If the first 75% of this book had the same pacing as the last 25%, I would have given it 5 stars. But until we reached nearly the end, it was very slow, and quite repetitive. I think the way the flashbacks worked didn’t help with that. The writing is technically excellent, but the pacing really let this novel down for me. It felt in places almost as if the obstacles had been dropped in retrospectively rather than happening organically. The story itself felt like it should have been more edge of my seat, but it wasn’t until the last few chapters I felt really gripped by it.

Chloe's father was jailed for serial murder when she was a child. He seemed to be a pillar of the community as well as a loving father but he pleaded guilty and is serving several life sentences. Twenty years on Chloe has put the past behind her but now she is being hassled by the media and unbelievably the killings have begun again..
The character of Chloe initially seems to be self assured and confident but the reader can see that she has a smooth veneer hiding a multitude of emotions. There are three or four strong contenders for the role of copycat killer and I must have changed my mind a dozen times as to who it is and more importantly why and why now.. If you plan to read this book in bed you had better start early because you won't put it down before the last page.

A Flicker in Dark is a gripping, addictive and suspenseful psychological thriller that had me hooked from the very first page to the unexpected twist at the end.

Chloe Davis is a medical psychologist but is still haunted by her past, a past that saw her serial killer father arrested because of a discovery she made.
But, now twenty years later similar murders are happening. Could this be a copy cat killer !!

What a super read. Great pacing, believable characters and many twists. I suspected everyone at some point but never actually worked out who the perpetrator was.
Loved it.

Many thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollinsUK for a copy for my honest review.

This was very much an impulse request by me. As soon as I saw the synopsis and the mention of family of a serial killer I was in. This is a subject that I have long been interested in. The focus of most crime fiction and true crime is usually on the killer, the victims and the victims’ families but for me the families of the killers hold just as much interest. They are often left to pick up the pieces and take the blame in the local community once the perpetrator of the crimes is gone. There’s often the feeling that they must be somehow involved or that they should have done more to stop the person whereas actually most times the family members are victims too. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to deal with conflicting feelings between the person who you loved as a member of your family and the person who has carried out horrific crimes.

I felt Willingham did an excellent job at showing how Chloe has dealt with (or not) her Father’s crimes and her past. Between Chloe, her brother and her Mum we see three very different coping styles, which struck me as more realistic than having them all feeling and acting the same way.

I enjoyed Willingham’s writing style. There was a nice flow and I was certainly gripped. Definitely a book where I found myself thinking “just one more chapter”! There were also plenty of twists and turns along the way that kept my guessing right to the end, which I absolutely love with books like this.

It doesn’t completely follow a linear time line, we learn about Chloe’s past through flashbacks that she experiences as she’s trying to process what’s happening in the present or through her telling other characters. I’d say it’s more a book where the reader is told things rather than shown them.

I really liked that Willingham included mentions of some true crime books that I have now added to my list of books to check out at some point. I love falling down the rabbit hole of checking out books that are mentioned in books I’m reading.

Overall this was an immensely enjoyable book but not necessarily the sort of book that would stand up to re-reads. Most of the joy comes from the twists and turns; I felt like I was discovering things right along with Chloe, and I think now I know the outcome it would definitely detract from the enjoyment of the story.

One small note for the publisher, the formatting of the eArc was pretty bad, which took a bit of getting used to at the start.

Chloe Davis was 12 when her dad was arrested for killing 6 girls that went missing that summer. 20 years later, history seems to be repeating itself. More girls are going missing and this time bodies are found with the same souvenirs are taken. Chloe list of suspects grow and is not sure who she can now trust.
A truly inspiring read, with plenty of twists to keep those pages turning. I loved the plot and characters were well developed. Looking forward to reading more by Stacy Willingham.

https://lynns-books.com/2022/01/17/a-flicker-in-the-dark-by-stacy-willingham/
4.5 of 5 stars
My Five Word TL:DR Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this one

A Flicker in the Dark is a psychological thriller that kept me turning the pages into the dead of night looking for clues. I loved this, it held me absolutely gripped, the premise is really good and the execution impressive, even more impressive when you consider this is a debut. Let’s just say I will be eagerly awaiting this author’s next book.

So, why did I like the premise for this one. Well, it takes a look at things from a slightly different angle than I’m used to but let me first set the scene. Twenty years ago Chloe Davis, a young and impressionable 12 year old, was instrumental in the arrest and conviction of her seemingly mild mannered father for the murder of six young girls. The impact on the family was terrible. Chloe and her brother Cooper (Coop) were shunned and their mother, unable to live with the shame tried to take her own life. Twenty years later Chloe and Coop have been able to move forward with their lives. Chloe now lives in Baton Rouge, she managed to escape her childhood home and is a successful woman running her own psychology practice and about to marry the man of her dreams. I don’t think I’ve read many books from the point of view of the serial killer’s family, or in this case, the daughter and this really intrigued me.

