The Man Feared by Darkness by Pete Zacharias and narrated by A. T. Chandler is book 3 in the Rooker Lindstrom series and in all honesty I wish I had listened to/ read the other two first. Not that this book does not stand strong as a standalone, but because it is brilliant and I wish I had discovered this author and series sooner! Back to this book however;

Rooker Lindstrom's father is a serial killer, not a great start in life but a path hechose not to follow. Rooker's character is already well established and he has a long history with PI Tess Harlow. However, when a body is discovered in California, new fears arise. Is it a copycat murder or is the original serial killer back?

An exceptionally powerful thriller that kept me hooked and I cannot wait to get the prior books to round out the story

Thank you to NetGalley, Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio, the author Pete Zacharias and narrator AT Chandler for this ALC

I was lucky enough to receive "The Man Feared by Darkness" as an ARC. However, I quickly realized this isn’t one of those series you can just jump into without reading the previous books.

After catching up with the first two installments, everything began to fall into place for the third book. Once I had the context, I found it to be a fast-paced, twisty, and engaging read. The plot kept me on my toes, with plenty of surprises along the way.

The author masterfully weaves together the threads of the story, tying up loose ends and revealing shocking secrets. If you enjoy a thrilling ride, this series is definitely worth checking out—but make sure to start from the beginning!"

I have not read the other 2 in the series but still loved this audiobook! The Man Feared by Darkness is the third installment in the Rooker Lindstrom series and it did not disappoint. Book two ended with a huge plot twist that left me with more questions than answers so as soon as I saw book three was available I snatched it up! I don't want to give away too much because so much happens in books one and two that are finally answered in book three. We get a really good look into some seriously deranged individuals and so much time is spent untangling the web that The Madman carefully weaved. I loved seeing Rooker's development as a character and seeing how he interacts with Tess Harlow after everything that has gone down. Overall, I loved the book and the series. I will absolutely be looking for more to come from Pete Zacharias.
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for sending me this ARC audiobook.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Peter Giles narrates this one and does a really good job!

This is book 3 in the series and IMO you really need to read the other 2 books to understand everything that is going on in this installment. Also, I think that there is some of the story lost on me due to the translation into English.

But, I do think this is a solid series and plan to go back to books 1 and 2. Its an interesting premise: the son of a serial killer works with the police to solve various murder cases. I like police procedural books and this is one of them.

Nick Ryan heads back to California in this installment to solve a murder that appears to be committed by a man that Rooker helped convict. He goes to California to act as a consultant to the FBI.

Read books 1 & 2 first.

Let me start by saying, how I missed that this book was the third installment in a series is beyond me, but alas…here we are. The great news is that I walked into this with no history on the characters and loved the read. I did at one point stop and go read the synopsis on book 1&2 for some historical i formation. I loved this one so much that I feel like even though I know the ending I want to know more…I will be reading book 1 and 2. Hahahaha

Great pacing!
Love the psychological nature!
Rooker was the classic thriller/suspense MMC and I loved watching him finally start to put some big pieces together.
I will absolutely read the next book!!!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this book!

Complex, subtle suspense and flawed characters. This is a great twisty story. Each character is full of their own secrets and admittedly so. Tess swirls around in the middle of it all, Rookers tortured soul and the villians are creepy as hell. Thanks NetGalley for ruining my sleep, had to just keep listening each night!

WOW this one really kept me hopping! I love crime and procedural stories and this one was great! Narrator was good - suspense throughout - would definitely recommend!

4 Stars!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

Publish date: 08/27/2024

OK. So I had to wait a bit before writing my review.
I needed my heart rate to get back down into THIS stratosphere before delving in again...

Rooker Lindstrom is/was a crime reporter. He has a bit of an upper hand with this, as he is the son of a serial killer...and so, he was exposed to the craziness of life with a murderer.
All was well and good, until his little boy, only 11 years old, was murdered.
And...Rooker could NOT rest until that killer was behind bars. And so he worked ruthlessly to put him there. And he has been there (in jail) for many years.
But one day Rooker gets a phone call from the FBI. A woman's body was found in a drainpipe. Same MO. Can he get on the next plane out to CA to help?

Believe me, he doesn't WANT to do this, but he HAS to!
And he starts by confronting Meachum, the convicted killer, the one behind bars.
He want to know...does he have an accomplice? What's going on? But he doesn't get much, and the "Madman" is still very loco in the head!

We follow Rooker, Tess and the whole crew the FBI has strung together to try to get to the bottom of this copycat case.

If you are feint of heart...DO NOT!! I MEAN...DO NOT...PICK THIS BOOK UP!

It took me about an hour before I got my heart rate back down to a near normal rate.
The murders are described in every gory detail...and they are not pretty.

And it really has to make you wonder...just how do these authors come up with these crazy theories??

#TheManFearedByDarkness by #PeteZacharias and read very skillfully by #ATChandler.

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 💫 for me, rounded up to 5. Because when I wasn't having a heart attack with what the heck was going on with the story, I was totally in its grip!!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #BrilliancePublishing for an ARC of the audiobook which is *** due to be released in a few days*** on 8/27/24!

Of note: This is #13 in the series, and I don't believe I have read any of them prior to this.

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BIG thanks to Brilliance for the approval (FINALLY) to read and review!
Idk what y'all's approval procedures are but it was HARD to get one single approval from y'all (LMAO)

ANYWAY, I loved this! I'm sort of bummed this is the end of the Rooker Lindstrom trilogy as I've loved getting to know his character over these three stories.

Let me start with: At the beginning of my review of book 2 I said: "Thank you Thomas & Mercer for the ARC to read & review!
The opposite of 'thank you' to Pete Zacharias FOR THAT ENDING (insert broken heart emoji)"

Even after Mr. Zacharias did THAT to readers at the end of book 2, I was still excited to see Book 3 come up. But like-- you DID IT AGAIN!?!?! UGH, if you've read this you know that ending was whiplash and emotionally exhausting (lol'ing and sobbing).

This, as usual, was descriptively written and super fast paced. This is heavy on the police procedural as it is based in the FBI investigation; there are a couple times you wonder if Rooker and Tess are going to go off the rails and do their own thing. There were some red herrings and good twists along the way to finding out the identity of the Madman. As with the last book the chapters from the Madman's POV were creepy and insightful. The fact this person has a family is mind-blowing and so interesting.

The narrator for this felt so perfect with his deep, gravely voice. He brought Rooker to life wonderfully (this is the first book in the series I've listened to audio).

I love the writing and I'll read whatever Pete comes out with next!

"The Man Feared by Darkness" is a winding and twisty triumph of a novel. While this is a 3rd book in the series, I hadn't read either of the first two books and I did notice areas where I was missing some big moments, but I didn't feel that it took away from the story at all. We enter the story after a series of murders and the conviction of a serial killer, only to realize that the person they caught may not have been the right one, or at least not working alone. The assembled team must unearth the pieces to the puzzle to discover what is really going on, and determine once and for all, who is the culprit. The multiple layers to the narrative kept me deeply vested in the story and in trying to figure it all out before the revelations. I enjoyed this book enough that I plan to backtrack to the first two books to complete the picture in my mind.