This book is everything a psychological thriller/mystery should be! The author created characters that are well developed and a plot that moves along quickly! I found myself completely immersed in this one! Highly recommend!

Holy mother of fuck.

Ellery Kane is my new favourite author.

The characters, plot, pacing, worldbuilding, introspect, action, expertly crafted writing - all of it had me wanting the book to never end. This author is a huge talent and I cannot wait to see more from her. Thank you for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Onto her next one...

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC of this book. The book was well written, but the descriptions and scenes of child molestation weren't really my cup of tea. Recommended.

Samantha and her friend Ginny go on a girl's get-away to San Fran and Ginny immediately disappears. Sam teams up with Levi a young man she met on the airplane to find Ginny. Along the way Sam discovers many things about her mother's past and moms ties to an escaped convict named Clive.

The author did a great job of combining past and present with alternating chapters to give the background story of Sam's mom Claire and her relationship with Clive as it ties to the events going on in the present in Sam and Levi's hunt for Ginny.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.

oh boy this book was so good, I like the serial killer vibe that I got. I had most of it figured out in the end. I liked how it went back and forth, it really gave you an idea of what was going on. I want to read the others in this series now. Thanks for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review!

I liked the mystery, but I didn't like the bouncing back between past and present. Overall it was a good book. Thanks to Netgalley, for this free copy. My opinion was my own.

I really didn't know what to expect from this book. Honestly I was going to try to read the Price You Pay first as it's release date is coming up but once I started this one I simply couldn't stop myself. I was at work, I was watching Limitless with my boyfriend, in the car with my boyfriend. Even at my boyfriends friends house none of those things stopped me from reading this book. This book is so good and very unpredictable. Even though I generally don't like when books go back and forth between time periods they do it perfectly and it really assists on catching you up to speed on who is after Sam. Character wise I really like Sam and Levi. Ginny is a strong person but not my favorite in the book. This is honestly a well written well rounded book. At some points I really wish it would focus more on their present time and a little less on the past. I completely understand having to understand the past to be able to understand where the story is going but parts of the past seem almost unimportant. I absolutely cannot wait to read more of this series!

I found this book on Netgalley and thought it sounded pretty creepy so I grabbed it. I ended up listening to it on audio though since I have more time for audio in my life. I really enjoyed this book. It was creepy and it was dark. It was what I was looking for. I did feel it was a little long and had some pacing issues in the middle. But all in all, it was a really good read.

Sam just turned 18 and has graduated high school. Her and her best friend, Jenny, decide to take a trip to San Fransisco before they start off to college. Starting from when the plane lands, trouble starts up. In the airport, Jenny disappears and on her phone are some strange messages left for Sam's mom, Claire. Speaking of Sam's mom, she didn't want Sam to take this trip. She wouldn't give a reason, but it was on the can't do it list. Sam didn't listen because she didn't know her mother had a good reason. When Sam goes looking for Jenny with a friend from the plane, Levi, she learns her mother has secrets. Lots of them and are they doozies, secrets that have a connection to a killer and one that has recently escaped from prison in San Fransisco.

I really don't know where to start with this review. This book was creepy and freaky and really dark. I love books that have to do with the mind, and killers and everything dark. I love it when the lines are crossed or blurred. This book is that. Lines are blurred and definitely crossed, there are lots of crazies in this book. I didn't know how to feel for most of the book. In a good way though. It was just bad in a good way.

The story, the plot, it was good. It was well written and really well done. Everything flowed nicely and left nothing to question. It was easy to follow and even though it was easy to see where the story was going there were things that were still up in the air until the entire story unfolded.

The story was told in present told from Sam's POV and the past from Claires POV, both sides coming together to spill the entire story. As I have said before, I love these kind of stories. They just keep me invested when little bits are told at a time. I also think it gives me lots of time and space to get a feel for the characters and connect.

I can say that I connected with Claire much easier than I did with Sam. I think Claire's POV was much more interesting and I was so into her story. Claire was so broken and lost. It was easy to see why she was making the choices she was making and it was easy to want to yell at her for making those choices. She had me so torn. I was rooting for her but I was also feeling the crazy from her.

