I loved this fast-paced book. It is a story that keeps me wondering. Wondering if I needed to go back and read the last chapter again but is what I'm reading really happening or not? A great thriller if you are looking for a big distraction from real life.

The story is about Chloe. She and her brother Cooper both suffered through childhood with mystery, death, and despair. Their father was found to be a serial killer. Killing one of Chloe's friends. Chloe sees her father walk out of the backyard with a shovel slung over his shoulder. Set in Louisiana it's a story that is dark at times and gruesome but worth reading for the thrill of the story.

A flicker in the night, one moment you’re living at home sitting in the living room with your parents, your brother, and the next everything changes. This is the reality for Chloe who 20 years prior was forced to deal with one simple fact her father killed six girls, but is anything ever so simple?

20 years later the anniversary of the murders is approaching and Chloe finds herself right back in the middle of another serial killer and each time it seems to directly connect to her.

I found myself unable to put this book down as every few pages I had my own theories of what was going to happen, who the killer was and why they were doing it. Though I found myself wrong until the very last second. Every time I thought I knew what was going on there would be a new wrench thrown in my theory.

We are transported into Chloe’s inner thoughts as she reworks the past and how it has slowly started to merge with her present.

While this novel was more psychological than thriller I still enjoyed when all the pieces finally fell together in the end, details mentioned that seemed minor at the time becoming the most important in the end. This book taught me to pay attention to details no matter how small.

I just want to thank Macmillan Publishing, St. Martins Press, Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and Stacy Willingham for giving me this amazing opportunity to read this amazing novel!

When this ARC was making the rounds with my Goodreads friends, I kept seeing such mixed reviews. Some of you loved it, but some of you thought it wasn’t what you were expecting, so I’ve been holding onto this for awhile. It’s about to be published though, so I went ahead and read it - and you can put me in the group that really enjoyed this debut thriller!

Lately, I’ve been burnt out on “twenty years ago, blah blah blah happened, and now it’s all happening again” stories. This is one of them, and it follows the same formula, but I still liked it. Chloe was twelve when young girls started going missing in her small Louisiana town, and in present day, history is repeating itself. Now, Chloe is an adult, a psychologist who seems to need a little help herself. Her father was arrested twenty years prior and is now in prison for those murders, and she’s living life as the daughter of an notorious serial killer.

When young girls start going missing again, Chloe’s life is flipped upside down. She’s about to get married, but this puts a damper on the occasion, and now she’s got a journalist from the New York Times bugging her and her family for information. Her brother is also bugging her, not for information, but because he doesn’t trust Chloe’s fiancé. Her mother’s health is failing, and everything is going wrong at once. She’s at a breaking point with her personal life when the police also come around again, stirring up the past, and Chloe’s old emotions. Can they find the copycat killer before more girls are found dead?

I figured out the ending about a quarter of the way through, but with many red herrings, I was second-guessing myself. While this is a pretty predictable book, the author put effort into planting seeds of doubt throughout the story. And the WRITING! It was exceptional, especially for an author’s first book. Even though it was slightly formulaic and relatively easy to guess the ending, I still really liked this one. 4/5 stars for a great debut, and I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on this author!

(Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Stacy Willingham, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

This debut book had my full attention! It was fast-paced and full of twists and turns. When I thought I had something figured out, I was proved wrong. This book was surprising until the end and I felt like it wrapped up nicely.

The only negative I have was that some of the flashbacks were difficult to keep up with, but it was easy to catch back up. I really enjoyed this book.

Fantastic novel, very compulsive from start to finish. My only complain is that I still have LOADS of questions that I feel could have all been answered if 5-10 more pages were5 written. I did really love how it felt like a game of clue, how you were never sure who was the real killer. The ending did completely catch me by surprise and loved how atmospheric the whole book was.

This was a great thriller! I predicted it early on and I read some other reviews that this happened to other readers but it was so good I don’t mind. It kept me engaged the whole time and I would recommend it to people who like true crime mysteries. Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this opportunity to read and review.

I absolutely adore crime thrillers — give me a dysfunctional family with deadly secrets, a serial killer, and a slew of possible suspects and I’m happy. Reading this book was a sublime experience. From the first chapter, I was fully immersed in Chloe’s story.

