Opportunity arrives in the form of an inheritance.  As the last living member on her fathers’ side, Jessie inherits the family home from her great-uncle.  The home is on Cliff Island on the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Washington.  There’s a catch – she has to live in the house for one year before officially owning it.  Jessie sees this as the only way to change her son’s environment, so she applies for and accepts the job of assistant police chief of Cliff Island. 

According to their Native American heritage, the home is guarded by Tsonoqua – the Wind Spirit.  Jessie lived there as a child until her mother fled with Jessie in tow fearing for their lives.  Her mother never explained to Jessie why they fled the island.  Assuming that her mother was depressed after her father’s death, Jessie isn’t worried about danger moving there.

At first everything goes great.  Jessie’s job isn’t dangerous due to low crime of the island.  Danny makes friends at school and joins the basketball team.  Then unexplained things start to occur.  The door is found unlocked despite Jessie being positive that she locked it.  Noises from the basement sound like someone is down there.  Being practical, Jessie changes the outside locks and keeps the basement door bolted. 

But the noises continue.  Threatening notes and phone calls start.  Not only is Jessie receiving them, but so is Lynda, another island dweller.  At first Jessie and her boss, police Chief Hank Shepard, think the threats are unrelated.  Lynda’s husband is a political cartoonist with a lot of enemies.  After both Danny (on his bike) and Lynda (in her car) are run off the road, Jessie and Hank realize the incidents are connected.  Together Jessie and Hank work to determine who is targeting Jessie and Lynda.

Afraid of the Dark is an easy read. Jessie, Danny, and Hank are likeable characters and all three of them have realistic reactions to difficult situations. But the minor characters are never fully developed, which keeps the reader aware of several characters with motive and opportunity. In the end, relationships between characters are left hanging. Particularly disappointing was what happened to Hank and his estranged son's relationship?

The suspense sometimes fell flat, which may keep readers from getting completely engrossed in the story. After the sixth time that Jessie hears the basement doorknob turn, it definitely lost its impact. The ending was the most action packed section of the book. While readers may figure out “who done it”, the why will be surprising. All in all, readers may find Afraid of the Dark a bit of a mixed bag but the likeable characters should keep them reading.

--Terry Lawrence