Laura Cardinal is a Criminal Investigator with the Arizona Department of Public Safety in Tucson, Arizona. She's been tasked to head down to the picturesque old mining town of Bisbee, Arizona to investigate the murder of 14 year old Jessica Parris who was found propped up in the City Park Bandshell, arranged and clothed by her killer. The story is filled with some loathsome characters who prey upon gullible young girls and some law enforcement characters with varying degrees of competence and bad attitudes that Laura must contend with. Laura is competent, likable and a bit of a control freak but clues soon emerge that give us a reason for her need for control. There are a lot of characters and I did find it a bit difficult to keep track of them for the first third of the book. After that point it became easier and I thought the characters were very well drawn. There are some flashbacks that serve to connect them as we get to the conclusion. The author juggles several plots but again, they all connect at the end.

I live in southern Arizona so I thought it was interesting to hear and see places and names that are familiar. I think J. Carson Black has room for improvement but it's a promising start to a new series. ( )

This is the first in this series. It inspired me to search out other books written by J Carson Black ( )

Laura Cardinal is a Criminal Investigator with the Arizona Department of Public Safety in Tucson, Arizona. She's been tasked to head down to the picturesque old mining town of Bisbee, Arizona to investigate the murder of 14 year old Jessica Parris who was found propped up in the City Park Bandshell, arranged and clothed by her killer. The story is filled with some loathsome characters who prey upon gullible young girls and some law enforcement characters with varying degrees of competence and bad attitudes that Laura must contend with. Laura is competent, likable and a bit of a control freak but clues soon emerge that give us a reason for her need for control. There are a lot of characters and I did find it a bit difficult to keep track of them for the first third of the book. After that point it became easier and I thought the characters were very well drawn. There are some flashbacks that serve to connect them as we get to the conclusion. The author juggles several plots but again, they all connect at the end.

I live in southern Arizona so I thought it was interesting to hear and see places and names that are familiar. I think J. Carson Black has room for improvement but it's a promising start to a new series. ( )

"Darkness on the Edge of Town" is the first book in the Laura Cardinal series by J. Carson Black. I loved this book and give it a 4 1/2 star rating.

Laura Cardinal is criminal investigator with the Arizona Dept. of Public Safety. She helps the local authorities in small towns with limited resources solve crimes.

This book has her investigating the murder of a 14-year-old girl. The hunt for her killer takes Laura deep into the world of sexual deviants who are using modern technology (computers and cell phones) and social media to entice their "prey." And it simultaneously takes her into the past disappearance of a young girl from Laura's childhood.

The story is good, interesting and fast-paced. It kept me up way too late one night because I couldn't put it down. I loved Laura and can't wait to read more about her! My only negative comment is that the first chapter had so many characters thrown at me that I almost gave up on the book (don't do it - the book is worth the read). It would have been a five star with a few less people to keep track of. But I totally loved the book and will read more of this series. ( )

Easy to take a chance on unfamiliar authors when a collection of four mysteries pops up for my Kindle for $.99. The first was Darkness on the Edge of Town, and I will seek out more from this author.

The plot concerns Laura Cardinal, an investigative agent for the Arizona Department of Public Safety (sort of like the CBI, or Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, etc.) who is sent around the state to help small communities with limited homicide investigation resources. A fourteen-year-old girl has been found dead displayed in a doll's costume in a park in a tourist town. Soon, she is linked to a series of other murders, except that she doesn’t seem to fit the pattern.

There is the usual tension between the state cops and the locals, but the explanation seems more rational in this case than sometimes. Some of the investigative scenes were good, especially the stuff in Florida and her tenacity in the face of adversity. It lacked the more solid authenticity of a McBain police procedural, however (well, except for the Deaf Man.)

The ending was a bit over the top and strained credulity, nevertheless, a good start to what looks to be a series. ( )