Thriller

A Flicker in the Dark

A Flicker in the Dark

  • Downloads：4103
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-01-13 21:21:32
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Stacy Willingham
  • ISBN：B092T9G4Y5
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

From debut author Stacy Willingham comes a masterfully done， lyrical thriller， certain to be the launch of an amazing career。 A Flicker in the Dark is eerily compelling to the very last page。

When Chloe Davis was twelve， six teenage girls went missing in her small Louisiana town。 By the end of the summer， Chloe’s father had been arrested as a serial killer and promptly put in prison。 Chloe and the rest of her family were left to grapple with the truth and try to move forward while dealing with the aftermath。

Now 20 years later， Chloe is a psychologist in private practice in Baton Rouge and getting ready for her wedding。 She finally has a fragile grasp on the happiness she’s worked so hard to get。 Sometimes， though， she feels as out of control of her own life as the troubled teens who are her patients。 And then a local teenage girl goes missing， and then another， and that terrifying summer comes crashing back。 Is she paranoid， and seeing parallels that aren't really there， or for the second time in her life， is she about to unmask a killer？

In a debut novel that has already been optioned for a limited series by actress Emma Stone and sold to a dozen countries around the world， Stacy Willingham has created an unforgettable character in a spellbinding thriller that will appeal equally to fans of Gillian Flynn and Karin Slaughter。

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Reviews

Olivia Vomero ，

I have read a lot of books in my life。。。and this has now topped them all and became my favorite book。 It is full of twists and turns that will have you guessing until the very last page。

Jessica Frank ，

Terrible。 Chloe is actually crazy。 How is she a psychologist？ Prescribing herself drugs using her fiancée name？ When she finds herself in a flashback while talking to someone else， what is that person thinking？ "Are you even listening？ Why are you looking so spaced out？" She does so many stupid things in this book。 It was a slog to get through。 Terrible。 Chloe is actually crazy。 How is she a psychologist？ Prescribing herself drugs using her fiancée name？ When she finds herself in a flashback while talking to someone else， what is that person thinking？ "Are you even listening？ Why are you looking so spaced out？" She does so many stupid things in this book。 It was a slog to get through。 。。。more

Heather ，

Rating this one was hard。 There was a lot to enjoy about this book and at times I had a hard time putting it down （I mean I read it in less than a week which I rarely do）。 But I struggled with the main character at a pretty pivotal point so maybe I'm taking my frustrations out on my rating。 But I'd definitely recommend it and I look forward to seeing what's next from this author。 Rating this one was hard。 There was a lot to enjoy about this book and at times I had a hard time putting it down （I mean I read it in less than a week which I rarely do）。 But I struggled with the main character at a pretty pivotal point so maybe I'm taking my frustrations out on my rating。 But I'd definitely recommend it and I look forward to seeing what's next from this author。 。。。more

Craig / Phil ，

Thank you Harper Collins for sending us a copy to read and review。It is scary to think that monsters do walk among us and blend in seamlessly until that last time they can’t resist another round of monstrous action。 They can be born into any type of life and hail from dysfunctional or normal families。 The twentieth anniversary of a heinous crime is looming and Chloe has lived in a guilt ridden， sad and deprived shadow of gloom for this time。 Her father was convicted for murdering teenage girls。A Thank you Harper Collins for sending us a copy to read and review。It is scary to think that monsters do walk among us and blend in seamlessly until that last time they can’t resist another round of monstrous action。 They can be born into any type of life and hail from dysfunctional or normal families。 The twentieth anniversary of a heinous crime is looming and Chloe has lived in a guilt ridden， sad and deprived shadow of gloom for this time。 Her father was convicted for murdering teenage girls。A copycat murdering criminal， a curious reporter and a fiancée who has secrets all haunt Chloe and makes her face the past。 The trauma of losing her father to prison and a mother to a comatose state is about to be relived as more young girls are murdered and missing。 Hold on to the safety rail as this rollercoaster read is unrelenting and you won’t see the next twist or turn coming as you turn the pages in anticipation。 I thought I had it nailed but no， I was shocked and revelled in the authors clever plot。 I gave a virtual clap of appreciation upon completing this。 。。。more

Courtney Figueroa ，

This debut had so much potential， but IMO it just fell flat。 Like all good thrillers there was a troubled narrator， a red herring， a mysterious hinted at past， and suspicious behavior。 Unfortunately this narrator just didn't do it for me and the red herring was just too obvious to be "the one"， the hinted at past reveal fell flat and the suspicious behavior just couldn't redeem the thrill in this thriller。 This debut had so much potential， but IMO it just fell flat。 Like all good thrillers there was a troubled narrator， a red herring， a mysterious hinted at past， and suspicious behavior。 Unfortunately this narrator just didn't do it for me and the red herring was just too obvious to be "the one"， the hinted at past reveal fell flat and the suspicious behavior just couldn't redeem the thrill in this thriller。 。。。more

Sarah ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 In general， I really hate the unreliable narrator trope。 It frustrates me to not know if what I’m reading is real， or just a figment of a persons imagination （especially in a mystery where the whole point is figuring out “whodunnit”。） if I’m being honest， it usually feels like lazy writing。 You can have a big twist at the end that doesn’t connect at all to the clues or hints because none of the clues were even real， the main character was just hallucinating or drunk or just imagining things。 *ey In general， I really hate the unreliable narrator trope。 It frustrates me to not know if what I’m reading is real， or just a figment of a persons imagination （especially in a mystery where the whole point is figuring out “whodunnit”。） if I’m being honest， it usually feels like lazy writing。 You can have a big twist at the end that doesn’t connect at all to the clues or hints because none of the clues were even real， the main character was just hallucinating or drunk or just imagining things。 *eyeroll* I love thrillers but I prefer just to be presented all of the clues， hints， and information and try to figure out the big reveal on my own。 I ESPECIALLY dislike books where the narrator is unreliable because she is constantly drinking or on drugs。 All this to say， but I realized that this book used the unreliable narrator， I was really worried I was going to hate it for all of the same reasons listed above。 However， I was delighted to find out this wasn’t the case at all！ I still wasn’t a big fan of the “everyone around me thinks I’m crazy and I’m constantly on drugs so maybe I am” bits， but the use of the trope in this book didn’t feel like a cheap trick。 I really liked Chloe， and REALLY loved her voice as their book switched back-and-forth between the present day and the events leading up to her fathers arrest 20 years prior。 The writing is a lot more beautiful than I expected from a thriller。 The hints and tips leading up to the big reveal were great。 Just the perfect amount so that the reveal made sense but not so much that the ending was given away early on。 I did guess the big reveal early on but only because **SPOILER** the scene where Chloe watches her dad walking back from the swamp carrying a shovel INSTANTLY reminded me of a horror comic written by AdamTots where the twist at the end is the same as this book。 I don’t know if that was intentional， or if the author drew inspiration from the comic， but once I saw that scene in my minds eye， I was pretty sure of the reveal at the end。 And I was right， but I don’t think the ending would have been obvious at ALL had I not read that comic！ Overall， a really good and quick read！！ 。。。more

Gail ，

Couldn’t put the book down once I started it！ Lots of Interesting plot twists。

Judith ，

Going to be a movie。

Alison H ，

I'll be surprised if this isn't my favorite book this year！ I'll be surprised if this isn't my favorite book this year！ 。。。more

Lisa ，

Listened to this one in a day， so good！

Cleo Coppola ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 My go to genre is usually fantasy but when I saw this as an option with book of the month I thought I’d try it。 I got even more excited when I saw all the amazing reviews and that Emma Stone was making a series based on this。 I got just a little bored in the middle but I liked how you got information throughout the entire book and the reveals were amazingly written。 From the beginning I guessed that the father covered for Cooper but I was questioning that when everything with Daniel was coming t My go to genre is usually fantasy but when I saw this as an option with book of the month I thought I’d try it。 I got even more excited when I saw all the amazing reviews and that Emma Stone was making a series based on this。 I got just a little bored in the middle but I liked how you got information throughout the entire book and the reveals were amazingly written。 From the beginning I guessed that the father covered for Cooper but I was questioning that when everything with Daniel was coming to light。 I honestly did not see Aaron being the killer！ I loved the ending and I kind of hope that Chloe and Daniel end up together again but after both of them getting some help and work through everything lol。 Overall I really liked this book and I give it 4。5 stars！ 。。。more

