I will read ANYTHING by Fiona Cummins (I'd read her shopping list given half a chance) because her novels are ALL extraordinary. So of course I jumped at the chance to read an advanced copy of her latest! Naturally, I was not disappointed. Can I just say it is extremely twisty?!! A genuine roller-coaster of a tale and, as ever, utterly absorbing. Such superb writing, characterisation and social commentary! And I did NOT see the ending coming. Prepare to put your life on hold until you finish this book!
Thank you SO much to Fiona and Pan MacMillan for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this exceptional book. What an honour!

How can a family just disappear without a trace

This book is completely unpredictable
So many secrets, twists, turns
Intriguing storyline and no way of knowing what washing to happen next
If you like red herrings there is plenty of those and drama
Loved it

Thank you netgalley, Fiona Cummins and Pan McMillan

Into the Dark has such an intriguing plot, where a whole family disappears without a trace!

I'm a huge fan of Fiona's writing style, so I already knew I would not be bored reading this book. The book is told in multiple timelines and also from multiple POV's.. The timelines range from 2 months ago, 5 days ago, the day of.....but it wasn't really difficult to keep track of the different timelines and POV's.

As we unravel the mystery, it becomes clear that the Holden family has a lot of secrets and all may not be as it seems. We think we know these characters, but with each chapter, we learn something new and I really didn't know who to trust anymore.

This was quite the page turner, because I really wanted to solve this mystery. As interesting as the book is and engrossing, I did find there was some disconnect for me...I can't tell you exactly why. There are plot twists galore, unreliable narrators, and some good stories within the story. The ending....I didn't quite understand and I think that's where I eventually had to concede that as much as I enjoyed the book, I didn't love it.

Still, very entertaining read, interesting characters and worth the read if you're a Fiona Cummins fan like I am.

3.75 stars

An absorbing and compelling new book from Fiona Cummins. Loved how you were kept guessing all the way through. Would totally recommend.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley . I love Fionas books so I was excited to read this.

After I finished I tweeted , you are a twisty megamind of thrills. Which I think captures Fionas creative mind perfectly .

This is a complete Web of twists and turns. You are gripped from cover to cover .

Unpredictable and will shock you . You think it’s going one way to go another .

Secrets,lies and revenge are running themes in this story with characters who aren’t that trustworthy. Who is telling the truth?

If you’re new to Fionas books then get reading as she doesn’t dissapoint. You are engrossed in her words and eager to read more after finishing .

Thunderously Compulsive…
Deliciously compelling suspense where nothing at all is as it seems. The author cleverly pulls the reader into the storyline in almost comforting manner but the undercurrent of underlying menace is there from the off and continues at a gallop. With a wholly credible cast and a thunderously compulsive, dark and edgy storyline this is a page turner in truest sense and impossible to part with. This premise delivers.

Thank you Netgalley and Panmacmillan for the ARC of this book
As usual this is another very well written book by Fiona. A good story of greed in particular with interesting characters.
However, this was not my favourite of Fiona’s book and at times I found the plot a bit boring, plus I felt a bit let down as for me I felt it was unfinished and there were too many questions left unanswered and plots still open … maybe that’s the intention! Hence the 4 stars
However, I doesn’t put me off wanting to read Fiona’s next book

My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy of Into the Dark. This is a difficult one to write a review for without spoilers, suffice to say I have not read anything by Fiona Cummins before and I found her style of writing quite difficult to get into at first, with the different narrators and travelling back and forth along the timeline.
I have a feeling that if I'd read her previous novels I might understand the inclusion of Saul Anguish and Dr Marsh, but as things stand I fail to see their relevance other than to add to the deep sense of darkness and dread already offered up by the plot and the cast of hugely unpleasant characters. The fact there was no one to empathise with made for a strange kind of read.
It took me a while to realise that this was not an American novel as Cummins style and her choice of character names meant I had to keep reminding myself this was all taking place in the UK.
Overall this is an interesting and chilling story of greed and a distinct lack of morality or conscience and I felt involved enough to want to find other works by this author. However, if you are the type of reader who tries to work out where the storyline is going or who the perpetrator might be, you will be very exercised and in the main, frustrated as this is very cleverly written.

