Enjoyed this enough to look forward to the next one in the series.Elsa was a strong character but with some serious baggage which she was able to draw on and made her so effective in her work.Interesting relationships between the various characters - definitely a page turner

I raced through this book - I thought it was an excellent and well written story and I would definitely read any follow up novels involving Elsa and her team. Loved the twist at the end - highly recommended.

A Map of the Dark is an interesting book with a lot of potential - FBI Agent Elsa Myers is a well-developed character with a complex past and a solid reputation at her job. The book very much felt like the first book in a series, with all the pros and cons that come along with that - eg. a lot of tasty background information but an ending that leaves room for more.

Although this was an interesting crime thriller, the pace was a little off for me - too slow at the beginning then spectacularly fast at the end. Some of the key plot moments were too convenient and coincidental for me - they felt contrived and took away from Elsa's characterisation as a more-than-competent agent.

There were a few emotionally-important interactions between main characters that passed at warp speed, which again made them feel unrealistic and contrived - particularly as there was usually alcohol involved and all characters involved apparently can't hold their liquor past one bottle of beer/cocktail.

In general, I found the characterisation of Elsa and Lex frustrating. Elsa was the standard hard-ass-but-secretly-crumbling-inside-yet-won't-ask-for-help-from-anyone cop, and I honestly couldn't get a handle on Lex. Is he a good guy, bad guy, or just overly emotionally invested in a woman he's only just met?

Overall, the book was largely predictable, though still enjoyable and I did appreciate the fact that Elsa's background - while typically dark and brooding - was a slight departure from the norm.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to NetGalley, Mulholland Books, and Karen Ellis.

I enjoyed this detective thriller, and can see the potential that the main character, Elsa, holds for the upcoming series. The plot was interesting and engaging, although the twists along the way and the final conclusion were a little predictable.
An easy and entertaining read, but nothing hugely groundbreaking here, so a comfortable 3.5 stars from me!

Good page-turning thriller with the FBI and police working together. Don’t want to give away more! For more of a review, check out tumblr https://joebloggshere.tumblr.com/post/172799109486/i-really-enjoyed-this-us-thriller-dont-want-to

Ach! Present tense narrative. Just don’t like it, sorry. For me, personally, it’s awkward and a bit distracting. However, that’s just me, and I’m probably in the minority with this aversion. My rating is in no way influenced by that. But, if anyone else shares my dislike…this is a heads-up!

More importantly, this was a very sophisticated thriller. The writing is excellent: insightful and intelligent and intense. It’s a story packed with mystery and suspense.

FBI agent Elsa Myers searches for missing people: a distressing task when the victims are young teenagers. And when they’re found, they are sometimes corpses. So when young Ruby goes missing, Elsa is determined to find her before she ends up like the latter. But she has to juggle her job at the same time as dealing with her terminally ill father. The father who, ambiguously, failed her in her childhood, but at the same time shares her devastating secret.

The story rolls along at a good pace; it’s compelling and well written: no unnecessary padding, but at the same time no detail is overlooked.

Without doubt, an author to look out for.

* i received a free E-ARC in return of an honest review through netgalley*
So lets start, this book was an okay start to a series,while there was nothing wrong with this book at all i found it hard to get into, and once i did i was not interested in the characters. i will not be reading the next book in the series .
3/5 stars

I hovered between 3 and 4 stars here but would give a solid 3.5 stars if I could. The story looks to be the first in a series call "The Searchers" featuring FBI Agent Elsa Myers who is at her terminally ill father's bedside when she receives a call from NYPD to assist in the case of missing teenager Ruby. Early in the investigation it begins to look like this case involves a "repeater" who may be responsible for the disappearance of other missing teenagers.
Quite a lot of the book focussed on Elsa's back story and her tragic and difficult childhood but I suppose that is to be expected in book one of a series so I would anticipate a bit less of this in further books.
Overall a good and enjoyable read - a bit slow to start but picks up pace nicely and I look forward to the next instalment.
Thanks to Netgalley UK and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In some ways, this is a typical thriller. Girl goes missing; flawed agent has to find her before Bad Things happen.

It's the execution that really elevates "A Map of the Dark." While I didn't find the plot to be especially unpredictable or surprising (I guessed the big secret of the MC long before it was revealed), the characters are what draw you in. You care enough about the missing teens to want to see them rescued; you care enough about Elsa to want to see her overcome her personal demons. The secondary characters have a little more depth to them than you generally get in thrillers - there's more to them than simple plot devices.

Overall, this is a good start to a promising series that I'll be keeping an eye open for.

Hmm, this is a toughie for me. I enjoy reading Karen Ellis' books and love her characters but I admit that I struggled to get into this one. I can only think this is because there is a lot of background information on the main character Elsa and although very important as it explains the motivations pushing her and the daily struggles she has with her inner demons, it did interrupt the flow of the story for me. Having said that, when another in the series comes out, I would give it a go as I think now we have the history out of the way, the story will come to the fore with the intrigue, twists and excitement Karen Ellis is adept at creating.

