RATING: 4.5 STARS
2020; Dutton/Penguin Group

Amy Engel, well done with The Familiar Dark. If you are a fan of Laura McHugh, Karin Slaughter or Alice Blanchard you will love Engel's writing. It is the kind of writing that gives you all the raw dark feels, and you still keep reading. Eve is a single mother working as a waitress in a diner in Missouri Ozarks, in a small town. Her daughter is her greatest love, with her older cop brother, Cal as her rock. After having her daughter at a young age, Eve wanted to give her a better life, and a more stable loving mother than she herself had. Her world is shattered when her daughter and her daughter's best friend are found dead with their throat cut. In a poor town where drugs are the main currency, why and who would murder the young girls?

If Eve was a Netflix category, she would be strong female lead. She is an everyday working mom that is trying to raise her daughter right. She has flaws that make her a very realistic and relatable character. The emotion that Engle writes when Eve sees her daughter in the morgue, will stay with me for a long time. Her persistence in speaking for her daughter and getting her justice had me invested in the story and rooting her on. There is so much to say about the great writing and characterizations, but I am going to stop here before I reveal some spoilers. If you have not read this book, I highly recommend it. The book is on the shorter side and grips you quickly. I read 75% of the novel in one night as I just could not stop.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

In the small town of Barren Springs, dark secrets can be found in every corner. Eve has always been known as an outsider to the town due to her mother’s abusive behavior; however, it is the light from her daughter, Junie, that has been able to cast out the darkness. The light diminishes after the sudden death of Junie, and now the familiar dark slowly makes its presence as Eve goes on the search for justice. Told from the perspective of a damaged mother who must confront her mother, Engel is able to tell a story about a woman who is willing to do anything in order to avenge the death of a loved one. The Familiar Dark will allow readers to follow down Eve’s darkened path to the point where they will be left bewildered and question themselves of how they are willing to go to seek revenge.

“HE HAD IT COMING” A HUGE thank you to @duttonbooks and @netgalley for the #gifted e-galley of The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel!

Never mess with a mama and her baby, that’s all I’ma say! When two 12 year old girls are brutally murdered, one mother stopped at nothing to find out the why. At the heart of this very sad story is broken families, secrets, VERY bad decisions and the root of all evil (money). I wanted to dislike this book for so many reasons but this slow burn of a “whodunit” kept me invested. I didn’t find this one to be a page turner, it took me some time to get through but I definitely enjoyed it! I was on the fence about this one but I'm glad that I gave it a shot!

Okay, so I'm probably late to the game on this one, but I absolutely loved this book!! I read the entire book today, in a matter of 10 or so hours! Thank you @duttonbooks and @netgalley for this E-Galley. I have been so burnt out on Thrillers, but this one has reignited my love for the genre. Loved the plot twists too, didn't see one of them coming and I loved it!

I was literally sucked into the Ozarks, I was sucked into The Hollars. Engel did such a good job with her imagery that I felt like I was inside this book. I loved these characters. Specifically the two women who suffered the same tragedy. It hurt my heart imagining this kind of pain. This book definitely had me guessing all the things!!

I had trouble with this one. The first half was kind of boring, I kept waiting for a twist or something big to happen. On the plus side, it was short, so it was a quick read and it was different than a lot of other thrillers as you really saw the mom's struggle with her daughters death. It just could have had more twists or surprises to keep interest.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this advance copy in exchange for my honest review. Engel does a great job capturing the readers interest right away by providing the ending of the story right up front. The reader needs to quickly turn pages to discover how we got to that ending. This book is super easy to follow and engaging with very interesting characters. The only part I was a little disappointed in wax the shocking ending. The guilty character was a major surprise and I felt sad with who ended up being the killer. All in all a great book and a really fast read. 4 stars.

It's official! I'll read anything written by Amy Engel! Both books I've read by her have been one sitting reads in which I'm flying through the pages because I just can't stop reading! Her writing is as provocative as it is twisted and I love it! I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

There's nothing more satisfying than a book that begins where it ends. Or ends where it begins. Something like that.

The Familiar Dark is the story of Eve, who can't escape being her mother's daughter, and Junie, who never had a chance to escape. This story is intense, and gripping, and draws you so far in to this dirty backwater world that you find yourself trying to claw your way back out when it's over. I absolutely recommend devouring this book, but not in small pieces.

