I was given. an Arc of this book for an honest review. Thank you Net Galley ! This was an exciting book with lots of thrills and trying to guess the villain was difficult. I actually got it wrong . I really enjoyed it but did think there were just a little bit too many people involved towards the end. I would still recommend this book for sure .

Chloe Davis is a psychologist living in Baton Rouge with a thriving practice after surviving a tortuous childhood after discovering she was the daughter of a serial killer. Chloe is in the midst of planning her upcoming wedding when news of a missing young girl brings back memories of her father's horrific murders twenty years ago. Chloe presents a stable appearance to others unfortunately she still deals with the demons from her past on a regular basis while helping herself to a variety of mind numbing drugs and alcohol that she has easy access to. When another girls goes missing and happens to be a new patient of Chloe's she believes there is a copycat killer wanting her attention but no one seems to believe her but Chloe knows these murders won't stop until she discovers who would want to recreate the horrific crimes that literally destroyed her family and and the small community where she grew up.

This was a clever and well-written book by Stacy Willingham that had me glued to to each page from the first chapter until the final chapter. I thought the storyline was intriguing with well-developed characters having their own back story which helped make the book suspenseful and unpredictable. I enjoyed the very flawed character of
Chloe with all her struggles very
much and was entertained by all the red herrings and twists ​that the writer took to keep the reader guessing.
I did find a few parts questionable yet it didn't affect my enjoyment of the story. I highly recommend this suspenseful book and will look forward to reading more by this author.

I want to thank the publisher " St. Martin's/Minotaur Books" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and any thoughts and opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given this captivating story a rating of 4 GRIPPING AND DISTURBING 🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!

A woman is forced to relive the memories of a horrific crime from her childhood when similar crimes begin happening again. As she fights to maintain some normalcy, she begins to suspect that the new crime wave is connected to her. Author Stacy Willingham gives readers a solid debut in the mostly compelling but sometimes problematic novel A Flicker in the Dark.

When Chloe Davis was 12 years old, an awful crime spree hit her small Louisiana town of Breaux Bridge. Someone began abducting young girls and murdering them. The residents of the town held onto their daughters tight, and families began imposing new rules and curfews on their children. Chloe’s idyllic childhood seemed on the verge of cracking apart. Late that summer, when her father confessed to the abductions, Chloe’s world shattered into a million pieces.

Now, twenty years later, Chloe’s done pretty well for herself. She and her older brother, Cooper, managed to grow up, go to college, get jobs, all of those things that define normal for a life that most certainly is not. Chloe lives in Baton Rouge and is a therapist, trying to help people make sense of the trauma in their lives. She also has her own home and love in her life; she and her fiancé, Daniel, are set to tie the knot in July.

On the surface it looks like Chloe is not only surviving but thriving after her father’s terrible deeds. Only she knows how hard it is for her to function; some days she can do it without the prescription drugs she hides in her desk. Other days she counts down hours until she can pop a pill.

Then word breaks that a girl has gone missing right there in Baton Rouge. Days later investigators find her body, and Chloe feels like she’s been sent back twenty years to that awful summer when the man she trusted most in the world—her father—turned out to be a monster. Since that time, Chloe has struggled to reconcile the man she knew with who he was revealed to be.

A second girl goes missing, and Chloe’s world begins to spiral back into the past. What’s worse is that she has a connection to both girls. It might sound crazy, but Chloe gets the strong hunch that the murderer is trying to send her a message.

The police don’t know what to make of her claims, but Chloe is determined not to let any more girls get hurt. With the help of a reporter interested in the upcoming anniversary of her father’s confession, Chloe begins to sift through the information on hand to see if she can find anything that will make a difference. She couldn’t do anything the first time, when her dad committed the crimes, because she was a child. This time, she’s determined things will be different.

Author Stacy Willingham proves her ability to put together a strong mystery in this debut novel. Chloe is well developed as a character, and by writing her in first-person point of view Willingham allows readers to get close to Chloe in a way that enhances the plot. Chloe’s ambivalence toward her father and her fear for the young women in present-day Baton Rouge are convincing and palpable.

