In Laura McHugh’s gripping thriller, Sarabeth, who grew up in a strict religious community, is abducted as a teenager but is released a week later without harm. The police doubt her story, and her family dismisses her disappearance as a runaway stunt.

Five years later, now living under the name Sarah, she struggles with her traumatic past. Her life is disrupted when investigator Nick Farrow believes her case is linked to a new missing girl and asks her to return to her old hometown in the Ozarks.

McHugh crafts a dark, atmospheric tale with intricate characters and suspenseful twists. While the climax felt a bit too neatly wrapped up for my taste, the novel remains a compelling rural thriller worth reading.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.

this was a pretty solid abduction thriller, McHugh is a phenomenal writer and really lets you into the psyche of the characters. I didn’t find the story itself particularly memorable but it was well done and i’d read more from her

I enjoyed this one but it wasn’t my favorite thriller. A few chapters before the climax I was able to figure out the main culprits.

I do appreciate how it was wrapped up in the end and will likely read another book by this author.

THANK YOU FOR GRANTING MY WISH!

I loved this book and I was so excited to open it every time I went to read, it was fast and well paced. I loved the plot and the writing style

While I really wanted to love this book, it just wasn't for me. I struggled to get through the content and wasn't prepared for how dark the story would be. I would like to try reading this book again (maybe when I'm in a better headspace). But, at this time, it just wasn't for me.

Sarahbeth's family used to be somewhat normal until her father had "impure thoughts" about a truck-stop waitress. Then her parents had a religious enlightenment and moved the family to a homestead in the wilds of the Arkansas Ozarks, started following an obscure fundamentalist church, and threw out all their books, televisions, and worldly ways. Sarahbeth has to wear prairie dresses and grow her hair long, dedicate herself to female tasks, and prepare herself for an arranged marriage by the time she's 18--none of which she wants. When she starts to act out, she's kidnapped and held for a week, blindfolded the whole time. Then she's inexplicably released.

Five years later, Sarah as she's now called is living an isolated life in St. Louis. She's escaped her family and their religious fervor, but she's still scarred from her experiences. Enter Farrow, a policeman with a mission: find other girls who've disappeared from the Ozarks, just like Sarahbeth. Sarah decides to help him, taking her down the road to the Ozarks and her past, where everyone is a suspect and no one can be trusted.

I really loved the premise of this book. Being from the Ozarks, it has all the little details right about the region without being overbearing or weird about it. Sarah is a strong character and her journey from PTSD-riddled and fearful of others to budding detective fighting for wronged girls is an interesting one. I really loved the focus on religious fundamentalism in the South, and found the mystery of what happened to her compelling. I thought I'd figured out the culprit, but was just a shade off, so that was some great misdirection on the part of the book. You'll think you're right, but you'll be wrong.

A few criticisms...I felt like the writing was too perfunctory and quick, if that makes sense? The book doesn't linger in Sarah's more meaningful conversations, and I barely understand her mental process to changing her mind or making any decisions. The book glossed over much of the meatier thought process and even some of the conflict between Sarah and her family, even the climax at the end. It all felt...fast. Almost more like a detailed summary of events at times rather than a book. I wish the author had calmed down a bit and get the page count grow, so I could really stay a while within the story and really get a more nuanced version of Sarah confronting her past, which doesn't really happen. It's just a WHAM BAM DONE sort of thing, which left me feeling a bit unsatisfied for a book that otherwise really grabbed me. I hope Laura McHugh stays a big longer within her characters and their conflicts in her next book. Give me some meatier resolutions!

What’s Done in Darkness by Laura McHugh is a worthy addition to my shelf of beloved #OzarkNoir titles! Sarabeth was kidnapped from her deeply religious family’s home in Arkansas when she was a teenager. She was released after spending a week in total darkness, with no idea where (or by who) she’d been held captive, causing law enforcement to doubt her story. Five years later, Sarah has relocated to Missouri and distanced herself from her past. When two more girls go missing near her hometown, Sarah is reluctantly drawn into an investigation that may or may not connect back to her abduction. This book has so many elements that I love, though The Weight of Blood is still my favorite Laura McHugh novel. 4.5 ⭐️ for this one!

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Another winner by McHugh. I loved her first book, and the writing style and characters reminded me of that book. I devoured this in one day since it wasn’t too long and also because I had to find out what happened next. 4.5 only because I somewhat figured out The Who dunnit at the end of the book.

This book kept me on my toes. The premise is so interesting, once I got into the rhythm of the writing, I could not put the book down.

It's one thing to grow up in "the simple life". It's quite another to live a regular life until your parents uproot you and decide it's time to give up all of your worldly possessions and live a simpler life with no "extras". And then what about if you're a teenage girl who gets abducted from this life...and no one quite believes you once you return (because escape was what you wanted all along, right?).

This is Sarabeth's story. 5 years later, Sarabeth is struggling to forget what happened and live a normal life when an investigator comes knocking on her door. He's got a similar case and wants to hear Sarabeth's story and get some insight into what she believed happened all those years ago. Could these cases be related?

I loved this book! I flew through the pages and could not put this one down. 5 stars from me and a desperate search for everything else Laura McHugh has written.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first book by Laura and she did not disappoint. I thought this was a really good well written book. It was full of suspense and a fast paced read, I was very invested in figuring out the mystery behind this one and figure out more on Sarabeth's Disappearance. The main character was super interesting to learn about and going back and forth with the timelines was nice. Thank you Net Galley for this ARC and getting a chance to read this one!

