Breaking the Dark: A Jessica Jones Marvel Crime Novel by Lisa Jewell

 

Book Name: Breaking the Dark: A Jessica Jones Marvel Crime Novel

Author: Lisa Jewell

Comic Series: Jessica Jones / Alias by Marvel

Original Story or Adaptation: Prose Novel - Original Story

First Published: July 2, 2024

Official Synopsis: Meet Jessica Jones: Retired superhero, private investigator, loner. She tried her best to be a shiny spandex crimefighter, but that life only led to unspeakable trauma. Now she avoids that world altogether and works on surviving day-to-day in Hell’s Kitchen, New York.

The morning a distraught mother comes into her office, Jessica would prefer to nurse her hangover and try to forget last night’s poor choices. But something about Amber Randall’s story strikes a chord with her. Amber is adamant that something happened to her teenage twins while they were visiting their father in the UK. The twins don’t act like themselves, and they now have flawless skin, have lost their distinctive tics and habits, and keep talking about a girl named Belle. Amber insists her children have been replaced by something horrible, something “perfect.”

Traveling to a small village in the British countryside, Jessica meets the mysterious Belle, who lives a curiously isolated life in an old farmhouse with a strange woman who claims to be her guardian. Can this unworldly teenager really be responsible for the Randall twins’ new personas? Why does the strange little village of Barton Wallop seem to harbor dark energies and mysteries in its tight-knit community?

A mother’s intuition is never wrong. And Jessica knows that nothing in life is perfect—not these kids, not her on-again, off-again relationship with Luke Cage, and certainly not Jessica herself. But even as she tries to buy into the idea that better days are ahead, Jessica Jones has seen all too clearly that behind every promise of perfection trails a dark, dangerous shadow. 

Review: Breaking the Dark is the first in a series released by Hyperion Avenue Publishing titled Marvel Crime. This first release features superpowered private investigator Jessica Jones, with subsequent releases focusing on Daredevil and Luke Cage. This is a worthy debut to the series, with strong investigative crime writing and an adept handling of the trauma the protagonist has experienced in her life and the personal turmoil she is going through. 

Jewell does great work at establishing the Hell’s Kitchen world of Jessica Jones and an even better job on the English village that Jones visits during the course of her visit. The action scenes are handled well with a clear understanding of what is happening and with no confusion to the reader. This is also something I look for in a book. 

Breaking the Dark is also a strong and true representation of the comic book version of Jessica Jones. While not a straight adaptation of any established comic stories, the characters of Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Danny Rand, as well as other Marvel world-building elements, are true to the comics. This will please any avid comic reader who reads the novels but also works for anyone new to the character.  

What Works: The investigation of the crime is handled well and does not feel like a good superhero novel but like a good crime

novel that happens to feature superpowered individuals.  

What Doesn’t: I personally would have preferred if Jessica Jones had used her powers more. 

Rating: 7 of 10 Black Leather Jacket

MISC

Version Read: Kindle eBook

How Acquired: On Sale for $3.99 from Amazon

About the Author: Lisa Jewell is a London-based writer who has written best-sellers that tend to be thrillers. Jewell has sold over

fifteen million copies worldwide, and her novels include Don’t Let Him In, None of This Is True, The Family

Upstairs, and Then She Was Gone, as well as Invisible Girl and Watching You.

Links: Official Page

         Amazon