Loved it!!! The story had me guessing until the end. What is wrong with people??!!! Sarabeth's family and the church they belonged to had that feeling of one of those crazy cult churches where the woman all have long hair and wear long dresses, girls get married at sixteen to old men and they all drink poisoned Kool-Aid. Poor Sarah. She had a horrific/traumatic experience and no one believed her. The cops treated her like a suspect instead of a victim. Nothing good could come of Sarah going back to Arkansas. She should have taken Gypsy for protection. I couldn't wait to find out the truth behind Sarah's abduction. When everything was finally revealed, I couldn't believe who was behind everything (not really because these people were crazy). I love how Sarah dreams about going on a date to Olive Garden. Who doesn't love endless breadsticks?

Definitely recommend the book. It was a great mystery/thriller. Loved the characters, story and writing style. Sarah was definitely my favorite. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group - Random House through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you first of all to NetGalley and Random House Publishing!!! This was a short and interesting read. Sorry my review is a bit late!! I really liked it as it did keep my interest. The book is about Sarabeth that was kidnapped at 18 years old from where she lived in the country on a farm because her family moved from the city to join a religious church. The book just went crazy from there. She was dumped by her kidnapper one week later which left her living on her own with PTSD. This book was just like reading a movie. It was realistic with all of the situations that were taking place and it just drew me in and kept me reading.

Thanks again everyone!

Fast paced mystery, gripped me from the beginning. I pretty much devoured this one in less than a day. It's short, but has a fascinating narrative that keeps the reader engaged.

It alternates between Sarabeth in the past, whose family decides to live a more wholesome, religious life and shuns most of modern society for the strict rules of their church. Sarabeth is about to turn eighteen and really wants to go to college and be more like the "normal" friends she remembers in her early days of growing up. One day, she is kidnapped while minding the family's farm stand, held for a week and then released. Her family and the police believe she tried to run away and don't believe her story. The second timeline is five years later, with Sara living on her own working at an animal shelter. She's contacted by a police detective who thinks her case and that of another missing girl might be related. Sara returns home for her sister's wedding and does a bit of investigating.

I was fascinated throughout the reading of this book really wanting to know what had happened to Sara and the other missing girl(s). The ultimate conclusion was surprising and believable. There were a few things that happened that were a bit too convenient, but overall I was able to put those aside for the sake of the intriguing plot. The religious situations were extremely believable, I actually know people who follow similar paths in life and so even though it almost felt cult-like, it seemed plausible. I really liked Sara as a character and could sympathize and empathize with her emotions of both wanting to be a part of her family and yet wanting to be her own independent person.

I've read and enjoyed all of McHugh's previous novels, so I was quite thrilled to have my NetGalley wish come true - granting me early access to read her fourth novel. Set in Arkansas and Missouri, Sarah is forced to confront her difficult past. Five years earlier, then going by Sarabeth, she was kidnapped just shy of her 18th birthday. The book relays both her past - struggling with the restrictions her overly religious family places on her and her siblings after they moved to a farm and to a more conservative church - as well as her present working with an animal rescue group and trying to help a persuasive cop see if there are any connections between her kidnapping and some more recent ones.

The book clips along at a fast paced - especially considering it's barely over 250 pages. The characters, unfortunately, fall a bit flat for me, but that's probably more to do with the religious angle. There's just not a lot of depth to the more devout characters which makes them feel not very authentic. The plot does take some surprising turns - and as the title suggests, this is a dark read. The Ozarks setting works well as a backdrop here, as I feel you don't see this setting too often in fiction. And I am definitely curious to see what McHugh's fifth book will be about!

I hadn’t realized until just now that I had read and reviewed another of this author’s works. I much preferred this story to the first that I’d read. Though this story turned out much like I had been guessing, I didn’t mind so much this time around. I felt as though it didn’t try so hard to by mysterious and therefore presented a more fleshed out story where it didn’t matter if you guessed it or not.

