After Dark has a really interesting premise....The Handmaid's Tale meets Covid lockdown, but for men! As a woman, I felt a certain kind of way imagining a life where I'm free to roam the streets without fear of something horrific happening to me....but I also have sons and a husband, so it was a bit of a bitter sweet daydream in my mind.

In Britain, men are tagged and have a 7pm curfew....this has seen crime rates drop and women out there living their best lives. Until one day, a woman' body is found and the city is horrified. Patricia, the Detective assigned to the case, is convinced that only a man could have done this....but if she's right, it means men know how to get around being tagged, and can roam the streets after curfew...... Many people do not want her to be right!

There's also the mystery of who exactly our murdered woman is, because her face is unrecognisable. To figure out who the victim is, we go back 4 weeks and meet a few characters:
Sarah, a tagger who has a difficult relationship with her 17yr old (hater of tagging and curfew) daughter Cass.
Helen who is desperate to make things work with her new boyfriend, and to become a mother.
Mabel, who is Helen's best friend and Sarah's colleague.


The book explores an extreme way to end gender based violence, and the consequences of implementing such a system. Also can this system be foolproof?

I really tried to figure out who our victim could be, I don't think we had too many options, BUT I didn't guess who it was, but when I did, I then immediately knew whodunnit. I think that could have been a bit more fleshed out and perhaps a twist around that would have shocked me a bit more. Even though a bit on the predictable side, I enjoyed the concept and premise of this story.

I’m not entirely sure if I enjoyed reading this book or not. What I am certain about is that I found myself thinking about it and the society portrayed in it which means that at the very least, it has grabbed my attention.
Set in a not too distant future, to stop violence against women, all men over the age of 10 are tagged and are subject to a 12 hour curfew. Despite this, a women’s body is found showing that she has been battered to death.
The book has two timelines, the actual murder investigation carried out in real time and then a timeline four weeks earlier where we meet our cast of characters in the weeks prior to the murder. The murder mystery itself was interesting and I liked the fact that there are different possibilities.
The idea of men being subject to tags and a curfew to keep women safe felt very uncomfortable to me but fiction has a role in exploring ideas that might disturb us. However, what I really disliked about the novel is that there is not a single sympathetic male character. I don’t want to say too much for fear of spoiling anyone’s reading but I felt that there needed to be much more of a balance in how men were portrayed in the book.
I feel that this is book that will definitely divide opinions. I thought it was interesting and will certainly read more by this author.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a strange book. Tag all males from the age of 10 and place them under a curfew. I understood the concept but really didn’t like the all men are bad feeling that came across. It repeatedly came across that it was possible the author genuinely hates all males and so was an uncomfortable read. Reading her notes at the end I completely understand her feelings and reason for the book but I think it was poorly done.

Some of the characters, Cass and Tom in particular were so unlikeable. In fact none of the characters really appealed to me which didn’t help with enjoying this book.

The idea that the curfew would stop violence along with the cohabit license was poorly thought out. In reality all that would do would increase domestic violence. Abusers know how to play people and are often the nicest people to the outside world. Getting a cohabit license would be too easy for them. I feel that while a curfew would stop random murders and sexual attacks on strangers it would massively increase domestic abuse. For that reason this story just didn’t feel right for me.

I will add that as a family we’ve experienced domestic abuse over more than one generation and so I probably read this book with the knowledge of exactly how bad that can be. I read it that a curfew would put more women in danger which is possibly why I feel the way I do about this book. It was a little too close to home for me. Others might really like the concept and enjoy the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

A well-paced and gripping look at a world where men are tagged and have curfews, giving women the freedom to feel safe after dark. Couples are also counselled before living together, to reduce the risks of domestic violence. The premise is definitely thought-provoking, forcing us to look from all sides, and the mystery of the murder is very well played out. An enjoyable read.

