Read @ Joe’s

Title: Breaking the Dark (2024) Author: Lisa Jewell Publisher: Hyperion Avenue Book jacket: Meet Jessica Jones: Retired super hero, private investigator, loner. Jessica would prefer to nurse her hangover and try to forget last night’s poor choices. But a distraught mother comes into her office with a case that takes Jessica from the British countryside to the shadows of New York. Joe says: Breaking the Dark is pleasantly distracting.

Breaking the Dark is the first book in the brand-new Marvel Crime series, which is supposed to present a grittier, street-level side to all the colors and the capes. Jessica Jones is a fan favorite enough to work into a premiere, and to my understanding author Lisa Jewell is also a fan favorite within her genre. Even though this outing might not be quite as yummy as peanut butter and chocolate, the Jones and Jewell combo is certainly garlic-hummus-on-an-everything-bagel substantial. 

This story has the Hell’s Kitchen PI taking on a case for a mother who thinks her twins have been replaced with pod people. Jones is going through her own internal biological takeover (aka preggers) but is stubborn enough to fly to England to follow some leads. The set up is Anthony Horowitz by way of Brian Michael Bendis straightforward with tailing, spying, and hacking on the agenda. Once in Merry old England (and into the home of a carpeted bathroom), Jewell crafts something downright unique. She bangs together science and sorcery, and transfuses the dusty arcane into a digital app. Her antagonists are a beauty influencer who seeks to be as charming as Victor Von Doom, and a vampire who is well beneath the Daywalker’s concern. The end result is clamorous Marvel-style mayhem packaged into a self-contained novel perfect for those not as invested in a four-color process. 

No matter how you like to view your Jessica Jones, be warned, Breaking the Dark is firmly set in the 616 – not the Netflix cinematic U with Krysten Ritter. While you do not need to worry about Jessica being visited by a friendly neighborhood hero or arm wrestling with the Odinson, rest assured Luke Cage does play a significant part of this story, alongside a few other quick cameos. Sweet Christmas, indeed. 

Jewell has a firm grasp on Jones and all her foibles. There is an underlying narration that opens the hard shelled character into being vulnerable, and feminine. Jewell provides depth and exploration and plants the seed for transforming Jessica into being a mother.

Breaking the Dark borders on being YA cheese – c’mon, it’s a crime novel about a superhero – but Jewell takes what could be a standard punch-in-the-face action story and distills it into a slow cooked mystery. The overall read? Not quite as gritty as the hype on the cover. Marvel Max this was not. But Breaking the Dark is pleasantly distracting and perfectly entertaining for fans.

Ironically though? Breaking the Dark could have used a few more punches to the face.

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Thank you, NetGalley for the Marvel-ous preview. Excelsior!