Here in the Dark follows Vivian Parry, former actress and now a theater critic, who is asked to be interviewed by David Adler regarding the life of being a critic. Shortly after their interview, Vivian finds out that she is the last person who saw David after his fiancée calls to tell her he went missing. Coincidentally putting herself in the epicenter of the mystery, Vivian conducts her own investigation in unravelling David’s disappearance.

Not many people would enjoy reading about Vivian and her narrative, as she’s intentionally unlikeable and insufferable – indulging into drug use and alcoholism despite the warnings she received and her detached sexual encounters and emotional manipulation within her relationships (friends and romantic) in order to get what she wants. Please advise that readers will encounter a complex, female protagonist who had a damaged past as Vivian portrays such self-destructive mannerisms and narrow-minded motivations throughout the investigation. Despite that, I enjoy Soloski’s narrative style and the sardonic humor that lightened the level of suspense.

While this psychological noir suspense didn’t provide the payoff as I hope for, Here in the Dark is deftly comical in the midst of dramaturgy and theatrical mystery. Highly recommend listening to the audiobook and/or picking up Benanti’s past audiobook narrations. Recommended for anyone that enjoyed Joan Is Awful (Black Mirror), If We Were Villains, and Sharp Objects.

There is so much promise in Here in the Dark, but in the end the novel just doesn’t deliver. The story is clever, although mystery fans will have no trouble figuring it out, and the amount of alcohol, drugs, and unprotected sex that the main character Vivian consumes cannot account for the flatness of her character. Here in the Dark is rife with references to plays through the ages, and readers who are imbued in the theater will appreciate them.

This just wasn't for me, though the writing itself wasn't bad. The characters all felt a bit one-dimensional, and I didn't connect to the story. But there is an interesting twist, which was fun.

This noir mystery set in the world of NYC theater was dark and weird and I couldn't put it down! Very sad, very funny, very satisfying for lovers of theater, noir, and protagonists who carry both all the damage and all the wit.