Fantastic read set in a future world that is not too far fetched and is believable. Having gone through lockdown you can understand the stand point of only certain people being allowed out in public at certain times. A great array of female characters and an issue that is unfortunately too common. The writing is the perfect pace and I found myself not being sidetracked by trying to solve the crime as I empathised with every character and the story kept my interest. I received an advanced copy from the publishers and this review is given freely and is my true opinion

What a fantastic blend of dystopian and thriller fiction After Dark is. Set in the near future After Dark tells the story of a society where men are subject to a curfew. From a young age males are tagged and are made to stay home between the hours of 7pm and 7am in order to make the world a safer place for women. And it worked, the rate of crime has dropped significantly, including violence against women crimes. Until now.......
I loved how from the very beginning we know that a woman has been found dead and we are provided with several different women whom it could turn out to be. As the story unfolds we see how each woman could find themselves being the dead one along with different men who could be the killer. By the time we discover what has actually happened I think I'd suspected every single male in the book and was convinced that each of the women was the victim.
An interesting side of this 'female utopia' was the fact that all the top jobs were held by women, women were the main breadwinners in each family and it was usually the men who stayed at home and raised the children as it made more sense financially. But surely if a woman wanted to stay at home with her child then they would have automatically been placed in financial difficulties as the men's income earning potential was very limited. Also, there were women in the book who were very prejudiced against men, to the point that some women would terminate their pregnancies if they found out the child they were carrying was a boy. I thought it was great how the book not only told a story but also touched on some ethical and moral points that get you thinking.
I really enjoyed this book and would love to read another like it. Highly recommended

Imagine a time where women hold all the top jobs and men are under curfew between 7pm and 7am.
Where men are tagged from the age of 10 and if they break curfew they are imprisoned for at least 3 months.
This story is set in such a time. Sarah works as a tagger, checking that men’s tags are working and renewing them when they are due. Her husband is in prison after he broke curfew. Cass is her teenage daughter who thinks curfew is stupid and has robbed her of her father.
When a woman’s body is found brutally beaten to death it is assumed by most in the police force that it must be a woman who did it. Only Pamela, who was an officer before the curfew laws came in, believes that it could be a man. That technology can fail and that a man could have been out after 7pm without an alarm being triggered.
It felt that the murder was the secondary story and the main story was about how awful men are. I was hoping that at some point there would be some balance and that there would be at least one happy relationship where the man wasn't violent, a cheat or manipulative. As the story went on it became clear that this wasn't going to happen.
I struggled to like Sarah, she just came across as a man hater who assumed the worst of all men. Cass came across as a spoiled brat who thought everything was about her but in a way I could understand her attitude given the situation with her parents. I was really annoyed when she put Billy in such a potentially dangerous situation by removing his tag and not putting it back on.
It just wasn't as good as I hoped it would be and I was disappointed.

This is a very quick read otherwise I might not have got through it. There is a good premise here, set in a future where men have a curfew, controlled by tags, to cut down on violence and murders rather than the current attitude of telling women to stay at home, dress a certain way and, in short, have to take responsibility for the behaviour of men. It is right that women shouldn't have to curb their lives because of the danger they may face simply walking home. The Sarah Everad case may have triggered this novel and I'm not criticising the author for wanting to cover this important issue.

However, I had several issues with the book. The characters, first of all, are pretty unlikeable and one dimensional. The women are all basically man haters, except one but she turns out to be driven more by her obsession with having a child - but it has to be a daughter because why would she want a boy if they have to wear a tag by the time they are 10 and have no prospects of a decent job? I get the parallels with some cultures not wanting girls because a boy is more valuable but it's just so heavy handed.

Secondly, the vast numbers of violent crimes against women are committed in the home by partners. How would a curfew stop that and what would stop a man simply carrying out a crime earlier in the day?

Add to that the tired old cliche of the boss who doesn't care about justice but just wants to make sure that a man isn't charged as the whole curfew system would have to be scrapped because of one failure. The surly teenager who hates her mum because, of course, she got her dad locked up for breaking curfew. This means that not only is her dad a saint but all women must be partly to blame if their partner turns violent.

I actually felt uncomfortable reading this book because I just got the impression that the author really does hate all men which is quite sad.