Talk about a book that will keep you hooked from the start! I haven't read her other books, but I will now. Read this one with the LIGHTS ON!! So good.

Omg loves this book! What a thrill! Was so actually scared for the main character and I thought I had it all figured out! Nope! That twist was insane but so good.

This was such a good book—disturbing and haunting & very dark. When Eve’s 12 year old daughter & her friend are found murdered one bleak winter day, it’s the beginning of the end for her. Growing up in poverty in the harsh backwoods of Missouri, Eve was living the role she was destined for—drinking, getting kicked out of school, and getting pregnant at 17. But when she has her daughter, she gives it all up so her daughter might have a better life, and history might not repeat itself. But when she’s killed Eve knows she didn’t escape that life after all, as she fiercely fights to find her daughter’s murdering, no matter what the cost.
As dark & bleak as this novel is, it’s beautifully written as it explores grief, loyalty and what family means. These characters will stick with me for a while.

This may be a dark book, but it is a super well written thriller! Wow! I could not put it down! You are fighting the entire time for the girls to get what they deserve. By golly, get ready to go along for the wild ride! There were so many twists that I couldn't predict that the next book I read is going to have a lot to live up to! Read this at night with the lights on if you dare :)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel. All opinions are my own.


This was a dark and twisty novel, full of drama and heartbreak. I especially enjoyed this book because it takes place in the Ozark's, which is somewhere my family and I frequent during the summer. I dove into it and didn't come up for air until I was done. The Familiar Dark is extremely fast paced and jam-packed with lots of thrills. I also loved the feminist undertones in this book. There's something really pleasing about seeing a mom going through the unimaginable but refusing to act like the media expects her to. Eve was unapologetic and fighting for the truth, and it pulled at my heart. This entire book is heartbreaking, from beginning to end.

In her second novel geared toward adult audiences, author Amy Engel turns her attention to an exploration of "the shadowy side of the human experience." The Familiar Dark is an atmospheric, uncompromisingly disturbing study of the way a woman whose only child is brutally murdered reacts to her loss.

Eve and her brother, Cal, were raised in squalor by an abusive, drug-addicted mother with a succession of unsavory boyfriends. She physically punished her children for infractions such as crying because they were hungry, telling them, "You had it coming," a phrase that came to be thought of by her children as her manta expressing her philosophy about life. The two of them clung to each other, vowing that they would escape their circumstances and make better lives for themselves. Cal became a police officer and, although plenty of women find him attractive, has never settled down. Eve became pregnant before her senior year in high school, but there was never any question about whether she would keep the baby. That's just what women in their family always do.

In response to motherhood, Eve changed. She quit drinking, smoking, and getting in trouble. She gave up men. Well, except for Jimmy Ray. And ultimately, she did what was required to extricate herself from that abusive relationship. She continued working as a waitress at the diner, and Junie's needs have always been her priority. Motherhood isn't easy, of course, but unlike her own mother, Eve has been an affectionate, supportive, and caring mother, despite lacking the financial means to give Junie everything she wants and deserves. Junie's presence made Eve's life bearable. To ensure that Junie would not be adversely influenced, Eve cut all ties with her mother.

Cal has always been a doting uncle. And to Eve's surprise, Junie developed a strong bond and tight friendship with a girl her age, Izzy Logan, the daughter of Jenny and Zach. Jenny went away to college, but opted to return with her husband, Zach, who is in line to take over her father's boat dealership, to raise their daughter in Barron Springs. The Logans' affluence was never a barrier to the girls' relationship.

Despite all her efforts, Eve has carried a sense of dread and foreboding, worry that something horrible would happen to Junie. As the story opens, Junie is expected home after spending the night at Izzy's house. Instead, Cal arrives at the diner to inform Eve that the girls' bodies have been discovered in the local park, their throats slit. That was never the horror story Eve envisioned.

Engel examines the lessons Eve learned growing up via her first-person narrative detailing the aftermath of the murders. The police insist they are investigating the crime and seek Eve's cooperation. But they ask too much. Eve needs to know who is responsible for her daughter's death and why she was killed. As the days pass, her frustration grows and Engel gradually reveals how deeply the lessons of childhood are ingrained in Eve as, little by little, she descends into the depths of her psyche where the feral approach to life she learned from her mother and sought for so many years to rise above still resides. Eve relates her journey back to the places and people she left behind, including her mother and that horrid trailer deep in the Missouri woods. For all her faults, Eve knows that her mother loves her in her own way. And just as Eve is about to give up on her yet again, her mother "reach[es] out with a tender hand." Her advice unleashes a ferocious power that has always existed within Eve.

