Dr. Chloe Davis is a psychologist who uses her own childhood trauma to help her patients work through theirs. Unfortunately, Chloe still suffers debilitating fears as a result of her father being arrested as a serial killer of young women when she was twelve years old . Chloe self-medicates with illegally written prescriptions and alcohol which affects her memories and perception of current events. Chloe’s life is again turned upside down twenty years later when local teenaged girls begin to go missing. She begins investigating to find out if these newest cases have any connection to the crimes from her childhood.

In spite of some really bad decisions she makes, I like Chloe as a main character. She is intelligent, caring, and vulnerable, but with enough strength to get to the truth of who is harming the girls in her town. The twists and turns in the plot become dizzying. I was pretty sure I knew who was behind the killings but there were enough viable suspects that I wasn’t completely certain. There is some repetition in the middle chapters and some loose ends that remain at the end, but as a whole, I enjoyed the book. This is Willingham’s debut novel and I would definitely read further books by this author.

I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Minotaur Books. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

When Chloe was only twelve years old her father was arrested in connection to the murders of six girls over a span of three months, ultimately being sentenced to life in prison after giving a confession. Twenty years later she is a successful psychologist and is in a relationship with a man named Daniel, but she is hiding and fighting her own personal demons. When Chloe is contacted by a man wishing to write a story for The New York Times about her father she is forced to face her past, a past turning into a new present when girls begin to go missing, mirroring the crimes her father is in prison for. Can Chloe uncover the truth before another girl goes missing?⁣

A Flicker in the Dark is a truly gripping and twisted novel. While I had some things figured out rather early on, it still managed to keep me on the edge of my seat, wanting to know how everything would work out. There were other revelations that completely took me by surprise however. The characters are interesting, for the most part, but certain aspects about Chloe annoyed me. At times she seemed quite strong, but at other times she came across as rather weak, and this bothered me. I greatly enjoyed the ending and the “flicker in the dark” that occurs; it fit the story extremely well.⁣

If you like twisted tales of murder and revelations be sure to check out A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham, available January 11th; I highly recommend it. Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGally for gifting me a digital copy of A Flicker in the Dark, given in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.

20 years after Chloe Davis’s father went to prison for murdering 6 teenage girls in her small Louisiana town, it seems there is a copycat killer in Baton Rouge, where Chloe now resides and works. She is getting ready for her wedding of her dreams, but how well does she really know her fiancé. As she begins to investigate the new murders that are happening, she learns more about herself and her past.

This book was such a ride!!! I couldn’t put it down and definitely thought I had it figured out multiple times, turns out I didn’t. The twists were so good!! Hard to believe this is a debut novel for this author, and I cannot wait to see what she comes out with next!!

I truly found it difficult to put this book down, and ended up finishing it in less than 24 hours! This was an incredible debut, and I can see why it’s already been optioned for a limited series because I think it will work perfectly as a tv show!

We follow Chloe both in the present and in the past when her father was convicted as a serial killer. In present day, Chloe is a psychologist and has finally found someone she trusts enough to love and become engaged to, even though her brother does not like him. Chloe doesn’t talk to her father at all, and rarely sees her mother who is in a nursing home. She’s very isolated in her personal life which is understandable after everything she went through as a child and it really helps add to the tension in the book, because there are so few people in her life already and she isn’t sure which of them, if any she can trust.

I typically can have some issues with unreliable narrators, but Chloe was one of the more believable unreliable narrators that I’ve read, if that makes sense. I could see exactly what she was thinking and why, and it made sense to me what her thought process was instead of me getting irritated that her theories seemed so off base. It’s so easy to get invested in Chloe and you do feel bad for her after everything she went through and it makes it easy to understand why she still has trouble trusting others.

There were so many twists and turns through this book that I wasn’t expecting, which I obviously won’t go into because I don’t want to spoil anything! The writing was good, it didn’t pull me out of the story and it was super easy to just fly through this book.

This is definitely worth the read, and you should check it out after it releases on January 11th!

I love a good thriller! But I usually have the forethought to stop reading them late at night, in place of something lighter/happier. However last night I ignored my own advice and stayed up way too late finishing A Flicker in the Dark because I had to know how it ended.
Doctor Chloe Davis is a psychologist with her own established practice in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She's engaged to the perfect fiance, although her life is far from perfect - her father is serving six life sentences for kidnapping and murdering teenage girls in their small hometown when Chloe was in high school twenty years ago, and her mother can not communicate verbally, living in an assisted care facility since her suicide attempt after her father's sentencing. As teenage girls which Chloe has interacted with start to go missing in Baton Rouge, Chloe starts to question everything she thinks she knows while attempting to figure out what's happening.
Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This book comes out January 11th (my first review of a 2022 read - many more to come!), and I recommend adding it to your TBR! Although, I recommend taking my advice and not staying up late reading it - my creepy cemetery-filled dreams (when I finally got to sleep) were not ideal!

