A Flicker in the Dark
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Description
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...
Book Information
Posts
It’s a psychological thriller following Chloe Davis, whose life is shattered when new teenage girls disappear 20 years after her father was imprisoned as a serial killer. Now a therapist in Baton Rouge, Chloe suspects a copycat, but her reliance on pills and the trauma of her past cause her to question her own sanity and safety.
Okay.. wow!! This book really got so much better as it went on. I don’t even know where to start. My mind is so ytorwirush right now. First I’m gonna say that this review is gonna contain spoilers‼️. In my opinion, this is phenomenal for a debut. Let’s start with our protagonist Chloe, she’s a psychologist and has a 'troubled' past she still deals with today - that her father was a serial killer twenty years ago that was responsible for the murders of 6 young girls. The 20th anniversary from these crimes is coming up, and suddenly, another girl goes missing.. (3 in total). Two of the missing girls turn out to be dead. Chloe and her fiancé Daniel are going through wedding preparations for their wedding in July. A man contacts Chloe, his name is Aaron Janson and he works for the New York Times and tells her he is writing a story about her father, and wants to meet up with her. As the other two girls go missing, Aaron wants to switch up his story and wants Chloe to help him solve the mystery. There were so many similarities with the past killings and the current ones - missing jewelry.. strangulation by squeezing their necks etc. Daniel was very suspicious throughout the book. At some point, Bert Rhodes (Lena’s Father - Lena was the first victim of Chloe’s Fathers Crimes) was also very suspicious, but now it’s clear he was just a very heartbroken man. I can’t even put every detail into this review but with every chapter you learned new things that switch things up. I did trust Aaron after some time, because he seemed like a genuine ally for Chloe who believes her. But as it turns out.. he is the perpetrator behind the three new crimes that turned up. As Chloe was saving Riley (a friends daughter), she shot Aaron in stomach - causing to kill him. His real name was Tyler, and they had known each other since childhood. Everything was fake - he wasn’t a worker for New York Times, he wasn’t writing an article, he wasn’t feeling anything when he slept with Chloe. It turns out, Chloe’s Brother Cooper, was the real perpetrator from twenty years ago. His first kill was Tara King, the missing girl who was a runaway who never got found. Lena found out about it, she was a liability and a threat so she had to get killed too. And after that, Cooper just didn’t find a reason to stop.. Their Father found the box with the jewelry in his room, and hid it in his own closet while he wanted to look for a solution to protect his son. Chloe found it and submit it to the police. Of course everyone thought Richard was the murderer - and with that, he took the false blame on himself. His last whispered words 'Be good' being a plea for Cooper, not herself. The explanation of ‘Darkness taking over' copied by Coopers explanation as he admitted his crimes to his father. Yes, Daniel was VERY suspicious because he had the necklace of one of the killed girls, the engagement ring Chloe had belonged to Sophie, his sister who was wearing this ring at the day of her ‘disappearance' twenty years ago, always going on suspicious business trips and smelling like another women’s perfume, had receipt about visiting Chloe’s father in prison.. But in the end, everything had an explanation.. Sophie wasn’t killed - Daniel made it look on purpose as if she was missing, gathering ‘inspiration' from 'Richard the serial killer' to save his sister from their abusive household. The visits Daniel took to prison to talk with Richard because he was on Cooper and knew, he just didn’t have any kind of prove. Daniel trying to protect Chloe from him. Cooper trying to 'warn' her about Daniel being the bad guy and never liking him. So yeah.. Aaron and Cooper knew each other in their youth and the person who was responsible from the start was Cooper. So yeah.. Daniel and Chloe got separated and Richard was set free, apologizing on TV for lying for his son. This was a wild ride. If you want a book with great suspense that keeps you on your toes, this is definitely a recommendation! Bravo
"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that, in the process, he does not become a monster. If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." The entire book is beautifully written and I felt transported into a hot Louisiana summer. The past and present timelines flow together seamlessly. The characters are multi layered and well developed. What didn't work for me was the pacing. Hardly anything happened in the first 250 pages. We spend a lot of time in Chloe's head as she consumes copious quantities of prescription drugs and alcohol and just bumbles about confused and paranoid. The unreliable narrator trope might not be for me. Also this psychological thriller was leaning heavily to the psychological and character driver side, whereas I like mine to be more on the thriller side. The pace does pick up in the last 100 pages and we get one revelation after the other. Some of them were not really surprising, but some were really exciting and unexpected.
