A Flicker in the Dark is a thriller that captures the imagination.
As a person who has always loved a good murder mystery (without the gore), I found this book compelling.
Chloe Davis is a respected medical psychologist who arguably chose her profession to help her make sense of her past. She reads books about the mindset of serial killers because her own father was sent to prison for being one. She now tries to help young girls who harm themselves physically to mask their emotional pain. ​ When I read books like this, I do so as fast as I can, trying to absorb the plot quickly and mostly losing myself in it. After thinking about the entirety of the story for a little while, I then go back and re-read parts of the book, from the beginning, in order to look for clues that are missed in a rushed first reading. ​ The author masterfully weaves these clues into her dialogue, the actions of the characters, and the flashbacks that are prevalent throughout. For instance, the personas of her fiance and brother, developed right away within the first chapter, offer a mish-mash of contradiction. One can then spend the rest of the book trying to decide which traits that seem readily apparent will prove to be accurate bythe end.
For a suspenseful novel to become successful, it must involve unexpected plot turns; this book does not disappoint. As a reader, you will have fun trying to determine just where you went wrong in your initial assessment of who is the culprit, who is the unwitting abettor, and who has been unjustly maligned.
For any novel to be successful, there must be character flaws and deviations from type, the way these things happen in real life. Any normal, usually-good person, can have moments of madness or badness, depending on situation. The author brings this into play masterfully, turning her novel into a weekend fling that can be enjoyed multiple times.
Kudos to you, Stacy Willingham!
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