After hearing all of the buzz about this book, I was beyond excited to get an arc through NetGalley!

This book was a fantastic debut novel! Although it took a couple of chapters to pull me in, it kept me hooked and guessing for the rest of the book! It’s a great steady paced mystery full of twists and turns.

Such a perfect thriller to start the year off with! Looking forward to more from Stacy Willingham!

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this audiobook to review!

his was a debut and its so hard to tell while reading because it's just that good! I'll. Definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for more work by Willingham. This book would be perfect for lovers of a twisty, turny, intense spine tingling thriller. The audio narrator did a fantastic job of making the an atmospheric experience

In the story we follow Chloe Davis a 32 year old psychologist who runs a private practice. Chloe has a dark past that continues to haunt her, even though she has tried to move on.Chloe needs to focus on her upcoming wedding, but is self medicating which is turning her life into a mess. She barely visits her mother who now lives in a care home and her brother is dealing with their past in his own ways, which causes Chloe even more stress. Then a girl who Chloe was the last to see has gone missing. Is this somehow connected to her past??

Chloe's dad is a serial killer. She spent her youth wrapped up in his story, in his crimes, and while it's made her unable to trust, she's finally figured out her own life, her own story. She's a psychologist, a fiancé, a friend, and a good sister. Sure, sometimes she doesn't feel like she's really happy, but who would be with a background like her? Then a reporter calls, dredging up the past, shaking up her fragile security, and then a girl goes missing. Chloe sees too many similarities, she knows how this works and she won't let the pattern repeat itself.

I'm a thriller girl and I love when a book lets readers go along for the ride in figuring out who a serial killer is. A Flicker in the Dark takes it a step further, giving us the serial killer up front and showing us the impact that made on his daughter's life. Sure, she's a psychologist helping youth now, but the past has shaped her and when the present starts to feel similar, well we all know what trauma can do to someone. With a lot of attention to the psychological state of Chloe, Stacy Willingham takes readers on a who-dun-it copy cat murder investigation in Baton Rouge. I was gripped by this story, I loved the premise, and the writing is far better than I usually see in a debut novel. This one is just very good; while the pacing is slow, the story stays interesting, it's a bit hard to guess what's really going on, and when the pacing does pick up, it's full speed ahead with reveals and twists.

Here's where I struggled with this book; Chloe is a psychologist with plenty of experience, and personal knowledge of teenage angst and family turmoil, so why is she so good at lying both to herself and to others? Her reliance on medication, her drinking, and her ill-placed trust all while touting her intuitive nature just didn't sit well with me. I knew she was an unreliable narrator, I love unreliable narrators, but Chloe presents herself as reliable and what makes her unreliable doesn't feel right. (I need an alternative word for reliable.) It feels forced, like it was the obvious choice, like it wasn't written into Chloe's history and personality. I still enjoyed it, of course it makes all the events that occur plausible, I just didn't like it.

This was, hands down, one of the Top Ten best audiobooks I have ever listened to. I normally love dual narration, I typically choose my audiobooks based on having alternating perspectives, but A Flicker in the Dark just sounded so good and, well, Karissa Vacker is an excellent narrator. She brought the eerie feelings of being watched to life, made Baton Rouge feel somber with the concern of missing girls, and her pacing and breathe made our unreliable narrator feel just the right amount of unhinged. I really enjoyed A Flicker in the Dark, but I loved it because of the audiobook narration. Fellow psychological thriller fans will love this in print or audio. It is an absolutely standout debut novel and I cannot wait to see what stories Stacy Willingham will tell us in the future.

Wow, what a way to start the year. My first official 5-star book!

The narrator was fabulous. She was able to keep a clear line between characters and tell the story in a riveting way.

This author keeps you engrossed throughout the whole book. Even though I had a feeling who the killer is, it was just that a feeling. You are not truly sure till the big reveal! I enjoyed the family drama, the domestic drama, and her own personal drama. Drama, drama drama! It is suspenseful and engaging. I need more from this author!!!

There have been quite the mixed feelings about this one. Personally, I think this was an okay thriller. Some called it predictable, and I would have to agree. This book toed the line of predictability but I stuck it out in case a real surprise came through. Unfortunately, most of the plot twists didn’t smack like they were intended.

Mostly, I’m very intrigued that this has been picked up for a series with Emma Stone as the lead. Picturing her as our protagonist honestly made this book a lot better for me! I think she’s going to kill it as the quinticensial unreliable narrator.

The ending was a little less than impressive for me. In fact, it felt like a stretch. Trying just a little too hard to have that jaw drop moment but maybe falling a little flat. And honestly, the amount of clues our narrator misinterprets was super aggravating. Like stop jumping to conclusions miss! Back it up with some more investigation.

This was an incredible audiobook had me fascinated ant hooked from start. The narrators voice was also captivating and kept me glued. I enjoyed the storyline and the twist at the end. I highly recommend and give 5 stars. I’m excited to read more from this author.

I have heard a lot of buzz about this book and was thrilled to be able to receive an advanced audiobook copy. This was an awesome debut thriller about a copy cat serial killer. There were several twists and turns in the story that kept me guessing who was the actual killer. I also love that it was set in New Orleans. I can’t wait to read more from the author, Stacy Willingham.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audio ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

This book kept me on my toes from the very start. So many twists and turns, it makes you truly wonder who the murderer is!

