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Stacy Willingham

Flicker in the Dark

Name: Flicker in the Dark
Price: 12.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.3 (49991 reviews)
Author: Stacy Willingham
ISBN: 9781250803849

Stacy Willingham

(Author)

4.3

49,991 ratings

A New York Times Bestseller

“A smart, edge-of-your-seat story with plot twists you’ll never see coming. Stacy Willingham’s debut will keep you turning pages long past your bedtime.” —Karin Slaughter

When Chloe Davis was twelve, six teenage girls went missing in her small Louisiana town. By the end of the summer, her own father had confessed to the crimes and was put away for life, leaving Chloe and the rest of her family to grapple with the truth and try to move forward while dealing with the aftermath.

Now twenty years later, Chloe is a psychologist in Baton Rouge and getting ready for her wedding. While she finally has a fragile grasp on the happiness she’s worked so hard to achieve, she sometimes feels as out of control of her own life as the troubled teens who are her patients. So when a local teenage girl goes missing, and then another, that terrifying summer comes crashing back. Is she paranoid, seeing parallels from her past that aren't actually there, or for the second time in her life, is Chloe about to unmask a killer?

From debut author Stacy Willingham comes a masterfully done, lyrical thriller, certain to be the launch of an amazing career. A Flicker in the Dark is eerily compelling to the very last page.

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ISBN-10

1250803845

ISBN-13

978-1250803849

Print length

384 pages

Language

English

Publisher

Minotaur

Publication date

January 09, 2023

Dimensions

5.35 x 1 x 8.2 inches

Item weight

11.2 ounces

Popular Highlights in this book

There are so many subtle ways we women subconsciously protect ourselves throughout the day; protect ourselves from shadows, from unseen predators. From cautionary tales and urban legends. So subtle, in fact, that we hardly even realize we’re doing them.
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It’s the realization of how many hidden bodies could be buried beneath my feet at any point in time, the world above them completely oblivious to their existence.
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Product details

ASIN :

B092T9G4Y5

File size :

4486 KB

Text-to-speech :

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Screen reader :

Supported

Enhanced typesetting :

Enabled

X-Ray :

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Editorial Reviews

Praise for A Flicker in the Dark

Goodreads – One of the Readers’ Most Anticipated Mysteries of 2022
Nerd Daily – One of the Most Anticipated 2022 Book Releases
Crime by the Book – One of the Most Anticipated Crime Books of Early 2022
SIBA – One of the ‘Read This Next!’ Picks of the Month
Deep South Magazine – Fall/Winter Reading Lists

"Exceptionally smart, entertaining.... [Willingham's] denouement is both surprising and plausible." ―The Washington Post

"Beautifully written... a must read." ―Paste

“Equal parts domestic suspense and hard-edged police procedural. . . Willingham pulls together a tight, involving plot with a solid psychological look at the effects of a horrid crime on the Davises, the victims’ families and the small community. . . The gripping A Flicker in the Dark sets a terrific course for the new year, shining a bright light on a new author to savor in Willingham.” ―Oline Cogdill, South Florida Sun Sentinel

“Charleston author Stacy Willingham’s debut novel A Flicker in the Dark is collecting accolades for its lyrical prose and propulsive, deeply creepy story.” ―Augusta Chronicle

“A book you won’t want to put down.” ―Red Carpet Crash

“A Flicker in the Dark will have you sleeping with the lights on by the time you reach the end. . . Suspense climbs as the pages turn, you won’t be able to put this one down once you pick it up.” ―Daily Hive

“A great addition to any mystery/psychological thriller collection, with an unforgettable character haunted by her past in an authentic Louisiana setting, which ups the creep factor.” ―Library Journal

“Willingham skillfully intercuts Chloe’s anxious first-person narration in the present with flashbacks to her childhood, ratcheting up the tension. Atmospheric prose and abundant red herrings amplify the tale’s intensity. Willingham is a writer to watch.” ―Publishers Weekly

“Willingham offers taut storytelling and a heroine with compelling vulnerability. This is a strong debut recommended for domestic-suspense readers lining up next-reads.” ―Booklist

“I have not felt this excited about a thriller in years. I could not put this book down. It's fabulous.” ―Chelsea Cain

"Don't trust anyone in this wickedly good debut by Stacy Willingham. A twisty and propulsive thriller." ―Peter Swanson

“A Flicker in the Dark is equal parts lush Southern Gothic, penetrating character study, family tragedy wrenching enough to bruise, taut psychological suspense, and―best of all―a mystery as profoundly satisfying as any I've read in years. Evocative and exhilarating.” ―A.J. Finn

"A psychological thriller in the truest sense -- an engaging, propulsive read, loaded with surprising twists, that genuinely thrills as it gets deep under the skin of its fascinating heroine, Chloe Davis. I tore through this book." ―Alison Gaylin

"Haunting, lyrical and utterly compelling! These are just a few of the words of praise one could use to describe A Flicker in the Dark. Author Willingham takes us on an unstoppable journey through the psychology of evil, and of courage (in many senses), all told in a pitch-perfect literary style. Once you start reading, you will not put it down." ―Jeffery Deaver

Sample

MAY 2019

CHAPTER ONE

My throat tickles.

