This was really great as a debut and I went through it very quickly!
Well written and plotted, and although I did guess parts, it still had enough twists and turns to keep me on edge. I can totally see it being made into a series soon! Can't wait to read more from this author.

Chloe is a psychologist who went through a massive trauma when she was young..... Girls went missing and were murdered, her father is convicted of the crimes. Twenty years on and Chloe has tried to get her life together she helps people going through traumas and has a fiance soon to be married... But then girls start going missing again and it brings it all back, her dad is still in prison so how is it happening again??? Who could be the culprit and who can she trust?? So many twists and turns loved this novel not the ending i was expecting!!

Many thanks NetGalley for letting me read this fabulous debut novel I will definitely be recommending and will be looking for more from Stacey, will be a fantastic film! Highly recommended would give more than 5 stars if I could.

Chloe is a psychologist and has lived through a big personal trauma. Teenage girls went missing in her local town when she was 12 and her father was convicted of being the serial killer. But now girls are starting to go missing again, but who is behind it, because her father is still in prison 🤔

4⭐- This was a really good debut and I read it very quickly. It was well written and plotted, and although I did guess parts, it still had enough twists and turns to keep me on edge. I can totally see why it's being made into a series with the amazing Emma Stone! Well worth picking up a copy, in shops now!!

An enjoyable read, I did find it a little slow to start with but towards the end it really picked up, The twist was a complete surprise

This book is very slow to start, for about the first half, and the main character is a typical unreliable narrator who isn’t particularly likeable. However, once it gets going the revelations fly and the twists and turns are great. I’m glad I finished the book although there were quite a few points in the first half where I was tempted to abandon it.

This is my first novel by author Stacy Willingham and I found it a really good and gripping novel.

We meet Chloe who is a phycologist, trying to help other young people, as we get to learn that Chloe's childhood was far from idyllic. We learn that her father was a serial killer of young children and he was tried and convicted whilst Chloe was still a young girl. She is still coming to terms with her father's actions and she tends to keep people at arms length. She has now got a fiancee and her own business but then a harsh reality hits and young girls start to disappear and end up being murdered, exactly the way her father did it.

There are links between the two set of decade old murders and the new ones that are taking place and Chloe starts to question many things. Chloe is self medicating and sometimes does not seem to be in the real world. I found some text to be quite jumpy, but maybe this just needs to be finalised before publishing.

I did guess the twist in this story very soon into the novel as it seemed to fit really well into the story telling.

A good and intriguing novel and really worth a read. Thanks to NetGalley, Stacy Willingham and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. Other readers may enjoy it more, but I could not get into it and ultimately did not finish it.

An absolutely wonderful debut novel. The focus of the family of a killer was an interesting perspective. It was fascinating to read how Chloe handled her father's crimes which was very different from the way her mother and brother handled them. I enjoyed the twists and turns which kept you wondering. It certainly kept me guessing. Ms Willingham has a lovely writing style and I look forward to reading more from her.

Sadly this book didn’t do what I thought it would do . I found it wasn’t creepy as I hoped it would be and at times I found it tedious. Not what I was hoping for. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

A good, solid psychological thriller with many twists! I found the plot to be rather complicated, it needs concentration! Worth it in the end. Recommended.

When main character Chloe was 12, there was a spate of teenage disappearances, folllowed by the finding of their bodies. Shortly after this her father was arrested and sentenced to murder.
20 years later Chloe is still struggling with the aftermath. She is a psychologist who you would think has her sh*t together, however she is self medicating to help her get through each day, her mother is in a care home and her brother isn’t coping any better either.
Told in the form of alternative chapters between now and childhood flashbacks this book has interesting twists and turns
In the now Chloe is preparing to marry and settle down when suddenly there is a disappearance of another teenage girl. Is history repeating itself? Is there a copycat out there? Or was her father wrongly committed?
I enjoyed reading this book and am looking forward to finding more titles from Emily

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

This is a dark and sophisticated thriller with twists and turns that certainly kept me guessing. One minute the clues lead one way and then, a chapter on, there’s another shock. The main character is complex and has a difficult past which she has shared with very few people. Knowing that she is a psychological therapist adds to the tension and deepens the mystery. The author has created a complex plot that holds the reader’s attention throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a tense mystery.

