Jason has woken up chained to a wall and fears he is the victim of a serial killer terrorising the county. Aided by another captive they kill the murderer and escape to freedom. Jason is now a hero but at what price. I sooo wanted to love this but it just wasn’t for me.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'd already read another book by James Hankins that I thoroughly enjoyed so I was excited to read a new book by him. I was a bit concerned in the beginning as I felt that big reveal was very obvious but that it was going to be hidden until well into the book or even at the end. So, when that turned out to not be the case I was so pleased and very eager to continue reading to see where the twists would take me. Our stories hero is like-able and easy to relate to, especially as things continue to get worse and worse for him. I felt the story was very interesting and held my attention, I found it hard to put down and was eager to get to the conclusion. One of my favorite authors and one whose books I will but automatically without needing to know the summary as I trust him to put out a good story.

A good read for fans of psych9ological thrillers. You will root for Jason, who is well drawn and sympathetic. Thanks for the arc.

What a fantastic and thrilling story!!! This could translate so well as a film adaptation.

Thank you Netgalley for my copy of this suspenseful book in return for an honest review.

Will Definitely Suck You In!
By Connie Y. Mishali on July 11, 2017
Format: Kindle Edition
The Inside Dark by James Hankins is a thriller guaranteed to make you neglect your relationships and stay up far too late reading! Every Friday night my husband and I celebrate the end to our work week at a Mexican restaurant enjoying giant margaritas. While I was waiting for my husband to join me at the restaurant, I opened my phone app to continue devouring this book. I thought to myself, “Wow, I hope my husband never shows up!” just as he pulled in the parking lot! THAT’S how good this book is!

The premise of this book was gripping, but the book itself was less so. There were far too many moments that felt predictable and cliche and the suspenseful moments lacked the urgency they desperately needed. The books major twist was not only revealed too early, but was easy to guess (and that comes from someone WHO can never figure out the whodunit). This book had a lot of promise, but poor writing and plotting really held it back.

Another James Hankins book I couldn't put down. It's always "just one more chapter." This is a thriller you become engulfed in, trying to figure it out as you read. The story line never disappoints. If you're looking for a good thriller, choose this or any other of Hankins' books.

The premise of this book is completely unbelievable. That said, THE INSIDE DARK is still an engrossing, suspenseful read. The main protagonist is especially interesting as he seeks to determine whether darkness dwells within him. The book is well written with an unusual plot. I would certainly read more by Hankins.

What a thriller! This book was fabulous! I couldn't stop reading it. I thought it might turn out to be different as I had already figured it out. But I was ok with that because it was written to keep you intrigued by what would happen next. Who would end up dead?!

This is my first time reading this author and I will read this author again. He is right up there with the Masters of Suspense !!! i read this book thinking I had it all figured out and boy was I wrong...way wrong. The main character has a lot of things he is dealing with and then wakes up to find himself chained to a wall. Why? Read this book and find out. i never like to give too much detail on what the book is about, I rather someone read it for themselves and come to their own conclusion. But, I will say this, I recommend this book to any one that likes suspense. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

So, I just finished watching this series of Love Island (I know...doesn't say much for my character!) I would liken 'The Inside Dark' to the book version of Love Island - although with less bikinis and more serial killer violence. I don't want to give too much away as there is quite a lot of action in this book, but briefly, it's about a crime novelist, Jason Swike who escapes from a twisted serial killer and what happens next. I wouldn't say it's brilliantly written, but I could not stop reading it! The story itself is exciting enough, but I was mildly irritated by the ridiculous decisions the main character Jason made. When faced with a tricky scenario, he always made questionable choices. The reasoning behind the serial killer's motives was also dubious. However, once I decided to just go with the craziness of this book, I quite enjoyed it - 3.5 stars, but rounded down as not a 4 for me. There's nothing wrong with car crash reading every now and then though, so if you're after a quick read with lots of twists and turns, this is probably a good one.