If I had to declare my favorite Mystery/Thriller sub-genre it would probably be literary thrillers. After a certain amount of formulaic twists that amount to little more than jump scares, the same stale domestic suspense running throughout, it can be hard to really get excited about upcoming titles in the genre the way I used to. But the synopsis of A Flicker in the Dark sparked my interest, the cover was an understated pretty, and I’ve been burning through nothing but fantasy lately, so it was time to mix it up!

The setup for Flicker is a newish perspective on a well-worn figure. Chloe Davis is the now-adult daughter of Dick Davis, a notorious convicted serial killer from Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. Now 20 years later Chloe has done her best to rebuild the life from the shattered pieces she was left with. She’s moved to Baton Rouge, is in a committed relationship and is experiencing professional success as a psychologist. Then right before the upcoming anniversary of the first murdered girl, Lena Rhodes’s disappearance, history begins to repeat itself.

Teenage girls are being taken and killed in a way that feels familiar to Chloe, and she’s having trouble coping with the difficult truths that she’s tried to bury for so long. But if Dick Davis is locked up behind bars, who’s responsible for this recent slew of killings? Is Chloe following the clues or is she creating a pattern where there is none? It’s hard to know who to trust when you’ve been betrayed so deeply before.

What I think Stacy Willingham does well here is really immerse the reader in the psychology of all that’s unfolding. You’re paranoid when you’re meant to be, unnerved along with the main character. There’s a gentle hand guiding you through the tumultuous emotions Chloe is experiencing. I do think it probably falls back on some of the more common tropes: a woman cracking under pressure, substance abuse, an unreliable narrator that’s not sure if they’re just ‘imagining it’, but Willingham still somehow makes them engaging for a reader well versed in the genre.

As for twists, yes there are several. I ended up suspecting the majority of them, but definitely not all! I think there’s enough doubt seeded through that even if you have an inkling of how something will play out, you’re never entirely sure. But this book is less about the *what* than the *how* and *why* of it all. Knowing a big chunk of the mystery isn’t going to ruin the book for you as it sometimes does with other thrillers. And you’re reading along for those answers just as much as you are to watch the unraveling of the woman at their center.

Unless we’re talking my standby favorites like Karin Slaughter, Tana French, Megan Abbott, etc. Or even newer voices like SA Cosby and Taylor Adams, who always break away from the typical model, I haven’t loved many of the thrillers I’ve read over the past year or two. Still, A Flicker in the Dark is a book that feels firmly worth your time, whether you end up falling head over heels for it or not. I’m excited to see what Emma Stone (!) and co end up doing with the project.

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.

Now 20 years later, a local teenage girl goes missing, and then another, and that terrifying summer comes crashing back. Is Chloe paranoid, and seeing parallels that aren't really there, or for the second time in her life, is she about to unmask a killer?

.
.
.

Wow, what a debut! A FLICKER IN THE DARK is a slow-burn psychological thriller that kept me guessing until the very end. Although Chloe drove me absolutely NUTS with some (...okay most!) of her choices, I really enjoyed how it all came together in the end. Full of twists, turns and shocking revelations, I can see why it has already been opted by HBO. I can't wait to see how it translates to the small screen!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for my ARC.

Beautifully written- visceral, haunting and Louisiana just adds to the atmosphere.
Twelve-year-old Chloe finds a box hidden in her parents' closet. It holds the jewelry of several girls, stolen and murdered in the night.
Twenty years later, Chloe is still damaged. Still recovering. With only her brother as family. Their mother has been in a care facility for years, a guilty commitment they both avoid.
Chloe has become a psychologist, desperate to help others in an attempt to heal herself. Engaged to a pharmaceutical rep - an accidental meeting, whirlwind courtship.
A young girl goes missing - eerily familiar, knocking on Chloe's memories. Why is her past screaming for attention?
Amazing debut novel. Slightly predictable but the imagery, those words -definitely stays with you.

A well-crafted thriller about Chloe, a psychologist whose father was a serial killer. Twenty years after his killings, copycat murders start back up again and this time, each victim is somehow related to Chloe. Lots of great history and story development leading the reader in disparate directions. This one kept me guessing til the end. Very enjoyable. #netgalley

Hearing alot of buzz and knowing this book was already picked up by HBO to star Emma Stone in a new TV series, I was so excited to discover what this book was about! I'm happy to say it did not disappoint. It was a solid book and I think it'll translate well to a TV show.

