Hmmm where to start with this one? Let’s just get it out there - I didn’t like it. I’ve read all of this author’s books and this was the worst. When I think back to her first books - Rattle and The Collector, which were creepy, thrilling and engaging, this book feels like it was written by someone else.

In a nutshell - two best friends who are both equally as unlikeable, come up with a ridiculous idea to stage one of their disappearances in order to start a new life with money they’ve been stealing/conning over the years. Needless to say it doesn’t quite go to plan. Throw in some police procedural action, a bit of teenage angst, past family tragedy and an attempt at a blossoming romance between a detective and the somewhat quirky forensic linguist and you’ve got this. Add in the jumbling around of timelines (at least the author helpfully tells the reader at the beginning of each chapter which day in relation to the disappearances we’re on) and off you go on this mundane journey.

All through this book I kept thinking has the author wrote this as an attempt to get it made into a BBC drama - you know the type, shown across three consecutive nights - a cliffhanger each episode to keep you watching and then when you get to the end you feel cheated at the ending because it’s so far fetched and a bit miffed you invested three hours of your time to watch such drivel?! This is that book - set in a wealthy, seaside village (that’s a tick for the visual aesthetics) bonkers characters that suddenly right near the end they throw in a completely out the blue key piece of history; a detective with a shady past (every drama needs a dodgy detective!) and then introducing a plot line quite near the end that doesn’t get resolved.

I stuck with this book for two reasons - firstly I hoped it would get better and secondly I don’t like to not finish a story.

Sorry Fiona, but next time leave the mundane kitchen sink drama and bring back the creepy.

Thank you for the PanMac Maketing for the ARC.

Another fantastic book by this author, great thriller packed full of mystery. Great characters, I'd love to read more about Saul and Blue in the future. Very atmospheric, I will definitely be recommending this book.

When Julianne Hillier turns up at her friend Piper's house for their pre-arranged weekly run there's no-one home. The whole family, mother, father and two teenage children are missing. It's as if the family were simply plucked from the kitchen in the middle of breakfast. Phones are on charge, school bags at the door and the family cars are on the drive. When the police arrive they notice spots of blood on the chandelier and discover a message scrawled in blood on a mirror in a bedroom. Have the family run from trouble or has something more sinister happened?

This is a story full of intriguing characters. No-one is quite as they seem and everyone has at least one secret they are hiding. As the story develops we begin to see how some of the characters and situations are manipulated by others, like a chess player setting up an attack.

The story isn't relayed in a linear fashion. We move regularly between days before the disappearance and days after the disappearance, along with the perspective of different characters. This constant shifting keeps the reader unsettled, constantly guessing about the who, the why and the how.

After numerous twists in this page turner the reader is still left, intentionally, with one or two unanswered questions.

I particularly enjoyed a couple of the "minor" characters; Saul Anguish and Dr Clover March. Whilst they played essential roles in the storyline both characters have so much more to offer. Hopefully they will feature in their own spin-off.

Into The Dark by Fiona Cummins is a twisted, unnerving story of two woman, Piper Holden and Julianne Hillier, who are both married, with two children each and live a life of wealth and privilege. Saul and Blue are attached to the police force investigating the disappearance of the Holden family. There are many twists and turns in the storyline to keep the reader interested in the convoluted plot.
Deviously clever and very disturbing.
Highly recommended

This is a sinister, suspenseful novel that reminded me of a Mark Billingham standalone I read recently. Both books dip into the heads of some unsavoury characters.
And the unsavoury character count in Into the Dark is pretty high. At least one of the investigating officers is a murderer and was once apprentice to a serial killer. (Midtown-on-Sea Police might want to review their recruitment procedures.)
The Holden family has disappeared. Piper Holden's best friend, Julienne, makes the discovery when she goes to the house to meet Piper for their morning run. Cereal is in bowls on the kitchen table, coffee is brewing, four mobile phones are charging and family cars are in the drive. Julienne alerts the police and a twisty, wicked tale ensues. It is told from various viewpoints across a timeline that dots back and forth from a few months before the disappearances to a few days afterwards. Despite this apparent complexity, the reader never feels lost as Fiona Cummins signposts where we are at all times.
An aptly titled literary thriller that goes from dark to even darker.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have enjoyed all this authors books so far and this was no exception, fast paced thriller with a great storyline and great characters. Would recommend

This was such an enjoyable read it was full of suspense and mystery with well written characters and a good storyline. It was unpredictable and chilling at times. i really liked it.

