4.5 stars. I don’t really know where to begin with this book. There are so many moving parts to it that I am really am at a loss. So here goes in my current state of post-reader euphoria: It delivered on every single level. The beginning sucked me in. The characters were flawless in all their (un)flawless glory. The plot had so many twists and turns, but not too many where they all meshed together. And the ending… OMG the ending. To say that I didn’t see that coming is the understatement of all understatements. I would have been completely satisfied with the ending if it went where I thought that it was going, but it didn’t. WOW.
A big, humongous THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have worried about this for a week and I just have to finally do this. This book is a 1 star for me. I am not one to DNF books, but this one was……..I’m going to leave this a that. The storyline was fantastic! Unfortunately the writing, in my opinion, was truly, really………really……..not good. The nicest thing I can do is to step away and leave this at that.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me access to a copy of this book for my honest opinion.

Did the husband do it? That will be the first question for most readers in this book. When a wealthy woman is brutally murdered in her own home, and the husband is nowhere to be found... shouldn't the blame automatically go to him? But, what if the murdered victim is a ghost? Literally unable to be tracked on any social media sites, google, or DNA/fingerprint data. How did someone become so wealthy and there is no trace of her existence?

As time unfolds, the DI brings in Laughten Rees as an outside consult and criminologist. Her book is found at the murdered victims feet, as a taunt to get her involved in the case. However, it seems the detectives need her no matter what the circumstance.

This stand-alone novel will have you questioning EVERYTHING until the last chapter. This was extremely well-written, and I devoured the book in 1 day. Anyone that is interested in plot twists and likes cop drama, you will not want to put this latest novel by Simon Toyne down.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reading of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the copy of Dark Objects. Wow, I really liked this book. The characters were great, and Laughton and Tannahill should have a series because their chemistry was evident. Slade was the kind of character I love to hate.
The writing was exciting and compelling. The story was intriguing and had many layers. I didn’t love the ending, but the set up for it was solid. If you want an interesting read that will keep you reading, this book is for you.
4.5 strs rounded up to 5.

An interesting mystery. A woman is murdered inside a fortress-like mansion requiring fingerprint and facial recognition for access. Her husband is missing. Items are artfully arranged around the corpse, including a forensics text written by the protagonist of the novel, Laughton Rees. She is a forensic professor who doesn't normally work crime scenes, but is called to work on the one. It bears a similarity to a murder that touched her personal life in the past. She works with the Detective in charge of the case to solve the mystery. Both Laughton and Detective Khan are likeable characters in their own right, and work well together as a duo.

One of the best thrillers to come along in a long time. Simon Toyne hits it out of the park with Dark Objects. Intelligent writing, great plot, and believable characters all add up to a book not to miss! Hopefully, this will be start of a series. A+

Forensics expert Laughton Rees tracks an unusually clever killer while trying to overcome her own dark family history in this twisty new psychological thriller by the bestselling author of the Sanctus trilogy.

I like stories about forensics specialists and this one did not disappoint. The characters were nicely drawn, the plotting was done well, I never felt like the story dragged. I'd definitely read another book by this author.

Not familiar with this author but great thriller! Took me a whole to start it but the plot kept me guessing and I loved the characters. Super twisty! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

My largest issue ended up being the stereotypes and tropes that ran rampant. It made the story feel unbelievable and unnatural. Characters came across as one dimensional and overly "masculine" or stereotypically "feminine".

The political aspects felt very forced and unconvincing, while the twists came off stale and predictable. I found the focus on skin color to be off putting simply because of how it was presented. It felt extremely awkward.

I believe if these issues were addressed and the focus was tightened up a bit this would have felt a lot more intriguing.

I'm saddened by the fact that this book was not for me and left me wanting. I am very glad to see it has found some of its intended audience!

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm about to do something I really don't like to do: give a book one star. Unfortunately, I felt really backed into a corner on this one, and I just ended up having a pretty poor reading experience. As always, with reviews of this kind, I want to note that my rating is simply the opinion of one person, and there will certainly be people out there who enjoy the story. I firmly believe that every book has an ideal audience that will love it, but as much as I wanted to be a part of that audience, I am not.

My main issue ended up being the predictability of the story, in which case every "reveal" was actually something I guessed long before. I think much of this had to do with the fact that the author clearly had a bone to pick with a certain political party. I'm not naïve. I know modern politics are included in a lot of books, no matter the genre. But I think those points can be included while also surprising the reader by not making the "bad guy" the most obvious person possible.

I was really hoping for a grand surprise at the end, and for a moment I thought I got one. Then, there was a further surprise that ended up being exactly who I had pegged as the ultimate villain from about 10 percent of the way through, simply from gleaning the author's political leaning. (A bit of a bummer.)

I also found many of the characters unlikable. There was such a focus, by everyone, even the main characters I was probably supposed to like, on the color of people's skin, that I found it difficult to form any kind of connection with them. When the anti-gun, anti-violence, (stereotypical "girlboss") white female protagonist has a whole inner monologue about whether a man is Asian, Pakistani, or Bangladeshi-Irish (or something like that), while there's a dead person out there, I find it hard to sympathize or understand her train of thought.

All in all, I can honestly say this is not the book for me, but I do hope it finds its way into the right circles.

Dark Objects by Simon Toyne is a well-written mystery with an overarching sad vibe to it. The main character Laughton is well described and lost her mother at a young age. Her mother was murdered and that one act sets the tone for this entire book. I enjoyed the alternating chapters; they worked well here and I was totally surprised at the end. Well done book and quite intriguing on many levels. Recommend.

A soaring, sweeping, satisfying novel that kept me up late all night!
Dark Objects is a fantastic tense & twisty thriller that had me on edge the whole time
Simon Toyne writing is hypnotic and totally immersive. You forget where you are reading his work, and just become a part of his mesmerizing and horrifying world.
It sucks you in and holds you there.
The characters are superbly fleshed out and real.
The setting is so creepy and atmospheric, I was on pins and needles.
This phenomenal author weaves this story with a deft hand, turning up the heat with every page.
A gripping page-turner that held me captive until the shocking end.
And I look forward to reading many more amazing books from such a remarkable talented author.

William Morrow,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review closer to pub date.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, William Morrow and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Wonderful fast-paced, crime thriller that would make a delightful ongoing series.

As I was racing through this novel, I kept thinking, "I really hope this becomes an ongoing series because I love these characters". Then I'd immediately get sucked back into the plot and the character's world. A wonderful British detective novel with humor and keen insight.

Wow! Crazy twist at the end!! I enjoyed reading This book! It had suspense, intrigue, action, and a crazy twist at the end! And a great who done it! I will definitely recommend reading this book! It was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

#DarkObjects #NetGalley
Phenomenal crime thriller.
The book is a best police procedure I've read in a long time.
How do you catch a killer if the victim doesn’t exist? A glamorous woman is murdered in her ultra-luxurious London mansion and her husband goes missing. But according to public records, neither of them exists. The only leads police have are several objects arranged around the woman’s body, including a set of keys and a book called How to Process a Murder by Laughton Rees—a book that appears to have helped the killer forensically cleanse the crime scene.
Laughton Rees is an academic who doesn’t usually work live cases after the brutal murder of her mother as a teen left her traumatized and emotionally scarred. But the presence of her book at this scene draws her unwillingly into the high-profile investigation and media circus that springs up around it. As the dark objects found beside the body lead her closer to the victim’s identity, a dangerous threat to Laughton and her daughter emerges, as well as painful memories of her past related to the man she has always blamed for her mother’s death:
I loved, loved it so much i can't describe in words. I never saw that twist coming. I really recommend this book to everyone.
Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was a great procedural homicide story. There’s a serial killer on the loose and there’s a race to stop him. I really enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the plot. I found both to be equally compelling. I couldn’t wait to find out how the book included and was not disappointed.

Intense thriller about a crime scene that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. This brings in an investigator who has to decide based on what he finds who exactly is responsible for the murders. I love books like this and this was no exception. Compelling writing and characters I was immediately drawn to. Highly recommend!