A Flicker In the Dark by Stacy Willingham is a thriller about missing girls, murder, and the current day fallout from the murders. Chloe is planning her wedding but also dealing with her father’s role in the riders of the girls in her hometown when she was a child. Twenty years later more girls are beginning to disappear. Chloe is determined to find out what’s going on. Plenty of plot twists and action. Read and enjoy!

I had a lot of fun reading this debut. The story is told from the POV of Chloe, whose father is in prison for murdering several girls the summer Chloe was 12, and starts out with a clear depiction of how this still affects her even 20 years later. Chloe is trying to get her life back on track, but when another girl goes missing, not far from where she now lives, it heightens her already strong paranoia. Combined with her slight substance abuse issue, this paranoia makes her just unreliable enough to keep the reader guessing about who to trust. This was a fast paced read full of twists and danger. I will definitely be recommending this title.

📚 B O O K. R E V I E W 📚

Thank you so much @minotaur_books @stacyvwillingham and @netgalley for my copies of A FLICKER IN THE DARK! This one publishes Jan 11, 2022 and it’s one you won’t want to miss!

TW: drug abuse, suicide attempt, murder, death, drug use, addiction, self harm, miscarriage, stalking.
(These are listed on the story graph app from most severe to minor, it does go more in depth with the lists so be sure to check out the full list!)

This was such an interesting take on a thriller about missing girls who are then found to be dead. I really enjoyed having the perspective from someone “related to the killer”, and who is also a psychologist.

Chloe is just trying to live her life. She has a her own private practice, engages to a great man, and is putting the last behind her. When the past starts repeating itself, she is thrown into the middle of it again. Bringing up past memories and trauma, and copes by abusing pills she is able to get through her work.

A lot of people have said this book kept them captivated and they flew through it. While it did enjoy it, I didn’t find it as fast paced as others seem to have. That doesn’t take much away from the story tho because even tho I had my theories on “who did it” I was still wrong! The ending was nerve wracking and intense!

Thriller lovers, add this to your shelves ! I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next!

This book was so well done that it’s hard to believe that it is a debut novel! It had everything that I love in a thriller…a serial killer, an unreliable narrator and lots of plot twists! It was fast paced and kept me up way past my bedtime because I just could not put it down! I highly recommend this to any thriller lover, and I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next!

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the e-arc of this book.

An enjoyable read that had plenty of twists! I did find the story a bit predictable at times, and I can’t say I was completely surprised at the final twist. Overall an impressive debut!

When Chloe Davis was twelve, six teenage girls went missing in her small Louisiana town. By the end of the summer, Chloe’s father had been arrested as a serial killer and promptly put in prison. Chloe and the rest of her family were left to grapple with the truth and try to move forward while dealing with the aftermath.

Now 20 years later, Chloe is a psychologist in private practice in Baton Rouge and getting ready for her wedding when a local girl goes missing….
So so much telling- and first person introspection because chloe narrates whole thing

Interesting that she never seems to work after the very beginning when she had one client and since then nothing no mention of going to work or doing work or being at work or seeing patients I have a huge problem with telling us she’s a psychologist specializing in trauma and she’s got her own, and so she was drawn to psychology and trauma and we're never shown us anything about what she does or her in action to increase our lab ability to see her as a smart as smart and actually truthful in what she does
the police Asking her to come to morgue and look at body was very strange and didn't seem accurate.

This book continues to lose credibility for me when she goes and meets with a newspaper detective or newspaper journalist and gives him the inside details about some thing she saw when she looked at one of the bodies there’s no way that that that could be because even if the cops did show her the body which I don’t think whatever happened why would she go to a newspaper reporter with a detail about a murder that I’m sure the police would’ve said we’re not making this public or it’s important to the case this just makes no sense I’m finding it very unbelievable in the details maybe weren’t checked as far as police details. There was an abundance of similes that felt repetitive and annoying and detracted from the story

This is my third review recently where the main character has deep seated trauma from their childhood, but I felt it was real in this book. And I believed her struggles, and her reasons. Chloe is trying to move forward in life, and love but her past, with a serial killer father, makes that hard. And when young girl start going missing again, Chloe can't help but worry that it is somehow connected to her. Twists and turns, and an unreliable narrator that I didn't end up hating.

An amazing book that kept me turning the pages until the very end! Built on strong characters and a solid story line, this thriller was so good, I named it my monthly book club read for the month! Even more astonishing was this being a debut novel! A must-read, for sure!

What's happening on January 11th? It's the publication day of this awesome novel!

