I was quite excited to read this book but unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations. I found that it dragged in a few places and some of the characters were not likeable at all. I could not connect with the book as it did deal with abuse which was difficult for me to read. However I'm sure others may enjoy it as it is a little different from the usual thrillers out there.

This book has been written by Cathy Glass using the pen name Lisa Stone.

Critically ill Jacob Wilson has been giving a life-saving heart transplant and his loving parents are relieved that their loving son has been saved. Before long, the family notice that something is different about Jacob. He is slowly becoming a violent man. Whose mood swings leave them terrified.Rosie, Jacob's girlfriend, is convinced he is suffering from stress but then his moods turn on her and she can only hide the bruises for so long. Then a terrible crime is committed. Is Jacob the culprit?

In parts this is quite a distressing read. It covers abusive relationships and drug use. I found the characters mostly dislike able and the plot line, at times, is not convincing. I can understand the over protective parents as i have known some. It's not all bad so don't let my review put you off picking up this novel.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Avon Books, and the author Lisa Stone for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A dark and gritty read which will stay with you long after you've finished the book.

This chilling book starts with Shane, a superficially charming man with anger issues, who gets a bit violent when he has a few beers. Especially if he feels that other people are disrespecting him, or challenging his manhood. When that happens, he cannot be held accountable for his actions. Well, they asked for it, didn’t they. Shane should be respected for the Master of the Universe that he is.
Luckily for the world – and particularly for his battered girlfriend, Rosie – Shane’s drunken, reckless driving puts him in intensive care in hospital, and we are able to forget him, and move on.
The next significant male is the story is Jacob, an intelligent, kind, respectable son of a vicar, who loves his parents and his girlfriend, Eloise (the daughter-in-law elect). A bigger contrast to Shane is barely possible. Jacob is very ill with a congenital heart condition, and as we meet him, he is being rushed to hospital for a long-awaited heart transplant. The new heart gives him a new lease of life – but unfortunately may have also gifted him with number of new, and unpleasant, personality traits. Was Jacob always this mean, spiteful and violent, and just unable to be that way because his poor health made him reliant on the goodwill of others. After all, the children of vicars are notorious for ‘going wrong’. Or does it have something to do with the personality of the heart’s donor? Obviously, the latter scenario would be ridiculous. You only see that in black comedies like “Scream Queens” – and this is assuredly not a comedy. One thing is certain, Jacob is changing. His violence – particularly, but not solely, against women – escalates, and make very difficult reading.
The theme of domestic violence is a distressing, though all too common, one. The perpetrators – like Shane and Jacob – begin by being charming, then slowly erode the support systems of ‘their’ women (friends and family) while instilling fear and guilt in the victims. Asking for help becomes, at first too embarrassing, and then too dangerous. The men suffer from (supressed) inferiority complexes, whilst certain of their superiority and entitlement. Powerful cars underline their machismo.
The violent men in this book are horrifyingly, believably drawn as are their trusting victims. Every good parent wants to believe the best of their children, but does there comes a time where unconditional support needs to be withdrawn?
It is not an easy book to read, and although there is some closure, so many new questions appear. In particular, what part justice and parenthood play in all this. This is an exceptionally well written thriller, and worth passing through some ugly scenes to see it to the end.

Omg I can now breathe!!! What an amazing, totally un-putdownable read The Darkness Within was, I have read all of Cathy Glass books and was so excited to hear that she had written a different genre, I hope to read more books by Lisa Stone.

I adore Cathy Glass books and have done for many years, so, when I saw she was releasing a psychological thriller totally unlike the books she writes and using the pen name Lisa Stone, I just hadto read it.

So this is her debut novel in this genre and that is how I chose to read it. Like a totally different person. It worked well for me so that I could mentally pull back on how I knew her to write.

I read this as I would a debut novel from any new aspiring author.

Psychological thrillers are right up my street and back again.
This has proved to be of no exception.

