William Bernhardt's Dark Eye introduces us to two very unlikely protagonists. Meet Susan Pulaski, about as flawed as they come, and Darcy, a young man as special as they come.

Susan, a Las Vegas police psychologist and criminal profiler, defines the phrase "down on her luck". She lost her husband, which led her into a bottle of alcohol from which she hardly ever emerges. As a result, she's lost her job, her home, and custody of her niece, whom Susan had been raising.

But no one can deny that Susan is darn good at her job, at least when she's thinking clearly. Thus when a hideously evil serial killer starts leaving dead girls all over the city, the police reluctantly call upon Susan's services. Desperate to prove she's still capable of leading a productive life, Susan tries to follow the clues to the murderer's identity.

But he's smart. He leaves encrypted messages for the police, none of which they can even come close to solving. But Susan's chance encounter with the Chief's son, Darcy, changes everything. Darcy has autism. He lacks skills in the social area, but he's a whiz at puzzles. With a photographic memory beyond imagination, and an uncanny ability to read a crime scene's clues, Darcy is unofficially brought into the case.


I liked Bernhardt's choice of characters for this book. What a pleasure to read about a protagonist who's not perfect in every way. Far from it, in fact. When we first meet her, Susan is deep in the denial phase of her illness. She is awful, nasty, and difficult to bear. Likable? Hardly! But she's a "real person". She's terribly flawed, but aren't we all, to some degree? At least she grows throughout the book, learning from her experiences, and eventually coming to terms with her illness, and seeking the help she needs.

As for Darcy, I couldn't help but admire this young man. Living with an illness so difficult to understand, or to treat, he's so sweet, and just wants to help matters. I have no idea whether his disorder is written realistically, or not. But I will say that the book treats Darcy, and autism, with respect.

Darcy's and Susan's obvious affection for each other was also very touching. In a way, they each help the other overcome their difficulties.

As far as the killer goes, this one is as evil, and twisted as can be. As a result, there are some extraordinarily gruesome scenes in this book. This book is not for the faint-hearted, that's for sure. There are some very sadistic acts performed on the victims, which can be very difficult to read. So, beware!

But, if you can get through the graphic scenes, this killer is absolutely fascinating. His obsession with the works of Poe leads to some bizarre scenes, as I'm sure you can imagine. Even if you're not familiar with Poe's works, you don't have to worry, all of the references are clearly explained.

The characters are all fully developed. We learn what drove Susan to the state she's in. We even get to understand what motivates the killer. It's also a nice technique to constantly switch the point of view among Susan, Darcy, and the killer.

I only have one complaint about this book. We, the readers, were robbed. We did not get the opportunity to work through the clues along with the detectives the way we normally do in a book of this genre. By allowing Darcy to have the ability to glance at a clue and solve it instantly, Bernhardt didn't give us a chance to work through the puzzles. It's like he took a giant shortcut and we lost out, in the process. It's the same way I don't like when murders are solved by sudden confessions, or by a psychic handing the police the magic answers they seek. It makes the book less fun for the reader, when answers are just handed out.

Still, this is a minor complaint for this book. Overall, it's a very enjoyable read. Read it, if you like the serial killer genre. But, beware, this one's gruesome.

Also by William Bernhardt:
Blind Justice
Murder One

Recommended: Yes