Non-stop action in this well crafted thriller. I have to say that I suspected the killer who is eventually revealed but this is still a good read for anyone who likes crime novels.

I had to take my time reading this book because it was so intense and fascinating that there were some paragraphs I wanted to re-read as I went. I LOVED It. I can't think of a single book to relate it to because it does something that I've never heard of in this genre and I really didn't see it coming, and really enjoyed it!

It was hard to overly like any of the characters but it really worked, you mistrust all of the main players the entire time which just added to how much I enjoyed the entire thing. It's smart, really smart.

I will definitely be looking up other books by this author next. 5/5

This book totally captivated me from start to finish and I had absolutely no idea of the killer til the reveal..
I can totally picture the dandelions in the field surrounding the girl in my mind's eye and other scenes from the book too.
It is beautifully written,a really mesmerizing read.
I loved it!

A fantastic police procedure story. I love this authors work and this was absolutely brilliant. Small town secrets xx

I think like most people, I have been really struggling to read in the current climate. Picking up and putting down so many books over the last three months. Until I grabbed this one – I did not/could not put this down.

The book is told from three perspectives. It opens with Wyatt, you immediately get the sense that things aren’t quite right there. He finds a girl on the highway and decides she is there as a message from God. He knows he shouldn’t pick her up, that he has been cleared of a crime but convicted by the town nevertheless. This sets off a whole chain of events for Wyatt and the others.

Odette takes over from here, she was Tru’s friend and Wyatts ex-girlfriend. She’s moved back to her small town with her lawer husband Finn. Now a cop following in her families footprints and determined to solve the mystery of what happened all those years ago.

In the final part of the book Angel takes over the narrative, The girl that Wyatt picked up off the highway. We start to see how the threads all get pulled together.

All the characters in this story are beautifully flawed, both in personality and physically. Wyatt is a very unreliable narrator due to his mental health and the loss of his sister. By the time we meet Odette she is running on empty, paranoid and unsure who she can even trust. Angel has suffered a lot of trauma in her past so you are unsure of her motives.

There is disabled rep in the story and I felt it was handled really well. Odette is an amputee and Angel has a missing eye, both the result of trauma. This isn’t brushed under the carpet or just mentioned in passing. Julia has included the PTSD they both suffer as a result of this. How they have overcome their disabilities to live their lives but it still has a daily effect on them both and how this becomes part of their personalities and how they view the world.

Right from the opening lines of this novel you get a sense of the oppressive summer heat of Texas which sets the tone and atmosphere. The small town mentality, the fact that everyone knows everyone else’s business makes it feel all the more overbearing.

I’m not going to say too much about the story, but the twists and turns kept me on my toes and left me reeling. Lots of ‘wait, what?!’ moments. The pacing is superb and I flew through the pages.

This is a tense, atmospheric read that kept me guessing and I certainly didn’t work out how it was all going to come together. I highly recommend you pick this up. I will be reading Black Eyed Susan, Julia’s other book as I am now totally hooked on her writing style.

My thanks to Penguin for a copy of the book via Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review.

Wyatt finds a lost girl by the road. Police officer Odette needs to solve who this person is. However, it also ends up opening an old investigation into the disappearance of Trumanell Branson 10 years previous. Will two mysteries be solved. I liked the story however I wasn’t so keen on the writing style.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc in return for an honest review

The first book I read by Julia Heaberlin was Black Eyed Susans, and I loved it, so I was thrilled to be able to read this. We Are All The Same In The Dark does not disappoint. I became invested in the characters almost immediately and found the plot wonderfully intriguing. We find our protagonists dealing with grief, disability, violent histories and plenty of secrets that are yet to be discovered, and the writing leads us through these with a lyrical prose that just adds to the atmosphere of the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a solid, well-written psychological thriller. The characters are real and believable and the plot hung together well. But I wasn't blown away by it. It felt too slow and heavy in parts.

A good psychological read. However, there is a lot to follow and sometimes you can lose the thread if not concentrating. The style of writing took some getting used to but eventually it was fine to follow.
The human cruelty described so well yet also gave a great sense that some of the characters have kindness under their exterior. I liked the strong female characters coming to the fore having overcome adversity in their earlier lives.
The story line kept me questioning and guessing throughout and at times not trusting most of the characters.
I would recommend the book but would say you need to stick with it to get into it.

