Review: Level 26: Dark Prophecy – Anthony E. Zuiker with Duane Swierczynski

Level 26 #2

SYNOPSIS: Steve Dark was once a lost soul, torn between his family and his one-of-a-kind talent for hunting and catching serial killers-especially those so-called “level 26” killers whose depravity exceeds law enforcement’s official scale of evil. In his reluctant pursuit of justice Dark once crossed the ultimate line, a line that might cause a lesser man to lose himself completely.

Not Dark. When the world took everything from him, when it destroyed the very thing Dark once lived for, it brought a moment of clarity that few before him have witnessed, and sparked a transformation that, several years later, is only just complete.

Dark is now a man on a mission. A mission that no longer requires law enforcement support. A mission unbound by authorities, moral or otherwise, and supported by a mysterious benefactor with unknown goals of her own. A mission that, at long last, allows him to embrace his destiny. Dark is finally ready- ready to take justice to the next level. – via Goodreads

Alright, so I felt that this novel was on to something decent. Granted, it was off to quite a circuitous and rambling start, and took a little too long to get the ball rolling, but when it did I thought that this was quite a decent setup for the novel. Grisly crimes, fancy tarot cards, Dark working on his own, all sounded good. But really, the payoff was such a pointless kick in the teeth ultimately, and left me feeling very unsatisfied. This is purely because the MO was changed, and things became a media circus. It started off and it was infinitely better than its predecessor, but ended up being slightly better only, a far cry from great. I think this was when the villain was introduced – everything lost its spark after that, and became routine and predictable. The whole Lisa Graysmith thing was very annoying, because I know you can have power and all, but it comes across as a little ludicrous for me in the book, and even by the end there is zero explanation. I also got really irritated with Dark’s daughter, Sibby, being dragged in from time to time, almost as an afterthought. Also, the sex between Lisa and Dark eventually was such a clinical, silly, pointless addition to the book for me, and could truly have just been skipped on. Dark is still not a character you can really identify with, which makes it a little difficult for the book to resonate. It is a fast read, quick and to the point, but sometimes events feel like a bit of a stretch. I still like the concept of reading and having videos you can check out in conjunction with the novel, though they aren’t necessary to understand the story. I will admit, however, that I did not go and watch the clips for this book, I just read it, and see a lot of people complain that it didn’t line up nicely like Dark Origins. Dark Prophecy doesn’t showcase the greatest writing of all time, either. Don’t go looking for some amazing prose or anything like that, the writing is enough to carry the story and present everything to you, but not to titillate the mind. It is entertaining, nonetheless, but if you are going in expecting the next Hannibal, you are going to be grossly disappointed.