Synopsis
Whispers in the Dark takes place in Dahlmouth and follows the Kennan family. They moved to the town 3 years ago and have been outsiders ever since. However that is the least of their concerns after their son Aiden died a year ago. The accident was caused by his father Finn drinking too much. The family is ik turmoil and only their 2 girls are keeping Finn and Rachel together.
However when chief of police Rachel is called to the woods where a man has been nailed to a tree, the town of Dahlmouth will never be the same again.

Review
I received a copy of this book from netgalley and when I requested I didn't realise it was a horror book. Horror isn't a genre I've read much from and the closest I've got is the Bill Hodges series by Steven King. So I was very nervous about whether I was going to like this. I was pleasantly surprised that I absolutely loved it. It has been a while since I was so consumed by a book and it is definitely a 5 star favourite for me. I cannot believe this was Allison Gunns debut.

I was loving this so much I stayed up way too late reading which I haven't done in months!

I'm now excited to have another genre to dip my toes into now and again. Thank you so much to netgalley Allison Gunn and embla books for this advanced readers copy.

After the death of their son Rachel and Finn move to a small town for a change of pace and to heal.

Rachel is a Police Cheif and throws herself into her work.

A series of disappearences keep her busy but what is actually happening?

This is a creepy and quite a scary read. It is perfect for the upcoming spooky season and is a really good read.

I am usually disappointed with horror reads as they tend to peter out towards the end but this book kept me interested and I really enjoyed my reading time

This book was delightfully scary. It centers on police chief Rachel and her husband Finn, who are adjusting to life in a very small town while reeling from the death of their son. When strange things start happening (body in the woods, missing kids, people acting out of character) they have to admit that there may be something supernatural going on.

The mystery in this book was good and the setting was atmospheric and creepy. I do wish we got a little more background on the characters and that the characters talked to each other more, but the way it was written added to the mystery. There were some gory parts in the book but overall it was more creepy than gory. I am not entirely sure I understood why some of the things happened but maybe we are not supposed to understand. The ending of the book dragged just a little bit in that final scene but I think it was resolved appropriately for the rest of the story.

Overall, this is certainly not a feel good story but is creepy throughout and downright scary at times. I would recommend to those who like horror. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so fricken amazing 🙌🏼! Thank you to the author and netgalley for the arc!! I absolutely loved this book by the end of it. At first, I wasn’t sure because I did not like any of the characters except for Finn and Lucy. I thought they were all snobby and just not likable. But the more I read the story just got so good! I loved the thrill, spookiness and all the craziness that came along with it! I could not stand Rachel🙈 she was just so mean to Finn! But the story itself with the children going Nowhere! This would be so good turned into a show!! Definitely a 5 star read!!

Allison Gunn always does a fantastic job in writing this type of book. It had that horror element that I was looking for and enjoyed from this type of book. The characters were everything that I wanted and enjoyed from this type of book. I enjoyed the use of grief and can't wait for more from Allison Gunn.

Whispers in the Dark is an incredibly creepy and suspenseful novel, I honestly don’t understand why I was reading it at night! From the very beginning, the story had me on edge. The children in the book were absolutely terrifying, and their presence created a constant sense of unease that kept the tension high throughout.

The pacing is excellent, with twists and turns that kept me guessing and fully engaged. I was completely unable to put the book down, and the suspense only built as the story progressed. The ending was shocking and completely unexpected, which made the experience even more intense and memorable.

Allison Gunn has crafted a chilling, well-written horror story that lingers long after the last page. This is a must-read for anyone who enjoys psychological suspense, creepy atmospheres, and unpredictable twists.

Thank you to NetGalley and Embla for the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc! I was really excited for this book. It definitely had some of its spooky moments, but I struggled to really get into it and focus, it felt scattered. Though that could’ve totally been the intention behind the story, it just wasn’t for me. I also was not a fan of the FMC or the MMC and the narration switching.

Absolutely loved this! And it was perfect for the spooky season to just curl up with,I was hooked from the first page

This was such a great read!
The author did a fantastic job setting the scenes and giving the characters life, their development was very well fleshed out which made them come across as realistic people.