Ten years ago, Trumanell Branson disappeared, leaving only a bloody handprint behind. Her Father also disappeared at the same time.
This left behind Wyatt, Trumanell's brother who has been searching for his sister ever since. Then, he finds a young girl and is convinced it it a sign.
Odette Tucker is the policewoman involved in both cases. Her father was the policeman in charge ten years ago.
As Odette tries to solve the mysteries she finally finds out who is to blame and what happened to Trumanell . Is she safe and will the truth finally be revealed

An excellent psychological thriller, full of suspense which builds up steadily as the story unfolds.
I am not going to reveal the plot, as this book deserves to be read.
I enjoy Julia Heaberlin's books, and I personally think this is her best work yet.
I want to thank NetGalley, Penguin Michael Joseph UK and Julia Heaberlin for a pre-publication copy to review.

Ticks every box a good murder mystery should.
It's not often a book seems to be trundling along a well-worn path (well worn because it safely and steadily leads the reader just to where they want to be) but this one throws in quite the surprise just as you think you know what's going on. Other than that, this novel breaks no new ground and is nothing really out of the ordinary run of the murder mystery genre. But then that's why we choose and keep reading these books - we want to see how clever the author is in creating the storyline and then telling it to us in a gripping fashion. I would say Heaberlin scores very highly on all counts, though a few more clues wouldn't have gone amiss - that way the final reveal would have been more of our favourite "I knew it!! Yes!!" and less, "Well I guessed that, but whatever..."

A dark and haunting story about the way a small town clings to its past, creating heroes of some people and villains of others. The book centres around three women: Trumanell, a teenage girl who has become the stuff of local legend in the years since her sudden disappearance and assumed murder; Odette, who dated Trumanell’s brother in her teens and is now a local police officer, determined to solve the mystery of her disappearance; and Angel, found lying in a circle of dandelions by Trumanell’s brother at the start of the book and quickly taken under Odette’s wing - silent, one-eyed, and running from something. I loved the strength of the bond between these women and the way they seemed to support each other, even though Trumanell is absent throughout. The depiction of small-town life, rumours, secrets kept and lives destroyed is powerful, and the imagery throughout is intense.

We are all the same in the dark by Julia Heaberlin is a brilliant read. If I’m honest, it’s one I could do with reading again to catch the clues, nuances and to use a different lens (no pun intended) to better understand. It’s interesting that a couple of receivers have alluded to this in saying the book requires concentration and patience at the start and that is very true. It can be a slow and somewhat confusing start but persevere as it unfolds very well.
Julia packs all the ingredients in. Along with a great storyline, rounded characterisation, and insights into human weakness and strengths. This book is uplifting in glimpses of kindness and people overcoming adversity but also a little heartbreaking in the permeating human cruelty and selfishness demonstrated. The powerful message of the positive, enduring impact that acts of honesty and human connection can have on those who are a little broken by life remains long after the story has been told. I definitely recommend

Set in Texas and covering a period of around 10 years, #WeAreAllTheSameInTheDark is a thriller with notes of police drama and mystery. This is the first time I have read a book by Julia Heaberlin. I have had Black Eyed Susan's on my TBR pile for a couple of years. I will definitely go back and read it now.
The three main characters were intriguing, as were those no longer around but constantly referred to. The history of the Texan town, its residents and the disappearance of one of it's teenagers years before is the thread that winds through the story. Both Odette and Angel were flawed but likeable characters that I cared for and felt compassion for. They were well written and strong female characters that did not let their adverse childhood experiences hold them back.
I can't say the book is going to stay with me and I didn't have any 'wow' moments at the twists and turns. I am glad that I read it however and I did enjoy the writing style, the characterisations and the descriptions of the town and the countryside around it,
Thank you to the author, the publishers and to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, which is published on 6 August 2020.

A small Texan town is overshadowed by the disappearance of a popular teenager and her abusive father ten years previously, and her brother Wyatt has always been suspected of murder. Local police officer Odette is obsessed by the case, not only because her father was the investigating officer, but because she was the suspect’s girlfriend and the incident coincided with a terrible tragedy of her own. Then another terrified girl appears in a field near Wyatt’s farm in need of help and protection, and the persecution intensifies.
First person, present tense narration gives immediacy to the events and builds the tension and suspense, with the viewpoint split between two strong female characters, each overcoming adversity as they try to solve the mystery five years apart.
This is a tautly plotted, enthralling thriller with characters that stay in your memory long after you have finished the book. A totally absorbing and thoroughly satisfying read – highly recommended.
The only reason I will not be buying this book for our library is that our oldest readers are eleven; I will however, be recommending it at my book club and to fellow adult readers.

