What’s Done in Darkness is an adult contemporary mystery thriller about a series of missing girls and a former kidnap victim called in to help.

At seventeen Sarabeth was kidnapped on a rural Arkansas roadside and returned a week later in only a blood covered slip and her hair shorn off. Her ultra religious community didn’t believe her story and neither did local law enforcement. Now nearly five years later more girls are missing and a highway patrol detective thinks she might be able to help.

This novel manages to be both gritty and entertaining as it tells the story of a girl forced into a religious life she didn’t ask for and the indignities and indoctrination that come with it. Current day Sarah despite the PTSD, loss of her family and isolation in a new city continues to forge a new path and I appreciated that she was able to maintain a sense of humor. Her interactions between officer Nick Farrow felt honest and authentic but also a little swoony. The author also did a really good job making the reader feel the stifling expectations of a strict religious community to a girl who isn’t buying it. I loved how she didn’t always take it and the natural teenage tendency to push back came through. I also enjoyed the commentary on animal rescue, breeding operations and puppy mills.

I highly recommend this suspense thriller for readers that enjoy whodunnits, fresh starts and strong female main characters (and rescue animals too).

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



* My copy of What‘s Done in Darkness was provided by the publisher and NetGalley for review purposes

What's Done in Darkness
by Laura McHugh
Pub. Date: June 22, 2021

I have never read Laura McHugh and unfortunately this book did not make me want to go out and read the rest of her work. This thriller was very short and it did not have much character development. It was an ok thriller.
I just wasn't in love with it. It did end differently than I thought it would so that is always a plus for me.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

3 stars

Teen Sarabeth was abducted from her family’s Arkansas farm. She was found bound and blindfolded along a highway five years later. Fast forward to present day when she is leading a quiet life, working with animals, having severed ties to her ultra-religious family. She now calls herself Sara.

Enter Nick Farrow, a Highway Patrol Missing Persons officer who contacts Sara in the hope she can assist with a missing person investigation that resembles her own disturbing story. Sara is hesitant to dig into her past but Farrow convinces her to become involved. Is the un-named assailant of her past still kidnapping girls? What follows is an engrossing dual-timeline page-turner that maintains its intensity through its conclusion.

Teeanger Sarabeth is unhappy when her parents uproot the family and move to a remote Arkansas farmstead where she's forced to wear long dresses and follow strict rules. But her life changes when a masked man appears and kidnaps her while she is at the farm roadstand. A week later, Sarabeth is found alive alongside a highway in a bloodstained dress. Her family considers her tainted and no longer wife material so Sarabeth takes this opportunity to leave the Ozarks and start a new life.

Five years later, Sarah is working at a pet shelter when investigator Nick Farrow calls. He is convinced that her kidnapping is linked to the disappearance of another young girl. Farrow wants Sarah's help and she returns to her estranged family to confront her deepest fears.

This was a thrilling read and is highly recommended.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Random House with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

I love love love Laura McHugh's novels. Ever since her debut novel Weight of Blood drew me in, I have anxiously anticipated each of her releases, first Arrowood and then The Wolf Wants In. Now she's back with What's Done in Darkness and she's delivering the same style of spine-tingling, creepy, rural noir thrill ride that has firmly cemented her in my "auto-buy author" category. McHugh's talented writing prevents me from immediately foreseeing each twist and predicting the ending. She always gets me thinking about dirty dealings and secrets that go on in small, hidden communities and especially about how easy it is for people to "disappear" from these places. As with any well written review of a thriller, it is vital to not disclose too many details, so I will simply say if you love gritty and atmospheric rural noir, you HAVE to read this novel--then you'll be a McHugh superfan like me.

4.5 STARS - If you're looking for a darkly atmospheric read with great discussion topics for your book club, Laura McHugh is the author for you. She has been on my radar since I read and enjoyed her book The Weight of Blood in 2014 and now with her latest book, What's Done in Darkness, McHugh once again gives her readers a compelling and chilling rural thriller.

This is a shorter read but it packs quite a punch. Admittedly, McHugh does Arkansas tourism no favours with her dark tale set in the backwoods of the state, but this is a tense and compelling story that thriller readers won't want to miss. It is a slow-building story, so I advise readers to be patient because by the one-quarter mark readers won't want to put this book down. This is a dark and twisty ride filled with several potential culprits, a couple of nail-biting scenes and a satisfying ending. I could say I predicted the culprit, but my mind changed several times throughout the book, so I won't call my deduction exactly prophetic. There is a slight romance which was I thought was unnecessary, but it doesn't impede with the book's tension.

