I guess I'm now officially a fan

I started with The Stone Man, which I found by accident, and liked a lot. That led me to A Head Full of Knives, which I loved. Which led me to In The Darkness, which I found the best of the lot. So I guess I'm a fan.

There were a few minor glitches in the audio editing (repeated sentences here and there), but not out of hand. For narration, I'd give it at least a B+.

I personally found the epilogue a bit sappy and off-putting, especially given the hard-nosed nature of the story itself, and also the unsentimental endings of The Stone Man and A Head Full of Knives. But that's just me.

So I'll now be moving on to The Man on Table Ten. And looking forward for more from Mr. Smitherd.

5 people found this helpful

Incredible job, Mr. Smitherd!

This is apparently the author's first voice-over, and what a great job! He understands his characters well enough to breathe not only life into them with the spoken word, but depth. I Ilistened to Stone Man before this, and it was just as good. I'm a fan of yours, good sir!

4 people found this helpful

finally something different

I travel for work and have lots of time for audible. at least one or two per week. lately it has seemed like the stories were the same until I stumbled upon Luke Smitherd. I've read Head Full of Knives and loved it (again, totally different story) so I moved on the next one suggested by Luke in his after story blurbs. keep on whoring for ratings.... it's working! lol you are doing your thing and it's definitely helping me get through the hum drum drive!

3 people found this helpful

Luke told me to write this but I would have anyway

Would you listen to In The Darkness, That's Where I'll Know You: The Complete Black Room Story again? Why?

Yes, it was very entertaining.

What was one of the most memorable moments of In The Darkness, That's Where I'll Know You: The Complete Black Room Story?

Every time you thin you know where the author is going, he throws you a curve.

Have you listened to any of Luke Smitherd’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Stone Man was also good. this one was close to Stone Man.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Had a few laugh moments and a few WTF moments.

Any additional comments?

Good Job Luke!

6 people found this helpful

The author knows his characters

To begin:

I purchased this audiobook after listening to both "The Stone Man" and "Kill Someone," so I guess you could say I'm late to the Smitherd party. The other reason I point this out is because those books were read by a different narrator, and not the author.

Having listened to both, I can't really say if I prefer one or the other. But I did have my doubts about Smitherd as a narrator in the beginning.

The meat:

So, you might wonder why I had an issue with Smitherd as a narrator, well let me tell you what turned me off to him at first and what kept me listening later.

Smitherd was probably a novice to narrating prior to reading this book, so at the beginning he emphasizes weird words and reads a bit too fast. His voices were pretty alright, though.

Later on, as the chapters progressed, he got a whole lot better. His inflections were spot on, and his knowledge of the story lent more believability to the book, as a whole.

The story, itself is thrilling, magical, beautiful, dark, mysterious, and down-right good.

It's best not to go into any more detail than that, because I'm a firm believer in "the less you know about a story going in, the more you'll like it."

If the summary tickles your fancy and this review makes you think you'll love Smitherd as a narrator, I recommend you buy it and have a listen. You won't be disappointed.

2 people found this helpful

Kept me on the edge of my seat!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. This book was positively riveting and the author's afterword was heartwarming.

What did you like best about this story?

This is the first book I've read in a long time that completely captivated me. The realism of the story truly touched me and had tears streaming down my cheeks at several points as I listened to this audiobook in one sitting. I couldn't turn it off.

Have you listened to any of Luke Smitherd’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I've read several other of Smitherd's books, all of which were very well written, but this one has been my favorite thus far.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The jealousy and intense emotion that Charlie felt when Minnie went on a date with Chuck and Charlie's love for Minnie could be felt at every turn of the story.

Any additional comments?

Luke Smitherd is definitely a new favorite author.

2 people found this helpful

Well read by the author

Would you listen to In The Darkness, That's Where I'll Know You: The Complete Black Room Story again? Why?

Probably not, because I pretty much never listen to anything twice.

What did you like best about this story?

I thought the premise was novel and the plot was well constructed. The world the author constructs is interesting, and discovering it along with the characters makes for a compelling read.

What does Luke Smitherd bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The author does a nice job reading his own book and his accent fits nicely with the book's location.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

One, and unfortunately it wasn't in a good way. The fourth act gets a little too cringeworthy for a moment, but not enough to ruin the book. The author acknowledges in an afterword that he actually toned down that section, and I can see why.

Any additional comments?

One thing I found surprising and maybe a little disappointing was the ending. The ending works and is a decent choice, but without giving anything away all I can say is that there are some story elements that the author introduces but never returns to, and they could have been used to come to a very different (and, in my mind, slightly superior) resolution.

That said, the book was both entertaining and satisfying. I'll definitely be listening to more of his work (particularly if he reads it himself).

2 people found this helpful

Riveting! I finished this book nearly in one go.

I can't believe what a great writer Luke Smitherd is!! I discovered him completely by accident, and each book I have listened to is even better than the last. Each one is my favorite for different reasons. In The Darkness is my favorite for how the author plays with the roles of hero and villain. I hate spoilers, so I won't say much more, just that if you liked any of his other works, you will probably love this one. If you haven't read any of his other stuff, start anywhere, every single book is incredible, well worth a credit.
As for the narration, narrated by the author is a very good thing in this case. I hope this author will continue to narrate his own books. He breathes life into the story and characters in a way that no one else possibly could. Very highly recommend.

2 people found this helpful

Even Audiobookphobic hubby loved this... fantastic

I was utterly gripped from the start... I listen to audiobooks constantly while I paint (pnutwhistle dot net - Mr Smitherd isn't the only one who can do shameless plugs ha ha ) and hubby usually moans about them but this one actually drew him in... never ever happened before. the characters are well rounded, believable and flawed. But the real revelation for me was the narration. Luke does an amazing job of it. I liked this more than the stone man...bravo sir. Ps.

2 people found this helpful

A wild ride with great characters & major twists!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. Luke Smitherd enjoys twisted, unpredictable plots, and they are worth the price of admission, but his real genius is in creating imperfect, very human characters that you come to care about while he's busy torturing them. In particular, this book takes an incredible left turn that will literally smack you in the face while you are busily shouting back at the author, "What did you just do, you #(%^)#?"

What other book might you compare In The Darkness, That's Where I'll Know You: The Complete Black Room Story to and why?

Difficult to say; the book seems almost to change genres from section to section, which shouldn't work, but somehow it does.

Which scene was your favorite?

Without providing spoilers, Minnie's date and the immediate aftermath scene combined into a 1-2 punch that together demonstrate why I love Luke Smitherd's work.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. This particular omnibus was published in four parts, and I think it is best consumed pretty much that way.

Any additional comments?

This was Smitherd's first audiobook, and he narrates it himself. He does a really good job overall, and you can tell he gets into his own work. That enthusiasm makes up for the small but annoying glitches--particularly noticeable in parts three and four--where he rereads a phrase or a sentence twice that should have been edited out, and one paragraph about Minnie that should not have appeared until the very end of the book just sort of pops up early in part four, where it doesn't really make any sense whatever. But, again, I want to emphasize that this is a MINOR issue in a really fun book.

2 people found this helpful