3.5 stars. I liked that this was a solid psychological thriller but also a really good police procedural as well. The story line was a little dark at times and intense. The mystery was done really well. At times it felt a little too long.

I loved the first title in this series and I was excited to read the next book. I enjoyed this one, but the first half was slow. It was also confusing at some points. There was a lot to follow, and it took a while for all the plots and characters to come together. Overall, it was a good read and I appreciate an ending that I don't guess halfway through the book.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series so I was eager to read the followup book. I can't say I enjoyed this one quite as much and found it to be a little confusing. Some of the confusing writing style led to a somewhat "page turning" aspect but at times I wasn't sure which POV I was reading or why the information was being included. The good thing about the plot was that it wasn't entirely guessable and I definitely wanted to know what happened!

review found here: https://www.lifewithemilyblog.com/2019/04/march-2019-reading-list-reviews.html

A woman and child are found locked in a basement, barely alive, and unidentifiable. No missing persons reports that match their profile, and the confused, elderly man who owns the house claims he has never seen them before. But Detective Inspector Adam Fawley knows nothing is impossible. And no one is as innocent as they seem. As the police grow desperate for a lead, Fawley stumbles across a breakthrough, a link to a case he worked years before about another young woman and child gone missing, never solved. When he realizes the missing woman’s house is directly adjacent to the house in this case, he thinks he might have found the connection that could bring justice for both women. But there’s something not quite right about the little boy from the basement, and the truth will send shockwaves through the force that Fawley never could have anticipated. review: I read my first Cara Hunter book last year and really enjoyed it, so I immediately downloaded this one. This book was unsettling from the start and I kept trying to piece together the different cases to no avail. At times I found the book to be a bit slow or confusing, but overall enjoyed it especially as everything came together. rating: 3 out of 5 ⭐️

In the Dark is the second novel in Cara Hunter’s DI Adam Fawley series, but I was able to dive right into this twisty, fiendish mystery. The mystery is definitely the thing here. The novel kicks off with a bang as an impatient new home owner takes his frustration out on a damp-damaged wall between his house and his neighbor’s. The man gets the shock of his life when he discovers that a dehydrated, hungry young woman and her toddler son have been imprisoned on the other side.

In the Dark is, as I mentioned above, a series entry. The name of the series led me to expect that I would be in DI Fawley’s head for most, if not all, of the novel—but that is far from the case. Instead, Hunter includes scenes featuring the other detectives in Fawley’s team, BBC and local news stories, texts, police interviews, and witness statements. I loved the way this novel is told because a) I enjoyed being a detective in my own right and b) it added even more twists and turns to an already complicated (but always plausible) mystery.

And this is definitely a twisty novel. The early evidence leads us to believe that the owner of the house where the girl and her child were imprisoned had kidnapped the woman two or three years before the novel opened. The owner of the house is suffering from dementia and it’s impossible to get much out of him except verbal venom. His social worker didn’t have a clue and he had no family. Even though Fawley and Co., have enough of their plates in trying to figure out who the young woman is and what really happened, Fawley notices that the accused’s house is directly behind the home of a woman who went missing two years earlier and was never found.

Saying any more would definitely ruin this dark, fascinating mystery. I didn’t see any of the twists coming but, in the end, it all made a terrible kind of sense. The only thing I can safely say is that this book ends up in a completely different place from where I expected. The more I read, the deeper In the Dark got its hooks into me. I really, really liked it.

A good, tense, gripping mystery. Quickly read . . . I couldn’t put it down! Well described, psychotic evil doers, and a strong, thorough police force. Highly recommended police procedural with several surprising, clever twists to keep you guessing until the end. This is the second book in the series. I haven’t read the first one (and this can be read as a stand alone) but definitely want to read it and any others in the DI Adam Fawley series.

I really enjoyed this book! Most of the books I have read this year felt very slow to get into a real plot, and then rush the ending. This, however was just the opposite. I loved the way the author kept the pace up throughout the whole book, and all the twists and turns did not feel forced either, as if just trying to make it intriguing. The ending was well thought out and properly paced as well. I also loved the way she added snippets of social media, news stories and interviews to keep it moving. I will definitely be recommending this to our patrons, as well as friends and coworkers!!

DI Adam Hadley Has just landed a bizarre case. A woman and a child have been found in a locked basement, they are in terrible shape and the woman cannot even speak. The elderly man that owns the house is confused and denies any knowledge of the woman and child. There are no missing persons reports that match their descriptions. Hawley remembers the case of a missing woman he worked years before, the woman was never found, but her home lies adjacent to his current crime scene. The deeper Hawley digs the more unsettled he becomes, until he uncovers information so shocking it will change him and this neighborhood forever. This story is fiendishly clever, and I defy anyone to put it down once they’ve started reading