It's a great thriller with many twists and turns to keep you guessing. I never want to skip to the end to see what happens but I was so tempted to do so with this book as it is that good, but I did not and so glad I didn't. Wait for it!

Afton has had a difficult childhood, and her mother Vangie, is no role model. When her best friend Sydney's father is killed and she is presumed to be the one that did it, she has no memory of it at all. Years later her memory fails her again and now she is having trouble distinguishing between real and delusions. Syd and her husband Drew and in financial trouble and Afton wants to help as she is so thankful for Syd and her mother Cynthia that anything she can do she will. If it wasn't for them and her Gram she couldn't survive.

A fantastic book that kept me on edge trying to figure it all out. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

AFTER DARK by Minka Kent was like a roller coaster ride, where you slowly go up, knowing that you’ll reach the top and then your stomach will drop and you’ll start screaming. Yeah, like that.

In Shelter Rock, Missouri, Afton Teachout, a lowly night clerk at a hotel has a sordid past. Suffering from mental illness, she has been known to fly into rages and has frequent blackouts. When she is seventeen, during one of her blackouts, she is found with a bloody knife in her hand and a dead man. Just so happens that the dead man is her best friend’s father who is having an affair with her mother. Tried and convicted of manslaughter 2, she eventually goes to live with her grandmother. Now, twenty years later, she has re-established a relationship with her best friend and the mother figure who has always stuck up for her. Afton is never really sure what she did that night and faces off with the people in town, staying merely to take care of her agoraphobic grandmother. Then, karma steps in and she wins money in the lottery and begins to make decisions based on her windfall.

Meanwhile, her best friend Sydney Carson has married her high school boyfriend, Drew, who Afton never liked, and they have three kids and a pile of unpaid bills. Sydney is working two jobs to try to keep her family afloat while Drew struggles in the insurance business. And Cynthia, Sydney’s mother continues to be supportive of Afton.

When Afton believes that Sydney is in a bad marriage, she vows to help her, after all, she has all of this money now. But Afton isn’t sleeping and begins to have blackout periods again and Sydney and her mother are right there to help.

As I said, this was a slow build, but oh, so worth the wait to the climax. I kept thinking, oh, it’s gonna happen one way and then it would go in another direction and I would have to rethink my theory. That’s the best kind of book in my opinion. I like the writing style and have already purchased two more of her books. This will be an author to watch and enjoy!

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

I requested After Dark by Minka Kent because I have enjoyed novels from this author in the past. However. this time around I could not get into it and decided to put it down. Thank you for the early copy!

Another great book by Minka Kent. She is such a good psychological thriller writer. Her writing captivates you from the first page. The main character is trying to develop a new life and help her friend. They get caught in some really serious situations. A page turner that will leave you wanting more to read.

This book was incredible! I’ve already read a few of her books, and this one was amazing like all of the rest! It completely kept me engaged and I never knew what would happen next! I was able to finish it in less than a day because I couldn’t put it down. Loved!!

This is the second book I read by Minka Kent, and I love her way of writing, the story moves fast, with new information on each page, without delving into unnecessary details that bore. I also liked the main character, who despite everything terrible that has happened to her does not lose her good spirits and is a very good person. Entertaining book that I read in less than 24 hours.

I'm A huge Minka Kent fan, so of course I had to get my hands on a copy of her latest thriller.

Afton and Sydney grew up together but they aren't sisters. Afton had an abusive, neglectful mother while Sydney had a psychologist for a mother. While their lives were stark opposites they were also intertwined. Even in to adulthood.

This was a powerful whirl wind that whips you around from possibility to possibility with keen precision and brilliance. Who can you trust and what can you trust in is entirely in this he air. The deeper this thriller dives the more mixed up and messed up but also everyone becomes a possible suspect

I always love Minka Kent's books, and this one was no different.

It took me a minute to figure out the true dynamic with Afton, who was accused of killing the man that her mother was cheating with, and her best friend Sydney, which is whose dad was the one killed. Afton became a town pariah afterwards and found it hard to move forward.

SPOILERS AHEAD

When she wins the lottery, things change and not just for her. It involved Sydney and her husband Drew as well as her mom and Sydney's mom.

Thanks to #netgalley for this #arc

After Dark by Minka Kent
I very much enjoy Minka Lents writing style. Her books always pull me in from page one. So in true Minka Kent fashion so did After Dark.
Afton and Sydney are best friends in high school. Sydney has the perfect home life with caring parents that Afton has always wanted. Her own mother is more interested in her next boyfriend than she’s ever been in her daughter. Afton has also dealt with anxiety and depression throughout her life. Sydney’s friendship and her family are Aftons only steady foundation so she clings to them. Then Afton is accused of killing her best friends dad and she has absolutely no memory of it but she’s found d holding the knife beside the body so it must be true right? Or maybe not.
A good read, always kept me wondering.

I love Minka’s writing style, and I have really enjoyed her other books. However, this one was not my favorite. There were too many details that were not plausible or believable.

