I was so excited for this since I loved McHugh's debut novel <i>The Weight of Blood</i>, but unfortunately I found <i>What's Done in Darkness</i> a bit of a letdown. I still like McHugh's writing style, but I found myself bored for almost the entire story. Not much happens and I didn't feel the same slow building tension that I did with <i>The Weight of Blood</i>. The ending especially was disappointing; the 'twist' was obvious and underwhelming, and the entire last few pages seemed to be a rush job to tie all loose ends up in a cop out.
Overall I do think it's written well, but don't expect to be dazzled.

What’s Done in Darkness, by Laura McHugh, presents a classic dilemma for book reviews. How do you rate a book if you think a bad ending ruined an otherwise good story? I’ve run across this before. Every reader has. But I’ve never experienced such a change from enjoying a book, being engaged in the mystery, to an ending I absolutely hated. I’m afraid to say that this is the case with this book. It’s a pity. I really was enjoying this book right up until the protagonist figured things out.

Five years before What’s Done in Darkness opens, Sara was kidnapped. Unlike many other young girls who are taken off the street (or highway in Sara’s case), Sara is not sexually assaulted. Her captor strips her of most of her clothes and brutally scissors off her hair—but then Sara is inexplicably released after a week a few miles from her home. We learn in flashbacks that no one believed Sara when she told her version of events. The police believed that she’s somehow staged the whole thing. Five years on, Sara is rebuilding her life. She’s cut ties with her very religious family. She works at an animal shelter and lives with a rescued mastiff. Sara is mostly holding it together, but the panic is never far below the surface. Her control evaporates when she gets a call from an Arkansas cop who wants to go over her case because more girls have gone missing.

The chapters in What’s Done in Darkness alternate between Sara now and Sarabeth, five years ago, when she was still struggling against the rules and expectations of her parents. I felt so bad for Sarabeth five years ago. For her parents and her church, the only path forward for a girl is to marry and then “be fruitful.” Sara isn’t sure what she wants, but she knows that she doesn’t want to marry a man picked out for her by her parents. So when Sara is snatched from her family’s fruit stand, it’s not hard for the police to jump to the conclusion that Sara arranged the whole thing. It’s also little wonder that Sara deals with her past by not dealing with it. She is very reluctant when Nick calls her. She only agrees to work with him when he plays on her sympathies about other girls who have gone missing near-ish to her old hometown in Arkansas.

What is a wonder is that Sara takes to being a detective like a duck to water. Using her sister’s imminent wedding to visit her old home, Sara starts asking questions that slowly lead her to the truth. McHugh threw in a few twists that, at first, I thought were headed to some very interesting places. I don’t want to ruin the book for readers who might be interested in reading this book, but I think I can say that I first thought that McHugh was going to challenge the conventions of the genre by not wrapping things up in a single bow, with a single culprit. But then McHugh forces the plot back into ship-genre-shape and writes a fairly simple solution to the mystery, with a dollop of the thriller genre for flavor.

Mysteries that buck genre conventions are tricky. They demand that authors create something original that also pleases readers. Traditionally, readers don’t like ambiguous endings or, for mystery readers, books where the villain gets away with the crime. But when the author pulls it off, we readers end up with a great read that pushes us to think about bigger questions than whodunit. That’s what I was hoping for with What’s Done in Darkness. This might explain why I was so disappointed when the plot veered away from some very interesting ideas and pulled into such a conventional ending. I’m trying not to completely trash this book. Like I’ve said, there’s a lot to like about What’s Done in Darkness. My problem is that all my good feelings evaporated in a rushed, cliched, simplified ending.

I really loved this book. Laura Mchugh is so talented and I cannot wait to read more of her books. This was a page turner and I could have kept reading. Hated to see it end. The story really drew you in and it felt like I was there. I definitely would recommend this book and any of this authors books. Such a wonderful read!

3.5 stars. This was a good and quick read. It was fast paced, well written and suspenseful. I would have liked more character development for Sarah and Farrow, which is why I only gave it 3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

What's Done in Darkness was a slow burn mystery that does a great job of character development. It examines what happens when people blindly follow religious leaders and how difficult it is to build a life outside of the confines of you've been told is true. As a native Missourian, I loved the setting in the Ozarks. I think everyone who loves a good mystery or thriller will enjoy this one!

Thank you to the publisher and author for the ARC!

I think this is my favorite Laura McHugh title yet! I was completely sucked in and read it in two days. The action begins immediately and doesn't stop, but there is some good characterization worked into it as well. I also enjoyed her use of flashback; it added to the story without giving too much away. My one complaint is that the ending felt a bit rushed and far-fetched. Overall, a very engrossing thriller.

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

PUBLICATION DAY: June 22, 2021

SUMMARY:
This is the suspenseful story of Sarah/Sarahbeth and her life before and after her abduction and subsequent escape from an overly religious and controlling family. What really happened the day she was abducted? Why does no one believe her story, aside from investigator Nick, the first outsider to truly listen to her side. Returning to the farm after many years away, what will Sarah find? What secrets does someone hope remain buried?

PROS and CONS:
Now this is how a book should be written - nicely detailed, great character development, just enough description to pull you in...I love McHugh’s writing style! I was super interested in seeing how it would all end - and I wasn’t disappointed!

READ IT?
Oh yes...Laura McHugh is a talented writer, she’s quickly moving up on my list of must-read authors!

5 Stars

I really enjoyed McHugh’s previous novel, The Wolf Wants In, so I was eager to read this one. Although it was very, very different in both storyline and overall tone, it definitely did not disappoint.

What's Done in Darkness is a well-written thriller about Sarabeth, a young farm girl in the Ozarks, who struggles to find herself after being subjected to her family’s ultra-conservative religious ways. By helping an investigator look into the disappearance of two young girls from the area close to where Sarabeth grew up, she also eventually comes to grips with her own abduction and eventual release that occurred five years before and all of the psychological trauma that it entailed.

By alternating from the past to the present, McHugh is able to present a complex and realistic Sarabeth, as well as other very realistic characters. And, the revelation of who is behind this abduction scheme in the Ozarks provides for an exciting ride through the novel.

All in all, this was a great read, and I look forward to McHugh’s next novel.

WHAT'S DONE IN DARKNESS is a decent thriller about a woman who escaped her religious fanatic upbringing but five years later is asked to confront her past to help the police track down and couple of missing girls.

The book is pretty short and I think that caused a lack of depth in both the world building and the characters, but it did keep it moving at a speedy pace so there was never a dull moment.

Also I was sure I had the ending figured out but I was completely wrong and I love when that happens :) :) 3.5 ⭐

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺.

What’s Done in Darkness is a thriller that focuses on Sarabeth as she, not only, begins to come to terms with her own abduction, but fights to find the connections and find two girls who have also gone missing. Sarah is forced to confront her past and present before it is too late.
Good read. I was hooked on the main character right from the beginning. I enjoyed how it flipped from past to present as the details began to come together.
Recommended to anyone who enjoys this genre. There is talk of abduction, rape, and even some child abuse.
* I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from Random House and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

This book has been getting a lot of rave reviews and I 100% understand why. You have a familiar set up with a character who has a tragic backstory returning to her hometown to confront a past trauma, and I think What's Done in Darkness really nails it on the head.

For books like these, I do like a lot of character development. The switching timeline between the past and present works better with this sort of story more than any other. Sarah's past is just as interesting as her present, as it allows the reader to explore these older events in order to puzzle together the final mystery and culprit of these kidnappings.

If you've read any of Laura McHugh's other books, you'll definitely enjoy this one too. A very satisfying read from beginning to end.

I've read other Laura McHugh books and loved them, but What's Done In Darkness might be my favorite. In her previous works, McHugh has tackled tough topics like abuse, sex trafficking, and drugs. In this novel, she explores an Arkansas fundamentalist Christian sect (think the Duggars). Tightly plotted and fast-paced, this novel lays bare how insular and protected these uber religious communities are, and how it leads to abuse and oppression. I thought McHugh deftly portrayed how female abuse victims are often accused of being perpetrators who willfully tempt men. They are told to keep the abuse quiet, so as not to bring shame onto their families. Keep it within the church. Also these girls are married off as teens (if you're wondering why lawmakers won't end child marriage in some states, it's because their constituents still engage in it). With news of Josh Duggar's arrest, hopefully more people will understand that religious sects like perpetuate a cycle of abuse and should not be glamorized on TV.

I gobbled up this book in one day.

McHugh has weaved a taut story as much about misplaced faith as it is about the natural desire for people, in particular young women, to find and embrace themselves without society (or their parents) pushing them into nice, submissive boxes. If shows involving the Duggar family creep you out (and I hope they do), this book will anger and horrify you in new ways. Loved Sarah’s resilience, and I agree with Farrow’s character: Sarah would make an excellent detective. I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing Sarah and Farrow again in another book!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy.

When Sarabeth was a kid, her family found God and moved to a small farm where she suddenly had to wear long dresses, follow strict rules, and give up most modern day amenities. As she edged closer to eighteen, she began to rebel, ready to attend college and leave behind rural Arkansas.

Then she was suddenly taken from the farm by a masked man …before being released relatively unharmed one week after her abduction. The police were skeptical about her story, unable to believe she’d be released unharmed after an entire week; her family didn’t even bother to report her missing, believing she simply ran away; and the odds slim her captor would ever be identified since she was blindfolded in the dark the entire time.

