A Flicker in the Dark
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3.9 • 135 Ratings
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
She thought the murders had stopped. She was wrong.
The instant New York Times bestseller and a Sunday Times Thriller of the Year, soon to be a major TV series, developed by Emma Stone
‘Very few debuts are as insightful, cunningly plotted and well written as this.’ The Sunday Times Best Thrillers of 2022
‘I couldn’t put this one down’ Prima
‘This was dark! Edge of your seen stuff… incredibly atmospheric and tricky.’Platinum
‘A smart, edge-of-your-seat story with plot twists you’ll never see coming.’ Karin Slaughter, Sunday Times No. 1 Bestselling Author
Chloe Davis’ father is a serial killer.
He was convicted and jailed when she was twelve but the bodies of the girls were never found, seemingly lost in the surrounding Louisiana swamps. The case became notorious and Chloe’s family was destroyed.
His crimes stalk her like a shadow.
Now Chloe has rebuilt her life. She’s a respected psychologist in Baton Rouge and has a loving fiancé.
But she just can’t shake a tick-tick-tick of paranoia that, at any moment, it might all come crashing down.
As does something darker.
It is the anniversary of her father’s crimes, and Chloe is about to see her worst fears come true –
a girl she knows goes missing.
The nightmare has started again…
Reviews
‘As Chloe’s mind moves restlessly between her traumatic past and nightmare present, her inner voice — candid, intelligent, vividly evocative, details-obsessed, but prone to error — is superbly rendered.’ The Times
‘Spectacular […] This beautifully constructed story sends a shiver down the spine as it twists and turns to a conclusion that leaves you gasping for breath.’ Daily Mail
‘I couldn’t put this one down’ Prima
‘This was dark! Edge of your seen stuff… incredibly atmospheric and tricky.’
Platinum
‘A smart, edge-of-your-seat story with plot twists you’ll never see coming. Stacy Willingham’s debut will keep you turning pages long past your bedtime.’
Karin Slaughter, Sunday Times No. 1 Bestselling Author
'Tense, twisty and threatening, A Flicker in the Dark will make you abandon your box sets’
Val McDermid, No. 1 Bestselling author
‘Equal parts lush Southern Gothic, penetrating character study, family tragedy wrenching enough to bruise, taut psychological suspense, and – best of all – a mystery as profoundly satisfying as any I’ve read in years.
A.J. Finn, no. 1 Bestselling author of The Woman in the Window
‘An impressive debut – full of switchback twists’
Cara Hunter, author of the Sunday Times bestselling DI Fawley series
‘Haunting, lyrical and utterly compelling! Author Willingham takes us on an unstoppable journey through the psychology of evil, and of courage (in many senses), all told in a pitch-perfect literary style. Once you start reading, you will not put it down.’
Jeffery Deaver, author of the Sunday Times bestselling Lincoln Rhyme and Colter Shaw series
'A Flicker in the Dark is a bright debut indeed… Chloe is a terrific heroine whose justified paranoia will have you jumping at shadows and suspecting everyone you know. A brilliant new crime-writing talent has arrived.'
Jane Casey, Sunday Times bestselling author of the Maeve Kerrigan series
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
At 12, Chloe Davis—the protagonist of Willingham's devastating debut—watched in horror as her father pleaded guilty to murdering six teenage girls from Breaux Bridge, La., and agreed to serve six consecutive life sentences in order to avoid the death penalty. Shortly thereafter, her mother attempted suicide, and her gregarious older brother retreated inside himself. Now, Chloe is a 32-year-old self-medicating Baton Rouge psychologist, whose family history is unknown to nearly everyone but Daniel Briggs, the pharmaceutical salesperson to whom she's now engaged following a whirlwind romance. Chloe is already apprehensive regarding the impending 20th anniversary of her father's crime spree, so when a 15-year-old girl disappears from Chloe's neighborhood, she tries not to panic. A few days later, however, another 15-year-old girl vanishes after leaving Chloe's office, forcing Chloe to question whether a copycat killer has found her, or her paranoid imagination is seeing patterns where none exist. Willingham skillfully intercuts Chloe's anxious first-person narration in the present with flashbacks to her childhood, ratcheting up the tension. Atmospheric prose and abundant red herrings amplify the tale's intensity. Willingham is a writer to watch.
Customer Reviews
A Decent Debut Crime Novel by Stacy Willingham
,A Flicker In The Dark’ by Stacy Willingham is the debut crime novel by Stacy Willingham and was written in 2022. The book centres around a character called Chloe Davis whose dad was imprisoned when she was younger for being a serial killer after abducting and killing several teenage girls. Twenty years later, similar killings restart and it’s very close to home for Chloe.
This didn’t read like a debut novel and was a really good book. The writing felt natural. There was good suspense and the characterisation was really good. The ending was not at all what I expected and it was a good twist. I have never read any Stacy Willingham before but I will be reading more of her books. A really good read.
Very good read
Gave in to book tok and read this book I was not disappointed. At first I thought I had it all figured out and was almost rolling my eyes at the fact that I managed to work out the bit twist, until the big twist actually came about. I was genuinely shocked reading it wide eyed. I would definitely recommend.
Exciting Read
Could not put this book down. What a rollercoaster of a ride