Told in alternating chapters, McHugh brings her readers into Sarah's tragic and disturbing past (as Sarabeth) - her abduction and family life - as well as the present day as she continues to struggle with her demons. I appreciated that the author doesn't shy away from these intense topics (cult-like religions, PTSD, female oppression ...) and in doing so, provides her readers with great, evocative discussion points.

Gritty, compelling, and delightfully dark, McHugh excels at creating her dark rural backdrop and through this multi-layered thriller, provides readers with complex characters, a handful of potential culprits to keep readers guessing and a bevy of twists that will have readers devouring this book.

Look for it in stores June 22, 2021 from Penguin Random House.


Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Random House Publishing for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Sarabeth is seventeen when she's held captive for nearly a week and then dumped along the side of the road, bound and blindfolded. She doesn't know who took her, or where. The police doubt her story and her parents do not even report her missing from their rural Arkansas farm . Sarabeth had argued with her religious parents, who insisted she follow their strict rules and marry someone of their choosing. As she returns home and finds her family appalled by her kidnapping, she realizes something good may come from the abduction: she can escape life on the farm for good. Five years later, she's now known as Sara when investigator Nick Farrow asks her to help with the missing persons case of another girl--one incredibly similar to Sara's. Reluctantly, Sara returns home, where she must face her darkest fears (and her family) to assist in bringing this girl home.

"Sarabeth had come to think of her time on the farm as a sentence that she had to serve, one with an end date. Now it seemed like she'd have to plan an escape."

I adore Laura McHugh's writing at this point. She's an excellent writer, and this is a great mystery in her deft hands. The religious, almost cult-like aspect of Sarabeth's family seems extremely timely in this era. We see how they narrow her options, forcing her to choose between her family and her own life. Religion and darkness are major themes in this book, with darkness playing not just in the title but across the entire novel. McHugh weaves it in and out of her story--Sara being afraid of the dark, darkness and shadows lurking at every turn. And it's a dark book to read too, even if it has its light moments. Still there's hope here as well.

I loved how Sara was a complicated heroine, with a complex past and many scars. She reminded me of Joanna Schaffhausen's Ellery Hathaway in that sense--a troubled soul who must overcome her own darkness to try to save others. Her interactions with Nick were an excellent respite, and I certainly could see myself reading about these two again.

"A piece of me was still there in Arkansas, but I was gone. No one in my new life knew who I was, what had happened to me, and I wanted to keep it that way."

The book is atmospheric, sucking us into both the deep religious aspect of the Ozarks and the Arkansas countryside. The Arkansas hills seem to play their own role in the book--another character so to speak. This one kept me guessing and even as I worked out some pieces, there were plenty of twists and turns. It's a fairly quick read, but an excellent one. Certainly recommend to mystery fans and those who enjoy a character-driven read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Laura McHugh - a new to me author. 4.5 stars rounded up for a book I couldn't put down!

Sarabeth is almost 18 and living on a remote farm in Arkansas with her family. Her parents moved there after her dead had an affair; they both became very religious. Suddenly, Sarabeth's world as she knew it with friends, school, TV was gone. Anxious to leave before her parents marry her off, Sarabeth is kidnapped from her family's farm stand and held for a week, shackled somewhere in a basement. But the police don't believe her when she is found bloody at a rest stop. Five years later, Sarah, as she is now known, is living in Missouri and working at an animal shelter. She struggles with PTSD from her ordeal and can't let anyone in her life. When she gets a call from Nick Farrow, an investigator tracking down another missing girl, she gets talked into going back to her hometown to try and find some answers.

I loved this book! It's fairly short, which is good because you won't want to stop reading until the end. And that ending - wow! The book alternates chapters between Sarah in the present time and Sarabeth in the past, so the reader is privy to all that led up to her abduction and afterwards. I don't want to give anything else away - but you need to read this book! Definitely an author that I will be looking for in the future.

4.5 Stars

This was a very intelligently written thriller. I don't usually go for books with detectives but I am so happy I gave this one a chance. It is a short book (250 pages) and I was so enthralled by it I read it one sitting. I just couldn't put it down I needed to know what the hell happened to Sarabeth and why. A lot of it reminded me of cults/communes and that was really interesting.