The book struggles in putting forward suspects for the new crime spree. Willingham shines a spotlight so brightly on one person that, despite worthy efforts to make them look guilty, it’s obvious they aren’t. More astute readers may guess about halfway through the novel who the killer is and their connection to Chloe; nevertheless, the unfolding of events and careful detailing are engaging to the end and provide satisfaction of finding out whether the guess was correct.

A few small errors might pull readers out of the story and make them ask questions. For the most part, though, the book is a solid read. Those wanting a worthy entry to the thriller genre that falls in line with its contemporaries should check this out.

Okay, WOW!! What a heck a of a debut!! This was such a great thriller! I really like to consider myself “seasoned” when it comes to thrillers and somehow this one still got me! The writing was just beautifully done. I will say in the beginning, things were a bit slow, and I wasn’t quite sure if I was going to like this, but then the story took off like a jet plane. Really enjoyed this one and looking forward to future works from the author!! 4.5 stars!

I really enjoyed this quick, fast paced thriller. I know that many of the reviews have referenced early red herrings and twist reveals but I found these to add to the reading experience. While I recognized the early reveals, I felt like they were nestled in the plot in a way that still kept me questioning if I really had figured it out until everything was confirmed in the end. I really enjoyed this one and recommend it for a quick, fun suspense/thriller.

Many thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinPress #MinotaurBooks for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is the first book I have read by author Stacy Willingham and I am really impressed!

There were lots of twists and turns, suspense, a great thriller about a serial killer.

The author keeps your attention and keeps you guessing from beginning to end. I loved this book and would highly recommend it!

5 Stars

I was a very tense fly on the wall during this mystery/thriller.

Chloe seems like she has things together, but looking closer you realize she has major childhood baggage and sometimes copes with it in illegal ways. She also has a history of calling "murderer" when something doesn't add up, which means it's harder to go to the authorities when she becomes sure that someone in her life is killing the way her father did 20 years ago. I loved how the misdirects all made sense and added up to a situation where anyone would be jumpy.

I've been excited to read this one ever since I first heard of it - and when it was selected as one of the December Book of the Month club options, I was even more excited to read it! And it's solidly entertaining - and certainly a strong debut noel. Chloe Davis narrates here - a psychologist with her own practice, a wedding coming up in a few months - and the 20th anniversary of the crimes that put her father in prison for life. Soon Chloe feels overwhelmed by the past when girls start going missing again in an uncanny echo of the murders and disappearances from 20 years earlier. The stresses of the past bring back unhealthy coping mechanisms, making Chloe a somewhat untrustworthy - and unlikable - narrator. I am not sure that the ultimate twist will surprise every reader, but I am sure every reader will be satisfied with the way the pieces fit together. I wish that the ending had a bit more to it.. Chloe's character growth is left a bit unfinished... and there were a few scenes that I expected that the ending did not deliver. But, I appreciated the Baton Rouge setting. I can see why this was a BOTM pick - I think it's sure to start some lively discussions! I do sort of wish that I had kept a tally though of how many times the word "flicker" appeared in the text though! I am curious to see what Willingham will write next!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this title. This was a juicy, fast paced thriller that was easy to read in 1 or 2 sittings. I did guess one of the twists, arguably the the biggest, from the beginning. But I did not anticipate all of them. A good read for psychological thriller fans, but nothing really special.

This was an impressive debut novel from Stacy Willingham. There is a lot of suspense and unexpected twists and turns. At times I found the writing to be overally flowery and repetitious. However, this did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the story.

A Flicker in the Dark is the debut of author Stacy Willingham. When Chloe Davis was twelve, six teenage girls went missing in her small Louisiana town of Breaux Bridge, the Craw fish capital of the country and were never recovered. One of the girls was Chloe's friend. By the end of the summer, Chloe had found damaging evidence. Chloe’s father had been arrested as a serial killer and promptly put in prison where he's serving back to back life sentences. Chloe and the rest of her family were left to grapple with the truth and try to move forward while dealing with the aftermath.

