This was a fast-paced, interesting read, that I found I did not want to put down! Great, multi-faceted characters. Vivid descriptions. Kept me captivated from the first page to the last. An excellent read!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

Geneva Chase .. a multi-layered character. She's a reporter for a newspaper that may be sold, a damaged woman who is an alcoholic, albeit a high functioning one. She's been married three times, has had two affairs with married men, and always seems to be making the wrong decisions. She is also legal guardian to a teenager, Caroline the daughter of a man she had planned to marry before his death.

Caroline's best friend has gone missing and the police turn up a video showing Bobbi Jarvis getting into a car driven by her school coach. Just a few days prior, Bobbi's dad was murdered. Is there a connection? Geneva was the one who found Bobbi's dad ... she's still having nightmares about what she saw.

Geneva is also investigating a woman accused of murdering her husband ... after surviving more than 20 years of physical abuse. This case leads her to some very bad men. She's been followed, a gun has been shot through her living room window, and her 'daughter' has been threatened.

Suddenly these seemingly unconnected crimes start to merge. Jarring twists and turns include charming movie stars, treacherous diamond merchants, adultery, sex traffickers, and murder. While the clock ticks and Geneva works desperately to find the missing student, she comes to the horrible realization that she's in over her head.

This is very well written with a terrific leading character. Geneva is definitely flawed, but she's doing all she can to fight her private demons. Caroline is the typical teenage girl .. a little surly, part little girl part young woman.

Although this is second in a series, it does quite well as a stand alone --- just enough background information to keep the reader interested, not enough to keep the reader from wanting to take a look at RANDOM ROAD .. the first book. There's a bit of cliff hanger that leads me to believe there will be a third installment coming.

Many thanks to the author / Poisoned Pen Press / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

There's a lot going on in Geneva's life- and she's not one who always makes the right decision. In fact, she often makes the exact wrong decision, starting with the fact that she's still drinking vodka even while attending the AA meetings she so very much needs. A reporter for a small town newspaper, she finds herself dealing with a disparate series of bad thing stories- a wife who kills her husband, a missing girl- and then the newspaper is put up for sale and Hollywood arrives in town. Geneva's personal struggles, not only with alcohol but also with the daughter of her dad fiancé and her continuing attraction to a married man who can do her no good, sometimes overwhelm the mystery so beware if you're looking forward to a straightforward story. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

Geneva Chase is a hard nosed reporter, always trying to get the scoop on a great story. She's also a guardian to Caroline, her deceased fiance's daughter. She's done a lot of things she regrets but the worst is falling off the wagon and drinking again.
This book meshes Geneva's personal back story with the things happening in her town. News worthy stories. A teacher run A away with a student, a famous actor is putting on a play at their theatre, young girls are being kidnapped and sold unto slavery. She is trying to report on these stories and still function as a "mother" and a reporter.
Well written story.
4 Stars

I read both books in the series within a week, and I have to say I love what the author has offered so far. The plot is well composed, pacey and believable. I am certainly looking forward to read more adventures of Geneva.

In the second installment, Geneva still has her own personal battles to fight: grief over her fiance, alcoholism, and parenting. A missing case of a teenage girl and few brutal murders keep Geneva busy on her crime beat as a newspaper reporter. The cases are interesting to follow though the motives behind the brutalities are slightly little weak albeit the they sound perfectly legitimate.

All in all, "Darkness Lane" is a satisfactory read with a good plot that has potential. I sure look forward to the future releases by the author.

Geneva is a newspaper reporter fighting alcoholism and the growing threat of unemployment while trying to raise a rebellious child. She’s covering a couple of stories, including the woman, who tired of being beaten by her husband, sets him on fire and the case of a missing teenager and her English teacher, who has also vanished. Geneva tries to work both stories (could there be a connection?), even as her newspaper goes on the auction block. Kies has created such a compelling, damaged, kick ass heroine in Geneva, she’s every woman who’s ever been dealt a bad card, but still managed to pick herself up and find a way forward. Highly recommended