Would Eve have summoned that strength, even without encouragement from her mother? Engel challenges readers to ponder that and many other questions as Eve presses for the truth. As she stealthily follows every clue, Engel ramps up the tension and pace. And with each clue, Eve slips a little further not just back into the life from which she extricated herself, but back into her old self. One by one, she abandons her self-imposed reforms. She has her first drink in years, accepts a cigarette from her mother, and pays visits to the strip club Jimmy Ray owns, as well as his compound, all in the name of learning the identity of her child's murderer and the motive for her killing.

The Familiar Dark is an absorbing look at small-town America -- it's ugliness and beauty. It's an intricate and remarkable tale about how secrets and betrayals can harm innocents. It's a commentary on the fierceness of motherhood, and a provocative exploration of the lengths to which Eve will go to extract justice for her slain daughter. Engel reveals details about Eve's past, including Junie's parentage, at expertly-plotted intervals that provide context while moving the action forward.

Eve's story is compelling and haunting, especially because it is related from her perspective. She is extremely intelligent and highly self-aware. Propelled by anger, she understands, on a visceral level, each step that brings her closer to the truth -- why she is taking it, the potential ramifications, what it means to her and, perhaps, most importantly, what her willingness to take that step says about her values and her future. Eve is "at home in the dark" and has reconciled herself to the fact that she will never forgive herself unless she sees her quest for justice "through to the end." And the end is powerful, tragic, unambiguous and, potentially, controversial. The Familiar Dark is an engrossing, nuanced story.

Wow! What an addictive page turner. The Familiar Dark is set in the Ozarks and is about a mother seeking justice for her murdered 12 year old daughter. It is gritty and as dark as you can imagine. The main character, Eve, is tough as nails and not always very likeable, but considering what she has been through, you can't fault her for it.

There were a few twists and turns in this one that kept me turning the pages late into the night. I was able to predict 'whodunit' but not for the reasons I had figured. Fans of the TV show Ozark would probably love this one. 3.5/5⭐️

Every once in a while you come across a book that grips you and won’t let go. The Familiar Dark was emotional, raw, and so well written. It pulled me in right away and I couldn’t put it down. I felt like I’d been plopped right in the middle of this small country town. It was gloomy, gritty, and the people were a little rough around the edges. These people live by their own rules and you do not want to cross them.

I’m usually not a huge fan of books where the parent plays detective, but this one pulled on my heartstrings. Everything Eve did and went through felt believable. I flew through this book because I had to know what happened to those girls! The Familiar Dark doesn’t hold back and I loved it!

Thank you Dutton for an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fast paced and dark are the two best ways to describe this one. Really enjoyed the story and the background of this small town. The ending was really well done and I liked how the character did not change who she was. Who she was made this story what it was!
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Only complaint was how plainly obvious the killer was

Eva was determined to give her daughter a better life than she lived. However, when her daughter and best friend were brutually murdered Eve was compelled to investigate on her own. Secrets start to unravel and the twists begin. This is a fast paced thriller worth your time.

Well... that was a ride!

I had zero expectations going into this book, and from the get-go, I thought it would chalk up to be a quick and brainless thriller. NOPE. What I got was SO MUCH BETTER.

First of all, I ended up really moved by Eve, the main character. She was real, her struggle was real, her interior conflict was real (albeit, so dark), and my goodness my heart hurt for her.

While I hated the ending from a moral perspective — really desperately wanting her to make different decisions, making mercy and healing a part of her story — it all made sense. As an artistic rendering, Eve's character was brilliant. Some people really do make decisions from a primordial point of view. Some people have a really, really difficult time choosing a path different from the one they've struggled with their whole life.

Overall, this book was interesting and frustrating all at once. A great choice for lovers of dark and gritty thrillers.

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This book focuses on Eve's journey of self-discovery and of making peace with her past and the toxic relationship she had with her mother as she deals with the loss of her own daughter. The author really captured the struggle that Eve was battling internally as she confronted a past that she would rather forget while grieving her daughter and doing whatever she can to not turn out like her own mother. I want to read more from this author, as I really enjoyed this!