THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK.

I couldn't and never wanted to put this book down. The pacing was masterful. The plot I thought I had totally nailed down until the end of the book when I was left dumbfounded. An absolute suspense masterpiece that I adored from the first page to the last and one I'll be picking up for an annual re-read.

I was a little disappointed in this book. I feel like the unreliable narrator (who is self-medicating) is a trope that is over done and played out. This story wasn´t as unique as people said it would be.

I'm glad my luck is holding. Another book that I connected with and I was unable to put down.

Chloe Davis is a psychologist in the present time. She is trying to help teenagers and their trauma. After all, she knows something about trauma. When she was twelve, she discovered her father was a serial killer and he went to jail for it but the bodies were never found. This impacted her life and her older brother's life too.

Chloe is engaged to be married and she is thinking that life is finally giving her some happiness when a teenager goes missing and then another one after her. The situation seems too coincidental and it's eerie how much these cases have in common with what her dad confessed to. Is there a copycat? Does she know him? Is she close to him?

Read it to find out.


So what did I enjoy about A Flicker in the Dark?

I did enjoy this unreliable narrator despite her addiction to pills (which is new for me since I hate when the female character is impaired and is not sure if things that are happening around her are true or she is just imagining it). I was reading and listening as fast as I could.

Did I guess the plot?

Yep, from the very beginning but despite that I was able to root for Chloe.

Did I like the ending?

I think it was fitting.

Am I happy it will be a limited series on TV?

I didn't know Emma Stone was interested in this novel before I read it but I'm glad this book will be coming to life on my TV.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Minotaur Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book for an honest review in exchange!

Synopsis: When Chloe Davis was 21, 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 20 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?

A Flicker in the dark was one of the books I was anticipating coming out, and when I had the opportunity to read it via e-book i was so elated. This book gives off "is she crazy or mentally unstable" trope vibes. Slow in some parts, better pacing in others. I think this would be a fantastic book for someone newer to the thriller genre!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an early read of A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham.

Chloe Davis was twelve when her father confessed to kidnapping and murdering six teenage girls in their small Louisiana hometown. Now an adult, Chloe suffers from fear and anxiety, but she is moving forward with her life. She has a successful career as a psychologist and she is to be married in July. She is trying not to think of the upcoming wedding too much, as the date coincides with the 20th anniversary of her father’s conviction.
Then a local teenage girl goes missing, and will eventually be found in the alley behind Chloe’s office. Another girl goes missing and it turns out that she was Chloe’s patient and she disappeared after leaving an appointment at her office. A reporter contacts her – he is writing a story about her father and he thinks that there is a copycat killer on the loose. Chloe does not want to believe it, but she no longer believes in coincidence and the evidence all points to someone who knows about her past. The police interview her but are slow to make the connection with her father. Chloe doesn’t enlighten them, but sets out with the reporter to try to figure out what is going on.

This is a debut, and I think the author did an excellent job of building the suspense in the story. There are a bunch of twists and turns – just when you think you know who the bad guy is, something happens to send your suspicions in a different direction. Chloe is a smart woman, but burdened with the trauma of her childhood, she makes some big mistakes and she is going to have to revisit her past in order to save a third girl before it is too late. If you like thrillers with interesting female leads, if you like Lisa Gardner or Lisa Jewell or Shari Lapena, then give Stacey Willingham’s debut a try.

Flicker in the Dark is a debut book by Stacy Willingham. This book had twists and turns up until the end of the story.

This is the story of Chloe. Chloe’s dad is known in the town for being a serial killer of 6 girls from the area. As the 20th anniversary of the first death comes up, similar killings start happening and Chloe can’t help but feel like the killer is choosing people she knows. As Chloe tries to figure out the killer, no one is off limits.

What I Though:
💡This is a quick, suspenseful read
💡 Chloe might not be a lovable character, but I was routing for her the whole book.
💡 Even though I figured out who did it early on (a side effect from reading so many thrillers), I never wanted to set the book aside. I wanted to see how it would be revealed!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for a pre-released version in exchange for an honest review.

#QOTD: In this story, Chloe’s fiancé throws her an engagement party. She does not like to be surprised. Do you like surprises?