Toller Thriller! Habe aktuell so ein gute-Thriller Glück, richtig gut :) Auch toll gelesen, hat sehr Spaß gemacht, zuzuhören. Der twist war jetzt nicht allzu krass, aber trotzdem war es schon den überwiegenden Teil des Buches echt so, dass man nicht wusste, was oder wem man glauben konnte und was jetzt echt Sache ist. Lieb ich ja. Würde sehr gerne mehr der Autorin hören/lesen.
Das Buch war ziemlich spannend, leider fand ich die Protagonisten etwas anstrengend und ihre Handlungen und Schlussfolgerungen nicht nachvollziehbar. Kann man lesen, muss man aber nicht.
Die Protagonisten ist eine Psychologin, die über ihre ganze Jugend hinweg in Therapie war. Ihr Vater ist ein verurteilter Serienmörder, welcher vor 20 Jahren mehrere Mädchen umgebracht haben soll. Die Leichen wurden nie gefunden. 20 Jahre später hat Chloe einen Verlobten, ihre eigene Praxis und bekommt ihr Leben immer mehr in den Griff. Von ihrer Familie ist ihr nur ihr Bruder geblieben, der der Hochzeit skeptisch gegenüber steht. Doch gerade als alles gut läuft, scheint sich die Geschichte zu wiederholen. Nur diesmal kennt Chloe die Opfer. Ich fand die Idee des Buches echt gut. Nur leider hat mich die Ausführung nicht überzeugt. Chloe nimmt in fast jeder Stresssituationen Pillen, trinkt Alkohol dazu und wundert sich dann, das sie komplett ausgenockt ist. Zudem vertraut sie sich einem völlig Fremden an, statt sich an die Polizei zu wenden, geschweige denn der Polizei alles zu erzählen was sie weiß. Als sie sich dann mal an die Polizei wendet, glaubt diese ihr natürlich nicht. Wie auch, wenn die sonst nur lügt und Pillen schluckt wie Smarties. Ja am Ende gibt es einen Plottwist den man nicht unbedingt kommen sieht, da sich die Protagonisten einfach immer wieder auf bestimmte Personen versteift. Ich fand es okay, aber es geht auf jeden Fall besser.
Der Anfang war ziemlich langweilig, weil es halt nur Einleitung und Vorgeschichte war, die sich sehr in die Länge gezogen hat. Dann wurde es aber doch sehr spannend, obwohl die Protagonistin mich leicht genervt hat, da wirklich ein kleines Kind besser Entscheidungen treffen kann als sie. War insgesamt trotzdem eine mittelmäßige gute Erfahrung, mit halbem Stern für das *Potenzial*, die die Geschichte gehabt hätte.
Really enjoyed this one! It was interesting from the start and throughout I suspected quite a few people and wasn’t sure how it would turn out - which is always a good thing for me in thrillers! However, there were a few things that bothered me towards the end. There was a lot happening and some of the connections made and decisions of our main characters I couldn’t quite follow a 100%. But overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it!
Really enjoyed this one! It was interesting from the start and throughout I suspected quite a few people and wasn’t sure how it would turn out - which is always a good thing for me in thrillers! However, there were a few things that bothered me towards the end. There was a lot happening and some of the connections made and decisions of our main characters I couldn’t quite follow a 100%. But overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it!
I finished this book in one day because I just needed to know how it ends. The story kept me captive. I don’t know why but the plot twist was phenomenal. Of course I had my own theories about the murder of the missing girls. However Stacy was able to turn these around. The only thing I disliked was the narrativ perspective and some editor errors. Personally I could look past it but that doesn’t apply to everyone! If you like plot twists and true crimes than you should definitely read this book!!
