This was one he!! of a roller-coaster ride! Super fast-paced and with a sense of foreboding throughout. I mean how can a story be set in Antarctic dark winters and not call out to you?! I loved it. It was literally unputdownable for me and I finished it in 2 days. It's just a tiny bit where you want to scream your head off at the MC, but you can also tell that they'll be the one to save the day. It's also a tad bit predictable, but I think this might just be me because I consume thrillers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner lol. But seriously though, if you are looking for something enjoyable and super fast-paced this is not to be missed! 🙌

Thanks so much to Netgalley, author, and publisher for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

**I'll update the links as soon as I post the reviews to the retail and social media sites :) **

Such a good book. Realistically portrayed characters any one of whom you suspect at any one time. There is not just the build-up to the unexpected whodunnit ending but also the great lengths taken to describe the geographic and habitational impacts of living in close proximity in such hostile conditions.

I loved the beautiful setting of this book. It’s great for a locked room, claustrophobic mystery. Unfortunately I didn’t connect with any of the characters. Kate was really irritating and there’s so many other characters that you don’t really get to know too much about them. It’s a slow burner until the end, where it felt rushed. The mystery was ok but not memorable.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for this advance copy.

The Dark by Emma Haughton is a pulse pounding nail biter of a book designed to keep the reader on the edge of their seat. I cannot think of a more perfectly atmospheric setting for a thriller than an isolated research station on Antarctica, especially during the long winter months when there is six months of darkness to hide so many secrets and bodies.
Dr Kate North is travelling to the base to replace the previous doctor who died in a tragic climbing accident. For many people the job would be less than appealing but Kate has reasons of her own for running away, not least of which is a horrible car accident which has left her physically scarred and hooked on pain killers. From the moment she arrives she begins to second guess the wisdom of her decision, several of the people she will be living with are less than welcoming, and some are downright hostile. As the long months of darkness draw closer she begins to wonder if her predecessors death was as accidental as she has been led to believe, and as more bodies start to pile up she is fighting the clock to discover which of the people she is living with is a murderer.
This book has a wonderful sense of claustrophobia which really adds to the tension and the atmosphere. The characters are well written, nothing is black or white, many are hiding secrets of their own, though most are less terrifying than murder. The plot is well crafted with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. I read the book over the course of a day because I could hardly bear to put it down.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Dr Kate North arrives at the UN research station in Antarctica to take the place of the temporary medic. The previous long term doctor, Jean-Luc, died in an accident, and Kate is due to be in Antarctica for a year. She has her own secrets for wanting to be away from the rest of the world, but nothing could prepare her for finding out that Jean-Luc's death might not have been an accident after all. Trapped in the inhospitable landscape with no means of escape, Kate must try and stay one step ahead of a dangerous killer.

I love books set in places like Antarctica so this was a must-read for me. It was largely enjoyable, although the main character made some silly decisions at times. The author really managed to get across the claustrophobic feel of being stuck on an isolated research station in almost total darkness. It was a thrilling read, even if I did work out the killer from almost the moment they were introduced into the story, it didn't spoil things.

Thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Hodder & Stoughton, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

This book was recommended to me some time ago so I was delighted to see it on Pigeonhole. It did not disappoint! I loved the atmosphere the author created and was really taken in by it. I'm a naturally cold person but I was shivering even more than usual as I read about the Antarctic setting. There were so many things the people on the base had to consider that had never even occurred to me and I found their routine really interesting.

There are several characters in The Dark for the reader to get their head around. It did take me a while to get to grips with everyone and as there are so many characters, some of them inevitably take a back seat when perhaps I would have liked to know more. The novel is narrated by Kate. She's the station doctor, but to be quite honest, I wouldn't like to receive any medical treatment from her! I do love an unreliable narrator though and as she works through her theories as to what happened to Jean-Luc, I felt the tension rising and wondered who was telling the truth. No-one is above suspicion and I enjoyed trying to fit the pieces of the jigsaw together myself.

