Set in the near future when all men are treated as potential criminals so they are tagged and not allowed out between 7pm and 7am. As a bit of 'what if' hokum it was an entertaining read but was relentlessly anti-men. Any system that locks up half the population for 50% of the time based only on statistics is going to cause more anger and unrest. I was concerned that the conclusions at the end of the book weren't what I expected so I read the author's notes. Cowie has obviously suffered at the hands of a few men, which has warped her attitude to all men. It's more feminist fear-mongering. My generation fought for equality and many times I was the first woman in certain jobs. Equality not supremacy. I would not want my 17 year old granddaughter to read this.
I give the writing 4* but propaganda 2* so a generous 3*.
This is an hinest review of a complementary ARC.

Somehow, I overlooked this book and only picked it up on holiday. I read it in one day.
After Dark (in the US Curfew, a far more appropriate title in my view) posits an extreme idea: men have been curfewed from 7pm to 7am in order to protect women of their violence, Yet, despite this, a body is found murdered during the night on a park. How is it possible, given the curfew laws? What follows is developed via the experience of mainly four women: Pamela, the policewoman in charge of the case; Sarah, who works tagging men, and whose husband is imprisoned for curfew violations; her daughter Cass, a rebellious teenager challenging this new status quo:; and Helen, Cass's history teacher who is in search of a partner...

Whilst the story is extremely interesting and makes you think about the manifold implications of the society portrayed, the portrayal itself is of a rather limiting and limited scope, which is perfectly legitimate but somehow the basic tenet of the story is of such import that this light thriller/whodunnit treatment seems a bit underwhelming and even callous. The women thinking processes are rather rigid, the men are of a very narrow spectrum.... which is of course what one has read in much popular fiction but read women for men.

Overall, a thought-provoking novel which left me dissatisfied but that will lead to interesting discussions in my reading circle. With many thanks to Penguin via NetGalley for an opportunity to read and review this timely novel.

A very thought provoking and timely read. With a very clever premise and some great twists and turns it was entertaning, yet a little close to the bone in places. I particularly struggled with the character and the decisions she made,

A book that has so many layers and brings up a lot of questions.

On one level, its a classic whodunnit. A body is found and police have to work out who is the victim and who is the perpetrator. This is set in a world where men have a curfew and wear tags to ensure their whereabouts is known at all times. The idea is to make the world safer for women but does it really?

In the midst of all this is the question will less men on the street mean less violence against women and is the impact on men worth it? These questions are asked by one of the female characters in the book who acts as the reader and asks all the questions we want to know.

I must admit, following some high profile attacks on women just going about their day, the thought of a curfew for men has appealed to me as it has for many women. We all have experienced the unease of being out alone and we are all too aware of our vulnerabilities. The idea of a curfew on men appeals but would it really work and what would be the impact of it on the way women view men. Jayne Cowie tackles this is a fantastic read that is far more nuanced than just a murder mystery and a book everyone should read. . .

This was so fascinating to read, the concept of all Men being forced into a curfew was laughable to me at the beginning no matter what my opinions on whether it was a good idea or not but by the end it seemed completely plausable. This was not the thriller I was expecting but definitely more of a dystopian and I absolutely loved the discussions on domestic abuse against women and the 'Not all men' debate we endlessly see on social media.

This book is definitely pro women and will without a doubt infuriate most men but it brings up some incredibly important factors that women have to be aware of because we face these issues daily.

Cass is a 17 year old girl who I absolutely despised throughout the book, she made stupid statements and decisions. However, it was so fascinating to watch her go from the naive perspective that so many have and then go through the experiences that most of us do and give her the knowledge she needs to keep her safe and protect herself.

I also really enjoyed the pacing and timeline of the story, it jumps around following different characters and then a future timeline where someone has been murdered and the case is being solved. The book was not perfect by any means, I did find that the murder element was a bit boring and I thought predicatble from the midway ish point. However, upon finishing I did realise that the point of the murder was not to be an entertaining plot point. But instead, a lesson to be educated from.

I definitely recommend this story to all women and even men who are open to the discussions on issues women face, but I think the cover can be a bit misleading, so go in with no expectations!