A quick story with a likable main character that held my attention: ✔️
An ending that made sense and didn’t annoy me: ✔️

Sarah, the only name she answers to today, takes us back to a time where she kidnapped and kept for a week. Living with parents who had turned rigid, and religious, she fought against their rules every chance she could. Hoping to leave she is taken just before her eighteenth birthday. Miraculously, or was it she returns to he4 family only to be met with scorn and suspicion. Years later having left with the help of Victims Aid she returns to witness her younger sister be married. It’s also an opportunity to find out what happened to two other girls that have disappeared. Returning isn’t easy for Sarah ,old memories come back to haunt her thoughts and we learn what actually happened that week she disappeared. She sees patterns she missed the first time , importantly she is not working from fear. Her questions lead to a discovery so profound it changes several lives in the community.

What’s Done in Darkness Must Come to Light.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! Little House on the Prairie meets Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects. Superbly written, gritty, dark, chilling, twisty, and best of all, a leading protagonist you will fall in love with and root for until the explosive final page is turned. An absolute “page-turner!”

The sinister factor starts early and builds quickly in WHAT'S DONE IN DARKNESS. Its overly religious Godly Christian facade gives way to deadly menace and dangerous secrets in this twist-a-minute novel, set in the Ozarks.

Highly creative, Laura McHugh’s, WHAT'S DONE IN DARKNESS is a unique psychological thriller. A sensitive exploration of trauma and its harmful lasting effects but comes out stronger from the experience. With non-stop action, there is never a dull moment. The author dives deep into the minds of her characters.

Meet Sarabeth/Sarah:

As the book first opens, we meet Sarabeth at age 17. She hates her life, and who could blame her. Girls just want to have FUN, and trust me, there is NO fun to be had here. This family and town are dangerous and sinister!

Sarabeth previously had a pretty normal life, but her dad got caught doing something he was not supposed to be doing with a waitress (called the father’s accident). So the mom takes control and forces the entire family to move to this Godforsaken place in the middle of nowhere and live off the grid. Their whole family is brainwashed by the local pastor and this church family. Can anyone say claustrophobic?

At least at their former home and town, she had friends, got to do things, and now all this was over. So she is counting the days until she is eighteen to try and escape. But how, with no car and no money?

All the mother and the church ladies and girls her age have to look forward to are getting married (the parents decide to whom) and do more. No thanks! She does not want to marry any of these losers under the control of their strict religious-cult-like families. She wants to escape this control.

(love this) She simply wants to eat at Olive Garden, maybe in a lovely prom dress, go roller skating, get her ears pierced, wear regular clothes, sign up for college classes, style her hair the way she wants and wear normal clothes, and be able to watch TV, read books, and use the internet. She has never dated nor allowed.

When she disobeys or rebels, she gets a belt whipping and anything else they can think of to make her feel like she is in prison. When she hides anything, her mom finds it and gets rid of it, calling it Satan.

There is an entire world out there to see. She does not understand why her younger sister, brothers, and this whole town are satisfied to live like this. She is homeschooled which is useless, and her mom even took away her Laura Ingall and her Narnia books which are not God-like, per her mom and dad. (no books, that is torture in itself)

No TV, no internet, no makeup, no going anywhere except to church and the farm-stand where they sell their goods and plenty of work around the farm. No short hair, no clothes except these long plain dresses. No camera, no phone, computer, public school, no cable, no social media, and this farm was a death sentence, but she could not see an end date or an escape plan. Her mom even gave her a Guide for Godly Girls. OMG!

Sarabeth’s family left Church of Christ the Redeemer to join her new friend, Retta’s family, for the more stringent Holy Rock. These people are pure evil and hypocrites.

The only escape—the neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Darling. They have a TV and their grandson, Tom (who loved him) lived with them after his dad’s tragic accident and suicide. Tom got to use the internet and watch TV. So she found a way to start going over to their house to do some baking for them.

Then the one day the grandparents were away, she and Tom would have the day to watch TV, get on the internet, and have fun. But this was a secret. She lived for this. Until the stupid creepy pervert grandpa’s cousin comes to stay with them. One more crazy to stay away from. He ruins their fun.

