Did you read all the serial killer books back in the 80s and are looking for a book with that feel? Check out my review of A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham and then join my Spoiler Discussion for the book where we can talk theories and suspects
A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham
To be published by Minotaur Books on January 11, 2022.
Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review!
Review of A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham
Serial killer books are always a thing, but just as domestic thrillers have exploded in the 2010s and 2020s, I feel like serial killer fiction was much more prevalent back in the 80s. Serial killers like The Zodiac Killer in the 60s and Son of Sam and Ted Bundy in the 70s spawned a whole bunch of serial killer thrillers by authors like Patricia Cornwell, Dean Koontz, and Thomas Harris.
A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham uses a classic serial killer premise … the copycat. If a known serial killer is locked up, and then crimes with his signature start happening again … what’s going on? Either a) the wrong person is in prison or b) you have a copycat on your hands.
When Chloe Davis was a tween, her father was arrested for the murder of six young women in their small Louisiana community. Now in her thirties, living in Baton Rouge and planning a wedding, Chloe is horrified when similar murders start happening again.
I liked A Flicker in the Dark and thought it had a lot going for it. An interesting main character, an evocative setting, and a plot with a fair number of twists and turns. I did guess a major part of the ending (and you might too if you are a regular reader of serial killer or thriller fiction) but that happens sometimes. To me, the clue was HUGE but I have missed huge clues myself.
MOST IMPORTANTLY: if you have read this (or just want spoilers) please come over to my spoiler post and discussion for A Flicker in the Dark and we can talk about suspects, theories and the ending!
Click on the link above or the image below to get to the SPOILER POST!
I downloaded the audio and I think I’ll give it a go! I basically expect to guess all twists and turns now.
I like serial killer stories at times. This sounds like a good read.
Hope you try it!