I received a copy of The Darkest Game from Storm Publishing via NetGalley. It's boreceived a copy of The Darkest Game from Storm Publishing via NetGalley. It's book one in the Oak Creek Thrillers series.

Set in the eerie small town of Oak Creek, this thriller introduces Detective Charlotte Dawes called in from Chicago to investigate what local law enforcement dismisses as an accidental drowning. But Dawes sees through the façade, and soon the murders begin: a local artist found posed in one of her final paintings, her other artworks eerily predicting future victims.

The strength of this novel lies in the dynamic between its two female leads. Dawes brings experience, while rookie Detective Mona LaSalle offers moral clarity.

The pacing is slower than I would have liked, and a few side characters could have benefited from deeper development. It's a great start to a new series, and I would definitely read book 2!

3,75/5⭐️

I’m not usually a criminal/detective book lover but this one kept me intrigued and I throughly enjoyed this one!

Det Charlotte Dawes is being pushed out of the force after a disastrous sting operation, so she agrees to go to Oak Creek to work on the murder of a young woman whose body was found in a river. Although the local police believe the woman's death to be accidental, Det Dawes believes the young woman has been murdered and the body moved to where it was found. More victims follow, beginning with the murder of a local artist whose painting predicted how she would die. As more victims are found, the manner of each death mimics one of the artist's paintings and Det Dawes must find the link between the killer and the paintings before any further deaths occur.

This story is told in part in the killer's POV which adds a spine-chilling element and the ongoing 'conversation' the killer has with one of their victims is incredibly disturbing. There's great camaraderie between the experienced Det Dawes and Mona, the less experienced local police officer who is assigned the case. A solid police procedural novel set in a small town with its own secrets and a creepy killer whose motivations are unclear until the end when everything is wrapped up nicely.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐⭐⭐.5

This was a bit of a slower start than I typical enjoy, as I don't want to feel like reading is a chore. But once I was halfway through, things started to really pull me in and it wouldn't let me go. I truly enjoyed the read, my biggest opinion is the pacing.

I appreciate the opportunity to have read this early, I apologize for my review being posted late. Life got a big hectic and my mind has been all over the place. Thank you NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Alex Sigmore!

The Darkest Game is a gripping thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. The story follows a nearly-retired cop who's chasing one final case—not just for justice, but for redemption after a string of failures. Her determination and vulnerability make her a compelling lead, and the stakes feel personal and intense throughout. The twist was well-executed and added a fresh layer of complexity that I didn’t see coming. While a few plot points could’ve been tightened for pacing, overall it’s a solid, satisfying read with just the right amount of suspense. A great pick for fans of character-driven thrillers with emotional depth.

Detective Charlotte Dawes is a detective whose career is hanging by a thread when she gets partnered with a rookie.
Things change when a killer uses murder as an art form.

It's starts off slow paced but it's so good.
Thoroughly enjoyed this, as there's nothing better than strong female characters navigating through thrillers.

The Darkest Game is a tense, twist-filled thriller that kept me reading long past bedtime. From the first chapter, the atmosphere is charged with dread and secrecy, and the slow unraveling of truth is masterfully done. The author balances psychological tension and plot momentum perfectly—just when you think you’ve figured it out, the story shifts again.

The characters are layered and flawed in a way that makes them feel real. I especially appreciated how the protagonist’s past shaped their present choices without being overly dramatized. The setting also adds to the claustrophobic feel of the story—every detail serves to tighten the noose around the reader.

My only minor critique is that the middle lagged a bit before the final third picked up speed again. But overall, this is a gripping, intelligent thriller that I’d recommend to fans of Ruth Ware, Lisa Jewell, or Megan Goldin.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Book: The Darkest Game
Author: Alex Sigmore
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4/5)
This is a slow-burn mystery. It doesn't pick up until around the 65% mark. The writing is decent and the plot flows well. I wasn't a huge fan of the pacing though.

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, & the author for this eARC.
*All thoughts & opinions are my own.*

3.5 stars

I received a free eBook of The Darkest Game, by Alex Sigmore from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Personally, I thought it was a bit slow at the beginning, and I found it difficult to connect with the characters, but as I delved deeper in to the story, <i>The Darkest Game</i> quickly became unputdownable. With all the twists and turns of the case and not to mention the amount of detail throughout the story describing the crime scenes. Which, to be honest, I found to be a bit cringy at times and a bitter pill to swallow but, it's what made the story that much better.
I eventually began to love and care about the characters after receiving more backstory and learning of the complexity of their lives.

The only thing I have to complain about the book itself is that I had difficulty at times differentiating whose POV each chapter was in. I wish that with each chapter we were given a name of whose POV it was in under the chapter number.

All in all, this was an immersive experience and I'm looking forward to reading more from Alex Sigmore.

Detective Charlotte Dawes has botched her last case and she will try to redeem herself by solving a small town murder - easy peasy, right? She partners up with Mona, for whom this is the first case.
The interaction between the hard boiled woman and the introverted newbie was very interesting and that is what made me fly through this book, taking all twists and turns easily. The addition of art into crime was certainly a well crafted additional layer.

And I would have given it a well deserved 4 starts, but I was really disappointed with the ending. I just couldn't believe how Detective Mona could have missed what ended up being the crux to solve the case (trying to avoid spoilers here). I thought I had found the lead but I dismissed it as it wasn't possible - and then it turns out that it was possible after all but just because of a convoluted story.

So all in all, a very enjoyable and easy read, just the ending was a let-down. I could absolutely recommend to take this book with you on the beach.

Thank you NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and the author for allowing me to be an early reader. All opinions are my own.

Good detective thriller and interesting read, the plot felt a tad obvious towards the end which slightly put me off. The writing was good and the shifting perspectives kept me interested throughout.

The scene setting in this book is superb but I did find the characters a bit confusing to start with in terms of who belonged where and why. Once I got to grips with the relationships between them the book flowed well and the investigation was tense in as much as they were always a step behind the killer and my compulsive need to solve the crime kept me up late reading to the end!

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.