The format of the book is my favourite....before and after...both parts are the point of view of our main character. I loved Sarabeth and her smarts and strength. She doesn't suffer fools and can take care of herself. I took half a star off for the romance part. I think I know why the author did that but I feel it wasn't needed and cheapened the story...but everything else was perfection.

Wow. What's Done in Darkness is gripping from moment one. Laura McHugh is a brilliant writer, and this sinister thriller set in the rural Midwest is as chilling as they come. McHugh is a master at setting, and a master at writing creepy-realistic stories of relatable women and the terrifying decisions they may be forced to make. It's also a story of courage and self-reliance and sisterhood--and secrets. Gorgeously written--what a page turner!

This book is one heartstopping wild ride! I read it in two days; I absolutely couldn't put it down. I always want to savor a Laura McHugh novel, and stretch it out for as long as possible, but then I end up just gobbling it down because I love it so much :) If you enjoy twisted and gritty stories of Ozark noir, then McHugh is an author you should know! Thanks, Netgalley, for my arc.

What’s Done in Darkness is classic Laura McHugh—disturbing, dysfunctional Midwest families, and dark crimes. This book follows Sarah, previously Sarabeth, a woman in her 20’s. She works in an animal rescue shelter and keeps to herself. One day she gets a call from a detective wanting to meet with her. For what, you ask? It seems that 5 years ago when she was known as Sarabeth, she lived with her family in Arkansas on a farm as part of a strict religious group or cult. She was abducted one day when she was 17 from the farm stand where she sold vegetables. She was kept for several days. When she was released nobody believed what happened to her and her family was not supportive at all. At this time she decided to leave her family. She was already having thoughts of leaving anyways.
In the present, the detective wants her to help him with some cases of missing women. It seems there are some cases similar to hers and he thinks she might have some insight. She reluctantly agrees to go down that dark road again.
I don’t want to say too much more about the pot and give anything away. I enjoyed everything about this book. I loved the character of Sarah/Sarabeth . Each chapter alternates between the present and then the past leading up to and after her abduction. I like the way that the past reveals what has happened to her. I really enjoyed the setting and also the religious cult descriptions. It made for a very creepy atmosphere. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Full disclosure, McHugh is one of my favorite authors. Her new one does not disappoint. I read this in a day and a half it was so good. Normally I do not like the back and forth timeline stories, but this one really worked for me.
Definitely one of my favorite reads of this year.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of What's Done in Darkness by Laura McHugh.

When Sarabeth was only seventeen, and living in an extremely fundamentalist religion, she was abducted. But, unlike most abduction cases, she was found on the side of the road, covered in blood, but very much alive.

Now Sarabeth is Sara, and has worked hard to cut ties with her past, and live a normal life. But her past comes calling, in the form of an investigator who is working hard to find a victim of a similar kidnapping. Even though Sara knows how difficult it will be to revisit the past, she begrudging agrees to help to keep other girls from going through her hell.

This is quick and engaging, right from the beginning. The characters are easy to know, and their plights are easy to understand. I liked how the story jumped timelines, it added a lot to the intrigue of it.

Having said that, it was also a bit much. It's kind of like when a cake is rising, and it looks so good and puffy, but then it spills over, and now you aren't really into it. That's kind of how the plot felt, especially toward the end.

This is a bit of a different take on the religious extremism mystery/thriller, with the heroine having already survived her ordeal at the hands of her captor, who kept her locked away in darkness before releasing her after a week and, previously, her strict fundamentalist family, who lived in an isolated church community. Now, five years later, Sarah, is asked to help investigate the disappearances of other teenage girls from similar backgrounds. The Investigating officer fears the same insidious force may be at work. But Sarah isn’t sure she’s ready to confront her past.

The book takes place on two timelines: The present day, when Sarah is living independently and approached to help in the investigation; and the past when Sarah, then known as Sarabeth, is a teenager and living on her family’s farm and under their strict rules.

I love reading books set in these extremist groups because there’s an extra element of thrills involved - cults by their nature have a creepy psychological factor involved and really up the ante when it comes to psychological thrillers. So this book was right up my alley. And it really didn’t disappoint. The community Sarah describes is both repressive and scary in its own way, but also so seemingly “innocent” that it could be next door and no one would know. That really ups the creepy factor, in my opinion. And as more becomes clear throughout the book, the hold the church has on everyone is so pervasive, it's incredibly intense.