It’s subtle, at first. The tip of a feather being trailed along the inside of my esophagus, top to bottom. I push my tongue back into my throat and attempt to scratch.

It doesn’t work.

I hope I’m not getting sick. Have I been around a sick person lately? Someone with a cold? There’s no way to be sure, really. I’m around people all day. None of them looked sick, but the common cold can be contagious before ever showing any symptoms.

I try to scratch again.

Or maybe it’s allergies. Ragweed is higher than normal. Severe, actually. An 8 out of 10 on the allergy tracker. The little pinwheel on my weather app was solid red.

I reach for my glass of water, take a sip. Swish it around a bit before swallowing.

It still doesn’t work. I clear my throat.

“Yeah?”

I look up at the patient before me, stiff as a wooden plank strapped to my oversized leather recliner. Her fingers are clenched in her lap, thin, shiny slits barely visible against the otherwise perfect skin of her hands. I notice a bracelet on her wrist, an attempt to cover the nastiest scar, a deep, jagged purple. Wooden beads with a silver charm in the shape of a cross, dangling like a rosary.

I look back at the girl, taking in her expression, her eyes. No tears, but it’s still early.

“I’m sorry,” I say, glancing down at the notes before me. “Lacey. I just have a little tickle in my throat. Please, continue.”

“Oh,” she says. “Okay. Well, anyway, like I was saying … I just get so mad sometimes, you know? And I don’t really know why? It’s like this anger just builds and builds and then, before I know it, I need to—”

She looks down at her arms, fans her hands. There are tiny cuts everywhere, like hairs of glass, hidden in the webby dips of skin between her fingers.

“It’s a release,” she says. “It helps me calm down.”

I nod, trying to ignore the itch in my throat. It’s getting worse. Maybe it’s dust, I tell myself—it is dusty in here. I glance over to the windowsill, the bookshelf, the diplomas framed on my wall, all of them sporting a fine layer of gray, glinting in the sunlight.

Focus, Chloe.

I turn back toward the girl.

“And why do you think that is, Lacey?”

“I just told you. I don’t know.”

“If you had to speculate.”

She sighs, glances to the side, and stares intently at nothing in particular. She’s avoiding eye contact. The tears are coming shortly.

“I mean, it probably has something to do with my dad,” she says, her lower lip trembling slightly. She pushes her blonde hair back from her forehead. “With him leaving and everything.” “When did your dad leave?”

“Two years ago,” she says. As if on cue, a single tear erupts from her tear duct and glides down her freckled cheek. She wipes it angrily. “He didn’t even say goodbye. He didn’t even give us a fucking reason why. He just left.”

I nod, scribbling more notes.

“Do you think it’s fair to say that you’re still pretty angry with your dad over him leaving you like that?”

Her lip trembles again.

“And since he didn’t say goodbye, you weren’t able to tell him how his actions made you feel?”

She nods at the bookshelf in the corner, still avoiding me.

“Yeah,” she says. “I guess that’s fair.”

“Are you angry with anyone else?”

“My mom, I guess. I don’t really know why. I always figured that she drove him away.”

“Okay,” I say. “Anybody else?”

She’s quiet, her fingernail picking at a chunk of raised skin.

“Myself,” she whispers, not bothering to wipe the puddle of tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. “For not being good enough to make him want to stay.”

“It’s okay to be angry,” I say. “We’re all angry. And now that you’re comfortable verbalizing why you’re angry, we can work together to help you manage it a little better. To help you manage it in a way that doesn’t hurt you. Does that sound like a plan?”

“It’s so fucking stupid,” she mutters.

“What is?”

“Everything. Him, this. Being here.”

“What about being here is stupid, Lacey?”

“I shouldn’t have to be here.”

She’s shouting now. I lean back, casually, and lace my fingers together. I let her yell.

“Yeah, I’m angry,” she says. “So what? My dad fucking left me. He left me. Do you know what that feels like? Do you know what it feels like being a kid without a dad? Going to school and having everyone look at you? Talk about you behind your back?”

“I actually do,” I say. “I do know what that’s like. It’s not fun.”

