The Dark
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- Create Date：2022-07-17 08:52:09
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sharon J. Bolton
- ISBN：1409198340
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Summary
ONCE， SHE SAVED HIS LIFE。。。
NOW， HE'LL TAKE HERS。
When a baby is snatched from its pram and cast into the river Thames， off-duty police officer Lacey Flint is there to prevent disaster。 But who would want to hurt a child？
DCI Mark Joesbury has been expecting this。 Monitoring a complex network of dark web sites， Joesbury and his team have spotted a new terrorist threat from the extremist， women-hating， group known as 'incels' or 'involuntary celibates。' Joesbury's team are trying to infiltrate the ring of power at its core， but the dark web is built for anonymity， and the incel army is vast。
Pressure builds when the team learn the snatched child was just the first in a series of violent attacks designed to terrorise women。 Worse， the leaders of the movement seem to have singled out Lacey as the embodiment of everything they hate， placing her in terrible danger。。。
NOW， HE'LL TAKE HERS。
When a baby is snatched from its pram and cast into the river Thames， off-duty police officer Lacey Flint is there to prevent disaster。 But who would want to hurt a child？
DCI Mark Joesbury has been expecting this。 Monitoring a complex network of dark web sites， Joesbury and his team have spotted a new terrorist threat from the extremist， women-hating， group known as 'incels' or 'involuntary celibates。' Joesbury's team are trying to infiltrate the ring of power at its core， but the dark web is built for anonymity， and the incel army is vast。
Pressure builds when the team learn the snatched child was just the first in a series of violent attacks designed to terrorise women。 Worse， the leaders of the movement seem to have singled out Lacey as the embodiment of everything they hate， placing her in terrible danger。。。
Reviews
Leah
，
Lacey’s back！When a baby is snatched from its mother and thrown into the Thames aboard an inflatable unicorn， off-duty police officer Lacey Flint gives chase in her kayak。 It soon becomes clear this terrifying incident is to be the first of many。 DCI Mark Joesbury has been following the trail of a group of women-haters who have been communicating through the dark web， and had known that something was about to happen。 Now he and his team know that the men involved are planning a campaign of terro Lacey’s back！When a baby is snatched from its mother and thrown into the Thames aboard an inflatable unicorn， off-duty police officer Lacey Flint gives chase in her kayak。 It soon becomes clear this terrifying incident is to be the first of many。 DCI Mark Joesbury has been following the trail of a group of women-haters who have been communicating through the dark web， and had known that something was about to happen。 Now he and his team know that the men involved are planning a campaign of terror， directed at women。 And by getting involved in this first incident， Lacey has made herself a target。。。Wow！ When Sharon Bolton is on top form， there is no one to beat her。 And she is most certainly on her top form in this one！ Of course it's a pleasure to meet up with Lacey and Mark and the rest of the regulars again， and to see how their lives have developed since we last saw them， which seems like a very long time ago。 Dana and Helen are now the proud parents of a son， and this makes the whole terror campaign even more frightening for Dana since these men realise that one of the best ways to frighten women is to go after their children。 I don't want to reveal much about Lacey and Mark， since there may be people reading this who haven't read the rest of the series， so I'll just say that their running on/off relationship continues to move forward in this instalment。 And Bolton continues to use her chosen setting of the Thames to brilliant effect， with Lacey still working in the Metropolitan Police’s marine unit。 The storyline is both fantastic and terrifyingly possible。 It’s based on the idea of incels， which has become one of those words that gets bandied around these days， usually as an insult。 However Bolton shows them not as a trivial group of disgruntled men who can't get girlfriends， but as the basis of a seriously misogynistic movement with the aim of removing the hard won rights of women and returning them to a position of subservience within a new patriarchy。 She does an amazing job of showing how feasible such an organisation would be， and compares their aims to the kinds of strict patriarchal regimes that already exist in other parts of the world， which makes the whole idea seem considerably less unlikely than it might do on face value in our （supposedly） liberal world。 