This book builds on an interesting idea, and is very relevant at present.
It is set in the near future when, following a series of murders of women, all men are now tagged, and are under curfew, not allowed out between 7pm and 7am. This allows women to feel safe when out alone at night.
When the body of a woman is found in a local park, the pressure is on the police to solve the case quickly. This falls to Pamela who has been in the police since before men were tagged, and who suggests the unthinkable - that a man may have committed the crime.
Also involved are Sarah, a divorced mother, who works as a tagger, her teenage daughter Cass, and Helen, one of Cass’s teachers.
The narrative is shared between these four, and the way the tension builds is very compelling, as Pamela tries to identify the victim.

I enjoyed the story, what I found very hard to accept is the premise of the book that every man is untrustworthy, manipulative, selfish, and likely to resort to violence, and the only way to control them is to effectively cage them.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK Cornerstone for the opportunity to read this book.

Welcome to a very different world, one where women are in charge. They dominate in the workplace, government and public spaces. They are not afraid to go out for a run in the dark at night, walk home alone, or go into an empty dark car park. This is thanks to Britain introducing the Prevention of Femicide Act in 2023. This resulted in all men from the age of 10 and over being under curfew from 7pm to 7am. They are electronically tagged to ensure they don’t break this curfew and have to stay indoors.

For nearly 16 years, it made a change for the better. No violent deaths to speak of, and crime drastically decreased. Until a woman's body is found. Murdered late at night. Police insist it couldn’t be a man, because curfew is ironclad. Nobody on the force will entertain the notion, with the exception of Pamela. She is an experienced police officer, from before the time of curfew. Nearing retirement, she is ready to have an easy ride out on her last few cases. But the she gets the murder case. All of her experience prior to curfew tells her something is not as it seems. But will anyone listen to her before it's too late?

This book was an interesting read. It followed a few different characters, and wove the storylines well, keeping you very engaged in the whodunnit crime mystery. We have Pamela, our fearless police officer, determined to do the right thing, even if it is not the popular thing. Then we have Sarah, a woman who works in a tagging centre, and her daughter Cass. Helen, who happens to be Cass’s teacher, makes up our final main character. Seeing how they all link together throughout was a great read.

What I struggled with was the radical societal shift in such a short time in this book. Treating all men as the same, harmful, and needing to be contained. Cohab certificates - needing permission to live with a man to get approval that you are a good fit (to rule out domestic abuse). Restricting rights of half the population so the other half can live. While as a woman, I absolutely feel that I should be free to walk the streets at any time I want and be safe, is this approach the right approach? It is draconian, man hating, and almost building more fear of men in how they are treated. Let’s not talk about the practicalities of taking half our workforce out of action for 12 hours a day either!

Overall, I enjoyed the read on the surface level. But the more I thought about the concept underpinning it, the more uncomfortable I felt. A good ‘suspend reality and escape’ read, but don’t get too hung up on analysing it as a potential mode for fixing society's issues!

*I received this copy from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.

The other day an article showed up in my newsfeed - the author writing about how they managed their insomnia by walking at 2am. I knew before I clicked it was written by a man, because walking alone through a city at 2am is a privilege only men enjoy, and yet so unwitting are they of this, they can write an article about it as if it's a universal experience. That's why every now and then a Twitter thread will bounce around women's timelines when they dream of what they would do if they had the streets to themselves. Lone early morning jogs and moonlit night walks crop up every time.
After Dark imagines this world. All males over the age of 10 are tagged and restricted to stay in doors between seven and seven, leaving the streets free for women and as a result the murder and other violent crimes rate have plummeted. The curfew leads to other societal changes; the restrictions limit the jobs men can do so now women hold most professional and leadership roles, maternity leave, pay and childcare are generous, abortion pills available over the counter and couples must be cleared by a counsellor before they cohabit. At the same time many women find themselves the main wage earner while the balance of household chores sometimes shifts, sometimes doesn't.
When a battered and bruised woman's body is found in a park early one morning, the authorities know they should only be looking at a female suspect, no matter the evidence. Because Curfew cannot be broken and any suggestion it might be will ruin the delicate balance that keeps Curfew in place. But Pamela is a veteran detective, close to retirement, and she remembers policing before Curfew. She is sure the perpetrator is male and is determined to follow the evidence trail, no matter where it leads and who tries to stop her.
This is a hugely thought provoking book about power, deception, violence and society's failure to keep women safe with impeccable world building and a page turning pace. Highly highly recommended.

