Dark Storm by Karen Harper review

Dark Storm Karen Harper Cozy mysteries

The elevator pitch: 

Claire tries to catch in her net, the person who kidnapped or killed her sister, along with some precious exotic butterflies.

Read/Skip: 

Read if you like cozy mysteries. Otherwise skip.


Dark Storm is the final chapter in a six-part series, and unfortunately, this was only the first one I read. Regardless, it was easy to understand, but I kept wondering about the other installments, and the mysteries preceding the finale. They seemed intriguing, and I like to wade in carefully and not jump in at once at the deep end.
I thought this would be right up, my ally. All the Florida based thrillers I read lately were phenomenal. Furthermore, the story revolves around butterflies—my first book as heavily influenced by these creatures, dolphins, who doesn't love dolphins and cryogenics. I had just listened to a hugely entertaining This American life episode about the subject.
Indeed a massive chunk of this book as very enjoyable. A little less entertaining was the fragility of the protagonist, for a forensic psychologist cried a bit too much. For a trained professional having had contact with criminals, she seemed lost and too vulnerable. I know I'm not the ideal reader for Dark Sky, it fits perfectly in the cozy mystery genre, and I'm sure if that's your jam, you'll curl up and devour this one in one sitting.


The Story:

Claire's sister, Darcy, goes missing from the butterfly sanctuary where she works.  She left her phone and the door open and Claire, a forensic psychologist and her husband Nick, a criminal lawyer, immediately go into panic mode. But they have to keep their wits about them to find Darcy and unravel the strange tale that led to her disappearance.