Meg Gardiner's third book in the Unsub series again features Caitlin Hendrix, a former Bay Area, California detective who joined the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit. Richard Ramirez, aka the Night Stalker, supplied the idea this installment. Ramirez terrorized Los Angeles and San Francisco neighborhoods when he committed home invasion robberies, rapes, and murders in the mid-1980s. He ultimately earned nineteen death sentences, but died in San Quentin State Prison in 2013 while still awaiting execution.

Stated simply, The Dark Corners of the NIght is terrifying . . . in the best possible way. The book is dark and richly atmospheric, the settings vitalized by Gardiner's lushly descriptive prose. She sets scenes with details that evoke the mysteriousness and attendant fear of the wee small hours in which the crimes take place. An unsub enters family homes in low-crime neighborhoods where security is, in some manner, lax. There are not home security systems or dogs. Once inside, the parents wake up and discover him before they are murdered in cold blood, their bodies mutilated. But he spares the children. He leaves behind graphic messages and tableaus with which he declares his dominion over his victims. He ensures that the children see him and forces them to repeat mantras back to him such as "I am beyond good and evil," telling them he is the Midnight Man before leaving the youngsters traumatized and orphaned.

Caitlin and her colleagues collaborate to understand his preparation, the similarities of the crime scenes, and motivation. He's an outlier, but his knowledge of the neighborhoods he haunts, habits of his victims and, more particularly, police procedures not generally known to members of the public help the team assemble a profile that provides clues to his identity. He is stealthy and determined, and as the number of victims escalates, so does the pressure to catch him.

Caitlin is a compelling, empathetic character. It is not necessary to read the first two installments in the series in order to enjoy The Dark Corners of the Night because Gardiner provides enough background for readers to appreciate Caitlin's experiences and fears. Her flaws are intriguing and provide context as she scrambles to identify and apprehend the killer before he can strike again. The case is extremely disturbing and brings into question Caitlin's ability to withstand the stress of trying to stop such a brutal killer without losing her precarious equilibrium in the process. The Midnight Man is the darkest perpetrator she has ever encountered, and Caitlin battles inner demons, as well as the criminal at large. As the story progresses and the killer's identity is revealed, Caitlin's self-doubt ramps up the tension, consistent with Gardiner's philosophy that the primary focus of her books should be on "the investigators — the people who dedicate themselves to putting away as many of these criminals as possible. . . the people who are taking on this burden on all of our behalves, to apprehend unsubs and bring them to justice and try to make the streets or the night at least briefly safer." Toward that end, Gardiner's cast of eccentric supporting characters, including Caitlin's fellow law enforcement professionals, also keep the action moving and interesting. FBI Unit Chief C.J. Emmerich, the man who recruited Caitlin and is her boss, returns and plays a pivotal role as she grapples with the emotions the case evokes. Particularly endearing is twelve-year-old Hannah Guillory, the witness who is determined not to become another victim.

After Gardiner discloses the murderer's identity, as well as his incentive to kill, the book's already quick pace accelerates as Caitlin, et al. desperately rush to apprehend The Midnight Man and prevent him from claiming more victims. Gardiner deftly sets the final showdown at a downtown Los Angeles redevelopment project. The four-block site of abandoned office buildings and hotels scheduled to be demolished and replaced by loft apartments, office towers, and shopping areas provides the perfect backdrop against which Gardiner's characters encounter enhanced dangers as they close in on the killer. Caitlin engages in a treacherous, winner-take-all strategy to apprehend the murderer.

Gardiner succeeds spectacularly at creating a compelling, frightening mystery that is completely absorbing and highly entertaining. The Dark Corners of the Night is sure to keep readers up late, telling themselves, "Just one more chapter" . . . hopefully, with the doors and windows locked, the home alarm system armed, and all of the lights on!

Caitlin Hendrix is back in The Dark Corners of the Night - another great addition to the suspenseful UNSUB
series! Quick paced action - hooks you from the beginning. The only negative is waiting a year for the next one.
Thank you NetGalley!

The Midnight Man is hunting. He appears in the darkness like a ghost inside your house before you even have a chance to brush the sleep from your eyes. He’s hunting parents and leaving behind children to serve as tiny witnesses to the unspeakable horrors he is capable of causing. He is the legion of the night.

FBI behavioral analyst Caitlin Hendrix has been sent with her team to the suburbs of Los Angeles on the pursuit of the deadly Midnight Man. Something about this UNSUB doesn’t sit right with her immediately. Ranging from the killer’s targets to his methodologies, there is simply something not adding up. It will take all of Hendrix’s dedication to catch this killer, as it appears the frequency and intensity of the Midnight Man’s attacks are accelerating.