Excellent great quality read. I have all of James' books

A very interesting psychological thriller, with a pure sociopath thinking he needs to kill, with someone else watching, to feed the evil inside of him. This will keep the 'pain' away for awhile, when it starts again it is time for another gruesome killing...This story reels you in immediately, I just started to read to check how it goes and could not put the book down! There are some parts that are slightly far-fetched, but the story and feelings it gives you roll along. It comes down to what would you do, how far would you go in order to keep yourself or your family alive? The 'inside dark' is inside our killer, is any in you? I received a copy of this story and am able to give my honest review, with thanks to Netgalley, the author James Hankins, and publisher Thomas and Mercer.

When you begin this book, there will be a part where you think you realize where it's going... and you may be right. But what happens next will likely throw you for a loop. This is a nail-biter, and a fantastic introduction (for me) to this author. My rating is a 4.5, bumped up to a 5. It came very close. It's a very twisted tale. It's the best book I've read recently, very clever and unbelievably unnerving and twisted.

James has spent five days shackled to a wall in a barn. No food. Just a single bottle of water left for him every day. He hasn't seen the man that's taken him, and the drugs he put in the water are making him confused and exhausted... but he know who he is. He's Crackerjack, a serial killer who has become famous around these parts. This psycho kidnaps and murders men, leaving them with multiple broken bones and a painted face. How whimsical. The killer seems to appreciate his moniker... Jason listens, terrified, as he hums "take me out to the ballgame" as he brutalizes another man in the barn. He knows he's next. His time has come.

Or at least... a time has come. Two men topple into his stall, directly on top of him. A man named Ian managed to get the upper hand with Crackerjack, but he's spent. It's up to James to finish the job... and he does.

The two men are considered local heroes. Ian doesn't welcome it, but James figures out how to use it to his advantage. He's a struggling crime fiction writer... He's written about crazies like Crackerjack before. A real account of defeating a serial killer would sell millions. It may even bring the wife he's separated from back into his arms and help pay for medicine his special needs son desperately needs. One couldn't blame him for selling his story, or maybe even adding a little extra to it... could they?

As it turns out, his troubles are far from over. While he sees huge paydays and his family coming together again in his future, his future may hold nothing at all... because the terror is far from over. To save himself, he might have to do some terrible, unforgivable things...

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

I read this in less than 24 hours, really debated staying up all night to finish it but alas I needed sleep. I will be buying this for my permanent library collection for sure. I was impressed by the characterizations, the plot (there was a "twist" but it was so glaringly obvious it can't really be called a twist can it? not that that bothered me one tiny bit), the ending, just everything. I thoroughly enjoyed this. And for the subject matter, I would almost call this a clean read. It was about horrible violence, but I don't recall a single f-word (or much of any other swearing) or even a sexual innuendo. Who knew a 5 star novel could be written without those things!! I can't wait to read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book review is going to require some thought. Sometimes I finish a book and just dont know what my real feelings for it are. Or how to put what i feel about it into words. So I'll just say to be continued.

I received a copy from the publisher and NetGalley for my review

"Some people were absolutely crazy. Some were just plain evil. And some were a whole lot of both."

I am a fan of author James Hankins. I've read all his books to date (at least that I know of) and enjoyed them all. I especially appreciate that they're all standalone novels and each unique.

In THE INSIDE DARK Jason Swike is a wannabe novelist in Massachusetts. He's written one book that ALMOST made it big but lately he's been copywriting to support the family he's separated from - not by his choice. Two years ago he was driving and got in a wreck that crippled his wife. His son has Down's Syndrome PLUS a rare deadly blood disease.

And to top it all off, for the last five days he's been chained to a deserted stable wall, not fed, given drugged water, and is at the mercy of the Crackerjack serial killer. I tell you, this guy didn't eat his Lucky Charms for breakfast.

But maybe his luck is changing because, with the help of another prisoner, he's able to escape a gruesome death and he might even be able to cash in on his new notoriety.

This is a fast-paced, action-packed thriller that kept my interest all the way through. I was able to figure out a couple of the twists ahead of time and Swike was a complicated character to like. It's not my favorite of Hankins books. That would probably be BROTHERS AND BONES. But I would have rated it 4 1/2 stars if I could have. It's well worth reading.

