I enjoyed Barbara Nickless’s prior Sydney Rose Parnell four-book series and the Dr. Evan Wilding three-book series, so I thought I’d like the first of her newest Benedict Hoffman and Helen Belle series, A Voice in the Dark. It has a Criminal Minds feel, and with its focus on artificial intelligence and how it is manipulating youngsters is certainly very en point in today’s society. The main characters (FBI agent Belle and academic Hoffman) search for the Midnight Man who seems to be guiding teens to murder their families. This case mirrors one from several years prior, prompting a search for other cases that might add to their field of knowledge.
While fascinating, this is a dark read which I liked this considerably less than the other two series. The characters weren’t written in as much depth and had little character arc. It also seems overly long and full of repetitive dialogue as the various components of the FBI catch each other up on various aspects of the case. I don’t know anything about the gaming, the dark web, or AI worlds, but what was written seemed accurate enough I could suspend disbelief. I will probably read the next novel in the series.
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A Voice in the Dark (Thomas & Mercer, July 1, 2026) is available through:
Your local independent bookseller | Amazon | Barnes & Noble (paperback)
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You can read my reviews of other Barbara Nickless books here:
The Dr. Evan Wilding series:
The Sydney Rose Parnell series
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