2.5 stars rounded to 3.

A locked room murder mystery set on Antarctica during the dead of winter where everyone is stranded with a killer. Tons of suspects, but I felt it was an obvious choice. I'm unclear on the motive though. Mostly slow and not as exciting as I'd hoped.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mobius Books for this eARC.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

This book was quite slow and I had a hard time following the plot due to that. It didn’t stick with me and non of the characters had redeeming qualities.

Fast-paced and entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

Pulled in by the synopsis. UN base station in Antartica, preparing to hunker down for winter. No light, no plane, no one else but the few winter crew members for the next 6 months! In typical fashion, every one has their own secrets. The main character, Kate, is a last minute substitute for the base's previous doctor. As he tragically and unexpectedly died in an accident, an accident with more questions than answers.
As the story continues, we learn a bit more about the other crew members. Then not before long a crew member is found dead. Dead or murdered? While unexpected mechanical and infrastructure problems begin to occur with the base. Another member is found dead. As if a mysterious death of yet another crew member had not stroked their fear. If the base continues to break down, and they lose their heat source. The remaining crew members begin to believe if they are to die. The "how" will be determined by the winner of the race: The Killer or 50 below temperatures.

Ultimately enjoyed reading this story. There was certainly room for more edge, more suspense in the writing. Overall a decent 3 to 3.5 star read.

*Thank you to Mobius Books, Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley for the DRC!

I had a difficult time connecting with this book. The plot moved very slowly for the first half and by the time it picked up I wasn't that interested. I think this book will work for people that want a moody, slow burn story.

The Dark, by Emma Haughton is a culmination of all my childhood desires, minus the murder. I was always fascinated by Antarctica. I watched specials. Read anything I could find on the various explorations and explorers. I dreamt of being aboard the Calypso, studying life forms on the ice in the Southernmost pole. I loved the romantic idea of this kind of scientific work.

The Dark is far from the idyllic life at the pole, I imagined. It is a story about Kate, a Doctor that was hired to replace a team member who met with an accident at the site.

Kate is also running from a secret. Adventure, and the chance to escape the scrutiny of others lures her to the base camp in Antarctica. Kate arrives in the daylight, but shortly after arriving, day will turn to utter darkness for 6 months.

To complicate things further, once the supply/transport planes have left, it will be next to impossible to fly back without putting lives at risk, due to the utter cold.

Bone chilling cold.

Cold that can kill in minutes.

Have you ever been afraid of the dark? You are not alone. Many people share this fear. Kate shares this fear. What an interesting way to face your Nemesis. To immerse yourself in the midsts of a long winter’s night, and hope you survive to see the sun again.

This novel is brilliantly written in the first person. From page one to the last page, the author keeps you in the dark about everything. The killer is revealed slowly, beautifully and nothing can be taken for granted. I was so pleasantly surprised, that I plan to read more of Emma Haughton’s work.

The funny things about this review is that I thought, when choosing The Dark, that I was reading a murder mystery about a little cottage in the snow. Yes, I went off the cover. I was overjoyed to find out the real meat of the story was much more adventurous.

The Dark is an exciting read that flows from page to page like water from melting ice. Nothing is as it seems in the darkness. Grab a flashlight, and be ready to face your fears.

Wow, this was one that kept me on my toes while reading! Twists and turns and a jaw dropping ending!

This was an ok thriller. I expected a little more suspense, and a more intriguing story line. The synopsis drew me in. It seemed like the perfect story for me.
We have our main character Kate who is working in Antartica. We have a murder and 12 suspects, a isolated environment. Such a perfect mystery/thriller outline. I felt as I read through it, it seemed to drag. I wanted a more Agatha Christie locked room mystery than we actually got.
3⭐

The Dark: The unputdownable and pulse-raising Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month was nothing short of heart pounding suspense. Every page turned took me to a different level. There was a sense of dread in every corner, not just from the characters but each scene in itself. Great suspense book

A creepy thriller about a serial killer on the loose in a remote Antarctic research station - this one kept me up! On top of that, our narrator Kate was really going through it and she stressed me out to no end. A tense and engaging thriller.