I enjoyed this book and there were plenty of twists and turns. Some of them were highly unlikely to have happen. The twists could have been made into two books as there were so many it felt as it was two books in one. Cummins I a talented writer I just felt the plots would have been better as two different books

Lots of characters to 'meet' but a thrilling and intriguing storyline of two friends and secrets. The book deals with complex issues including abuse, jealousy, greed and controlling behaviours but overall I preferred her previous book When I was Ten.

This was quite the rollercoaster!
Lots to take in in the first half with lots of new characters and different time frames which had my head hurting at times, but it all paid off in the second half when everything exploded with insights into who’s been up to what. I couldn’t put it down from that point,
When I was ten is still my favourite book by this author but I did like this one and would recommend!

I read this in one sitting on New Year's Day and what a fantastic book to read to kick of the New Year. It's a hard book to write a review for because their are so many twists and turns it made my head spin and I don't want to give any spoilers away. Some of the characters are really dark and deeply disturbed but living through their eyes was completely absorbing. I loved everything about this gripping read. I just could not put it down until I finished it. The house where Piper, Gray, Riva and Artie live is named Seawings which I love, the description of the house was amazing and I felt like I was living there with them, although it's the house where they also disappear. Julianne is Piper's best friend and she's married to Quiller - a brilliant name for a control freak. She goes to Seawings to meet Piper for their normal morning run and she finds the whole family has disappeared. This is where the awesome twists start to happen and it's not the plot you think it is, it's so much more and then some. It certainly kept me guessing right to the end and it completely took me by surprise. If you think you can work this book out then think again. In my opinion this is Fiona's best book so far. When I was Ten was PHENOMENAL and this one is SENSATIONAL with plenty of guesswork and red herrings included. Trust me when I say this IT'S ONE HELL OF A GRIPPING READ. LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT.

Once again Fiona Cummings has the reader in her grip in this unusual psychological thriller of two close friends and the secrets they hide. The jumping around in time and place confused me but kept me on my toes trying to work out where the twists and turns would lead.

When Julianne Holden disappears with her family one morning her best friend Piper is left wondering what has happened to them after receiving a worrying late-night message from Julianne. The police investigate but can find no clue as to what has happened to the family. I could not empathise with any of the characters but this didn't spoil the enjoyment of the book. However I couldn't understand the inclusion of DC Anguish's secret life.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review Into The Dark

This is an outstanding read! Utterly absorbing, ingenious storyline which I can honestly say kept me guessing the whole way through, and the ending....superb! Piper and Julianne are great characters, complete opposites from one another but held together in friendship, or so you would be led to think...

Highly recommend this one!

My thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

I'd become an intense fan of Fiona Cummins after reading When I Was Ten last year and had pushed away all my other books as soon as the publisher approved my request for the proof of her newest title that comes out in February. I have to say, this book was a different kind of suspense, dark yes, psychological yes, but if you ask me about the plot and it's twists and whether I'd been completely engrossed or not, well I wasn't. And I had really high expectations. Not that, the book lacked any of it, it's just that my expectations for a certain few characters were heavy and they did not deliver.

When a family of four disappears from their wealthy mansion in the seaside Midtown, police constable Saul who's new to the area and the force are immediately involved. Piper Holden, the missing woman and her close friend Julianne are thick as thieves and the police soon start suspecting that there's more to the family's disappearance that what meets the eye. Soon shocking revelations are made.

Saul and Blue had been the characters with great potential but weren't put to better use by the author. They both had their own dark sides to take care and the actual murder case was just a background for them. As for the others in the story, they all made quick appearances and the ending was abruptly done as if left in a hurry.

Into the Dark could have been much much more but wasn't the author's best work yet.

Into the Dark by Fiona Cummins
Publication Date: April 2022
Rating: 4/5
I have been a huge fan of Fiona Cummins for a while now, and I think this might be her best book yet. Cummins has a tendency to draw you in, and make you feel comfortable, before ripping the ground from beneath you. I was so sure that I knew where this book was headed, but I was wrong. Into the Dark is full of brilliant twists and turns, and is entirely unpredictable. The pace is spot on, and the story is thoroughly unsettling. Like all good crime thrillers, her characters are brilliantly fleshed out and original. They are also deeply flawed, which makes them intriguing. I was particularly fascinated with Anguish, and hope that he pops up again. I loved it!