THE DARK CORNERS OF THE NIGHT is the third installment in Meg Gardiner’s UNSUB series. As with the previous two installments, the reader is back following along with Caitlin Hendrix as she investigates a gruesome killer loose on the streets. This new installment picks up right at the heels of the conclusion of the previous book, which immediately provides resolution to the cliffhanger ending readers were given with INTO THE DARK NOWHERE.

Caitlin Hendrix is the star of the UNSUB series. She is an incredibly strong-willed behavioral analyst working for the FBI who is willing to put her life on the line to catch killers. As with previous installments in this series, Hendrix is quick to throw herself full heart and soul into the case of the Midnight Man. Backing her up are a well-rounded team to provide the details and clues Hendrix might miss without them, as well as her significant other, Sean, who serves as Hendrix’s rock and sounding board.

Meg Gardiner is always shocking me with the cases she dreams up for Hendrix to investigate. They are unique in the crimes and killers she creates. These cases definitely have a gore factor to them, which might turn off some audiences. I appreciate that Gardiner doesn’t use this gore for shock value. It’s there to show how deadly these killers are and exactly what dangers her lead character is up against. I love that often these cases include a bit of iconography, which add a unique touch to how the profile for the killer is developed.

For those new to the UNSUB series, I highly recommend reading these books in order. I think you could get by reading them as standalones, but you’ll definitely be missing out on the connections to previous installments that thread throughout each book. This series is one of my absolute favorites and I look forward to each new release!

A huge thank you to Blackstone Publishing and Booksparks for my free copy!

Fans of creepy crime thrillers, this series is for you!!

A serial killer is targeting Los Angeles families. Smart, ruthless, methodical, the so-called “Midnight Man” kills both husband and wife, but leaves any children physically unharmed but terrorized, left looking at ritualistic symbols and heeding frightening warnings from the man who killed their parents.

Desperate to catch this killer, the LAPD brings in the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, including profiler Caitlin Hendrix. The daughter of a former cop, she’s young but tough as nails when it comes to her job. She also bears the physical and emotional scars of past cases, and while her extreme empathic nature makes her good at what she does it also takes its toll on her.

As the killer becomes more and more brash, the discoveries they make about him shock them, particularly Caitlin, and make it both easier and more difficult to stop him. It’s a dangerous battle with unexpected adversaries, and this killer will do all he can to wreak havoc.

Meg Gardiner’s “UNSUB” series is really intense and well-written. This is the third book in the series. They're dark and suspenseful and tremendously well-written. I love Caitlin’s character. Her sensitivity really sets her apart and I love her relationship with Sean, which didn’t get as much coverage in this book as I would’ve liked.

I think this book definitely is setting up one hell of a fourth book. There’s a lot of action and violence in here but it never seems gratuitous. If you love crime novels, pick up this series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!!

My first Meg Gardiner serial killer thriller, "The Dark Corners of the Night," the third in a series featuring FBI behavioral analyst Caitlin Hendrix, lives up to her reputation. This time Caitlin races to catch the Midnight Man, who terrorizes the suburbs of Los Angeles by slaughtering a house's adults while leaving the children as shattered witnesses. Gardiner has a winner in her protagonist and she is a surefooted writer adept at maintaining pace. The plot journey is murky and fascinating and the extended character set is diverse and well-drawn. If there is a sense of deja vu in the storyline, that seems to matter little over the course of an evening's breathless reading.

It’s like an episode of criminal minds when the show was really good. I never read the other books but Dark Corners works fine as a stand-alone.

Terrific book. Absolutely loved it. Compelling characters and story line. Kept me interested the entire time.

Every now and again I read a book that I desperately want to finish but I also can't bear to get to the end of. The Dark Corners of the Night is one of those books!
This is a hugely fast paced story with some fantastically unexpected twists. I don't want to give the plot away as it's so amazing to uncover yourself but I cannot recommend this enough. I also can't wait for the next!

There is a serial killer on the loose in Los Angeles. He is called The Midnight Man. He breaks into homes in the middle of the night, he kills the parents and leaves the children unharmed, but with a message. He leaves no trace behind. The LAPD has no choice but ask for the help of the BAU and so FBI agent Caitlin Hendrix is back! As the killer strikes over and over again, the FBI needs to figure out why The Midnight Man is killing and how to stop him.

Haunting, scary, gritty, The Dark Corners of the Night gave me goose bumps and made me check that the doors and windows where locked at night. The murder scenes are gruesome and violent and the descriptions are very detailed. I found fascinating how the author digs into the mind of the serial killer and the story becomes a character study as she explores the reason behind their behavior. The profiling process is detailed and insightful and it gives the reader a break from the fast-paced narrative.