As the book opens, we flashback to Sarabeth when she was seventeen. She is kidnapped, blindfolded, and chained in a basement or somewhere dark and musty for a week before managing to escape. But after a week or so, she is dropped off on the side of the road. Her parents had not reported her missing and upon her return, they just ignored it and acted as though it was her fault. No one, even the police believed her.

Someone cut her hair, and she had injuries. She was tormented. They put a mask on her so she could not see where she was or the identity of her capturer. She knows she was left on the side of a road for dead and was rescued.

However, this kidnapping did do one positive thing for her. It got social services involved and Midwest Victims Advocacy Network and she told them how bad it was at their home and she helped her start a new life. They got her out of Arkansas and into a shelter and she earned her GED and associate degree and learned to drive a car, manage a bank account and start a new life and job. Even though she never forgets the traumatic experience.

The author expertly unravels the events from the past to the present with the most compelling element, Sarah’s character. She is a driven, courageous young woman, and we as readers get to see her confidence grow. She is complex and troubled (which reminds me of Lisa Gardner’s women leads).

Five years later, she lives alone, still dealing with PTSD, with her foster dog, Gypsy, and works at an animal shelter. She also has a few close friends at work. She has changed her name to Sarah. She has put the past behind her and often thinks of her younger sister.

However, when Nick Farrow with the Missouri Hwy Patrol Missing Persons Unit calls her and needs her assistance, the past meets the present. Other girls are missing with the same background and criteria. She does not want to return to Wisteria; however, more than one girl is missing and she must do what she can to help.

Why are these young women taken? Are these cases related to hers years ago? Who is taking them and how do the parents fit in? (gosh, this was so good and unexpected).

She wants to keep her past a secret in Arkansas and does not want everyone to know about her tragic experience. What if this person comes looking for her again?

She decides to help out Nick and help find these girls. She is very intuitive and he knows she can help. Nick also has a stake in this which will connect the two.

Sarah receives a wedding invitation from her younger sister, Sylvia, and even though she does not want to go back, she thinks she can maybe help her sister because surely she does not want an arranged marriage at age 16 and at the same time can do some digging for Nick.

Will her nightmares return? he cannot get pulled back into this drama now that she is standing on her own. She thinks she is in control, and her parents, the pastor, his wife, or anyone in this town has no power over her, but think again. She cannot trust anyone! There is evil is all around her, and someone is not done with her yet! Will she be able to escape this sinister town this time around?

What a book!!!

Between the new missing girl cases, their families, Nick, and Sarah’s own family, and everyone evil connected to the church, the upcoming wedding, is nerve-wracking and the suspense is riveting. Laura McHugh expertly weaves a sharply written, tension-filled ball of twists readers are unlikely to see coming. Trust me — my jaw completely dropped with this bomb reveal!

I knew at this point on; I must pull an all-nighter. To tell you how addictive this thriller is, I tried to sleep with an early morning meeting for an hour or two, but I could not stop thinking about Sarah. So I went racing through to the finale. It was worth it!

Evocative and atmospheric, the author’s writing perfectly blends a literary and psychological crime suspense thriller. This novel is blockbuster movie-worthy with an unstoppable leading lady.

Fans of Karin Slaughter, Lisa Unger, and especially Lisa Gardner will devour this one. I am a huge Lisa Gardner fan with her female solid character-driven books, and Laura McHugh’s writing resonates from the atmospheric settings, the intense emotions, both plot, and character-driven.

You know what the characters are feeling and thinking at every moment, and everything is going on around them, drawing you into their world. Yet, you feel the strong sense of fear, danger, and foreboding lurking. You want to scream, get out and, you wait with your eyes half-closed for the train wreck to unfold with heart-pounding intensity.

This is one of the best thrillers I have read this year from this bizarre family, neighbors, church, and entire town brainwashed by the local church leaders —a Top Book, and cannot wait to read more of her stories. What a fabulous storyteller.

PLEASE: I am hoping to see more of Sarah in future books and a spin-off. More Sarah, Nick, and Tom. Sarah reminds me of Gardner's Flora Dane and Frankie Elkin.

