2.5 Stars

This wasn’t quite what I expected. There’s a supernatural element to it. It reminded me slightly of The X-Files if The X-Files centered around two grandmother aged women trying to find one’s (Lynn) missing grandson.

Told from Lynn’s POV, it was entertaining although the suspense and thrills I was hoping for were missing.

Entertaining and entirely implausible......or is it? I have learned to never say never, so who knows, this could happen, may be happening in places we don't know, don't hear about. Government condprscies, cover-up,ups? Say it isn't so. The story begins when a four year old son of a congressmen goes missing, literally from his backyard. His slightly older brother who was with him, will only ssy, the lights took him, and doesn't speak again.

Lynn, his grandmother, knows more than she is telling, and is bound and determined to find him. I liked that it is two sixty something women, who Thelma and Louise style, but with s better ending, take off on a road trip that is definitely out of this world. Lynn, will find out a big secret from her past, and way more than she dver expected to encounter. As I said, very entertaining, a little different from normal thrillers, with two kick but older women who will stop at nothing, and an ending that may leave some wondering, Is any of this possible?

ARC from Netgalley.

Just couldn't buy into this story. Just the premise of living on the edge of a forest and never venturing into it was so implausible that it made it hard to suspend my disbelief enough to really get on board. The other thing that held me back was the amazing privilege this family enjoyed yet seemed oblivious to. The description of the book made it seem as though it was exactly my kind of story, but unfortunately, I didn't like it.

I'll admit that I'm not a fan of the UFO genre but this quickly - and to my surprise- captured my attention, largely because of Lynn Roseworth's voice. A no=nonsense grandmother, she's faced with trying to find her grandson in a situation where others might scoff. Her friend Roxy, no shrinking violet, goes along with her on her quest. There are old secrets, lies, and coverups. The fact that Lynn's husband is a Senator adds an extra layer. Faced paced and never too "out there," this one will surprise you. Finley has written a very good page turner. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. The perfect beach or travel book. Don't worry if you, like me, aren't into the X-Files and Area 51- this is more about family and hope than anything else.

If you miss the 'X-Files' television show, “The Darkest Time of Night” is your next read.

Lynn Roseworth, now a grandmother, lives in her father’s house and her old family home when her young grandson William goes missing after wandering past the backyard into the woods. When his older brother is questioned all he can say is “The lights took him”.

From there, Lynn will do whatever it takes to find out what has happened that leads her to a dark conspiracy, questions arising about her own past, and a new set of enemies that care nothing for the people it takes in this high stakes, well-paced fantastic thriller.

UFO thrillers like the films ‘The Forgotten’ and ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ take seriously the effects of encounters and in that effect create much more suspenseful stories: The story is not about the aliens or UFOs completely, but what happens to the lives of those that are affected by these encounters. Fans of Dean Koontz will see the same octane-fueled thrill ride often seen in his novels and will enjoy this book as well – the same intensity is here in “The Darkest Time of Night”.

It’s been a while since I have read a science fiction thriller this good. Author Finley creates little crumbs of plot everywhere until they finally lead to big revelations that arrive expertly put together into one big finale.

Here’s to hoping there’s more books in a series with these characters down the road.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for early access to this title due June 26th.

Jeremy Findley has produced a great debut as a thriller author of you are looking for something different.
Senator Tom Roseworth and his wife Lynn enjoy a close relationship with their children and grandchildren.
One night 4 year old William disappears from the woods close to his home. His brother Brian was last to see him and told his grandmother that the lights took him and then never speaks another word.
Lynn thinks she knows what Brian means but she doesn't say anything as she doesn't think anyone would believe her and it could compromise her husbands career.
So together with her best friend Roxy she goes delving into her past to try and find out what is going on and try to find William..
The ending was a bit too far fetched for my taste but did enjoy it up until the sci-fi element came in

Wow! I took a risk with my latest reading selection and decided to explore a road less traveled. Set in contemporary America, The Darkest Time of Night sounds like it will be a straightforward mystery involving a missing child. As the story progresses and more secrets involving the child's grandmother are brought to light, I was completely thrown by the paranormal/conspiracy theory coverup and thought "WHAT in the heck am I reading?" But that tiny voice quickly faded away and I found myself completely satisfied to jump on the crazy train and allow Jeremy Finley to spin his tale. This is definitely another contender for a favorite read of 2018.

