This is the book that everyone is talking about on Bookstagram right now! I had to see what all the fuss is about, to see if it lived up the hype. I was not disappointed.
The story is dark, with expected and unexpected twists. The main character, Chloe is damaged from childhood trauma, and can’t seem to get a break. How does someone move on from learning their father is a serial killer? Chloe chose drugs and a dependency on a man she barely knew. She does not have her shit together, and it makes for a lot of complex inner monologue filled with self doubt and paranoia.
For a debut author, Stacy Willingham is already off to a great start. Her writing is atmospheric and at times quite beautiful. I found myself sucked into her descriptions of Louisiana, longing to see the swamps for myself.
As an audiobook, the narrator nailed it. I’ve listened to Karissa Vacker’s voice on several audiobooks, so I picked up her style immediately. She expresses the protagonists emotions very well, and is convincing in her male voices. She definitely made Chloe’s character more real, and tragic. I’m glad I chose to listen to this book, it really got into my head.
This is a great thriller that has you questioning everyone, til the end. Pay attention to every detail, it is all important! You will not be disappointed with the ending.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced audiobook copy.

I loved this book and narrator. I couldn’t put this down. I finished this in one day. I would say I predicted the out early in the book, but I really enjoyed it.

Whoa!! Thank you Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book. I listened to it on audiobook. This book definitely kept me hooked from the beginning. The writing flowed very well and the characters were well developed with character growth through the book. Recommending this one to others for sure!

Excellent audiobook. Fantastic narration. I have zero complaints and would definitely recommend the audio as the perfect medium for picking up this book! Please find my full review of the story below:

**4.5-stars**

When Chloe Davis was 12-years old, her father was arrested for the kidnapping and murder of six teenage girls, based on evidence that Chloe herself had uncovered. After her father was taken away, Chloe, her mother and her older brother, were left trying to put back together the pieces of their shattered lives.

It was rough. In their small Louisiana town the shroud of guilt was always upon them. They ended up moving because of it. People were suspicious of her Mom, that she possibly knew something she didn't reveal. It wasn't a good situation. Traumatic to say the least.

Twenty years later, Chloe is a psychologist working with young girls suffering through varying traumas, liked she did herself. Chloe is also preparing for her wedding to Daniel, a man she has known for just a year. Her brother, Cooper, thinks the marriage is too quick. Him and Daniel have never been warm and fuzzy with one another. That alone is stressful enough, but when teenage girls begin to go missing, one of them a patient of Chloe's, she's triggered into a really dark place.

Chloe's worked so hard to forget the past. To move on and find a bit of happiness for herself. Now it seems the past has come back to haunt her. The pattern of the current crimes isn't just similar to that of her father's. It's identical. Is there a copycat working in Baton Rouge?

Before she knows it, Chloe finds herself steeped in the investigation. She needs to get to the bottom of it. It seems too close to home, like it's intentional. Like this new killer is trying to draw her in. Is Chloe paranoid and seeing connections where there aren't any, or is she dangerously close to the truth?

A Flicker in the Dark is a hugely promising and intense debut. Willingham's writing style is extremely fluid and fast-paced, sucking me in from the very first chapter. I loved Chloe as a main character. Her flaws made her not just believable, but relatable. Her struggles were real. I felt them; the self-medicating being particularly impactful.

While I found certain aspects of the story toed the line of predictability, I nonetheless had a fun time reading it. If this is her debut, I predict a long and successful career in Willingham's future. I definitely plan to be following along.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This is a great book. One that every Mystery/Thriller Fan should pick up

So good! Really enjoyed the back and forth plots and the ending was awesome. Definitely recommend. Great thriller! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. Things are not always what they seem. A large murder happens when the main character is young and her father is charged and out away. She grows up to be a psychologist to help others process and grow through their grief and difficultly. But when she has to return back home, things prove to be way more difficult than she originally thought. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I cannot believe this was a debut!! Stacy Willingham kept me guessing the whole time! I truly changed my mind on how she would wrap up this story about 5 times, and I think it was executed very well!

Thanks Netgalley for an advanced listening copy of this book. I highly recommend listening to the audio version of this one!

While I did guess the plot twist very early on and a slightly aggravating main character, I still found this book quite entertaining. I've always wanted to get into thrillers but so far have only ever read YA ones... I can now confidently say that adult thrillers are definitely more my speed and because of such a strong introduction to the genre by A Flicker in the Dark I'll be picking up some more.

When Chloe was a child, 6 young girls went missing in her town, all to end up dead. When Chloe finds something that points to her father being the murdered, she knows she has to turn him in. 20 years later and he is still in jail while Chloe is planning her wedding. Except suddenly girls are going missing again, and always around Chloe. All signs point to a copycat, but can Chloe help find the murderer before more girls wind up dead?