Five years later, Sarabeth now calls herself Sarah. She struggles with the trauma of her childhood and abduction, worrying people will find out about her past --- which means she’s not thrilled when an investigator named Nick Farrow contacts her. A young girl has gone missing and Farrow is convinced it’s connected to Sarah’s case. He requests Sarah’s help, asking her to return to the Ozark hollers she left behind to confront the past in hopes of saving the missing girl.

Laura McHugh never disappoints! She again delivers a gritty atmospheric tale full of complex characters with dark secrets. I appreciated the taut suspense and was surprised by the quick and convenient delivery of the climax. While it was a bit too neat for me, this is still an excellent multi-layered rural thriller I can highly recommend.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. What’s Done in Darkness is scheduled for release on June 22, 2021.

This was definitely a good read, that’s well written, fast paced, and pretty unputdownable! I had most figured out, which is why I didn’t give a full 5 stars, but did feel that it was a very good thrill ride, full of shocks, chills, and thrills! The character development was very well done., which is part of what kept me intrigued in the story! Intriguing, riveting, intense is good descriptors for this book!

Will make sure to buzz around platforms and use low Amazon reviewer number!

I'm sorry but I never asked for this book so I can't review it and I don't want it to affect my approval of books I do want. So if you want to read this book go ahead but I can't give it my attention at this time. It is a shame how I'm not getting any responses to why I'm getting turned down for ARCs I requested but somehow I'm granted a book I never asked to review.

This was my first book by the author. It was a little slow moving for me and some of that i think was appropriate for the slowness/boredom/repression of her earlier life. It alternated in chapters between her in current day and in the past, as she is brought in to help find some missing girls, that were similar to her abduction. The main character grew on me and I came to care about her and figuring out the truth

Good and at first i thought it wasn't going to follow the usual line even if it eventually did. It was nevertheless a very satisfying read.

McHugh's most satisfying novel yet. I was quickly drawn into this tale and the pacing keeps things moving at a perfect clip. McHugh could have delved a little deeper into the secondary and tertiary characters, but I liked how she kept the focus mainly on Sarah and the mysteries being unspooled both in the present and her past. Although I guessed several plot details early on, this didn't keep the book from being an entertaining ride that dabbles in some very dark corners and at times made me physically recoil. I feel like my wariness of religious zealots was definitely reaffirmed by the story's events.

There is nothing quite like a segregated religious cult to create a tense, atmospheric setting, which immediately put this book on my radar. I am happy to say that I wasn’t disappointed! WHAT’S DONE IN DARKNESS tells the story of Sarabeth, a young girl growing up in an ultra religious family in the isolated Ozark mountains. Like her peers, she is expected to grow into a good wife and mother, married off in her teens to a man of her parents’ choosing and from there on bound to house and home with the expectation of meekness and servitude to her husband. But unlike her younger sister, Sarabeth remembers a life before her parents joined the church, and she longs for the freedom she has since lost.

McHugh does a brilliant job in creating a sense of claustrophobia as we see the word through Sarabeth’s eyes. Her only escape from her strict parents is to offer her help in the household of a neighbouring family, where she enjoys things like TV, books or music, all banned in her own home. Sarabeht knows that soon this small reprieve will come to an end, as her parents are planning to marry her off soon. She longs to escape, but how can she get away, when her every move is being monitored by her family and the church? Sarabeht’s escape will come about through an unlikely event – one day, when stocking the family’s farm stall with produce, she is abducted and held prisoner for a week.

Now an adult and estranged from her family, Sarah (as she is now known as), still bears the scars of her strange childhood. When another girl disappears and police ask her to help them with their investigation, Sarah will finally have to confront her past.

Rolling out in two different timelines – one in the present and one from the POV of a much younger Sarabeth – the reader soon gets drawn into the sinister world of a strict religious cult where you cannot trust anyone or take anything at face value. And when Sarah returns to her childhood home, she once again puts herself in terrible danger.

I loved the way McHugh created tension by letting a young Sarabeth narrate the story of her everyday family life. There is an undercurrent of menace here that really got under my skin and made me feel trapped like an animal in a cage, envisaging Sarabeth’s bleak future.

In summary, WHAT’S DONE IN DARKNESS is part mystery, part a character study of a young woman coming to terms with her ultra-religious upbringing and the trauma of her abduction and captivity that has ultimately freed her from the confines of her controlling family. It is dark and claustrophobic and oozes tension, and kept me in its grip whilst also touching my heart. Noone quite captures the claustrophobic atmosphere of Ozark mountain villages like Laura McHugh, and if this type of setting appeals to you, I also highly recommend reading her earlier book THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD.