This book was slow to start and got very predictable at the end. It had a good story line, but things the author wrote became easy to figure out.

Enjoyed the story line. Great writing. Thoroughly enjoyed except for the repetitive words and words and words. Story could have been told in half the pages with the same results of a good story. Had to skim so many pages just to get to the end. Slow moving at times because of the words and words. . Wish author's publishers, editors, etc. would realize we don't need so many pages or words to make a great novel. Just need a good story line/plot. Author has a fantastic way of writing but would have been better without so many (and of course I'm repeating myself) words.

Beautifully written. The plot was just right up my alley. Sometimes I felt annoyed with Chloe but she pulled through. Great debut novel!

This was sooooo good. Truly dark and entertaining.

I did guess the “who” from the start, but it didn’t make the unveiling any less enjoyable. The ride to get there was intense.

Chloe had her ups and downs in the likability aspect. Sometimes I loved her. Other times I felt she was being obtuse.

There was a lot to unpack, and ultimately, I hope Chloe gets her happy ending. I think Daniel really loved her. So maybe someday they’ll work things out. Despite the lies on BOTH sides.

Very well done! I look forward to more from this author.

Wow! What a fantastic book. A HUGE thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for providing me a complimentary copy of A Flicker in the Dark exchange for an honest review.

This book hooked me from the description, "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?"

This book had me changing my idea of the idea several times. While I was pretty sure I had part of it figured out, it had some great twists. Overall, this was a fantastic thriller and one I would certainly recommend checking out!

A Flicker in the Dark is the story about a sister and brother who survived their father going to prison for killing teenage girls and a mother who attempted suicide, leaving the mom disabled and unable to take care of her underage children. Now 20 years later, Chloe is a successful psychologist and planning her wedding, her brother has grown up and continues to look after his little sister, and the killing begins again.

A copy cat is mirroring her father’s murders and ensuring that each girl is connected to Chloe. Who is committing these murders, Chloe is compelled to find out. The characters are well developed and the story keeps you guessing and entertains through the end. For me it was predictable, but for others I imagine it will not be.

The thing I appreciated the most about this book, is the the author's depiction of mental health and the impact it has on one's life forever. America wants to "cure" mental illness, but it cannot be cured, it can only be coped with and endured in a positive manner rather than a negative manner. As a twelve year old when her loving father goes to prison for killing her friends, she has mental illness, but she is coping, not always in a positive way, this is what mental illness is in the US and there needs to be more emphasis placed on helping people. The author did a good job of making you feel how Chloe felt and the constant 2nd guessing of her own sanity.

This was a really great psychological thriller! It’s quite twisted in a sense that you go through a lot of different routes! Right when you think you know where it’s going in the end you are oh so wrong.

Chloe Davis was twelve years old when her father was arrested for the murder of six teenage girls in her town in Louisiana. Fast forward to twenty years later and shes about to marry her dreamy fiancé Daniel and she has a thriving practice being a psychologist. She’s in a new town in Louisiana and all of a sudden two girls go missing and it all seems dejavú. But her dad is in jail how can that be related right? That is the question and the yellow brick road we follow!

Chloes character is so well put together and the anxiety and stress she feels bleeds through the pages. The writing really claims you into the story and as I usually do love the element of surprise endings, the only knock I have is it all came out in a quick fast hurry. Not the nice smooth build up tadaaaa reveal but felt like I just got slapped with the truth and then. The end. Regardless it was a good read and one I recommend!

Thank you St. Martin’s press and netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

A Flicker in the Dark quickly pulled me and kept me thinking about this book throughout the time I was reading it. The protagonist, Chloe Davis, has had a traumatic adolescence that included her father’s incarceration for the murder of several local teenage girls. Chloe is still fighting with the reality of this as an adult although she has been able to become a psychologist and is helping others now. As the 20th anniversary of the murders approaches, local teenage girls in Chloe’s new town start to disappear and wind up murdered.

I really enjoyed A Flicker in the Dark, and although I figured out a major twist early on, I was still enthralled with this story and couldn’t wait to see how everything unfolded. I look forward to seeing what Stacy Willingham writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

4+
Story is a then and now
Then: Chloe Davis is twelve years old
Now: Chloe is thirty-two years old.

When I started this, I felt terrible for the horrible experience that Chloe went through when she was twelve years old, six young girls when missing most were girls she knew as this was a small Louisiana town. She found a box in her parent’s closet which turns out to be evidence against her father.
She feels guilty that she may have been luring her friends to her father but also has mixed feeling that her father is guilty and she provided the evidence against him.
Now at 32 with a PHD in Psychology and a private practice in Baton Rouge, LA; she is still suffering from what her father did, however, turns to Prescriptions Drugs instead of therapy. ~ hmmm.

She seems to finally find happiness with a guy she says is too good to be true.
But in her paranoia she becomes suspicious of him. Their wedding is coming soon ~ are her suspicions of him paranoia or something to worry about?

I had a hard time figured her out ~ truly an unlikeable mess and then WOW!
What is going on?

I read enough psychological thrillers ~ so I know four things:
1. Expect twists and twist and turns!
2. Be suspicious of everyone!
3. The most obvious person didn’t do it!
4. There will be many secrets!

I was excited with #2 ~ Be suspicious of everyone!
I am usually caught way off base but this time parts of my suspicions were correct!

This was GREAT!
Congratulations to author, Stacy Willingham on your debut novel ~ a psychological thriller I enjoyed. I look forward to reading the next story by Stacy Willingham.

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press ~ Minotaur Books for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 11, 2022

A Flicker in the Dark was a solid debut thriller that I enjoyed reading. I thought this book had a good cast of characters and that the storyline following the daughter of a serial killer was very unique and compelling. The writing style was straight-forward with no extra fluff. This made for a quick, easy-to-read thriller.

I didn’t love the classic “I’m going to solve this very serious crime without the police” trope. And the ending got a bit cheesy at times. But my favorite part about the book was the plot twists! Didn’t see them coming and I thought they were really fun.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. Things are not always what they seem. A large murder happens when the main character is young and her father is charged and out away. She grows up to be a psychologist to help others process and grow through their grief and difficultly. But when she has to return back home, things prove to be way more difficult than she originally thought. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This debut thriller is fantastic! Chloe is a young women who has worked hard to escape her troubled past. At age 12 her father went to prison for the abduction and murder of six teenage girls. In the aftermath, Chloe worked hard to separate herself from her fathers crimes and become a successful psychologist. With her upcoming wedding and her practice thriving, Chloe is once again thrown into turmoil as several local teenage girls have gone missing and are turning up dead. The crimes are eerily similar to the ones her father was convicted of. Is it a copy cat killer or was her father wrongly convicted. This book is fulls of twists that you will not guess. I can’t wait to read future books from this author.

A slow start, but then it takes a turns & gets twisty! Twenty years ago Chloe Davis’ father was arrested for the murders of six missing girls in Breaux Bridge, LA. Now Chloe is a psychologist and planning her wedding. She appears happy, but deep down she’s losing control. She usually mixes Xanax with wine and wakes up hazy. Two girls have gone missing, is there a copycat serial killer?! This is an entertaining book to read, though a bit predictable. Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for a gifted copy! This is my honest review.

A twisty psychological suspenseful roller coaster ride from start to finish. Make time to read because you won’t put this down.

This is an interesting psychological thriller with some unique aspects to the plot line. The book centers around Chloe, whose father was convicted of murdering 6 young girls when she was a child. Chloe is now a psychologist, though still trying to outrun the demons from her childhood, when girls start disappearing again in a way that seems to be tied to her.

I love an unreliable narrator, and you get that in Chloe, as well as many believable red herrings. There were a few things related to the police investigation that caused me to have to suspend my disbelief, though, so be prepared for that. The pacing of the book was a bit slow, though it did pick up as it continued- I definitely felt that the author overdid the constant inner monologue related to Chloe's pill addiction- I found myself rolling my eyes as it repeatedly came up. The ending of the book was well done and there were some definite surprises.

Overall, this was a solid debut and I enjoyed it, though I would have liked to see some of the inner monologue cut down a bit in order to keep the pace up. I'd give it a solid 3.5 stars and would recommend for those who like psychological thrillers. I am looking forward to seeing what Willingham comes up with next. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for an e-arc of this debut novel.

Wow! what a ride....unreliable narrator, serial killer or two, twists and turns to satisfy the most ardent mystery reader. Can't wait to see what this author comes up with next. It will be hard to beat this one.

If you like mystery/thriller novels, this is a can't miss book.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins press for providing a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Outstanding debut novel from a new author. I thought I had it all figure out about a quarter of the way through but the last quarter had plenty of twists and turns that surprised me and moved this from a 3 star to a 4 star review. The book is a little bit slow in the first half, but really picks up at the halfway mark.

Definitely recommended and I am looking forward to seeing more great books from this new author!

A dark psychological thriller and addicting debut novel. The pace is slow to start as the author sets the tone and builds the characters but as the story progressed, I was hooked and pulled in for a wild ride. When I thought I knew the outcome, there was another twist that kept me questioning. The author masterfully switches timelines from past to present and captivates with illustrative descriptions. The ending is realistic and satisfying. Highly recommend this debut psychological thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley, Stacy Willingham, and St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books for the advanced copy of A Flicker in the Dark. Expected Publication: January 11, 2022; #AFlickerInTheDark #NetGalley

4.5 stars rounded up!

Chloe Davis is a psychologist in Louisiana with a troubled past. She was 12 when she found out that her father was behind the murders of teenage girls that rocked her hometown during a fateful summer. Her father was imprisoned, leaving behind Chloe, her mom, and her brother, Cooper, to pick up the pieces. Now, after twenty years, an adult Chloe herself in an all-too-familiar position as young girls begin to disappear in Baton Rouge.

It is clear from the start that as much as Chloe has desired and tried to forget the past, the trauma of that summer is still affecting her. Despite her status as a well-to-do psychologist with a loving fiancée, not everything about her life is perfect; she self-medicates with illegally self-prescribed meds, is constantly paranoid, and finds herself frequently flashing back to the past. I enjoyed that Chloe's character was properly developed before the more thriller-esque plot elements were really put into motion. Chloe, despite her flaws, is easy to root for because she is a realistic and likable heroine, and the other characters in this book feel three-dimensional as well.

I thought the mystery itself was really well-done as well. The dual timelines worked really well and helped demonstrate the eerie similarities between that summer of Chloe's youth and the present-day events. I did predict an aspect of the plot, but there were plenty of red herrings and plot twists that kept things interesting and made me doubt myself pretty much up until the big reveal. This thriller was creepy, dark, and deep in the way it examined its characters and the long-lasting effects that a past trauma can have.

As a whole, this is a remarkably well-done debut that I'd highly recommend checking out. Hopefully, Stacy Willingham and her debut novel get the recognition and success they deserve upon release. I, for one, can't wait to see if others liked this as much as I did, and I also can't wait to see where this goes as far as the rumored Emma Stone TV adaptation! Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for a chance to read this in exchange for honest feedback!

When she was twelve years old, Chloe Davis learned her father was the serial killer terrorizing their small-town home of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. Now, twenty years later, girls are going missing again, and her darkest nightmares seem to be creeping from the shadows.

A Flicker in the Dark follows Chloe, further on now in life, but it’s clear the repercussions of twenty years ago are far from over, especially for her. Despite a successful psychology practice and the beautiful home she shares with her similarly impressive fiancé, there are cracks in the bedrock; she self-medicates with alcohol and prescription drugs, and there’s almost no one in her life she allows to see through the carefully constructed façade of perfection she presents to the world. She’s smart, though, curious and perceptive, and she made for the kind of protagonist that’s just so easy to root for.

We’re given time to get to know Chloe before the thriller aspect of the plot kicks in, as well as the people in her life – all of whom felt just as three dimensional as our heroine. I really appreciate an author who can make time to establish her characters like that without sacrificing the plot momentum; I never struggled to remember who was who, or what they were like, and I never had to flip back a page to recall a conversation. There was a comfortably natural feeling about the people in this book that is even more impressive coming from a debut novelist.

This book was a really impressive debut all round, actually – Stacy Willingham’s brilliant characters were backed up with a fantastically twisty plot that still managed to feel plausible. There were a couple of moments where the writing lost a little confidence and explained more than it needed to, but that’s common for new writers and something that I always give a pass to in a first book. Overall, though, this novel sits comfortably as one of the most enjoyable thrillers I’ve read this year. It’s entertaining, victim-focused without crossing into preachy, and I know that Chloe in particular is going to be a character I remember for a long time.