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book quite scary, so much so that it put me off reading it. So scared in case it comes true.

“Sometimes women find themselves in a position where it’s easier and safer to say yes even when they want to say no.”

✮ ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮

** I really enjoyed this book, and I feel like it’s an important subject to talk about. But please look to the bottom of my review for my opinions on the topic, because although I disagree with the author herself, it’s not something I want to base my opinion of the actual story on. **

I loved it. I honestly did. It’s told from multiple POV, so you know the thoughts of four characters throughout. The switch between the POVs was seamless, and I loved that the characters were built so well. Cass was my favourite, because I think she was relatable in her vulnerabilities that a lot of teenage girls have, and the way she behaves towards her mum is almost typical and predictable for a teenage rebelling. The story was also built well. At the start we know someone is going to die at the end, and the suspense is well built throughout and it’s a complete mystery. It’s also really refreshing to have a completely fresh piece of fiction published. It’s different and truly original.

**OPINIONS**

This is one hell of an important book, but maybe I disagree with the author slightly on what is needed. When we hear about deaths and violence, abuse, rape, it tends to be the women that are scared of the men. We’ve had movements like #MeToo. It’s women that are scared to walk home at night on their own. That are scared to get a taxi by themselves. That need to let their friends know where they are going with their tinder date. This book is set in the future of this. Where men are curfews between 7pm and 7am, and tagged and tracked at all times. But, at the end of the book the women are calling for MORE restrictions for men, to protect women. Ok, when you look at the statistics, there are more violent men than women convicted, but not all men are like that, and the rest of them don’t need to be treated like prisoners. Also, what about the situations where the men are the ones being abused? I could talk about this all day, so I’ll stop this here, but I’m intrigued. How would you approach this in coming years?

A really thought provoking and interesting read. I found the premise very clever and felt it was well written with twists and turns building to a network of connection and answers. A real story of our times.

Women are safe from 7pm to 7am aren't they?
This was thought provoking novel concept, that had a story plot which dealt with gender based violence in a different way.
Whilst he concept was different and intriguing, I found the character development somewhat lacking which took away part of the book enjoyment.

Several times whilst reading this book I felt a bit uncomfortable that men were being punished by society simply based on their gender. Once a boy reached the age of ten the law stated he must wear an ankle tag and remain under curfew between the hours of 7 at night and 7 in the morning. This was to control violent acts committed by men against women.
The storyline was very thought provoking given the number of high profile murders of women committed by men that have made headline news in recent years.
A sign of a well written book is the author’s ability to make the reader love or hate the characters. Sarah’s deep rooted distrust of men (as a result of her life experiences) irritated me at times whilst her daughter, Cass, definitely got under my skin with her teenage rebelliousness and belligerence.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and it’s take on one of the many problems experienced by society today.

Wow! This book just totally turned my world on its head. The way we live and how we think. I was gripped from the first, chilling, thought provoking and uncomfortable to read, but utterly brilliant and compelling!

It feels near future, a bit dystopian in nature, everyone has a ‘slate’ which your whole life is on, it’s frankly terrifying
The women’s POV’s in this book are all at different times in their lives and we see their responses to the curfew, moulded by their experiences, the effect on the men in their lives and the changes it brings to their futures. It is twisty, unnerving and tested my opinions, some of which changed as I read this.

A brilliant read which I really enjoyed and tested my comfort levels for sure!

A deeply unnerving thriller that is very much topical and easily believable. Set some years in the future, it depicts a society that has become so desperate to curb domestic violence, violent crimes against women and murder, by enforcing a curfew on men. As perpetrators of the majority of serious crimes, it has really influenced statistics for the better and women feel so muc safer out jogging at night, going for meals with friends and wearing what they want. Men wear tags that alert authorities if they are tampered with or if they try to break curfew. The problem arises when a female is found murdered in the local park. We follow the stories of several protagonists- the detective, a school teacher, her best friend and her boyfriend, a fellow tagger and her daughter and ex husband. Is it possible that a man has found a way around the tagging system and broken curfew? What are the implications if this is true? Will it de-stabilise the system? Who is the victim and the perpetrator amongst our protagonists? Such a poignant and gripping read. Very apt for current discussions on gender violence. #afterdark #jaynecowie #netgalley

Interesting concept! Similar in a way to the Handmaid's Tale, except filled on it's head - the men the ones without rights etc. A good mystery, I honestly had no idea who was the victim/killer until the very end. Easy to read, and a good page turner!