5+ Stars

I just love it when a book takes hold of your mind, body and soul, and completely takes over your life and you never want to put it down; this is that book. It is a suspenseful thriller, very much a slow burn but still so addictive; I was desperate to find out all the answers to the twists, shocks, devastating events that had me turning the pages well into the night. The characters had me hanging off every word they uttered, they were written extremely well, so much so I felt I was in this story with them, it felt that real.

I thought this book was researched really well; it was deep and very meaningful. This author was very clever with her words because she took me down a long and winding path of never-ending questions that had me second-guessing every person in the town, even the good guys, and still, she keeps you guessing until the very end.

With secondary characters that are very important in this story, wonderful writing skills and an ending I wouldn't have guessed in a million years, this book was superb in all ways. It is one I can't recommend enough.

This book was a slow burner to me, it tells a story from three different point of views, which I struggled with at first.

It starts with Wyatt who finds a girl with one eye on the side of the road surrounded by dandelions. Wyatt has his own story and issues, he struggles with mental health since the disappearance of his father and sister 10 years before. I found his view quite rambling and not always very coherent.

Then we have Odette, a police officer who is investigating a tip off that Wyatt has a young girl at his property, she was Wyatt's girl friend 10 years ago, and on the fateful night, was in an accident where she lost part of her leg.

Lastly we have Angel, the girl, we don't find out her back story for quite a while but is centre to the story.

Once I got to grips with the book I couldn't put it down, the suspense really built up for me, there is an absolute twist that I did not see coming.

One small criticism for me was the formatting, it was very off putting to have the author's name and the title of the book repeated nearly every page, did not help in trying to get the book to flow.