This was certainly a very unexpected read as it is so different than her last book.
Less bodies, more suspense!
A murder mystery with a difference and an unexpected outcome that’s all most impossible to guess!

Thank you for the opportunity to read 'Into the Dark'.

This was an interesting thriller but I found the plot far-fetched and the characters fairly unlikeable. I felt sorry for the sons in each family who hardly got a look in - two dysfunctional families from mother to father to daughter.

I felt the author's 'When I was Ten' was a better novel.

This one keeps you on your toes as it's told from multiply POV & timelines having said that it was easy to follow.

A compelling gripping dark disturbing read were nothing is as it seems, full of drama and red herrings it's uncomfortable, unpredictable, it challenges a lot!

I have since learnt since readying this that there are two books that accompany it and I am interested to learn more about the character of Saul as I predict a dark and complex history.

An excellent psychological thriller from Fiona Cummins - hugely compelling and darkly delicious with a cleverly twisted mystery at the heart of it.

What I love about this authors writing is the way the characters live on the page, in this case we have a deeply disturbing group dynamic going on that makes Into The Dark a classic page turner with bite. I read it in one obsessive sitting, the unpredictable nature of it kept me hooked.

Loved it.

An efficient thriller with a great storyline and interesting twist at the end.
You keep rooting and de-rooting for characters while the story untangles.
Nice to have strong females leads facing various choices in their live.
I recommend this book a real page-turner.

This is my third read by this author. It won't be the last. This is a dark and complex twisty thriller with nothing as it seems. Full of red herrings for the eagle-eyed sleuths among you.

I really struggled with this book. It was very confusing with its multiple narratives and multiple timelines. There were way to many characters to remember. I guess it would be better on screen. The twists were good but nothing too grand. It just didn’t grip me as much as a thriller should.

Interesting and enjoyable, but good Christ does a book really need to be 70% descriptions and adjectives for every little thing.

Plot twists a plenty, I saw some coming but others I was surprised and happy to see. It’s always great when a book can keep you guessing, keep you on your toes, whilst still remaining interesting.

I’ll happily read each and all of the work from this author, as long as she uses less descriptions of every mundane action in the future.

An exceptionally good thriller!
Told from a lot of different POV’s and timelines but not confusing.
No redeeming characters in this, most of them thoroughly unlikeable!
I would have liked to have read the books which cover Saul Anguish’s back story before reading Into the Dark, but at least that pleasure awaits me in the future.
There are more twists than you’ll know what to do with and I so enjoyed them. Fiona Cummins has a brilliant mind to conceive all of them!!
It’s a gripping book which kept me reading it till the early hours on a couple of occasions.
Many thanks yo NetGalley and PanMcMillan for the advance read.

Possibly my favourite Fiona Cummins so far.
A seemingly simple storyline which, over the course of the novel, turns out to be so much more.
A few P.O.Vs which slip seamlessly into the story. Fantastic characters - believable and real. Brilliant twists and turns which don’t let up until the very last page.
A guaranteed heart-racing read!

On the surface, Into the Dark can be simply described. A family goes missing. Their neighbor alerts the police to possible domestic abuse. There’s an investigation leading nowhere. However, nothing about Into the Dark is “on the surface.” None, yes none, of the characters are likable. Some are criminals, some are deeply disturbed and it’s up to the reader to sort them out.

Told in several different voices and moving seamlessly between past and present, the plot is fast paced and layered with so many twists that it makes your head spin. Even after the conclusion, you won’t know what really happened. That’s all I can say without spoilers but I do know this. I never want to be alone with Fiona Cummins! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and Fiona Cummins for this ARC.

NO SPOILERS!
INTO THE DARK by Fiona Cummins
Publish date: 14 April 2022

The storyline is a fast and furious rollercoaster a ride through the pages of this book! Fasten your seat belts!
I really enjoyed the cat and mouse games played by the characters. The writing was sharp and clever.
Detective Saul Anguish & Dr Clover March, a forensic linguist (what names!) were liked and disliked in equal measures and you will know what I mean when you read the book.

This novel is about rivalry, deceit, murder, secrets & lies and a whole lot more!

I give a 4 star rating

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

The twists and turns in this book kept me guessing throughout, right to the end. It seemed every single character was keeping their own secrets, and while some were more plausible than others, it all came together in an ending you couldn't foresee!