In the Dark - Claire Allan - ★★★★

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AUTHOR: Claire Allan

GENRE: Crime Thriller
RATING: 4 stars.

In a Nutshell: A fast-paced crime thriller involving a missing girl, her distraught mother, a documentary film crew, and the online true crime community. The ending was quite farfetched, otherwise this was very enjoyable.


Story Synopsis:
Derry, Northern Ireland. Seven years ago, Nora’s four-year-old daughter Daisy went missing. Nora has no memory of what occurred that day.
Currently, though she is married and has a little son Luca, she still can’t give up on her quest to find out what happened to Daisy, despite her husband’s disapproval. When a young filmmaker named Izzy approaches her to tell her story through a documentary, Nora’s response ends up creating ripples across the past, spiralling into a tense situation that might endanger the safety of Luca. How can Nora find out the truth without compromising on Luca’s life?
The story comes to us in the first person perspectives of Nora and Izzy.


Where the book worked for me:
😍 It is quite fast-paced. I could easily complete this 400-pager within a day.

😍 The prologue was interesting. Though not thrilling per se, it creates the right amount of curiosity about what’s to come.

😍 The author doesn't waste time in needless build-up and background, despite what the length suggests. The main plot gets rolling from chapter one itself.

😍 The thrill or curiosity doesn't come just from wanting to know what happened to Daisy. It's also from trying to figure out Izzy's intentions and Nora’s mental state. It’s quite tough to decide whom to believe, especially as both Nora and Izzy are written in first person.. All the main adult characters have shades of grey. This adds to the fun of playing detective.

😍 The author’s spotlight on the online true crime community rings quite true. Her writing encompasses the genuine enthusiasts, the voyeurs, as well as the trolls.

😍 While some of the “twists” were guessable, there were enough surprises along the way to keep me hooked and happy.

😍 Despite her trauma, Nora doesn’t have an alcohol or drug dependency. Yes, this deserves a separate point of appreciation!


Where the book could have worked better for me:
😐 The final 15% or so goes much over the top. Secrets are revealed too easily, explanations are given too freely, and cases are resolved too smoothly. Much of the backstory didn’t feel convincing.


😐 One event involving Izzy and Tom came out of the blue and did nothing for the story.


This #OwnVoices work could easily have been a 4.5 star for me had the ending been better. It wasn’t bad but it just felt too rushed and too neat. The “reason” behind the past events was unbelievably silly. Nevertheless, the book mostly does justice to its theme and offers enough of tense entertainment to satisfy most readers.

I had read this author’s “The Nurse” and had found it also a nice thriller despite its quick ending. This one is even better in terms of my overall experience. I’ll surely keep an eye out for her future books.

My thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for the DRC of “In The Dark”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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