Was für ein aufregendes und spannendes Buch. Ich habe es wirklich verschlungen. Mit vielen “Was?”, “Niemals?!!” Etc. Ich konnte das Buch nicht mehr weglegen. Es ist auf jeden Fall verständlich und einfach geschrieben, wodurch man sich schnell in dieses Buch vertiefen kann. Werde mir auf jeden Fall noch andere Bücher der Autorin anschauen ☺️
! ACHTUNG - ENTHÄLT SPOILER ZUM VORGÄNGER ! Inhalt: Immer noch hat Sara Jane keine Ahnung, wo ihre Eltern geblieben sind. Ihre einzige Spur sind die merkwürdigen Eiswagen, allerdings verfolgen diese sie nun unaufhörlich. Doch die Personen darin sind alles andere als normal ... Somit befindet sich Sara Jane durchgängig auf der Flucht, nebenbei muss sie Rolle der Vermittlerin in dem „Outfit“ einnehmen, das ghiaccio furioso möglichst schnell verstehen lernen, herausfinden, wo ihre Eltern sind - und überleben ... Meine Meinung: Von Anfang an ist das Buch actiongeladen, sodass der Leser kaum zu Atem kommt. Verfolgungsjagden mit dem Auto quer durch Chigaco wechseln sich ab mit Nahkämpfen oder düsteren Enthüllungen. So viel steht fest: Langweile kommt auf jeden Fall nicht auf. Auch sonst scheint dieser zweite Teil wenig von der Überbrückungsfunktion der meisten zweiten Bände zu haben. Die Handlung entwickelt sich weiter, Sara Jane wird noch tiefer in die dunklen Machenschaften ihrer Familie gezogen, wird verfolgt und würde alles dafür tun, ihre Familie zu finden. Alles. Gerade dadurch, dass sie immer verfolgt wird und eigentlich niemandem trauen kann, außerdem einer mächtigen Verbrecherorganisation vortäuscht, ihre Familie wäre gar nicht verschwunden, entsteht eine hohe Spannung, die den Leser an das Buch fesselt. Wie auch im ersten Teil gibt es definitiv einen Thrill-Effekt, da Sara Jane niemals sicher ist und auch der Leser nie weiß, wem er trauen kann. Am Anfang zeigt sich, dass hier ein kleiner Zeitsprung gemacht wurde, sodass sie zum Beispiel mit Max zusammen und der Großteil der Ferien schon wieder passé ist. Das fand ich aber gar nicht schlimm, da so Längen vermieden werden und der Fokus sowieso immer auf der Suche nach der Familie liegt und unwichtigere Teile so gekürzt werden. Wie erwähnt trägt natürlich auch der Mafia-Part zu der Spannung bei. Einerseits entsteht dieser typische Nervenkitzel durch die Gesetzlosigkeit, andererseits zeigt Sara Jane aber auch, dass diese Organisation skrupellos, kalt und nur auf Profit aus ist. Sie selbst wird weitgehend unfreiwillig da hineingezogen, muss ihren Vater in der Familienrolle als Vermittler ersetzen und stößt so an die Grenzen ihrer moralischen Prinzipien. Auch dieser innere Konflikt wird nachvollziehbar dargestellt. Gleich zu Beginn wird die Entwicklung deutlich, die Sara Jane durchlaufen ist. Sie hat einen Teil ihrer Skrupel verloren, ist nicht mehr das unschuldige Mädchen, sondern die Erbin einer Familie, die in Mafiageschäfte verwickelt ist und die zudem über das ghiaccio furioso verfügt. Sie weiß sich weitgehend auch gegen die brutalen Kerle von der Mafia zu behaupten. Sie handelt weitgehend eigenständig, nur mit Doug als Gehilfe, allerdings wird auch deutlich, dass sie auf der anderen Seite darunter leidet, ganz auf sich gestellt zu sein. Dennoch will sie auch andere Personen und insbesondere Max nicht da reinziehen, um sie nicht in Gefahr zu bringen. Hier wird dann auch der Konflikt ihres Doppellebens deutlich, der sich daraus ergibt, dass sie Max kaum was über sich erzählt, was die Beziehung stark strapaziert, und was die Geschichte authentisch macht. Der Leser lernt ein paar neue Charaktere kennen und insgesamt sind auch diesmal wieder viele unerwartete Wendungen vorbei. Die Geschichte ist weitgehend unvorhersehbar und mitreißend. Der Mystery-Teil erlangt an Bedeutung, gleichzeitig werden hier relativ rationale, authentische Erklärungen gesucht. Das Ende ist wieder einerseits irgendwie abgeschlossen, andererseits aber auch wieder offen, und weckt Spannung auf den Abschluss der Trilogie. Fazit: Hochspannender, actiongeladener Mystery-Thriller, deren Protagonistin sich weiterentwickelt und mit Konflikten kämpft!
