The Darkness of Others

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.

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!!

I needed to take some time after I finished this one to digest the full story. This book was absolutely fantastic. It is definitely one of the best books I’ve read this year.

The chapters alternated between characters. Imani, Tanya, Oksana, Rick, and Melissa tell this story. The book begins with a dead body. The plot takes off after that. I also liked the author’s use of the pandemic as the backdrop - it made the story more unsettling. It’s divided into 3 parts, and everything started to come together for me in part three. It kept me guessing through the entire book, and I never saw the ending coming. It was a very creative ending. All I can say is wow.

Cate Holahan writes truly original stories. There were clues sprinkled throughout this story, and I would find myself saying, “Wait. Stop. Go back.” I really enjoyed being kept in the dark throughout this story. This is not my first book by this author, but it is now my favorite. It certainly won’t be my last.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the advanced reader copy - I am so appreciative to have gotten an early read of this one! I highly recommend this book - it’s perfect for the upcoming fall season!

A suspenseful story set in New York, Imani’s friend’s husband is murdered and she is also missing. Everyone is assuming that she killed her husband and disappeared. Next, her husband rented a room in their home to a woman and her daughter. Imani is trying to figure out who the real suspect is and to her best to clear friend’s name. But, the two new people in her life is looking suspicious. All this drama swirling around her, she needs to keep her mind on track. The author tosses some twists in the story to keep the reader on their toes. A suspenseful plot and an all around thrilling story.

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Many treats await readers of Cate Holahan’s novel “The Darkness of Others.” Choosing five characters to relate this tale is a seldom-used tool, coupled with the story being told in a chronological style rather than the this-was-happening-at-the-same-time-as-the-last-chapter method.

While the five storytellers seemed a challenge at first, it was soon easy to differentiate between the characters, especially since Ms. Holahan has so excellently defined each of them. One of the treats for me was the inner workings of each person’s mind and how easy it is to judge others through the machinery running your thoughts while seldom identifying the truths that identify the motivations of those being judged. The false conclusions lead to actions that are incorrect for the situation, causing future events to wobble or spin completely out of control.

While I was able to guess who the villain of the story was there are enough surprises throughout and a few red herrings that more than once made me question my choice. This story deals with everyday life situations and demonstrates how quickly things can happen and the horrible “fixes” that many times end up being worse than the original deeds. The suspense element weaves its way through the pages until the climax races to a conclusion. Highly recommended. Five stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for a complimentary electronic copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the copy of The Darkness Of Others This was the first book I have read by Cate Holahan but it won’t be my last because I was riveted by this one. The writing was masterful. I loved how the pandemic was woven into the story and the characters’ lives without overdoing it. As the characters were introduced it was hard to see how they were all connected until it was all tied together at the end. If you’re looking for a well-written thriller with a great story and interesting characters, this book is for you!

The Darkness of Others by Cate Holahan might just be the best book she has written.

"Imani and her husband, Philip, live in a posh townhouse in Brooklyn Heights. They are both stunned when they find out a movie director friend, Nate, has been murdered and his wife, Melissa, is missing. Police want to talk to her because it looks like she might have been the one to pull the trigger. Melissa also happens to be Imani's best friend.
Tonya works for Richard at his restaurant. When there's a mixup with her rent she is evicted and with the restaurant shut down because of the pandemic, she has nowhere to go. Richard offers to rent a couple of his extra rooms until she can get on her feet. But Imani thinks she might be involved some way in Nate's murder. And she won't stop until she's found her friend."

There is a lot of time spent in Imani's head and Imani spends a lot of it inventing situations. Do you ever have moments where your brain makes these unsubstantiated leaps in logic? "I really hope I don't get Ebola today at lunch." Imani's brain is constantly churning - as a reader you don't know where things are going or who's what. Holahan does a good job hiding the killer. There's one big clue that gives it away and that's where the pace picks up to the end.
Some nice twists and surprises. This is more psychological thriller than Holahan's usual domestic thriller.

The tough part for me is that the story is set in NYC at the beginning of the pandemic. People didn't really know what was going on and reactions were extreme. It's hard to relive that. Holahan explains her reasons in the acknowledgments.

An excellent story from Holahan