Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

107 reviews

your_geekygf's review

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Alcohol, Kidnapping, and Murder

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders

beccabae's review

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Murder, Drug use, and Kidnapping

Minor: Suicide

bookishchaos's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I finished this in two days. I was hooked up until 60%, then it became super obvious who the killer was. I guessed correctly who it was but I also read lots of thrillers lol. This wasn't GREAT but it wasn't terrible. It kept me entertained and didn't drag too much. I think it was just fine. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Kidnapping

Moderate: Stalking and Mental illness

Minor: Self harm, Gaslighting, and Panic attacks/disorders

kailynpaig's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Trafficking, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Confinement

Minor: Pregnancy, Blood, Miscarriage, and Infidelity

abireadthat's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Wowwwww. Just wow. Honestly so very impressed with A Flicker in The Dark. Willingham truly had me in a complete chokehold with this story.

With being a big thriller and mystery reader anyway, I was fully convinced I had figured out the twist and the way this story had gone but my goodness was I wrong. Stacy needs applauding because I was totally blindsided by what happens.

We meet Chloe Davis, a psychologist who like her patients, suffers from mental health issues. Her father was jailed a twenty something years ago for the murders of some young girls in their home town. All paths lead to him and the man was put behind bars, leaving Chloe and her brother with some psychological trauma, including their poor mother.

Chloe goes down the psychology pathway to help children and teenagers who like her suffered.

I admired her bravery and resilience and noticing smaller things that the detectives had missed, or simply that she didn’t know.

Like with a lot of protagonists in thrillers and mysteries, Chloe decides to stick her nose in once one of her patients goes missing.

I loved how fast paced the story was, and how Stacy had been sneaky with some bits and pieces. It was almost like listening to an unreliable narrator, hence why I was fully convinced my theory was right.

It’s small town, it’s fast paced, it’s twisty and it’s creepy and it truly is the best page turner I’ve read so far this year. 

As a debut novel by Willingham, I am truly impressed with how this book unwound and how the story developed. 

I cannot wait to read more of her works!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Child death, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, and Drug use

Minor: Mental illness and Drug abuse

mksprague's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, and Murder

author2223's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Child death, Death, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Suicide attempt

Minor: Self harm, Infidelity, and Domestic abuse

sydthewitch's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I love thrillers and I love trying to guess the twists. I did guess the main twist/reveal on about page 72, but even so, there were even more twists and revelations that I absolutely didn't see coming! As each aha is revealed, the clues and foreshadowing earlier in the book fall into place and make total sense, every detail accounted for. 

The characters aren't nece sarily lovable but are deeply imperfect in a relatable way. The author does a great job of depicting CPTSD and other mental health issues. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Addiction

Moderate: Abandonment, Death, Gaslighting, Child death, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Minor: Kidnapping, Murder, Stalking, Gun violence, and Violence

art_books_chemistry's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I was definitely impressed with the ride that Stacy Willingham took me on. I can't say I loved Chloe, she was definitely a flawed character in many ways, and those flaws were perfect for delivering the story. I did guess the final solution very early in the beginning, which is why I've taken off a quarter star. I haven't taken off more, because I spent the next 10 hours second guessing myself and convinced my original guess was wrong. However, that's the mark of a good thriller, you should never quite know where everything stands. All the clues really were there, some of which were clear, some of which were only obvious in hindsight. I also appreciated that Willingham wrapped up each of her clues and loose ends succinctly at the end without it feeling forced. I will say that I found it to be a bit slow for a little while since we joined Chloe in all her introspection but once we started getting hints and teasers it picked right back up. Then the last two hours or so were a binged rush that I didn't want to turn off. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Child death, Cursing, Death, and Sexual content

mblanke's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Mental illness, and Drug abuse