3.5/5

I dropped it a half star in my mind because I guessed who the killer was in the first half.

We Are All the Same in the Dark is a mystery/thriller set in small town Texas where the stories of two missing girls ten years apart weave and wind together as local cops try to solve these cases.

The PoV switches quite dramatically midway through so we primarily see things through the eyes of two different women. This keeps the story fresh and sets it apart from some the usual police-hunt-badguys thriller staples out there.

Heaberlin builds up two solid, well built main characters who we can sympathise with and understand their motivations. Some of the supplementary characters are a little more obtuse but that's necessity of the mystery genre.

Overall it's a well-structured, -paced and -finished novel that delivers a good storyline with believable characters.

This was an interesting read with unexpected twists in the narrative. I found it a little hard to get going and the time frame shifts around which I found difficult to keep track of. There are lots of hidden secrets and clandestine meetings which slowly reveal themselves. This is a book that shares the story of 3 different women, and I was taken aback by how easily one character was unexpectedly disposed of. If you like narratives that twist back on themselves and swerve in different directions then this is the book for you! Many or the male characters are quite unlikable and I think there is a tendency towards stereotype at times, but all the same it should keep you guessing until quite late on - it did me!

This book sadly did not deliver on the premise. Very slow burner. Just not a gripping thriller. Not for me. I did not take to it at all and it was a real struggle to get to the end. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

A gothic tale novel about missing girls, family loyalty, tradition and small-town life that is sufficiently otherworldly to elevate it beyond a conventional psychological thriller. Told from the pov of three main characters; Wyatt, Odette and Angel, the core of the novel is the mystery of what happened to Trumanell ten years earlier. Her disappearance impacts each of these characters in different ways, and I ached for each of them, scarred and yet resilient in their own way. There is both humour and pathos suffused throughout the novel and the end is shocking, satisfying and yet bittersweet.

Julia Heaberlin just gets better and better and I am already anticipating her next book.

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

This was a brilliant thriller!
All the characters were so vivid and well thought out - so many twists and turns!
If you want a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat & that you will struggle to put down - this is it!

This book grips you from the first page and draws you in. The characters are relatable, real and it felt as if the author really lived in them. Profoundly sad how one event has such a knock on effect on so many lives. Even more sad is the events happen to so many people in the world.

We Are All The Same In The Dark, Julia Haeberlin. 4/5

The discovery of a girl abandoned by the side of the road threatens to unearth the long buried secrets of this Texas towns legendary cold case.

I love a thriller, this is a cut above. A thriller with care, deeply atmospheric, burning slowly through the pages to a heart stopping climax.

With three heroines at its centre, one we never meet and two who are strong, gritty, powerful women.

The writing here is superb, lending itself to the southern gothic, particularly with rising body counts, religion and the lingering presence of those already gone.

Plenty of twists here, expertly crafted, this book will hook you in until you finish it.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #PenguinMichaelJoseph for my ARC of this book.

Tru dissapeared decade ago and her brother is desperate to know what actually happened. And then he finds a lost girl, Local policewoman tries to solve the mistery.

Creepy, thrilling and shocking.

I thought this was going to be a great read but I was left feeling a little disappointed. The story of a girl who disappeared ten years previously and her brother, Wyatt, devastated with the loss of his sister and having to live as a recluse with the town believing he was responsible.
Ten years on Wyatt finds a young girl, lost and alone. A local policewoman, Odette strives to help the child and in doing so uncovers secrets from the past that puts her in mortal danger.
The characters were believable and the story okay but I just found it hard-going. There were a few times I wanted to give up but also wanted to know how it ended. Having read other books by this author and loving them I found this one frustrating and arduous

Oh my goodness. This book was unbelievable!! So gripping I couldn't put it down. So many ups and downs and twists and turns. I loved the story being told from different perspectives and the narrative being somewhere between past, present and future. Odette and Angel are remarkable characters, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading from their perspectives and learning more about them. There was a twist I didn't see coming, and those really are the best kind. I would 100% recommend this to others. A tragic story that is beautifully written, full of heartache and a surprising amount of joy.

Cleverly crafted murder mystery: it gripped me from the start and kept me guessing until the end.
A small town, an unsolved murder. People becoming judge and executioner. Odette - a very interesting and complex character, obsessed with Trumanell's fate and her own potential involvement in the murder. This crime becomes her whole life: from returning as a policewomen in her hometown, to blowing to bits her own marriage, to unsolved love story and trauma to her ultimate fate. The twist featuring Odette was very unexpected and rather original, if I can say so myself, seen I haven't read that many murder mysteries. Needless to say that Angel's involvement was just as unpredictable, as was the identity of the murderer.
If you only read one murder mystery this year, make it this one! You won't be disappointed!