After dark is gritting, twisted, atmospheric, gripping and absorbing. A really well written physiological thriller.

I would like to declare an interest, I am male. After Dark explores the possibility that men, the aggressors, are legally bound to adhere to a Curfew as a means to protect women from attack at night. A sort of collective punishment on men, illegal under International Law and the Geneva Convention. Frankly, illegal and unworkable. All male long distance lorry drivers, train drivers, pilots, doctors, surgeons, emergency service workers, trawlermen, to name but a few, would only be able to work a few hours either side of midday so that they could ensure they are indoors by Curfew. Very little of this is explored in the novel. Certainly nothing about people transitioning or self-declaring. So, a not very well considered idea and a plot which isn't going to set the world on fire. I can understand why the author decided to write this novel as is evident from her comments at the back of book. As a male I am three times more likely than a female to end up as a homicide statistic, which is a sobering thought. A Curfew as described in the novel might reduce nocturnal violence, especially male on male. However, as the majority of violence committed against women is from a partner or relation (made even more evident uder lockdown), then a Curfew might not be the panacea it's cracked up to be.

I enjoyed reading this book, the basis of the storyline whilst seeming a little 'out there' is also something that could well be believable. I loved how the story unfolded and couldn't put it down.

US Title -Curfew.

Britain is a very different country since the Prevention of Femicide Act in 2023 as from 7pm to 7am men are under curfew and tagged to ensure they stay put. In a complete societal change women dominate the workplace and most importantly 'after dark' and it seems as if life has been transformed and made safe for the female population. That is until now, sixteen years later, when a female body is discovered in a park partially hidden under leaves. The female police officers investigating the murder rule out men as they believe it's impossible but a thirty year experienced detective Pamela has huge doubts. The story is told via several points of view - Pamela, teacher Helen, tagger Sarah and her daughter Cass.

This is a very pertinent and thought provoking dystopian novel which following the murder last year of Sarah Everard is highly relevant. ( https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-58733714) First and foremost though, this is a murder mystery but set in a different set of circumstances to our own. The author does a good job utilising her characters to give a debate on the imagined situation of Britain in the near future. Of them all, Pamela seems the most rational and truthful as she is prepared to take a broader peak at suspects even if it's uncomfortable for her co-workers. Sarah has her reasons for being a man hater and is very pro the implications of the Femicide Act while teenager Cass is against, so via them you get some heated opposite ends of the spectrum debates. Their characters are perhaps less convincing than the others especially Cass who feels younger than her actual age with her truculent and rude attitude. Helen's character is very interesting as she goes through a whole range of changing emotions.

I really enjoy how the puzzle of the victim is withheld for a long time which keeps you interested, invested and reading on. The novel is well written, the pace is spot on, there are plenty of twists and turns, some tense confrontations and some fascinating situations of deception and delusion. There's a lot that's simmering beneath the surface as well as the acrimony you do see. The ending is good and does make you reflect on how far you would/could/might go in the name of protection and safety. This would be an excellent book club choice as I can imagine it will lead to some very lively and possibly heated discussions.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House UK, Cornerstone, Penguin for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This book is set in the not too distant future, and we find ourselves in a world where men are tagged, and have to be under curfew during the hours of 7pm-7am. After a host of violent crimes against women, the balance of 'power' shifted in favour of women, and the men found themselves taking a back seat in society. Women are no longer afraid to go out by themselves after dark, and the crime rates drop rapidly.
However, the body of a woman is discovered in a local park, and long serving police officer Pamela, suspects that the killer could be a man, although no one else thinks this can be possible. Surely the curfew cannot be broken, due to the tamper proof tags! Pamela is close to retirement, and in fact this will be her last case. She is determined to prove that this murder could have been commited by a man, as unlikely as it seems.
The characters in this book are well written, and totally believable, as is the idea of the curfew. It certainly gives you something to think about! Who knows what our futures will bring.
I really enjoyed the read, and would certainly read more from Jayne Cowie.