Anyone else read a bunch of books about serial killers like the week before Christmas? No? Just me? While everyone was filling themselves with love, cookies, and hallmark movies/books, I was reading about men killing young girls. Seriously though, I accidentally started two books with that plot line at the same time! Oh well, it happens! This was a fantastic debut novel! I listened to this one on audio and it kept me from picking up my physical books because I needed to know what would happen next! I f you are in the market for a good thriller look no further!

Chloe Davis is a psychologist with more issues than her patients... 20 years ago one seemingly normal summer her 12 year old life was turned upside down when girls in her small town started going missing and it’s her father who is arrested and labeled as a serial killer for the deaths of those 6 girls. All these years later her seemingly well put together life is falling apart when girls start going missing again and things are far too similar to what happened before... but her father has been in prison all this time so he can’t be responsible so it must be a copycat... right? Chloe is a month a way from marrying her perfect fiancé but her life is spiraling out of control. Why? Because somehow these new murders seems to have one thing connected and that’s her...

Ehh... the story wasn’t bad but Chloe was beyond irritating. I first came across this book as a Book of the Month book but before my book arrived in the mail I saw that there was an audiobook arc on Netgalley so I got to listen and read and I may have wanted to hit Chloe with the book many many times because the woman was incredibly annoying. But again I say this story wasn’t bad I guessed how it was going to end up going though I can admit to almost being swayed in my opinion. Chloe was however rather oblivious and way too trusting of a stranger and jumped to conclusions and was so reckless. And really did I mention she was annoying?

I would read more of author’s work in the future and the narration was great. The narrator really captured Chloe’s annoying crazy rather manic personality pretty well.

4.5 stars- a solid thriller! Chloe Davis is trying move forward from her awful childhood. Her father, a serial killer, was convicted of 6 counts of murder (all teenage girls) when Chloe was 12. Now, the 20th anniversary of his sentencing is rapidly approaching. She’s worked had to establish a life. She has an upcoming wedding and a successful practice as a psychologist. When a local teenage girl disappears, Chloe can’t help but note the parallels. Is she paranoid or is there a copy cat?

I didn’t find Chloe’s unreliability to be frustrating or a negative. She certainly has reason to self-medicate! This was a quick thriller, and I was totally sucked in. The last third or so gets a little wild, but I really enjoyed this one.

I got A Flicker in the Dark for my #BOTM book this month and then was so excited to get a NetGalley ALC - thanks Macmillan Audio! Hybrid text/audio reading is something I've gotten really into this year, and I enjoyed listening to this one while walking our local trails!

Pub date: Jan 11, 2022 (early release as a December BOTM pick)
In one sentence: Chloe's father is a serial killer who terrorized her community; 20 years later, a copycat is on the loose.

I enjoyed this thriller a lot - it was a quick read, and Chloe was a sympathetic protagonist. I could feel her anxiety and emotion as she was forced to confront her past. In the audio version, narrator Karissa Vacker brought me into Chloe's head - Chloe does a lot of reflecting in this story, and it was great to be able to hear her inner monologue.

Willingham set up enough red herrings that I was surprised by the ending, and I was glad to see Chloe come to terms with her trauma in the end. I also loved the descriptions of small town Breaux, Louisiana in the summer - the steamy heat, the scent of crawfish - Willingham did a great job capturing the sense of place.

If you like atmospheric, dark, small town mysteries a la Dark Roads, I think you'll enjoy this one on audio or in print!

I read “serial killer” and immediately wanted to read this one. But I was disappointed. The main character and I don’t get along. Half the book is all her inner thoughts and they are just obsessive. Sure, she’s been through a lot of trauma, but one second she’s sure X is the killer then she’s sure it’s Y… and she’s sure it is Z. Ugh I loathe these type of thrillers. Where the main character woman is seen as being “crazy” and then her obsessive thoughts and actions make you not really be on her side either. Nope, not for me.

Let’s all take a deep breath. This was such a frustrating read to me. It had such potential, but ultimately fell flat. I finished listening by “rage listening” (it’s a thing now) to make sure I got the entire story. I think what frustrates me the most is that our MC could have been the most amazing MC, but instead, she was a pill laden psychologist that could barely string together the truth as someone literally laid it out in front of her.

The entire time I listened I kept saying “this is what is going to happen. I’m going to be mad when I’m right. There’s no way this is not going to happen. It’s so blatantly obvious that it’s going to happen that if it does, it will ruin the entire book” I do not have a problem with “figuring out” what happens as long as the journey to get there is wonderful. This was one that instead of enjoying the journey and realization for the MC, I just wanted it to end and hurry it on up.