Sam was a pretty stable character. I think this is why I didn't connect with her as easily. She didn't need sympathy or encouragement. She didn't see herself as strong, independent, bold, or courageous, but she was. This entire event of her best friend missing really brought it out in her. She was exactly who she needed to be when she needed to be her.

Levi was a great character. I just fell in love with him. He had ulterior motives the entire time but he also cared about Jenny and Sam. He knew what he was getting himself into and even though it started off with something he needed to do for him, he really felt for the girls and wanted to help where he could. He was a little rebellious and so charming. Loved him!

There was romance in the book but I didn't feel like it was the focus of the story. Well, at least the present wasn't. The romance between Sam and Levi was okay, but really they didn't have time to really build that romance. They were running for lives and chasing down bad guys, and searching for Jenny most of the time. So it was on the sidelines.

The other romance was in the past and it was a focus but I didn't care for it. It was needed for the story and was central to the story but I didn't like it. I think that was the point though, where the dark and twisted comes into the story.

The only real issue I had with this book, the pacing, it was a little off for more and the book seemed to of dragged a bit in the middle. I was able to stay interested but I do think it was a little slow at times.

The ending was just really good and I was so happy with the ending. I did have some feels in this book and I was torn in what I felt by the end. I look forward to more from this author.


Really creepy and entertaining read.

I thought this book was a good but I’ve read better, it started out well and was intriguing but though the plot was good, at times it went off the boil and a little too far fetched in places.

hanks Netgalley for an ARC to read and give my honest opinion.

Honestly....dark is not what I would call this book. So many things are going on in this book that straightforward would be a relief. Sam and Ginny take a flight only to have Ginny come up missing. A boy on the flight helps Sam find her bearings but when appearing at the hotel doesn't come up with her missing friend then all hell breaks loose. The story flounders back and forth between her Mother as an assumed name and who she believes her mother to be. With tones of child sexual abuse, and some scary prison behavior the story runs back and forth through past and present. A prisoner by the name of Cullen is at large as the same as Samantha touches down in the city. I just couldn't get excited about this book, I'm not really sure why but it just didn't suck me in. Two stars of entertainment! Sorry Netgalley!

This was fantastic. fast but so entertaining and captivating. I started this book and would not so anything until I finished it. This followed a mother and daughter and two different times and points in their lives. The way the author structured and developed the story was brilliant and different then what I have read before. I enjoyed every second of this book. Thank you for allowing me to read and write about it.

Das Buch ist solide geschrieben und packt auch unangenehme Themen an. Schöner Schreibstil, spannend und nachvollziehbar.
Habe ich sehr gern gelesen.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.
This book immediately hooked me from the beginning. I loved the characters and I loved the storyline. But then I got more into the book and I honestly got kind of bored. I was having a hard time bouncing back and forth between the daughter and the mother's point of view. The writing style was great but I didn't care for the run on in certain points.
The book is about Samantha who goes on a trip with her best friend Ginny to San Francisco despite her mother not wanting her to go. When they land and Ginny goes to the bathroom to freshen up, she never comes back out. Samantha and a guy she met on the plane, Levi, must find what happened to her and secrets from the past erupt. Turns out Samantha's mom has not always been honest with her daughter and Samantha is in for the shock of her life.
The ending was great and that's the only reason I made it through the middle of the book was curiosity. I am excited to read the next book in the series, hopefully the entire book is great.

Well done Ellery Kane, this book had everything for someone who loves a good mystery thriller with so many twists, its hard to keep your head on straight! Between a serial killer, a prison psychologist, a suspended police detective, two soon to be college students....every twist and turn had me wanting more, could not put it down, it was a case of I have to know....A dark thriller about murder and deception in the San Francisco Bay Area. Great plot with intriguing characters make this a MUST read!

Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review same in exchange for my honest opinion.

Daddy Darkest

Samantha and BFF Ginny head off from Austin to San Francisco without telling their parents where they were going. Secret #1. On the plane a cute guy, Levi sat between them. Ginny thought here is a guy I would love to know. Sam did not want to know him at all. She knew the type. So sure if himself, and that turned her off.

Back home Sam's mother,Claire, had a past she didn't share with her daughter . Secret #2. The seat mate on the plane had something to hid too. Secret #3. This book is about uncovering those secrets and many more.

