The Dark Room by Sam Blake
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Two young Irishwomen who have built stellar careers abroad are the protagonists of this fast-moving thriller. An inventive plot links New York and London with Hare’s Landing, a charming hotel in a tranquil corner of West Cork. Caroline, a New York journalist, is there to lick her wounds after being wrongly accused of phone tapping. Rachel, who works in the film industry, has returned to Ireland from London, in pursuit of the truth about a middle-aged homeless man who has died in suspicious circumstances, shortly after being featured in a documentary.
As Rachel and Caroline join forces, it becomes clear that their investigations are intertwined - and that there is nothing more dangerous than the truth…
On the street, homeless Alfie Bow was known by his peers to be a trained violinist, and this is the line of enquiry Rachel chooses to follow. Caroline is fascinated by the history of Hare’s Landing, and in particular the suicide thirty years before of its owner, Honoria Smyth. Thrown together by chance, they soon realise how much they have in common. While they are swapping theories, following up clues and unearthing secrets, a strong friendship develops between them. Gradually, the tension builds and twists begin to trip over each other’s heels. Eventually, as a result of their collaborative detective work, a complex network of crime, ancient and modern, is exposed.
Each of the women has a troubled romantic interest connected to her work. Rachel’s boyfriend, Hunter, made the documentary about Alfie that may have triggered events leading to his death. A bike accident Hunter suffers, on the same day his laptop is stolen from the floating home he and Rachel share, forces the couple to face the possibility that the homeless man met a violent end. In New York, Caroline’s pressured schedule left little time for dates with Tim, and now she is unsure whether he is on her side or that of their malicious boss. Caroline and Rachel intersperse investigations into events at Hare’s Landing with conversations about their men, which provides an intriguing undercurrent to the main drive of the novel.
The Dark Room opens with an appropriate quote from St Augustine. The dead may be invisible, but they are not absent.’ Throughout the novel, there are hints that the distressed spirits of people who suffered at Hare’s Landing in their lifetimes are haunting the place. In particular, Caroline senses the presence of Honoria’s ghost, which manifests itself in various unsettling ways, including whiffs of expensive perfume.
Blake’s descriptions of locations are delightful. Hare’s Landing has beautiful interiors filled with gorgeous antique furniture the new owners of Hare’s Landing are striving to restore. The flagstoned Boathouse, with its cute kitchen, and Ava’s pottery studio are among the many lovely places to which Sam Blake takes her readers. In the background is the inviting landscape of West Cork, where Rachel is able to roam freely with her dog, Jasper, because Hare’s Landing is as welcoming to dogs as it is to ghosts. In spite of their tendency to be secretive, the local villagers are kind, witty and often very talented. However, the hotel’s housekeeper, Mrs. Travers, refuses to make friends with Caroline and Rachel, which is only what you would expect of a character who is an honest homage to Mrs Danvers from Rebecca.
The Dark Room is dark enough to be called a thriller, but also contains so much charm, warmth and humour it can fit the genre of cosy crime. It will be appreciated by fans of both genres. The Irish diaspora are sure to enjoy The Dark Room, although it may raise unrealistic expectations in those hoping to visit West Cork in the future. However boutique they may be, few hotels can include in their offer a wealth of historic crime, an iconic housekeeper and ghosts smelling of Chanel No. 5.
Sam Blake is a pseudonym for Vanessa Fox O'Loughlin, the founder of The Inkwell Group publishing consultancy and the hugely popular national writing resources website Writing.ie. She is Ireland's leading literary scout and has assisted many award-winning and bestselling authors to publication. As Sam Blake, she has written four previous novels and has topped the Irish bestseller chart.