I could see that the character Shane, was a nasty piece of work. He treated Rosie his girlfriend in the most abusive manner.

It starts when Shane goes out driving under the influence of many disagreeable substances and ends up dead.

Jacob has been waiting on the heart transplant list for some time, his health is deteriorating rapidly, he has a change of an organ left from Shane's terrible accident.

His dad is a Rev and of course very religious. His Mother is worried about Jacob of course as she doesn't want to see her son die.

Rev Andrew and Elizabeth are an upstanding family in the community, Shane is a very amicable young man.

Jacob receives Shane's heart.

Hence starts the tale of Cellular Memory.
That's when I recalled a couple of films I had watched in the past so this is not a new thought or concept but a very interesting one.

Now whether this is feasible or not it evoked an intriguing thought.

I remember a film where someone's hand was transplanted onto someone else's arm, it took on the form of this evil person who once owned it.

The premise of the story is well thought out, well written and emotional for all parties. I found myself Googling this Cellular Memory for any latest thoughts in this area.

There were a couple of question marks over the exchange of drugs, but its minor details compared to how the story was told and the impact it has on its reader.

Thought provoking stuff I would say!!

I think the Rev should have had more of a role to play, but this is just my preference.

I feel this author has a lot more to give in this genre if this debut novel is anything to go by.
I look forward to what she does next.

My thanks to the author and Avon Books UK for my early copy via Net Galley.

Fascinating and scary concept of both the horror of memory transference and the relationships of victims and family.

This book wasn't what I hoped it would be. I was hoping for more science and greater depth to the idea of cellular memory, possibly a bit more horror or exploration of the nature of abusive relationships but instead I read a 380-odd page novel which could easily have fit into a novella or even a short story.

There seemed to be a lot more text than was necessary, as well as some stilted dialogue between characters that didn't endear me to the book and left me wondering whether or not to even continue at 30% in.


I think that the transition from memoirs to thriller fiction hasn't quite worked for the author on this occasion, but with some serious pruning I think this book could be a great read.

The first part of this story sets the scene of an abusive boyfriend, Shane, and his horrific relationship with his kindhearted girlfriend, Rosie. He's an all-round bad egg and ends up driving drunk and without a license into an oncoming vehicle and dies a few day later.

His organs are donated and a 23-year old vicar's son receives his heart. Jacob has never had a history of violence and is the kind of lad who visits elderly members of the congregation to check up on them, so when he starts taking drugs and behaving aggressively, his parents know something's not right.


With some investigation, his mother suspects that it's caused by cellular memory as a result of his transplant - that Shane's personality is starting to take over. I'm pretty open minded when it comes to stuff like this, despite being a scientist at heart and on paper, but I feel that there wasn't any suspense leading up to Jacob's transition into the violent man he eventually becomes. It seems to all happen at once, even though there are massive jumps in the timeline - we never get a real feel for what Jacob was like apart from his mother's memories of him, so you can only assume her memories are accurate and he hasn't been an utter dickhead just waiting to express himself all along.

The plot is a classic, which is why it has to be done particularly well and ideally with a creative twist to set it apart from the rest - sadly, this version just didn't have that.
What I did appreciate about this story though was that the author does understand the building blocks of abusive relationships - it could have been done with some more subtlety but the dynamic of Shane and Rosie's relationship was pretty accurate.

I find Cathy Glass books about fostering and the care system informative and interesting. I admire all what she does for children. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book at all. I didn't like the characters, the parents and girlfriend came across as weak. I found myself wanting to stop reading which isn't like me at all!

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

I found this book disturbing, The opening chapters contains domestic violence, how Jacobs parents covered his actions (robbery, attacks, rape, extensive language, explicit Scenes etc). I know it's just a story but difficult to read and comprehend. I didn't dislike the story line, that made for good plotting but those items included above distracted for me.

This one wasn't for me but would like to thank you for the advanced copy.

