Review: Are You Afraid of the Dark? – Sidney Sheldon

Four men are murdered around the world, and it seems that plays have been made on their loved ones lives, too. Diane Stevens testifies against mob boss Altieri, and after leaving the court house someone attempts to gun her down. Arriving at her apartment and calling the police, she is surprised at their quick response. The police that are there to see her, however, are there to inform her that her husband Richard, a scientist working for KIG, a huge think tank, has been murdered and there is evidence of mob ties. Refusing to believe the news, Diane goes into denial.

World famous model Kelly receives news that her husband, Mark Harris, a scientist for the think tank KIG, has committed suicide. The news crushes her, and her whole world falls apart. Tanner Kingsley, owner of KIG, contacts both Diane and Kelly to set up meetings with them to discuss the tragedies that have befallen their husbands. Travelling to see him, Tanner is already working with the police to find out why four of his top scientists are dead. The police, on the other hand, have noticed that this is not the first time that ill fate has befallen scientists linked to KIG, and start to wonder what that is all about. Meeting with the widows, Tanner presses for information that may be relevant to the deaths of their husbands. Neither woman seems to know anything. Diane hears Tanner speak to Kelly, and decides to try and speak to the woman herself, to hear what she knows.

Kelly is cold to Diane, and the women narrowly escape a death threat. In a fury, Kelly demands that Diane go see Altieri and get him to call his people off, to get him to stop. However, it soon becomes clear that it is not Altieri that is behind the attempts on the lives of the widows. Much to their chagrin, it seems that the ladies will have to work together to find out who is behind this, and why they have been marked. It must be closely linked to their husbands’ work, someone must think that they know what the scientists did at work. Whoever is out to get them is doing their level best to take the women down. Women who are unarmed and unaware of what it is that they are supposed to know, women who grudgingly have nothing but each other, each equally suspicious of the other, and their wits about them.

Will Kelly and Diane find a way to work with each other in peace? Who is to blame for the attacks the women are facing left, right, and centre? Will the police or KIG figure out who is responsible for the spree of murdered scientists? Will Diane and Kelly ever find a way to grieve and get past the terrible fate that awaited their husbands, or will they, too, be taken care of?

This was a quick book, nothing too heavy or serious to commit yourself to. I liked it for what it was, though there were times where the actions of Diane and Kelly seemed ludicrous, as well as the way they would talk. It was just a little unbelievable, but it worked overall. It doesn’t really have a story that will linger and stay with you for very long, I only remembered nearing the end that I had actually read this one before. So it is a great way to pass the time, something quick to read, but not really a novel that is going to inspire an immense amount of thought or something that will ripple out into your life a long time after. There isn’t really much to say about this book. It is another stock standard Sheldon novel, with mystery, a bad guy, a conspiracy, shallow characters and little development, but still entertaining nonetheless.