Absolutely loved this book. Hooked from the very first page.
This might be my favorite by Minka Kent.
Dual POV and constantly keeping you on your toes, this is a must read!

After Dark is a page turner from the very first page. This is my third Minka Kent book and it kept me on the edge of my seat. This author’s writing style grabs the reader from the very beginning with twists and turns keeping interest until the end.

If you’re looking for a fast paced, easy read, this is it. I am a big fan of Minka Kent. Her books never disappoint!

Thank you to Net Galley, Minka Kent and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have enjoyed a lot of Kent’s work so when I read the premise for this book I was immediately intrigued… unfortunately this fell flat for me.
It is about Afton, who was accused of killing her good friend Sydney’s father when she was a teenager. However Afton remembers nothing at all of the night of the murder and has a history of blackouts. Now 20 years later Afton and Sydney are still close friends, but Afton still has so many questions about the night of the murder. I will say this was a fast easy read and my main reason for the lower rating is the ending was a complete letdown! I saw it coming … no shocking twist and the one likable character Afton I felt had one horrible experience after the next.

Thank you to Netgalley, the Author, and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC of this book!

I was a little disappointed in this book, since I normally enjoy Minka Kent's writing. The book was still pretty good, but entire changing of the story line based on the main character's hallucinations/delusions just didn't really do anything for me. I also thought the book was predictable in who actually killed Rick, and I would have liked more resolution in the ending.

I received an ARC of this book from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I am going with a rating of 3.5 stars rounded down.

For me, the reader has to suspend belief for many occurrences in this book. Secrets kept by multiple people for many years. Treatment of mental illness. A lot of this just didn't seem realistic.

However, the book is a quick read and definitely kept my attention. Ms. Kent is definitely skilled at creating suspense. As the book approached the main twist, I did have some suspicions, but initially I didn't predict it (always a plus for me).

I loved this book! Following Afton and her friend Sydney from high school into adulthood. They have a lot to navigate through since Afton May or may not have killed Sydney’s father. The story follows the 2 girls until we get to find out what’s actually happened the night her Dad died. So many twists and great characters. Very good read.

3.5 stars. Minka Kent is always a must read for me and with this book she continues to build on her reputation for original storylines and characters. I found this book kind of frustrating though due to the slower pacing and the lackluster ending that left me with a lot of questions. Afton and Sydney are 37 years old and have been good friends since their teenage years. When they were seniors in high school Afton was accused of killing Sydney's father while blackout drunk and has been heavily medicated and a pariah in their small town. Afton lives a small life, living with her grandmother and working third shift at a small hotel. She has no friends except Sydney and her mother Cynthia who is a therapist. Cynthia has always been like a mother to Afton since her own mother has never cared about her.

After Afton finds out she has a winning lottery ticket, things get strange. Her medicines no longer seem to be working, her grandmother reports strange footsteps in the house and the back door is always open after being locked. Due to her mental health issues Afton is an unreliable narrator so we never know what is real or not. Despite her problems, Afton decides to pay off the many debts of her friend Sydney and her husband Drew and to tell Sydney that she thinks Drew is cheating on her since she saw him with another woman at the hotel. The events come to a point one weekend when Afton goes to visit a hypnotist, but it was easy to guess what was going on before then.

I found the ending unsatisfying for a number of reasons. We didn't get answers to several things including the lottery ticket and there was no real moment where the bad guy gets their just desserts. Instead, the novel just kind of petered out. Some reviewers have suggested this is to make room for a sequel but I don;'t think I would want to read about these characters again.. Three stars for Kent's writing style and for the character of Afton who was fascinating. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!! I'm very recently getting into thrillers and have heard awesome things about Mika Kent so I was very excited to get to read her new release. This book is dual POV/dual timeline following our girl Afton who, as a teen, was pinned for the murder of her life long friend Sydney's father.
In present time, Afton's subpar life takes an unexpected positive turn, Sydney's perfect cookie cutter life starts to crumble, and we find out the sinister reason why. It was extremelv fast paced and an easy read, not many crazy twists and turns. The plot was a little outlandish and unbelievable however, that's why we read, right? All in all, this book was entertaining and great for an end of year reading goal boost!!

Minka Kent is the queen of the twists and turns. We follow along Afton's current life with a few glimpses into the past. She was found guilty of a crime she doesn't remember committing when she was a teenager. Life seems to be improving for Afton but things start to go very wrong.

I was really enjoying this book right up until the end. It felt a little unfinished or at least a lack of justice was served on a couple fronts. I'm sure Afton just wants to get on with her life but she could have had one little victory while keeping another ace up her sleeve, if needed.

Not a who done it so much as a "Are we really sure she did it?" mystery/thriller. Minka Kent can always be counted on to give a little something extra in her stories, this time it's the MC. Afton is just coasting along when she wins the lottery, maybe. She's determined to make the lives of her friend....note the singular....and her grandmother much, much better. But before then, well, the story definitely takes a few detours from a straight path and you end up asking yourself......what was that? A great book best read....not after dark!