♥Rachel♥ ，

At twelve， Chloe Davis’ world came crashing down when she found out her father， who had always been loving， kind and gentle， was a serial killer。 Now twenty years later， Chloe’s built a life she can be proud of as a psychologist， she helps people cope and deal with trauma， and she’s preparing to marry a wonderful man。 That is until girls start disappearing again， and the circumstances are eerily similar to her father’s case。 As we get into the story it sounds like Chloe has come out of a tragedy At twelve， Chloe Davis’ world came crashing down when she found out her father， who had always been loving， kind and gentle， was a serial killer。 Now twenty years later， Chloe’s built a life she can be proud of as a psychologist， she helps people cope and deal with trauma， and she’s preparing to marry a wonderful man。 That is until girls start disappearing again， and the circumstances are eerily similar to her father’s case。 As we get into the story it sounds like Chloe has come out of a tragedy and is thriving， but it becomes apparent that she’s still kind of a mess。 Relying on prescription meds （just a little） and alcohol to taper off her daily anxiety， she’s a bit of an unreliable narrator at times。 I will confess， I usually find an unreliable narrator annoying， but Chloe wasn’t completely checked out for the most part， and she was easy to like。 I really enjoyed this twisty mystery！ There were a few suspicious characters， clues surface casting each in a shadow of doubt， until all is revealed at the end。 It wasn’t hard to guess at the murderer， but I wasn’t sure and it’s fun to feel like your suspicions are confirmed。 If I have any complaint， it would be that the writing was a little overly descriptive at times and some of the flashback storytelling was a little too circuitous when I just wanted to get to the point。 Still， I thought A Flicker in the Dark was a thrilling debut！ A story I wanted to read straight through with no interruptions so I could find out what really happened in past and see how it all worked out for Chloe in the end。 A Flicker in the Dark was my Book of the Month choice for December， so I was thrilled to see an audio copy come up for review。 Karissa Vicker was an excellent performer！ She brought the story to life and infused it with an urgency that kept me on the edge of my seat！ I listened at 1。5x-1。75x。 An audio copy was kindly provided by Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Cassie S ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I'm giving it a 5 stars because I tore through it and couldn't put it down。 This was a classic thriller with a sick yet interesting storyline。 I do feel like there were too many people involved at the end and too many "twists" and then it ended in the most expected way but I still really liked it。 Wish there was more resolve with Chloe and Daniel but I guess how do you marry someone who you thought killed their sister。 Anyway， I liked it。 4。5 if we could do half stars。 I'm giving it a 5 stars because I tore through it and couldn't put it down。 This was a classic thriller with a sick yet interesting storyline。 I do feel like there were too many people involved at the end and too many "twists" and then it ended in the most expected way but I still really liked it。 Wish there was more resolve with Chloe and Daniel but I guess how do you marry someone who you thought killed their sister。 Anyway， I liked it。 4。5 if we could do half stars。 。。。more

Shawna Hernandez ，

Really good book。 Kept you guessing。 So many twists and turns。 I seriously had a hard tome putting it down and then would dream about it at night！！

Bob ，

Thanks to St。 Martin's Trade for the ARC In exchange for a fair and honest review。Stacy Willingham's top notch debut "A Flicker In the Dark" is what I categorize as a new year thriller。 An nyt is when publishers kick off the new year with a Thriller by a debut author that they hype as oneof the first bestsellers of the new year。 I don't know if "Flicker" will be the big bestseller its publishers are hoping for， but I think it definitely has a good chance of finding an audience especially for fan Thanks to St。 Martin's Trade for the ARC In exchange for a fair and honest review。Stacy Willingham's top notch debut "A Flicker In the Dark" is what I categorize as a new year thriller。 An nyt is when publishers kick off the new year with a Thriller by a debut author that they hype as oneof the first bestsellers of the new year。 I don't know if "Flicker" will be the big bestseller its publishers are hoping for， but I think it definitely has a good chance of finding an audience especially for fans of Sandra Brown。 Chloe was only 12 when her father was convicted then jailers for the murders of six teenage girls。 Twenty years later， Chloe is now a psychologist in Baton Rouge， LA。 Then the unthinkable happens when teenage girls begin to dissappear。 To make matters worse the girls are found to be copycat murders inspired by Chloe's father。 Chloe investigates only to learn that the three men closest to her are suspects and any one of them can make Chloe their next victim。 Willingham is great at creating atmosphere。 I could feel the heat and the stickiness of the Louisiana swamps。 I also enjoyed how she evenly balanced out how any of the three men could be a suspect。 I thought I had the resolution figured out， but I was surprised。 My only disappointment was how Chloe's addiction to psych meds was dropped from the story。 There didn't seem to be any sort of consequences or attempts on her behalf to rehabilitate herself。 "A Flicker In the Dark" is a strong start for 2022's new batch of thrillers and its debuting author Stacy Willingham。 。。。more