A twisty, suspenseful psychological thriller about a family after they've discovered their father is a serial killer. The book primarily focuses on Chloe, the daughter, who becomes a psychologist, treating patients twenty years after she discovered her father's murderous secrets.

I was surprised by the ending and the book was well written and kept my interest. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers and I look forward to reading more by this debut author, because I really enjoyed her writing style!


**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

Chloe Davis is a 32-year-old psychologist, working in Baton Rouge. On the surface, her life looks like perfect - she has her own practice, owns a nice house, and is about to be married to her amazing fiancé. But Chloe’s horrifying past
is constantly haunting her: when she was 12, her father was arrested and sent to prison for killing six teenage girls, some of them Chloe's friends. Chloe has never been the same since then, and now, when another local girls go missing in a way that feels eerily familiar, she can’t help but wonder: is she somehow connected to the murders? And, most importantly - can she stop the killer before he takes more lives?

A Flicker in the Dark started out as a strong, exciting thriller, and maybe that set my expectations too high, but I ended up pretty disappointed. I figured out the plot twist and the killer’s real identity before the halfway mark and I don’t consider myself to be difficult to trick. I also wasn’t impressed with Chloe’s treatment of her mother (the fact that she isn’t mentioned even once after she ‘serves her purpose’ for the plot, really bugged me) and the fact that Chloe fraudulently prescribed herself medication in her fiancé’s name. She wanted so badly to fit in and be ‘normal’, that I found it hard to believe that she would risk something like that instead of getting therapy and meds the legal way (after all, she became a psychologist to help people, so it’s not like she doesn’t believe in psychologists). The other characters were interesting enough, and I feel like we don’t get many books focusing on the families of serial killers, so A Flicker in the Dark definitely gets points for that.

Overall, despite the faults and the disappointing reveal, the beginning of the book drew me in and kept me wanting to read, so keeping in mind that this was a debut, I might give Willingham’s next work a shot!

Whew! What a story! A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham started out slow for me but picked up speed as I hit the midway point and I could not tear myself away from the story. What a premise; a psychologist with a dark past plus the murders of young girls with an eerie resemblance to the rash of murders done by Chloe’s father when she was a young girl. What is the connection? Who is committing these murders? And why is Chloe connected?

I stayed up way past my bedtime because I just HAD to know how the story was going to wrap up. I thought I figured out the murderer but then began to second guess my thoughts then went back to knowing who did and then changed my mind.

A super gripping story that will keep you reading past your bedtime too.

Synopsis:

When Chloe Davis was twelve, six teenage girls went missing in her small Louisiana town. By the end of the summer, her own father had confessed to the crimes and was put away for life, leaving Chloe and the rest of her family to grapple with the truth and try to move forward while dealing with the aftermath.

Now twenty years later, Chloe is a psychologist in Baton Rouge and getting ready for her wedding. While she finally has a fragile grasp on the happiness she’s worked so hard to achieve, she sometimes feels as out of control of her own life as the troubled teens who are her patients. So when a local teenage girl goes missing, and then another, that terrifying summer comes crashing back. Is she paranoid, seeing parallels from her past that aren’t actually there, or for the second time in her life, is Chloe about to unmask a killer?

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, sand NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my own opinion.

I gave this book 3.4 stars rounded down to 3. I have to say what I did like was that our narrator is a little unstable and self medicates, which I would probably do as well if at 12 years old my life comes crashing down finding out that my own father is kidnapping and killing teenage girls. But when I read a thriller, I like to be thrilled more, although at times I do like the psychological side too.

Anyway, even though yes I had this all figured out and the beginning seemed slow, I think this debut author did a really nice job and has a writing style I really liked. I will definitely read her again.

4.25? stars

This was a good, twisty story. I had a few theories about how it would end, but I never quite figured it out. I really liked some of the characterization as well as the basic plot, and the writing style largely worked for me. It also felt a bit longer than a lot of similar stories in this genre, which was kind of nice. It was a fun book, and I’ll definitely look for more by this writer in the future.

What a fabulous first novel for Stacy Willingham! This novel is a well-written thriller full of many twists and turns. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, everything changed. This author is one to watch for sure!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.

A FLICKER IN THE DARK has been described as “masterfully done”, and “eerily compelling.” I can see how many would agree, but this wasn’t my experience.

The story centers around Chloe Davis, the daughter of a convicted serial killer. 20 years later a copycat killer emerges and Chloe is determined to get answers.

The premise was great, but here’s the thing: I am a downright terrible sleuth and I guessed the killer and multiple twists very early on. I felt like the author was hitting me over the head with red herrings that could have been effective if more subtle. The plot points and resolution were quite spelled-out; it was as if the author didn’t trust me as a reader to piece things together.