Bolton also uses the idea of the dark web to great effect， showing it as a place where all kinds of organisations can group and recruit members， spread information and disinformation， and conspire to commit all kinds of criminal acts under the noses of the authorities but with them unable to identify the names or locations of the people involved。 I don't know whether this is true or not， having no experience whatsoever of the dark web， but I found it scarily believable。However， Bolton knows how to get the balance right between this all too believable background and the main thriller elements that keep the pace hurtling along。 There are aspects that aren’t wholly credible， but I didn’t have time to stop and think about them as my need to keep turning those pages was too strong。 I did guess who the baddie was quite early on， but because this is more of a thriller than a straight mystery that didn’t matter – the tension comes from fear of what will happen in the future rather than from discovering the culprit。I do like the way Lacey has evolved over the series。 Bolton has done it slowly and naturally， so that it feels realistic。 She’s now less of a loner， beginning to let her guard down a bit with the people she has come to think of as friends。 This makes her more likeable than she was in the beginning， and from my perspective that’s a good thing – I always prefer a likeable central character。 And no spoilers， but the very last line left me gobsmacked – I did not see that coming！ Unfortunately， or that should really be fortunately， you’ll have to read the entire series in order to find out what I’m talking about – my advice would be to start now… 😉 Great book， great series！ Keep ‘em coming， Ms Bolton！NB This book was provided for review by the publisher， Orion via NetGalley。www。fictionfanblog。wordpress。com 。。。more
Lisa
，
I cannot tell you how much I love this series - it's a police procedural with great characters， social commentary and a myriad of shenanigans - all the books are absorbing and full-on。I really would recommend starting from book one because the character-building is important。I hope I don't have to wait too long for the next one！！！ I cannot tell you how much I love this series - it's a police procedural with great characters， social commentary and a myriad of shenanigans - all the books are absorbing and full-on。I really would recommend starting from book one because the character-building is important。I hope I don't have to wait too long for the next one！！！ 。。。more
Connie
，
I was so excited when I saw a new Lacey Flint book was out。 I even bought the e-book since my library didn't have it。 However， I quickly got bored hearing about how much the incels hated women over and over。 Lacey and Mark's relationship was boring too。 In all fairness， I didn't finish the book。 I usually give a book about 100 pages and if I'm not enjoying it by then， I move on to another one。 The last 3 books I've ready by Sharon Bolton， I haven't liked。 So disappointing since previously I love I was so excited when I saw a new Lacey Flint book was out。 I even bought the e-book since my library didn't have it。 However， I quickly got bored hearing about how much the incels hated women over and over。 Lacey and Mark's relationship was boring too。 In all fairness， I didn't finish the book。 I usually give a book about 100 pages and if I'm not enjoying it by then， I move on to another one。 The last 3 books I've ready by Sharon Bolton， I haven't liked。 So disappointing since previously I loved her books。 I'll try one more。 。。。more
Lavins
，
1 starThis book was hard to read because the initial chapters （up to about half way） are full of despicable things。 The whole concept， the malicious acts against women and the explicit hatred against all females it's just too much。I do not understand what is the point of writing such a book， giving a voice to express such terrible feelings and actions。 It's like feeling the need to describe in excruciating detail a rape。 I feel like this book is helping deranged people formulate their deranged t 1 starThis book was hard to read because the initial chapters （up to about half way） are full of despicable things。 The whole concept， the malicious acts against women and the explicit hatred against all females it's just too much。I do not understand what is the point of writing such a book， giving a voice to express such terrible feelings and actions。 It's like feeling the need to describe in excruciating detail a rape。 I feel like this book is helping deranged people formulate their deranged thoughts in a sentence。 Passed the disturbing subject， the book itself is beyond weak and Lacey is portrayed to be some sort of wonder woman getting away from every dangerous situation and figuring out all the issues。I do not recommend this book to anyone。 。。。more
Deborah Dare
，