A decade since a girl went missing a brother who is haunted by her disappearance. When he finds a list girl he believes it's a sign. The local .cop Odette is determined to solve both cases as this has opened up old wounds. The shocking truth will have take you completely by suprise!
Julia Heaberlin knew just how to draw you in with brilliant her writing and characterisation. From the get go it kept me enthralled and each chapter kept this pace going. I could conjure up each character and place with her brilliant descriptive prose. The twists and turns meant a very late night and I loved every minute!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read 'We Are All the Same In The Dark'.

I had not read any books by this author but after reading this book, I will be reading her others! I really enjoyed this book and found the story captivating and well-written. The characters were clearly portrayed and I felt that I knew them all and felt sympathy for each of them.

Without giving anything away, I was not prepared for the shock in the middle of the story and am still thinking about it.

This is an extraordinary novel that lingers in the mind long after it is finished. The prose has a radiant beauty quite at odds with the darkness of the plot.
There is a suspenseful rhythm to the unravelling of this complex story, each character drawn with finite authenticity. Love, hate, cruelty and kindness and all the facets of the human heart permeate the pages and the attention to detail in small town Texas is magnificent.
Odette, Angel, Wyatt, Rusty, Maggie and Finn are such poignant characters, their stories so moving, they could each inhabit a novel of their own.

I' hadn’t read any of the authors other two books but had heard of them, unfortunately the style of writing in this one didn't connect for me. I tried getting into the story but it just didn’t grip me and I found my attention wondering and skipping pages . Just wasn’t my cup of tea

I previously read Black Eyed Susans by the same author and really enjoyed it, so was excited when I was approved to read We Are All The Same In The Dark. This book didn’t disappoint; there’s something about Julia’s narrative style that hooks you in and won’t let go, and consequently I read this one over only three sittings, desperate to know what happened to Trumanell and Odette. I don’t want to say any more, because I hate spoilers!

I particularly enjoyed Angel’s insightful and determined ‘voice’ and parts of her narrative are so beautifully written, they’re almost poetic.

This was a rich, evocative and haunting mystery I found hard to put down, and I’m already looking forward to Julia’s next book. A true 5 star read for me.

This book hooked me from the beginning and I hardly put it down until I'd finished it. All 3 POV narrators were compelling - though I wish we'd spent more time with Wyatt.
I'm not sure the eventual whodunnit pay-off was as interesting as it could have been - but the rest of the wrap-up was done well and I'm grateful that most questions were acknowledged or answered.
The themes around small town life and the mythologizing of the young and/or the tragic - this might have been the most successful part of this book for me. It rang so true and isn't something I've seen examined this way as sucessfully before.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Trumanell Branson disappeared 10 years ago, leaving just a bloody handprint. Since then, her brother Wyatt, still living in the family home, has turned into a bit of a recluse. He is also the scapegoat, and first port of call, for anything bad happening, despite being cleared of involvement in what happened to his sister. One day he rescues a young girl, lost in a field and brings her home with him. He is spotted by the town's busybodies who call the cops on him. Enter Odette Tucker, the youngest cop on the force, to talk to him. She sees the good in Wyatt and has connections with both him and what happened before. She bonds with the girl, Angel, immediately as they also share a physical connection, both suffering deformities, and takes her to some better placed help. But Odette is carrying more pain than just her physical one and is still haunted by the disappearance of Trumanell and is determined to find out the truth of what happened, no matter what, and how dangerous.
This is all things creepy and starts off quite slowly, building layer upon layer of interest and intrigue as it drip feeds information to both the reader and the characters. It's also a bit of a relay race - and you'll understand that when you get to a certain part in this book - as the baton for the MC changes hands and a new investigation comes to light. It's not your fast paced, high octane, action packed thriller but it is worth pursuing with, taking your time with, savouring every scene for clues that, eventually, all come together to expose the whole truth of the matter.
Pacing is steady all the way through but befitting with the story being told. Characterisation is excellent, both main and bit part players alike. And the story sucked me in from the off, held me captive throughout, leaving me satisfied at its conclusion.
All in all, a cracking read, albeit a tad on the slow side in parts, but definitely worth sticking with. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I just didn't connect with this book unfortunately. I'd really enjoyed the authors previous two books but there was something about the style of writing in this one that didn't work for me. I couldn't get into the story and really struggled getting past the first few chapters.

This is a new author for me and I enjoyed this book. I thought it was well described and the sense of place was excellent - Texas in the summer, the heat, the oppressive nature of it was clear throughout the book. I liked the fact that the story was told from 3 different characters, Wyatt, Odette, and Angel. I thought the characters were thought-provoking and the small-town secrets unfolded as the story unfolded. There were several twists and turns in the book and I had no idea of who the killer could be. I liked the fact that there were disabilities with some of the characters, I think this is something that is rarely seen in the books that I read. I did struggle at the beginning to get into the style of writing but I was soon immersed and the good plot lent itself to this being a good psychological thriller. Would recommend this to others.