A Flicker in the Dark

mikerickson reviewed A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

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3 stars

As a whole this was a serviceable thriller, but the execution of the climactic twist did a lot of heavy lifting to pull up the preceding three quarters.

At risk of sounding tone deaf or insensitive, I think I'm just too much of a man to enjoy this kind of Chick Lit murder mystery? The protagonist exhibits a debilitating fear of men (both strangers and men she knows) to the point that it almost read as parody; multiple times I felt like I was following a character who needed professional help, which was ironic considering she was a psychologist! Which isn't to say that women aren't valid for fearing domestic violence or human trafficking, but I've just seen this flavor of paranoia done better before (The Final Girl Support Group comes to mind).

This book also has a hyper-local focus on Louisiana, and Baton Rouge specifically. Just so happened …

As a whole this was a serviceable thriller, but the execution of the climactic twist did a lot of heavy lifting to pull up the preceding three quarters.

At risk of sounding tone deaf or insensitive, I think I'm just too much of a man to enjoy this kind of Chick Lit murder mystery? The protagonist exhibits a debilitating fear of men (both strangers and men she knows) to the point that it almost read as parody; multiple times I felt like I was following a character who needed professional help, which was ironic considering she was a psychologist! Which isn't to say that women aren't valid for fearing domestic violence or human trafficking, but I've just seen this flavor of paranoia done better before (The Final Girl Support Group comes to mind).

This book also has a hyper-local focus on Louisiana, and Baton Rouge specifically. Just so happened that I married into a NOLA family, and my husband got a real tickle when I mentioned the protagonist's childhood involving live crawfish races, Spanish moss wigs, getting snow cone syrup all over your face, and throwing apples to alligators from an overpass. If nothing else, this book nailed the localisms.

Devin J Hernandez reviewed A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

Review of 'A Flicker in the Dark' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

A psychological thriller that keeps you guessing until the end. Willingham's debut novel expertly weaves together past and present, exploring the haunting consequences of a tragic event. With complex characters and a twisty plot, 'A Flicker in the Dark' is a must-read for fans of the genre.

M Is For Awesome reviewed A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

Review of 'A Flicker in the Dark' on 'Goodreads'

1 star

I picked up this book beacause I thought it would be a moody mystery, but no, it was more a romance thriller and not a particularly appealing one imo.
Why are all the men in these books controlling and creepy? Why do so may of the protagonists have daddy issues?

Molly Foust reviewed A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

Review of 'A Flicker in the Dark' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Set in Louisiana with a fair amount of good stage decoration, this thriller's twists are almost comical. The amount of coincidences just baffled me, how does one person know so many terrible people? And of course, it had to be him all along and we know it but stay along for the ride anyway. Despite a few shortcomings, this formulaic candy book entertained me well enough.

pithypants reviewed A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

Review of 'A Flicker in the Dark' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

This book seemed wildly predictable from the onset –SO predictable, in fact, that I knew it couldn't/wouldn't play out as it suggested. While the ending kind of gets a bit bananas in terms of ALL the twists, I have to applaud the author for keeping me guessing, even if it required me to massively suspend disbelief in the process.

_astronoMay reviewed A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

Review of 'A Flicker in the Dark' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I was fairly indifferent to this one. Slow paced, standard thriller plot, easy to predict, all wrapped up in an unnecessary "parents will protect their evil kids regardless" bow?

starscolapse reviewed A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

Review of 'A Flicker in the Dark' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

At first I thought I had guessed the twist that was coming near the beginning of the book. And as I continued to read it was so playing into it then at the end the author takes a shovel and says nope just kidding!! I was thoroughly entertained by this book and cannot wait to read more from this author

barbara fister reviewed A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

Review of 'A Flicker in the Dark' on 'LibraryThing'

No rating

This is a capably written thriller that follows a very familiar trope. A troubled woman with a past - her long-estranged father is in prison after being convicted of murdering a series of girls - becomes involved in present cases of girls going missing, as if the past is repeating itself. (It's always girls. Usually white girls.) She's an emotional basket case whose job as a psychologist gives her an opportunity to abuse prescriptions. She's jumpy, often terrified, and is engaged to someone who seems too good to be true but also oblivious to her problems. returnreturnIf you're looking for a familiar kind of thriller, it will probably work for you. I found it certainly readable but without any distinctive flavor or originality. I would give it two stars but it's exactly what a lot of readers want - just not very interesting to me personally.