This is my first book from the Lacey Flint series。 I felt a bit late to the game and whilst other reviewers have said that they did not feel that they needed to have read other books to enjoy this one， I don’t agree。 I didn’t understand who other characters were and had to re-read to get it。 This took away my enjoyment。 Lacey is suffering from anxiety – I didn’t understand any of that either – again， you would have needed to have read previous books to have got it。 I got about 25% through and DN This is my first book from the Lacey Flint series。 I felt a bit late to the game and whilst other reviewers have said that they did not feel that they needed to have read other books to enjoy this one， I don’t agree。 I didn’t understand who other characters were and had to re-read to get it。 This took away my enjoyment。 Lacey is suffering from anxiety – I didn’t understand any of that either – again， you would have needed to have read previous books to have got it。 I got about 25% through and DNF due to this。 It’s a shame as reading the other reviews， it sounds as though it’s a great book。 Maybe I will give it another try。I rate it 3 stars from what I have read so far。 。。。more
Biddy Soutar
，
Gripping， disturbing and highly recommended。
Maggie
，
Lovely being back with Lacey again Great read
Bruce Hatton
，
After a series of standalone novels of increasingly diminishing quality， Sharon Bolton has wisely returned to what she does best – the brilliant Lacey Flint series。Since it’s been several years since A Dark And Twisted Tide， the first few chapters here helpfully remind us of the basic backstory – most importantly， that Lacey isn’t who she claims to be; a secret she is determined will never be discovered。 A secret that， if revealed， would end her career and， possibly more importantly， her relatio After a series of standalone novels of increasingly diminishing quality， Sharon Bolton has wisely returned to what she does best – the brilliant Lacey Flint series。Since it’s been several years since A Dark And Twisted Tide， the first few chapters here helpfully remind us of the basic backstory – most importantly， that Lacey isn’t who she claims to be; a secret she is determined will never be discovered。 A secret that， if revealed， would end her career and， possibly more importantly， her relationship with DCI Mark Joesbury。However， it appears there’s someone out there who knows the secret and is holding it as a threat over Lacey’s head。 Styling himself as “AryanBoy” and heading an “incel” terrorist group called #MenMatter。 Although Joesbury’s team of IT experts have been monitoring them for some while， the terrorists always seem to be one step ahead of the police。This is modern crime writing of the highest order; almost presciently dealing with the rise in misogynist far-right groups and murky dealings on the “dark web”。 One feels totally drawn in from the first page and the grip never loosens。 Welcome back Lacey Flint。 I can hardly wait for the sixth adventure。 。。。more
Brenda Lawrenson
，
Loved it。 Love Lacey Flint。 Terrifying story of incels （shades of The Handmaid's Tale here）。 Very satisfying ending。 Loved it。 Love Lacey Flint。 Terrifying story of incels （shades of The Handmaid's Tale here）。 Very satisfying ending。 。。。more
Alicia Devero
，
I am a huge fan of Sharon Bolton and I read every single book by the author but the newest book is by far her absolute weakest … sadly
Louise
，
Welcome back Lacey Flint， and what a comeback！We are pitched into this story about incels and their rising popularity and as usual the heroes of this series hold the thin blue line。 Cleverly plotted and thrilling we are pulled into the investigation via canoe rescues and high speed chases。What I loved about this book was the insight we got into Flint's background and the way in which her life had been shaped。Highly recommend Welcome back Lacey Flint， and what a comeback！We are pitched into this story about incels and their rising popularity and as usual the heroes of this series hold the thin blue line。 Cleverly plotted and thrilling we are pulled into the investigation via canoe rescues and high speed chases。What I loved about this book was the insight we got into Flint's background and the way in which her life had been shaped。Highly recommend 。。。more
Book Monitor
，
