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A Flicker In The Dark: The new debut psychological serial killer thriller with a shocking twist that will keep you up all night in 2022 Hardcover – 4 May 2022
Stacy Willingham (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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Enhance your purchase
‘A smart, edge-of-your-seat story with plot twists you’ll never see coming’ Karin Slaughter
‘Spectacular’ Daily Mail
'Tense, twisty and threatening, A Flicker in the Dark will make you abandon your box sets' Val McDermid
The instant New York Times bestseller, soon to be a major TV series, developed by Emma Stone
Chloe Davis’ father is a serial killer.
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…
- Print length368 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHarperCollins GB
- Publication date4 May 2022
- Dimensions15.9 x 3.2 x 24 cm
- ISBN-100008454442
- ISBN-13978-0008454449
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Review
‘As Chloe’s mind moves restlessly between her traumatic past and nightmare present, her inner voice ― candid, intelligent, vividly evocative, details-obsessed, but prone to error ― is superbly rendered.’ The Times
‘Spectacular […] This beautifully constructed story sends a shiver down the spine as it twists and turns to a conclusion that leaves you gasping for breath.’ Daily Mail
‘I couldn’t put this one down’ Prima
‘This was dark! Edge of your seen stuff… incredibly atmospheric and tricky.’
Platinum
‘A smart, edge-of-your-seat story with plot twists you’ll never see coming. Stacy Willingham’s debut will keep you turning pages long past your bedtime.’
Karin Slaughter, Sunday Times No. 1 Bestselling Author
'Tense, twisty and threatening, A Flicker in the Dark will make you abandon your box sets’
Val McDermid, No. 1 Bestselling author
‘Equal parts lush Southern Gothic, penetrating character study, family tragedy wrenching enough to bruise, taut psychological suspense, and – best of all – a mystery as profoundly satisfying as any I’ve read in years.
A.J. Finn, no. 1 Bestselling author of The Woman in the Window
‘An impressive debut – full of switchback twists’
Cara Hunter, author of the Sunday Times bestselling DI Fawley series
‘Haunting, lyrical and utterly compelling! Author Willingham takes us on an unstoppable journey through the psychology of evil, and of courage (in many senses), all told in a pitch-perfect literary style. Once you start reading, you will not put it down.’
Jeffery Deaver, author of the Sunday Times bestselling Lincoln Rhyme and Colter Shaw series
'A Flicker in the Dark is a bright debut indeed… Chloe is a terrific heroine whose justified paranoia will have you jumping at shadows and suspecting everyone you know. A brilliant new crime-writing talent has arrived.'
Jane Casey, Sunday Times bestselling author of the Maeve Kerrigan series
Book Description
The new debut psychological serial killer thriller with a shocking twist that will keep you up all night in 2022
About the Author
Stacy Willingham worked as a copywriter and brand strategist for various marketing agencies before deciding to write fiction full time. She earned her BA in Magazine Journalism from the University of Georgia and MFA in Writing from the Savannah College of Art & Design.
Her debut novel, A Flicker in the Dark, is optioned for film and television by Oscar-winning actor Emma Stone and entertainment company A24.
She currently lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with her husband, Britt, and her Labradoodle, Mako.
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Product details
- Publisher : HarperCollins GB (4 May 2022)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 368 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0008454442
- ISBN-13 : 978-0008454449
- Dimensions : 15.9 x 3.2 x 24 cm
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Stacy Willingham's first novel, A Flicker in the Dark, is scheduled to be published in January 2022 by Minotaur Books, an imprint of Macmillan, and HarperCollins UK.
Prior to writing fiction full time, Stacy worked as a copywriter and brand strategist for various marketing agencies. She earned her BA in Magazine Journalism from the University of Georgia and MFA in Writing from the Savannah College of Art & Design.
She currently lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with her husband, Britt, and her Labradoodle, Mako.
Customer reviews
Top reviews from Australia
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I will be buying more of Stacey Willingham”s books.