The characters are well-developed and realistic and the personal lives of the protagonists mixe with the police procedural creating a gripping and authentic story that I couldn’t put down. The story is told mainly from Caitlin’s point of view, but we get also a glimpse of the killer and his victims’ perspectives.

Would I recommend The Dark Corners of the Night? Absolutely!!! Crime fans out there will love the originality and darkness of the story, the suspense that doesn’t leave the pages, and the strong and human characters that drive the story. A brilliant and thrilling read not to miss!

This book is quite good. Its just that there are times, some narration and explanation makes the story a bit unnecessary. But its filled with action and thrill. It was really an exciting read!

Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for allowing me to read The dark corners of the night by Meg Gardiner. This is her third book in the UNSUB series but not having read the first two didn't stop me from totally getting into the story. While there is a continuous thread running from the previous books it can be read as a standalone. I was intrigued by the character of Caitlin, her style of detective work, the ease she showed working with Hannah. I can't wait to read the first two books; I am just sorry I didn't read them first!

Caitlin Hendrix is back in the third installment of UNSUB. A well written gripping read, the Midnight Man comes at night and his terror is increasing on this community. The characters are compelling, and the story is chilling I highly recommend this book and author she is an amazing writer

First off, how creepy is that cover?! I absolutely love this series by Meg Gardiner – Unsub and Into the Black Nowhere are the first two books. I read these two through my e-library, so I was really excited when I was accepted for a review copy via Netgalley for The Dark Corners of the Night. This book is all sorts of terrifying. The Midnight Man sneaks into family homes, killing the parents, and leaving the kids alive…but they slowly escalate in how they terrorize the children. The serial killer in this book reminded me a bit of The Night Stalker and the Golden State Killer (aka the Original Night Stalker).

The book, and series, follows FBI behavioral analyst, Caitlin Hendrix. I love that while she’s an amazing cop and can really get into the head of these messed up killers, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a heart or find her job difficult at times. This case in particular really hits her because it involves children – she doesn’t have any of her own, but her boyfriend has a young daughter. Granted, even without that connection, any case that involved hurting children in any way is bound to be difficult for most.

The Midnight Man isn’t really revealed until closer to the end, but I loved learning more about them as the FBI team profiled the kills and crime scenes. There are definitely some twists and turns concerning the killer, and it really kept me glued to the pages. The Dark Corners of the Night is probably one of those books readers will want to avoid actually reading at night, as it’s creepy and intense. This series is definitely not for the faint of heart, but if you’re a fan of mysteries/thrillers, then I highly recommend reading these books. I think it’s a good idea to read them in order, as you really get the backstory on Caitlin, and there’s an overarching case throughout the three books so far. I am so curious about the fourth book – this one doesn’t leave on a cliffhanger per se, but it certainly leaves you wanting more!

"I am legion of the night. I am beyond good and evil." The Midnight Man steals into their homes under cover of darkness, kills the parents, but leaves the traumatized children alive. He is terrorizing the greater Los Angeles area and the FBI is called in to assess the situation and create a profile.

Caitlin Hendrix is no stranger to hunting predators and serial killers; she works for the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit along with Unit Chief CJ Emmerich and Special Agent Brianne Rainey. They soon find that this is an UNSUB who is unlike any other that they've profiled or apprehended. They've come from Quantico to assist the LAPD but their efforts don't seem to be helping to stop these home invasion murders despite an all-out effort. The killings continue and the Midnight Man seems to be escalating. Few clues to follow until they finally get a survivor who can give them all some crucial information. NO SPOILERS.

If you're looking for an excellent crime suspense thriller with nonstop action and great characters, then look no further -- and I recommend you start with the first one in the series as this is #3. Definitely a one-sitting read if you can manage as it's incredibly hard to put this down. There is so much going on in this book and the author gives detailed descriptions, background information, and interesting facts to prop the narrative. The writing is very good and the tension created will be exquisite as the FBI team and the LAPD try to identify and close in on their elusive criminal. I'm giving this one 4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend. I can't wait a year for #4 -- honestly, it's that good a series.