Even as we approached the end of The Dark, I still had no idea who the perpetrator was. The novel is really gripping and I was on tenterhooks the whole way through!

The dark is a tense and gripping thriller set in Antarctica. Kate is an A&E doctor looking for somewhere to hide from her dark memories of a terrible accident. Choosing a UN research station was a big mistake. Her predecessor is missing, presumed dead and she is essentially locked up there for 6 months of dark winter with 12 other people. They vary in nationality, affability, professionalism and levels of addiction. She comes to believe that one is a killer and out for sabotage. Knocking a star off as Kate has such poor judgement and because some of the action is incredulous. Despite this, the story is gripping with a suffocating sense of the cold, depression they must feel. There are too many characters, better suited perhaps to a film to keep track and I was slightly disappointed by the ending, lacking real answers although I was desperately keen to read on.

The Dark is a gripping, addictive read that was a clever twist on the classic murder mystery story.

Firstly I always love books set in the North or South pole as there is something so alien about the environment that the characters find themselves in. The wonderful descriptions of the South pole were really vivid and helped me to really imagine what it’s like there. I felt like I could feel the biting cold and see the amazing southern lights which I’d never heard of before. I’d love to go and see the South Pole and experience it all myself, as long as I could jet straight back out again.

The station sounded like a fascinating place to live and I enjoyed learning more about the different people who lived there. The different groups and roles that they play in the station were also interesting to follow as it gave the reader an insight into the characters lives and what makes them tick. It also helps add to the atmosphere in the book as we discover the many frictions that exists between the groups.

I don’t think I particularly liked any of the characters as they all had flaws that made me a little unsure about them. The main character, Kate, was an interesting one as I did feel sorry for her especially with her sometimes clumsy attempts to make friends as she reminded me of myself at times. She’s obviously had a traumatic past which still haunts her and she is still coming to terms with which made me warm to her. However her addiction to pain medicine and her eagerness to please means made me wonder how reliable a narrator she was.

The story starts off at a great pace and I soon found myself drawn into the story. The atmosphere in the book gradually increases as the story goes on and we learn more about the characters and their lives at the base. Things soon become very intriguing as strange things start happening at the base, relationships deteriorate and a few other surprising events are thrown into the mix. I found myself reading faster and faster as the book goes on, unable to put the book down at times as I had to find out what was going on. I had lots of theories but was ultimately proven wrong about all of them which I always enjoy.

Huge thanks to Jenny Platt from Hodder for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book. If you’re a fan of atmospheric, unique thrillers then you’ve got to read this book!

I really enjoyed this chilling thriller even if at times I felt like slapping Kate. It was a tense and gripping read which I would recommend.

A good locked room mystery. Atmospheric throughout with plenty of tension. Thanks for the opportunity to read.

The Dark is a compulsive and claustrophobic locked-room thriller set against the frigid temperatures of Antarctica and where a brutal murderer may just be biding his time before preying on his next victim. 35-year-old Kate North is a single British medical doctor from Guildford, Surrey, who is desperately seeking an escape from her quotidian life after a catastrophic accident. Serious and conscientious Kate hopes to bury her past in the splendour and isolation of the icy expanse alongside other members with expertise in a variety of areas such as human leadership, plumbing and motor vehicle maintenance and all of them hailing from different places around the world. But escaping her demons proves harder than she anticipates – as does dealing with those of her dozen fellow crew members. Signing up for a stint at the research facility, Kate had been incredibly excited to see what opportunities the experience would afford her and her job description was to provide general medical, surgical and dental care for the great of the team, to conduct experiments and research on the impact of the isolation and constant darkness on the crew. Everything starts off swimmingly and even the prospect of 8 months of darkness cannot bring the great mood down of those posted there.