Because of its very "anti male" stance I think this book will alienate a fair few readers (especially males) which is a shame because it makes an extremely valid point. The author having had previous experience of male violence is clear in the writing. Having said this I do think it is a very good read, a thought provoking one and one that should elicit more discussion and debate about the issues raised.. The characters were believable and well rounded. Pamela was probably my favourite. A lot of dystopian books crucify women so this was a refreshing change. The author has some great questions at the end for book club discussion. Tagging all males from the age of 10 is fraught with problems. Assuming all men are going to be violent is a serious and also untrue statement. Are men from other countries allowed to visit? We know they are not tagged in other places-why not? How do they manage to organise this? Unanswered questions. There is a sort of "logical extension" to this.. Either men become completely subjugated or women then also have to be tagged/monitored/vetted? If the former, how does this impact on identity and if the latter how would women feel about , basically going back to square one? Homosexuality wasn't mentioned , it was assumed that all couples were heterosexual. The #metoo movement opened a real can of worms (that should be opened, absolutely and justifiably so) but I do feel that it has not really gone far enough to help women today. Currently we seem to be going backwards. The author will probably get quite a backlash from men (am I stereotyping?) but it is an important book and a very valuable one to open up debate. Ending up as required reading for a course would not surprise me. That the author had the experiences she did is truly awful, that any woman does the same. The divide between the sexes has a way to go I feel

I devoured this book in a single day. The book is based on a thought experiment - what could really be done to make women safe from male violence? The main solution is a curfew - men are tagged at the age of 10 and from then are not allowed out of their home after dark. There are also ‘cohab certificates’ to negotiate - when you find someone you want to settle down with, you attend therapy sessions with them to get the approval of a psychotherapist. All designed with the safety of women in mind.

Violent deaths are few and far-between, but when a woman’s disfigured body turns up in a park it remind experienced cop Pamela of a time before curfew, when men were allowed to roam the streets. No-one wants to hear it. Women need to know that curfew is infallible, that men can’t hurt them. But is it true?

The characters in this novel are so believable and realistic. And perhaps it’s the experience of COVID lockdowns, but the idea of curfew doesn’t seem that fantastical either. Descriptions of happy groups of females unworried about going out for a jog, meeting in the park, going out dancing with no worries of sexual assault are vividly painted. What would the world really be like if men were not allowed out? But family dynamics are also skewed from what we experience now. Men struggle to find well- paid jobs that will get them home in time - women are more successful and suddenly boys just don’t seem to have much potential.

What in interesting and gripping book - my only complaint being that the ending felt a bit rushed an insubstantial. So long weaving the threads of the story, just to have them snipped off quite suddenly.

It's a world where women hold all the power.They dominate public spaces,work places and government.
Curfew is in place and all men and boys over 10 are electronically tagged and must stay home after 7.
Women are no longer afraid to go out after dark.
It was working so well until now,a women is murdered,evidence points to her knowing her attacker.A Curfew tag is a solid alibi so it couldn't be a man could it?
This was not my usual read but I'm so glad I've had the chance to read it.
It was an intriguing read that definitely make you think.Im looking forward to discussing it with others on its release.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK Cornerstone for the ARC.

Once again, I got engaged by an exciting blurb and let down by a disappointing novel.

In the world created by Jayne Cowie, women hold all the power and men live under strict rules, including being electronically tagged and having a 7pm curfew. Women feel safer and they get to walk home without a worry of anything dangerous happening to them. That is until a woman is found murdered in the early hours of the morning. But surely the murderer couldn’t have been a man if he was tagged and home by 7?

I’m sorry to say that Cowie’s characters are incredibly unlikeable, and there’s no evidence of any growth or development as the novel went on. In fact, I’d even go as far as saying that what came across, was that the writer has an intense hatred for all men.

I found the storyline incredibly predictable, and there was nothing really keeping me engaged as I ploughed through. I think it had so much potential, but it’s as if she hasn’t taken the time to deepen the world she created, and it leaves the readers with so many unanswered questions.

