dark as night

Morris White grew up in a rough neighborhood in Philly and was prone to drugs and risk-taking, until he discovered he had a talent for cooking and became a chef. His half-brother, Vince, however, wasn’t able to escape and became a career criminal. In Dark as Night Morris is unwittingly drawn into the fringes of the Philadelphia mob scene through Vince. In an attempt to keep Vince from getting himself into deep trouble, Morris inadvertently seals Vince’s fate, and puts himself and the woman he cares about in grave danger, both from mobsters and a vicious and crooked cop.

“Conard knows his characters, depicts them with relish and allows them free, raucous rein.” – Publishers Weekly

“Mr. Conard goes right for the jugular with Dark as Night. The tornado-like plot sucks you in on page one and it doesn't stop spinning until the last page. This fiction debut is a twisted tale of the finest calibre. Conard has hit the noir nail on the head. Hard.” - Jennifer Jordan
http://www.booksnbytes.com/reviews/conard_darkasnight.html

“Dark as Night is at its core a noirish, violent, street-level drama that wears its heart of darkness on its sleeve proudly…[Conard is] a writer to watch. He's got an ear for dialogue and a playful, audacious sense of plotting that bodes well for his—and our—future.” - Kevin Burton Smith
http://www.januarymagazine.com/crfiction/darkasnight.html

“Dark as Night is a more than apt title for Mark Conard’s debut novel. This dim, darkly comic story of hapless gangsters and four star cooking is a slim, sharply-written noir that is sure to please crime fans looking for a biting new read.” - David J. Montgomery
http://www.mysteryinkonline.com/2004/11/conard_mark_t_d.html