But it doesn't take long for the remoteness and solitude to affect the group’s mental health with them become increasingly paranoid and anxious. Kate had been brought in as a replacement to Jean-Luc, who was tragically killed in a climbing accident. However, he may have been investigating a mystery before he met his fateful end. Soon the group begin being targeted one by one with no one apart from the killer themselves knowing exactly who the danger is. The group view each other with suspicion, trust is at an all-time low and no one knows what might happen next or exactly who may be taken. Stuck in a part of the world with no quick escape route or exit plan, can the group survive the murderer in their midst or will they all perish before help has a chance to arrive? This is a compelling and heart-pounding thriller with the isolated setting really making it a cracker of a book. The thought that the place could be harbouring a serial killer is horrifying and the tension and nail-biting twists throughout only add to the sheer terror you feel as a reader. It keeps you guessing until the end and the fast-paced narrative combined with a group of strangers who have to depend on and trust each other implicitly and the cinematic yet oppressive atmosphere, and I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review a free ARC of The Dark but that has in no way influenced my review.

Regular visitors to damppebbles may be aware that I have a bit of a thing for novels set in a cold climate. Throw in the fact that The Dark is set in Antarctica, which spends some of the year in complete, all encompassing darkness and is considered one of the most inhospitable environments on earth, and there was no way I was going to let this book pass me by! I had to read The Dark. And I'm so very glad I did.

Kate North can't escape the memories of her past. Everywhere she goes are constant reminders of what she had, and what she lost. The past controls her every waking moment. So she decides to take drastic action and applies to be the doctor at a UN research station in Antarctica. Conditions at the station will be bleak with total darkness 24 hours a day and temperatures that will kill, so it's of the utmost importance that the team at the station are physically and emotionally prepared. Kate questions her own suitability repeatedly due to her overuse of prescription medication and a long held fear of the dark. But the need to escape is greater. On arrival it becomes clear to Kate that there are several unanswered questions about her predecessor's sudden death. As Kate digs deeper into what happened to Jean-Luc, she begins to doubt her colleagues. Who can she trust? Who is keeping secrets? And what really happened to Jean-Luc....?

I really enjoyed The Dark. I'm sure we've all read novels set in a snowy landscape where help isn't necessarily immediately available, but it is there. Eventually. The Dark had a very different feel to it as there is no rescue team flying in to transport everyone to safety. Conditions are harsh. Flying to Antarctica isn't something you do on a whim. No matter what happens. No matter what the threat. No matter how many bodies are piled up. You wait it out, which really added to the tension of this novel. I loved how the author conveyed the feeling of utter helplessness to the reader. Kate was well and truly stuck at the station with nowhere to run.

There are quite a few characters to become acquainted with but the author does a brilliant job of making sure the reader is never confused. Doctor Kate is our lead. I liked that Kate, no matter how many people told her to leave Jean-Luc's death alone - that it was just an unfortunate accident - kept pushing for answers. She was definitely like a dog with a bone and I admired that in her. Particularly as she was the new girl in a remote and hostile environment with everything to prove. Sandrine, the station leader, was the perfect nemesis to Kate. The friction between the two characters was very well written. Sandrine made my blood boil at times and I loved it!

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Dark is a fantastic debut thriller novel which handles its setting superbly. I thoroughly enjoyed this compulsive mystery which sent chills down my spine. I was very intrigued about life on a UN research station - the more the author told me, the more I wanted to know, the faster I turned the pages. That, coupled with the fascinating mystery at the heart of The Dark, made for a very compelling read. Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free ARC of The Dark. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Dark is set at a UN research station in Antarctica, The setting appealed to me as it's something a bit different from the norm. I really enjoyed the story, it gave me a chill in my bones!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my ARC.

