This was an emotional thriller from beginning to end. Based in a small town in Texas where peoples opinions are slow to change. A father and daughter disappear with only a bloody handprint remaining and the son. without any evidence is suspected of being involved.. This was a real rollercoaster.

I loved this book! I couldn't wait at the end of each day to be able to immerse myself in this mystery. I liked the different perspectives from a few characters to explore the story and it did have me guessing right up until the end which I enjoyed. You really don't know who to trust and where the story will go. A really great read.

Mesmerising read. This is such a fabulous book. It has everything. Mystery, tenderness and well written. I’ve just bought it for my daughter. A very strong 5/5.

It is interesting how this book has divided readers. I loved ‘Black Eyed Susans’ and this book was in a similar vein. It was disturbing at times – Odette’s relationship with her father and uncle and the debt she felt she owed her cousin Maggie.
Heaberlin’s writing is always assured and atmospheric. Her characterisation is incredible and totally believable even is she is talking about a one-eyed girl and a man who has been traumatised by the disappearance of his sister – and who still ‘talks’ to her they are totally believable.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for a complimentary copy in exchange for a fair review.

We Are All the Same in the Dark has beautiful prose, an intriguing mystery and fascinating characters. I enjoyed it immensely and would recommend it to others.

4.5* rounded up.

I loved Wyatt and Odette from the start and their complex sympathetic characters kept me reading but whilst the story never lost its interest I did find it confusing quite often. Using the first person as story teller works well only if you can easily follow which first person to is and I think this was where the book failed for me. The thrills were certainly there despite it being a slow burner and whilst I did like the ending I was left with quite a few unanswered points.

Told from more than one perspective I was gripped by this book. I’ve seen other reviews saying it’s hard to follow but I found it very easy. A real thriller where I couldn’t guess anything but had to keep reading to find out the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

It took a while for me to get into and I struggled a bit through the first half however I definitely became more invested the further along I got. The characters were interesting and well written and I liked the format of the book. Overall, an enjoyable read.

We Are All the Same in the Dark is a clever and twisty thriller than is excellently written and beautifully crafted. Told from three perspectives, we first see events from Wyatt's perspective first; a young man still reeling from the disappearance of his sister and how the local's have determined that he is in some way guilty. The camera then switches to Odette, a police officer with a personal stake in the events of the night when Trumanelle went missing who is determined to get to the truth of the matter. And finally Angel, a young girl when she was found by Wyatt in a field surrounded by dandelions, now trying to find the truth behind not one but two disappearances.

This is a slow burn thriller that builds up the tension and the uncertainty throughout the novel. There are hints and suspicions throughout, but Heaberlin does an excellent job of keeping the reader as much in the dark as her characters are. And talking of characters, I absolutely fell in love with them here. Wyatt is a broken and unstable young man, hated by the town he lives in for a crime he was found innocent of yet unable to move on from the loss of his sister. Odette, a capable and hardened young police officer, yet damaged in her own ways and not only from the loss of her leg in what could have been a fatal car accident on the night Trumanelle went missing. And finally Angel, a girl full of mystery and heartache; found alone in a field and taken in by Odette, she feels she owes Odette a debt that cannot be repaid unless she resolves the events that have taken two young women from the town.

Heaberlin's writing is beautiful and I found myself transported to this town where it doesn't matter what the law says, the people will be judge, jury and perhaps executioner. I would have loved to see more from Wyatt's perspective; his point of view was by far the shortest and yet he is one of the most complex and misunderstood characters. I felt that the two interlocking mysteries were expertly intertwined, and I loved how Heaberlin depicted how the consequences of tragedies can still reverberate in a town decades later.

Unexpected, atmospheric and brilliantly written, I really enjoyed this. I've read a couple of Heaberlin's novels previously, and this was the strongest yet.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free review copy of this novel.

My thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘We Are All the Same in the Dark’ by Julia Heaberlin in exchange for an honest review. It was published in August. My apologies for the late feedback.

“We are all the same in the dark. My mother said that to me when she kissed me good night. She meant that in the dark, all that’s left is our souls. She wasn’t imagining me in a hole with a killer, living out my worst fear. Totally blind.” - Angel.

Some years ago I read and enjoyed Julia Heaberlin’s ‘Black-Eyed Susans’, so was pleased to have the opportunity to read her latest.