Being a lover of the woodlands, I was drawn to this book, then mix in folklore/supernatural I was hooked and hung onto every word.

This book is one to go out and grab!
I am anticipating Allion Gunn's next book!

Great spooky read for the fall season. Insular small town vibes, with an out of town police officer trying to solve the case.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (7/5 if I could!)

Oh my god, what a book this was.

📖 Pacing & Atmosphere

The pacing → perfection.
The characters → on another level.
The emotions → bursting out of the pages, from the prologue to the last chapter.

This story begins with chaos and ends with chaos — but it’s the kind of chaos that leaves calmness, fear, and awe not only on the characters but also on the reader.

🎭 Characters & Themes

Some readers called the book “flat” or the characters “unlikable.” But in mystery, thriller, and horror, the characters are not always meant to be likable. They are meant to be haunting. The true focus here is the folklore, the eerie setting, the collective mystery of the place — not just a single protagonist.

Lucy: Her transformation was chilling. From witnessing her brother’s death to becoming part of the creatures (“Angelina”), her final moments — calling for her mother, begging her father to kill her — were written with raw beauty.

Charlie: Rebellious like her mother, yet broken by fire and trauma. A tragic but unforgettable presence.

Rachel & Finn: The parents carried their own ghosts — a broken marriage, grief, failure. Their arguments were ugly, but their last conversation in the woods was ghostly and heartbreaking.

And that ending — the children calling out, whether real or not, brought both peace and devastation. A “happy family” united, yet swallowed by the creatures.

👁️ Horror & Folklore

The creatures weren’t grotesque — just hollow eyes — but they terrified me. Every mention of them gave me chills, like they might be in the room with me. It’s not the typical jumpscare horror; it’s immersive horror. The writing style itself makes you feel what the characters feel.

It’s as if you are there, in Dahlmouth, watching events unfold before your eyes.

🌟 Final Thoughts

This book is on its own level — beyond 5 stars. I’d rate it 7/5 for the emotions, the folklore, the horror, and the way it makes you live inside the story.

For folklore, horror, and thriller lovers: please pick this up. It’s worth every penny. This is a debut novel, and Allison Gunn deserves all the appreciation she can get.

Review posted on Goodreads:

ARC read review. Thank you NetGalley for my ARC copy.

4⭐️

I’m not usually a horror fan but this book kept me gripped throughout and I don’t think I’ll be taking a walk in the woods for a while. It is fast paced and provides lots of creepy moments that made me want to keep reading to know what had happened. The only down side that I felt from this story was how quickly it took for Rachel to realise that her daughter was not her daughter instead of being under the influence of drugs. If one of my children was behaving like that I’d like to think I’d know something was extremely wrong 🙈.

Premise: the story begins with 2 police officers coming to the small back town of Dahlmouth to find all of thw residents gone and a strange atmosphere and feeling surrounding the town. We are then introduced to Rachel Kennan who is the Chief Police Officer of Dahlmouth. Rachel and her family have been through heartache over the last year since the tragic death of their son Aidan. Along with this the residents of Dahlmouth to not trust or like the Kennan family because of Rachel’s previous life style and Finn, her husband’s, damaging article of the town. The family are divided but trying to keep up a pretence for their daughters, Charlie and Lucy. Following the discovery of a mutilated body of a man nailed to a tree in the forest seriously creepy and strange things begin to happen in the town and when Charlie goes into the woods with her friends the events that follow will affect Rachel and her family’s life forever.

A must read on the lead up to Halloween 👻.

This is Allison Gunns debut novel, it’s titled “Whispers in the Dark” in the UK and “Nowhere” here in the US. I read the UK title on Netgalley.

The book starts with Rachel a police chief and her writer husband and three children who moved from Richmond VA to a small rural town in VA to further her career.

Sadly the family is met with tragedy after the father is driving drunk and careens off the road and their young son is killed. After the loss of their son their marriage pretty much dissolves, and Rachel even purposely lets on she’s having an affair with several women she’s met. Without giving away too much this book follows of a lot of Appalachian folklore the more prominent being “if you hear a voice in the woods calling to you don’t listen.” My favorite parts of the book were when it really focused on the horror of the “spirit folk” they refer to them as and how they call out to you and use your memories to trick you. The way the entity is described and how it takes over the person was really well done and eerie.