“It reminded me of the fireflies that emerged in our trees at night, the way I would run through the darkness, swatting at them like I was swimming through stars.” - Chloe, ‘A Flicker in the Dark’.

My thanks to HarperCollins U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘A Flicker in the Dark’ by Stacy Willingham in exchange for an honest review.

I found Stacy Willingham’s debut novel an intense psychological crime thriller. In order to avoid spoilers, just a few plot details.

When Chloe Davis was twelve, her father was arrested and convicted of the murders of several local teenage girls, even though their bodies were never found. It is believed they were lost in the surrounding Louisiana swamps. The case became notorious and Chloe’s family destroyed.

Chloe is now a respected psychologist in Baton Rouge with a thriving practice and a loving fiancé. As the twentieth anniversary of her father’s crimes approaches, Chloe’s worse fear comes true when another local young woman goes missing. Could it be a copycat, a fan seeking to impress her father?

The novel is narrated by Chloe, giving the reader a sense of the complexity of her thoughts and emotions as she seeks to reconcile her positive memories of her father with the heinous crimes he was convicted of.

There were times when I felt exasperated with Chloe, who clearly has trust issues including with the police. In seeking to investigate on her own, it’s not long before she endangers herself.

Overall, I found this an engaging thriller with some very clever twists. I certainly will be looking forward to Stacy Willingham’s future projects.

3.5 stars

I first heard about this novel on a 'Like this? Then rad this' Instagram post that likened it to True Detective season 1. That comparison had me expecting a different book and feeling slightly disappointed in the one I got (whether that's fair or not).

This wasn't creepy at all. The extremely detailed descriptions of the main character's every breath etc actually reminded me of a rom com - not the tone but the 'I breathed out, I poured myself a glass of wine' details didn't make me feel the way the writer wanted me to.

The sense of place wasn't as strong as I hoped either. In the end this felt like a pretty standard psychological thriller (not my fave genre) from the twists that are obvious, to the substance abuse and the main character worrying on some level about her own sanity.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A brilliant thriller with a sophisticated and complex plot that kept me gripped from the start.

A serial killer is jailed for life for murdering six young women in 1999. He will never be released.

Twenty years later, a girl goes missing. Then another.

Is there a copycat killer on the loose?

I did have inklings about the way the story was going to go, but I don't think the twists were predictable. And there are plenty of them.

Really enjoyable read.

I could have read this book in one sitting if life wasn't getting in the way. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The writing style flows and makes the entire story easy to read. I was fascinated by the case itself and how certain clues were out there for the reader to just pick. I guessed who was the killer but this didn't actually put me off reading
.
I had to keep going because I wanted to know how the murderer will get caught. I wanted to find out what will happen with Chloe and how her life will go on after so much suffering
.
This is definitely one great debut novel and I am looking forward to reading more from the author

This was a great fast paced, gripping thriller. The start was relatively slow but as soon as I hit 20% I just had to know what was going on and finished it in one sitting. The writing is straight and to the point which was perfect for the pace of the book. I loved Chloe as a character and enjoyed the look into the psychology of trauma that this book provided, she isn't always 100% put together she is on a journey dealing with her trauma and she can have the dips in that journey. The red herrings were very well done and I loved the twist at the end that pulled the rug out from under me in a very clever way. I think if you like Nicci French's books then you will enjoy this one and can't wait to read more by Stacy Willingham.

I really enjoyed this book. I was somewhat exasperated by the main character, but if she didn’t behave the way she did, the story wouldn’t have unfolded so I completely understand. I love a book that surprises you, and this one certainly did. Well written, with a good plot, I recommend this book. Thank you #netgalley

This book was sooooo good!!!!! I loved the twists (and there are alot of them), the characters (loved and hated them) and the storyline was so gripping! I’m so glad I’ve read this book. Honestly, 10 out of 10!!!

A great easy to read story that started a little slow.
There were twists and turns that I didn’t see coming
A dark thriller

Will definitely read more by this author