Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advance reader copy, What’s Done in Darkness by Laura McHugh in exchange for an honest review. What an intense look at the psychological trauma of a girl before, during, and after, her kidnapping in a rural farm community where religion is grasped wholeheartedly by members and families and taken to extremes in daily life. Sarabeth is the female protagonist, living with her family in a small town. Suddenly her father injures himself and with his recuperation he undergoes a religious epiphany that Laura’s mother profoundly grasps. Now the normal family she truly loved; Sarabeth sees her books taken away, TV thrown out, switched for a move to a remote farm with no amenities, a new church, fervent sermons, bible readings, and crushing punishments, anger, and distance from her parents. Sarabeth is seventeen and wants to escape this stifling new family dynamic. But before she is able, she is abducted by a masked man, bound, stripped of her clothes, and kept in darkness and silence. After a terror filled week, Sarabeth is released and finds her family and sheriff do not believe her claims of the masked abductor. It is only when advocates finally get to speak with Sarabeth that she is able to flee and begin a new life, away from her family and thankfully, no contact. What I loved about this suspenseful mystery is how McHugh goes back and forth each chapter with Then and Now. This technique is perfect in building the taut uncertainty that permeates this deliciously deceptive thriller as the reader turns those pages in hopes of solving not only Sara’s (she now goes by Sara in a new town, with a new job and life) kidnapping but also other girls. A detective is able to state a case to her for the similarities in other girls’ disappearances. I rooted for Sara and readers will totally engage as the mystery compounds and unfolds. Both absorbing and affecting as a taut psychological mystery; readers will LOVE this riveting read! This book will be available June 2021, preorder it now!

Such a fantastic thriller!!! I have been a huge fan of Laura McHugh for so time now and What’s Done in Darkness is the perfect example of why! This fast paced novel is absolutely unputdownable!!! I can usually figure out the outcome of a mystery novel and I am not too proud to admit my conspiracy theories throughout this book were all wrong lol! Laura McHugh has a real talent in getting the reader wrapped up in well-spun web (which exactly why I adore her writing)! What’s Done in Darkness is a 5+++ star read that should be at the very top of your summer reading list! Trust me when I say this novel will not disappoint!

This is a twisty, unsettling new entry in the rural noir genre. McHugh is a writer I was familiar with but hadn’t read before. I’ll be reading more of her work, for certain. This is the story of a young woman who has her life forever altered once...her parents become religious fanatics and move the entire family to a secluded farm. Some would say the young woman’s subsequent abduction is the jump off point, but that’s simply a byproduct of her parents new lifestyle. When the young woman is surprisingly released, she decides to escape her family as well, creating an entire new life for herself far away. All of the darkness from the past comes hurtling back when an investigator contacts her, hoping something from her case will help him with a current case. Reluctant, she finally agrees. And this decision will lead her back into the darkness and revelations both shocking and heartbreaking.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this one. Very fast paced, had me turning pages as I tore through it – I had to see how it would end. The characters were well rounded and the narrative felt believable. Gave me chills. Solid five