4.5

Meg Gardiner did it again! This is the third book in the Unsub series and I was anxiously awaiting this one. It did not disappoint. FBI Behavioral Analyst, Caitlin Hendricks, is back again with an all new case.
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Even though it’s the third book in the series it could be read as a stand alone. However, it would definitely be better to read the previous books so that you get more background information. This one was heavier than the previous books when it comes to the lingo used by Behavioral Analysts which comes to show that the author did her research. It goes in depth on how they use the info they have (or don’t have) in order to come up with a profile for an UNSUB. This can be a put off for those who just want action rather than reading about this but I think it worked for the book.
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In this case they are looking for the Midnight Man. A killer who enters the homes of families and kills the parents while leaving the children scared and traumatized. I don’t want to give way a lot details but some stuff I saw coming while others took me by surprise which I loved. It was was like an episode of Criminal Minds only that I was reading it instead of watching it. Caitlin is such a badass character and her flaws make her even more real. This book features a young girl named Hannah and let me tell you, she was such a brave little girl.
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This book ended in a perfect set up for the next book. Ohh and Amazon will be turning this one into a TV SERIES!

Thanks to netgalley and Blackstonepublishing for my free copy.

The name of this series instantly engaged my interest. UNSUB. Ooh, that sounds like an FBI profiling serial-killer procedural, along the lines of TV’s Mindhunter. And look; the central character is a determined, accomplished female investigator with more than a little of Clarice Starling and Dana Scully about her (and let’s face it, if I could’ve grown up to be either of those women then that would’ve been a win). Although this is the third in the series, nothing short of a zombie apocalypse would’ve stopped me picking it up after I’d read the blurb.

And when the final page flicked over, I was a long way from disappointed. Meg Gardiner has delivered a slick, precisely plotted contemporary thriller. Her heroine, Caitlin, is shrewd and methodical but not flawless; courageous and committed but a long way from indestructible. She has all the uncertainty and insecurity of a real person – someone doing a critical job under immense pressure, getting flak from local law enforcement, in a long-distance relationship and being insidiously stalked by a low-key killer who is targeting the people she loves.

The narrative neatly divides into two halves; the first part of the story is all procedural with plenty of intriguing detail about geographical and psychological profiling – tracking a home-invader through the urban jungle as his violent pattern accelerates. Caitlin and the FBI profiling team have a tricky mystery to solve, and it’s handled logically and consistently, pulling together the witness statements and the unsub’s behaviour to draw some scary conclusions…

I enjoyed that part rather more than the latter stages which, like most books in the genre, depend on a rather artificial action sequence and intended-to-be-tense standoff with Caitlin at its centre. It’s pretty much compulsory for all thrillers to end with an action set piece and I totally understand the dramatic requirement… but just for once I’d like to read about a SWAT team doing their job professionally and it all going to plan!

Skipping the running / shooting / shouting stuff, ‘Dark Corners’ was a thoroughly satisfying read. Technical enough to occupy my intellect: sufficient credible tradecraft and psychological insight; an unusual and genuinely menacing killer. Caitlin herself might not be the most compelling female protagonist I’ve ever read, but she carried the story convincingly.

So while this isn’t up there with the early work of Thomas Harris, it would sit pretty comfortably on a shelf alongside Jeffrey Deaver or James Patterson. I could be tempted by the earlier episodes in the series (but I probably wouldn’t pay more than a couple of quid for the ebooks.)

7/10

Anyone who follows my blog knows that I’m a huge fan of the UNSUB series and that The Dark Corners of the Night is one of my most anticipated reads of 2020. I’m happy to report that my love for the series has only grown with this third book because author Meg Gardiner really knocked it out of the park. While the cover of the book is super creepy, let me just say that the story itself is even creepier. My skin crawled as I read about the horrific adventures of the killer who has been dubbed “The Midnight Man.”

The Midnight Man sneaks into family homes in the Los Angeles, CA area under the cover of darkness. He deliberately chooses families, and he murders the parents but leaves the children alive as witnesses to his unspeakable acts. As the body count quickly starts to rise and local law enforcement officers realize they are dealing with a serial killer, they call in the FBI, which is where the protagonist of the UNSUB series, FBI behavioral analyst, Caitlyn Hendrix, enters the picture.

As with the first two novels in the series, it is absolutely riveting watching Caitlyn and her team carefully piece together a behavioral profile for this UNSUB and gradually work their way toward a list of possible suspects. I love the sense of trust and camraderie that has developed between the members of the FBI team in these first three books, but I also liked the bit of tension that I saw here between the local law enforcement. It was an uneasy alliance between the two groups even though they were both there trying to achieve the same goal: to catch a killer.

Caitlyn is always a big draw for me when I start a new UNSUB book, but she really drew me in even more than usual in this one, for a couple of reasons. First, as she’s learning more and more about the profile of the Midnight Man, she starts to see something of herself in him. He reminds her of her past and it disturbs her so much that she has to fight to keep it from impacting her work. Second, The Dark Corners of the Night also signals that we are finally starting to circle back around to an unresolved case that was left hanging at the end of the first book. My one disappointment with the second book was that it wasn’t really touched on, so I was thrilled to see it revisited here with some teasers to advance the plot.