Her mother escaped into herself, doing less and less for herself and her family until she can handle life any longer. Now 20 years later, Chloe is a psychologist in private practice in Baton Rouge and getting ready for her wedding to Daniel Briggs. In reality, Chloe is a mess. She self medicates with prescription drugs and alcohol. She rarely visits her mother, who lives in a care home after trying to commit suicide. Her older brother, Cooper, is dealing with their past in his own way, staying close to Chloe but also adding more stress to her life.

For some reason, Cooper dislikes Daniel and he's always at her that Daniel isn't who she thinks he is. To make matters worse, a local teen named Audrey is reported missing. Then one of Chloe's own patients goes missing. Is she paranoid, and seeing parallels that aren't really there, or for the second time in her life, is she about to unmask a killer? To make matters even more cloudy, an alleged reporter named Aaron Jansen contacts Chloe asking questions about what happened 20 years ago. Could Daniel somehow be involved, or is it the mysterious reporter with an agenda, or could it be someone else entirely?

What makes this book twisted is Chloe herself. Chloe is your classic unreliable narrator. She often difficulties separating what's real from what isn't, which isn't helped by her pharmaceutical habits which she sometimes uses Daniel to avoid people asking too many unwanted questions. She's paranoid, convinced that these new victims are someone specifically toying with her, setting her on her own amateur investigative path to find who's copying her imprisoned father's past actions, since virtually no one else believes her suspicions.

This is a fairly impressive debut by the author and I look forward to see what she creates next.

Who would you be if your dad was accused (and found guilty) of murdering multiple young girls, your mother checked out on you and your brother, and your the one who put your dad away? What kind of person would that make you, who would you become? When murders start happening again the stakes become higher. The writing of this book is spot on. I couldn't put it down.

A Flicker in the Dark is a thriller by debut author Stacy Willingham, it's a book that grabbed my attention initially with its cover - one can almost feel the creep factor.

With a unique POV - the daughter of a serial killer. While sympathetic to her plight and all she and the family went through 20 years ago she was an unreliable character. An reliable character is good, it leaves me wondering and at times second guessing my predictions.

This was a well written story going back in time to see what happened and how these crimes were committed. As history begins to repeat itself, opening the door to either a copy cat or maybe, just maybe they got the wrong guy - but he didn't confess, or did he? I enjoyed this book, the suspense, the clues and the not knowing who to believe.

Hats off to Stacy Willingham for this solid debut, definitely will be on the lookout to see what she comes up with next.

My thanks to Minotaur Press (via St. Martin's Press and Netgalley) for a digital copy in exchange for a honest review.

“I fear all situations when I’m not in control.” -Stacy Willingham

From the moment I started this debut book by @stacyvwillingham I couldn’t help but be reminded of one of my all time favorite Criminal Minds episodes. Like in the episode, the female lead Chloe has tried so hard to move on from her past & the trauma that comes from having a serial killer for a father.

Chloe and her brother escaped the small town where they lived, abandoning everything behind as they were practically driven out of that place by people who blamed them for their father’s actions. With a mother that is comatose after giving up not being able to take the pain of what her husband did.. Chloe and her brother try their hardest to move on but their horrifying childhood left it’s mark in so many ways ranging from alcohol to drug abuse.

Chloe, now a psychologist with a seemingly perfect fiancée is nearing the 20th anniversary of her father’s first murder when two girls go missing only for their bodies to be found a week after each abduction. When the cases get more and more similar to those of her father, Chloe can’t help but think that this copycat killer is much closer to her than she’d previously believed.

This book was my first unputdownable story of 2022 and trust me when I say, you’ll be holding your breath right through the end!

