4.5 stars, but I'm feeling generous today! 
 This book had me up reading til 12:30am TWICE - so while I am sad it's over, I'm also excited to get a good night's sleep. However, I can't complain - sleep-sappers are my favorite kinds of books, and as I get older and sleepier and my bedtime gets earlier and earlier, they've become a rarity. 
 The theories that are the foundation for Dark Matter are nothing new to the sci-fi world (I kept thinking of the show Fringe as I read), but it's a fresh take with exciting, non-stop action and a main character who is very easy to root for. All Jason wants is his family back after he is suddenly ripped from their lives - but as he "works the problem" in order to return to them, he has to face countless mind-bending and seemingly impossible obstacles that have him clinging to the few remaining threads of his own sanity. 
 Readers are figuring out what the heck is going on right along with Jason, which is exciting even when you're able to see some of the twists before him. Crouch does an excellent job of making you feel that same dread, shock, and confusion that Jason himself is experiencing as he comes to terms with each twist in the road back to his wife and son. Sometimes my mind hurt just thinking about what was going on. But the brain pain was worth it.