Christopher Rice may be the son of ultra-famous Anne Rice, reigning queen of the Gothic novel whose lush, supernatural tales have changed forever how readers look at vampires, witches and ghosts, but he's inherited more than his share of her talent, plus his unique voice to boot.This is the third novel of his I've read so far, following "Density of Souls" and "The Snow Garden", and thus far, it is my favorite. In Adam Murphy, a young reporter whose emotional baggage is compounded by an irascible temper and severe addiction, Rice has created his most rich, nuanced character to date. Adam is too smart, too jaded, too different to fit into his vacuous West Hollywood milieu, yet after he's fired from a meaningless magazine job, he finds himself thrust into a terrifying search for a missing ex-boyfriend whose disappearance may be linked to the mysterious death of a helicopter pilot, while contending with a new job as assistant to a reclusive true-crime author. Rice spins out his multi-layered tale via breathtaking action, suspense, and moments of unexpected tenderness. The complexity in of itself is a feat; what seems like the hunt for a serial killer morphs into a dark plunge into the underworld of sex slavery, pornography and Central Valley meth trade. It's like "Breaking Bad" meets "Cruising" and then some. And Rice does it all without ever sacrificing character development or depth. "Light Before Day" is the thinking person's thriller, from a writer who is at the top of his game. CONFESSION: I'm giving this 1 star for now because I CAN'T REMEMBER IT. I have a text file (yes OCD) where I keep a list of every book I read. I have this book listed as a book I read in July of 2010. It sounds vaguely familiar but that's all. If I can't remember it at all then it must be a 1 star book??? I have added it to my "books to read" list though and intend on trying it again. I'll update this after I do.
What do You think about Light Before Day (2014)?
Too many characters it was hard to keep track...
—manolopv
Well written, but not a compelling story.
—njesserman