Sarabeth has been rebelling against her ultra-religious upbringing when at the age of 18 she is abducted. Seven days later she is found on the side of the road alive. Her family and the police doubt her story and her captor is never found. Five years later, while trying to escape her past she is approached by a police officer looking for other girls who seem to have disappeared from similar communities. I'm glad it was a quick read because I didn't want to put it down until I knew what happened to all the girls.

What a good book--beyond good--McHugh has outdone herself, writing a country narrative about religion, crime, and more, and touching on all without ever becoming too judgmental, without ever going into cliche, always writing with care and ease and often love about the dark side of human nature but also the compelling, beautiful parts of humans and inside a gripping, unputdownable narrative she delivers somehow effortlessly. A great book.

This is a quick read, edgy and kept me fully absorbed whilst I was reading. Well written and VERY well paced. I will look for others from the author.

This was interesting... I liked the idea of it, but just didn’t love how it was executed I guess. I did really like the main character though!

What's Done in Darkness is a slow-burn, twist-ridden thriller about a girl from an ultra-religious family who gets abducted and held hostage for five days while blindfolded. Five years later, an investigator comes to her for help on another missing girl's case eerily similar to hers. Can she help keep another girl from the trauma she endured? The story alternates between the past and present storyline. Filled with tons of secrets and suspense, readers will be hooked. If you enjoy slow-burning thrillers, this is the one for you!

What’s Done in Darkness by Laura McHugh is a 2021 Random House publication.

In rural Arkansas, seventeen-year-old, Sarabeth, is abducted and held hostage for five days. She was miraculously found, but her abductor was never caught. Despite the horrendous trauma she endured, this event serves as a catalyst for her to finally escape her ultra-fanatical religious parents.

She left home, shortened her name to Sarah, and works at an animal shelter. She still lives with nightmares of being held hostage- by both her parents, in one way, and her abductor, in another. She worries about her little sister who is about to be married too soon, fated to a life Sarah only barely managed to escape, herself.

While none of her friends or colleagues are aware of her past, she is still tracked down by a highway patrol officer, named Nick Farrow, who works in the missing persons division.

He calls Sarah asking for her insights and help in the abduction of a sixteen-year-old girl. The kidnapper’s modus operandi is eerily like Sarah’s experience, but initially Sarah is reluctant to get involved.

Gradually, Nick coaxes Sarah into helping him- which also prompts her to visit her sister- hoping to save her from the life her parents have forced upon her.

Oh, wow. Laura McHugh knows how to weave a taut, pulse-pounding tale of suspense! The Gothic tones of her novels are pitch perfect, and this one is no exception.

There is a heavy atmosphere, a strong sense of foreboding that kept me riveted to the pages. It’s edgy, but also a personal triumph for our heroine. Sarah’s is braver and stronger than she knows.

Her courage is what brings her case and other ones to light- and although she must accept that there are things she can’t change, she can take live her best life- and live by example.

Nick and Sarah made a good team- and hopefully, we’ll see them team up again someday.

Overall, this is another great effort by McHugh. It’s a short novel, but it really packs a punch!

"I wasn't afraid of the after what had happened. It wasn't the dark itself that threatened but the things hidden beneath its shroud, and some of those things moved just as easily in daylight."

Five years after being released from captivity by her abductor, Sarabeth is striving for normalcy by keeping her past a secret. She never got over the trauma of what happened to her, and when a detective approaches her to help with another missing girl's case, she hesitantly agrees when she feels she has no other choice. As past and present collide, Sarabeth must reckon with her traumatic past and abduction, while attempting to ensure that other girls do not befall the same fate as her.

I appreciated the length of this book. It had the perfect amount of backstory for context, and the pacing was on point. McHugh did a great job portraying both sides of the coin regarding extremely strict religious sects in rural areas. Characters like Retta and Sylvie fully embraced it, and this representation allowed me to somewhat understand the way of life, rather than simply villainizing it. This book was challenging for me to rate, as there were not any inherent flaws to it. I think the only reason that I gave it three stars was because I could see the ending coming due to how often it truly happens in the real world.

This quote particularly spoke to me, as it reflects the commonality of Sarabeth's trauma:
"I mourned the other invisible girls, the ones who remained missing, their bones hidden in firepits and basements and forests and farm ponds, betrayed by those who should have protected them."

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I always find it a treat when Laura McHugh releases a new novel. Her first one, "The Weight of Blood," continues to stick in my mind and while I don't have a similar feeling about "What's Done in Darkness," it was still a good novel if you're looking for something quick to pass your time. Clocking in at 256 pages, the book is divided into two timelines: in the past, focusing on Sarabeth's abduction and the present, where a Highway Patrol agent recruits Sarabeth (now known as Sara) for her assistance with other missing teenage-aged girls. While she's initially skeptical about getting involved, her desire to find out what happened to her when she was 17-years-old outweighs her reluctance. Much to her family's chagrin, she ends up at home just in time for her younger sister's wedding.

This was a good novel but because of its length, it felt lacking. Sara was a strong, well-written character and one I would have enjoyed spending more time with, especially toward the end as she began piecing things together. There wasn't much opportunity to get to know the characters either. Still, the author knows how to write an atmospheric mystery that keeps you turning the pages.

I've been a fan of Laura McHugh since I read The Weight of Blood, and I think this is her best book yet. She is a master at doling out bits of a story that all come together in the end to create true page turners, and I cannot wait to see what she does next.