The Deep Dark Descending - by Allen Eskens (Paperback)

About the Book

"A homicide detective hunts down his wife's killers while struggling between his thirst for revenge and a twinge of conscience forbidding him to take the law into his own hands"--

Book Synopsis

A homicide detective hunts down his wife's killers while struggling between his thirst for revenge and a twinge of conscience forbidding him to take the law into his own hands. Homicide Detective Max Rupert never fully accepted his wife's death, even when he believed that a reckless hit-and-run driver was to blame. Haunted by memories both beautiful and painful, he is plagued by feelings of unfinished business. When Max learns that, in fact, Jenni was murdered, he must come to terms with this new information--and determine what to do with it. Struggling to balance his impulses as a vengeful husband with his obligations as a law enforcement officer, Max devotes himself to relentlessly hunting down those responsible. For most of his life, he has thought of himself as a decent man. But now he's so consumed with anguish and thoughts of retribution that he finds himself on the edge, questioning who he is and what he stands for. On a frozen lake at the US-Canadian border, he wrestles with decisions that could change his life forever, as his rage threatens to turn him into the kind of person he has spent his entire career bringing to justice.

Review Quotes

"Thought-provoking and elegantly told, The Deep Dark Descending shows how far one man will go to avenge his wife's death. With this smart, heartbreaking mystery, ALLEN ESKENS KEEPS READERS GRIPPED UNTIL THE VERY LAST PAGE."

--MARY KUBICA, New York Times-bestselling author of The Good Girl

"A tense, high-stakes game of chicken makes The Deep Dark Descending A CAN'T-PUT-DOWN THRILLER. SUPERB STORYTELLING keeps you guessing until the very end."

--ROBERT DUGONI, #1 Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and New York Times-bestselling author of My Sister's Grave

"Eskens infuses the old this-time-it's-personal trope with raw urgency, righteous indignation, and enough scorching action to melt every trace of the Minnesota snow in his finest hour to date."

--KIRKUS REVIEWS, STARRED review

"Engrossing.... A well-constructed plot and a sympathetic lead will keep readers turning the pages."

--PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

PRAISE FOR ALLEN ESKENS

"One of the most talented writers in mystery fiction today."
--DEADLY PLEASURES

"[The Heavens May Fall is] a mature and sophisticated cops-and-lawyers story, satisfying in every way. I loved it."
--LEE CHILD, #1 bestselling author of the Jack Reacher series

"Eskens's elegant but chilly prose, like winter in the blood, is well suited to this fiercely told morality tale (and its deeply cynical ending), which is sure to send all of us wretched sinners straight to hell."
--NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

"Eskens has conjured up a marvelously black spirit of a novel. It's a taut, intelligent, heart-ripping story that explores the darkest places in the human psyche. After each unexpected twist, you'll tell yourself things can't get any worse. And then they do."
--WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER, New York Times-bestselling author of the Edgar(R) Award-winning Ordinary Grace

"The talented Allen Eskens fulfills the rich promise of his Edgar(R)-nominated debut with this chilling, dark, and sinister thriller. With precision and authority, Eskens's determined cop hero takes one intriguing clue--and pursues it into spiraling disaster. With a deadly surprise around every corner and a bleak undercurrent of noir-like dread, this book will haunt you."
--HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN, Agatha, Anthony, and Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author of Truth Be Told

"Another great, dark, and brooding page-turner from Allen Eskens, with a tragic protagonist who will break your heart. Eskens's characters will haunt you long after you finish reading."
--MICHAEL SEARS, award-winning author of the bestselling Jason Stafford series

About the Author

Allen Eskens is the award-winning and USA Today-bestselling author of The Life We Bury, The Guise of Another, and The Heavens May Fall. A criminal-defense attorney for twenty-five years, he lives with his wife in Minnesota, where he is a member of the Twin Cities Sisters in Crime.