20 years ago, six girls went missing in Chloe’s hometown. By the end of summer, her father had been arrested for their murders. And Chloe suffers from debilitating fear of the dark even now. With the 20 year anniversary of her father’s crimes coming up, Chloe is busy planning her wedding to her dream man and trying to distract herself from thoughts of the past. But soon more girls are missing and it seems to be the work of a copycat killer leaving clues specifically for Chloe…

Y’all this book is an incredible pageturner and you’re going to want to read it ASAP! Publication date is January 11, 2022. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I think I have found a new favorite author! ❤️

"Monsters don't hide in the woods. They aren't shadows in the trees or invisible things lurking in darkened corners. No, the real monsters move in plain sight."

This exciting debut psychological thriller from Willingham which puts a fresh spin on the serial killer genre is 100% worth the read. I went into this book blind and I would honestly recommend that other readers do the same. This story was well-written and well-executed with multiple twists and turns. I love a small-town, missing girls mystery with endings I cannot predict.

Read this book if you like:
🔪 Dark, psychological thrillers
🔪 Fast paced reads
🔪 Unreliable narrators
🔪 Surprise endings

As a young girl, Chloe was afraid of monsters and always ran home to her safe place. Little did she know that the monster she was running from was living in her own home. Twenty years later, Chloe is a Psychologist, engaged to be married and has her own practice. It’s the anniversary of the missing girls from her childhood and the arrest and conviction of her father. When a reporter contacts her to do a follow up story all these years later, she’s left uneasy and when a young girl goes missing she’s right back in the thick of it. Willingham has done a great job of keeping the reader on edge throughout her debut novel. Filled with twists at every turn and narrated by Chloe, who just might be slightly unhinged, this book was difficult to put down!

First, thank you so much Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

A Flicker in The Dark is atmospheric and dark, the subject matter obviously heavy. So just fair warning, if you’re looking for a fluffy thriller, this is not it.

But with that warning out of the way…THIS BOOK! At 30% in, I was completely hooked. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen, Stacy Willingham deftly swerved, again and again, leaving me turning page after page, desperate to know the truth.

A must add mystery/thriller for your 2022 reading list.

Expect the unexpected! I had heard that what you think will happen in this book isn't the whole story, so I made wild guesses throughout the book and I was STILL off! Stacy Willingham is a powerful storyteller, her scenery is descriptive, but not overly so, and being inside the head of Chloe had me questioning my own mind. Is this another unreliable narrator or not? Hmmm you will have to read it for yourself! I finished this book in one day, staying up way too late at night because I just could not put it down. The ending was fantastic, it left me wanting more but at the same time feeling very satisfied. I highly recommend. I cannot wait to read more by Stacy Willingham, a force to be reckoned with.

Chloe's a psychiatrist with a perfect fiancé and a fiercely protective brother. She's also got an addiction to pills, a fear of just about everything, and a serial killer father who has been in prison since Chloe was 12. I guess you CAN have it all.

I can tell this is going to be the sort of book that rolls around my head for some time. I'm equal parts fascinated and furious with the way things turn out. It's exactly the right ending but I'm so angry that nothing gets resolved the way it would in a perfect world.

There's a very few plot holes, but otherwise this is a very competent thriller. I'll be recommending it.

I am going to be honest I had a very difficult time getting into this book. Chloe has understandably a lot of issues to work out and I kind of liked how she self analyzed and tried to cope as healthily as she could. That being said the reason I had such a hard time getting into it is how slow the book is. I find it fascinating that the premise is that the father was the serial killer, but for the longest time there's just no action.

I thought the book was excellently written and I loved all the little clues Willingham leaves for their reader. All in all a fantastic book.

I think my issue is calling it a thriller/horror. Yes, there were some TRHILLING moments, as well as some horrifying ones, but I just felt that Willingham slowly leads us into it rather than bam first page we're off. I know that Slow Burn is usually just for romances, but maybe we should start adding it to thriller and horror books as well.

All in all an excellent book and would 100% recommend.

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham, what a pleasure. Thank You to Stacy Willingham and Netgalley for the opportunity to enjoy this novel. I was on the edge of my seat, and multiple times throughout, I thought I had this story pegged. Wow, was I wrong about everything. This is a twisty tale of serial murder, by the likes of whom I never expected! A must read thriller!