This was my first foray into fiction audiobooks. Normally if I listen to an audiobook it is non fiction. I think it has to do with being able to imagine the different characters and I found that very difficult with this audiobook. I kept feeling like a toddler being read a bedtime story with my parent “doing” the voices. I just don’t think fiction audiobooks are for me. That being said, the narrator does a fine job differentiating the different characters and has a good voice so no criticism there. If you like fiction audiobooks then this narrator is fine. Now on to the story. I’m afraid I don’t understand why this is getting so much buzz. It’s fine. It suffers from some of the same cliches that really bug me such as the main character making some really questionable choices that are required to make the story work. While I didn’t guess the entire solution, I was so close as to make it disappointing. And the epilogue goes on and on and on. Again, it’s a fine story but not worth the hype for me.

Chloe Davis has never had it easy. Her dad was arrested and has been in prison since she was 12 convicted of killing 6 girls in their small Louisiana town. It has been hard for Chloe, now a psychologist, to let anyone get close to her. Her mom is incapacitated, her brother has his own set of issues, but dearly loves her and she finally seems to have found love with a fiancé that encourages and protects her. Then, 20 years after the killings done by her father, they start up again. And the girls being killed are people that Chloe knows. Who is behind it?

I read serial killer books a lot. So I was making all the guesses as to who the killer actually was. I was right…and I was wrong. This is a deliciously twisty book that I recommend to all my thriller loving pals!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an audio copy of A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book and the narration by Karissa Vacker was outstanding, This was my first 5 start book of the year and I have been recommending it to everyone. Vacker is one of favorite narrators, so when I saw that she had done this one, I knew I wanted to listen to it rather than read a physical copy. The book is just over 11 hours long and I was easily able to speed it up to 2X.

As for the story itself, it was sooo good! It is a must read for all the thriller lovers out there. The story hooked me from the beginning and I was enthralled by the characters. The story moved at a great pace so that I was never bored with it and was constantly waiting to see what was going to happen next. It also packed a huge punch at the end with an ending that I just did not see coming.

This was not enjoyable. I thought it was poorly researched and not thought out, not to mention poorly written. There were so many plot holes and things that just didn't make sense.

The audiobook did not work for me either. I did not like the narration. I thought it was too "breathy" and sexual. Did not go with story.

This was like a solid 3.5, average thriller to me. The red herring was so obvious, and there were really only three possibilities for the twist, so it wasn't too hard to figure out who it would be, though we did take a few twists to get there. I think I could have enjoyed the book more, but I really disliked Chloe as a narrator. I usually am okay with thriller narrators making bad decisions - usually that's required for the plot to work - but with her being a psychologist she was so stubborn about her own issues that I just found her infuriating.

That being said, the audio narrator was great, and I would also be interested in reading more from Willingham in the future.

3.5 stars

This was a solid psychological thriller. It started out a bit slow but the pace picked up at around the 30% mark and I couldn't put it down after that. Grim and eerie- it was packed with twists and turns. I thought I had it figured out with my little grey cells but the ending was definitely a shocker.

I enjoyed this one! I wasn’t able to guess the twist which was great. The beginning was a little slow for me but it definitely picked up the pace!! I cant believe this was the authors debut, I will be continuing to read her books.

Loved this debut, it was a thrilling ride from start to finish. I read with my book club and it was so fun to share all our theories. I didn't know who to trust and who-dun-it.

For a debut novel, Stacy Willingham hit a home run with A Flicker in the Dark. The suspense level was unrelenting. The narrator did a fabulous job. Loved it!

Wow. I really enjoyed this book! Just when you think you might know what’s happening - you don’t!

I loved the twists and turns of this suspense/thriller. I like to try and guess wheat I think is going to happen (and I’m usually close) but I wasn’t with this one. The author had a way of drawing you in to the story in a sympathetic way that also kept your pov turned in the direction the main character was. It was perfect for misdirection and falling for that.

I like that the atmosphere was just creepy enough to keep me on the edge of my seat but also a slow burn that didn’t disappoint.

I’d recommend to those who like a mystery with more present suspense elements.

‼️Language and some adult situations including pill abuse and some violence depictions.

My rating: 4.3*

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Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced listening copy! All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars rounded down. Williamson gives us an eerie thriller for her debut novel. It is a solid story with psychological twists and turns. Definitely worth the read!

When Chloe Davis was 12 years-old six girls from her hometown disappeared. Later, Chloe’s father confessed to the murders and was imprisoned. Chloe and her family greatly suffered from these traumatic events.

Twenty years later Chloe is a psychologist and she is happily engaged to Daniel Briggs, set to marry him in another month. Chloe believes she has put the past behind her when suddenly girls start disappearing again in a way eerily similar to 20 years ago. What’s more, these girls all have a connection to Chloe! It soon becomes obvious that a copycat is at work!

Told from Chloe’s point of view, the reader gets a sense of Chloe’s insecurities and fears as she sets out to unmask another killer.

𝑴𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔: This book kept me thoroughly engaged and I could not put it down! My own suspicions were constantly changing right up to the end! To say I guessed the killer would be inaccurate since at some point I suspected every main character in the novel! The climax was truly chilling as I was totally engaged in the moment when suddenly, things switched!

My sincere thanks to Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for my gifted copy. My thoughts are my own.