She’s quiet now, her hands shaking in her lap, the pads of her thumb and pointer finger rubbing the cross on her bracelet. Up and down, up and down.

“Did your dad leave you, too?”

“Something like that.”

“How old were you?”

“Twelve,” I say.

She nods. “I’m fifteen.”

“My brother was fifteen.”

“So you get it, then?”

This time, I nod, smile. Establishing trust—the hardest part.

“I get it,” I say, leaning forward again, closing the distance between us. She turns toward me now, her tear-soaked eyes boring into mine, pleading. “I totally get it.”

Stacy Willingham

Stacy Willingham is the New York Times, USA Today and internationally-bestselling author of several novels, including A Flicker in the Dark, All The Dangerous Things and the upcoming Only If You're Lucky.

Before turning to fiction, she was 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 and Design. Her work is currently being translated in over 30 languages.

She lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with her husband, Britt, and Labradoodle, Mako, where she is always working on her next book.

Reviews

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

49,991 global ratings

Mary D

Well developed main character

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2024

Verified Purchase

This book was an easy read. Second book I’ve read since picking back up the hobby after almost a decade. The suspense is good, the main character is well developed and the storyline is interesting and unique. I really enjoyed this book. The preview at the back of the book for the authors next book also seemed interesting and may just get me to buy it!

2 people found this helpful

Joseph J. Truncale

An interesting page turning novel.

Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2024

Verified Purchase

As someone well into their senior years I have been a voracious reader for more than 7 decades. I love all kinds of books from the scientific to the esoteric, and from classic literature to psychological thrillers. This is why while browsing on Amazon when I saw this 384-page soft cover book (A flicker in the dark by Stacy Willingham) I decided to purchase it.

I have never read any books by this author in the past, but I must say that from the very first page, this story grabbed me, and I was forced to keep turning the pages. Even though I have read quite a few psychological thrillers in the past by other authors; nevertheless, I enjoyed this writer’s ability to weave a story that kept you wondering what is going to happen next. I do admit; however, that I was able to figure out the ending fairly soon in the book, but it did not take away from the reading entertainment.

If you enjoy well-written interesting books with various twists and turns you may want to check out this fascinating novel.

Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Never trust a politician: A critical review of politics and politicians).

5 people found this helpful

Robert Chirila

Great book!

Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2024

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This book kept my attention from the very beginning all through the end. It had unexpected twists and turns and had me guessing who was involved in all those murders. It’s well written and I would definitely recommend it.

Jordan Fields

"Unveiling the Shadows: A Gripping Journey with 'A Flicker in the Dark'"

Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2024

Verified Purchase

"A Flicker in the Dark" by Stacy Willingham is a masterful debut that immerses readers in a labyrinth of suspense and psychological depth. Willingham’s prose flickers like a candle in a dark room, casting eerie shadows and illuminating hidden corners of the human psyche. The novel brilliantly weaves a tale of haunting secrets and unexpected twists that keep you guessing until the very end. With each chapter, the tension builds, mirroring the protagonist's own unraveling mind. It's not just a thriller; it’s a profound exploration of fear, memory, and the shadows that linger in the dark recesses of our minds. Willingham has crafted a narrative that is as intellectually stimulating as it is viscerally gripping—a true tour de force in modern suspense literature.

MrsLeif

Another book that I connected with and I was unable to put down.

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2022

Verified Purchase

I'm glad my luck is holding. Another book that I connected with and I was unable to put down.

Chloe Davis is a psychologist in the present time. She is trying to help teenagers and their trauma. After all, she knows something about trauma. When she was twelve, she discovered her father was a serial killer and he went to jail for it but the bodies were never found. This impacted her life and her older brother's life too.

Chloe is engaged to be married and she is thinking that life is finally giving her some happiness when a teenager goes missing and then another one after her. The situation seems too coincidental and it's eerie how much these cases have in common with what her dad confessed to. Is there a copycat? Does she know him? Is she close to him?

Read it to find out.

So what did I enjoy about A Flicker in the Dark?

I did enjoy this unreliable narrator despite her addiction to pills (which is new for me since I hate when the female character is impaired and is not sure if things that are happening around her are true or she is just imagining it). I was reading and listening as fast as I could.

Did I guess the plot?

Yep, from the very beginning but despite that I was able to root for Chloe.

Did I like the ending?

I think it was fitting.

Am I happy it will be a limited series on TV?

I didn't know Emma Stone was interested in this novel before I read it but I'm glad this book will be coming to life on my TV.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs I'm glad my luck is holding. Another book that I connected with and I was unable to put down.

Read it to find out.

So what did I enjoy about A Flicker in the Dark?

Did I guess the plot?

Yep, from the very beginning but despite that I was able to root for Chloe.