This was my first read by Laura, and it will not be my last. I have quickly started buying her backlist of books to read in between all the ARCs I have. I am thrilled to have found this favorite author. She has outdone herself and landed on my Top Books of 2021 and author list. This is a MUST READ! Thriller fans, get ready. WHAT’S DONE IN DARKNESS will consume you.

Get this book on your TBR list now!

A special thank you to the author, #RandomHouse, and #NetGalley for an advanced reading copy. Also purchased a hardcover and audio.

Blog Book Review Link:
#JDCMustReadBooks
@judithdcollins
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Pub Date: June 22, 2021

Laura McHugh's writing is riveting. Her characters breathe, the atmosphere she creates is rich, and her plotting is expert. I don't need to like my characters, but I loved hers. What's Done in Darkness is gritty, tender, and suspenseful. I will read anything she writes. This was the first book I've read of hers, and I just went and bought her previous books.

I consider myself more spiritual than religious. Growing up in the Catholic Church I found them to be hypocritical especially in light of the Boston priest scandal. So to say I’m skeptical of organized religion is fair.

In this book What’s Done in Darkness by Laura McHugh Sarabeth is considered rebellious when her family up and moves to an Arkansas farmstead after her father had impure thoughts of a waitress. They are forced to wear modest dresses covering from head to toe, wearing their hair long and uncut, and following strict rules. Sarabeth can’t wait till she turns 18 so she can escape. However just before her birthday she is kidnapped by a masked man, and then showing up a week later in a slip covered in blood. Shunned by her community as tainted she escapes.

However when two other girls go missing a local officer asks for her help, as some of the details are eerily familiar.

Sara now must face her fears and go back to her past, while also trying to bite her tongue as her 16 year old sister is scheduled to be married.

The countryside of Arkansas is holding secrets and Sara just hopes she is in time to uncover all the secrets to help the missing girls.

This book was a mystery and a thriller in one, keeping me on my toes even when I thought I knew where it was going. So many secrets, not all is what it seems, and sometimes the good guys win!

I received an arc via NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own and given freely.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing House for the review copy of What’s Done in Darkness by Laura McHugh. This book had me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last!

Sarah is dealing with life 5 years after she was kidnapped and blindfolded for a week before being left on the side of the road covered in blood. Back then, she was Sarabeth, daughter of suddenly hyper-strict parents, and she wanted her old life back.

Now, she thinks she is doing okay, until she gets a phone call from FBI agent Nick Farrow regarding recent disappearances that could be connected to her own. Dredging up the past could be exactly what she needs to find out what happened on the night she disappeared. Told by Sarah in alternating time lines of recently before and after the kidnapping and 5 years later, this book has you guessing and doubting yourself time and time again.

I could not put this one down! There are some definite triggers to look out for, but if you are looking for creepy suspense, PICK THIS ONE!

I really enjoyed reading this book! This is the second book by Laura McHugh that I have had the opportunity to read but I have quickly become a big fan of her writing. I live in Missouri and the fact that a large part of this book was set in my home state had its appeal. I haven’t spent a lot of time in the Ozarks but there were some parts of the book that described places that I am very familiar with which was kind of fun. This is a relatively short book but it tells a big story that I found almost impossible to set aside once I started reading. I am so glad that I made the decision to pick up this book.

This book is told from Sarahbeth’s point of view. Sarahbeth was raised in a family that became very religious during her childhood. She was forced to wear her hair long, wear long dresses, and leave school to be home-schooled and wasn’t always happy about it. As a teenager, she was abducted and held captive for a week but not everyone believes that is what really happened. She was never reported missing and no leads were ever found. Five years later, there are some similarities between Sarabeth’s story and the cases of several missing girls. The investigator, Nick, convinces Sarahbeth to come with him to get her input on the current cases. She will also get a chance to confront her past and see her family again for the first time in years.

I was hooked by this mystery. I wanted to know more about what happened to Sarabeth and I was really curious about the current cases. I hated that some of the girls didn’t seem to be missed just like nobody looked for Sarabeth during her ordeal. I liked Sarabeth a lot. She has been through some terrible things and was incredibly strong. Getting involved in this case was tough but she handled herself very well. It was very eye-opening to see her with her family and the community as a whole. When pieces of the puzzle really started falling into place, I was amazed by just what was going on.