In my opinion, it would be an interesting add to the TBR of my fellow mystery lovers, especially since it's a promising first novel. Willingham is an author I suggest to follow! This one reminded me of Dark Places (but less dark) and The Nothing Man (even if it was only a 3.5 rounded down for me).

I know some readers didn't like the fact that the MC, Chloe, drinks and takes some meds. But, hey, I guess you would need some of these if your father was a serial killer! Hello, trauma! I understand that the trope of the unreliable narrator has been overused, but I didn't feel like Chloe was unreliable because of that (except once). So, all in all, it didn't bother me. One thing that did bother me was the irritating repetitions of the word ''flicker''. Each time I read this word, it broke my concentration because I noticed it (but I know that others appreciated this). Except for that, the writing flowed easily!

I'm sure Willingham's next books will be great as well!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and Netgalley, I'm so happy to have received an ARC!

One-sentence summary:
At the age of twelve, Chloe watched her father get put away for life for murdering six teenage girls in their small Louisiana town, and when a local teenage girl goes missing twenty years later, she begins to see parallels from her past that she can’t ignore.

—--

This psychological thriller is an excellent debut! It’s very well-written, and the protagonist - who is an unreliable narrator – is a compelling character.

The narrative alternates between Chloe’s present, as she is retraumatized by the recent disappearance of a teenage girl, and flashbacks from her childhood a couple of decades ago, when she slowly began to realize that her father was a serial killer. Now, in the present, Chloe is an empathetic psychologist, but she has unresolved PTSD from the past. While attempting to soothe that trauma, she’s developed an addiction to anti-anxiety medication that she attempts to keep hidden. This state that she’s in, which may or may not include inappropriate paranoia about her surroundings, causes you – the reader – to doubt her observations and impressions of others.

I was able to accurately guess the outcome early on, as I’ve read so many thrillers, but the writing was strong enough that I did have moments of self-doubt. In fact, what I enjoyed most about this book is that I found myself suspecting every character, including the protagonist; that is something that only an adept writer is able to pull off. And even though I may have guessed some things correctly, I was still surprised when the twists unfolded.

This was an incredibly well-written psychological thriller, and I look forward to reading more from Willingham!

It comes out Jan. 11!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for the ARC!

If you are looking for a twisted thriller with family secrets, serial killers, and how trauma from our childhood and teens carries throughout our lives, you have found the right book. This author kept me guessing from the beginning. With an unreliable narrator and twists and turns that catch you off guard just as you think you have it figured out, this book is magnificent. Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books. I cannot wait to read the next book by this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this wonderful debut thriller by Stacy Willingham - 5 stars!

When Chloe was only 12, six teenage girls went missing in her LA hometown. Soon her father was in prison, convicted of killing them. Chloe, her brother and mom were left to navigate their new world where they were hated, and try to make a new life. Twenty years later, Chloe is living in Baton Rouge where she has a private psychology practice and is soon to be married. Once again, her summer is shattered when two young girls go missing.

What a gripping debut! I tore through it and even though I had my suspicions on how it would end, there were so many well-crafted plot turns that had you questioning everyone. The setting was perfect - you could feel the heat and humidity of a LA summer mixing with the tension of the characters. I alternated between the digital copy and the audiobook - I felt the narration by Karissa Vacker was good, but with so many different voices, I felt it could have been improved with another male narrator. This book was purchased by Emma Stone for her to star in - can't wait for that as well as more to come from this debut author.

Hard to believe that A Flicker In the Dark is a debut psychological thriller as it is just so unbelievably well done! A story about a woman, whose father is serving life sentences for the murders of six young women, who is trying to slowly move on with her life when a new series of murders start happening 20 years later that seem eerily related. This thriller has it all - a quiet sense of nagging unease throughout, very atmospheric, red herrings galore, several unanticipated twists and turns and a many layered ending. Just when I thought that the story had ended, new unexpected plot twists emerged. It was like an onion slowly being peeled away. Just fabulous!! This is one amazing ride of a novel!! I know I have just read what will be one of my favourite thrillers this year. Flicker is out on January 11.

Thanks to the author, St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers at St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this e-ARC of A Flicker in the Dark.

A Flicker in the Dark revolves around Chloe, a now 32 year old living in Baton Rogue, Louisiana. In 1998, her father was found guilty of murdering 6 young women. Now, with the 20th anniversary coming up, more young women are beginning to disappear, and to Chloe, it feels a little too much like what happened twenty years prior. But with her father behind bars, who could be the culprit? A copycat, or something far sinister?