Ultimately, the plot kept me interested in wanting to know if I was right or wrong, but it could have been executed in such a better way. I felt the red herrings were lackluster. I have no issues with addiction, as it’s very real, but, I wish it would have been handled better. I feel that as a daughter of a high profiled killer, she would be more weary of people because of how she was treated in the past. I felt she welcomed everyone with open arms, which was just off for me. The reveal was sad (emotionally) as a loved one was literally telling her, and it didn’t click that they left waiting for her to fill in the gaps to come to the realization herself, but she almost couldn’t. The confrontation had a huge buildup, for.. that. The narration from Karissa Vacker, (The Golden Couple, Every Vow You Break, A Good Marriage) I think is what saved it. She’s slowly becoming a favorite reader.

Ultimately, I’m left with a lot more questions than answers, which had this fell flat for me. It had such great potential with a daughter of a serial killer who is seeing a copycat of her fathers murders 20 years later. I’m interested to see how Emma Stone will portray this on film. Thank you Macmillan for the gifted copy.

Incredible, tense & addictive! Told from the POV of the child of a convicted serial killer, this psychological thriller will suck you right in and keep you guessing.

The main character is the child of a convicted serial killer, a man who allegedly kidnapped and straggled several teenage girls. The main character grew into a successful professional, even helping others overcome their trauma, but she still lives with trauma and darkness. Her trust issues and substance abuse make it difficult for the other characters in the book, as well as the reader, to be sure that she is a reliable. So when she thinks she knows the truth behind a new trend of missing girls, should we believe her?

While I did guess at the ending fairly early on in the book, so many other things happened along the way, causing me to keep changing my theory. The plot was such a good mystery that I was desperate to get to the end to figure out if I was right or wrong.

The audiobook added to the intense nature of this story. I felt like I couldn’t stop listening to it. I was completely on the edge of my seat. As the main character got more and more paranoid and tense, I felt those same emotions. A sign of incredible storytelling.

Read it, listen to it, whatever you prefer - just don’t pass on this book! Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for allowing me to review this audiobook!

TW: Suicidal thoughts & actions, self harm, domestic abuse, death of children, substance abuse, missing persons, miscarriage, adultery

What a fabulous book! This thriller was filled with exciting moments, great character building, and a plot that had me guessing until the very end!

This was a great serial killer mystery that had a historic mystery and a current day mystery that blended together so well. I was engrossed in this story, and couldn't wait to see how it ended! I did guess at one thing, but there were so many other questions that I couldn't answer!

A great debut, I can't wait to see what else comes from Willingham!

3.5 stars

This serial killer story has some pretty great twists, despite some plot contrivances. If you can suspend your disbelief enough, it’s worth it. The writing is smooth, & the setting is well done. I only wish the MC was a tad bit more likable.

[What I liked:]

•Regardless of how contrived some plot points may be, the sense of dread & how the MC feels trapped with a dangerous person while no one believes her is pretty gripping.

•The writing is smooth & easy to slip into the rhythms of. I especially enjoyed the setting details & descriptions.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•Chloe is super immature, refuses to accept or ask for help, has a drug problem, & makes rash decisions. It’s literally her own fault when people don’t trust her. I get that this is part of her character growth arc, but there are moments where her actions/decisions do not make rational sense & those seem a bit too plot-convenient.

•Daniel & Chloe’s relationship doesn’t have much resolution. It’s never explained why their outcome is what it is, which is disappointing & feels like a big gap.

•Chloe’s gun use was just glossed over? Like I have a hard time believing it was justified, & that the police just let it go.

CW: infidelity, murder, suicide, substance abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

The more I hear this narrator the more I like her.

I'm between 3.5 and 4 stars because this could have been a much more suspenseful book if it didn't get so repetitive at times. I did partially guess the ending early on BUT, within that there were twists I didn't see coming.

Those twists completely made sense and were well laid out within the plot.

Being this is a debut, I am really excited to see what comes next from this author

Chloe Davis has built a new life for herself. At age 12, her father was arrested and convicted of a number of murders. Sadly for the families of the victims, he never disclosed the location of their bodies and they lay somewhere, unforgotten in the wilds of Louisiana. Chloe is now a successful psychologist with a fiancee and a bright future ahead of her. But then, on the anniversary of her father’s heinous crimes, a girl Chloe knows disappears. Is there a copycat at work? And will Chloe’s past destroy the life she has built for herself? Dark and suspenseful. Vacker, reading is fine, if a little breathless for my taste