Review by: Madeline Hobbs

Even though summer is coming to a close, I thought I would sneak in just a couple more warm weather thrillers for any of you who, like me, are still battling 80-degree heat. A Flicker in the Dark is a psychological thriller quite a few of you requested me to review, and I couldn’t be happier to acquiesce. While it wasn’t my favorite book of the summer, it was a page turner for sure, and one that held my attention, as I held my breath, throughout.

Let’s see if it’s for you, shall we?

Synopsis: When Chloe Davis was twelve, her world shattered—her father confessed to murdering six teenage girls in their small Louisiana town. Twenty years later, she’s a psychologist with a carefully built life and a fiancé who knows nothing of her past. But when local girls start disappearing again, Chloe can’t shake the feeling that the nightmare is happening all over—and that she’s being pulled into the killer’s twisted game. As the bodies mount and suspicion closes in, Chloe must face a chilling question: is history repeating itself, or has the monster been closer than she ever imagined?

TW: Themes of PTSD, self-harm, stalking, paranoia, and violence are present throughout.

Plot Twists: ***/*****

They were good, not great. There were about three twists that were genuinely shocking, but otherwise everything was kind of expected.

Sexual Content: **/*****

This is not a spicy book by any means; however, a few sexual encounters do take place. Nothing is described in explicit detail, but you obviously know what’s about to happen.

Profanity: ***/*****

There’s definitely some profanity, but it wasn’t over the top. As someone who doesn’t love bad language in books, this didn’t bother me.

Character Development: ****/*****

This was the strong point of the book. Chloe, her fiancé, and her family are well formed, intricate, and all differently affected by events of the past.

Political Agenda: */*****

There were no obvious political angles in this books.

Overall Rating: ***/*****

My Thoughts: This was good, not stellar. It was honestly a little weird how sometimes I couldn’t put it down, and other times I couldn’t pick it up. I got through it relatively quickly, but almost just so I could get to something else faster.

The concept of the plot is great, but I feel like the only tension in this story, other than obvious suspense during actual big twists, came just from miscommunication and secret keeping. Not my cup of tea, personally. I wish it was a little more developed.

If you love a more laid-back thriller that doesn’t throw you for tons of loops and is a little more predictable, you’ll love this. If you want something to knock your socks off with shock and horror, I would look at my last review.