A Utopian novel where we are living in a world ruled by women. All men over the age of 10 are tagged and their movements are restricted during the night when they are subject to curfew. If this is broken they are arrested. This is done in an effort to keep women safe.
An interesting plot but I felt uneasy with the idea that all men are evil.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the advance copy of this book.

In 'After Dark', we're in a world where all men from the age of 10 wear an ankle tag to keep them under curfew from dusk til dawn, in an extreme bid to control male violence and aggression against women. There are also state-mandated cohab therapy sessions where couples who want to live together have to actively talk through their views before moving in with one another, again in a bid to address male violence in relationships. This has led to a very divided society, much freer for women who can walk the streets all night safe in the knowledge that personal safety is not a concern but for men, they are much more restricted in terms of jobs and freedoms, always one transgression away from a prison sentence.

The book begins with the discovery of a woman's body - most police are convinced that she must have been killed by another woman or the curfew records would show which men had been out; though an old-school police officer who remembers life before curfew is still sure that she must have been attacked by a man.

The story develops through the viewpoint of Sarah, a tagger who relishes her job keeping women safe, her 17 year old daughter Cass, who cant understand the need for stringent Curfew rules, and Cass's teacher Helen, who is hoping to move in with her partner if they can pass the cohab therapy sessions successfully.

It was a really interesting idea and sits alongside books like The Power or Femlandia with a view of what a female led society might look like. 4 stars from me

(3.5 stars, rounded down)

The central idea of this book is what would happen if men had a curfew and had to be home at night -- would women be safer? What would the society look like?
And in this case we are told the story from the POV of multiple interconnected women after a woman gets murdered in a park.

I thought it was a very interesting premise, and overall the execution was good, although fairly predictable (which is why I rounded down instead of up -- plus there was a big buildup for something that in the end was quite disappointing). The women that tell the story are at different points of their lives, their careers, and their experiences with men.

I want to specifically mention Cass as a character - she's a 17-year old whose father is in jail for missing Curfew. She's a spoilt kid who's acting out (in class, at home...) the whole book and I just found her annoying. However, I acknowledge that she's needed to advance the story. Her mother (Sarah) is another of the women we hear from in the book, and I just couldn't understand how she chooses to deal (or rather, not to deal) with her daughter throughout the book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

This was a concept I was drawn to, particularly in light of recent events. I was interested to see that the book was written in 2019 as it really would have been ahead of its time then and yet now it feels timely and not so ground breaking.

I can see what the author was trying to do here but it just didn't quite meet the mark for me. I expected it to be a bit more thought provoking.

I really wanted to like this book more, the premise was really interesting and topical just now. I enjoy feminist literature but part way through started to feel really sorry for the men, they were all treated as monsters just because some of their gender were. This made me feel uncomfortable about the book and spoilt my enjoyment of it somewhat.

This was both a difficult book to read and to review. We are in a near future, dystopian Britain, where a series of violent murders on women have led to men being tagged and under Curfew from 7pm to 7am. This has led to a huge drop in murders against women (although, statistically, surely both young children and women are in more danger of being murdered at home, by people they know, but this is based far more on murders, and attacks, by men who are strangers). Smartphones are no longer in use, with people using ‘slates,’ which sound fairly similar to be honest, and if women long to be pregnant, like one of the characters in this book, they want to have daughters. Having a son, tagged at the age of ten and under restrictions, curtails the mother’s life, as well as her sons.

Of course, there have been high profile murders of young women by strangers that have recently made the news and I can still recall how, during the time of the Yorkshire Ripper, women were told to stay home at night, so this is an emotive subject. It is obviously unfair to suggest that women’s lives, and freedoms, should be affected by male violence. However, no system is easy or fool proof, and this book opens with the discovery of a woman’s body in the early morning. Pamela is a detective close to retirement when the body is discovered and the unfolding discovery of who the woman is revealed through the stories of several female characters. Sarah Wallace, whose ex-husband is soon to be released from prison, and her teenage daughter, Cass, Helen, who longs to move in with perfect man Tom and have children, detective, Pamela, and other peripheral characters. Sarah is a ‘tagger,’ who delights in the restriction’s men face, while teenage daughter, Cass resents the loss of her father and derides her mother as a ‘man hater.’

