ruminations about life; the importance of everything; and what everyone sees as a change in his personality after his NDE.

After I read the definition of an NDE and what most people report as their experience, I believe that Silvis writes a very good chapter recounting what happens to DeMarco. Everything that follows feels authentic. Silvis has done his homework and is probably a student of some Eastern philosophies. His writing is too smooth and accurate for it to be just research. That, of course, is my opinion. Silvis manages to describe beautifully the ruminating that DeMarco has going on in his head while making him unable to describe in words to the humans around him what happened and what he is thinking about.

Meanwhile, there is the back story (the four previous book). We are given enough information to know that both Ryan and Jayme are vulnerable and sensitive to trauma. Between them, they have lost two very young children and a dear friend. So when their mystery becomes an investigation involving a nine-year child, both of them become very attached to finding the answer.

I will read the first four books, I liked this book that much. It is slow, thoughtful, humane, and has enough mystery to still make it a page-turner. I liked the characters though I must say that seeing Jayme through DeMarco's eyes made her a tad too perfect. I also appreciated Silvis addressing the theme of what the rich and powerful will do to stay rich and powerful, What rationale they give themselves while convincing themselves they are good people. This is so much more what our world is like than the black and white villains we meet in other books.

I recommend this book. Enjoy!

“When All Light Fails” by Randall Silvis, Poisoned Pen Press, 464 pages, Aug. 3, 2021.

Retired Pennsylvania state police sergeant Ryan DeMarco receives a threatening note, ordering him to a meeting at an old mill at Slippery Rock Creek. He thinks it is from Daksh Khatri, who stabbed Ryan’s fiancé, Jayme Matson. She then suffered a miscarriage.

He gets to the mill on time and sees Khatri, who has drawn him into an ambush. Trooper Daniella Flores is home and gets a call from Captain Kyle Bowen to rush to the mill. She is the closest to that location. Trooper Mace Boyd, Bowen, and Jayme are also speeding to get there, where they find that Ryan and Daniella have been injured.

Months later, Ryan and Jayme are home when Jayme gets a text from retired judge Jack Morrison. He asks them to take on a case. Morrison received a letter from Emma Barrie, 9, who thinks he may be her biological father. Her grandmother is taking care of her because her mother has a terminal illness.

Morrison and three friends were with Emma’s mother on a fishing trip in Michigan. Any of them could be Emma’s father. Ryan and Jayme agree to get a DNA sample from Emma. This triggers a tragedy.

This is the one of the best of the five-book series. It can be read as a stand-alone novel, but I recommend that you read the books in order. The characters are well-developed and portrayed as very complex, humane, intelligent individuals. The plot is fast-moving, although with sad components.

Silvis, who is a native of Clarion County, Pa. has announced that this is the final novel in the Ryan DeMarco series.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

It looks like I read the first book in the series a while ago, but really don’t remember it. The book starts out with Demarco taking on an old enemy and having a NDE. I had to look that up, but it’s a near death experience. And it alters his outlook on things. Having not read the entire series and not remembering the book I have read, I felt a little lost during this, but it wasn’t a lot of the book and the eventual story drew me in.

Demarco and Jayme are hired to check the paternity of a little girl whose Mother is dying. The further he goes into the rabbit hole, the muddier things become. This book is definitely more character than plot driven and doesn’t move quickly. There are plenty of moments of reflection set up by the opening NDE.

I was really drawn in and skeptical of the details uncovered, like I always am reading crime novels. I was really driven to figure out how the drama would play out.

I think to fully enjoy the characters, you should read the series, but this book does work as a stand alone.

This was a book that I ended up not finishing due to lack of interest in content. For that reason I was unable to rate more than one star.

Thank you to the author, Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did not realize this was the fifth in a series, and found it a bit wobbly on the standalone front. There were (too) many references to past events that obviously influenced the present day, which I found made it difficult to really get into the flow of the story. While the case and the characters were very well-written, and the investigation made for gripping reading, the story dragged quite a bit. There was a bit too much philosophical and quasi-religious musing for my taste, but that may just be me.

4.5 stars.

I have truly loved this series and I did not want When All the Light Fails to end.

Randall Silvis never disappoints and the 5th book in the series is no exception.