Ten years ago Trumanell Branson, the town’s sweetheart, disappeared, leaving only a bloody handprint behind. Despite extensive searches no trace was ever found. Ever since then Tru's brother, Wyatt, has lived as an outcast treated with suspicion by local residents.

One day Wyatt finds a young girl by the side of the road. He believes that her appearance is a sign. The girl only has one eye and will not speak. Wyatt names her Angel.

Odette Tucker has recently become a rookie cop, following in the footsteps of her father and grandfather. When she was sixteen Odette was in a devastating car accident and lost part of her leg, and now wears a prosthetic. The accident took place on the same night as Tru disappeared.

Odette quickly takes Angel under her wing. She is determined to solve both mysteries and in doing so uncovers a shocking truth...

This proved an unusual thriller. I am cautious about saying too much as there are surprises that I don’t want to spoil. It has three narrative voices: Wyatt for Part One, Odette for Part Two, and finally after a five year time jump Angel for Parts Three through to the end.

As I am almost blind in one eye, I found Angel’s accounts of her experience of seeing fascinating. In her Acknowledgments Julia Heaberlin notes those who assisted her in the research into prosthetics, including a number of women who shared their stories of living with a prosthetic eye.

I found this novel an unusual thriller that not only held my interest but kept me guessing as to whodunnit and why. It is dark and unrelenting and broke my heart a little.

Following this experience I plan to investigate Julia Heaberlin’s other novels in the near future.

With thanks to Penguin, Michael Joseph UK and NetGalley for the ARC.

The discovery of a girl abandoned by the side of the road threatens to unearth the long-buried secrets of a Texas town's legendary cold case in this superb, atmospheric novel from the internationally bestselling author of Black-Eyed Susans.

Full review to follow.

I had to really persevere with this book and I only continued because I hate to leave a book unfinished. The storyline sounds great but it flips between ten year ago and current, usually with no separation between the time jumps which makes for very confusing reading.

There is no connection with any of the characters and the story does not flow at all. The ending does not connect with the rest of the story.

This was a brilliant book which kept me interested all the way through, at times doubting which characters to believe and then finding out that I was wrong. Full of twists and turns. Exeellent read.

This book is beautifully written from different perspectives, it is dark and moody with a great cast of characters. I really enjoyed it. Thanks for letting me review this book.

I tried very hard with this book, and wanted to be drawn into the characters after reading the synopsis, and wanted to care. But in the end I'm afraid it wasn't for me. I made it to a third of the way through, but found myself entirely unbothered by who the mysterious girl was, what happened to Wyatt's sister, and why I was reading something that sadly wasn't engaging enough to hold my interest.

However, I'm sure other readers who enjoy slow-burning books would like this style.

New events in town churn up old mysteries surrounding the disappearance / murder of a father and daughter. Always under suspicion is the son / brother of the same family. As in most small towns everyone knows everyone else and the Present day Police have tangled relationships with victims, suspects and their families.

I haven't read anything by this author before and at the moment this book is not prompting me to dig deeper into her oeuvre. She uses a lot of first person narrative but it is sometimes difficult to discern who exactly is that first person and I found a lot of the narrative very disjointed. The characters are well introduced and different suspects come into mind as the story progresses but I didnt feel that the author ever fully fleshed out those characters. To me they were cardboard cut outs of " the ex girlfriend who wants her boyfriend to be innocent; the suspect police officer. the girl with a past etc. I couldn't say I felt drawn to any of them.

I found it a very stolid read overall.

This was the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it. The story was different from anything I've read recently and really captured my attention. It was so well written and the characters were fantastic.

This was... definitely interesting and I love all the connections and coming to that moment of “OH!” whilst reading. I loved the pacing, the build up, the characters. It was so great!

I'm sorry its taken me so long to read this book, life has just got in the way like it does sometimes.

I had to concentrate on this book at the start, on the characters, but I soon got the hang of it.
I love beautiful writing and this is just that. Such well written, believable characters that really came to life. Each character had their own disctinctive voice, not an easy task for any writer, but this author pulled it off so well.
I was drawn into each persons life and found myself not just wanting to know, but needing to know how it would end. I was kept guessing throughout the book.
The ending did not disappoint.

This is an incredible read. The writing is beautiful, gripping and really pulls you into the story.

I did get a little confused when the point of view first changed to a different character, but I quickly caught up.

The three main characters are all totally different, believable and likeable.

The person "whodunnit" totally came out of the blue and I did not expect it which is always great.