Rebekah Dellisanti ，

I really enjoyed this book， read it really quickly， it definitely hooks you。 The ending was a little easy to guess， but entertaining never-the-less。

Amber Slagle ，

Wow！ This book was so good and twisted！ I feel like it has been a while since I have enjoyed a book this much to give it five stars。 I couldn't stop listening to it。 I love how this book kept me enthralled the entire time。 I kind of had a feeling that I knew what the major twist would be， but I don't think that bothered me at all。 I still thought the ending was great。 I was a little bummed about one part， but that's alright。 I'm not going to lose sleep over it。 Thanks Netgalley and publisher for Wow！ This book was so good and twisted！ I feel like it has been a while since I have enjoyed a book this much to give it five stars。 I couldn't stop listening to it。 I love how this book kept me enthralled the entire time。 I kind of had a feeling that I knew what the major twist would be， but I don't think that bothered me at all。 I still thought the ending was great。 I was a little bummed about one part， but that's alright。 I'm not going to lose sleep over it。 Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review！ 。。。more

Lauren Miller ，

Very slow burn but well done！

Jake Johnson ，

3 1/2 stars rounded up。It was， simply put， an enjoyable read。 A bit predictable （for me） tho。

Shannon Coil ，

Chloe Davis was only twelve when six teenage girls went missing。 The small Louisiana town was rocked when Chloe’s father confessed to the murders and was sent to prison for life。 Things were never the same for Chloe， her brother Cooper and their mother。 The aftermath stayed with Chloe through the years。 Now twenty years later she’s still dealing with it but as a doctor in psychology。 As she plans her wedding and feels she’s on the cusp of finding normalcy teenage girls start going missing again。 Chloe Davis was only twelve when six teenage girls went missing。 The small Louisiana town was rocked when Chloe’s father confessed to the murders and was sent to prison for life。 Things were never the same for Chloe， her brother Cooper and their mother。 The aftermath stayed with Chloe through the years。 Now twenty years later she’s still dealing with it but as a doctor in psychology。 As she plans her wedding and feels she’s on the cusp of finding normalcy teenage girls start going missing again。 Chloe feels her grip on reality loosing as the past and present collide leaving her searching for answers。 The danger she feels is nothing compared to the sickening truth she’s about to face。 A stand out debut novel by this author。 The story is told from Chloe’s perspective jumping between the past and present。 The writing style is so smooth that the transition from each time period is not hard to follow but instead engrossing and addictive。 An edge of your seat thriller full of suspense and speculation that pours from the pages。 So many winding paths and intersecting lives bring out the full mystery and raw nature of this book。 I did have my suspicions early on about where the plot line was going but the author blew me out of the water with the shocking ending to this story。 I was thoroughly hooked from the beginning。 The author manages to bring out so many emotions and the naked truth to human behavior in a griping novel of murder and the lives destroyed of the ones left behind。 I look forward to reading more from this author in the future。 。。。more

Amanda O ，

UMMM WHAT JUST HAPPENED？！ Mind is reeling。 Can’t think straight。 Book good。 Please read。