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham is about Dr. Chloe Davis, a medical psychologist in Baton Rouge. When she was 12 her dad was arrested for the murders of several teenage girls in their small town of Breaux Bridge. Chloe has struggled for years to get by and escaping her dark past. She is now engaged to Daniel, a pharmaceutical sales rep and seems to be very happy. Her older brother Cooper went through the same things as her and they are still closed. He does not approve of Daniel and does not like their relationship.
When teenage girls start going missing again ahead of the 20 year anniversary of her dad being arrested, Chloe can’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu. Why do these crimes seem similar? Is someone copycatting her dad or was her dad not really the killer?
This book was so interesting and fun to read. Chloe is the narrator and the book takes place in present day and flashes back to her childhood. As she sifts through her memory for clues to what is going on in the present, dark secrets come to the surface. I kept thinking I knew what was going on but then I will change my mind and in the end I was wrong every time. I can’t wait to read more books by the author. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Book 5/52 for 2022. When I first finished this one, I thought “mmmm okay like 4 stars probably.” I figured out the murderer super early, but I was still invested in getting to the why of everything, and I did have moments of doubt.

But then I sat with my thoughts for awhile and it’s definitely more like a 3 star. I mean, I think most reviews I’ve seen, the reviewer has said they figured out the murderer right away. So that’s not awesome. But also, this is another thriller that really leans on the main female narrator using/abusing drugs as a center point of the story. And honestly I’m just a little over it. ESPECIALLY when there weren’t any “holy shit I had no idea” moments.

IDK, it was okay. I did read it fairly quickly and was generally invested. But it was by no means amazing.

As always, if the synopsis sounds good to you, PLEASE read it! A lot of folks have loved it. It just missed the mark for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review! This one just recently published, so you can check it out for yourself!

In her debut novel, Willingham proves to be a very good suspense writer. Told from the POV of Chloe, who’s father is arrested for the murder of several teenage girls when she is only twelve. Lots of twists and characters of questionable behavior. The novel could have been a bit tighter in storyline, especially in regard to her mother, but overall very good.

“I’m feeling almost nostalgic for last week, yearning for that moment-- standing in my hallway, back against the door-- when the line between good and bad was so clearly defined.”

(3.5⭐️) A serial killer and an unreliable narrator. The makings of a good debut.

As a teenager, Chloe shared a house with a monster. Not the kind that hides under your bed. The kind that walks around in plain sight acting completely normal even after killing someone the night before. For the last twenty years, her father has been in prison, and she’s lived with the trauma from that summer. And just as Chloe finally starts to relax into the downright normalcy of a new house and an upcoming wedding, a copycat killer emerges.

Willingham held my attention as I quickly digested this story. The premise was completely unique to me… following a serial killer’s daughter as she watches copycat killings. Getting that deep dive into her confused psyche, laced with terror and drugs.

While I truly enjoyed the premise, I did find the story to be completely predictable and slightly implausible. The way Willingham presents the information made me even more skeptical than I generally am in thrillers. I found myself scrutinizing *every* single detail. I believe I would’ve figured this one out even so, but with the heavy-handed delivery, I figured it out much, much quicker. The storyline would’ve benefited greatly from a more subtle approach.

Even knowing how the story would end, I still enjoyed the journey. This is a solid debut, and I’m interested to see what Willingham does next.

Thank you Stacy Willingham, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

Overall, I liked a lot of things about this book the first being the short chapters. It appears that the main character has anxiety but the short chapters and consistently switching timelines as well as places in the book make it seems more realistic. I also personally LOVE short chapters.

The twist and turns this book took was amazing overall! I kept thinking I knew what was gonna happened then another clue or perspective would come into play and completely changed what I thought and I still did not see the ending coming. There were parts that were predictable but even then I didn’t get it all right.

Also the ending was great the epilogue perfectly ended the book so there was still some mystery but a nice end to the book and wrap up, as sometimes I absolutely hate the ending of thrillers but this book was not one.

Overall so was very impressed with this book and a HUGE thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and Netgalley for a free e-copy of the book in exchange of an honest review!

I was so excited to read a thriller set in Baton Rouge! And then I was listening to it while walking at night in the dark and waiting to be attacked and realized maybe that wasn’t the best idea. Because the writing is extremely atmospheric and convincing! I don’t read many thrillers anymore after burning out of the genre, but I enjoyed this one with all its twists and turns, and found Chloe a compelling narrator. Cheers to the audiobook reader for not doing a cheesy Southern accent as that would have been unbearable.