Synopsis:
Chief Jim Hopper reveals long-awaited secrets to Eleven about his old life as a police detective in New York City, confronting his past before the events of the hit show Stranger Things.
Christmas, Hawkins, 1984. All Chief Jim Hopper wants is to enjoy a quiet first Christmas with Eleven, but his adopted daughter has other plans. Over Hopper’s protests, she pulls a cardboard box marked “New York” out of the basement—and the tough questions begin. Why did Hopper leave Hawkins all those years ago? What does “Vietnam” mean? And why has he never talked about New York?
Although he’d rather face a horde of demogorgons than talk about his own past, Hopper knows that he can’t deny the truth any longer. And so begins the story of the incident in New York—the last big case before everything changed…
Summer, New York City, 1977. Hopper is starting over after returning home from Vietnam. A young daughter, a caring wife, and a new beat as an NYPD detective make it easy to slip back into life as a civilian. But after shadowy federal agents suddenly show and seize the files about a series of brutal, unsolved murders, Hopper takes matters into his own hands, risking everything to discover the truth.
Soon Hopper is undercover among New York’s notorious street gangs. But just as he's about to crack the case, a blackout rolls across the boroughs, plunging Hopper into a darkness deeper than any he’s faced before.
(Synopsis from Goodreads).
My Thoughts:
Stranger Things is one of my favorite tv shows. I'm obsessed with it. In fact, I binge watched the whole third season the day it came out because I couldn't get enough of it. Therefore, when I found out there was a book based on the show, I knew I had to read it. I picked up Darkness on the Edge of Town as soon as I could get my hands on it. I thought it was an enjoyable book, even if it had a few flaws.
At first, I was a little hesitant going into Darkness on the Edge of Town. Hopper is without a doubt my favorite character on the show. I wasn't sure if Adam Christopher was do his character justice. However, I had nothing to worry about. He wrote the character and the plot so well that when I was reading the book, I could see it playing out in my head, almost like it was an actual episode of Stranger Things. I loved hearing Hopper's backstory, and seeing him thrive in a different setting than what the viewers of the show are used to.
There is one major thing that I didn't enjoy about the book. Towards the middle of the book, Hopper gets caught up in a situation. I won't go into details about that situation in this review because I don't want to spoil it for those that haven't read it. However, after that certain part happens, I thought that the story became boring. It seems like when he was in that situation, it took forever for anything to happen. It felt like the story dragged on and on until about the last 30 pages or so. After that, it picked up again and became interesting.
Despite the pacing issues, I found myself really enjoying Darkness on the Edge of Town. I thought it was an interesting look into Hopper's life before Stranger Things begins. I enjoyed it so much that I want more. I would love a prequel show about Hopper's time as a detective in NYC, and more cases that he had. I also really want to see more of Delgado. I loved her character is this, and think it would translate well on a Netflix show.
I give Darkness on the Edge of Town: 3.5/5.
Want to know more about the author?
Website: http://www.adamchristopher.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ghostfinder
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/590743.Adam_Christopher
I received this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.
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