I love Lacey Flint and Mark Joesbury。 I think it might be best to read the series in order so it doesn't spoil the surprises that are in the earlier books， as this carries on with the same main characters。 I was a bit anxious about whether this book would be up to the same standard as the others as it has been a fairly long gap but I needn't have worried。 This is full of the usual action， angst and adventure。 As usual Lacey finds herself in the thick of it。 As the story develops we discover a li I love Lacey Flint and Mark Joesbury。 I think it might be best to read the series in order so it doesn't spoil the surprises that are in the earlier books， as this carries on with the same main characters。 I was a bit anxious about whether this book would be up to the same standard as the others as it has been a fairly long gap but I needn't have worried。 This is full of the usual action， angst and adventure。 As usual Lacey finds herself in the thick of it。 As the story develops we discover a little more about her background， and once again she is under threat of exposure。 I also enjoyed meeting the others we have come to know and to see how they react to the way the world is going， especially in new circumstances。 I would have like a little more of Stenning and Anderson but we can't have everything。The writing， the pace， the characterisation and the plot are all really good and very well executed。 This is a 4 star read because I feel it is a little obvious about who the mole is， however this doesn't spoil the overall story。I listened to the audio version and this was well narrated although there are a couple of minor editing glitches。Overall 4 starsPerformance 4 starsStory 4 stars。 。。。more
Margitte
，
Publishing date May 26th 2022EDIIT: I actually reconsidered after thinking more about this novel。 It deserves a higher rating for the lack of excessive sleaze， regardless of my little frustrations here and there。 So it goes five stars。Blurb: ONCE， SHE SAVED HIS LIFE。。。NOW， HE'LL TAKE HERS。When a baby is snatched from its pram and cast into the river Thames， off-duty police officer Lacey Flint is there to prevent disaster。 But who would want to hurt a child？What a dramatic opening to a book。 At l Publishing date May 26th 2022EDIIT: I actually reconsidered after thinking more about this novel。 It deserves a higher rating for the lack of excessive sleaze， regardless of my little frustrations here and there。 So it goes five stars。Blurb: ONCE， SHE SAVED HIS LIFE。。。NOW， HE'LL TAKE HERS。When a baby is snatched from its pram and cast into the river Thames， off-duty police officer Lacey Flint is there to prevent disaster。 But who would want to hurt a child？What a dramatic opening to a book。 At least， the current （Now） part of the plot。 The much earlier event （Then）， which is the actual opening of the book， was equally horrific and darkly creepy as hell。 Breathtakingly so。 This was a dark， detective drama / thriller with many onion layers to peel off。 I haven't read the series， so cannot compare it with the previous ones。 If you want to just read another version of the million you already read in this genre， this will be as entertaining and riveting as always。 This time around a suspense thriller was built around a strong political message to women。 I surely learnt something new。 My word。 Have you ever heard about the 'incels' or 'involuntary celibates'？ Well， that surprised me。 It really did。 I checked on the internet。 These subgroups actually do exist， destroying the serious challenges of #Menmatters groups who deal with serious issues， such as:parental alienation; job-， and race discrimination （anti-white male propoganda）;extreme spousal abuse（ women abusing men）; jail time for non-payment of child support， especially refusal to pay for non-biological children;boys who grew up without father figures - there are 24 million of these boys in America alone， and so on。 These male 'incels' groups are as bad to an honest Men movement as women trying to cash in on the #metoo movement by lying in court， thus damaging the real victims of women abuse。 Most of these groups， male and female， started as a result of bad things happening to people on a collective scale。 They have valid reasons to exist。 In this novel， International Women's Day is so okay。 International Men's Day is not。 And。。。 I was wondering。。。 what will the opposite of male 'incels' be called？ There certainly are female counterparts for sure。 Imagine if 'they' decide to organize。 From the blurb: DCI Mark Joesbury has been expecting this。 Monitoring a complex network of dark web sites， Joesbury and his team have spotted a new terrorist threat from the extremist， women-hating， group known as 'incels' or 'involuntary celibates。' Joesbury's team are trying to infiltrate the ring of power at its core， but the dark web is built for anonymity， and the incel army is vast。So the mix is on。 Sadly， I was inspired by the first half of the book， and then my enthusiasm faded out。 Perhaps it was the written-for-women， as well as probably the misandry nature of the underlying propaganda。 Misandry revenge on misogyny， sort of。 The irony。。。 Hopefully it will make you smile。 There's nothing to smile about this outlandish inflated， overblown drama otherwise。 It was unconvincing and meh-ish。 The denouement just dragged on over several chapters， in an abyss of side-tracks， to confuse the reader。 But。 It's a great thriller for women who prefer all the heroes to be women， and all the bad villains to be either beastly， weak， loser men。 Despite the gripes， the author ticked off a few positive boxes that should be rewarded。 。。。more
