Dark Eye: A Novel of Suspense

This is the first time I have read anything by this author. I now have a new author to read and will pick up more of his books. I felt it was page turner. It held my attention the whole time. Can't wait to ready more by Bernhardt.

This book is awesome as are the dozen or so books I've read written by William Bernhardt. Mr. Bernhardt is a very intelligent, humorous, and clever writer. I highly recommend reading everything he's written. He's now tied with Jeffrey Deaver as my very favorite author - and that says a lot!!!

This book is reminiscent of "The Silence of the Lambs" in that it deals with a Psychotic persona... while "Edgar" isn't as likable as Hannibal Lecter, he's certainly, uh, creative. The Susan and Darcy dynamic is heartwarming and a welcome change from some of the darkness in the story line. I found no slow moments of this book, which is rare. Kathe M is a phenomenal reader, voicing Darcy so well that I felt like I was really listening to him. It's a little bit creepy, no doubt, but you know, that's fun sometimes.

I've been a huge fan of William Bernhardt's for many years, especially his Ben Kincaid series. Once in a while he tries something different, and with each novel he's getting better and better. DARK EYES, in my opinion, is his best work yet, and I highly recommend it. I've heard it referred to as Silence of the Lambs meets Rain Man, and the person who said that hit the nail right on the head! Susan Pulaski is a psychologist who is also grieving the loss of her husband, which results in her becoming an alcoholic though she's not yet ready to admit it. After a violent incident that happened during one of her drinking binges she winds up in detox and then things go from bad to worse. She loses her job, her house, and custody of her niece who she's been raising for years. Desperately trying to get her life back in order she asks for her job back, but all she gets to be is a consultant on the case of a crazed serial killer obsessed with the works of Edgar Allen Poe who is kidnapping & killing young girls. He sends coded messages that even the experts can't solve. Then she meets Darcy O'Bannon, a twenty-five year old autistic savant, who just happens to be the son of her boss Chief Robert O'Bannon, and her life changes. Darcy is able to solve these coded messages and together the two of them try to find a way to catch this killer. The relationship between these two characters is so touching that I was simply mesmerized by it, as well as the whole story. I've read many, many novels in my day and finding a story in which I feel so much compassion for the characters doesn't happen everyday, but it did in this novel. I was so taken in by them that I could help but cry at the end. I think an author who can write like that has a truly great gift, and William Bernhadrt has definitely become that type of author. DARK EYE will scare you out of your wits, make you laugh, then make you cry and you won't want it to end. Do yourself a favor and read it today. Janet Slezak

When one thinks of William Bernhardt, one almost immediately thinks of Ben Kincaid, Bernhardt's Tulsa, Oklahoma attorney who does a poor job of running a law firm but is a vociferous and forceful advocate. Kincaid has been Bernhardt's primary focus for the past several years, and as a result, his readership might be forgiven for forgetting that Bernhardt has written a number of stand-alone novels as well. DARK EYE, his latest novel, is one of these --- though it may well be the beginning of a new series, and his best work to date. DARK EYE introduces Susan Pulaski, a Las Vegas police psychologist who is reeling from the sudden death of her husband. Pulaski is self-medicating with alcohol, a process that results in a fateful action and leads to her losing literally everything she holds dear, not the least of which is her job. When a brutal murder takes place, however, police chief Robert O'Bannon reluctantly retains Pulaski as an independent consultant due to her superior talent as a behaviorist. Things take a dramatic and interesting turn when O'Bannon's son Darcy becomes involved in the case. Darcy, in his mid-20s, is afflicted with autism, and while he is socially awkward, he touches a chord with Susan on a personal and professional level. Darcy's unexpected talents include eidetic memory, incredible math skills, and an uncanny ability to solve puzzles. As the brilliant but brutal and disturbed murderer strikes again and again, Darcy and Susan become Sin City's only hope of stopping his reign of terror --- one that he plans to bring to an apocalyptic climax with a terrible act of destruction. DARK EYE reads as if Bernhardt wrote it while typing with one hand and holding a stopwatch in the other. The novel's point of view changes regularly back and forth between Pulaski and the murderer, with occasional, manic commentary from Darcy. This technique would have resulted in confusion in the hands of a lesser writer; Bernhardt, however, skillfully delineates his characterizations so that such confusion is non-existent and the narrative flows move forward, and together, at a rapid rate. Though DARK EYE would seem a daunting read at almost 500 pages, it moves along more smoothly and quickly than many books half its length. The contrasts between Pulaski and Darby accentuate their common ground, and Bernhardt (bless him) seems to leave the possibility open for another professional collaboration between them in the future. Bernhardt, who already has a winning protagonist going with Kincaid, has hit the bull's-eye once again. Highly recommended. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub