Dark Specter begins with the murder of a family in Seattle. But it soon becomes apparent to the detective in charge that the murder is only one is a series of murders that have occurred all over the United States. All seem random, all seem motiveless, but that is definitely not the case. The murder investigations parallel the story of a man who, in his college years, belonged to a group of druggie friends who would spend hours philosophizing about the world, politics, God, etc etc. Now that man is an adult, with wife and child, and his story sadly becomes intertwined with the plotline of the random murders, as he becomes involved with members of a strange cult who make their home and base of operations on a small island off the coast of Washington.

I have really enjoyed many of Dibdin's other books, but this one just didn't thrill me. The overall plot was good, and the theme was one worth exploring: a civilization in which people have become so alienated that they're willing to listen to the ravings of a madman that they take as gospel truth, and who will do anything in the name of God -- or at least their understanding of the concept as laid down by the person who styles himself as God. This is a story that has become all too common and I'm always intrigued as to what it is that brings people to this point. But in Dark Specter, the story just didn't deliver. There were suspenseful parts, but at some point, a key part of the story became very obvious and I knew exactly what was going to happen -- and I was basically at the midpoint of the story. Arrghh. So for me, it was just a matter of waiting for the story to play out.

I'd recommend it, but with reservations, to people interested in cults or to readers of suspense.