Kate North is an A&E Doctor who has recently suffered some personal tragedy which has left her broken. So she jumps at the chance to take a position of medic at a research station based in Antarctica. Over winter where the sun is wholly absent. Sounds a bit like a recipe for disaster on its own but when you factor in that her predecessor died in a tragic accident, which may or may not have actually been an accident, well, you have the bones for quite a thrilling ride...
Sadly the execution didn't quite match the expectation. I'm not sure whether it was my failing to engage with the characters properly that let it down for me but I really didn't like nearly any of them. Yes they had a few redeeming characteristics thrown in but tbh they were a bit of a bunch of misfits for me. I guess you have to be a certain type to want to live in the harsh dark extreme of Antarctica but even so...
I also got a bit fed up with the main character's "poor me" attitude and I even started rooting for someone to actually kill her off too, and not just for her incessant meddling - wouldn't that have been a thing! I started not to really care what the tragedy was that the author kept hinting at along the way too... and don't get me started on her self-medicating...
And I guessed a bit too much for the ending to really wow me out of my slump.
But, on a lighter note, I never wanted to throw it down and give in so it has that going for it. As well as the description of the setting and the claustrophobic atmosphere, that was really well done.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This was a good atmospheric mystery thriller that I quite enjoyed. It did keep my interest but thought it finished quite abruptly.

I kindly received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings for substance abuse.

I enjoyed 'The Dark' and managed to read it in a day. The idea of a murderer on an Antarctic base is quite a terrifying thought. The author manages to capture the terror of the emptiness, the dark and the sense of hopelessness the characters would feel.

I felt the main character at points was annoying. I did find myself rolling my eyes at her decisions/detective skills. I think if maybe she had some sort of experience working in a post-mortem setting it would have enriched her character as a 'detective' or having the need to solve the mystery. At the end it was obvious who the culprit was but she was completely oblivious for quite some time.

However, I did find this book captivating enough that I couldn't put it down.

3.5 *

A rollicking good fun read. Set in the wastes of the Antarctic which are vividly and terrifying brought to life by Emma Haughton, The Dark is a thriller, a locked room murder mystery, with red herrings and drama galore. It unfolds with pace and had me staying up late into the night to get to the end. Highly enjoyable.

I can’t imagine much more scary than being stuck somewhere as inhospitable as Antarctica for months, with just the company of twelve people you’ve never met. Oh wait…yes I can. Being in that situation and then having some of your colleagues turn up dead, the power going out in an act of sabotage and being stuck in that place knowing someone there has a gun and is prepared to kill you.
Kate is a doctor, struggling after a car crash in which her fiancé was killed, and she decides to take a job as doctor on an Antarctic base for the winter. She is scared of the dark, is not managing her addiction to painkillers after the accident and finds herself in a situation that would test the patience of a saint. When she starts to hear rumours about what happened to her predecessor and the ‘accidents’ that befall anyone trying to find out more she can be forgiven for acting irrationally and starting to doubt those around her.
The claustrophobic atmosphere of the base is everything. I think the identity of the killer was quite obvious, though there’s plenty of attempts to throw us off the scent. We’re never wholly sure what Kate is experiencing and what she’s imagining. There’s a few characters that give cause for concern, and by the time we start drawing to the inevitable ‘big moment’ I was desperate for it to be over because I was doubting everyone.
Huge thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this in exchange for my thoughts, and I am convinced we’ll see this on the big screen in the not too distant future.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this entertaining book

this one reminded me a bit of the thing and an agatha christie novel and then there were none

set in the Antarctic, where the summer staff have gone home and the winter staff are there to keep things running with the knowledge that they are there for the winter and 24 hour darkness for months with no escape or help getting to them if things go wrong

what could possibly go wrong.....

wow have to say i thoroughly enjoyed this one, all the characters are flawed and most are likeable but as time passes and with no light to keep their spirits up, its not long before tensions mount and tempers are frayed...

can they keep it together and work as a team or is there someone in their midst about to strike...

will be keeping an eye out for more of this authors books

Outstanding Whodunnit….
An outstanding whodunnit with the perfect, bleakly terrifying and inhospitable backdrop which is impeccably depicted. The plotline is dealt with a well crafted, well drawn and credible cast of characters. atmosphere in spades, red herrings aplenty and more than a few surprises. A thrilling ride from start to finish which was hard to part with for a second. A first class read.