I would highly recommend this book to others. I found this to be a very compelling and unique story that featured a very courageous main character. I cannot wait to read more of this talented author’s work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group via NetGalley.

What’s Done in Darkness
By Laura McHugh
Random House, 22 June 2021

Laura McHugh knows the Ozarks. She also knows how to terrify her readers. She doesn’t waste time getting to the good stuff; the suspense begins building immediately. Just a few pages into the book and I already felt a sense of dread, and with McHugh’s books, there is always something very real to dread.

Sarabeth was unhappy in her new life. She didn’t want to give up her friends, her high school, or her books just to move to the country and wear long dresses. She wanted the life she had before her parents moved her and her siblings to a farm in Arkansas. On the verge of rebelling, Sarabeth was suddenly kidnapped and later found dumped at a roadside park.

Though she was soon returned to her family, there was no joyful reunion. Since she didn’t know who kidnapped her or why, she faced the distrust of her family and the police, none of whom were convinced that she had been kidnapped at all. Ultimately, it didn’t matter if she was believed; the kidnapping gave Sarabeth the opportunity to leave the farm and create a new life.

Unfortunately, the past doesn’t always stay in the past and five years later, another girl disappeared. Could it be the same perpetrator? Is Sarabeth ready to face her past and try to help the missing girl, or will she let her fear of being permanently drawn back into the darkness of her old life keep her away?

Atmospheric, full of fear and dread, this is another brilliant book by Laura McHugh. I highly recommend What’s Done in Darkness.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy.

Ummmmmmm, one day y'all. I obsessively read this in one day. Needless to say, I adored it. Here is a little secret about me. I am obsessed with Fundamentalist Christians. No shame, just a true fascination. As a Christian myself I am always intrigued by this particular sect. To be honest, I could totally see this novel as a true story on Dateline. Loved it.
L. O. V. E. D. I. T.

Five stars and a growing TBR list from this (new to me) author.

I am not going to go in too deep, per usual, read the synopsis for the low down. Just know. When you sit down to read this...be ready to stay put for a while!

Highly, highly recommend this thriller.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

I cannot believe this is the first book I’ve read by Laura McHugh! I have heard how amazing her books were and now after reading this one, which was a highly anticipated read for this month, I can definitely agree…she is an amazing writer and this book totally delivered!!!

What I loved about this book is how atmospheric and tense it was the entire time. It’s not a long book by any means, not even hitting 250 pages, yet it kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through! It’s a dark, quiet book that completely sneaks up on you as to how impactful it is. I was drawn in right away and completely engaged in what was going on and never once did I see where this was headed. I had my theories, but boy was the rug pulled out from under me when the final reveal came…and I absolutely loved that!!!

This book really gets under your skin, and I loved that because of it’s brevity, nothing is wasted. It quickly gets to the heart of the matter, setting the scene and putting us right in the fray of what is going on. I loved how it moves back and forth from the present to the past, showing us how the current missing girl cases might be connected to Sarabeth’s case from years ago.

I absolutely loved this book…it is definitely one of my favorites so far this year! And Laura McHugh is without a doubt going to be a must-read author after this. I have just ordered her other books and I cannot wait to get to them! Definitely add this to your summer reading…it’s one you won’t want to miss!

Sara Shepherd may be only 23 years old but she's already been through more than many experience in a lifetime. At age 17, she was snatched from her rural family farm. She was found 1 week later but the damage was done. Her abductor was never caught & no one in the isolated religious community could look her in the eye, including her family. So she left to make her way in a secular world she knew little about.

Now she lives a solitary life outside of St. Louis & works at an animal shelter. The only "person" she trusts is her rescue dog Gypsy, another scarred girl no one wanted. Together, they just about manage the daily challenges that can trigger the full blown anxiety many survivors live with.

So when Missouri Highway Patrol agent Nick Farrow gets in touch, suffice to say he's intruding on her carefully curated world. Unlike the people she works with, Nick knows exactly who she is & wants to strike a deal. A young girl named Abby Donnelly is missing & he thinks it might be connected to Sara's abduction. In exchange for help, he promises to re-open her case. All she has to do is literally take a stroll down memory lane.