A very thought provoking read. If you receive an organ transplant is it possible to take on the personality traits of the donor. A desperately ill vicar's son receives the heart of a vicious, violent thug. What happens next will make you think the next time you hear of a transplant. Really enjoyed this

I liked the concept of this story and the story gripped me at first but, I didn't think that the author researched some of the story. For example the way that the author described the buying of the weed and the effects. Nobody goes to abandoned warehouses to buy weed. After Jacob had his transplant and his mood changed I couldnt understand why after all jacob had done of raping someone, murdering another and being abusive and watching porn. How can parents turn a blind eye.. and the subject matter of cellular memory I thought was a bit too far-fetched.

Imagine you had a critically ill son waiting for a heart transplant and were aware that time is running out for him. A beautiful young man, ambitious and clever. This is the situation Rev. Wilson and his wife find themselves in as they pray for a heart to be found for him, knowing that this means some other mother and father will lose their son to give their’s life.

Then one night a young man dies and Jacob is saved. However, his temperament is changed; he is arrogant; violent, and cruel. As his behaviour deteriorates his mother becomes increasingly concerned especially when he is accused of raping his girlfriend. Slowly his parents uncover Jacob’s secrets. His mother faces the question of whether the ‘new’ heart has changed him and seeks to discover whether this is possible.

This book raised some interesting questions and offered some explanations about this premise. I was also interested to learn of the discipline required to maintain health after heart transplantations and was surprised to learn of the regimes required.

The characterisation of Jacob and the heart donor were finely drawn and I could not help but fear for Rosie. Is there a lesson to be learnt; is it possible that Rosie could fall for the same character defects twice? I don’t know, but I was worried about her. Did I enjoy the book, yes, but I didn’t think it amazing?

This book will stay with me forever! I can't wait to tell everyone!

This was an easy predictable read. The idea that an organ transplant could cause you to take on the personality of the donor is not new. Jacob starts to take on Shane's personality and bad behaviour. He ends up dating Shane's girlfriend and acting like Shane did. It was an ok read. I just thought it was too predictable and a bit long.

I love Cathy Glass's novels so when I heard she was writing a fiction novel in one of my favourite genres I knew I had to read it.

The reader will instantly have empathy for Elizabeth, Liz, Jacob's mum in the story. Before the heart transplant, Jacob is a much loved son who makes his parents extremely proud. He is pretty much the perfect son. That all starts to change when he has the operation, slowly the loving son starts to turn into an aggressive and horrible person.

From a parents point of view to have to deal with such changes, it really can't be easy. Liz can see the person he is becoming but doesn't want to believe it. No matter the type of person he is turning into, he's still her son and that mothering instinct is very much there to protect him regardless.

I have to admit there are a few books around at the moment that are similar in the aspect of transplants so the story didn't really hold any shocks or surprises though to be fair I don't think it's supposed to. The author has taken a subject which is without a doubt a fascinating one and something I do think there is some truth to. She has then created a story that would be a mothers worst nightmare.

The Darkness Within is certainly a dark and griping read and one that will over new fans as well as old.

How do I review a book which wars against the medical side of me, everything scientific in me keeps rebelling about the story presented in this book. Keeping the doctor in me quiet, I am now attempting to put forth my thoughts about this book.

The story is thus

Shane, an abusive boyfriend, hits Rosie and drives off with her car, has an accident.

Rosie, thinking that Shane has left her, takes time off work and recuperates, till she can join the land of living. She slowly begins to restart her life and work.

A few miles away, Andrew, a reverend and his wife Elizabeth, are praying for a new heart for their son Jacob who is in his last stages of heart failure.

