Mirrored, Darkly

Noir detective thriller? Check. Supernatural horror? Check. Gothic dark fantasy vibes with 90s grunge nostalgia and heavy-metal subculture? Check, check, and check. Throw in some psychological drama and romantic/seductive undertones, and the result is Mirrored, Darkly, the latest novel by Martin V. Parece II.

When detectives Sarah Murphy and Leonard Robinson are called to the Elysium Hotel to investigate a murder, all signs point to a domestic crime of passion. Nothing seems outside the scope of what would be considered the norm for this kind of killing. Well, except that the body is entirely bloodless and there are no signs of struggle. Oh, and that the victim, a suburban housewife, had seemingly developed a sudden interest in the heavy-metal grunge scene.

Detective Murphy has always operated with a solid belief in logic and evidence. There are no gray areas with this girl. But those beliefs are slipping as the body count increases and homicide realizes a serial killer is looming. As every clue crumbles under scrutiny, the detectives repeatedly find themselves back at square one. Meanwhile, Sarah’s black-and-white world is turning upside down on a personal level. When she meets a mysterious woman at the heavy metal dive, Inferno’s Anvil, during the investigation, something dark is awakened inside her, and she’s torn between her sense of duty and newfound desires. As her two lives become enmeshed, it’s a race for survival—her own.

Wow, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The writing is superb. It’s captivating and seductive, drawing you into the darkness almost against your will, yet you devour it entirely and voluntarily.

First off, I really liked the dynamic between the detectives, Sarah and Leonard. As classic opposites, Sarah is the young, hip, university-educated, up-and-coming detective. Leonard is the older, veteran detective who has seen it all, really just an old-school cop at heart. Where Sarah is analytical and methodical, Leonard is intuitive and pragmatic. They have somewhat of a father-daughter or mentor/mentee type of relationship, though those references would unnerve Sarah to her core. No, it’s more than that. They are true partners through and through, despite their difference in age, and would defend each other to the end. Their relationship was a highlight of the story for me. The secondary characters, Lori Schwarzhraef (the mystery woman) and Karl Smith (owner of Inferno’s Anvil), are the catalysts driving the darkness in the story, adding elements of mystery, paranormal, and the surreal.

Let’s talk about authenticity for a moment because it’s the heavy-metal music and 90s grunge era that differentiates this story from others like it in the genre. If there even is anything comparable.

First, the music. There’s a full lineup of the top hits from Iron Maiden, Nine Inch Nails, Cannibal Corpse, White Zombie, Motörhead, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and The Offspring (I think I caught everyone) that cements the story in the time and culture. For those of you who were teens or young adults in the late 80s and early 90s, it will feel like a “best of” tour. For those not fortunate enough to be around in this era, it’s an invitation to check out some of the predominant music of the subculture. I felt like there was a playlist running the whole time I was reading, and that “playlist” captured the chaos, the anger, the temptation, and the darkness in the story. It built the noir atmosphere and matched the distortion and grit that ran through the story.

Mirrored, Darkly moves at a steady pace, keeping with realistic expectations of an investigation while balancing the supernatural and the darkness. It’s impressive how the story always seems believable, even when you know something unbelievable is going on, if that makes sense. And if that makes sense to you, how’s this sound: the ending was totally unsatisfying in a totally satisfying way!

I wanted to read Mirrored, Darkly all over again after I finished. It’s one of those books where you feel like a second reading will provide some “aha” moments and subtle nuances you may have missed the first time around. I had to wonder how I was just hearing about Martin V. Parece II and his work. Fans of noir mysteries, supernatural thrillers, and modern gothic tales will enjoy this story. The literal icing on the cake is the era and the music. Nicely done.