This was the perfect detective thriller! Mona and Charlotte were the perfect pair, and the story kept me guessing until the very end. Following along with their case and unraveling the clues and evidence as they did allowed it to play like a movie in my mind. Which….it would make an excellent movie!

Detective Charlotte Dawes has had a rough few years. She hasn’t been able to close a case in a while and her most recent case, which should have closed out her career on a high note, blew up in her face. She’s about to be forced into retirement but convinces her Lieutenant to give her one more chance. She’s sent to Oak Creek, a small town, to help investigate a murder. While she is there things take a turn and Detective Dawes is caught up in a cat and mouse game with a psychopathic killer who turns his victims into replications of macabre art.

This book was a great read. It hooked me from the start and kept my attention though out. Reading through the killer’s POV was creepy and captivating. I am looking forward to the next book in the Oak Creek Series.



This was an E-book ARC from NetGalley and Storm Publishing

I received this as an ARC from the author and Netgalley, thank you! This book had my thoughts all over the place on who the killer was! I loved Dawes and Mona working together! Ramsey drove me absolutely insane when he did make appearances! I could not believe who the killer turned out to be and all he had planned out just to find Mona! Completely blew my mind! I cant wait for another book! Only thing i didn’t like was the last few pages because it made it seem like there wasn’t gonna be another book! So really hoping there is!!

This book is a literally intense that kept me on edge the whole time. The story follows a gripping mystery with dark twists and I liked how the suspense kept building with each chapter. I enjoyed trying to figure out the truth along with them. The writing was clear and fast-paced which made it easy to get into. If you like mystery and crime stories with a dark edge this book is definitely worth checking out.

Nice suspense. Gripping. Good writing style.

Initiallly, the intro of the technology made me think twice about reading this. I came into this expecting thriller but thought it was going sideways. First 4-5 chapters weren't that great. But, it went on to getting invested when connections were getting made one-by-one. Second part had zero distractions from the plot.

Don't think one can expect the end. The way this is written is new to me and I liked it.

This was just too slow for me personally and I really struggled. Its very character led so to those who preserve books like that this might be the one for you. The character were certainly brought to life and it is a strong police procedural. The main characters are well written and not too much like every other main character women police office duo. The plot was original and thats what kept me reading but it was a struggle sadly

I loved this book! The story was captivating and kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next! I will definitely be reading more from this author!

I have read a lot of this authors books and this one was great. Fast-paced and a well thought out plot. I can’t wait for the next book.

A quick read book that is so intense you won't want to put it down. I loved the pacing and the plot was incredibly suspenseful.

Oh, I absolutely loved this amazing book. So many twists and turns - so thrilling and completely addictive. A wonderfully tense and brilliant read. One of my top reads this year!

(I already post my review on Instagram about this book before the publication date. Forgot to post here. )


The plot was interesting, killings tied to art and art tied to killings. But honestly, nothing much really grabbed my attention until the last few chapters. The pacing was slow at first, and I wanted more tension and mystery.

I liked Mona and Charlotte’s dynamic. Mona was interesting, and Charlotte had that seasoned, steady vibe. But the killer felt weak to me, and I didn’t really connect with most of the characters.

Still, it was a decent read overall.

This was an enjoyable thriller!! It has a seasoned detective working with a rookie (both of which are female), plenty of twists and character development and it's reasonably fast paced! Definitely looking forward to reading more from Alex Sigmore now.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Darkest Game.
This is a series book but works well as a standalone.
Female led book and is a police procedural. Deep characters with a steady plot.
Overall a good read. 3 stars

Detective Charlotte Dawes based at Chicago nearer to retirement age and has not done very well just of late, and to appease her they send her to Oak Creek to help out as they have just had a murder and not a local person, and she turns up just as the lead detective ridicules a young female detective which she has a problem with but as it turns out the sheriff gave Mona the lead with Dawes, which to Mona's surprise as she has heard excellent results about the said detective.
Pretty soon, a few more murders, but these were local and very gruesome, so their work is cut out for them, as really, Mona is also an outsider, although she has lived in Oak Creek for years.
Mona only really had one friend, and they had a falling out, so to her surprise, her friend was the first murder, and the pair needed to find the clue that put the first girl from the lake and the second together, but Mona does have a passion for puzzles, and it seems even she is stuck.
More bodies, so what is the clue that brings them all together?
I did find myself having a job to get into it a bit of a slow starter, but stick with it as it really picks up momentum and kept me reading to the end.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Storm Publishing for an ARC copy, and I found it addictive.