I’m prepared to suspend a little disbelief with my thrillers, but I had a hard time here. As a speech pathologist, there were some communication elements that I simply found implausible given the context.

Finally, I didn’t appreciate that the protagonist was just another clueless woman with untreated substance abuse and mental health issues. While these are timely topics that absolutely belong in fiction, I would like to see more normalization of people seeking professional services.

A combination of print and audiobook made this a quick read. Karissa Vacker did a fantastic job and is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators.

I want to give some grace to a debut author because it’s no simple feat to get your words out into the world. The idea was great, the execution could have been better. I would consider picking up the author’s next book if it received glowing reviews from readers I trust.

RATING: 2.5/5 (rounded up to 3 stars for debut author grace)

A big thank you to Minotaur books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for an electronic ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story about a woman finding her way in the dark.

I really enjoyed this book! I thought I had it figured out at the half way point, and I was delighted to be wrong. I was so/so about the protagonists presentation as a clinician- but I didn’t find that it was a huge barrier to my enjoyment since you don’t spend a ton of time with her “at work”. I appreciated the uncertainty the author created- the character didn’t know who to trust and as a reader, you didn’t know either.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️. 🌟

This box was so beautifully done- & thank you again Minotaur books & St Martins Press for the eArcs!

This is a fantastic debut! Read easy, fast, and intense! I’m a big fan of an unreliable narrator. And the twists are pretty good as well, some a bit predictable but still a fun ride!

OH MY GOD.
If you are a fan of psychological thrillers and like reading about serial killers, what are you waiting for? GO READ THIS BOOK. I could easily see this book getting turned into a movie. And I would pay to go see it in theaters even though I know how it ends because holy crap that was amazing. Everytime I was sure I knew where this was going it went in a different direction. Thank you netgalley and Minotaur books for the chance to read this via e-arc.

Chloe Davis has spent her whole life trying to fix herself, and now as a 32 year old psychologist she helps others to fix themselves. While she’s tells herself she’s doing better these days, her family’s past is never far from her mind. Twenty years ago, her father kidnapped and killed six girls in their small town. With the twentieth anniversary coming up, Chloe can’t help but feel history repeating itself as girls in her now hometown of Baton Rouge are starting to disappear. As the disappearances continue, Chloe finds herself caught in the middle of the investigation and questioning not just every person in her life, but also her own memory and motives.

I’m a HUGE Karen Slaughter Fan, Pretty Girls will always be one of my favorite books. So when I saw that Karen Slaughter did a blurb about this book, and some reviewers were comparing it to her writing, I knew this is something I would love.

& I did, just not as much as a KS book.

Chloe is your typical unreliable narrator and can honestly be quite hard to like. She often has difficulty determining what’s fiction and what’s real. Mix that with her tendency to self medicate, her paranoia, and you’re got the perfect recipe for an unreliable narrator. Due to these this combination and the events of her childhood, it’s not really hard to imagine how she would immediately think the new kidnappings in Baton Rouge are meant to get her attention. She’s easily seen as someone to not take serious, especially by the cops, so of course what does she do? She decides to investigate on her own, which only gets her into more trouble.

From a prose perspective, Willingham does a fabulous job of setting the stage and engaging the reader. Her writing style is flawless, easy to read, and the flashbacks to Chloe’s childhood really added to the story. For the characters, while they’re written well, they fall into the usual stereotypes and outside of Chloe’s character we don’t really get to know anyone else to deeply. I don’t particularly like Chloe either, and while the events seems to change her circumstances, I didn’t feel her grow much throughout the story.

My two biggest negatives which brought this down from a four start read were the number of red herrings and the ending. Red herrings are great for masking the culprit or the ending but throw too many in the mix and they start to feel a bit stale. Once again they’re great for throwing you off the scent but I guessed the ending so early on, that they felt more forced than anything. In addition, certain events and plot points were entirely non-believable. I mean what pharmacy doesn’t ask to see your ID? My husband has to take my ID with him to pick up my prescriptions, but maybe that’s just where we live. What I’m getting at is, just be prepared to suspend believe in certain areas.

I really did enjoy this story and it’s a page turner. It’s just not something I would read again nor did it seem very original to me. I’m a little over the unreliable women narrators that come off a tad crazy. Maybe I read too many thrillers, which is totally possible, but I’d like for once for our ‘crazy protagonist’ to be male.

If you’re looking for a page turner than you’ll enjoy this book, and for a debut I think it’s good. I’d read another of Willingham’s books as she seems to have a promising writing career ahead of her.

A Flicker in the Dark comes out December 7, 2021. Huge thank you to Minotaur Books and St. Martin’s Press for my copy in exchange for my honest review. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof_books.