Having loved Emma Healey's first novel, I was very much looking forward to reading this one. As a genre it is difficult to pinpoint as it is in part a thriller and in part a family drama. The concept was really intriguing since we meet the characters when Lana - a fifteen year old who has been missing - has already been found. As she settles back into her turbulent life, we begin to unravel where she may have been and meet her family with whom her interactions are awkward. The relationship that she has with her mother is central to the story and provides some of the more tense moments in the book. I love the idea but whilst I was hooked at the start, the pace of the book was a little slow and therefore lost me a bit. The characters were not always easy to engage with and whilst they pushed one another away, I felt distanced from them as a reader too. The book felt a little bleak and although interesting, for me it lacked some of the charm of the first novel. Having said this, I would read work by this author again.

This book is brilliant. Multilayered and an emotional rollercoaster. As with Emma's other book Elizabeth is missing you are following 2 plots that intertwine and come together. Very clever writing. I highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed Elizabeth is Missing. This book is not as good but I still enjoyed it. When Lana goes missing and is found again everyone is trying to work out where she has been. Lana is refusing to answer. This is a parents worse nightmare. Jen tries to get information from her daughter and tries to work out what has happened. The characters are all believable and so is the story. It is obvious that a lot of thought has gone into this book.

A strangely frustrating book but one that stays with you. I veered between thinking it was Jen, the mother, who had all the problems to completelysympathising with her fears and the need to keep Lana safe and know what happened to her. Lana is a complex girl child struggling to cope with modern life but her almost biblical rebirth when she was lost but found again has profound effects on all those who know her. It is a sad tale, a funny tale, a meaningful tale. And a conclusion that brings hope and understanding.

I've tried three times but I just can't get into the story. It's not often I do not finish a book but I'm finding this book so hard to get into even though I've got over 1/4 of the way through I'm going to have to given up. The write up sounds fantastic so I'm sad that this book just didn't do it for me.

Thank you to Penguin Books (UK) - Viking and Netgalley for an opportunity to offer my free unbiased review.
This book is very good it is not a speedy read nor does the story line jog along - it is a slow burn. I also found it frightening - not is the BOO got you way but the narrative drew me in and I began to feel part of the sorry and the darker it got the more fearful I grew. I have to admit had I known the effect it would have i might have shied away. Do I regret reading it - No. It was an experience but not one I want to repeat. It deserves the 5 stars i have awarded and the writer deserves heaps of praise I am just a little worried about what is said to me.

I tried, I really tried, but I couldn’t get in to this book at all.

It was disjointed to a point I didn’t enjoy and I couldn’t stand either Jen or Lana.

I was hoping that the end result would be more thrilling but I was left very underwhelmed.

I am clearly in the minority and I think this was just a case of not being my cup of tea. That said I’d still recommend to others - I'd be keen for a friend's perspective.

2 stars

Thanks to NetGalley, Viking and Emma Healey for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lana is 15 and goes missing whilst on an art course with her mother. She has previously had depression, and so is watched very carefully by her protective mother. She reappears 4 days later wet, covered in bruises and scratches, but no evidence of sexual assualt, and is adamant that she has been “lost”,, but can’t say where or with whom, if anybody. We watch the family try and come to terms with this mystery, particularly her mother Meg, who sees everything and everybody with anxious suspicion, over analysing every word and action, whilst her husband and other daughter try to hang on to normality. Very sympathetic characters and a great sense of place,; also thought provoking. We do finally find out what happened to Lana. So a satisfying read.

This was absorbing and interesting. The relationship between Lana and her mother Jen was convincing and the supporting characters of Hugh and Meg were well drawn. I thought that there was going to be a twist at the end which didn't happen (can't say what in order not to spoil the plot), but the ending was very satisfactory. There were also some funny bits which cleverly lightened tension. The writing was tight and and accomplished, a worthy successor to Elizabeth is missing.

I admit I don’t usually don’t read this style of book but was drawn in by the blurb.
Lana has been found after going missing for 4 days, her mother Jen has been frantic and here starts the story of a mother fighting for answers.
There are marks on her ankles that could be rope marks and Lara is bruised and bleeding. Jen steers towards the negative with what may have happened whereas her husband Hugh feels the other way.
Jen is truly obsessed and while Lana tries to convalesce and keeps repeating nothings happened Jen won’t let it lie.
Lana’s depression and past actions make Jen question everything.
I found the story really slow the start and the flashbacks felt disjointed to begin with, I feel Jen may also have some mental health issues.
A families struggle to find out the truth with Lana refusing to open up. A good strong story.

Eerie story of the aftermath following a vanished girl's mysterious reappearance. Seemingly unharmed, the teenager can't or won't reveal the events leading up to her discovery.