On the face of it Chloe is coping well but scratch the surface and she is in emotional turmoil, barely keeping her head above water and desperately trying to hold things together with the aid of illicit drugs so you can imagine the downward spiral she suffers when young girls from Baton Rouge start to go missing in a strangely similar style to the murders from her past. Is a copycat on the loose?

The story pretty soon spirals. Chloe manages to get herself involved in the investigation and subsequently discredited and there’s very much a feeling of her losing the plot and in fact becoming an unreliable narrator. She makes some questionable decisions that leave you feeling flabbergasted and there’s this bewildering increase in tension as she jumps from one theory to the next. I loved that the author kept me guessing. I was jumping about wildly in much the same way Chloe was, which I admit may be down to the fact that I’m not a seasoned crime reader, but I found myself suspecting everyone at one point or another. I did guess one of the plot points but I won’t give that away here. No spoilers from me, nosirree.

I enjoyed the writing, I thought the pacing was excellent and I had no problem liking Chloe in fact I felt a little exasperated on her behalf at times (although, she did make some dodgy decisions not to mention was keeping a couple of skeletons in her closet that didn’t make her look good). I really liked the way we flipped back and forth from the ‘now’ to the ‘then’ and I thought Willingham provided an impressive number of red herrings to lead me astray.

Basically, I don’t think there’s too much more I can add without walking the path of spoilers. All I can say is that I really enjoyed this, it was totally gripping and I would have no hesitation in recommending it.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

'A Flicker in the Dark' is one twisty, creepy psychological thriller. Our protagonist is one Chloe Davis, now a psychologist with her own in private practice in Baton Rouge, Chloe has a deep, dark past - the type of past that causes nightmares. Twenty years ago, when Chloe was just 12, six teenage girls went missing in her home town, over the course of a summer. Eventually Chloe's father was proved to be the serial killer behind their deaths. As the 21st anniversary of this terrible time is approaching, Chloe is preparing to get married and a journalist is digging into her past. Now, this sounds like a lot to be dealing with but then the disappearances start again and Chloe is at the center of the investigation.
There are more red herrings in this tale than in a typical Agatha Christie and the author is certainly intent on keeping the reader on their toes. However, the action and plot only moves forward in the final 120 pages or so. Up until then, we are learning of current events from the view point of Chloe and also of flashbacks from the past. Leading up to wonder if she is a truly reliable narrator and just what role she plays in both sets of events.
A fun read and certainly one that keep me on my toes.

Chloe Davis is a successful psychologist in Baton Rouge, popular with her teenage clients and their families who she has an empathy with. Some people know why this is, but not many, after all, it's difficult to explain how she understands their angst and problems.

Now, as Chloe plans her wedding, she is trying to move on from a past which still has her keeping secrets from those closest to her, while hoping for a future where she can be more than the daughter of a serial killer. Chloe is also only too aware of the 20th anniversary of the murders getting closer and closer and then a teenage girl goes missing.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Stacy Willingham and was surprised to find it was her first novel. It is a little formulaic but alongside some obvious plot lines there were other threads which laid clues to be discovered later which weren't obvious at all.

The whole story, being told from Chloe’s point of view, along with flashbacks to help flesh out the reasons for her being the way she is and how she copes, works very well. She has a naivety which endears her almost instantly, and I enjoyed discovering her past and her future as the story unfolds.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. This is an excellent way to discover a very promising new author and I look forward to reading more from her in the future. Definitely recommended.

Such a fantastic book. Chloe's father was imprisoned for the murder of local girls. It greatly affected her life and that of her brother, unsurprisingly. Chloe has a heightened mistrust of men and when a couple of murders occur which look like a copycat's work she doesn't know whom to trust. Fast paced and gripping. An excellent book, can't praise highly enough.

I couldn't get into this book and ended up giving up on it. It is such a slow starter that nothing at all happens in the first half of the book. I found Chloe annoying and the fact that all the narration was hers didn't make me want to continue reading. It's a shame because I thought the premise was interesting but the writing style just wasn't for me.

A psychological thriller. Chloe is the daughter of a murderer, a fact that followed her through her adolescence and adulthood. She is now a psychologist, helping others and engaged to be married when girls start going missing again and two are found dead.
The first part of the book sets the scene, builds up the drama and suspense slowly (too slowly for my taste) and gives the reader room to decide who the current murderer is . Chloe has ideas about this and I had my own suspicions from early on (later proved right) . The pace of the book picks up later which made it better for me . It could do with being shorter. The first part of the book does set the scene to some extent, but it did not always keep my interest.
The portrayal of the characters is patchy at times, some are stereotypes and not fleshed out enough (Chloe's friend and secretary) others are seen through her eyes and so coloured by her feelings about them.
This is certainly not a bad book, but with a couple of tweaks could be even better
Thank you to Net Galley for tg=he ARC in exchange for an honest review

Chilling! Chloe has lived for 20 years trying to outrun her past and build a new life for herself after her father was convicted as a serial killer.

