3.5 stars
<b>Find You in the Dark</b> is dark and gritty novel with a unique twist. Martin Reese is a successful business man, husband and father. He also has an unusual obsession. He finds bodies left behind by serial killers. Is he motivated by the closure that this gives to the victims' families? The pleasure of taunting the police? Or by some sordid desire? Detective Sandra Whittal would probably place her bets on the latter. A driven officer of the law, her investigative skills are heads above the rest of her department and she has Reese in her sights. If that didn't provide enough tension for the plot, Martin draws the attention of a bonafide serial killer. Angry that someone has disturbed his burial sites, this psychopath decides to include Reese in his twisted fantasies. A heart stopping thriller, <b>Find You in the Dark</b> proved to be an enjoyable read.

My first thought upon finishing this debut Thriller by Nathan Ripley was, "Thank goodness that's over!" For anyone sure I was able to drop nothing but 5-star reviews on every other book this year, here is proof of the contrary. I do loathe giving low-star ratings to books, especially those I was incredibly excited to read, but such is the life of a book blogger. If I had not requested and received this book through Netgalley, I would have called it quits on this title around 40%. In an effort to always provide an honest review of an entire book, I decided to push through. And, I really tried to like Find You in the Dark because the premise was quite intriguing, but as the story crept forward, I was seriously bored. I found myself struggling to stay awake while I skimmed the last 40% to get the full picture of the story. Unfortunately, this is one with a blurb more exciting than the story within the pages.

Martin is a man obsessed with murder. He illegally buys old police files with the goal of providing closure to families with missing relatives, much like his own wife's family. Martin's sister-in-law, whom he had never met, was kidnapped and possibly murdered in the early 1990s. Martin's wife has been tortured with years of wondering what happened to her sister and the paranoia something similar might happen to her daughter. Martin uses the information he collects to dig up the graves of murdered women around the Seattle area, thinking he is able to provide a greater service to the community than the police. On one of Martin's regular digs, he stumbles upon a grave with multiple bodies, including that of a newly missing woman in the area. He suddenly realizes he may have made an enemy of an undiscovered killer through his philanthropic work.

Readers are able to experience the events happening from Martin's perspective in real-time, then we are given Detective Sandra Whittal's point-of-view as she investigates the developments. This means readers are given an accurate description of what happened with Martin's POV, then we read Sandra's theories, which at times closely matched with what actually happened. Having to read through the events twice, while the police mulled things over was incredibly redundant and boring. Besides this flaw in the storytelling, there was nothing inherently wrong with the writing. The plot was simply dull and slow-moving. A big part of me is left wondering how this book made it through the cracks and is being published by a large publishing house. There are a ridiculous number of better stories out there, published by little-known Indie authors. 

Unfortunately, I can't give this book any more than two stars and would not recommend Find You in the Dark to anyone. I wish the story was able to live up to its great blurb, but instead ended up being slow, predictable, and purely work to read. However, if you're interested in checking this one out for yourself, pre-order a copy or pick it up upon its release on June 19th.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC !

Hummm... what to say. It was a good book. It was a page turner but i felt i could have been so much more, it had the potential to be really good.

I feel like it was the story of a bored house husband either trying to make right by his wife or did have this deep seeded dark and twisty side to him that he needed to find dead bodies.

3.5- This is the story of Martin Reese, whose nearly obsessive hobby of finding and digging up victims of serial killers, the ones cops had yet to find, gets him and his family into quite a lot of trouble.

Unlike many thrillers, this isn’t a quick, fun, read. It’s a bit long for your typical thriller and not quite as fast paced. That being said, the story is intriguing enough to keep you reading even in the slow bits. Though enjoyable, I found the mystery a bit predictable and the main character is rather unlikable. It’s obvious that Martin is written intentionally to be unlikable, so if you enjoy that type of character you may like this more than I did. Personally, that’s just not my favorite type of protagonist. This story is extremely dark and the descriptions can be quite graphic, which is a positive in my opinion but is worth noting for anyone interested in reading the novel.