Ginny has on Sam's High School Jacket and heads to the lady's room and never comes out. Sam looks for her and Levi joins the search. And off we go reading what just happen and will happen

This book was more for Young Adults, but I kept with it. It contained sexual abuse, murder and bad behavior. Choose wisely who should read it. I have it a 4 star rating because the author Ellery Kane made it a interesting read.

Downloaded through Netgalley to read for an honest review!

Shortly after graduation, Sam and her best friend Ginny take a flight to San Francisco. On the plane, Sam meets Levi a suspended law enforcement officer. She is unaware that he has a personal interest in her and her psychologist mother Claire.

Ginny disappears shortly after the plane lands and Sam teams up with Levi to search for her. When they discover she has been abducted the signs indicate it was by mistake as she was wearing Sam’s jacket at the time.

This story switches between Sam and her mother. One side covers the present and the other explains the past and the reason for Ginny’s disappearance.

There are many secrets buried in the past and they will not stay there much longer.

Claire is a mother with a huge past who seemed melodramatic at times eg thinking she was a monster with a hole where her heart should be. I was hypnotised by her story even though I found her a bit of a drama queen.

Without giving too much away, I wondered if a psych would risk everything in real life for life with a murderer. I did a little research and discovered there have been quite a few cases where this has happened. Claire certainly seemed to fit the victim profile and she appeared quite vulnerable at times.

I wondered a little about the likelihood of a suspended officer retaining his firearm. In Australia, officers have to hand their firearm in when they are not in their usual role. It is possible for someone to slip through the loop even if they shouldnt.

Fans of mystery thrillers will find themselves ‘trapped’ by this book. Be prepared for a good read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of this book. I was happy to give an honest review.

There's so much I want to say about Daddy Darkest but after giving it a LOT of thought I'd hate to spoil anything for current and future readers. Ellery Kane and James Patterson make a good combination. All of the elements of a good psychological suspense are included in this book.

Daddy Darkest is the first book I've read by Ellery Kane. I do love a good thriller but I'm not a huge fan of police/FBI crime books, so hoped this one would work out for me, luckily it did.
When Sam’s best friend, Ginny, disappears in an airport bathroom while wearing Sam’s letterman jacket, it soon becomes clear that the kidnapper intended to take Sam. As she struggles to find Ginny, she starts to question whether everything she’s ever known is a lie…
This book is a huge, 'Who can you trust?' story. I was captivated from the get go and liked Sam as a character. But admit, the chapters in the past of Clare are what I really enjoyed.
The ending was intriguing, but I felt it fitted the events of the book. I think it is just an ambiguous ending, and that there will be no follow-up, but it works that way.

I found it very difficult to accept that a female with so little experience in her work would be given such a responsible role. At times the storyline was punchy and gripping but sometimes too repetitive and unbelievable.

A suspenseful, page-turning thriller, Daddy Darkest is the story of teenager Samantha Bronwyn, who is trying to sneak away for an adventurous little vacation with her flirty friend Ginny before the two of them graduate. Ginny disappears before the two girls even leave the airport, however, and Samantha is left trying to convince the police that something has gone very, very wrong. When the police won't listen, Samantha is forced to call her mom, Clare, and fill her in on the details - but things only escalate when Clare enters the picture.

The narrative shifts between the present-day story of Samantha and Ginny and Clare's hidden, complicated past as a prison psychologist. I appreciated the attention and accuracy of certain details about prison life in this novel, but was skeptical about some of the devices that made the plot possible - for example, an inmate in a locked office with the psychologist? I had a lot of trouble buying that one.

I did appreciate the complex picture of Clare's own psychology, as a victim of childhood sexual assault, and the fact that her abuser does get his comeuppance. There are a few threads in this plot that are a little too neatly resolved, and some of the writing is clunky - there were a lot of basketball metaphors that really didn't work for me, and one fishing metaphor that really put me off. I'm going to have to find that one to update this review, because it was unfortunate enough that I made a specific note about it.

Overall, though, this was a fast-paced and relatively satisfying thriller - it's just not one I would be likely to read again.

I received access to this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.