I seem to have had a run of books lately that have given me mixed feelings and reviews and this is another one to add to that mix!

I found the first half of the book quite slow going with alot of repetition which in all honesty left me skimming the pages at points. The second half picked up speed thankfully and started to pique my interest, making me want to know how it would all end.

The main character Chloe isn't the most likeable character and her naivety and hysteria was somewhat annoying.

There are ALOT of predictable moments throughout BUT there are also alot of twists, turns and red herrings.

Whilst I enjoyed the writing style the actual plot didn't captivate me as much as I was hoping for.

Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad read.. just read the glowing reviews from everyone else.. it just didn't personally pull me in like I was expecting.

It's not one that I would recommend on highly BUT I will definitely look out for the authors next book as I think she has a brilliant talent and promise.

With thanks to netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC.

What a great debut novel!
"A flicker in the dark" tells us the story of Chloe Davis' now grown up and working as a respected Psychologist, but who suffered huge trauma when it was discovered that her father had murdered some local teenage girls when she was a child. He is now in prison for life for the serial-killings, but with the twentieth anniversary looming, teenage girls where she now lives are going missing and Chloe is convinced and terrified that there must be a connection.
It was a great stretegy plot-wise to have us know the background from the outset - it immediately sets an unsettled tone, and it explains why Chloe is quite nervous etc. early on, and that tenseness only builds as the story develops.
We get flashbacks to her childhood through her memories, often occuring mid conversation with others (which could be confusing but isn't!), and it works as we feel that she is just fleshing out her childhood story for us as opposed to waiting for a big reveal (from her earlier life) - the big mystery is happening now...
Chloe starts worrying that she is imagining things, and also becomes concerned about who she can trust with her worries and theories, and as it is all from her POV we also are unsure about who is here to help and who is here to hinder her.
I totally guessed wrong about a lot of what was going on but that is always a good sign in a thriller. Overall the pace of the novel is quite even which is great, even if the initial third of the story is essentially setting the scene for us.
Fantastic debut novel, I can't wait for her next one.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC of this title in return for my honest review.

Chloe is a psychologist whose father was convicted as a serial killer 20 years before on evidence she discovered. Girls are starting to go missing again as the 20th anniversary approaches. Is there a copycat killer on the loose? How is Chloe linked to this?

This is an excellent psychological thriller and an easy and enjoyable read.
Thanks to Net Galley for a review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This had me hooked from the beginning and then like the proverbial fish it kept me dangling and thinking I’d worked it all out all the way to the end. There were parts of Chloe that I disliked but overall I think she was well defined. I particularly liked the way the story unfolded with flashbacks knitted into the current situation. Chloe obviously has anxiety and trust issues after having her world implode when she discovered the vital evidence of a serial killer which put her father behind bars for the rest of his life. We get to meet Chloe 20 years later on the cusp of getting married when similar killings happen afresh.

This is a truly excellent debut book. A psychologist’s father was convicted as a serial killer 20 years before on evidence she discovered, and now it appears girls are starting to go missing again as the 20th anniversary approaches. The killer however seems to be making it very personal to the psychologist. Is there any link?

This book kept me wanting to keep reading on and not put the book down. It is an excellent psychological thriller and keeps you guessing as the book progresses. There are a number of twists in the book, some I saw and some I did not see coming, but others may. It is very readable with great plotting and I finished it in not much more than a day.

I strongly recommend this to people who enjoy psychological thrillers or that enjoy books about serial killers. I will definitely be looking out for other books by this author.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for a review copy of the book in exchange for a fair, open and honest review.

A slow starter this thriller which quickly got up to speed. Lots of secrets and lies,twists and turns. Good ,interesting characters.

A true psychological thriller with the emphasis on the psychology. Expect a bumpy and confusing ride.

The daughter of a serial killer of young women and teenagers grows up to become a psychologist. While outwardly she seems to have rebuilt her life after the disastrous upbringing, she relies on drugs and alcohol to help her cope. When similar deaths happen twenty years after her father has been imprisoned, all the memories of those traumatic times reoccur despite the coping mechanisms.

From her perspective and told in the first person, the painful flashbacks show how everyone in her family (mother and brother) and victims' families deal with the fallout. The paranoia and suspicion is expressed well and makes a very tense read. The psychological aspects are chillingly good.

Despite the 'snaking' and 'flipping', this is an absorbing read exploring control, enabling and trauma. A little repetitive at times and the ending is drawn out, but this is a book I like very much - really my kind of thing. Recommended.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

Chloe Davis is a child psychologist in Baton Rouge. But Chloe Davis is also the daughter of a serial killer who murdered six young girls, whose bodies were never found, when she was twelve. Jailed for life and the lives of her mother and brother also destroyed Chloe has managed to find love and is due to be married but can she ever escape her fathers crimes.

When two girls go missing, one of them Chloe's patient, on the 20th anniversary of the killings is it just Chloe's drug fueled paranoia at work or something more sinister? As the past catches up with the present can Chloe find out what happened to connect the two sets of murders?

A real page turner. I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended.

A great thriller that keeps you guessing right until the end!
Loads of twists and suspicion around every corner.
Some good, well written characters with a decent back story and a steady pace made this book easy to read and the setting was both normal and heavy with threat!
Definitely worth a read.

A really great psychological thriller with lots of twists and turns that keep you guessing right to the end. Highly recommend this book you won't be disappointed

I enjoyed the book, and will definitely read some more by Ms Willingham in future. Recommended for anyone who loves a good read.

Although slow in places I enjoyed reading this book, I did not see the ending coming, which meant I enjoyed the twists and turns towards the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for letting me review this ARC in exchange for an honest review

A great debut book
A good psychological thriller
Plenty of twists
Can’t wait to read her next book
Thanks NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book. However, it is your typical thriller though. The storyline is good and it is well written.
Thank you Stacy Willingham and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

well written, good plot, i enjoyed it would read again i really like the author

I feel like this is a very typical thriller storyline with a trope that’s been done many times before. Good writing and an interesting storyline, but I wanted more from it.

This had a slow build up but I thought it was written well with the murderer not becoming apparent until quite late in the book which is always a bonus.
I've not read this author before and will definitely look at picking them up again.

A Flicker in the Dark was a good read. I didn’t know who was killing the girls until it was revealed and I really couldn’t put the book down. I felt Chloe went on a journey as she tried to find out the truth for the murders taking place now, and in her childhood. I liked the characters and the storyline was good, it was well worth a read.

#A FlickerinTheDark #NetGalley I found this a bit of a slow book to get into but once the action started to happen there was plenty of twists and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat. Easy to read with well written characters, I was interested to see that this book has been optioned for a TV series. I would be interested to read more books from this author in the future.

This was everything you need for a thriller and crime story. It is not as black and white as you first think and like most typical thrillers, is full of twists. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.


3.5/5.