Kate North, still reeling from a terrible personal loss, takes a position as the replacement base station doctor in Antarctica and heads to the farthest reaches of the planet. It would be hard to imagine a more compelling setting than the base station in perpetually dark winter (maybe a spaceship, but then there wouldn’t be enough suspects to make it interesting). The isolated location with no way to leave until the end of winter provides the ultimate closed community of suspects. Beyond the well-crafted murder mystery, the many fascinating details about daily life on an Antarctic base made me want to keep reading. Kate’s self-medication with pills from the base’s dispensary led me to fear that this would be another one of those annoying “Girl/Lies/Trust” titles in which an unreliable female protagonist gets in over her head, but ultimately this is really more of a traditional mystery in a compelling setting.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital advance review copy.

The Dark is an atmospheric, slow burn, closed circle murder mystery. Closed circle is basically a locked room mystery but the environment is larger. In this case, our protagonist, Kate North, has just joined a United Nations research station based in Antarctica where in the winter they are completely cut off from not only the larger world but also the other research stations that are spread around Antarctica. Kate is a late addition to the crew of people who are already living and working there after the doctor that was stationed there had an accident (or was it?) and they are in desperate need of a doctor before winter hits. This isolated and secluded setting is perfect for Kate since she is needing a major life change after a recent traumatic event in her life.

The first half of this book is just getting the reader well aquatinted with all the people who are living at the research station and also the realities of living in Antarctica. Haughton does an incredible job of fully immersing us in her world and I fully felt the cold and could see myself tagging along with these characters. We also got an intimate look into what Kate’s job entails and how she is dealing with the event of her past. She also starts to have some suspicions about the death of the previous doctor and this slowly starts to build to the dramatic events of the second half. The first half also offers us a detailed look at how the relationship dynamics work within the small group that are living at the station. All of this world building helps Haughton deliver a fast paced latter half since we are firmly entrenched in the world.

The last half of this book is where the majority of the intrigue resides because there are a few questionable things that happen but out of the blue there is a murder and things quickly snowball from there. The pace of the second half more than makes up for the careful plodding along that the makes up the first half. Despite my constant mentioning of the slower pace of the beginning I still read this book quite quickly but the end of the book was almost impossible to put down. I found the majority of the characters to be well fleshed out and I think Haughton’s choice of letting us get to know the characters so well before the murder happens only helped the story. Not only are we questioning everyone but we are also mourning the deceased.

My only critique of this story is that because of the terrible event Kate has been through she has become addicted to painkillers and there is a significant amount of the story spent on it. I do understand the value it brought to the story and how it played out but I do wish some of her inner monologue about it had been cut down because it is the only thing that really lagged for me.

I throughly enjoyed this murder mystery featuring my favorite trope. The evocative setting was superbly done and added so much to the classic mystery trope. I spent a lot of time mentioning the slowness of the first half because I think it is important going into this story that you know that the events mentioned in the synopsis of the book don’t happen right away. However, I really enjoyed the journey it took to get there and I have to again credit that to the setting and my attachment to our protagonist, Kate. This is a closed circle mystery that is worth the wait and I hope that I have intrigued you enough to give this book a shot.

I’ve read a lot of thrillers and mysteries and I love when I’m half way through and still have no idea what’s happening. I can’t really guess who it is, everyone is suspicious. Do I want to go to Antarctica? Maybe. would I want to go when there’s a killer on the loose? Defiantly not! Kate was such an interesting and real protagonist to follow. Real problems, scary situations. She proved she’s more than capable in any situation. I really had no idea where this story was going or how it would end up for Kate. But it was such a fun journey to go on and Kate is a badass.

The Dark is an atmospheric and riveting crime-thriller that keeps the readers guessing the killer’s identity and intentions!! The story is about an Antarctic expedition crew and a mysterious killer who is killing them one by one. The plot start right away in the first few chapters, and its claustrophobic and super creepy!! The characters were all well rounded and each of them have a dark past that makes us readers suspect that they might be the killer. Its good and I cannot recommend this enough to you all thriller lovers.

Thanks to the publisher for the reader’s copy via Netgalley!

