Scan barcode
A review by shari_russell
After Dark by Minka Kent
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Everything she knows to be real is just a figment of her imagination and her life is unraveling fast. Who can she trust?
This story unfolds in Shelter Rock, an isolated Midwestern hamlet where everyone knows everyone else’s business while also being obsessed with their high school football team
There are two points of view between Afton Teachout and Sydney Carson in first person narrative. Other characters are Cynthia, Sydney’s mom and Drew, Sydney’s high school sweetheart now husband. They have 3 boys. She runs a Spa and he has his own business. Sydney also works as a nurse some nights because they need the money.
We see two timelines alternating between present day and their memories of 2003. Afton was 17 and was on trial for killing her mom’s boyfriend, who just happened to be Sydney’s dad, Rick Carson, Shelter Rock High School football coach, and Cynthia’s husband. Afton always claimed her innocence, but the entire town treated her like a pariah then and still to this day. Cynthia and Sydney always believed in her innocence.
Present Day and things aren’t so good for either one of them .Afton is on a large regimen of pills for her mental health and Sydney and her cheating husband are close to filing bankruptcy. Afton knows she’s innocent of Rick Carson’s murder 20 years ago, but can not remember anything that happened that night. Now, she is having blackouts, hallucinations, and paranoia. Everything that she knows to be real is just a figment of her imagination and her life is unraveling fast. The development of the two characters, Afton and Sydney, is a big focus in the story. They go from being best friends as teenagers to a rather strange and complicated relationship that adds to the mystery of what happened. I liked Afton and felt like she was trustworthy and too kindhearted to have killed someone. I had mixed feelings about Sydney, but as things transpired, my feelings about them changed.
I have read every thriller that Minka Kent has written and she is always a “must read” for me. In “After Dark” she has written a riveting, fast-paced psychological thriller with perfect timing and pacing to draw you in and keep you engaged with the characters and the storyline. There are a few different twists and surprises throughout the book that keep you intrigued but I definitely was not prepared for the final reveal.
Overall, I can only say good things about this book. It gave me everything I love in a suspense thriller from the easy, fast-paced storyline, to the intriguing plot and unexpected twists. I’m giving After Dark a well-deserved rating of 5 stars. I recommend this book and Minka’s other thrillers to serious psychological thriller fans that like a fast-paced, suspenseful, and well-written story.
This story unfolds in Shelter Rock, an isolated Midwestern hamlet where everyone knows everyone else’s business while also being obsessed with their high school football team
There are two points of view between Afton Teachout and Sydney Carson in first person narrative. Other characters are Cynthia, Sydney’s mom and Drew, Sydney’s high school sweetheart now husband. They have 3 boys. She runs a Spa and he has his own business. Sydney also works as a nurse some nights because they need the money.
We see two timelines alternating between present day and their memories of 2003. Afton was 17 and was on trial for killing her mom’s boyfriend, who just happened to be Sydney’s dad, Rick Carson, Shelter Rock High School football coach, and Cynthia’s husband. Afton always claimed her innocence, but the entire town treated her like a pariah then and still to this day. Cynthia and Sydney always believed in her innocence.
Present Day and things aren’t so good for either one of them .Afton is on a large regimen of pills for her mental health and Sydney and her cheating husband are close to filing bankruptcy. Afton knows she’s innocent of Rick Carson’s murder 20 years ago, but can not remember anything that happened that night. Now, she is having blackouts, hallucinations, and paranoia. Everything that she knows to be real is just a figment of her imagination and her life is unraveling fast. The development of the two characters, Afton and Sydney, is a big focus in the story. They go from being best friends as teenagers to a rather strange and complicated relationship that adds to the mystery of what happened. I liked Afton and felt like she was trustworthy and too kindhearted to have killed someone. I had mixed feelings about Sydney, but as things transpired, my feelings about them changed.
I have read every thriller that Minka Kent has written and she is always a “must read” for me. In “After Dark” she has written a riveting, fast-paced psychological thriller with perfect timing and pacing to draw you in and keep you engaged with the characters and the storyline. There are a few different twists and surprises throughout the book that keep you intrigued but I definitely was not prepared for the final reveal.
Overall, I can only say good things about this book. It gave me everything I love in a suspense thriller from the easy, fast-paced storyline, to the intriguing plot and unexpected twists. I’m giving After Dark a well-deserved rating of 5 stars. I recommend this book and Minka’s other thrillers to serious psychological thriller fans that like a fast-paced, suspenseful, and well-written story.