I loved the characters, especially the idea that two women in their 70's(Lynn and best friend Roxy definitely feel like series material) could blaze the trail of adventure. Also, that they are mature women that kick ass and stand toe to toe with some fairly shady characters was fantastic to read. But I do find myself with a few lingering questions about some of the final chapters and for that I withhold a full 5 star rating.

My only wish is to see more people go and grab an ARC on NetGalley because it's just an absolutely pleasurable re

Lynn Roseworth has always had a fear of the woods and has always warned her family to stay away but now as a grandmother her fears are beginning to become real. Lynn’s grandchildren were camping out behind their home when the youngest was dared to go into the woods. The next thing the family knows little William has disappeared with the only witness his older brother who can only say “The lights took him.“

That one sentence awakens something Lynn has buried for the last forty years she’s spent as the wife of a U.S. Senator, a mother and now grandmother. Before she began her family life she was a secretary in the astronomy department at the University of Illinois working for a professor who was looking into the disappearance of many missing people, people who were thought to have been taken by U.F.O.s.

Picking up The Darkest Time of Night by Jeremy Finley I honestly thought I was going to be reading another thriller about a missing child. Little did I know this is actually a science fiction read or speculative fiction. The intense thrill of a missing child is still there to get the pages turning but the story unfolds into so much more.

As much as I appreciated that this story was certainly going to be different I think what I loved the most was the main character Lynn and her friend Roxy. These two ladies are seventy-ish and best friends who obviously will go to the ends of the world for one another and made for one strong female team to go kick some butt and find that poor grandbaby and that made the surrounding story that much better.

Now this one might not be for everyone with the science fiction side to it but if you’ve ever wondered even a slight bit if the government is covering up aliens or if there is an area 51 then you just might want to check this one out. With great writing Jeremy Finley has written one heck of a tale about those strange lights in the sky. Definitely a great read that I’d recommend checking out.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I dnf'd this one. I tried really hard to read it. It just didn't make any sense and was too weird for me.

I was extremely surprised by this book. I received the book for free from NetGalley, and to be honest, I only knew it was about the abduction of child. I expected a suspenseful mystery, and instead I received a really riveting well-written tale of alien abduction stretching years.

I hate aliens, space travel, and all of that, but I found this book great. I really enjoyed Lynn, and I was so invested in the story that by the time I realized we were venturing into alien territory, I had already been hooked.

I loved the main character was an older woman with a lifetime of secrets and a strong loyalty, and I really enjoyed the way the author understood her and her best friend.

A really enjoyable surprise.

Excellent debut thriller with intriguing plot line and character development

Jeremy Finley’s The Darkest Time of Night opens with the young grandson of an influential senator going missing in the woods outside of his parents house. The only witness to the possible abduction is his older brother who has become catatonic and can only say that ‘the lights took him…’ The narrative is told from the perspective of Lynn Roseworth, the boy’s grandmother. The reader soon finds out that forty years prior Lynn had worked with a group of UFO researchers. Themes of the past regrets, personal loyalties, and government conspiracy permeate this mystery.

Lynn knows that ‘the truth is out there,’ and Finley does a good job setting up an investigation riddled with cover ups, half truths, and family secrets. His action sequences, especially in the raucous climax, are well done. The components for a good story are present, yet the atmosphere wasn’t developed enough throughout and the characters don’t feel convincing. It was continually difficult at times to suspend disbelief and accept the many coincidences.

Overall, The Darkest Time of Night is a solid debut. I would recommend this book, with some reservations, and I look forward to more of Finley’s writing.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for an advanced copy for review.

A four year old boy, William, has disappeared from the woods near his home. Is he lost, was he kidnapped by a child predator, or is something even more sinister happening? The lost boy’s brother says “The lights took him”, then stops speaking entirely. With the boy’s grandmother, Lynn, looking frantically for him, time is running out and Lynn and and her best friend put everything on the line, including her family’s future, to uncover the truth. This is not your child abduction thriller, Finley adds an element, one of life beyond earth.