This is way too trope-y. I felt like I was reading a book written in 2015 coming off the Gone Girl craze. I won’t specifically spoil this for anyone who wants to read it, but just know it will look very familiar if you’ve read many thrillers. Very predictable.

I easily figured out who was doing the current murders and who did the older ones because I think the author gave too much away in her characters descriptions. Chloe was a mess and had a lot of struggles but she persevered. Give this a read as most will likely enjoy it.

When Chloe Davis was a kid, a bunch of girls went missing and were found dead. Her father was found guilty of murdering them. She and her brother have been a mess for most of their lives. Now, Chloe is a Psychologist and has just gotten engaged, it’s the normalcy she has always craved. But, then, a girl is found dead…. Her life gets turned upside down again

When Chloe was twelve, her father confessed to being a serial killer. Now, twenty years later,, she has for the most part put that past behind her.. She’s a psychologist with a thriving business and a doting fiance. But then the murders start again and, worse, all the victims seem to have links to her.

A Flicker in the Dark is the debut novel by Stacy Willingham and what a debut it is. It kept me engrossed from the first page trying to guess who dunnit. There are plenty of twists and turns and red herrings enough to keep the pages turning. If this is her debut, I can’t wait to see what she gives us readers in the future.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

This was an excellent book which not only sounded really interesting, but it also was just as good as the blurb made it sound but it also lived up to the immense amount of hype surrounding it by publishing date. I feel that alone speaks volumes for how good this book was because just living up to the hype is almost impossible nowadays. So why do I say this? Many reasons. It was really well written with excellent character development, characters I loved to hate and hated to love, and for me, the ultimate compliment when it comes to thrillers with any kind of twist - I didn't guess the twist ten minutes into reading. I did figure out the twist eventually but if I hadn't then likely the twist was something completely unbelievable that was thrown in simply to say no one could see it coming. Our main character is the daughter of a serial killer who is all grown up and has taken a very difficult childhood and been able to make something of herself, she's a psychologist, engaged, and is trying her best to live a "normal" life, when the past catches up to her in the form of a copy cat killer of her father's crimes. Much has been said of her being an unreliable, "drugged" up narrator. I think this is nonsense. I think the unreliability only added to the suspense because for me I understand that taking a little Xanax isn't going to make the narrator completely unreliable and unable to function. It's unfortunate how much people judge and place too much emphasis on things they obviously don't understand and are placing unrealistic characterization of what they judge a person who is coping (albeit unhealthfully) in a manner they don't deem "acceptable" personally and thus add characteristics that are in their own heads and not real. Off my soap box, but my point I suppose is I thought this was a clever and very realistic way of adding to the unreliability of the character (thus increasing the suspense of the story) and doing so in a very real, true to how one might cope in an unhealthy yet understandable way one might in real life, but it also didn't make the character as unreliable as it seems some critics seemed to think it would have. Anyways, this was an excellent story with relatable characters, twists I didn't see coming and a great story, a story I haven't read a million times before. Well done I would recommend this to any adult who enjoys thrillers, especially psychological thrillers. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read an arc in exchange for an honest review.

A Flicker In The Dark by Stacey Willingham

When Chloe was 12, her father was arrested. The charge was:: serial killer. This followed her all thru her life.
Excellent mystery thriller. Secrets and mishaps throughout. But you can’t guess who the guilty party is. Well-written plot. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

What happens when the person you fear the most turns out to be the person you love the most?

Twelve-year-old Chloe Davis loves her father. He makes her feel safe and secure. In a lot of ways, he's the perfect dad. That is, until he confesses to the murders of six teenage girls. Fast forward to twenty years later, and Chloe is a successful psychologist living in Baton Rouge, having left her hometown and painful memories behind. But as girls begin to go missing in Baton Rouge, Chloe can't help but see similarities between the current cases and her father's murders. As past and present become entangled and things hit close to home, will Chloe find herself in the middle of a crime spree again?
This stunning debut from Stacy Willingham really kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat. I have always been fascinated by serial killers and murder mysteries, so this novel was right up my alley. This story kept me guessing all the way through, with some of my theories being half right, and some being outright wrong. This novel is filled with dark secrets, twists and turns, and characters who will make your skin crawl. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good psychological thriller with a little sprinkle of serial killings!

Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ

𝑨 𝑭𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌
𝘉𝘺: @stacyvwillingham
𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘦: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense
𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳: @minotaurbooks
𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘖𝘯: January 11th 2022
@𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘚𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦: 4.11
𝘔𝘺 𝘚𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦: ✨✨✨✨ / 5 Flickers

🄼🅈 🅃🄷🄾🅄🄶🄷🅃🅂

I am not even going to place the synopsis here because this book has been all of this community. If you need the synopsis, go to @goodreads 😉

If you like a twisty plot that has you totally taken by surprise, this is for you. I just love a good story with lots of twists! This was such a great thriller! And although I used my BOTM copy of this book in my photo, I did in fact have this book as and E-ARC by @netgalley so, thank you @netgalley and @minotaurbooks for that copy as well.

I thought this was a solid thriller. The things I enjoy in a good thriller is when I am not sure who I can trust and when my theory is always changing. The storyline is one that definitely keeps me constantly guessing. However, one of my guesses was in fact the ending so it wasn't too shocking. But I loved it.

This will be becoming a tv series and I am very excited for that. I will most definitely be checking it out and hope beyond hope they get the right actors/actresses for the correct parts.

#quote

“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that, in the process, he does not become a monster. If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” ― Stacy Willingham, 𝑨 𝑭𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌

I had heard nothing but good about this book, but I'm sorry to say it just wasn't for me. It started out slow and (for me) it stayed really slow.

I did figure out early on who the serial killer was, but I'm not sure everyone will. While this was wasn't for me, I will still give Stacy another try.

#FlickerInTheDark #NetGalley #Chole #Daniel #Coop

This is a great debut, well-paced, compelling, and full of twists and turns. It didn't quite draw me in the same way other books in the same vein have, but I think it's a great rec for anyone looking for a new thriller author to watch.

You know when a book is SO hyped and then falls flat?? Well definitely not this one!

What an incredible story!!
Debut my A$$! No way Stacy hasn’t had any other work published?! Mindblown.

Prepare for an “edge of your seat” page turner that will keep you guessing!

I’m not sure how - because I never guess these things - but I either had my spidey senses on high or perhaps read a spoiler… but somehow I guessed the ending from very early on in the book. The most brilliant part of Stacy’s writing is that even though I guessed it, time and again I doubted even my own gut because the twists and turns had me questioning everyone and everything.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Stacy Willingham and Minotaur Books for providing me with an ecopy of this publication which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

This book has been out a month and its already named The Best Thriller. That says so much. A nightmare that has haunted Chloe for 20 years has come back to haunt her even more. This is a brilliantly written debut, it kept me guessing till the end! Saying any more about the story would give away the good parts. So I’m stopping here.

Thank you Minotaur via Netgalley for the arc

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!! I was absolutely shocked that this was a debut novel and it's safe to say I am looking forward to what the author writes in the future. It's been a while since I've read a fantastic who-dun-it and this one fit the bill in every way. It was atmospheric, had unreliable characters, a fair amount of twists and a shocking ending that left you trying to piece everything together! I'm looking forward to seeing the adaption on HBO!

A Flicker in the Dark focused on Chloe, a woman who experienced trauma in her past. She has grown up to now be a psychologist/therapist, who self-medicates with drugs to quell her own anxiety. She is on the cusp of moving on with her life, just months away from marrying her fiancée, Daniel. Her father had been convicted when she was a child of killing girls her age in their town, and the trauma she experienced from that has really formed her life. Now, when other girls begin to disappear (then turn up murdered) Chloe begins to wonder if it is connected to her. When some of the missing girls end up being connected to her, she knows that she has the missing piece of the puzzle to solve the case, if only she could figure out what it was.

This book has SO many twists and turns, it'll make your head spin, but in the best possible way! Chloe is certainly a flawed character, but you sympathize with her and root for her because she has been through SO much in her life. She saw her father being taken away by the police, her mother's attempted suicide and being basically left on her own after that. She is finally about to move on with her life when these horrible things begin happening again. The twists and turns in this story are captivating, and leave you on the edge of your seat. When everything falls into place, I was just amazed at the ending. Those who love twisty psychological thrillers will eat this up!

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.