I think the books work fine as standalones but are absolutely outstanding as a series read in order, especially when it comes to watching for developments with that unsolved case that keeps dogging Caitlyn. If you’re into thrillers and especially into shows like Criminal Minds that delve into the FBI world of analyzing criminal behavior, I highly recommend the UNSUB series.

"I am the legion of the night. I am beyond good and evil."

This is the third book in this author's UNSUB series. Most of the time I try to read the prior books before starting in the middle of a series but I'm finding that there are "just too many books and too little time." I am quite sure I would enjoy the first two books but I found there was enough backstory in this one to really enjoy it.

This was a long book. A good portion of the time I will consider this as a negative - that the book is too bloated and should have been edited better. Not so in this case. I enjoyed every page of this thriller.

Caitlin Hendrix is still shaken up by events from six months prior that harmed her best friend and got her ATF boyfriend involved. So she's still a bit on shaky ground when her and her colleagues of the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit are called to Lo s Angeles to profile an active serial killer known as the Midnight Man. This person is randomly selecting families at night, killing the parents and letting the children live.

Caitlin finds that this case is one of the worst she's worked on plus it brings back memories of her own childhood.

I loved this book. I appreciated all the characters - they all had something to add to the storyline. I also liked how the author explored the L.A. area in depth.

I highly recommend this psychological thriller.

I received this book from Blackstone Publishing through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

4.5 stars.

Meg Gardiner is the queen of terrifying crime thrillers, and she’s finally quenching our thirst for her haunting serial killer stories with the third installment in the UNSUB series - The Dark Corners Of The Night!

Oh how I’ve missed Caitlin Hendricks - she still remains my absolute favorite fictional detective (now FBI behavioral analyst). Caitlin now has a new challenge - The Midnight Man: a killer who will exceed all your expectations. Each new information that emerges about our killer is more shocking than the one that precedes it.

As always with Meg’s books, the writing is sharp, confident, doesn’t look down on the reader, and the descriptions are impressively cinematographic (the scene in the intro is a perfect example - incredibly haunting)! I thoroughly enjoyed the investigation dynamics as Cait worked with her team to understand the killer’s behaviors, and also the involvement of a genius psychiatrist (Jo) who helped put everything into perspective, like, how did she figure all that out?!!

If you’re looking for a unique police procedural, or are a fan of the UNSUB series, make sure not to miss this one. Can it be read as a stand-alone? Heck yes! But given how this 3rd book ends (what the heck?!), I recommend reading the 1st one. Either way, you’re in for a treat. I can’t get over the final line in this book though, I have a feeling the 4th installment is going to be a killer!

The Dark Corners Of The Night by Meg Gardiner is the third book in the UNSUB series, if you are a fan of gritty crime thrillers that veer towards the dark side, that explore the mindset of a serial killer, and aren’t averse to gory, gritty crime scenes then this is a ‘must read’ for you crime book junkies. Although this book could easily be read as a stand-alone, I would recommend you read the whole series,

In this book behavioural analyst Caitlin Hendrix is back and chasing her most deadly adversary yet ‘the Midnight Man’. Picture the scene, you and your children are sound asleep, safe in the knowledge that you are secure in your home, but then out of the shadows steps a serial killer, they kill you, but leave your children alive, witnesses to unspeakable horrors. Just writing this sentence sends shivers down my spine! But that’s the premise for this blood chilling thriller, it’s a read that will make you check the windows, the doors, hell you may even have to sleep with a light on!

Caitlin is a character that is growing more likeable as the series progresses, as you would expect like many protagonists in crime thrillers, she comes with her own set of baggage. You get a strong sense of who Caitlin is as a person, and despite her flaws, she’s one determined lady. The strength of Meg Gardiner UNSUB books are her attention to the details of the profiling process, these facts that are presented in straightforward way, grabbing the reader’s attention, rather. I found on a couple of occasions that the subject of profiling slowed the pace of the overall plot, but on the other hand I found these sections an interesting read.

This is one author who doesn’t shy away from writing scenes which might make readers feel uncomfortable, but that said neither does she sensationalise scenes for the shock factor. As the attacks escalate, the communities of Los Angeles are gripped with fear, the tension ramps up a notch. The Dark Corners Of The Night definitely lives up to its predecessors, and if you’re looking for a new crime thriller series to read, it’s one I would happily recommend.