- 4,5 stars ✰ "I have a darkness inside me. A darkness that comes out at night. Sometimes I think it might be the devil himself." Excuse me? This was such a good mystery book, especially when you think about the fact that this a debut novel. Stacy Willingham wrote such a captivating, fast-paced and edge-of-your-seat story with "A Flicker in the Dark.“ The plottwists in this book were so well done, i was suspecting everyone at one point and I found it great how there wasn’t just one big plottwist, no, which each ending chapter there was another piece of information you couldn’t have possibly guessed before. I thoroughly enjoyed reading from Chloe‘s perspective. She is a very well crafted main character with a lot of character depth that makes you sympathise for her. She is also a really smart character, which is noticeable especially at the end, where she is putting all the strings together. Some people have been saying, that they think "A Flicker in the Dark" left a few strings untied but i do not think so at all. Every question was answered, and yet i would’ve loved to have seen a reunion between Chloe and "you know who" , I still think the ending was amazing the way it was. Dare I say, i will probably read anything Stacy Willingham writes from now on. "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." "When people get hurt physically, you can see it in the bruises and the scars, but when they’re hurt emotionally, mentally, it runs deeper than that. You can see every sleepless night in the reflection of their eyes; you can see every tear stained into their cheeks, every bout of anger etched into the creases in their foreheads. The thirst for blood cracking the skin on their lips.“ "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." "I think of the girls, of all the missing girls out there, and I force myself to keep walking toward the truth." "They can’t afford to think in the past because the past doesn’t matter anymore—it’s a distraction. A waste of time. They can’t afford to think in the future because the future is too terrifying, too painful—if they let their minds wander there, they may never return." "And for one single moment, like a flicker in the dark, it felt good." "Whoever fights monsters should see to it that, in the process, he does not become a monster. If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you."
The book was exciting from the very beginning, and after about half of it, I was pretty sure I knew who the murderer was. But in the end, everything turned out differently. I couldn't stop reading the last 100 pages, and every time I thought I knew what was going on, the next plot twist came. Absolutely worth reading and my new favorite thriller!
Description
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...
Book Information
Posts
It’s a psychological thriller following Chloe Davis, whose life is shattered when new teenage girls disappear 20 years after her father was imprisoned as a serial killer. Now a therapist in Baton Rouge, Chloe suspects a copycat, but her reliance on pills and the trauma of her past cause her to question her own sanity and safety.
Okay.. wow!! This book really got so much better as it went on. I don’t even know where to start. My mind is so ytorwirush right now. First I’m gonna say that this review is gonna contain spoilers‼️. In my opinion, this is phenomenal for a debut. Let’s start with our protagonist Chloe, she’s a psychologist and has a 'troubled' past she still deals with today - that her father was a serial killer twenty years ago that was responsible for the murders of 6 young girls. The 20th anniversary from these crimes is coming up, and suddenly, another girl goes missing.. (3 in total). Two of the missing girls turn out to be dead. Chloe and her fiancé Daniel are going through wedding preparations for their wedding in July. A man contacts Chloe, his name is Aaron Janson and he works for the New York Times and tells her he is writing a story about her father, and wants to meet up with her. As the other two girls go missing, Aaron wants to switch up his story and wants Chloe to help him solve the mystery. There were so many similarities with the past killings and the current ones - missing jewelry.. strangulation by squeezing their necks etc. Daniel was very suspicious throughout the book. At some point, Bert Rhodes (Lena’s Father - Lena was the first victim of Chloe’s Fathers Crimes) was also very suspicious, but now it’s clear he was just a very heartbroken man. I can’t even put every detail into this review but with every chapter you learned new things that switch things up. I did trust Aaron after some time, because he seemed like a genuine ally for Chloe who believes her. But as it turns out.. he is the perpetrator behind the three new crimes that turned up. As Chloe was saving Riley (a friends daughter), she shot Aaron in stomach - causing to kill him. His real name was Tyler, and they had known each other