Overall I do think that readers of dark thrillers would enjoy his book, but will probably find it predictable as I did.

I have attempted to read this book a few times. It is too slow moving for me. It didn't do anything for me.

I love physiological thrillers, mysteries, and any other types of books that takes the reader along for the mystery with it. But this one just didn't work for me, unfortunately. The book is extremely slow paced to start off, and the constant switch between first and third point of view makes the story feel choppy too me. The idea behind the book and the plot line are good, but the writing style and pacing were off for me.

Find You in the Dark by Nathan Ripley is a thriller that centers around Martin Reese who after an early retirement has a rather odd hobby no one else knows about. You see Martin takes these camping trips off by himself but instead of enjoying nature Martin looks for the remains of victims of serial killers.

Martin’s wife’s sister had been a victim twenty years before and the family had never received closure or real evidence of what happened to her so Martin thinks he just may find her in his adventures one day. When he does find something he makes anonymous tips to police getting himself known as the finder. Of course stepping into this world gets Martin more than he ever bargained for.

Find You in the Dark was compared to Caroline Kepnes and Jeff Lindsay’s Dexter which put me on the fence on whether this one would be for me. Love some Caroline Kepnes but not so much the Dexter so of course I land in the it was alright zone with this one instead of the love it.

The book had a lot of potential to it but again with this one the characters never really pull me in to where I absolutely am on the edge worrying what will happen to them. The story is somewhat a slow burn that to me really seemed a bit predictable along the way leaving me with the meh, it’s alright feeling after I was done. Some may love this one but for me it lacked a spark of excitement in it’s darkness.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Martin Reese is a wealthy retired tech genius who has an unusual hobby, digging up murder victims. When Martin starts getting on the nerves of Detective Sandra Whittal she is determined to find out who he is and why he is finding these victims. The author promises a thriller for fans of Dexter what he delivers is another story.



I really liked the premise of this book. A family man with an unusual hobby. What I didn't find however is the suspense to keep me reading. The first half of the book isn't terrible, We get to know Martin, His wife Ellen and their daughter Kylie. They seem like an all American family. We then dive into Martins hobby of buying cold cases and examining them until he can find the clues he needs to lead him to the burial grounds of murder victims. It may seem like an unusual hobby to most but martin believes he is doing the families of these victims an essential service.



The second half of the book examines how far Martin will go to keep his identity secret from his family and more importantly the police. I thought this half would be the "thrilling" portion but unfortunately it fell flat. I saw most of the "twists" I saw coming from a mile away. I also thought there were too many character arcs the author was trying to make us care about.



Overall great concept, maybe a good way to spend an afternoon but I think the author could have done a better job.

Very Intense - enjoyed the main character. This was something I had to force myself to slow down and treasure because not often you find a character/book you just want to enjoy.

he creepy blurb of the book caught my interest right away. Dexter meets The Talented Mr. Ripley sounds delightful, and I was not disappointed. The book is intriguing, suspenseful, and creepy. Just what it promised to be.

Even though the story has a slow beginning, I was engaged with Martin, our main character. He's an ex-dot.com wealthy man whose hobby is quite peculiar. He's a good dad, a decent husband, and an excellent puzzle solver. He's obsessed with recovering the unfound bodies of victims of serial killer murders in the Pacific Northwest. Martin's hobby comes with a personal touch. His late sister-in-law, Tinsley Schultz, was kidnapped, murdered, and her body was never found. She's believed to be a victim of Jason Shurn, one of Martin's favorite serial killers. For years, Martin has gotten away with his hobby, both at home and with the cops. Not anymore. Something changes in the dynamics, and now the bone hunter/vigilante is being hunted.

The second part of the book goes faster and becomes more interesting, removing the layer of normality hiding the real Martin. I would have liked to have access to him a bit sooner. I struggled with some areas of the plot finding them somewhat challenging, or questionable to the least, but what do I know? Perhaps rich people can get away with certain things the rest of us, peons can't. These discrepancies didn't bother me enough to give the book a lower rating though because I kept thinking about it while I wasn't reading it, and I never felt bored or wishing it was over. I wonder if the end was left open for a Detective Whittal spinoff series? Hmm...