Excellent story! Totally engrossing!. Looking forward to reading more by this author! Could not put this down!

I am obsessed with cold weather thrillers. The Antarctic, snowy New England, and my home state Wisconsin. Emma Haughton brought the description of a remote and frigid climate and heated things up with plenty of twists and shocking turns. Don't walk, run to get this book!

Doctor Kate North has accepted the unique and exciting opportunity to be a winter replacement doctor for a thirteen member team station based in unforgiving Antarctica. Kate was an excellent A&E (accident & emergency) doctor but she encountered a horrific personal tragedy which included getting addicted to pain killers and now she only wants to gets a fresh start with her life and this sounds as if would be the perfect place to begin a new journey to free herself of all her demons. Unfortunately, Kate really wasn't prepared for the extreme and relentless, brutal conditions that her new home will hold for the next year and there will not be another relief plane for another six months no matter what happens on the base (even death). When Kate first arrived she was disappointed with the greeting she received, while she didn't expect a celebration, she never expected to be snubbed by several members who barely acknowledged her including her new boss. Kate wonders if she'll be able to overcome the difficulties that will present themselves and begins thinking she may have made a huge mistake. What The Heck Is She Doing in "No Man's Land!" ) Unbeknownst to Kate there are many secrets simmering within the team just waiting for someone to dish them out and expose information that could bring about some serious repercussions and Kate just can't seem to leave well enough alone. There will be several, long months of total darkness to come and while Kate has get another secret (crippling,fear of the dark), she will discover that some of the secrets others are hiding could possibly bring about some seriously, dangerous situations and even possible, suspicious deaths, and if Kate doesn't stop her investigating and invasive snooping, she might find herself very much, alone in the dark while thinking she is safe from any predators, yet an unscrupulous and cold-blooded killer is only steps away watching Kate's every move in " The Dark"".

What a fantastic story! This is definitely my kind of book, while I'm partial to locked room mysteries I just crave dark, suspenseful stories based in the lonely cold or someone being isolated in a snowbound or frigid environment so this book checked off all the buttons for me and I wasn't disappointed. Exceptional writing pertaining to descriptions of the brutal, isolated conditions and also the great beauty that Antarctica holds for the viewer and somehow translates over to the reader. I enjoyed all the characters good or bad and I loved the deeply flawed Kate with all her personal and medical problems. Kate was a good person who was impulsive at times leading to some very poor decision making which caused strife among some of the team members disrupting the presumed harmony. Kate's addictions and tying to hide her sins made her vulnerable, realistic and relatable even when one doesn't want to think about health care professionals doing drugs or having addictions, sadly many do because they are human and capable of making many unfortunate errors as well as any other person but they need to be held to higher standards because the health professionals are holding the safety and the lives of others in their hands and they should be held accountable if they drink alcohol or use drugs to get high in any way while in their workplace. I just didn't want this story to end since I was so caught up in the mystery and drama and the frigid, bleak environment. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of Emma Haughton's books and I highly recommend "The Dark" to any reader who enjoys a good story along with a frigid locked room mystery!

I want to thank the publisher "Mobius Books"/ Hodder & Stoughton" and Netgalley for this terrific and fun story and any thoughts and opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have give this enjoyable book a rating of 4 CLAUSTROPHOBIC AND FREEZING 🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!

Wowza, what a chilling, creepy, thrill ride! Very atmospheric, with that locked room element I absolutely love! Written in a realistic, creepy, and captivating manner, with excellent character development which really drew me to the story even more so! Found it very intense, scary even, fast paced, and unputdownable!! Cannot recommend enough! It’s not to be missed!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Mobius Books/Hodder and Stoughton for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I had some issues with this book from the beginning. I work overseas on a military base, and to get here I had to have a very intense physical and had mandatory drug tests. I would like to think that no one addicted to drugs (especially a doctor) could squeak through. I did not have great vibes for the main character (probably because of her addiction). I am sure the station is intense and many people can not tolerate the dark. That part was interesting but sort of took over. I also found that I just could not keep the people straight in my head. They were very different but I just couldn't keep track. This was interesting but not something I would reread and it was sort of predictable towards the end. 3 stars