Kristine
，
I'm sad to say I have to DNF this book about 20% in。It is just too triggering for me to read at this time， not a reflection of the mastery of the author or the book itself。 So far， it seems like it would have been best if I had read the previous book in the series， I would be a little more 'into' what's going on， relationship-wise at least， as they are clearly pre-established by this point and there are a lot of names to keep in mind。 Just not the book for me， sadly。 Thank you， NetGalley for the I'm sad to say I have to DNF this book about 20% in。It is just too triggering for me to read at this time， not a reflection of the mastery of the author or the book itself。 So far， it seems like it would have been best if I had read the previous book in the series， I would be a little more 'into' what's going on， relationship-wise at least， as they are clearly pre-established by this point and there are a lot of names to keep in mind。 Just not the book for me， sadly。 Thank you， NetGalley for the ARC！ 。。。more
Mary
，
The Dark is the latest in the Lacey Flint series and is an excellent crime thriller。 I enjoyed the fast paced story， the terrifying theme of the incel movement but above all the well written characters and the use of the River Thames as a background but ever present character。 Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc。
Raven
，
I’ve not read the Lacey Flint series before， and I believe that there has been a bit of a hiatus in the series for fans of the books。 Consequently， I went into this one with refreshingly no expectations， and thanks to Bolton’s extremely good segueing in of back story， was brought quickly up to speed。 Despite the need， at times， to suspend my disbelief somewhat， and we’ll draw a line under the incredibly trite ending， I did enjoy this overall， mainly it has to be said for bringing attention to th I’ve not read the Lacey Flint series before， and I believe that there has been a bit of a hiatus in the series for fans of the books。 Consequently， I went into this one with refreshingly no expectations， and thanks to Bolton’s extremely good segueing in of back story， was brought quickly up to speed。 Despite the need， at times， to suspend my disbelief somewhat， and we’ll draw a line under the incredibly trite ending， I did enjoy this overall， mainly it has to be said for bringing attention to the sinister and incredibly threatening world of the incel movement。 Operating predominantly within the Dark Web， Bolton exposes us to a world that it is extremely unsettling for women， and an insidious community pandering to the weak minded and delusional men that it entices in。 This for me was the central hook of my enjoyment， and I thought that Bolton’s characterisation was top notch too。 On the back of reading this thriller I have been dipping into Men Who Hate Women by Laura Bates too。 Fascinating and disturbing in equal measure… 。。。more
Helen Piper
，
Thanks for an advance ARC from the publisher。When a baby is snatched from its pram and cast into the river Thames， off-duty police officer Lacey Flint is there to prevent disaster。DCI Mark Joesbury has been expecting this。 Monitoring a complex network of ‘dark web’ sites， Joesbury and his team have spotted a new terrorist threat from the extremist， women hating group known as ‘incels’ or ‘involuntary celibates。I am writing this review when the Supreme Court in the US just has banned abortion， an Thanks for an advance ARC from the publisher。When a baby is snatched from its pram and cast into the river Thames， off-duty police officer Lacey Flint is there to prevent disaster。DCI Mark Joesbury has been expecting this。 Monitoring a complex network of ‘dark web’ sites， Joesbury and his team have spotted a new terrorist threat from the extremist， women hating group known as ‘incels’ or ‘involuntary celibates。I am writing this review when the Supreme Court in the US just has banned abortion， and the political debate in the US is filled with frustrated men who feel that "equal rights" is the same as "wokeness"。 The theme in the latest Lacey Flint book is very timely。I was very happy to reconnect with Lacey and Mark as characters。 Bolton's storytelling powers are as strong as ever and I was immediately drawn into the book。 The initial part was fast-paced and I kept reading even though it was long past my bedtime。 However， I did find that the middle section was a bit slow， and I sometime found the prose a bit preachy。 The incident on the underground was a bit lengthy and I am not sure what it actually added to the story。 However， the last part of the book more than made up for that。 It was fast-paced and filled with unexpected twists and turns that Bolton is known for， so I stayed up past my bedtime again。 All in all it was a solid 4/5。https://annasbokblogg。wordpress。com 。。。more