When The Light Fails has it all including secrets, murder, lies , love, mystery and just overall a good story.

You will laugh and and you will cry along with DeMarco and Jayme as they try and solve the murders.

What a great couple they would be to spend a day with.

Can't wait for my copy of When the Light Fails to join Books 1 - 4 on my shelves.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a great read and series that will stay with me for a long time.

My review may be skewed due to not having read the rest of the series. I think it was fine as a stand-alone. That being said, the writing is wonderful but had a lot of tangents/stream of consciousness kind of paragraphs by the characters. The story should have been condensed for a better flow and the touch of paranormal aspect threw me for a loop. But, overall a solid mystery if you like off-duty cop investigations, shoot-outs, and political scandals.

VERDICT: Powerful concluding volume of this series. Leave it to Randall Silvis to tackle a deep topic while building a suspenseful and very satisfying plot.

In the last scene of volume 4, it really looks like Ryan is killed. This is recapitulated in the Prologue of this 5th and very last volume, When All Light Fails.
It was very close, so close that he actually had a Near-Death Experience.

Silvis deals with this topic throughout the book, as the experience totally changes Ryan’s outlook on life and people.
As Ryan and Jayme try to heal after their last horrendous ordeal, Judge Morrison gives them an assignment. They accept it, as it seems safe enough: it’s just about identifying the biological father of Emma, 9. But “Appearances can be deceiving”, and dangerous, as our team will soon figure out!

Thanks to the NDE angle, the book is full of powerful passages related to forgiveness and wisdom. But obviously, this is still a thriller, and there are plenty of suspenseful scenes and very tough moments for several major characters.

In my review of volume 4, I highlighted that “Randall Silvis is great at mixing crime and metaphysics”. He definitely goes a step further here with all the content related to NDE. So he manages the feat of going very deep with this perspective, and very far and fast with the main points of the plot. This is not a usual combination in thrillers.

And as usual, you will find great images.
I also enjoyed the pace of the novel, with very short chapters.

It’s a bit sad to know I will no longer read about Ryan and Jayme’s investigations, but it’s also nice to let them go and experience a new and different life.

Each chapter begins with a short sentence in lieu of title. I think this is something new for this series, and in most cases, it didn’t really work for me. I found it unnecessary, and even confusing at times.
The book comes with a Reading Group Guide.

In case you wonder, the title comes from a line in Faulkner’s Light in August. The beginning of its synopsis is actually a good description of Silvis’s book: “Light in August, a novel that contrasts stark tragedy with hopeful perseverance in the face of mortality, which features some of Faulkner’s most memorable characters: guileless, dauntless Lena Grove, in search of the father….”

My review on my blog contains nice quotations.
NB: The link below to the B & N is in process of being accepted, as I post this review

When All Light Fails by Randall Silvis is a highly recommended mystery/procedural and the fifth book in the Ryan DeMarco series.

Starting off with a shocking, heart-stopping resolution of the narrative left hanging in the previous novel, No Woods So Dark as These (2020), in When All Light Fails Ryan and Jayme take on a new case, but to an even greater extent, Ryan contemplates the meaning of life after a near death experience and the two continue healing. The case starts out as a look into the truth behind the letters Emma, a nine-year-old girl in Michigan, sent to three prominent men. Emma says her mother is very ill and one of the men is supposed to be her father. District Court Judge Emeritus J.D. Morrison is one of the recipients and he asks Ryan and Jayme to investigate the paternity claim. They set off to Michigan and, once they look into Emma and the situation, they take themselves off the judge's payroll and take on the case pro bono to find an answer and justice for Emma. But powerful people like to keep their secrets.

Ryan and Jayme are both still healing, contemplative, and stunned from events that occur right at the start of the novel, as is state police officer Daniella ( Dani) Flores. Adding to the introspective mood of this whole plot is DeMarco's philosophical and pensive ruminations about the meaning of life and our role in it. Due to his experiences, he has a personality change in this novel. This plot allows Silvis the freedom to explore the age old question about the meaning of life and death through the character of DeMarco. While these musings do tend to go on a bit long, they do set the right tone for what may be the final DeMarco novel. As expected, the writing is very descriptive and can be almost poetic at times.