Melina ，

Audiobook ARC from NetGalleyWhat a debut novel！ If you enjoy suspense and mystery， this book will satisfy all of your needs。The narrator is good。 The storyline and plot are good。 The main character left something to be desired。 Her frantic ramblings and pill-popping need was off putting。 Get passed the first 120 pages and the story begins to fall into place and move a little more fluently。 Then get ready for so many twists and turns， well， I found myself holding my breath a few times the suspens Audiobook ARC from NetGalleyWhat a debut novel！ If you enjoy suspense and mystery， this book will satisfy all of your needs。The narrator is good。 The storyline and plot are good。 The main character left something to be desired。 Her frantic ramblings and pill-popping need was off putting。 Get passed the first 120 pages and the story begins to fall into place and move a little more fluently。 Then get ready for so many twists and turns， well， I found myself holding my breath a few times the suspense was that good。 Extra NotesMy “vanilla” radar ratings （easy read/foul language/graphic content）:There is a dual timeline in this book。 At times it can be a bit hard to follow but overall， this is an easy read。This book lost a star for the amount of horrible， continuous F-Bombs。 There are so many at one point when two of the characters are leaving a residence abruptly that I had to turn the audio off for a bit and come back to it。 I’m glad I finished the book but almost didn’t because of that scene。There are two scenes between couples that get a little too graphic for my taste。 That is why I love the freedom of turning the page or hitting the 30sec skip ahead button on audiobooks。 :）* If you aren’t bothered by foul language and sexual content， my vanilla ratings are of no concern for you。 I include these for people that are and would like a heads up before beginning a book。 。。。more

Britnie Bell ，

Love the little details from this book and cover now as I think back over the whole story。 I struggled knowing at parts with deciding if the narrator was thinking clearly or her meds were making her paranoid… which helped with the overall wonder of who was actually guilty。 I did have my suspicion but kept second guessing myself as I read more。 Really enjoyed this one ！

M Moore ，

I really enjoyed this quick， fast paced thriller。 I know that many of the reviews have referenced early red herrings and twist reveals but I found these to add to the reading experience。 While I recognized the early reveals， I felt like they were nestled in the plot in a way that still kept me questioning if I really had figured it out until everything was confirmed in the end。 I really enjoyed this one and recommend it for a quick， fun suspense/thriller。Thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur Books fo I really enjoyed this quick， fast paced thriller。 I know that many of the reviews have referenced early red herrings and twist reveals but I found these to add to the reading experience。 While I recognized the early reveals， I felt like they were nestled in the plot in a way that still kept me questioning if I really had figured it out until everything was confirmed in the end。 I really enjoyed this one and recommend it for a quick， fun suspense/thriller。Thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review。My reviews can also be seen at www。instagram。com/justonemoorebook。 。。。more

Debbie Rhines ，

Loved this。 4 1/2 stars。 If you like a psycho thriller with some twists， you’ll love this。 Recommend！

Mary ，

Such a good book。 Kept me guessing until the end which I love。 Would give a 4 1/2！！

Diane Hernandez ，

A woman faces her family’s serial killing history in A Flicker in the Dark。Chloe is a clinical psychologist in Baton Rouge， Louisiana。 Twenty years ago， at age twelve， she turned in evidence that the police used to convict her father of killing six girls in their small hometown。 The episode haunts her。 Now， another serial killer has started copying her father’s killing spree。 This time it’s personal。 The second new victim had just left Chloe’s office when she was abducted。 Who could be doing thi A woman faces her family’s serial killing history in A Flicker in the Dark。Chloe is a clinical psychologist in Baton Rouge， Louisiana。 Twenty years ago， at age twelve， she turned in evidence that the police used to convict her father of killing six girls in their small hometown。 The episode haunts her。 Now， another serial killer has started copying her father’s killing spree。 This time it’s personal。 The second new victim had just left Chloe’s office when she was abducted。 Who could be doing this new spate of crimes， and why？This well-written thriller just sucked me into its dark universe。 I guessed the conclusion’s twist early on。 However， there are many more twists to enjoy。 Plus， Chloe is an unusually complex character for a thriller。 If you are in the mood for a dark and gloomy read， don’t miss A Flicker in the Dark。 4 stars！Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Alexandra Provines ，

You think you have it figured out then woah！ The whiplash of this book hit so hard！ I loved it！

Olivia Ward ，

Quick read - thought it was going to be boring because the twist was obvious。 Twist was not what I thought it was。 Good book with likable characters。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Flicker in the Dark

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Flicker in the Dark&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Flicker in the Dark&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0