Collette
，
A Child abduction leads to the rise of an underground terror movement of men who hate Women。 A campaign of terror is started to keep Women off the streets and out of positions of power。 Women are scared， the threat is growing， and the Police have no leads to the identity of the ringleaders。。。。A gripping， page turner of a tale。 With an excellent shock factor。A few loose ends not quite tied up，。 Overall a good read。
Bobby D
，
It has been some 8 years since author Bolton has written this the 5th book in the police officer Lacey Flint series。 Having enjoyed the previous books in the series （and a few of Bolton’s stand-alone books） I straight away ordered THE DARK from the UK。 The core of THE DARK is about a terrorist group of violent misogynists identifying themselves as involuntary celibates。 On a walkway next to the Thames river a baby is ripped from its buggy and tossed into the river。 Lacey still working on river m It has been some 8 years since author Bolton has written this the 5th book in the police officer Lacey Flint series。 Having enjoyed the previous books in the series （and a few of Bolton’s stand-alone books） I straight away ordered THE DARK from the UK。 The core of THE DARK is about a terrorist group of violent misogynists identifying themselves as involuntary celibates。 On a walkway next to the Thames river a baby is ripped from its buggy and tossed into the river。 Lacey still working on river marine patrol rescues the baby who coincidentally belongs to Lacey’s friend。 The book follows with several more anti-woman set pieces that I found quite disturbing。 It comes close to the current assent of right-wing political violence and threats being made on election officials and RINOS here in the United States。 It had not occurred to me that groups could form up on the dark web and threaten， for example， all women。Lacey Flint teams up with her former Boy Friend and her friends as they try to determine the leaders of the “menmatter” terror group。 Lacey increasingly becomes the group's target。 The plot thickens and has several twists and an interesting ending。 I liked the book well enough and I think most Bolton fans will like it。 Yet， for me， some things bothered me。 There seemed to be too many hard-to-believe coincidences and the characters， especially Lacey， seemed mostly to exist to carry the plot。 In one section Lacey’s friend， a reporter， gets kidnaped and （well I will let you discover what happens）。 If you have not read any of the earlier Lacey Flint books I suggest those before this one， my favorite was A DARK AND TWISTED TIDE （2014）。 。。。more
David Madara
，
Lacey Flint is on the case of another scheme。 Terrorists claiming to be scorned menwant to change things and take women out of seats of power。 Mark Joesbury andthe rest of the team try to find out what is going on， and keeping Lacey and her reporter friend safe。 Can Lacey prevail？A fantastic， new book in the Lacey Flint series！ Sharon Bolton is one of my favoriteauthors and was over-joyed when seeing this book would be released。 The themes are tough and hopefully nothing like this ever happens。 Lacey Flint is on the case of another scheme。 Terrorists claiming to be scorned menwant to change things and take women out of seats of power。 Mark Joesbury andthe rest of the team try to find out what is going on， and keeping Lacey and her reporter friend safe。 Can Lacey prevail？A fantastic， new book in the Lacey Flint series！ Sharon Bolton is one of my favoriteauthors and was over-joyed when seeing this book would be released。 The themes are tough and hopefully nothing like this ever happens。 I look forward to see what is goingto happen in this series next！ 。。。more
Mary Beth
，
I always get so excited when I open up a Sharon Bolton book！ This book was so clever and brilliant。 This book gave me a book hangover。 I kept flipping the pages to find out what was going to happen next。 It kept me up all night long and gave me a five star high！This is an awesome crime thriller which is exceptionally plotted out and kept me on the edge of my seat。 It is very dark and disturbing。 I was holding my breath and at times a bit scared to read on。 It was fantastic。The twists had my jaw I always get so excited when I open up a Sharon Bolton book！ This book was so clever and brilliant。 This book gave me a book hangover。 I kept flipping the pages to find out what was going to happen next。 It kept me up all night long and gave me a five star high！This is an awesome crime thriller which is exceptionally plotted out and kept me on the edge of my seat。 It is very dark and disturbing。 I was holding my breath and at times a bit scared to read on。 It was fantastic。The twists had my jaw drop to the floor。 It was so crazy， and I mean CRAZY！ JUST MY KIND OF CRAZY！I also loved the character development。If you haven't read any books by this author， WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN？ You really don't know what you are missing！ She is my all time favorite author。 All of her books have been WINNERS for me。 This one is a memorable read。I thought I had this book all figured out but I was so wrong！！！ It is an unpredictable read。 。。。more