As the 20 year anniversary of the deaths looms, Chloe finds that her carefully built life starts to unravel.

A complex tale of family, love, fear and control. Who can Chloe trust? Which of the men in her life are truly looking out for her?

Brilliantly dark and chilling, the book keeps your interest and keeps you guessing.

For a debut novel, Stacy Willingham has definitely hit the ground running, She has written a great thriller which kept me entertained to the end although some parts were a little predictable, but that could be I've read so many thriller novels. The character's we're engaging and the descriptions made it easy to imagine the setting. All in all without giving anything away it is definitely worth a read and I look forward to reading more from her.

It seems strange to say that something with such a terrible subject matter can be beautifully written but this book is. The storytelling, and language used is so descriptive and even poetic at times I found myself lost in the story, and near the end I was actually on edge-I felt like I was there with Chloe and it wasn’t a nice place to be.

This stunning debut is full of twists and turns, and my favourite trope-unreliable narrator- but despite the ever changing “facts” I figured out many of the key points quite early on. Many but not all, and the journey to the answers was still an enjoyable one which is why I gave 4 stars.

Can’t wait to read more from this excellent debut author.

My overall impression of this book was that I enjoyed it. I found it a little slow to start and the plot was not original. However as the story progressed I enjoyed it more. I find increasingly - alert maybe a spoiler - that authors are frequently giving their main characters so much baggage that this really gets in the way of the story and the plot. There were twists and turns which I found predictable. For me it is frequently that less is more. That said I did get into the book and I did enjoy it..

When Chloe Davis was twelve, six teenage girls went missing in her small Louisiana town. By the end of the summer, Chloe's father had been arrested as a serial killer and promptly put in prison. Chloe and the rest of her family were left to grapple with the truth and try and to move forward while dealing with the aftermath. Now, twenty years later, Chloe is a psychologist in a private practice in Baton Rouge and getting ready for her wedding. She finally has a fragile grasp on the happiness she's worked hard to get. Then a local teenage girl goes missing, and then another, and that terrifying simmer comes crashing right back.

This psychological thriller held my attention from beginning to end. It's so well written it's hard to believe that's it's a debut novel. Twenty years ago, six teenage girls went missing, now it seems there's a copycat has emerged. Are these crimes connected? The story is told from Chloe's perspective. You will think you will know where the plotline is leading, then a twist comes along and sends you down a different path. This book kept me guessing all the way through.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HarperCollinsUk #HarperFiction and the author #StacyWillingham in exchange for an honest review.

<i><b>A Flicker in the Dark</i></b> is an enjoyable thriller that follows Chloe Davis in her seemingly happy life with her fiancé and her private psychology practice but she has a hidden dark past. When she was twelve her dad was arrested for the murders of six teenage girls who had gone missing in her small Louisiana town. Now, teenage girls start going missing again and she starts questioning those closest to her.

This is an decent thriller that I found slow to start with, but was invested by the end. It didn't quite follow the path I expected - there were a couple of not straight forward twists and turns, some of which I caught and some of which were cleverly disguised. It has a satisfying ending as well (which always pleases me!).

I look forward to reading more novels by Stacy Willingham.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review</i>

Oh my goodness, what a book! Had me gripped & I read it in two sittings. An ending that I didn't see coming at all!

Dr. Chloe Davis is a psychologist with an extraordinary past. Her father is in jail on six consecutive life sentences for the murder of six teenage girls. She's not spoken to him for twenty years from the day he was arrested. She now has her own practice & is engaged to Daniel & her life is 'ticking over' until a teenage girl goes missing & all the horrible memories come flooding back.

Is it a copy cat murderer? Is this a coincidence or another reason? So many questions, so many twists & turns to this story that will keep you thinking after you put the book down. Recommended read.

This was an enjoyable thriller with a few red herrings and a satisfactory ending. Not necessarily the most original plot or characterisation and I did feel the 'stooge journalist' character was a little far-fetched and the 'friends daughter in danger' plot a little tacked on, but I was still interested enough to keep reading.

This has lots of the tropes of a good modern thriller: an unreliable narrator, a dark past, a psychologist, a journalist and some carefully placed red herrings. I felt that the characterisation in this novel was strong and that Chloe and Daniel were particularly well-presented and believable. I enjoyed the Louisiana backdrop, and the plot was twisty and progressed at a good speed. Although it wasn’t perhaps the most original plot, it was well-written, suspenseful and kept me turning pages late into the night.

I look forward to reading more from Stacy Willingham in the future.