Book was good. Kept me guessing. Never saw the twists coming. Can't wait to read another book by him.

can wholeheartedly recommend this book to fellow readers who appreciate complicated protagonists and expertly paced thrillers. The premise is wonderfully unique and as the book progresses, becomes increasingly nuanced and engaging. I'm reticent to give away too much, but the author makes bold choices with his protagonist that pay off immensely. I would love to spend more time in the universe of his book and hope that there are sequels en route.

*I received an advanced copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Talk about a fun ride!

Martin Reese is a retired tech businessman with loads of money and time on his hands. Old, unsolved murder cases are his obsession and he has a talent for solving them. After decades of doing this, things begin crumbling down and all the people around him are at risk . . .

This is a smart, tautly written thriller that will appeal to anyone who likes this sort of thing. If the synopsis sounds interesting to you, check this book out when it releases in June. I found the characters were not exactly likable or memorable, and the last third kind of fizzled out, but I still had a good time with this. To say more would be risking spoilers.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC!

I really really wanted to love this book, and I had high expectations for it because the premise just sounded so amazing. However, it just didn't work for me.

I think one of my big problems with this book is that it has a very slow pace. It took a long time for the story to get going and even when it did, it wasn't necessarily presented in the most interesting way. I wanted things to be fast-paced to keep in line with the intensity of the premise. But this was definitely a slow burner of a story, and I don't know if it really worked well for this type of novel.

I also didn't really like any of the characters and found the style of conversation between different characters to be very stilted and awkward. It really wasn't realistic at all, which is one of my pet peeves. I wish the interactions had been developed better as that really hindered my ability to enjoy reading this book. I also felt that the characters lacked the depth I was looking for. Martin is just very, very dull for the longest time and I found him annoying. I didn't like the two police detectives as they were very cookie-cutter and one-dimensional; I wanted something more unique from them.

Overall, this novel had an interesting premise but it didn't meet my expectations. I wanted deeper characters and a faster pace, so for these reasons, I'm giving it a 2/5 stars.

Psychopaths come in many forms. Mostly, they stalk and murder victims, but Martin Reese just wants to find dead bodies and uncover what others left hidden. After retiring from his tech company with all the money he will ever need, he indulges in his hobby and has a successful, secret career as "The Finder." Most cops see what he does as a public service… after all, the families of the forgotten victims can finally bury their loved ones and get closure. Sandra Whittal doesn’t share this view. Finding dead bodies is her job as a police detective and she is determined to find out who this "Finder" is. But there is another person who doesn't like what Martin is doing: the unknown accomplice of the serial killers that he's exposing, and he will try to make Martin stop by using his wife and teenage daughter. Martin, being a psycho himself, will not be an easy target, and that was my favorite part of the book. The way he plots to try to get himself out of the mess he's trapped in. Even if his motives are not noble, he is a likable character. I wanted him to get away with everything. This is a dark book, but will suck you in until its flawless conclusion.

I read this book when I had the flu. I'm telling you this because me being high on Nyquil and breathing Bengay fumes may have exacerbated my fleeting moments of terror! I had to stop reading one night, get up from bed and walk away. So, I waited til the next day, started reading again and realized that yep, I had definitely been high on the Nyquil, because it just wasn't scary anymore! The good news though is that this book and the main character was one creepy son of a gun. Sure, he came across as fairly normal, but when you understand how this "family man" has lived his whole entire life then it turns up the creep factor. I would like to see what's happening 10 years down the road from when this story ends. Yeah, I'd recommend this book, and I intend to read more from this author. My thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read and review this e-arc.

Find You In The Dark by Nathan Ripley sounded kinda twisted. A man who liked to dig up dead bodies for a living? You don’t come across that too often. I was intrigued with the premise and curious to see how this would twist and turn, as there’s no way this ends up good for everyone.