After a botched undercover operation ends her career in Chicago, Detective Charlotte Dawes jumps at the chance to consult on a case in Oak Creek. When local authorities dismiss a woman's suspicious death as a fishing accident, Charlotte’s instincts tell her otherwise.

Teaming up with newly promoted detective Mona LaSalle, Charlotte digs deeper. When an artist is found murdered, her body staged like one of her paintings, the case takes a chilling turn. Even more disturbing, the artist's remaining works seem to predict future victims, each painting more gruesome than the last.

This is a smart, layered mystery with compelling female leads and an eerie artistic twist.

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and author Alex Sigmore for the opportunity to review an advance copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Darkest Game
by Alex Sigmore
Pub Date: Jun 04 2025

The Darkest Game is my first book by the author, and as it turns out, this is book 3 in the series but can be read as a stand alone. It's a police procedural set in Los Angeles, at a perfect pace, sprinkling clues with a few twists and turns along the way. It started out slow but it picked up and was worth hanging in!

Synopsis: Bad things happen every day. No one knows this better than LAPD Detective Tully Jarsdel. He also knows that bad things often go unpunished—all it takes is a glance at his dusty stack of cold cases to see that time is kind to sinners. The Darkest Game is a story about dread, greed, and anguish; how it spreads like rot, and how one detective struggles to keep it at bay.

Many thanks to #TheDarkestGame #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for providing me an E-ARC of this book.

The concept drew me to this small-town crime thriller, and it is an intriguing read. Detective Charlotte Dawes is at the end of her career as a city detective. After a series of less-than-successful cases, she jumps at the chance to prolong her detective position by taking on an advisory role in the small town of Oak Creek, where a suspicious death has occurred. There are a few chapters of scene setting and character introduction, but this is necessary for what follows. The dynamic between Charlotte and the local detectives is noteworthy. It's a dark crime story with graphic murders that have an ominous connection with art. It's atmospheric, detailed and suspenseful.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I received a free copy of, The Darkest Game, by Alex Sigmore, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Detective Charlotte Dawes has been called to Oak Creek to solve a murder of a young women, them someone else is murdered, Can the detective solve the murders before someone else is murdered? This was an engrossing read.

I loved the originality of the premise of this book. It grabbed my attention, but unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me.

I think, personally, it was mostly down to the pacing, it was just soooo slow up until aboit 70-75% and I'm definitely a reader that has to be gripped from the off, otherwise the mind starts wandering and never quite gets back to full focus. Once the pace sped up, though, it didn't stop, and all loose ends were tied up really well.

This is very character driven, and thankfully, I liked the main character Charlotte, but I couldn't connect with Mona, and I will admit I soon tired of Adam and ended up skim reading his pages.

It was an ok read, but it wasn't a book that enthralled or excited me sadly.

Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC.

This is the first book I’ve read by Alex and definitely won’t be the last! I was completely held hostage by my kindle the whole way til the end. The darkness, mystery, suspense, tension, twist and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. I was shocked by everything that was revealed. After being forced into early retirement, something she doesn’t want yet, detective Charlotte Dawes accepts the offer to help the local police of Oak River. Getting farther than the local cops, she realizes the newest victim was moved and slowly pieces together these victims connections. The paintings of a victim, amazingly described, depicted the horrific murders. Will charlotte and Mona crack this dark and twisted game, or will they be next?!