This was a great story but it wasn’t as good as I’d hoped for. It actually made me feel uncomfortable and I was pleased when I finished it. The idea was good but I found it all depressing. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

WELCOME TO A WORLD WHERE WOMEN HOLD THE POWER.
They dominate workplaces, public spaces and government.
They are no longer afraid to cross a dark car park, catch the last train, or walk home alone.
With the Curfew law in place, all men are electronically tagged and must stay at home after 7pm.
It changed things for the better. Until now.
A woman is murdered late at night and evidence suggests she knew her attacker.
It couldn't have been a man because a Curfew tag is a solid alibi... Isn't it?

This is a thrilling and twisty read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own hone\st voluntary review.

The curfew is law and men are tagged and only allowed out between set hours. The female empowerment is not a trait I agree and found I could not take to any of the characters. They were all very set in theirs ways.
The book was not for me but I am sure my opinion will be in the minority

What an interesting and different read that was!

In a country that has decided that enough is enough when it comes to violence against women, a radical solution is put in place - men are electronically tagged and are not allowed outside between the hours of 7pm and 7am. Women are no longer afraid to go out at night and it appears to be 'working' when, one morning, the badly beaten body of a woman is found in a park. It couldn't have been a man ... could it?

The premise of the story is an interesting one but, for me, it didn't really deliver how I thought it would; I was hoping there would be a balanced view but it felt to me like is was very anti-male and the overwhelming thought is that all men are evil. We know that is not the case but there wasn't one male character in this book that provided another viewpoint and this was disappointing for me. I do, however, recognise that I have never been subject to male violence and therefore may have come at this from a different frame of reference and because of this, I can certainly see why some may think the future world described in this book would be utopia but, for me, I don't like tarring everyone with the same brush.

Told from different points of view and in two timelines, this book moves along at a good pace. The characters, both male and female, are not particularly likeable with the teenage daughter being the most irritating and, annoyingly, stereotypical and this caused me to not care about any of them particularly so the mystery around who was murdered wasn't that intriguing but I did like how we didn't find out until towards the end.

Overall though it was an interesting and thought-provoking read but not as good as I think it could have been but I must thank Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book and share my thoughts.

Loved this interesting book about what happens when men are put into a curfew from 7pm to keep women safe then a woman is murdered who committed the murder, Could it have been one of their own or has a man found a way to remove the tag.
A thought provoking story which I was gripped from the start and finished the book in 2 days.
Liked how the author had detailed why she wrote this book.
Would highly recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley & Penguin Books.

When women are attacked or killed walking alone at night, we're told we should 'be more careful. Don't go out alone! Call ahead. Avoid isolated spots......as if it's the fault of the victim, not their attacker. It has been highlighted in the lockdown era with the deaths of Sarah Everard and Sabine Nessa and others. Lots of solutions are proposed - clever apps, trackers and such like. Nobody ever comes up with the idea at the heart of Jayne Cowie's 'After Dark'; a curfew to keep all males over 10 years old tagged and at home after dark.

What if?

The book is set in the near future and carries two timelines - before and after the finding of a dead woman who cannot initially be identified. We are introduced to several women who could be the victim and a host of other people who could be the killer. There's also a female police officer who has been on the job since long before curfew and dares to express her suspicion that the killer was a man. Her senior officers are horrified and try to shut her up. To question the effectiveness of curfew is to question the continued existence of curfew and they absolutely can't accept that.

The book is well written with a good dose of suspense through each of the women's stories. It is, however, flawed in its assumption that men only kill after dark and only outside the home. We know too well that more women are killed by men they know than by strangers. Every year on International Women's Day, MP Jess Phillips reads the long list to the House of Commons of women killed by relatives, husbands and lovers . Curfew wouldn't stop any of that.

I'm reminded of a school friend whose mother always insisted she be home by 10 o'clock. My friend would exclaim that as far as her mother was concerned "Nobody every has sex anywhere other than a bed and after 10 pm'.

If you can forgive the obvious issues of domestic violence and murder when the sun's out. it's a very readable story. I did guess the identity of the dead woman and who the likely killer was, but not the reasons or the links to many of the other characters. The book does rely on the twin lazy techniques of tracking people by data usage and DNA, but that's not all there is to working out whodunnit.

It should be noted that there are absolutely no nice men in this book and that does make things a tad one-dimensional. I would like to add that the book entirely fails to recognise that trans people would mess this modeled dystopia up completely.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this enjoyable read.

This was an interesting (and timely) premise but it fell short for me, On the plus side, I enjoyed the plot and the different points of view but the writing was poor and a little flat. Still, I do think this would be good for book clubs and highlights an issue that has gone on for far too long.

