Literary Leftover Book Review: Village in the Dark by Iris Yamashita

This mystery thriller is action packed with unexpected twists in the plot and plenty of both fighting action and characters with secrets. When detective Cara Kennedy begins to unravel the secrets in rural Alaska, she becomes drawn into the mysteries in ways she could not have expected.

Village in the Dark, a mystery set in multiple cities of Alaska, including a rural commune. Detective Cara Kennedy has to unravel several mysteries to get to the bottom of a murder that has affected her deeply.

Village in the Dark by Iris Yamashita

Literary Leftovers are book reviews and recommendations that do not contain recipes, but are books that I highly recommend.

Village in the Dark

by Iris Yamashita

Outline and Tone:

An adventure and a mystery. The storyline takes the reader to remote Alaska and gang controlled Anchorage. The main character, detective Cara Kennedy, lost her husband and son on a camping excursion a year ago. She is still struggling to move on while on leave with the Anchorage police. Cara begins searching for a missing woman and ends up stumbling on a series of missing persons that are connected in an unexpected way.

A fascinating side story that begins to intertwine with the missing persons cases is Mia who was raised in remote Alaska in a community that shuns the outside to keep the residents safe. The people of her village include women and children who have fled abusive relationships. The story of Mia’s upbringing and how she came to Anchorage is fascinating. In a world where many women would choose to encounter a bear in the woods (which could be a real possibility in Alaska) than a man, Mia was protected from the violence of men for most of her life.

Author Iris Yamashita has created a storyline that will continuously draw you in with a variety of characters and plots that seem separate, but come together to reach a climax that leaves the reader on the edge of their seat.

The Best Quote:

“In December, they would be down to five hours of low-lying, skittish sun. Mia was born in Alaska, so it didn’t feel like anything unusual to her….During the cold months, you simply tried to stay indoors most of the time. It was the way things had always been.”

“It was not the answer she wanted to hear. Cara narrowed her eyes…a man she had though was dead but had been brought back to life as a more frightening version of himself.”

Point of View:

The novel is written in third person, told from more than one perspective.

The author: Iris Yamishita

Iris Yamashita may be best known as the Academy Award-nominated screenwriter for the movie Letters from Iwo Jima. More recently she published her first novel, City Under One Roof which first introduced readers to the character Cara Kennedy. That novel was Crime Fiction Lover’s Editor’s Choice for Best Debut Crime Novel of the year. Her sophomore novel Village in the Dark is even better, in my opinion. Yamashita’s website has a sign up for her newsletter and links to her social media accounts. Readers can interact with Yamashita on Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads.

What is not to like?:

There were several characters and a character map with their jobs and relationships would have been helpful.

The verdict:

This is an excellent mystery novel set in a location that lends itself to secrets given it’s remote location. I highly recommend this novel and this author.

Book Statistics

Village in the Dark

by Iris Yamashita

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Setting: Alaska
Pages: 288 pages
Format: Hardcover, Kindle, Paperback, Audio Book
Get Your Copy at: Amazon
Published by: Berkley (February 13, 2024)
Information Sources: Amazon, Goodreads, and Author’s website

Disclaimer: In the name of full transparency, please be aware that this blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost for you).