I received this book from Thomas and Mercer through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

I absolutely devoured this one! I was really happy that the synopsis was so vague because that's what made the book so entertaining - you think that the book doesn't have enough material to carry on, but then BAM! Something happens halfway through and you just can't stop reading because it's so tense! I enjoyed seeing all the POVs in the story, and the ending was SO GOOD. This reminded me of Jeff Strand's Pressure (which I loved!), but if you haven't read that book, don't bother looking it up because the synopsis will spoil you for this one. Overall, I really enjoyed it, and I hope to get to some of his other books soon!

The Inside Dark is a never-ending rollercoaster ride of emotion. You'll ride all the highs and stumble or crawl along with all the lows in this psychologically taut thriller.

Jason Swike wakes up in a old horse corral, chained, groggy, hungry, and only given water to drink. What he doesn't realize in the beginning is that his water is drugged and every sip puts him in and out of consciousness. As time passes by slowly, he wonders when death will arrive. As a crime writer, he knows these situations never work out in the victim's favor. Why should there be any hope? He and his wife, Sophie, separated after a car wreck left her in a wheelchair. His six-year old son, Max, has down-syndrome and has been diagnosed with a rare blood disease. His writing career was in the toilet.

Then, he heard the whistle. It sounded like 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game". He knew that MO.

Crackerjack

The media's latest darling. He paints the faces of his victims and then proceeds to break their bones with, you guessed it, a bat. Three strikes, your out. Killers just love to live up to their namesake.

What Jason doesn't expect to hear is a voice from the next corral over. His name is Ian Cobb and he has a plan. When Crackerjack comes for him, he is going to fight back. Jason never expects the fight to come into his stall and a struggle ensues. With Cobb's help, Crackerjack is killed and the men look down at the face of the man who almost ended their lives.

The next thing you know, the men are praised as heroes. Jason gets book and movie deals, his estranged wife and son are back in the picture, and life seems to be great again. But there is still something that tugs at his mind and he can't shake.

The terror that began in the stable is only the beginning. What happens next will put Jason's family in the crosshairs and Jason in the headlights of a hard edged detective.

This is my first foray with Hankins and certainly won't be my last. His writing is fast-paced and thrilling; edge of your seat type stuff. Every time you think you got it all figured out, he twisted it into something new. He does a great job with characterization but I did feel like some of them were unbelievably gullible or too easily manipulated while others were more fleshed out. I also think the 'Crackerjack' moniker was a little childish, but it did make sense with the killer's MO.

All in all, if you want a psychological summer thriller, look no further.

See this and other reviews over at http://Booknest.eu.

Acclaimed author, James Hankins returns following The Prettiest One (2016) with his latest edgy psychological crime thriller, with gruesome evil secrets of the past —THE INSIDE DARK. Top 20 Summer Books Coming July.

Psychologically rich, taut, fast-paced suspense, with twists around every corner, Hawkins will keep you guessing until the final conclusion.

What drives a person to kill?

Set in the Boston area, Jason Swike, is a crime, mystery, suspense novelist – married to Sophie with a six-year-old son, Max (Down syndrome and blood disease). There was a car accident leaving her in a wheelchair, and the couple (separated/estranged for two years).

As the novel opens Jason has been chained to the wall of an old horse corral in a deserted ramshackle stable. He was given no food, and only water, mixed with drugs.

When would death arrive?

Death enjoys what it does. Death likes to whistle while it works.

“Take me out to the ballgame. Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack.”

Death has a name.

Headlines. The most feared in Massachusetts. The media had dubbed Death’s latest human incarnation, Crackerjack—because serial killers with catchy monikers grab more viewers and sell more papers than ordinary killers do.

Crackerjack broke bones—cracked, snapped, twisted, or crushed. Then the final death blow. Death has a humor . . .

Three strikes you’re out. Crackerjack had clearly taken his media-given nickname to heart.

Death had an odd sense of whimsy.