He receives a new heart and slowly and steadily, as the pages turn, it seems a new personality too. Long gone is their loving and polite son, who is replaced by this stranger who swears, drinks, smokes weed, sees porn and is a total anathema to the son they have raised. How does a single heart transplant give a personality transplant. That’s explained in the cellular memory phenomena. In the entire story, Jacob lies, cheats and murders to get his way around. He breaks off with his long last girlfriend Eloise abusively, meets up with Rosie and the entire abuse cycle continues till the ending which is ludicrous and abrupt. How is Jacob’s sins justified… Apparently it’s hide it under the carpet and all is forgotten..

What goes against my realm of understanding is the way jacob’s parents behave in the entire story. They can see what their son is turning into, yet, other than think and pray about it, they seem to turn a blind eye. In fact most of the times i felt that they were enabling him, in their fear of losing their son. This part of the story just didn’t gel with me. Somehow I could not connect with any of the characters, each one is passive in their own way esp the mother. she tested my patience in a major way.

Cathy Glass, writing as Lisa Stone, is a renowned author, writing her memoirs is a social worker for abused children. Her books usually are very heart wrenching but this book is lacking a lot of things. Cell memory phenomena is an open theory, lots in favour and lots against it. In a backdrop of fiction, I am ready to leave my basic medical knowledge provided there is a story in the words written, a beginning, a middle and an end, which would justify my time given to it…

A miss or a go, either way the book ceased to matter when I stopped reading. Read it, at your own risk . Concept of cell memory phenomena was good but writing a story with that as a backdrop is a miss.

I did message an anaesthesiologist friend of mine who does heart transplant regularly and so far he hasn’t come across any such incidents but lot of reports on the net about it, verity of the theory has yet to be proved.

Amiss in writing, a miss in story

This was well written, and thought provoking, but I found the characters wholly unlikeable, and as such didn't identify with, or particularly care about the outcome.

I haven't read any of Cathy Glass' (Lisa Stone's pseudonym) books so was drawn to The Darkness Within entirely by the description. Unfortunately although it explored a fascinating premise and had some really tense moments I ultimately found it a little lacklustre. The opening few chapters were really quite gripping, we are introduced to Shane who we immediately learn is a very unsavoury character, with a prison record and a broken home life, he's an angry and dangerous man - particularly to his girlfriend, Rosie. Shane's justification for his brutal behaviour towards his girlfriend, and Rosie's anguish are vividly described and at this point I was eagerly turning the pages to discover what would happen next. Following this introduction, the novel moves away from Shane and Rosie and we meet the Reverend Andrew Wilson,who we soon learn has a son, Jacob who desperately needs a heart transplant. While even the most tense thrillers needs their quiet moments, I found the passages describing Jacob's transplant and early recovery to be overly descriptive and I felt the change of pace here made the book lose focus a bit.
Following the transplant, the realisation that Jacob has undergone some sort of personality change could have been really creepy, however, it didn't quite hit the mark and I'm struggling to work out why. It didn't quite feel believable to me - not the idea of cellular memory meaning transplant patients take on certain personality traits of their donors, although I'm pretty sceptical without strong scientific evidence, I'm quite happy to suspend my beliefs for the sake of a story - rather Jacob himself wasn't quite authentic. The descriptions of his behaviour weren't the problem, he clearly became a very nasty individual, of that we're left in no doubt. It was his internal monologue I struggled with, I never really felt the author truly inhabited the character, it struck me as somebody trying to imagine what a bad person would think rather than truly understanding what motivated them. His gradual descent into darker and darker territory was quite chilling and there's a scene towards the end of the book that's really tense and exactly what I was hoping for from this book. It's just a shame I never felt involved in the same way through most of the rest of the story, I just had the sense that the author wrote what she thought portrayed the darker and seedier side of society but somehow the detachment between the page and real life meant it didn't quite ring true.
I still enjoyed much of The Darkness Within, it was a thought-provoking look at human behaviour and at what shapes our personalities. Despite my reservations I was keen to find out what happened and thought it was an interesting, if flawed, domestic thriller.
Many thanks to the publishers for my ARC, received through Netgalley in return for my honest review.