The ending was really astonishing and I didn’t really see it coming at all. I thought it was perfect for the way the story unraveled and it really was satisfying. Not everything is “happily ever after,” but it’s not that type of book.

Sarah was also a great character and I hope we get to see more of her in the future. I would love to follow her emotional growth and see how she develops as she begins to work through her past and what happened to her.

Overall, if you like creepy, atmospheric mystery/thrillers, pick this one up!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exhange for an honest review.
I thought this book was amazing.
I found it to be well written, original, dark & disturbing & highly addictive.
I was hooked by the 1st page &
I couldn't wait to finish this book to see how it would end.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes suspenseful thrillers.

Another strong mystery from McHugh! The ending was suspenseful and the emotional challenges Sarah had to face between her family and her abduction were intense! This book has multiple time lines and I love when a mystery novel brings a story together with that trope. I will always pick up McHugh’s work and have never been disappointed!

WHAT’S DONE IN DARKNESS by Laura McHugh

This riveting novel tells the story of Sarah, as an adult, and Sarabeth, as a juvenile, in alternating chapters. Sarah holds a secret about her early life that haunts her and surfaces when she travels home to Wisteria to convince her younger sister not to marry into the fold. Sarah’s parents and sister are part of an ultra-conservative church where the women wear old-fashioned prairie dresses, and any type of electronics is not allowed. Almost everything in modern times is considered a sin.

Sarah also works for an animal sanctuary and wants to find out if one of the kennels there is a puppy mill.

She’s not given a warm and loving homecoming as her parents suspect her motive for coming home after being gone since she was found by the road after going missing when she was 18. Everyone who is part of the Holy Rock Church believes Sarabeth left the church and got “into trouble.” Other girls went missing from Wisteria but were thought to have disappeared into the modern world. Trouble and danger come when Sara starts to investigate what actually happens in the Holy Rock Church.

Although this story has been told before in numerous ways, Laura McHugh gives the story a different, modern perspective that focuses on the individual characters. She maintains suspense with the use of alternating chapters which are easy to follow and digs deep into small rural towns that are cut off from the mainstream.

Her relationship with the detective who is searching for a missing girl starts with Sarah not wanting to have anything to do with this missing girl. She’s so resistant that you know she’ll end up having to help in order to face her past.

My only quibbles have to do with the subject matter being so familiar and the resolution between Sarah and the detective. But I won’t say what that resolution is as I don’t do spoilers.

Thanks to #NetGalley for an advanced ebook. #WhatsDoneInDarkness

This was a light and enjoyable mystery - perfect for summer - more like a 3.5. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this title! Sarabeth's parents dive deep into a VERY conservative (almost cultish) religion and move the family from town to a remote farm in the Ozarks. Sarabeth misses everything about town - school, friends, the mall. When she disappears from selling fruit and veggies at the farm stand her parents - do nothing - they think she ran away. About 10 days later Sarabeth is found bound, blindfolded and bloody by the side of the road. The local sheriff thinks she's lying about what happened so she leaves the family farm. On her own she works at having a 'normal' life again but that abruptly changes when Nick Farrow, a local investigator, want's her help in two other disappearances that resemble her case. Twists and turns take you to a satisfying conclusion.

This short thriller didn’t waste a page before it captured my interest. Which was just what I needed, because I feel like I’ve been caught up with books that take forever to get moving.
Sarabeth was kidnapped as an almost eighteen year old off the family farm. Her family had left the city when she was in her early teens, joining a strict religious church and leaving behind modern life as she’d known it. She had dreamed of escaping but not in the way it transpired. And no one knows why after one week of being held hostage, she was left on the side of the road. Five years later, she’s living on her own in another state but still suffering from PTSD. Now, other young women from similar situations have also gone missing and an FBI agent has asked for her help. Her 16 year old sister is also getting married and Sarah, as she’s now known, is debating returning for the wedding.
Told in alternating chapters, we see Sarabeth leading up to the kidnapping and her life now. I found the story engrossing and Sarabeth a realistic character. She’s caught in a kind of no man’s land. Life away from her family hasn’t gone as she’d expected. But she’s not comfortable with them either. I just really felt for her. McHugh totally captures the tension, worry and raw emotions that Sarah is feeling.
I flew through this book, unwilling to put it down. I couldn’t wait to see how it would pan out. And it totally took me by surprise. <spoiler> I got a huge kick that animal rescuers were involved in the ending </spoiler>
This is the first book I’ve read by McHugh but it won’t be the last.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.