That's the essence of the plot but fair warning...there are some nasty twists lurking ahead. Not everyone is wearing their true face & part of the challenge is trying to figure out who is actually on Sara's side. When she reconnects with her family, it provides graphic proof that you really can't go home again, even when you do.

Chapters alternate between "Before" & "After". In the historical narrative, we get to know Sara's family & how they ended up living such a cloistered lifestyle. Even then, Sara wanted more for herself...further education, the ability to pick her own husband, etc. In present day we gradually learn that although she has her freedom, the great irony is she's still living a secluded & insular life.

Sara & Nick drive the story & both are layered characters. My initial impression of Nick was that his first name should have started with a "D". It's obvious he's not above emotional blackmail & manipulation to get his way, potentially at Sara's expense. He has a few secrets of his own & when his agenda is revealed we begin to understand him much better. So he grew on me yet oddly enough, I never really connected with this character.

But that's OK because this is Sara's story & it's one that will give you all the feels. Fear, anger, sympathy, disgust....at various points you'll experience all of these on her behalf. She's been let down by almost everyone in her past so trust is a foreign concept in the present. She's dealing with the culture shock of modern life as well as psychological trauma that lingers from her abduction. But as the story unfolds we watch as she & Gypsy take baby steps toward "normal".

It's a gritty, emotional read with an MC you'll root for.

I read this in a gulp because I, like Sara, needed answers to the mystery of who took her and who has taken other young women as well. Sara's built a good life for herself- within her boundaries- in the years since she was found staggering down a road, bloody and with chains. Then Nick Farrow, an Arkansas law enforcement officer turns up asking for her help because he believes her experience can help him find several others. The novel moves back and forth in time between Sara's teen years living with her very religious family on a farm and the present as she navigates life and assists Nick. McHugh does a terrific job with atmospherics of the Ozarks and Sara's community and she makes her characters come to life. No spoilers from me but I wasn't expecting the answers they got about any of the women. While this is short, it's actually just about right. The pacing is terrific. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A great read.

What's Done in Darkness is the latest thriller from Laura McHugh. Ms McHugh tells us Sarabeth/Sarah's by going back and forth in time, which she does seamlessly. This story is fiction but it felt like the author was telling us a story of something that actually happened. I want to thank NetGalley and Random House for an early copy to review.

Laura McHugh has written another fantastic mystery with What's Done In Darkness. I think what consistently draws me to this author is the incredible sense of place in her writing- it's not just the story that seems foreboding. I loved the way this story looked at religious extremism and family, and the horrifying story of Sarah's kidnapping and its continued impact on her life. Laura McHugh did an excellent job with all aspects of this story, from the character development to the plotting to the setting. This story was fast paced and I didn't want to put it down.

I have read two of this author's previous novels and, while this one generally held my interest, I found it lacked the same depth of writing and atmospheric intensity of the others. The overall story was interesting, but the outcome not particularly surprising. I found myself wanting more of the otherness of this close religious community and more of the main character's isolation. I think it would have helped to create that dark atmosphere and heavy undertone that I missed from the previous books. But overall this was an engaging read that kept my attention. TW: there are many short instances of sad/disturbing animal abuse/neglect throughout the book.

Sarah had survived both a fanatically religious family and am abduction. Now she is barely living her life, with few friends and no family. Then an investigator calls and tries to convince her that she holds the key to finding several other missing girls. I realize this hook is needed, but I struggled to truly find the connection between the different cases. But, hoping to solve her own case, Sarah reluctantly agrees to help and is quickly pulled back in to her previous life. I liked that the book dove deep into Sarah's life and emotions. The reader is there while Sarah is held in the dark and then released for apparently no reason. The reader can feel Sarah's fear when she is is in small dark places and the physical manifestation of her uncomfortable feelings around the fierceness of religious devotion in her former life. I appreciated that individual people, not religion itself, were portrayed as bad or good but also in a nuanced sense. This all made for an enjoyable read.