since childhood. Everything was fake - he wasn’t a worker for New York Times, he wasn’t writing an article, he wasn’t feeling anything when he slept with Chloe. It turns out, Chloe’s Brother Cooper, was the real perpetrator from twenty years ago. His first kill was Tara King, the missing girl who was a runaway who never got found. Lena found out about it, she was a liability and a threat so she had to get killed too. And after that, Cooper just didn’t find a reason to stop.. Their Father found the box with the jewelry in his room, and hid it in his own closet while he wanted to look for a solution to protect his son. Chloe found it and submit it to the police. Of course everyone thought Richard was the murderer - and with that, he took the false blame on himself. His last whispered words 'Be good' being a plea for Cooper, not herself. The explanation of ‘Darkness taking over' copied by Coopers explanation as he admitted his crimes to his father. Yes, Daniel was VERY suspicious because he had the necklace of one of the killed girls, the engagement ring Chloe had belonged to Sophie, his sister who was wearing this ring at the day of her ‘disappearance' twenty years ago, always going on suspicious business trips and smelling like another women’s perfume, had receipt about visiting Chloe’s father in prison.. But in the end, everything had an explanation.. Sophie wasn’t killed - Daniel made it look on purpose as if she was missing, gathering ‘inspiration' from 'Richard the serial killer' to save his sister from their abusive household. The visits Daniel took to prison to talk with Richard because he was on Cooper and knew, he just didn’t have any kind of prove. Daniel trying to protect Chloe from him. Cooper trying to 'warn' her about Daniel being the bad guy and never liking him. So yeah.. Aaron and Cooper knew each other in their youth and the person who was responsible from the start was Cooper. So yeah.. Daniel and Chloe got separated and Richard was set free, apologizing on TV for lying for his son. This was a wild ride. If you want a book with great suspense that keeps you on your toes, this is definitely a recommendation! Bravo
"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that, in the process, he does not become a monster. If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." The entire book is beautifully written and I felt transported into a hot Louisiana summer. The past and present timelines flow together seamlessly. The characters are multi layered and well developed. What didn't work for me was the pacing. Hardly anything happened in the first 250 pages. We spend a lot of time in Chloe's head as she consumes copious quantities of prescription drugs and alcohol and just bumbles about confused and paranoid. The unreliable narrator trope might not be for me. Also this psychological thriller was leaning heavily to the psychological and character driver side, whereas I like mine to be more on the thriller side. The pace does pick up in the last 100 pages and we get one revelation after the other. Some of them were not really surprising, but some were really exciting and unexpected.
Toller Thriller! Habe aktuell so ein gute-Thriller Glück, richtig gut :) Auch toll gelesen, hat sehr Spaß gemacht, zuzuhören. Der twist war jetzt nicht allzu krass, aber trotzdem war es schon den überwiegenden Teil des Buches echt so, dass man nicht wusste, was oder wem man glauben konnte und was jetzt echt Sache ist. Lieb ich ja. Würde sehr gerne mehr der Autorin hören/lesen.
Das Buch war ziemlich spannend, leider fand ich die Protagonisten etwas anstrengend und ihre Handlungen und Schlussfolgerungen nicht nachvollziehbar. Kann man lesen, muss man aber nicht.
Die Protagonisten ist eine Psychologin, die über ihre ganze Jugend hinweg in Therapie war. Ihr Vater ist ein verurteilter Serienmörder, welcher vor 20 Jahren mehrere Mädchen umgebracht haben soll. Die Leichen wurden nie gefunden. 20 Jahre später hat Chloe einen Verlobten, ihre eigene Praxis und bekommt ihr Leben immer mehr in den Griff. Von ihrer Familie ist ihr nur ihr Bruder geblieben, der der Hochzeit skeptisch gegenüber steht. Doch gerade als alles gut läuft, scheint sich die Geschichte zu wiederholen. Nur diesmal kennt Chloe die Opfer. Ich fand die Idee des Buches echt gut. Nur leider hat mich die Ausführung nicht überzeugt. Chloe nimmt in fast jeder Stresssituationen Pillen, trinkt Alkohol dazu und wundert sich dann, das sie komplett ausgenockt ist. Zudem vertraut sie sich einem völlig Fremden an, statt sich an die Polizei zu wenden, geschweige denn der Polizei alles zu erzählen was sie weiß. Als sie sich dann mal an die Polizei wendet, glaubt diese ihr natürlich nicht. Wie auch, wenn die sonst nur lügt und Pillen schluckt wie Smarties. Ja am Ende gibt es einen Plottwist den man nicht unbedingt kommen sieht, da sich die Protagonisten einfach immer wieder auf bestimmte Personen versteift. Ich fand es okay, aber es geht auf jeden Fall besser.