I was a huge fan of “Elizabeth Is Missing” which has taken on a whole new level of poignancy since my Mother started suffering from dementia, so I was intrigued to read another novel from Emma Healey. This time it’s a different central theme but just as beautifully written and emotionally resonant.

Whistle in the Dark is a story of family – especially of the mother/daughter relationship – we follow Jen as she struggles to connect with daughter Lana, especially after Lana goes missing for a few days and nobody knows what happened. Lana is silent on the subject, Jen feels inadequate, this has a beautifully realistic sense of parenting and a subtle exploration of teenage depression.

I related to Jen on a very basic level – she is baffled, a little clumsy both in word and deed and genuinely distraught at being unable to find the right words and the right actions to bring Lana close to her and understand her issues. She is funny, wryly ironic, realistically flawed whilst Lana is both engaging and infuriatingly perplexing, you can see why Jen struggles but at the heart of this is a relevant and intelligently woven theme.

This is less the story of what happened to Lana during those missing days and more a family drama that works wonderfully on many levels – the wider cast, including Jen’s long suffering husband, her oddball best friend and her mother all add to the whole and build an intriguing picture of the struggle to make sense of things. The finale when it comes is elegantly achieved and will linger in your thoughts for a good long while.

Whistle in the Dark is moving, whimsical and astutely authentic. I loved it.

Highly Recommended.

Having read some rave reviews for Emma Healey's debut novel, I was keen to read this book.

Whilst being intrigued to find the answer about why Lana went missing, I became frustrated by the convuluted story about the family relationships.

I am aware that my review does not reflect the opinions of many other readers, but I found this book rather hard going.

I didn't warm to the characters, well crafted though they are.

However, as I had to find out what had happened, I suppose a 3 star rating must be awarded.

Oh, and yes there is an answer.

My thanks to Netgalley and Viking for a copy of this book in return for this review.

I really enjoyed Emma Healeys first book ‘Elizabeth is missing’ so when I saw that this was available I became very excited and requested it straight away.
Always a little apprehensive when reading second novels by authors i have just discovered in case the second doesn’t live up to the first, but I needn’t have worried, Whistle in the dark exceeded my expectations and had me hooked from the first page.
The story surrounds the disappearance and return of Lana and is told from the viewpoint of Lana’s Mum Jen. This topic is handled very well, dealing with trauma, mental health issues and the family dynamics when coping with such an event.

Well done for covering and dealing with such a delicate subject so well. I couldn’t put this down and read it in one night, highly recommend

This is a well written book which I enjoyed reading.

A beautifully observed exploration of the often fraught relationship between a mother and her teenage daughter.

During a painting holiday in the Peak District Jen's 15 year old daughter Lana goes missing for four days. When she is found by a local farmer she refuses to say where she has been and what happened to her. Naturally Jen is desperate to have answers to these questions.

The novel carefully deconstructs the following weeks and the interrelationships between Jen, Lana, her older sister Meg and Jen's husband Hugh. Lana is a troubled child who has self-harmed in the past.

The characters are very well drawn and Jen's frustration with Lana is clearly evident as is Lana's stubborn refusal to be drawn on her experience. Issues around social media, family and friends relationships, expectations and beliefs are cleverly addressed.

This is a gently written novel with some wry observations about families and society in general.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

Having thoroughly enjoyed Elizabeth is Missing, I was excited to get a pre-publication copy of Whistle in the Dark. In all honesty I was a bit disappointed. I didn’t really like any of the characters-Jen was infuriating, I even found Lana irritating and the plot seemed unlikely and very drawn out.
I’m sorry but this one wasn’t for me, but thank you for allowing me to read it.

I think this story about teenage depression is very timely and very apt but it wasn't for me. The girl goes missing in the Peak district and when back in London, the family are keen to find out where she's been and why. There was a lot of heartache and serious issues in the book which were examined and treated with a deft touch, It wasn't normally the kind of book I would read but something compelled me to read it and I am very pleased I did. The writing was lovely and the author looks at her subjects very well indeed. It was just poignant and tricky to read for me and very very sad.

⭐️⭐️ 2 Stars

Really struggled with this book and sorry but I had to force myself to keep going as I hate to give up on a book.

I confess I prefer a book to hook me in and keep me engaged however there was nothing here to do that.

Instead this is a slow burner book; deep, dark, descriptive, with a gradual build up. This may be another reader’s preference and if so then this is the book for you.

I found the characters difficult to gel with and so I lacked interest in actual finding out what happened.

Not for me sorry.

Thank you for the chance to read Emma Healey s new book . Unfortunately I didn't enjoy it as much as Elizabeth is missing. I found it quite slow and a little boring. I was disappointed in the plot. Sorry but it wasn't for me