In a few years time, where men are tagged and under curfew to stop violence against women and girls........but a women has been found dead.

Interesting concept given the recent real life news which has highlighted these issues (not the tagging or curfew!). Maybe a glimpse of the future...?

The chapters were told from various people’s perspectives - Sarah, her daughter, Cass and Pamela, a soon to retire Police Officer. The book kept me interested, relationships developed and new characters were introduced, which kept you guessing who could be the killer....

This is first book I have read by this author, but I will read more!

Thanks to #NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review. #AfterDark #JayneCowie

From the outset we know a woman has been brutally murdered but we don’t know who. The book is set sometime in the near future where men are locked down in their own homes from 7pm to 7am every evening for the protection of women. The story unfolds in the current with Pamela an old school policewoman who is close to retirement and assigned to the case while some chapters go back four weeks prior to the murder where we meet the various women (one of which could be the victim) and the men in their lives (one of which could be the perpetrator - or not, as men are tagged and can go out at night).
The lockdown concept would have been far fetched if we hadn’t all just experienced the pandemic and it’s self imposed isolation. The characters were very well drawn and the writing was clear and at a very good pace. I enjoyed this book but it slightly niggled me that there was no descriptions of how the males in the story felt about being basically second class citizens because a small minority of their kind were likely to transgress.

I really enjoyed this book and found it was a quick read as I was hooked.
The premise was very interesting with men tagged and on curfew.
It was interesting having the story told from the viewpoints of several different women and how their opinions shifted based on their experiences.
I was initially a bit annoyed by how naive and easily manipulated Cass was and how cynical Sarah was, but then it was interesting to see how they had got to be like that and how things changed for them.
An interesting read that has stayed with me, and scarily didn't seem too far fetched.
My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for my eARC in return for my honest review.

Well-written, clever thriller that focusses on three women living in a future when all men are electronically tagged and not allowed out after 7pm in order to keep women safe in public spaces at night. Loved the gender flipped dystopia and agree that it is about time we starting asking questions of men instead of blaming women for the things that men do.

A thought provoking story of revenge,

The characters are well written and I really enjoyed the story.

The premise is interesting and turns a big part of current society on it’s head which is very interesting.

This book has stayed with me since I read it, its really got under my skin. I found myself at first outraged at the way males were being treated even small children but to my surprise I quickly changed to being frustraed by Cass's naivety as men can be dangerous. This was such a good concept where women are in charge and have freedom but men have a curfew policed by ankle tags. The role reversals were very interesting to explore and highlighted how much women have their freedoms constantly checked without us realising. Cowie has written a really interesting book and I'd be very interested to read more about how the system continues or not. A great read with some unexpected twists and turns.

Here's an unusual premise. After a high-profile attack on a woman, pressure is brought to bear to stop women being threatened by men, particularly at night. The solution is to give all males over 10 an electronic tag and curfew them - they can't leave their home between 7pm and 7am. The result appears to be a country where women feel safe to be out on their own at night.

However, a woman is killed at night and Pamela is the detective called on to deal with this unusual crime. She remembers life pre-curfew, and is not convinced the perpetrator is a woman, which all her colleagues are obsessed with proving. Because the curfew must hold strong.

Sarah is divorced from her husband Greg, currently in prison for breaking curfew, and is bringing up her daughter Cass. Cass is a lovely character - normally I really dislike spoiled, entitled, snotty teenagers, but the author portrays her with a beautiful vulnerability so that even at her worst, I don't dislike her at all. Other characters are well portrayed, and some really get under your skin as you see their flaws developing.

The book is well written; the identity of the victim remains unknown until almost the end, along with the perpetrator. It makes the reader think about women and how they are treated, and whether such a draconian measure would ever work. It also considers relationships between male and female, parent and child, teacher and pupil.

I found it a real page turner and very thought provoking. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK and Cornerstone for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.