A world where violence does not seem to exist anymore and where women are in charge for anything.
This story takes place in a Britain where men are locked away during the night, since most violent crime take place around this time. All of their moves and their actions are tracked every minute of the day. So there is no violence anymore.
Until one day a woman is violently murdered. But who could have done this, if men are not allowed to leave their homes??
So obviously it is about the women to find this out!
I really enjoy distopian thrillers like that and highly recommend it to anybody who does as well!
Thanks #NetGalley #Random House UK, Cornerstone, Penguin for this ARC

I found this book to be very interesting. It was a futuristic world possibly (hope not) where men are deemed bad and and women live together in comparative safety.
I felt that it was well written with some interesting aspects that make you think.
I enjoyed it.

After Dark is something different in the mystery/thriller genre and I loved it. It’s set in a dystopian now but there is a curfew and all men are tagged and have to stay at home from 7PM until morning in order to keep women safe. Then one day there a woman is found murdered and the police are sure it can’t have been a male as they’re all tagged, aren’t they? I found this novel so gripping. We follow different characters – a woman, Sarah, who works at a tagging centre and lives in a home for women with her daughter Cass, who we also follow. Sarah had her husband arrested and jailed a little while previously and she’s anxious on hearing of his release from prison. We also follow the police investigation and gradually learn about what has happened to lead to this murder and how it happened. This is a fast-paced thriller but it’s also a book that makes you think. I highly recommend it.

A thought-provoking crime story that explores contemporary issues through its characters and plot in a way that invites discussion, it's perfect for book clubs. It makes the reader think about the current violence against women, the curtailment of freedom and whether the law is the way to do this. The plot is well-written, and the characters are relatable.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Imagine a futuristic world where men are tagged and on curfew from 7pm to keep women safe. A very topical tale with current events and it brings many questions to the surface. I was gripped from the start. I particularly liked the note from the author detailing her reasons for writing this book. A heartfelt read.

Finding a new or different storyline is difficult as so many books follow a narrative told so many times before. This story is certainly different for me as I have never read a novel which involves all boys over 10 and all men to be tagged and kept on an overnight curfew so they cannot commit crime during those hours, particularly against women.
The current woke Society, of which many complain about, will enjoy how far forward women have taken control in this story. All jobs which require evening or overnight work must be completed by women as the men must stay at home.
This is a concept that requires a lot of separate discussion. This may be where we are heading as humans, but it doesn't solve all of the problems; women still commit crimes. This is one of the main problems with this story as when a woman is murdered during the night, the police assume that this must have been conducted by a woman as the men are all at home. They are tagged to ensure that they can be monitored at all times so it would be easy to see if a man had committed this crime.
Teenager Cass and her mother Sarah are the leading characters in this story and they have plenty of conflict, particularly after Sarah ensured that her husband was sent to prison for committing a minor crime and this leaves Cass particularly upset about tagging and the way men are treated in the near future.
Consuming this novel leaves the reader wondering about these positions in society and how the current rules may change in the future. This is an excellent story and the writer has found a niche that needs to be explored. A free copy of this book doesn't alter my review and I look forward to reading more by this writer who doesn't just write a powerful story, but provokes you to think at the same time without requiring a university degree to complete the novel.

I’m not sure what to say about this story without giving away too much honestly.

I really enjoyed the multiple POVs, which rarely happens in my case. There’s a lot going on and some intriguing characters in here. However, I was totally taken aback by the man's hate. I am all about feminist and fighting the patriarchy but somehow this book took it is a bit too far for me. Maybe because I have a teenage son that I really want him to live in a better equal life. Yes, this is fiction and a “dystopian” type of story, but just my opinion.

It’s a must-read book because it’s compelling and challenging in so many ways as the topics are very intriguing and will make for lots of interesting discussions and views.

NetGalley arc

After too many male crimes, Men have to be under Curfew once they are 10 years old. Women can be safe at night. This also means that women have to do all the night shifts and the jobs that are longer days.
A women is found murdered over night and the police have to consider that curfew might be broken.
I enjoyed this female-centric story. It took you down a few red herring paths as you find out the information as the police do.
An interesting premise which makes you think.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jayne Cowie, Random House UK and Cornerstone for this advanced copy!

As soon as I read the blurb for this book I knew I had to read it, so I was beyond delighted to be approved for it! The premise for this novel is everything! It’s not often we see that women are the ones free, safe and in charge, not being punished or prosecuted. Books like The Handmaid’s Tale, one of my favorites, or Vox, tells of a man’s world where women are almost sub-human, who are abused, oppressed with zero rights. After Dark turns everything we’ve read previously upside down and I. LOVE. IT! As well as all this, the murder mystery/thriller/suspense element just made it that much better. 

This was quite a quick and easy read. The writing flows between multiple points of view, and the addition of a dual timeline between past and present helps to build the suspense and mystery. With each character, you see a different opinion of Curfew, whether it be positive or negative.  The only character I had an issue with was Cass, I found her to be highly annoying and immature but I understand that she was supposed to be (I think?). The main reason that this is a 4 instead of a 5 is only because the ending felt a little bit rushed to me. I would’ve happily kept with it for another 50 pages or so if it meant a mind blowing conclusion.