I thought the story here was super interesting. The idea of an everyday man trekking out in secret to dig up bodies, but not just any body, bodies of the missing victims of serial killers and reporting it anonymously to the police, that really grabbed me. I wanted to know why someone would be obsessed with this, whether it meant he had more of a fixation on the killings, or just liked the finding.

I was worried that jumping from this part to focusing on the police side of the same coin would get old for me, but I quite liked both sides of the story and thought they balanced each other well. The cop, Whittal, was super smart and I really liked her dynamic in the story, as well as the friction between her and Martin Reese, the aforementioned digger.

I’m ashamed to admit that I didn’t have many expectations for this book and thought it would just be a run of the mill thriller that I’d pin point half way through, but I was happily surprised with the way this book wove around expectations and carved its own path. I wasn’t entirely certain at any point in the book what the outcome was going to be and how Reese was going to handle the heat coming at home from all directions – the cops, the serial killer, is wife.

Ripley did a great job focusing on people’s obsessive fixations and how that blocks out ever other aspect of their world. I quite enjoyed this rapid read and am anxious to see what Ripley does next.

disclaimer – i received a copy of this book via atria books in exchange for an honest review.

find you in the dark is the epitome of the saying "the only way out is through." on the surface, it seems like a generic murderer stalks nosy do-gooder story but it turns into a satisfyingly creepy game of chase. i set the story aside several times thinking to myself, "yeah, that's a little too far into a serial killer's mind than i want to go." at the same time thinking, "what in the name of all that's good in literature is this idiot doing stalking a serial killer?" that's what kept me coming back; the inherent dichotomy between this is not going to end well and everything will be fine. the idea that i can quit any time i want but i'll never get it out of my head until i finish it.

Find You in the Dark has a strong premise, but didn't really deliver that strong gut punch I was expecting. It was an easy read, but maybe not the right fit for me. Regardless of my feelings towards this title, I will be purchasing another book by Ripley.

Find You in the Dark by Nathan Ripley is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publishers, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Synopsis: 
Martin Reese has a secret that his wife and daughter know nothing about. His wealth has allowed him to retire early, and he spends his spare time on a treasure hunt of sorts. He hunts for the dead bodies of murdered victims. He hopes to find the missing body of his sister-in-law at some point. By purchasing police records from a rather unscrupulous police officer, Martin has been rather successful in his searches. When he finds a body, after many photographs and documenting every nuance for himself, he re-buries it, and leaves a computer-generated message for the police as to the location of said remains. He emphasizes that the police should have been put in a little more effort. To Detective Sandra Whittal, these phone messages have been a taunt that she could do without. She has a good track record, and she is intent on getting this man she calls “The Finder”. Others may think he is doing the families a service by giving them back their loved one to bury, but Sandra wonders if perhaps he may start killing next.

Meanwhile, Reese may have overstepped. He thinks he has discovered the 20-year-old remains of his sister-in-law, but when he opens the grave, he finds the body a current case, and of a current murderer….who is now hunting him. The “Ragman” as he calls himself, is not happy that Reese is finding his kills. This killer has been working with others in the past to create his own little path of destruction, and he needs a new partner. Perhaps Reese could fill that vacancy.

In order for Reese to keep ahead of both the police and the murderer, and to keep his family safe, he may have to up his game.

My Opinions: 
Although the premise of the book is great, I felt it moved a little slowly. As well, I didn’t connect with the main characters. Martin seemed a little wishy-washy, his wife a bit**, and the detective arrogant and unprofessional. I rather liked the daughter and the serial killer. Told from the perspectives of Martin, the Detective, and the Ragman, everything moved smoothly. It is an easy read. It just somehow missed the punch it needed. I kept waiting, and although the ending was fair, overall it just lagged.

This was not a bad for a debut novel!  Again, the actual plot was really good, and it read well, but perhaps this one just wasn’t for me.  Guess they can't all be.