Two young women are found dead within a week with the same MO as her father’s victims, the second of them was a patient of Chloe’s. Chloe was also drawn to the search for the first girl when she went missing and discovered her earring on the ground in a cemetery. How could this be happening again? A feature of the original killings was that her father collected an item of jewellery from each of his victims. But her father will never be released from prison so who is copying his crimes?
It was not that hard to guess what was going on here but that did not detract from my enjoyment of the story. There were however a few little inconsistencies, which of course I can’t tell you about because - spoilers. Chloe was a quite conflicted character. At times I totally related to her and at other times she seemed to do really dumb things, but then how would any of us act if we were in her shoes? In fact all of the characters, including her fiancé Daniel, her brother Cooper and journalist Aaron Jansen seemed a bit morally ambiguous but I think this did enhance the story.
What the author did really well was paint a claustrophobic atmosphere filled with creeping menace where you were never totally confident in the outcome. I will be very keen to,see what she comes up with next. Many thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.
In the present, Chloe is a psychologist in private practice in Baton Rouge. She is preparing to marry her fiancé, Daniel. With a little self-medication, life is good ... and then first one local teenage girl goes missing, and then another. One of these girls is Chloe’s patient. What is happening? Is a copycat killer at work?
Chloe’s life is turned upside down. She is anxious and hyper-vigilant, deeply suspicious, questioning those around her and making accusations.
There are a few twists in this story and Chloe’s unreliable memory and her interpretations of what was happening in the present kept me guessing until near the end. A very impressive debut novel.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia Books for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
This book had everything I love in a good crime thriller. A serial killer, and unreliable narrator and multiple timelines. Our main character, Chloe Davis is a psychologist hiding a very dark secret from her patients and most of the world. She drinks too much, takes too many un-prescribed pills for anxiety and struggles to get close to anyone. She has finally found a man she loves and wants to open up to. But 20 years ago, her father was convicted of killing 6 teenagers in her home town. As the anniversary looms, a call comes through from a reporter wanting to talk to her about her dad. And then the girls start to turn up dead again...in a very similar fashion as her fathers crimes.
You can't tell me that doesn't sound good! A Flicker in the Dark is going to be a big hit in 2022 so don't miss out. Full of twists and turns to make you second guess yourself, it is amazing. All the stars.
Top reviews from other countries

Our main character is Chloe Davis, daughter of a convicted serial killer, who finds herself caught up in events that have an uncanny resemblance to the crimes her father has been imprisoned for. Nearing twenty years on from her father’s arrest, Chloe finds herself drawn into a dark and dangerous series of events.
It took a little time to learn about Chloe. The rather repetitive opening had me convinced her drug-addled mind was imagining much of what was happening, even wondering if she might be responsible. The stress of organising her wedding, and concerns about the upcoming anniversary sparking a flurry of media interest, make Chloe’s anxiety understandable. When a young girl she started working with goes missing, Chloe starts to look closer to home for answers.
The similarities between the disappearing girls in the present and the events surrounding her father are increasingly apparent. Chloe tries to involve the police, but they soon become suspicious of her. So Chloe turns detective and, with the help of someone she believes to be on her side, she starts searching for answers.
Unfortunately, this search could have very serious consequences.
As the story developed I found myself - and this seems wholly intentional - lurching from one character to another as I tried to work out exactly what was going on. There are a lot of characters with secrets, and some of those secrets have more relevance than others to the current case.
Suffice to say, by the time we were told what was actually going on I was expecting something out of the blue. The revelation makes sense when it comes, but things escalated rather more quickly than felt credible.
I found myself frustrated by the rapidity with which Chloe’s story was wound up, and yet this debut certainly hints at some very good things to come.


A very tense page turner that took me on a wild ride. I suspected almost everyone (as usual 😂) but in the end I made up my mind and I was right! But I also wasn't... well, it is complicated so read the book to see what I mean! 😜
Definitely a book to read!