Roman Clodia
，
A gripping and frightening 5-star page-turner。。。 all the way through to 90% when the whole premise just collapses in on itself。 Nevertheless， the concept of incels turning to active and co-ordinated misogynist violence via the dark net has a horrible could-happen sense about it。 In patches， there's an almost Handmaid's Tale feel， recalling Atwood's flashbacks that show us how Gilead society comes about with the gradual withdrawal of civil liberties for women， and the way so much misogyny exists A gripping and frightening 5-star page-turner。。。 all the way through to 90% when the whole premise just collapses in on itself。 Nevertheless， the concept of incels turning to active and co-ordinated misogynist violence via the dark net has a horrible could-happen sense about it。 In patches， there's an almost Handmaid's Tale feel， recalling Atwood's flashbacks that show us how Gilead society comes about with the gradual withdrawal of civil liberties for women， and the way so much misogyny exists just barely beneath the surface。 Not that Bolton really pursues this in the way that more 'literary' novels do， but the book makes good crime capital out of young， white men defining themselves as an oppressed minority。 Shame， then， that the plot forgets some of its own highpoints （view spoiler）[the assassination of the female Home Secretary happens then is never mentioned again （hide spoiler）] and turns on massive coincidences。 Still， a couldn't-put-it-down read for me， with some fine descriptions of the Thames - and wonderful to be back in the edgy company of Lacey Flint and lovely Mark Joesbury。 。。。more
Michaela
，
When a baby is thrown into the Thames by an extremist terrorist group of 'incels'， police officer Lacey Flint is thrown back into the dark underbelly of crime she has been trying so hard to escape。 This was an absolute wild ride from start to finish - once I picked it up I literally could not put it down。 Not only was I beyond excited to be back in the world of Lacey Flint， but this story was so visceral and compelling it would not let me go。 It was so nice to see all our charcters fleshed out m When a baby is thrown into the Thames by an extremist terrorist group of 'incels'， police officer Lacey Flint is thrown back into the dark underbelly of crime she has been trying so hard to escape。 This was an absolute wild ride from start to finish - once I picked it up I literally could not put it down。 Not only was I beyond excited to be back in the world of Lacey Flint， but this story was so visceral and compelling it would not let me go。 It was so nice to see all our charcters fleshed out more in this book as we rotate through their POVs。 This also served to further ground the story as we see the various elements of the narrative that each of them took to heart。 I particularly enjoyed seeing more of Joesbury's POV， his personality really shone through in this one。 He is a sarky b*stard and I absolutely love that for him。In usual Sharon Bolton fashion， the suspense was beautifully crafted throughout with the Thames as an ever-present backdrop to the unfolding events。 The mystery was dark and twisty， it kept me guessing and suspicious of just about everyone introduced。 I couldn't trust anyone and so was on edge the entire time， and loved every second of it。 As for that ending， I genuinely lost sleep over it。 I'm still not over it and need at the very least confirmation of another installment asap。Sharon Bolton never disappoints。 Nobody does dark， tense， atmospheric thrillers better， and Lacey Flint just makes them all the more enjoyable。Thank you NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for my e-arc of this title， received in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Juhi Bansal
，
I am an out and out Flintbury shipper！ And truth be told， I was slightly disappointed with the last in their series （the short "Lacey's Wedding）， so this came as a breath of fresh air。 I loved how things moved ahead with these two and also the premise of the story: "the incels"。 Have been reading a lot about them in the last few books so my interest was naturally piqued。 There is suspense， action and a whole lot of London in this one！ I am an out and out Flintbury shipper！ And truth be told， I was slightly disappointed with the last in their series （the short "Lacey's Wedding）， so this came as a breath of fresh air。 I loved how things moved ahead with these two and also the premise of the story: "the incels"。 Have been reading a lot about them in the last few books so my interest was naturally piqued。 There is suspense， action and a whole lot of London in this one！ 。。。more