While I loved the way the author captured the supernatural aspects of the story I wanted more character development. I wanted to know more about Rachel and her journey to accepting her sexuality and how she never really wanted this stereotypical role of being a mother and wife. I thought she was a really complex character that I would have liked to known more about.

Overall I gave the story 3 stars and I think it’s a good debut horror novel from this author.

The cover grabbed me but the story held on to me and didnt dissapoint!

It was sad with the grief of Rachel and Finn losing their son but it set it up for when the kids started going missing.

It was a creepy small town setting and quite descriptive. I loved it.

This sounded like the perfect book for me.
A dark and atmospheric thriller.

But sadly I just didn't enjoy this.
The story started in a dark and creepy atmosphere. But I felt like that didn't continue on.

Then the characters were unlikable but to the point it ruined my enjoyment of the book.

It is a must read for everyone who is a sucker for good horror fiction. It will make you sleep with lights on. Wonderful narration and story line

5 Star ARC Review ✨

After the tragic loss of her son, Rachel Kennan has buried herself in work as deputy of a small religious Appalachian town. Her marriage to Finn is unraveling under the weight of grief and his alcoholism. The only thread holding them together is their daughters, Charlie and Lucy.

But when crimes stir tension in a community that already despises them, and a dark force from the woods begins calling to the children, fear spreads like wildfire. As kids start to vanish, Rachel and Finn must put aside their differences and confront both the townspeople and the creeping horror in the shadows.

This book blew me away. I could NOT stop reading. A horror thriller absolutely drenched in blood and folklore, it kept escalating—every time I thought “whew, this is creepy,” it got creepier. The dread sinks in and never lets go, even past the final page.

Think Children of the Corn, but set in the Appalachian Mountains:
🌲 small-town religion
🌲 chilling woods
🌲 creepy children
🌲 dark, merciless folklore

Allison Gunn has written a story that feels destined for the screen—I could easily see this as a haunting series or film.

Thank you to NetGalley for approving me for this honest review! I cannot wait to read more from this incredible author.

This is such a great book to start the 'spooky season'. An outsider police chief in charge of a small, close-knit religious town. What could possibly go wrong?!

This is based on Appalachian folklore, which I don't know too much about but man, am I now obsessed. I normally love anything to do with urban legends and this did not disappoint. It was creepy, suspenseful, eerie and when you add kids to the mix, it was always bound to be haunting.

The environment and setting of the town just felt so sinister, you was waiting for something to happen from the very beginning and Allison Gunn was amazing at creating suspenseful tension throughout the whole book.

The main characters, Rachel and Finn, were not particular likeable but that actually adds to the book in my opinion. With Rachel, there was a bit of bravado and 'I know best' quite a lot of the times which can be annoying, but I guess that comes with her police background.

I have to say I was utterly hooked for majority of the book. From around the 60% to 80% mark, I feel like it did lose it's pacing just a little bit but then it went right back on track and full steam ahead, where I couldn't put it down! Overall, I would definitely recommend this book, especially for the upcoming spooky season!

Pros:
This was a very creepy read and definitely lived up to it's Horror genre. If you find anything with unseen monsters in the woods and creepy children scary this is definitely the book for you. Allison Gun really builds up moments of suspense and although it doesn't go into too much detail on the graphic stuff she manages to describe these situations enough that you can still picture the situations in your head. You really felt the vibe of the Kennan's being outsiders. This story also mentions self harm, sexuality and how grief affects people differently.

Cons:
I didn't really connect very well with the main characters story in some parts so I did find those few parts a bit slow and tedious to read but the creepiness of the story kept me engaged.

This book honestly terrified me and that’s not easy to do. It’s the exact kind of stuff that gets under my skin: ghosty, creepy kids singing in the woods…eeeek. I’m not even exaggerating when I say I slept with my reading light on. 💀

' “Come play with us.” She giggled' ...the hell i will 😅

In summary: It's honestly going to interrupt my sleep for a few nights.