THE DARKER SIDE. By Cody McFadyen. Bantam. 350 pages. $24.
How do you make a grown man cry? I've just read an excerpt from Cody McFadyen's first novel to verify that The Darker Side is part of a three-book series. McFadyen's words teased out my heart with a sweet and gentle caress -- and then crushed it with jagged iron and broken glass. I don't buy novels; the Journal keeps me well supplied with current titles, but I respect any writer who can evoke such emotion with so few words. I just might have to buy McFadyen's first book.
Of McFadyen's second novel I wrote, "Part mystery, part drama and part personal transformation story, The Face of Death will keep you turning pages until your eyes are bleary and your mind reels. With expert pacing, intricate, character-driven plot and enough blood to fill a bathtub, this book is crime fiction at its finest. Unrelenting entertainment is the order of the day when you read McFadyen's latest masterpiece."
In The Darker Side, McFadyen continues with his first-person, present-tense narrative by FBI profiler Smoky Barrett. She and her team are pulled from their base in Los Angeles by a congressman's wife to investigate the murder of her transsexual son-daughter. The clues lead them to speculate that they're tracking a psychopath whose killing spree has covered 20 years across much of the western United States. When the killer begins posting video clips of his crimes on the Internet, his agenda becomes clear; he selects his victims based upon sin, the power of choice and the fact that each victim had a dark secret that he or she had never publicly revealed. But Smoky has a dark secret of her own.
Readers of McFadyen's previous novels will enjoy new scenes featuring Smoky's mentor, boss and team mates. From the irreverent best friend, Callie, to the snide James, to the dangerous assassin, Kirby, one thing you can say about McFadyen's characters is that they really are a bunch of characters. Smoky's adopted daughter, Bonnie, damaged from being tied by a psychopath for three days to the corpse of her mother, is making progress back toward normalcy. Smoky's relationship with her new love interest is helping her come to terms with the loss of her husband and their daughter. But for all the good developments in Smoky's life, she's still driven to hunt down beasts that prey upon the innocent.
McFadyen will test your sensibilities as he spans the spectrum with themes that include religion, broken and twisted psyches and sex. The language he uses to describe them is unrestrained. Be warned, this is no novel for children, the squeamish or the faint of heart. I make this final statement so that there is no mistake: If you read this book, know that you are truly going to take a tour of The Darker Side.
■ Steven Beach is a writer who lives in Lawsonville.
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