Okay, I have to admit, I’m probably in the minority here, but I didn’t care for this as much as I really hoped to. Maybe it’s because I’ve been reading so much lately, but I assumed the bad guy really early into the story from one line alone, and the entire time I just waited to see if I was correct. Spoiler alert: I was.

The storyline was a bit slow and repetitive for me, and while I appreciated the way the author tried to throw me off the scent, it just never fully worked for me. Almost every twist was something I saw coming. The only surprising part of this story was the final chapter. The author is a fantastic writer though. I absolutely loved the way she incorporated the word “flicker” so many times throughout the story. It really added to the book for me. Her descriptions were also wonderful, and she does a good job of building suspense.

A Flicker in the Dark releases January 11th!

Fantastic debut! This thriller is full of interesting, complex characters. I guessed the truth really early but I was still glued to the story. The pacing is excellent and there was still a surprise element I never saw coming. The ending was great and pulled on my emotions.

. . . ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭒
I have been seeing this one around a lot as of late, and I was happy to have it hangin’ our on my Net Galley shelf!

I must say, while I guessed the major twist very early on, this book held my interest firm throughout. While it didn’t give me those heart-racing, nail-biting moments, it was really well paced, and provided a great gulp read.

An unreliable narrator is an often used trope, which I can find quickly disinteresting, but not in this case. It was done really well, with just the right about of uncertainty, while still maintaining Chloe as a flawed but sympathetic character.

I find that thrillers often get rated on the element of surprise, and while that can be a weighty factor on how many stars it may ultimately receive, for me, pace and writing style is huge. This is a debut novel, and it is a slow clap moment for this author in terms of writing style - the writing in this one was descriptive, picturesque, focused, and emotionally in tune, all while taking me along on a well-paced ride. And while I’m hard to snag for the element of surprise, I appreciate the very subtle foreshadowing and intentional misdirections that keep me guessing.

‘Flicker in the Dark’ hits shelves tomorrow, Jan 11, and is definitely worth a read. A sincere thanks to @netgalley & publisher for a digital advanced readers copy of this book.

~👩🏻‍🦰

Cannot believe this a debut!!! INCREDIBLE. I cannot wait to read her next book & watch this as a tv show or movie (whichever it was optioned for!)

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham is a highly recommended atmospheric thriller.

Chloe Davis is now a psychologist in Baton Rouge, but twenty years ago, when she was twelve, her father went to prison for the murder of six teenage girls in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. Her father confessed, plead guilty to the crimes, and is serving six consecutive life sentences. The actions of her father resulted in devastation for her family and repercussions still affect her, her brother Cooper, and her mother today. Chloe has tried to move on and now, with the date of her wedding to Daniel approaching soon, she is hopeful to lead a normal life. As the 20th anniversary of her father’s crimes approaches, New York Times reporter Aaron Jansen calls wanting to interview her and begins to break her fragile hold on happiness. When a local teen goes missing, Chloe begins to see parallels with her father's crimes and begins to worry that a copycat killer has chosen the upcoming 20th anniversary to mimic her father's crimes?

The narrative alternates between following Chloe's first-person account in the present and flashbacks to her childhood twenty years ago. Chloe's post-traumatic stress disorder, paranoia, and anxiety become increasingly obvious and the tension rises incrementally as the story unfolds. It is clear that Chloe has not really recovered from her childhood trauma as she continues to look with suspicions at those around her and relies on self-medicating to reduce her anxiety and fears. This also will make you question her reliability. The plot indicates that the guilty party could be one of several people around her.

Chloe is the only character who is portrayed realistically. As we are privy to her thoughts and actions, she is developed as a complicated character who is sympathetic, unpredictable and flawed. Clearly she is trying to overcome her childhood trauma, but it is still fresh in her mind.

This is a well written debut novel for Willingham that will hold your attention throughout. Some readers will know what is happening early in the novel as I did, but there are enough misleading clues and suspects to keep you engrossed in the plot developments and begin to doubt yourself. The setting in Louisiana provides an atmospheric backdrop to the plot.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Minotaur Books.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Edelweiss, Google Books, and Amazon.

What a fantastic thriller debut! Although I had my suspicions about who the true killer was, there was a nice twist at the end that I didn't see coming. A FLICKER IN THE DARK gripped me from the very first page; I simply couldn't put it down. Stacy Willingham has got herself a fan -- I'll be reading anything and everything she publishes in the future!

3.5, really. A fairly coherent read overall, but with occasionally clumsy misdirection and a couple of things that just seem...improbable.