Naturally Ryan and Jayme are well developed characters across the five novels. Those who are reading this as a stand-alone novel may want to start earlier in the series, or at least read the previous novel, No Woods So Dark as These before starting When All Light Fails.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Sourcebooks.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, and submitted to Amazon.

Silvia’s “When All Light Fails” is the fifth novel in the Ryan DeMarco series. The book opens with a nod to a villain from earlier books, Khatri. Nevertheless, it’s not necessary to start this series earlier. The Khatri episode merely offers background and depth to the story and, oh yes, offers DeMarco his opportunity for a near death experience (NDE) and a chance to offer philosophical perspective on the meaning if life.

The real meat of the story takes place when DeMarco and his girlfriend Jayme are offered employment by an powerful figure who asks them to procure a DNA sample from a ten year old whose paternity is at issue now. The question, in fact, relates back to a wild weekend on a men’s fishing trip with a cocktail waitress who apparently never pursued the issue before, but the daddy could be one of four men apparently. The child is now seeking the truth with her mother dying, but the men involved want to remain anonymous, particularly if the DNA exonerates them. It’s a strange assignment fir an ex state trooper.

DeMarco and Jayme go up to Michigan and befriend the young girl and that’s about when all hell breaks loose.

Although this is not necessarily an action packed story, it is quite absorbing as DeMarco tries to figure out the right way to handle things.

This is another Ryan DeMarco story and it feels like greeting an old friend and catching up on how you both are doing. That is, until about page 4 when he meets his arch nemesis who caused death to his unborn child. So fast we are plunged into this that it feels like it is too soon! We haven't really started the book and already he encounters him? Yes, without giving anything away, there is plenty more story here.

Due to his injuries after that meeting, he is contacted by a former judge to handle a discreet situation involving paternity. He and Jayme are off to Michigan without benefit of a badge or the resources the badge brings with it. The facts they have are not adding up so they leave to confront the judge. Of course it isn't that simple.

Along the way to learning the paternity, more bad guys are involved and more help is brought in, which is nice to see characters from the previous novels.

Good story, a little draggy at times, but I understand why. I just was not interested in the round about musings, but definitely interested in the outcome of the story. Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion. 3.5 stars

Wow, wow, WOW! I am impressed by this story that I just requested the other 4 books in this series. I need more from this author. Even though this is the 5th book in this series, I thought it stood by itself good. I thought how this flowed was incredibly good. I couldn’t get over this story and I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend to anyone who is looking for a fantastic mystery.

Demarco and Jayme, partners in life and work, have decided to take some time off after a disastrous ambush which left him hospitalized and thinking more about death than anything else. Then they are approached by retired Judge JD Morrison who wants them to determine if he, or one of two other men, is the father of a nine year old girl. Emmaline's mother is dying and she wants to secure a future for her girl. It's intriguing so they pack up and head to Michigan. You know it's not going to be that easy, don't you? Morrison has demanded secrecy and there's something fishy about the whole thing. Emmaline deserves better than she's getting so Demarco and Jayme go full bore. It doesn't go well. It helps, I think, if you've read the earlier books because this one has a fair amount of philosophizing by Demarco (understandable given that he almost died) that harks back through his life. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. It's a good read that fans will appreciate.

Randall Silvis' writing style allows the reader to understand his characters' emotions. This is particularly evident in the first several chapters as Ryan DeMarco has had a near-death experience. The event is carried in his entire being throughout the rest of the book combining literary and suspense styles. We are given experiences that kept me turning the page.

After an emotional start, which shakes up Ryan's outlook, the thriller takes off. What seemed to be a simple case becomes a murder. Full of suspense, action, death, and violence, the fifth book in the Ryan DeMarco series didn't disappoint.

Thank you, NetGalley for the e-arc. All opinions are my own.

The final installment of the Ryan DeMayo series that could also be read as a standalone mystery. Great character building and well paced. The novel was suspenseful and had some solid twists and turns. Overall a fun time and an enjoyable read.

When All The Light Fails, is actually a part of a series. Had I had known this I would have read the books previous just to be able to have a better understanding and see the development of the characters. However, this book can easily be read as a standalone.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I am in complete awe of Randall Silvis, this author has a very fluid writing style that allows the chapters to easily flow into one another. The cover was also beautifully done!

If you enjoy non stop action, suspense and even a bit of romance, this is a book for you!

“Every step you take is a soap bubble. Love and laugh with both the shimmer and the pop.”*

DeMarco and his partner Jayme agree to help a prominent man confirm the paternity of the daughter of a woman he and several of his friends were involved with nearly a decade ago. The woman claims to be dying and seeks to secure a future for her child. Secrets and lies come to light and the investigation takes a tragic turn. Nevertheless, DeMarco and his team are committed to finding the truth and delivering justice.

The previous installment, NO WOODS SO DARK AS THESE, ended on a cliffhanger, but this book starts with a segment from the that book which insures readers are quickly brought up to speed and reminds series devotees of the previous events. As WHEN ALL LIGHT FAILS is the final installment, this is a great time for new readers to binge the complete series.

Silvis creates such amazing characters. In this installment, a number of beloved characters provide their perspectives as narrators, which adds even more richness to a well-developed story world. I’d love to see a spin off, simply because my love for the world and characters is so strong.

The final installment of this stellar series provides the reader with so much to unpack, not only due to the intensity of the plot, but the novel digs deep into philosophy and theology through DeMarco’s epiphanies from his near-death experience and includes meta fiction elements through a great section that considers what it means to create characters and worlds through the act of writing. This recall to Thomas Huston’s writing process and body of work along with DeMarco’s curation of Huston’s posthumous collection and the importance of their friendship nicely bring the book and the series full circle to the series starter, which focused on Huston.

Silvis marries literary writing with a compelling mystery plot to create nothing short of magic.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press, an imprint of Sourcebooks, for providing an Advance Reader Copy.

*Please note that my review is based on uncorrected text.

WHEN ALL LIGHT FAILS is a literary work of art!

"Literary suspense fiction at its finest. What an epic way to end the spectacular Ryan DeMarco series. I LOVED THIS BOOK! My jaw dropped numerous times…full of suspense and twists. Your heart will break at the tragedy, but I loved the way it ended and found myself not wanting it to end. 5-stars +++ and one of the Top Books of 2021. Luminous and beautifully written. Utterly unputdownable!"

Acclaimed Author Randall Silvis returns following the intense, gripping Ryan DeMarco #4 cliffhanger (2020-No Woods So Dark as These), a triple homicide —with the emotionally explosive and satisfying finale (Ryan DeMarco #5) WHEN ALL LIGHT FAILS.

A devoted Silvis fan, no author successfully combines literary fiction + crime suspense = highly entertaining literary thriller.

The action-packed book starts with Ryan DeMarco experiencing a "Near Death Experience." This life-changing moment will alter him in many ways. The author skillfully crafts this experience and feelings of fondness, love, remorse, melancholy, and longing. He comes away from the experience, a different man.

Not only is Ryan concerned with the guilt of Trooper Flores, who risked her life and is now injured physically, helping to save him from the Khatri disaster, but he winds up helping her in many ways mentally due to this NDE.

Ryan and Jayme (his partner in crime) and love interest attempt to move past their losses with their adorable side-kick dog, Hero.

While Ryan is recuperating and Jayme is still trying to get over her miscarriage and almost losing Ryan, they swear they will not take on another case right now. What is next for them?

Jayme knows Ryan is different, even the little daily things. Ryan loves this second chance he was given. He is different. He now seems to be more patient and tender and even an enigmatic smile.

However, a highly emotional case falls in their lap, which involves a child, and Jayme cannot say no. Judge Morrison comes to Ryan and Jayme with a request. He is now an older man in his early seventies.

The judge received a letter from a little girl Emma. She is nine years old, and her mom, Jennifer, is dying. She gives the address, phone, and wants to know if he may be her dad. However, what are their motives?

He wants to hire them to spy on mother and daughter. You see, there was a little night years ago with the judge and his buddies on a fishing trip, at a bar, she was working, and you can put two and two together and now a daughter.

However, the judge says the other two men wish to remain anonymous since they are married. The judge's wife has died, and the other man is deceased. They are not sure which one is the father. (or do they know)?

They agree to take on the case. However, Jayme and Ryan begin watching the little girl and realize they are working for the wrong side. They decide they cannot work for the judge but will work for the girl pro bono.

Of course, Jayme falls hard for Emma, and she breaks her heart. They are poor and living in a small trailer. The grandmother is a drunk and mean. The little girl just wants a mother and father. Jayme has this void to fill after her recent miscarriage.

When the mom dies, she is left with the grandmother. Jayme stays in touch with her and invites her for a visit. All arrangements have been made, and then the unbelievable happens. This, my friend, was a total shocker! The unexpected.

I had decided how the book would end, similar to Lisa Gardner's When You See Me (if you have read, you know how it ends, and we fans are still waiting for the follow-up) with this motherless deaf girl.

In fact, Randall Silvis' Jayme reminds me a bit of Gardner's kick-ass Detective DD Warren. If you are a fan of her series, you will love the Ryan DeMarco series. Also, there is Gardner's Flora Dane (and Silvis Dani Flores). Lots of connections.

OK, back to the novel. Randall Silvis dropped a bomb; I was not expecting it. I was dying. I could not believe what direction this novel would then take. However, no worries, the story had a perfect ending; however, at the time, I could not see how. No way to stop reading. Full throttle ahead.

There is a double murder. Someone is hiding what occurred years ago and will stop at nothing to silence anyone they can. The question is who hired the killer, and how will they find him? Lots of clever investigating.

When powerful men try to hide their past, can they be stopped? Evil lurks around every corner.

"Perhaps the deepest reason why we are afraid of death is because we do not know who we are."

Nerve-racking, emotional, gripping, and unputdownable! There were a few tears shed as well. Have some Kleenex ready.

"Good and evil, he thought. Positive and negative. The eternal struggle. Yet all of it good somehow. All of it positive. It was a difficult concept to grasp."

I loved the title! WHEN ALL LIGHT FAILS has much meaning and metaphors—if you have read previous books. (Hutson's first novel taken from a line in Faulkner's Light in August).

"Turn every loss into an even fiercer resolve."

Not only does the author know how to write exceptional gripping crime thrillers like a rock star, but Silvis also blends poetic lyrical prose with deep characterizations as he explores the depths of humanity from darkness to light, showcasing the inner souls and hearts.

A time of reflection: Furthermore, Ryan uses the experience of walking through the darkness to see the light and the bigger picture about life and God. He is helping others as they go through the dark valleys when otherwise they would be unreachable.

Ryan has grown so much as a man since the first book. Thank you, for allowing readers to be a part of this memorable journey.

The author introduces each of the six sections of the novel with quotes from The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche, both thought-provoking and evocative. Infused with the emotional storylines and enhanced the overall reading experience immensely. I enjoyed them so much I purchased the book. Plus always love the Van Morrison references.

Also, the poem The Path for Dani by Ryan was breathtaking! In addition, I always enjoy Silvis' Huston's book excerpts. Also, the poetry and reflections by Ryan to Jayme- priceless.

Nice to catch up with Ben Brinker, Vee, Bowen and wife, Boyd and Flores, and more stories from Thomas Hutson. We even got to visit Incident on Ten-Right Road.

The author wraps up the finale with some great news, love, healing, and memorable moments with friends. I will miss these characters and the series. Who knows, maybe we will see them again in the future. I would like that.

Reader friends, if you have not read Randall Silvis's books, you are missing out! Each book is unique, thought-provoking, and he masterfully crosses many genres with ease and precision.
I cannot wait to see what he comes up with next! I will be anxiously awaiting the next masterpiece.

A special thank you to Poisoned Pen/Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.

#JDCMustReadBooks Blog
@JudithDColliins
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Pub Date: 8/3/21

Ryan DeMarco Mystery Series:
View Links to all reviews, top books each year, and interview on my Blog Post

Two Days Gone (Book 1) | Top Books of 2017
Walking the Bones (Book 2) | Top Books of 2018
A Long Way Down (Book 3) | Top Books of 2019 Q&A Interview
No Woods So Dark as These (Book 4) | Top Books of 2020
When All Light Fails (Book 5) | Top Books of 2021