In addition to broken bones, all his victims had been found with their faces adorned with skillfully rendered designs, like those you pay for at an amusement park or carnival. From superheroes, fairies, wild animals, and cartoon characters.

Soon death would come whistling for him.

Jason learns he is not alone in the stable. There is another man being tortured. Ian Cobb. He hears the whistling and knew Death would come for the other man, Ian. Then he would be next. The last sound heard by his victims.

During the torture, he could hear the pleading for him to help. He had to help him. Soon the struggle stumbled into his stall. A life-and-death struggle with a serial killer, taking place literally on top of him.

With the help of Cobb, Jason takes down Crackerjack, (Wallace Barton) the sadistic serial killer who whistled as he tortured his victims. Cobb even had the similar face painted design.

Jason had killed him with the hammer (the final blow), but it was self-defense. He had struck him three times.

Soon there is much success for Jason. He is a hero. They were both lucky. Jason got away without a scratch; however, not Cobb. Why did CrackerJack keep Jason around longer?

Briggs is the homicide detective. Jason and Ian were the only ones which had escaped the serial killer. There were six bodies buried in the woods behind the serial killers stable bringing the total to sixteen. Briggs is suspicious of Jason’s story. Something does not add up.

Soon Jason enjoys the limelight and his book sales soar. In less than forty hours he had a six-figure offer in hand from a major publisher for a non-fiction book about Jason’s ordeal and his eventual escape. Then were two Hollywood producers. Life is good.

What if he stretched the truth, embellished a bit— just to get the job done. Would it be so wrong to lie a little? He had a wife in a wheelchair from a car accident (which he was to blame), and a son with expensive medical needs. Jason needed to lie a little during the TV interview. He needed book sales. His family had medical needs and he needed to win them back.

Cobb takes a backseat. Cobb takes care of his elderly father at home. He owns a plumbing business which his father had started and he had shared with his brother John until his death. Half of his income went to nursing care, doctor visits, medical supplies, and equipment.

What is Cobb hiding?

Ian gives up his part of the reward to Jason. However, Jason soon learns all this comes with strings. Both men had been taken from an empty parking lot and drugged. Both have family medical problems and a tragic past.

Then later his nightmare begins once again.

He hears the whistling again . . .

Did he kill the real killer? Was there a copycat? Is the real killer still out there?

More bodies surface.

Jason has some secrets of his own. He desperately needs the money, with his own son’s medical needs with a rare blood disease (aHUS) and the possibility of facing a future of dialysis and even kidney transplants. His care is costly.

Cobb also has a creepy disturbing past which shapes his life. Each is blaming someone else in their lives for their behavior. Both these men have some things in common (both suffered catastrophes) and Detective Lamar Briggs knows something is not right and will not stop until he gets answers.

Jason is worried about his own family. If the killer is still at large, he needs to hire his own hit man. How far will Swike go to sell books, and to resuscitate a drowning career as a crime writer? He cannot let the killer get to him and his family.

Two different car accidents trigger a dangerous chain of events. Jason is drawn into a twisted game while the psychopath killer is pulling all the strings.

Time to let The Inside Dark out . . .

From an abandoned horse stable to a motel. A nightmarish journey of madness, evil, to sadistic—a cleverly written twisty, tense, suspenseful creepy thriller!

This crackerjack suspense hits a home run!

An avid fan of talented Hawkins, from his first book to this latest, have enjoyed immensely his writing crossing many genres. Each book is unique— from mystery, suspense, crime, and psychological thrillers.

For fans of Jennifer Hillier, Lisa Unger, and Paul Cleave (other favorites). The author knows creepy, torture, revenge, and twisted minds. THE INSIDE DARK is a "must read" terrifying cat-and-mouse game. Wickedly evil for your summer reading pleasure.

If you have not read James Hankins, what are you waiting for?

Read my reviews:
The Prettiest One
Shady Cross ( Top 50 Books of 2015 )
Brothers and Bones
Drawn
Jack of Spades

A special thank you to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for an early reading copy.

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