A promising series starter but the story seemed to lose its way at the midpoint and became really predictable after that. A shame really as I liked Elsas character. Hopefully the series will improve as it goes on.

Whilst I did quite enjoy this book especially the characters of some of the teenagers - the girl with creative mind and tattoos of her little creatures that kept her sane and operative under very dire circumstances. However, I found the other teenagers a bit wooden.

What irritated me though, is the current fad for this genre of having the female detectives to be very angst driven and this story takes this to the extreme. Whilst use of the angst is made in the story I am sure this was not the only way it could be written. This downgrades this book to a 4 star.

I enjoyed A Map of the Dark (The Searchers #1) by Karen Ellis. This book is a fast pace read with very interesting characters. Once I started to read it I couldn't put it down. Special agent Elsa works for the FBI. Her mother was murdered twenty years ago and her father lies dying in a hospital north of New York City, She is juggling her work and trying to spend time with her dad. Elsa is called to a case which involves school girls that go missing. How does she cope?
Elsa is given a new working partner Lex to help her with the case. However, Elsa puts all her problems aside to solve this case to find the school girls. However, everything Elsa has buried from her past threatens to resurface and with devastating consequences.
I thoroughly recommend this book. Its gritty and fast pace and you will feel you are a part of the book.
Big 5 stars from me.

Big Thank you to Netgalley, Hodder and Stoughton for letting me read A Map of the Darkness for an honest review.

A Map Of The Dark by Karen Ellis is a contemporary murder thriller. It is a race against time to find a serial killer as cold cases run into fresh crimes.
The reader becomes intimately acquainted with the lead FBI. We understand her fears, motivations and desire to get results.
Everyone is a unique mix of personalities and shaped by their upbringing. Childhood will make or break us. "You've spent your whole life trying to outrun your childhood." We need to face our past, deal with the memories and move into our futures. Everyone is "wanting to believe... you can move forward without the past dragging you back."
We all have scars. Some are more visible than others. There is the difficult topic of self harm. The pain inflicted helps to take the mind off a greater pain. Visible scars are a constant reminder. Like a recovering alcoholic, there is always the desire to cut again to bring relief from present pain.
There are different types of families portrayed in the novel. There are both loving and dysfunctional families. The reader finds it hard to read of abuse from those who should be protecting.
Death is all around - in the form of murders and terminal cancer. We never know when our end will come. Life is precious.
A Map Of The Dark had an intricate plotline and was well thought out. It was an entertaining read that kept me glued and guessing.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

I really enjoy American detective novels but this one was a struggle. The pace of the book was so slow that i found it hard to want to read it. The characters were well written but not enough for me to really care about them and thats what makes you read more of a series.

A compelling thriller

A teenage girl walks casually to school to take a biology test; she has walked the route a thousand times before, but today is different. Today she won't make it to school.

In a hospital oncology department, FBI Agent Elsa Myers sits with her father Roy, both trying to come to terms with his terminal diagnosis. She wouldn't admit it, but when her boss phones to ask her to assist police with the disappearance of a girl, part of her is relieved to have something to do. As an experienced member of the FBI's Child Abduction Rapid Deployment unit, her input could literally impact on whether Ruby, the girl, lives or dies.

Elsa is partnered with Detective Lex Cole who has been newly assigned to the area. They slowly build a partnership based on mutual respect.

For all her expertise it soon becomes clear that Elsa has her own demons, linked to her relationship with her mother who died when she was sixteen. Her attention is shared between the investigation, the need to spend quality time with her father and the draw of the family home which is being sold.

The author has put together a multi-faceted plot which keeps the reader constantly guessing as the suspense builds in both the case and in Elsa's struggle to come to terms with her past.
We are introduced to fully developed characters, each with his own story to tell, and tell if they do!

I really enjoyed this well-written and crafted thriller of the old school which relies on the writing and telling a story, rather than being padded with unnecessary heroics or technology.

Karen Ellis is one of the best in her field.

Pashtpaws


Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

A Map of the Dark is the first in a series to feature Special Agent Elsa Myers of the FBI's New York Child Abduction Rapid Deployment unit. I am looking forward to reading more in this series. Very likeable lead characters and a great plot make this a very compelling well written page turner. Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy.

This is the first book in a series about Elsa an FBI agent who deals with missing children. Elsa gets paired with Lex a detective. They are after a serial child killer who with his aliases has been killing young girls for many years. As well as the dark goings on of the case they are looking into you also find out about the deep family secrets that Elsa has held deep inside her for many years. A great read and I look forward to reading more about Elsa and Lex in the future.

This wasn’t for me but it will be for lots of people. I don’t really enjoy police investigation books. But I finished it and it’s well written. Would recommend to people who enjoy this genre.