After Dark is such a relevant book, especially with the way the world is right now. And how it has been. And how it probably will be for years to come, which is sad and exhausting. As enjoyable as it was, it’s very relatable and eye-opening. I really do wonder what it would be like to live in Cowie’s book for a day?

*Please research any trigger warnings prior to reading*

This book told a tale of a woman being murdered in a park after dark,where men had a curfew and tags to stop any violence towards women at night but could a regime like that really work?, because someone had violently murdered this woman..... Could it have been a woman that knew the victim?.
This book really made for interesting reading!. There were many characters who could have fit the profile of a murderer, male and female, they all had motives of varying levels. It really was written brilliantly and kept me guessing until the end!!.
Many thanks to Netgalley for the free arc book for an honest review.
#Netgalley, #randomhouse, #cowiejayne.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of “ After Dark” for an honest review.

I was really interested in reading this from the storyline., It seemed particularly relevant in the aftermath of Sarah Everard’s murder and the discussion into women’s safety , with the onus being put on the woman to protect themselves..A thought provoking book that I really enjoyed on the whole, although I did feel it was overly “ anti men” , not all men are bad nor are all women good .
I’d give this a 3.5 star rating.

A very unusual but thought-provoking novel by an author who appears to have strong views on the subject she writes about. The story is set at a time in the not too distant future where all men in the UK are subject to a curfew between 7 pm and 7 am and are tagged to ensure that they comply. It is a very one-sided view of our society and there are no male characters with any redeeming traits whatsoever.
On the surface, it is not a book for me a 77-year-old retired man, however, I found the story compelling and was interested to see an alternative view of British life. I too find it abhorrent that the females in our society are unable to feel safe on our streets at night. The news shows us all too often the reasons for this and another life ending too soon. I cannot though agree with the premise that all men are a danger to women and need to be controlled.
Our society is not perfect far from it but every argument can and does have two sides and as well as misogynists there are misandrists
This book should make us all think about our attitudes to and relationships with others of any sex and how we may be able to improve the society in which we live.

This is an interesting thought provoking book.. It’s set in a futuristic world and although described in the book blurb as dystopian, it’s really up to you the reader to decide if it’s dystopian or utopian! It’s certainly controlled!
All males are under curfew from 7pm till 7am from the age of 10 years old, which is when their electronic tags are fitted. This has been introduced to protect women as a high percentage of murders and violent crimes are committed by males.
It’s introduction has reduced the statistics.

The book centres around Sarah, Cass - her just turned 18 yr old daughter, Cass’ teacher Helen and her best friend Mabel who, like Sarah, works as a ‘tagger’. Sarah and Cass live in an all female community house called a ‘motherhouse’ where men are excluded. They have moved there after an incident involving Sarah’s husband, which resulted in her now ex-husband, Greg receiving a prison sentence. But he’s out now.

A woman is found murdered, beaten to death. Pamela is a police officer nearing retirement. She has been in the force a long time - before the introduction of the Curfew law. Unlike other officers she believes that it’s still possible that the murder has been committed by a man. Her boss refuses to consider it because they are all locked up under curfew, so it must have been a woman.

I liked this book, not so much for the murder/mystery aspect of it, although that was pretty well written and kept me guessing between two potential murderers right till the end! It was more the thought provoking side of it that captivated me. In the book, society is under a high degree of control which seems, as you read it questionable and ‘big brother-ish. In truth, we are already heading towards this. Everyone in the book carries a slate, which is to all intents and purposes just another name for a phone or tablet, which most of us already carry and which already makes so much of our ‘private’ lives available to authorities should they ever need to check up on us. Our mobile phones will tell the police where we were at any given time should we ever need an alibi - providing of course we carry them at all times! A large number of us already wouldn’t dream of going out without our phones (me included) and the younger generations are glued to their phones even more than my generation - although my sisters are pretty much on theirs every few minutes. Our written conversations are there for anyone in authority to read, our contacts, the web pages we browse, the things we buy online, the books we read, our bank details, our credit rating, our health statistics…….all available to someone with authority or know how!

So the book just takes things a bit further. Women, in this book, have all the power………..but with great power comes great responsibility! Due to the curfew, men are very limited in the jobs they can do and women have the jobs that require working in ‘curfew’ hours. This means men are more likely to be the homemakers. Would this be a good thing? Before couples can live together they have to go through ‘couples therapy’ and get a certificate to permit this, would that be a good thing? Women can also divorce their husbands in 24 hours, would that be a good thing?

This is such a debate inducing book. I just know I’ll be talking about it for a long time! It was likened to ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ but with women in control! It’s not nearly as extreme as that particular book or TV series but almost as contentious!

Definitely a great book for a Book Club!

My thanks go to Jayne Cowie, the author, the publishers and NetGalley for an advance e-reader copy. This review, however, is voluntary and entirely my honest opinion.