Recommended and look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

We Are All the Same in The Dark by Julia Heaberlin was a breath-taking masterpiece. I finished it half an hour ago and I still have a feeling of dread deep in my stomach. The night before a fourteen-hour shift at work I was up past 1AM wondering if I really needed sleep or if I could carry on reading.
I have read and loved other books by this author, but We Are All the Same in the Dark is on another level. There is some seriously high-quality writing and it is dramatic without compromising the reader’s relationship with the characters.
The multiple point of view form lends itself very well to this book and I felt it helped me associate with all of the characters much more.
It’s been a decade since Trumanell Brandon disappeared but the people in the small town in Texas where she lives haven’t forgotten her.
Most of them think her brother Wyatt killed her and he has been an outsider ever since her disappearance, but he is just as desperate for answers as everyone else. When he finds a lost young girl he believes it is a sign.
For new cop Odette the young girl’s appearance opens old wounds and in trying to protect her she discovers shocking surprises from the past.
We Are All the Same in the Dark is creepy and mesmerising from its opening lines:
“It takes eight to ten hours to hand-dig a grave, more if you was doing it in the dark, five to six if you have a helper. It aint like the movies.” This is from a true crime documentary on Trumanell’s death.
Discerning readers will realise that there is something slightly off about Wyatt’s account in the first part of the book.
“She has a bad, bad mystery to her. I can feel it deep in the hollow of my spook bone, the one my dad broke when I was a kid. My arm is never wrong.”
It is immediately clear to the reader that the girl’s appearance is going to stir something up.
“A mystery girl spread still, off the highway, her head sparkling like some kind of desert angel with her wings clipped. She is twelve, maybe thirteen. Ten. Hell, I can’t tell. Girls these days look, fifteen when they’re eleven to men like me.
She’s lying barefoot on the baked ground about three feet behind a barbed wire fence, trucks blasting by hot and heavy on the other side. Lips as read as Snow White. A scarf with gold sequins is tied tight over one of her eye’s like she’s been bandaged by a princess. Or, maybe she’s the princess. Or maybe she’s just a normal girl without a lot of Band-Aid options.”
Wyatt’s part of the book gives us several glimpses into Trumanell’s tough early childhood experiences.
“Daddy hit us sometimes. But mostly he just played with our minds.”
Wyatt’s chapter gives us no insight into the events on the night of Trumanell’s disappearance.
“A decade later, nobody in town has the full picture of what happened out here at the Branson place. They just shake my cattle gate, seethe, and wonder.”
Odette’s chapters form the main bulk of the book. For me Odette was quite a difficult character to pin down. She clearly loves her job and has the potential to be a brilliant cop but her feelings for Wyatt and her close proximity to the events surrounding the disappearance of Trumanell sometimes cloud her judgement. The other issue is the shadowy history surrounding The Blue House and the fact that the night Trumanell went missing is the last time Odette had use of both her legs. That night she was involved in an accident meaning one of her legs had to be amputated.
Via Odette’s chapters we learn more about the month’s after Trumanell’s disappearance and the campaign against Wyatt.
“They hunted for nineteen-year-old Trumanell with shovels, backhoes and metal detectors. They smashed windows with rifle butts, shredded crime scene tape, slaughtered wheat, dug holes until rats and snakes slithered homeless across a field turned into an apocalyptic, deeply pocked moon.”
Odette moved away from the town for a while but almost five years ago convinced her husband Finn to move back for a trial period of five years. Her obsessive search for answers has almost destroyed her marriage, that and her complex relationship with Wyatt.
Odette is “more afraid of leaving things unfinished here than eventually going all in and finishing them.”
Her dad was closely involved in working the case and fiercely defended Wyatt’s innocence until he died. Odette believes he knew more about the case than was officially recorded and that provides some of the motivation behind her search for the truth.
“Daddy told me never to come back to this town. But he also made a silent will that he never put to paper, with Wyatt as my inheritance.”
Odette is very close to her partner Rusty but even he thinks she is crazy for defending Wyatt.
Odette checks in on Wyatt regularly because of his mental state. She has a close and clouded relationship with him, and their shared history means she can decode different things he says and does.
“Wyatt is massaging the same arm I grabbed, the one his father broke when he was ten by pushing him off a tractor. He says that arm has told him things since.
The rubbing means he’s bothered. There’s so much I know about Wyatt that I wish I didn’t. So many reasons I think he’s innocent even with a strange girl trembling on his couch and acid rolling in my gut.”
The girl on the couch only has one eye. How she lost her eye is just one of the mysteries surrounding her, a mystery Odette is determined to uncover even though the girl refuses to talk.
Odette decides to try and keep the girl’s appearance a secret and tries to convince her to tell other’s that she was the one who found her. She also attempts to explain to her about Wyatt and why he has conservations with someone who isn’t there.
“Wyatt’s sister is gone…tragically. His mind is still trying to wrap around the trauma. The grief. But I don’t think he is crazy. Let me put it this way. I lost a part of a leg. But I’m not handicapped. You lost an eye, and neither are you. We are whole human beings existing the best we can without a part. And that’s Wyatt. That’s everybody who is a survivor.”
The reader begins to believe that Wyatt is simply misunderstood but there is always pockets of doubt. Even Maggie, Odette’s cousin believes that Odette is putting herself in danger by continuing to associate with him.
“You are not responsible.” Maggie has lowered her tone. “For Trumanell or Wyatt. Or me or even that girl. This town should have fucking saved Trumanell when she was alive. Our father’s should have saved her. Everybody knew something was wrong out there, even me and I was a kid.This is about people bored with their lives, with something to prove, and an old boyfriend who always, always had a black river running in him. You owe him and this town, nothing. She pauses, “I’m scared for you. Please be careful.”
The final section of the book is from the point of view of Angel, the one-eyed girl. This is where we finally learn her story and a whole bunch of other secrets come out.
This is also where we learn that Angel is not quite as fragile as she seems to be.
“I hop out and toss the man a smile with lots of teeth when I pass by. Oklahoma girls are raised to do that like we are all pageant material, but we’re prepared to stab you in the gut.”
Both the female protagonists are particularly strong and that is just one of many things that contributed to me loving this book.
We Are All the Same in the Dark has earned it’s place among my favourite books of all time.
I think the book hangover from We Are All the Same in the Dark will be severe. I will be buying this book for myself and all my friends and family.

I'm a great Heaberlin fan having read her last four books: this one starts brilliantly with her usual mix of twisty darkness with emotional intensity and I *loved* Odette and her relations with Wyatt and Finn. And then, at just past 50%... it all dropped off a cliff! I can't say why because of spoilers but I was gutted and, for me, it never really picked up again. The revelation at the end came out of nowhere with none of the emotional impact I'd expected and even who does the telling (and it is very told at that stage) just felt off. Not sure what happened here after such a strong beginning. For me, 5 stars at the start, 2 stars for the second half = 3 stars overall. But this could have been so, so much better if it had followed the trajectory of the first half. So disappointing.