This is the first Fiona Cummins book I have read so it was a bit of a shot in the dark but having finished it in the early hours of this morning, not being able to put it down, I will certainly be seeking out more of her books. She writes in a very compelling style which took me a while to appreciate but by the end those pages were rapidly turning over. There are many characters and sub plots which all connect in the end but provide a lot of suspense for the reader as your suspicions are aroused. To me none of the characters were likeable since they all have a dark side, some of them pretty bleak! This is off-putting for me but I found them fascinating none the less as the story lines are well crafted and full of subterfuge. Several of the characters narrate the different chapters which are not in chronological order which caused me some difficulty in the beginning but overall I think it was a very effective technique. Not only does it provide different perspectives but also different levels of honesty...in the end you are questioning everything!
I have read that some of the characters have appeared in earlier Cummins books so I think I need to digest these before I can be confident I understood everything that went on but it certainly did not stop my enjoyment of this book.
I would like to thank Netgalley and PanMacmillan for letting me review this prepublication copy.

Piper and Julianne are best friends. They will do anything for each other. They are both married and have two children each. The children have grown up together and are friends, but the mums have a special bond. Julianne’s husband is controlling, she has to account for every penny and woe betide her if she’s overspends. They are comfortably off, but everything is for show, with Quiller controlling the purse strings. Piper’s husband has an investment company and they are very wealthy, Piper spends money as though it’s going out of fashion, but Gray doesn’t mind. Neither woman is happy in their marriage and they have dreamt and plotted for years to get away and live their lives how they want to, but Julianne doesn’t want to leave her children and Piper wants to have even more money, and doesn’t let anything get in her way to achieve her goals.

One night events occur that make putting their plans into action a priority. Then all the secrets and lies unfurl and the double lives of these two woman are revealed. Needless to say all their plotting and planning isn’t quite as foolproof as they thought.

This part of the book I loved, the lives and secrets of both women was engaging and told so well and the descriptive way the author writes was almost poetic, she is a real wordsmith. However, the introduction of Saul and Blue was not so good. Their roles were valid and important, but I didn’t like, or understand, the back story of Saul and his “collection “, and I think that I needed to read earlier books that told his story to know him better. Also didn’t I think the narcolepsy thread relevant or necessary.

All in all a really enjoyable book that I would definitely recommend, just needed to either read previous books or speed read through the Saul and Blue bits!

Thank you NetGalley.

I have read everything Fiona has written and loved them all. She writes a tight, absorbing and very clever crime novel full of so many twists and turns you just don’t see coming. While this book could be read as a standalone, we were introduced to the main character Saul in The Collector (which in turn was the sequel to Rattle) and I personally feel the reader will get more out of this book if they have read those two first.

Saul Anguish was only 16 during the horrific events of The Collector and 7 years later we catch up with him, now a fully fledged DC beginning a new job in the major crime unit of a small seaside town. But his dark past still haunts him and he struggles with his own personal demons as he helps investigate the sudden disappearance of an entire family from their palatial home with nothing to go on but the words MAKE THEM STOP written in blood on the teenage daughter’s bedroom mirror.

Every one in this book is hiding a secret as the author oh so cleverly reveals the dark underside to human relationships, desperation and obsessions….

When I was invited to request a copy of this book from NetGalley I didn’t know what to expect… I didn’t read the blurb, I didn’t need too. After reading When I Was Ten last year the author became an auto read for me. So I knew I would love it. ​

What I didn’t know, was just how amazing this book would be… it had me captivated from the beginning and did not let me go until the very end and even then I wanted more!

In the first half of the book everyone is perceived to be something they are most definitely not and as each chapter moves forward and the revelations keep coming you will not know who you can trust and it will shock the bones off you. ​

I couldn’t actually tell you my favourite character right now, because they all deceived me in some way. In the most shocking way. But yet I still felt the deepest connection to them all.

This was an AMAZING thriller that hooked me from beginning to end and one I certainly could not put down.