Welcome to my review of A Flicker In The Dark By Stacy Willingham. This is a dark novel around a serial killers daughter, it’s well written and worth a read.
hloe Davis’ father is a serial killer.
He was convicted and jailed when she was twelve but the bodies of the girls were never found, seemingly lost in the surrounding Louisiana swamps. The case became notorious and Chloe’s family was destroyed.
His crimes stalk her like a shadow.
Now Chloe has rebuilt her life. She’s a respected psychologist in Baton Rouge and has a loving fiancé.
But she just can’t shake a tick-tick-tick of paranoia that, at any moment, it might all come crashing down.
As does something darker.
It is the anniversary of her father’s crimes, and Chloe is about to see her worst fears come true –
a girl she knows goes missing.
The nightmare has started again…
Stacy Willingham’s first novel, A Flicker in the Dark, is scheduled to be published in January 2022 by Minotaur Books, an imprint of Macmillan, and HarperCollins UK.
Prior to writing fiction full time, Stacy worked as a copywriter and brand strategist for various marketing agencies. She earned her BA in Magazine Journalism from the University of Georgia and MFA in Writing from the Savannah College of Art & Design.
She currently lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with her husband, Britt, and her Labradoodle, Mako.
Chloe’s father was convicted of murdering six teenage girls when she was just twelve years old. Twenty years later, a copycat killer is on the loose, which shatters what is left of Chloe’s very fragile mind. Even more so when she realises that she is connected to these new murders similarly to those of twenty years ago. It’s an exciting premise that held my attention well throughout.
The plot centres around Chloe and her life, which is a mess! She has a successful business as a psychologist and appears to support young people. However, she is often medicated to stop feeling and drinks, often alongside her drugs. She thinks things are happening when they are not, making her an unreliable narrator. This helps keep the book going as you wonder which parts are genuine. It felt apparent from the beginning that the story wasn’t going to be quite as simple as it seemed.
The pace varies throughout the book. The first half is an intense read and well-paced, whereas the middle has some difficulties and gets a little drawn out. The end comes and is a bit messy; what could be a great and fast-paced ending feels a bit chaotic. Some parts are glossed over; some feel contrived though others are fast with the events unfolding quickly.
There are other characters in the book, all of which are flawed, multi-layered and damaged though believable.
The book is well written and holds your interest despite the above comments. I enjoyed it and would recommend it. Chloe’s trust issues feel real, and she doesn’t even trust herself, which is understandable and doesn’t help the situation. In the end, I had wondered about an excellent twist, but I wouldn’t say I saw it coming.
A solid 3.5 stars probably would have been 4 if it didn’t have the bit in the middle that dragged a little. A great debut, though, worth a try when it releases tomorrow!
| Title | A Flicker In The Dark |
| Author | Stacy Willingham |
| Series | N/A |
| Format | eARC |
| Page Count | 360 Pages |
| Genre | Psychological Thriller |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Release Date | 3rd February 2022 |
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