Hold Back the Dark

Psychologist Aimee Gannon is called in to get through to a patient who is either guilty of killing her parents, or knows who did. Catatonic since she was found by the police, patient Taylor has lost her grip with reality, merely rocking and drawing geometric shapes, which might be the key to the case. Making matters worse is Aimee's attraction to lead detective John Wolf, as well as a former patient turned stalker who has just been released fromn prison and ready to continue his "relationship" with Aimee. As Aimee works with the police to piece together the crime, her interference puts her in the crosshairs of a determined killer. Carr's first romantic suspense is a good who-dunnit, mixing good plotting with realistic dialogue and a several potential culprits. It's a good introduction into what can prove to be a great new romantic suspense author in the vein of Andrea Kane and early Lisa Jackson. © Tracy Vest, May 2009

Called to the scene of a grisly murder by Detective Josh Wolf, psychologist Aimee Gannon is stunned by the blood-covered walls and the detective's notion that her teenage patient Taylor might have murdered her own parents. Determined to prove Taylor's innocence, Dr. Gannon tries to bring Taylor out of deep shock to help solve the mystery. Although both the doctor and the detective want the real killer caught, how they go about it is entirely different; sometimes compatible, sometimes at odds. An assault victim herself, Gannon fights to not give in to the always-present fear, even when the killer sets his sites on her. Gannon and Wolf agree that this is one psycho killer who won't get away. After four chick lit novels, Carr explores the dark side of human nature in //Hold Back the Dark//. Successfully balancing romance and suspense-thriller aspects with strong main character development - hero, heroine and villain - Carr keeps the reader thoroughly engaged. Elise Jacobs, Wolf's partner, stands out among secondary characters, some of whom could be drawn a little tighter. Worth every penny. Reviewed by Jamie Engle

Clinical psychologist Aimee Gannon is awakened at two in the morning by Sacramento Police Detective Josh Wolf. He informs her he has one of her patients in custody at a hospital's emergency room; the woman is uncommunicative. He asks her to meet him there to see if she can seventeen year old Taylor Dawkin out of her catatonic state. He fails to tell Aimee that Taylor was found covered in blood sitting between her dead parents in a scene so gruesome that hardened cops wanted to puke. Tests later prove that Taylor, a cutter, slashed open her hands and used her blood to draw unexplainable patterns at the murder scene that Aimee believes have critical meaning to the horror that happened to the Dawkin family. Aimee realizes immediately that the totally mentally withdrawn Taylor needs institutionalization. Meanwhile Aimee's former patient Kyle, who insists he loves her, was convicted of attempted rape, but is on parole and back to stalking her. As Taylor continues to draw geometric shapes, Aimee wonders if the drawings relate to abuse during a childhood period that the teen had no memories of when they talked before the murders. As the psychologist puts together the puzzle pieces, she risks her life to insure an innocent child is not the next victim. HOLD BACK THE DAWN is a memorable romantic suspense tale that will keep readers interested in the story line from start to finish as there are four primes suspects which include Taylor that keeps the audience wondering who the killer is. The attempted rape has turned the heroine into damaged goods, which is an overdone angst requirement of the sub-genre. Still the violence she suffered forced Aimee to keep her personal life on hold until she meets Josh who cherishes her from the first time they meet and makes her want an intimate relationship with him. Fans will immensely relish this tense investigative tale as the shrink and the cop search for clues while falling in love. Harriet Klausner

The crime is brutal, but Dr. Aimee Gannon is more concerned with the reaction of her patient. Taylor Dawkin is found covered in the blood of her murdered parents with bizarre symbols painted on the walls. Is Taylor a victim or a murderer? Aimee believes in Taylor's innocence, but she'll have to work with Detective Josh Wolf to uncover what secrets this catatonic teenager is hiding. Will Josh be able to protect Aimee when those secrets threaten Aimee's life? HOLD BACK THE DARK is a darkly riveting tale that peeks into the evils of men's hearts. Eileen Carr ventures into very sensitive issues as she addresses the area of mental health. The very dissimilar approaches of law enforcement and clinical psychology are clearly delineated. Josh and Aimee have distinctly different methods to handling the current situation and Ms. Carr does a nice job at highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of both without condemning either. Instead, HOLD BACK THE DARK is a nice portrait of the difficulties involving any investigation where death and mental health issues coexist. The romance between Josh and Aimee builds gradually. I found it refreshing to read a book in which a counselor of any sort isn't quibbling over ethical issues in her own relationship but rather is demonstrating some professionalism. Josh's involvement with Aimee is perhaps a bit questionable but the attraction that flares up between them makes it work. HOLD BACK THE DARK is an excellent addition to the genre. While some of the details of the murder are a bit gruesome and there are some very disturbing aspects to the story, Eileen Carr doesn't try to sensationalize things. Instead, she offers up a picture of just how damaging and lasting some behaviors truly can be. COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

I thought this book was great, I never know what to expect from a first time author. Amiee Gannon is a therapist who gets a call from the police about one of her patients. Amiee rushes to assist, and finds her teenaged client catatonic while her parents were murdered. Josh Wolf is the tall, dark, and hot cop investigating. Sparks fly between the two as they work together to help Taylor and find out who killed her parents. While it is easy to figure out the bad guy, there are enough twist and turns to keep the suspense until the end. I am looking foward to more form Eileen Carr.