I’m afraid to say it was a chore to read and I was left very unsatisfied.

This book, set approximately 30 years hence, foresees a potential alternative utopian/dystopian future where women feel safe both in public, where men are subject to a curfew from 7pm, leaving the streets as 'safe' male free zones, and in the home (because prior to cohabiting together men and women must attend counselling courses and have their relationship assessed only being able to cohabit if the requisite cohabitation certificate is provided).

Hugely interesting ideas and overall a very well-crafted book. As a fan of dystopian literature and as a legal academic interested in how states respond to gender based violence and abuse it is perhaps unsurprising that I found this book to be a fascinating read.

This is undoubtedly a provocative book. The book itself raised interesting issues about equality, and about individual rights. I thought that the use of curfew classes to explore why the laws were introduced was a good way to provide the reader with an understanding of the issues that the book hoped to explore/address, in an way that would be accessible to everyone, irrespective of their prior understanding of the legal issues. There are questions still left ... no consideration of the position of same sex couples, transgender individuals and how they fit into this new world but this is of course a novel so entirely understandable.

Importantly I thought this book worked very well as a murder mystery/thriller, engaging me to the very end. I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and I have to say I'm very pleased to have received it - this is probably one of my favourite books so far in 2022.

In the not too distant future, after a series of murders of women by men, a law was introduced that put men under a curfew. Shortly after that men were all electronically tagged and so were unable to be away from their homes between 7pm and 7am. Women's lives became much freer. They also are far more dominant in the workplace and elsewhere. And then a woman was attacked and murdered between those hours. The attacker couldn't be a man as he would have been tagged and discovered wouldn't he?

There is a cast of smaller and larger characters here. Pamela is a police officer who is investigating the case and she is nearing retirement. Sarah is a tagger who is responsible for making sure men are tagged. Her husband is in jail for breaking Curfew. Cass is her teenage daughter. Helen is one of Cass's teachers. This is not all the characters but they are probably the main ones. For me some of characters here became rather stereotypical at times sadly. A possible issue for me is that while the characters generally were ok I didn't find myself really engaged with any of them continuously.

The story does having shifting time lines. The murder aspect of this is "current time" while the other chapters start four weeks earlier and move towards the time of the murder. I guess there are two very distinct aspects of this story for me. There is the crime story and also the "what would the world look like if the Curfew idea was real" one. The crime story side was decent enough. On its own it might not have worked fully but couple it with the Curfew and I enjoyed it. The book manages to maintain a sense of mystery for quite some time - I prefer not to have spoilers so will say no more!

If anything the Curfew idea of the book was even more edgy than the crime side. The broader idea of Curfew was interesting and maybe shone something of a light onto the subject. It was definitely thought provoking. The detail of the idea however seemed to lead into the fact that at best men were a nuisance. I'd like to think that my world view was a fairly balanced one but I did feel rather uncomfortable reading this at times (and maybe that was the idea). Certainly there were no "good" men in this.

In the end maybe this was not not quite what I was expecting but in part it was maybe better than that. I do think that it was good that it was written. Possibly this is a hard book for any men to offer much in the way of comment on. It feels to me as though the tone of this at times seems almost comparable to some of the less desirable male stances. I am glad I read this and I think it will stay with me for sometime to come. I've be really interested in seeing another book from this author. 3.5/5

It was a thought provoking book. The synopsis caught my attention. I didn’t really know what to make of it. Not my usual read. It's about a dystopian future society having men on a curfew to protect women and women in power. It was very black and white and I wasn't keen in the idea of curfews in parts of society. I did read it and wanted to find out the ending. I'm not sure if I'd recommend it but each person is different so others may enjoy it more than I did.

“The power” meets “minority report” sums up this novel pretty accurately. The premise is interesting even though flawed and just like with “the power” good intentions quickly become anathemas. In a society where men have a curfew, a murder is committed but it cannot be a woman or can it? This sounds as ridiculous as it reads…. I can see where the author goes or attempts to go but I cannot buy into it. It might be a matter of taste or sensitivity and this book might be an absolute favourite for some, just not for me.