Der Anfang war ziemlich langweilig, weil es halt nur Einleitung und Vorgeschichte war, die sich sehr in die Länge gezogen hat. Dann wurde es aber doch sehr spannend, obwohl die Protagonistin mich leicht genervt hat, da wirklich ein kleines Kind besser Entscheidungen treffen kann als sie. War insgesamt trotzdem eine mittelmäßige gute Erfahrung, mit halbem Stern für das *Potenzial*, die die Geschichte gehabt hätte.
Really enjoyed this one! It was interesting from the start and throughout I suspected quite a few people and wasn’t sure how it would turn out - which is always a good thing for me in thrillers! However, there were a few things that bothered me towards the end. There was a lot happening and some of the connections made and decisions of our main characters I couldn’t quite follow a 100%. But overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it!
Really enjoyed this one! It was interesting from the start and throughout I suspected quite a few people and wasn’t sure how it would turn out - which is always a good thing for me in thrillers! However, there were a few things that bothered me towards the end. There was a lot happening and some of the connections made and decisions of our main characters I couldn’t quite follow a 100%. But overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it!
I finished this book in one day because I just needed to know how it ends. The story kept me captive. I don’t know why but the plot twist was phenomenal. Of course I had my own theories about the murder of the missing girls. However Stacy was able to turn these around. The only thing I disliked was the narrativ perspective and some editor errors. Personally I could look past it but that doesn’t apply to everyone! If you like plot twists and true crimes than you should definitely read this book!!
Was für ein aufregendes und spannendes Buch. Ich habe es wirklich verschlungen. Mit vielen “Was?”, “Niemals?!!” Etc. Ich konnte das Buch nicht mehr weglegen. Es ist auf jeden Fall verständlich und einfach geschrieben, wodurch man sich schnell in dieses Buch vertiefen kann. Werde mir auf jeden Fall noch andere Bücher der Autorin anschauen ☺️
! ACHTUNG - ENTHÄLT SPOILER ZUM VORGÄNGER ! Inhalt: Immer noch hat Sara Jane keine Ahnung, wo ihre Eltern geblieben sind. Ihre einzige Spur sind die merkwürdigen Eiswagen, allerdings verfolgen diese sie nun unaufhörlich. Doch die Personen darin sind alles andere als normal ... Somit befindet sich Sara Jane durchgängig auf der Flucht, nebenbei muss sie Rolle der Vermittlerin in dem „Outfit“ einnehmen, das ghiaccio furioso möglichst schnell verstehen lernen, herausfinden, wo ihre Eltern sind - und überleben ... Meine Meinung: Von Anfang an ist das Buch actiongeladen, sodass der Leser kaum zu Atem kommt. Verfolgungsjagden mit dem Auto quer durch Chigaco wechseln sich ab mit Nahkämpfen oder düsteren Enthüllungen. So viel steht fest: Langweile kommt auf jeden Fall nicht auf. Auch sonst scheint dieser zweite Teil wenig von der Überbrückungsfunktion der meisten zweiten Bände zu haben. Die Handlung entwickelt sich weiter, Sara Jane wird noch tiefer in die dunklen Machenschaften ihrer Familie gezogen, wird verfolgt und würde alles dafür tun, ihre Familie zu finden. Alles. Gerade dadurch, dass sie immer verfolgt wird und eigentlich niemandem trauen kann, außerdem einer mächtigen Verbrecherorganisation vortäuscht, ihre Familie wäre gar nicht verschwunden, entsteht eine hohe Spannung, die den Leser an das Buch fesselt. Wie auch im ersten Teil gibt es definitiv einen Thrill-Effekt, da Sara Jane niemals sicher ist und auch der Leser nie weiß, wem er trauen kann. Am Anfang zeigt sich, dass hier ein kleiner Zeitsprung gemacht wurde, sodass sie zum Beispiel mit Max zusammen und der Großteil der Ferien schon wieder passé ist. Das fand ich aber gar nicht schlimm, da so Längen vermieden werden und der Fokus sowieso immer auf der Suche nach der Familie liegt und unwichtigere Teile so gekürzt werden. Wie erwähnt trägt natürlich auch der Mafia-Part zu der Spannung bei. Einerseits entsteht dieser typische Nervenkitzel durch die Gesetzlosigkeit, andererseits zeigt Sara Jane aber auch, dass diese Organisation skrupellos, kalt und nur auf Profit aus ist. Sie selbst wird weitgehend unfreiwillig da hineingezogen, muss ihren Vater in der