DARKLY, MADLY DUET by TRISHA WOLFE

“You’re mine, London. We can dance this violent dance until we bleed each other dry, or we can surrender. Your choice. But I will have you.”

Dark, twisted, exciting and highly intelligent. This is not a romance; this is a highly messed up and grim love story under extremely deadly circumstances. Gritty, raw, ugly and psychologically thrilling; we were riveted. This duet is one where your thoughts and morals will be provoked, where at times you have to suspend belief and roll with the proverbial punches. It’s manic yet so good. It’s not for the faint of heart.

‘I’m tethered so tightly to him, I can feel him in my veins. He’s poison in my blood. I’m drunk on him.’

London and Grayson were two very complex characters. Both haunted by their respective horrific past which has resulted in deadly and significant damage on who they are as people. It was so upsetting and disturbing and so bloody tragic. London is a renowned criminal psychologist with a fascination into the brain of the seriously depraved, looking for answers and in some ways almost trying to find herself.

‘…you feast on their horror stories in the name of psychology. You feed off them, satiating your own twisted curiosities. And then you publish your papers on the poor damned souls that never had a chance. You reap glory off the murderers and from the victims themselves.’

Whilst she’s living and carrying on, she’s not truly understanding who she is after a childhood that was every bit as terrifying as her clients are. Clients she evaluates, diagnoses and testifies for in the court of law. The day Grayson Sullivan -the notorious vigilante serial killer- is brought into her office paths are changed. Everything changes. Everything!

‘How much can the mind endure? Even when you know the disaster is coming, you can’t look away. We’re a little sick like that.’

The Angel of Maine; a man who satisfies his wickedness by killing those who in turn hurt others. Some would support him in getting rid of the dregs of society others don’t believe in an eye for an eye. It’s a very interesting debate. What shapes us into the adults we become? How much emotional and traumatic pain can a human being withstand? How do we justify our actions and understand why we make them?

‘Love is pain. Real love – the one not spewed in poetry – is agony. It tears at your soul, strips you bare, drives you mad and demands the veracity of our existence. Love is madness.’

We don’t do spoiler reviews so we have purposely not said too much about the story other than you’ll not want to put it down. Do heed the trigger warnings though as there’s so many subject matters covered that may upset you. Trisha Wolfe’s writing is superb and extremely evocative. The words causing a disturbing explosion onto the pages. This duet was riveting.

‘We were not born the day we took our first breath. We were born the moment we stole it.’