<i>Afraid of the Dark</i>: A Couple of Plot Lines Too Many

James Grippando is an author who knows his way around a convoluted plot. He has proven this in the many books he has written. But in his latest book,, the complexities of the plot are the problem.
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James Grippando is an author who knows his way around a convoluted plot. He has proven this in the many books he has written, especially his last work Money to Burn. In his latest book, Afraid of the Dark, the complexities of the plot are the problem. There is so much going on, on so many levels, that the reader ends up being unable to keep it all straight. Afraid of the Dark ends up being enjoyable but not fully understandable.

Once again Grippando centers his story on Miami lawyer Jack Swyteck. Jack reluctantly takes the case of a Guantanemo prisoner named Jamal. Swyteck is not sure of Jamal's innocence but he takes his case because he believes every one deserves a strong defense. Eventually he gets the government to drop the case against Jamal, but as soon as the client is released from prison he is picked up on murder charges.

Jamal is accused of killing the daughter of a computer genius. In fact before she died the girl named Jamal as her killer. Swyteck certainly has his work cut out for him. The last man with the victim was a detective named Vince Paulo. As he pursued her killer he was caught up in an explosion which robbed him of his eyesight. Vince and Jack have worked on cases together and are fairly friendly so it is not to Vince's liking that Jack is defending Jamal in the murder case.

The case soon widens to take in allegations of abduction, terrorist cells, political assassinations, etc. Jack travels to Washington, DC and London pursuing leads in the case. His fiancée' Andie Henning is an undercover agent for the FBI and it seems she has some inside information which convinces her he should withdraw from the case. But Swyteck hangs tough and continues to do all that is necessary to solve the murder.

Grippando peoples the story with a large cast of characters. Some play small roles while others are major characters, still all are important to the overall telling of the story. However he could have made do with a few less plot lines. We have the issue of the murder case. We also have some involvement with the case on which Andie is working. Then there is the care and treatment of Jack's grandfather who is suffering from Alzheimer's. All of this is tied in together in some way but it is not necessary.

In the case of Afraid of the Dark less could have been more. Fewer characters, fewer plot lines, fewer labyrinthine locales would have made for a more accessible storyline and even more enjoyment of the book.

Grippando is so good with creating plots that in this case he oversaturated his story. There are wonderful moments of drama, terror, humor and romance in the book but they are mired under a complex abundance of stories that work against each other even as they come together.

You will enjoy Afraid of the Dark but it takes some work. Know going into it that you might want to keep some charts of who and what is happening.

Afraid of the Dark is published by Harper Books. It contains 406 pages and sells for $25.99.

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