Sirk TV Book Review: VILLAGE IN THE DARK [Berkley]

The aspect of a closed circle book is there is always a path forward depending on the story one wants to tell. In her second Cara Kennedy book, "Village In The Dark" [Iris Yamashita/Berkley/288pgs], author Yamashita takes her protagonist of her previous book in a different direction while still keeping the residents of Point Mettier, the entire city in one building, within the fray. The aspect moves beyond the closed structure of the building while still taking in the account of what happened in the first book. Kennedy is still dealing with deaths of her husband and son supposedly on a camping trip before the previous book but something doesn't seem right. The second book begins with their exhumation on the basis that no autopsies were ever done (at the request of Cara). Granted there is more in play (or there wouldn't be a book). In Mettler, Ellie who runs some of the motel rooms interacts with the different imports of the local residents from ex-military Chuck to the Chief who acts as the de-facto mayor to Mariko, the would-be entertainer in the Mettier bar that may or may not be hiding from something. J.B., a local cop, is the real reason Cara comes back to Mettier but it is also to follow up on a lead that she isn't sure of. The key is a phone found at a crime scene in Anchorage that has photos of Cara, her husband and son along with some other people, some of which turn up dead and some they are trying to find. Thus begins the hunt. It leads to a gang compound (that was part of the melee in the last book) where it seems some unsavory below the line dealings are happening. This ends up reflecting back to the story of a girl named Mia who lived in a rural and remote village called Mount Unity.

Because of different elements including a boy, the book traces Mia's backstory of going into Anchorage and trying to find her way (because she thinks there is more than the village). She gets in over her head which isn't her fault. She just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The book is more a story of her coming to terms with the aspect of "Man's World" versus the idealism of where she comes from, before it all comes crashing down. Kennedy's story follows this in tandem as certain details are revealed where circumstances are not what they seem. Also people that might have been adversaries in the previous adventure have now become unlikely allies because their life experiences, however different, begin to collide (especially Ellie). A lot of flashbacks populate this story but as they are done from the each character's specific perspective (and not necessarily) Cara, it gives an interesting motion of perspective to the book, which is actually makes it a very swift read. The resolution moves in overwrought direction but resolves its goal in many ways answering many questions while lying the groundwork for others. Cara Kennedy is not indestructible and she also cannot have it all, which is part of the point of the book. "Village In The Dark" is the focus that the book moves towards. It is misnomer because it is not about being in the dark. Like Mettier, it is about knowing where home is and sometimes places where light ironically shines. B

By Tim Wassberg