anionce
，
It's good， because it's Lacey Flint and Sharon Bolton。 However， in my opinion， this last installment is not as great as the others: the culprit was incredibly predictable and the relationship between our beloved main characters felt a bit rushed after all the previous build up。 Hopefully， I will love #6 😊 It's good， because it's Lacey Flint and Sharon Bolton。 However， in my opinion， this last installment is not as great as the others: the culprit was incredibly predictable and the relationship between our beloved main characters felt a bit rushed after all the previous build up。 Hopefully， I will love #6 😊 。。。more
tinalouisereadsbooks
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I have read all of the Lacey Flint books aswell as other books by Sharon Bolton。 This one isn't one of my favourites and I feel not the best。As always I would recommend reading any series in order but thus book could quite easily be read as a stand alone。 The plot line in this book isn't my favourite in the series， but does have two of my favourite characters Lacey and Jonesbury。It's the characters story that has my interest。 Lacey and Jonesbury have their on/ off relationship， and Lacey has her I have read all of the Lacey Flint books aswell as other books by Sharon Bolton。 This one isn't one of my favourites and I feel not the best。As always I would recommend reading any series in order but thus book could quite easily be read as a stand alone。 The plot line in this book isn't my favourite in the series， but does have two of my favourite characters Lacey and Jonesbury。It's the characters story that has my interest。 Lacey and Jonesbury have their on/ off relationship， and Lacey has her secrets。 This for me is the constant through the series more so than the crimes taking place。 Police procedure books aren't really for me and its because of the characters that I keep going with the series。This book I did find a bit long and tedious。 I felt it dragged on until the end。 I have to admit to skipping a few pages。 This is the first book out of all of them that I haven't enjoyed as much as I wanted to。I enjoy books by Sharon Bolton will read more in the future without a doubt but this one has been my least favourite so far。 。。。more
Cathy
，
The deep secrets of detectives trope is getting a bit tired。 Hopefully after this book Lacey’s deep secret can be left behind。 The storyline about incel men and how the country responds to them is deeply disturbing。
Paula
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I was looking forward to this; Bolton is a great crime author， and I loved Lacey Flint´s earlier books。Unfortunately， this one is awful;the plot´s thin， ridiculous， it got boring quickly and it gets more unbelievable by the page。 Bolton can do much，much better than this。
Debbie
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Another enjoyable instalment。 While it's not my absolute favourite by the author， it was a great mystery that kept me turning the pages。 Another enjoyable instalment。 While it's not my absolute favourite by the author， it was a great mystery that kept me turning the pages。 。。。more
Shona
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I made the huge mistake of starting this at bedtime。 From the onset my adrenaline was pumping。 My heart was racing and it was a subject that I knew nothing about。 This is 100% a 5 star read。 Be prepared for an absolute belter of a read， totally immersive and nerve tingling。 Thank you to Netgalley， and Sharon Bolton for the advanced copy of this book。 I certainly do not give 5 stars if they don’t deserve it， I hate when people give rubbish books top marks as they received an advance copy。 This de I made the huge mistake of starting this at bedtime。 From the onset my adrenaline was pumping。 My heart was racing and it was a subject that I knew nothing about。 This is 100% a 5 star read。 Be prepared for an absolute belter of a read， totally immersive and nerve tingling。 Thank you to Netgalley， and Sharon Bolton for the advanced copy of this book。 I certainly do not give 5 stars if they don’t deserve it， I hate when people give rubbish books top marks as they received an advance copy。 This definitely deserves the praise！ Enjoy the book。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Dark
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Dark&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Dark&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0