I realise that I am writing this review from the position of a woman who has never suffered from male violence, whose home is a place of safety, but, of course, like all women, I am aware of the statistics. Like all women, I have felt unsafe at times in my life while travelling, especially when young, and who has a teenage daughter (thankfully, one more mature than that of the character in this book!). I think this would be a good read for book groups, as there are lots of themes to discuss and even some discussion questions included. However, this is a somewhat simplistic look at important themes, from the view of a crime novel, and lacks a male character perspective to have added an essential perspective. Men are viewed very one dimensionally and I simply found that I was glad to finish this – an uncomfortable and ultimately unsatisfying read. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

An unusual story & quite timely as they say! Thanks for the opportunity to read & review this book. Will read more by this author.

When women ruled the world. Sarah works in a man’s tagging centre. Cass, her daughter disagrees with the tagging and curfew system. Cass’s father broke curfew and suffered the consequences but now he is free to tell his story. An unusual story from a woman’s perspective.

Interesting twist on a psychological drama. "After Dark" by Jayne Cowie may be set in the future but it isn't altered too much to be unbelievable. Women have taken matters into their own hands after an escalation of the #MeToo movement and #SheWasJustWalkingHome (Sarah Everard), and now men are under curfew at night and have to wear tags. When a woman is found murdered in curfew hours, there is an investigation as to why this has happened. Has a man managed to break curfew unmonitored or is this woman on woman violence. Interesting read and would be good for a bookclub discussion.

I liked the blurb and cover for this one. I understand the concept and is very relavant to nowadays situation. However, I didn't like the feeling of 'all men are evil'. I considered myself a feminist and the ideas on this book came acroas the wrong way for me. It reminded me of Femlandia, which i didn't enjoy either. Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me and I didn't manage to finish it.

A really different twist on human lives and what would happen should men be restricted in their behaviours. Very well written showing the differing opinions and how these can be manipulated...

Book is about an alternative future time in an unnamed Country where men are controlled via a curfew and tagging system as a way of dealing with excessive violence against women over time. Not quite an opposite of The Hamdmaid’s Tale but with a similar vibe.
Ending is almost a beginning, for a sequel novel, an escalation of the Curfew rules and dominance of the women in this dystopian world.
This novel gives a unique perspective of what society could be in the future.
I enjoyed this and would definitely read a sequel.

The murder of Sarah Everard is still raw as this book lands and it does put this fictional story into context of rising violence against women.
This is based in the U.K. and set a few years after violent episodes against women have brought in legislation that all men are tagged and must undergo curfew between 7pm and 7am. This has changed society and put the U.K. into a sort of matriarchy where women have the prominent roles and responsibilities.
Into this scenario we have a woman murdered outside during curfew and some of the evidence suggests it might be a man, but surely that isn’t possible?
So within a small community we see impact on a number of characters who are involved, the single Mum, her grumpy daughter, a jaded police officer, manipulative men and those with other agendas.
An interesting premise but it quickly becomes localised, we don’t get much beyond the basics of how legislation was introduced to the here and now of a local community and our key characters. I found it less of a murder “mystery” than a view on attitudes and characters. Sadly, with the exception of our jaded cop, most of the characters are not very likeable and hard to emphasise with.
So a very interesting premise but doesn’t quite deliver as I was hoping.

With the Curfew law in place, all men are electronically tagged and must stay at home after 7pm.

It changed things for the better. Until now.

A woman is murdered late at night and evidence suggests she knew her attacker.

It couldn't have been a man because a Curfew tag is a solid alibi... Isn't it?

Just get it, you will not stop until your jaw drops. Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged.

In the world of After Dark all men are tagged and not allowed out at night. Tracked by their tags and monitored often, this world is better for most as women are now safe.
But one night a woman is killed outside, and surely that can’t be possible if all the men are inside.
Told from different perspectives including , a tagged, the detective on the case, and a woman going through therapy to gain a cohab certificate allowing her to move in with her boyfriend, the murder is solved and the motive and opportunity explained.

This is an absolutely incredible book but also so very heartbreaking.It comes at a time where I could I truly believe the safety these women were experiencing with men taken out of the equation after dark. The afterword by the author was touching and so well written. One of the best books I have ever read.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading this book.it was well written, and quite fast paced, and the story was good, and original. The characters were well written and believable. I am not sure if the book will appeal to men as much as women as they are not portrayed in a very complimentary way, but that didn't put me off reading and enjoying the book, if I was a man I may feel differently though. I would recommend this book and I thought it was a good read.