Familienrolle als Vermittler ersetzen und stößt so an die Grenzen ihrer moralischen Prinzipien. Auch dieser innere Konflikt wird nachvollziehbar dargestellt. Gleich zu Beginn wird die Entwicklung deutlich, die Sara Jane durchlaufen ist. Sie hat einen Teil ihrer Skrupel verloren, ist nicht mehr das unschuldige Mädchen, sondern die Erbin einer Familie, die in Mafiageschäfte verwickelt ist und die zudem über das ghiaccio furioso verfügt. Sie weiß sich weitgehend auch gegen die brutalen Kerle von der Mafia zu behaupten. Sie handelt weitgehend eigenständig, nur mit Doug als Gehilfe, allerdings wird auch deutlich, dass sie auf der anderen Seite darunter leidet, ganz auf sich gestellt zu sein. Dennoch will sie auch andere Personen und insbesondere Max nicht da reinziehen, um sie nicht in Gefahr zu bringen. Hier wird dann auch der Konflikt ihres Doppellebens deutlich, der sich daraus ergibt, dass sie Max kaum was über sich erzählt, was die Beziehung stark strapaziert, und was die Geschichte authentisch macht. Der Leser lernt ein paar neue Charaktere kennen und insgesamt sind auch diesmal wieder viele unerwartete Wendungen vorbei. Die Geschichte ist weitgehend unvorhersehbar und mitreißend. Der Mystery-Teil erlangt an Bedeutung, gleichzeitig werden hier relativ rationale, authentische Erklärungen gesucht. Das Ende ist wieder einerseits irgendwie abgeschlossen, andererseits aber auch wieder offen, und weckt Spannung auf den Abschluss der Trilogie. Fazit: Hochspannender, actiongeladener Mystery-Thriller, deren Protagonistin sich weiterentwickelt und mit Konflikten kämpft!
- 4,5 stars ✰ "I have a darkness inside me. A darkness that comes out at night. Sometimes I think it might be the devil himself." Excuse me? This was such a good mystery book, especially when you think about the fact that this a debut novel. Stacy Willingham wrote such a captivating, fast-paced and edge-of-your-seat story with "A Flicker in the Dark.“ The plottwists in this book were so well done, i was suspecting everyone at one point and I found it great how there wasn’t just one big plottwist, no, which each ending chapter there was another piece of information you couldn’t have possibly guessed before. I thoroughly enjoyed reading from Chloe‘s perspective. She is a very well crafted main character with a lot of character depth that makes you sympathise for her. She is also a really smart character, which is noticeable especially at the end, where she is putting all the strings together. Some people have been saying, that they think "A Flicker in the Dark" left a few strings untied but i do not think so at all. Every question was answered, and yet i would’ve loved to have seen a reunion between Chloe and "you know who" , I still think the ending was amazing the way it was. Dare I say, i will probably read anything Stacy Willingham writes from now on. "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." "When people get hurt physically, you can see it in the bruises and the scars, but when they’re hurt emotionally, mentally, it runs deeper than that. You can see every sleepless night in the reflection of their eyes; you can see every tear stained into their cheeks, every bout of anger etched into the creases in their foreheads. The thirst for blood cracking the skin on their lips.“ "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." "I think of the girls, of all the missing girls out there, and I force myself to keep walking toward the truth." "They can’t afford to think in the past because the past doesn’t matter anymore—it’s a distraction. A waste of time. They can’t afford to think in the future because the future is too terrifying, too painful—if they let their minds wander there, they may never return." "And for one single moment, like a flicker in the dark, it felt good." "Whoever fights monsters should see to it that, in the process, he does not become a monster. If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you."
The book was exciting from the very beginning, and after about half of it, I was pretty sure I knew who the murderer was. But in the end, everything turned out differently. I couldn't stop reading the last 100 pages, and every time I thought I knew what was going on, the next plot twist came. Absolutely worth reading and my new favorite thriller!