Thank you to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Cate Holahan for the advanced copy of The Darkness of Others in exchange for my honest review.

This is a *perfect* vacation read (source: was on vacation when I started it and wanted to do absolutely nothing except read it). I started this book sitting by the pool and the next thing I knew I was completely fried and 40% into the book. Holahan puts on a master class in thriller writing with this one.

While I did predict the "whodunnit," everything that led up to the climax was beyond entertaining, and I loved all the different characters we got to hear from.

This was my first read by Holahan but it will 100% not be my last!

The Darkness of Others will be on US bookshelves August 23!

A decent suspense novel. There is a lot going on and you don't know whether the events are necessarily connected. Imani's best friend has disappeared following the murder of her husband Nati. Imani's husband Philip is struggling to keep his restaurant going during the Covid lockdowns. One of his waitresses is struggling to make ends meet and is evicted so he offers to let her and her daughter rent one of their spare rooms. The story is told from multiple POVs and I kept reading just one more chapter to find out how things tied together..

A thriller set in Brooklyn but could honestly be anywhere. A man is shot, a woman goes missing. Other players come in and out but the person who did it was obvious and any “twists” were very forced. Meh. Wouldn’t recommend.
2.5 stars.

Imani Banks gets a call at work to pick up her best friend's daughter from school. At the same time, she wonders why, but doesn't hesitate. She is stunned to discover that Ava's mother, Melissa is missing and her father, Nate is dead. How could this happen and why do the police seem to suspect Melissa? Imani knows in her heart that Melissa would have never left her daughter behind and is determined to find out what happened at the Walker house.
While Imani is consumed with finding Melissa, her husband, Philip, a successful restauranteur is going through a rough time. The pandemic has killed his business, and when he is forced to lay off most of his staff, he invites one of his waitresses and her daughter to stay at their house. It seems that Tonya has recently lost much more than her job. She has been evicted from her apartment and lost her daughter's child support and the many secrets surrounding her might mean she has a reason to kill Nate. Imani wonders if Philip has more of a relationship with his former employee, and would he bring her into their house?
No one here exactly mirrors the picture they present to the world. None of these women will emerge unscathed when the truth about Nate is exposed. Imani and Tonya failed to elicit any sympathy from me. Life had made Tonya too cold and Imani was so clueless about what was happening in her house that I wanted to shake her more than once. I was suspicious of almost every character at one point when I suddenly realized I was at the 80% mark. The revelations then came fast and furious, and I could only hope that Melissa would be found alive. The Walker's cleaner, Oksana plays a small but pivotal role too, and I was so wrong about her motives! I kicked myself because I had considered and then discarded my theory about who was the killer. Author – 1, me – 0! Secrets, lies, and murder, who could ask for anything more.

This was a solid read with many unlikable characters and a twist at the end. I don’t know if it was the toxic traits of many of the characters, the shifting narrators, or the pandemic setting, but I have very mixed feelings about this book. It was a good travel, light read but there were some (spoiler) elements that made me feel unsettled and icky. I won’t spoil it outright but I didn’t like the whole peanut allergy detail. I don’t think I would read this book again.

This is the story of three interlocking woman, with a murdered husband and one of the women missing. It was a quick read but without much depth or believable characters. Most of the men were awful. I finished it for the escapist value, but wouldn't recommend

I had high hopes for this book, it was entertaining but nothing I will remember and not very believable.

An exciting start unfortunately petered away fairly quickly in this murder-mystery. I always felt a couple of steps ahead of the characters, and didn't find myself caring for any of them in particular. While I made it through the whole book, it was a bit of a slog.

Covid sets the scene in the New York City Thriller.
It's 2020 and Phillip needs to address his failing restaurant. He tries to shelter his wife Imani from the issues but ends up allowing one of his waitressed to move in and rent some of their extra rooms. Meanwhile, Imani's best friend is missing following the murder of her very well known husband. While the police believe the wife (Melissa) is at fault, Imani assumes that not only is she innocent but also in danger. Can Imani trust her
therapist background to assist her with helping her friend? If you like a quick twisty thriller with a side of covid, this book is for you! #GrandCentralPublishing #Netgalley #Thedarknessofothers

The Darkness of Others is an outstanding addictive thriller with well-crafted plot. The story follows Imani who lives in a fancy Brooklyn Heights neighborhood. Recently, her best friend Melissa went missing after Melissa's husband, a famous movie director, was murdered. Melissa is the blond trophy wife actress and the number one suspect in the murder, but Imani knows Melissa wouldn't have left her daughter behind. Imani begins to suspect the very houseguests her husband allowed to stay in their home during these rough times of the pandemic. Can Imani prove it? This is one twisty mystery that will hook readers from the first page. Highly recommended!!

This book has shifting narrators, so you hear from many different characters. While this is fun, it was somewhat confusing as there were so many characters and perspectives that it was hard to keep track of all the connections and revelations. I enjoyed how the mystery and scandal unfolded and laughed at the accuracy of the depiction of an elite private school. However, the ending felt too convenient and unrealistic to me. The overlap of all the characters was sometimes overdone and confusing as well. However, it was an engrossing read as you got caught up in various characters' emotional lives and decision making and it is always fun to see how a mystery turns out!

Life is sweet for Imani and Philip. Then came the pandemic, wiping-out their meticulously crafted world.

Philip is a successful restauranteur. But as we all vividly remember, the service industry was hit hard. And Phillip now fears for his Michelin-star restaurant and his staff, who are more like family. To help one of his furloughed servers and bring in some extra income Phillip brings home Tonya and her daughter. Very thoughtful and generous, but he probably should have run this by his wife Imani first? Just sayin!.💁🏻‍♀️

Especially given the fact that Imani has profound issues of her own to deal with. First, her best friends’ husband was just killed. And now her friend has disappeared.

Yes! That’s a lot going on! I totally agree. But it works! It reminded me of a large jigsaw puzzle. Once you finally assemble all the pieces, you can sit back and reap the rewards of your finished product!

This is the third book I’ve read by Cate Holahan and looking forward to more!

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing

Nate Walker's suspicious death and his wife's disappearnace affecrs the lives of several people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Imani, Melissa's best friend, knows her disappearance has nothing to do with Nate's murder. Melissa couldn't have killed her husband... could she? And why has her loving, honest husband, Phillip, lied about their finances? Then things get worse for Imani.

Insert Tonya, a waitress at Phillip's restaurant who was evicted from her apartment with her daughter and is welcomed into Imani's home by Phillip. When questioned about Nate's death, it seems like Tonya may have something to hide and Imani is determined to find out the secret.

In my opinion, this book was really good! There were a ton of characters that seemed to have no part in what was happening but as I read the book I was able to figure it out. I enjoyed how it took place during the pandemic and only talked a little bit about what was happening versus over explaining the pandemic and drawing too much on that.

It has been a hot minute since I've read a Cate Holahan novel but this one fit the bill. Great, easy, thrilling read.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review -
A movie director is murdered and his wife is missing.
Imani, her friend, will never give up the search for her as she refuses to believe she would murder her husband and leave her child - - someone else must have murdered him.
What she discovers shocks her - - so many secrets!!
Grab this exciting read!!

I absolutely love this murder mystery. Everyone is a suspect and no one can be trusted. I immediately was drawn in and wondered what was going on the entire
book. The book stuck the ending as well.