Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I very much wanted to read this book. I had read so many good things that perhaps my anticipation for it was greater than my ability to care. I found the relationships in it to be stultifying and the setting to be coyly drawn. You were always TOLD how small town this was, how important the characters were to each other instead of allowing the story itself to reveal this.The ending fell short and left me disturbed -- not on account of the writing but because so many people had found Rachel to be a character they related to and understood. I did not.
Rating: 
Summary: What a Thriller!
Review: What a riviting book! I couldn't put it down. Right up to the last page, Alice Blanchard continued to revel pieces of information, all twisting and turning and spinning a mystery that kept me turning pages long into the night. Other reviewers may be much more eloquent than my simplistic analysis, but the bottom line is that this is truly a remarkable book, and leaves the reader only one regret - that the reader has to wait for Ms. Blanchard's next book.
Rating:
Summary: a really thrilling thriller
Review: Ah, the literary thriller...sort of like the holy grail. Well, here is one, and it's a fine example of the gendre. Tightly plotted, frightening and full of flawed but interesting characters, Blanchard's book, kept me reading way past bedtime. Red herrings galore, a prickly romance, nice people in bad circumstances, nothing is pat here. Some good surprises in the end, and they are handled well...we should have known, we should have known! I'll be looking for Blanchard's next, and hope it might feature Rachel Storrow, the remarkable young heroine of this title.
Rating:
Summary: A Well Designed and Facinating Story
Review: Alice Blanchard belongs in the same category with Elizabeth George, PD James, and others who have well thought out characters and fascinating story lines that keep the reader thoroughly engrossed. I highly recommend this first novel for its' clever, intricate plot and satisfying ending. I eagerly await her next novel.
Rating:
Summary: An Absolute Thriller!
Review: I listened to the audio version of this book, and found it to be a very gripping story. At one point I actually found myself gasping at the turn of events. Blanchard may have trouble topping this one, but I eagerly look forward to her next. I highly recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: Gripping Page-Turner
Review: With "Darkness Peering," Alice Blanchard proves she deserves the credit she earned with her collection of short fiction, "The Stuntman's Daughter." "Darkness Peering"'s storyline is tense and tight, with well-drawn characters and a chilling finale. I was particularly intrigued by the unique way Blanchard's shifted the narrative perspective between characters, a technique that added a great deal to the story. All in all, an excellent read.
Rating:
Summary: THIS IS A GREAT BOOK. DEEPLY SCARY AND BRILLIANT.
Review: I agree with The New York Times Book Review that this is one of the best books of the year. Blanchard has pushed the envelope in the police procedural genre, creating a complex tapestry of emotional characters with haunted lives. This book is not only sumptuous, atmospheric and literary, but also a shocking page-turner with jarring, unexpected twists. Read it. This is a high recommend.
Rating: 
Summary: Terribly immature writing
Review: I too, listened to the reviews and bought the audiotape. In spite of the abridgment, the novel still wanders all over the place and emphasizes what turns out to be irrelevant material. It read like such a freshman effort I was surprised that the author has published before. The premise starts and stops with unimportant subplots, the characters are hazily written, the dialogue is horrendously cliche, and the ending was not only disappointing but apparently had nothing to do with the rest of the novel. The reader was awful at character voice disguishments.
Rating:
Summary: Trite, boring, stupid, and OVERRATED
Review: This book (and A.M. Homes' "Music for Torching") taught me never to buy hardbacks from authors I've never read, just on the basis of the reviews. I knew literary taste was subjective, but I didn't know how subjective until I struggled through this trite, incoherent tale. All the beautiful writing cannot hide the fact that Blanchard cannot tell a story. I flipped though page after page of irrelevant material on the kids at the school for the blind. Ditto for the pages on how much Ozzie Rudd, who turns out to be totally irrelevant, loves his daughter and how he kidnaps her. None of this has anything to do with the main plot. Another complaint: there are actually two murder mysteries here, and they have nothing to do with each other. Blanchard could have skipped the whole subplot about her father's suicide and brother's guilt, with no damage to the main plot. And please, please, PLEASE spare me yet another female police-detective protagonist who just happens to be beautiful but does no actual police work (same thing in "All Fall Down") until she somehow figures out who the bad guy is and goes mano a mano with him at the end. The love interest is TV-movie-trite. There is simply no comparison between this book and "Silence of the Lambs," which had a truly original, frighteningly demonic villain. Save your money!
Rating:
Summary: DARKNESS PEERING, GENIUS STARING
Review: Blanchard's deftly plotted, muscular thriller is equal parts pathos and page-turning action. She writes with a measured and nuanced hand, skillfully unraveling the plot while developing rich character work. A suprisingly polished debut novel with an utterly convincing voice, announcing not only the gripping tale of Flowering Dogwood, Maine, but also her own authorial brilliance. A great author, a great book.
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