Thank you @netgalley, @stmartinspress and @minotaur_books for this advance reader’s copy.
.
I really enjoyed this thriller about psychologist Chloe Davis, whose father is in prison for killing several young girls when Chloe was only a girl herself. When young girls around Chloe start disappearing again, she feels compelled to get to the bottom of it.
.
This was a fantastic debut from Stacy Willingham. Compulsive and suspenseful, this page turning thriller had me on the edge of my seat. I figured out one element of the mystery before the end, but there were plenty of other twists and turns that made me uncertain about my suspicions up until the very end. I can’t wait to see what Willingham writes next! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
.
A Flicker in the Dark publishes January 11th.

When I requested A Flicker in the Dark, I anticipated a thriller. This is far more of a character study with an undercurrent of suspense, so it’s best to adjust your expectations accordingly.

While I normally love character studies, I thought the pacing of this one dragged with repetitive content. We spend a lot of time with Chloe in contemplation, as she freaks out, pops pills, mentally rehashes events, and pops more pills with a few drinks. I needed less pity party and more forward motion.

The last quarter of the book finally picks up, and we’re treated to all sorts of revelations. At this point though, I wasn’t surprised by anything. Still, I enjoyed the way it unraveled.

In fairness, I’ve grown weary of the damaged, functioning addict hero/heroine trope. The writing is engaging, but I just wasn’t wowed.

I really struggled with deciding how to rate this. Parts of it I really enjoyed and parts of it did not work for me at all.

First, I thought that it had a really strong start, I was pulled into the story and didn’t want to stop reading; to the point that I then requested the audio on @netgalley so that I could listen to it when I couldn’t read. The narrator is excellent, I actually preferred the audio! I did figure out the ending very early on, however, the writing was still strong enough to keep me reading and more than once, doubt my original prediction.

However, there were a few negatives for me. Chloe’s actions often didn’t make sense to me - repeated bad decision making by protagonists is something that always bothers me in thrillers. The inclusion of addiction felt unnecessary, and in my opinion, added very little to the story. Lastly, while the writing kept me reading and questioning my original theory occasionally, I would have preferred to not have been able to guess the ending so accurately, so early on.

Thank you @netgalley and @minotaurbooks for the DRC and ARC and @netgalley and @macmillanaudio for the ALC.

This is a quintessential thriller and I couldn't put it down.

This book makes you feel like you're in on it and you know what's happening, then suddenly you don't. Then oh another plot twist.

The main character Chloe is the daughter of an infamous serial killer who has been in jail for 20 years. Her life is different, she's a therapist and has moved on and created the perfect life for herself - or so she thinks. When someone starts copying her father's crimes, it becomes too much especially when they all seem to have a connection to Chloe.

Thank you to Stacy Willingham, Macmillan, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Okay Willingham, I see you!! I was about to write this one off because I found it predictable but nope, I was dead wrong! This novel had a true crime feel to it and I could not put it down. Throw in the twists and it’s a solid 4.5! I really enjoyed this novel and I think any thriller reader will feel that same. Excellent, and a debut?! Wow!

Twenty years ago Chloe’s life changed in a way no one could imagine. She learned what a monster truly is after 6 teenage girls go missing from her community. As if they isn’t scary enough, it is her father who is put away for the disappearances. Now, twenty years later she is still coming to terms with it and trying to piece her life together. In a way, she has. She’s a successful psychologist and engaged to a wonderful man who truly knows her. Things seem to be going alright, until girls start to go missing in her new town. And they are eerily similar to the earlier disappearances… or is she just paranoid? Could it all be connected?






*potential spoilers do not read on if you haven’t read *


My only issues where with there being too many paths of deterrence. Once the plot was resolved, the story with Lena’s dad felt irrelevant and like it didn’t add anything. And I’m not sure it is totally clear why “Aaron” was pretending to be a reporter and trying to get close? Unless it was for Cooper to keep tabs? Whatever the case, it’s unfortunate he died if he wasn’t behind the additional murders. I also would have liked a resolution scene between Chloe and Shannon after Riley is found. Still such an excellent debut!!

Ok Stacy Willingham, I see you! What an impressive debut!

A FLICKER IN THE DARK is a psychological thriller that kept me guessing until the end. I am just finding out that this book has been adapted by HBO and casting Emma Stone. I cannot wait!

When Chloe was twelve years old, girls were going missing in her small town of Louisiana and shortly after Chloe discovers a box hidden in her parent's closet with girls jewelry.... hmmm interesting! 20 years later, she is a psychologist, treating patients when one of her new patients goes missing...

Great writing, I couldn’t put this one down! Hard to believe this is a debut novel. This author is one to watch out for. I will be waiting for her next book. 5 stars!

A big thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this amazing debut.