'The Dark' by Sharon J. Bolton is the latest novel in the Lacey Flint series. As the fifth book, there is a lot of backstory that was unfamiliar to me and so, it did take me a few chapters to understand the characters and the tangled web of their relationships. And I would recommend reading the previous novels to gain a complete understanding of the complex background.
Don't worty however, as there's also plenty of action taking place and this ensured that I was sufficiently entrigued to continue.
Lacey Flint is an experienced police office, working with the River Thames Marine Unit when she witnesses an abduction and finds herself thrown headfirst into a new and compelling case. She is swiftly reunited with previous characters such as Helen, Dana and Mark, each of whom plays a vital role in this new novel as the country faces a new threat.
The subject matter of the novel is certainly a topical one with the issues of incels, misogyny and retribution. The author has clearly done her research into this fascinating but disturbing area.

Lacey Flint is a police constable for the Metropolitan Police Marine Unit. When off duty and meeting some other off duty police friends for lunch, she just happens to be in the right place at the right time when a baby is grabbed from its pram and thrown into the river Thames. She saves the baby, but the men involved get away from Lacey and her colleagues.

DCI Mark Joesbury has been expecting an incident. What exactly, they didn’t know, but something in the area was expected to happen. Joesbury and his team have been monitoring the dark web, a seedy underbelly of the internet. There had been rumblings of an ‘attack’ on the Thames. It is all part of a new threat emerging from an extremist group of women hating men know as ‘incels’ - involuntary celibates. They believe all their problems, and that of the world are the fault of women, and that balance has to be returned to men. Joesbury and his team are trying to get to the bottom of exactly what the group has planned. But the dark web hides its secrets well.

Time is running out - the baby in the river was the first of many violent attacks. All focused on terrifying women. Lacey has become a prime target of the incel group as a result of saving the baby, putting her at the centre of the danger. They have to move fast before the incel’s plans come to fruition. But who can be trusted?

This was my first encounter with the Lacey Flint series. It is the fifth book in the series, and I had to ask myself, where have I been, because this was an absolutely unputdownable read! I felt I was missing out on a little backstory, with some of the tension and hinted drama between the characters. But it is so skillfully written that it worked just as well as a stand alone story. The teasers, that Lacey Flint used to be a detective, she has more secrets than we know, her previous success as a detective, yet she stepped away from the role, it all left me wanting more. (So I am glad I have the previous books to go back to!)

Combine the excellent writing and fantastic characters, with the deep dive into a dark underworld, which, while grim, scary, and sounding too crazy to be true, is based on unsettling truths, it made for an entirely gripping read. I devoured it in one sitting, and hope there is more to come.

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

I didn't know that this book was part of a series and I can honestly say that it didn't matter.

Too often a series book does one of two things; Either it assumes the reader already knows who everybody is and how they fit together, or the author spends a large amount of time giving a precis of what happened to get our protagonist to this point. Sharon Bolton did neither - and I thank her for that. I wasn' aware it was a series book before I requested it, and I didn't feel under or over-informed when I was reading it. She got the balance perfect.

The premise of the book is chillingly believable. There are shades of The Handmaid's Tale and nods to life for women under the Taliban and other controlling male-dominated regimes. The UK is under threat from a group of angry incels on the dark web who are planning to turn back the political clock to a time when men were men and women couldn't vote or hold public office. Oh, and every ugly nasty man would get 'assigned' a wife who has to do everything he wants her to. Lovely! The plot established such changes as being theoretically achievable.

Our heroine, Lacey Flint, has a chequered past, some of which I'm sure must have been introduced in earlier books, but she's a very sympathetic character. Her relationship with a fellow police officer was a bit perfunctory, but heck! what's a girl to do when she's trying to save babies from drowning, friends from freezing and the world from a return to the dark ages? I could forgive her. The cast of secondary characters is also very strong.

I would definitely read more books in this series if the opportunity arose.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy.

What a really enjoyable, well written and well paced story this is.

Not heard of this author before and wasn't aware that there were previous stories about the main character but that didn't detract in any way from my enjoyment of this book.

It really was hard to pause reading this to get on with other things and I'm now looking into more of this author's books.

I was completely enthralled by the threat of Incels portrayed in this novel. In fact I’d go as far as to say I was chilled and I don’t think I have ever said this before about a thriller. I went as far as looking at my Air Drop settings as a result of the plot. I recommend you all do this whether you read the novel or not!
The pace and tension was exquisite and the only reason this fell short of a 5 star read was that I just didn’t like the resolution. This is obviously a personal thing and altered the tension just to drama for me.
This is another of Netgalley’s excellent offerings free of charge in exchange for a review. I’m more than happy to provide this and in no way has my review been influenced by this.
I need to get a bit clever about books that form part of a series as I’ve gathered far too many in recent months and my TBR is huge as a result!

This book was so good, although the story itself a little bit disturbing in places but I was glued to it, a very good ending also ..

I am a long time fan of Ms Bolton's excellent writing but, for some reason, I've missed reading the Lacey Flint series. Before reading The Dark, I checked out the previous books to get a 'feel' for the character. I'm glad I did as there are a lot of references to previous cases and Flint's early life which would be quite daunting to a first time reader, especially in the first couple of chapters when a dazzling array of names were thrown in the mix along with snippets of each one's back story.. It is a fast-moving, entertaining read with a slightly predictable outcome but I'm sure Lacey Flint fans will be delighted with it.

Wow…. That’s all I can manage for a moment,
I can honestly say that’s the best book I’ve read for a long time, this was my first Lacey Flint book although I’m a Sharon Bolton fan, so I need to go back to the start I think!
However, back to this.. the subject matter is disturbing, and you could see how it could possibly become a harsh reality, and maybe is in some parts of the world, it makes for hard reading in places. It is very fast paced and absolutely believable from start to finish, superbly written, not over the top but above all a bloody good read.

A fantastically written book about an extremely disturbing underground (or not so) movement.
Lacey is an interesting character with plenty of attitude and the supporting cast of police officers and criminals are all eminently believable and well thought out.
The subject matter, of the incel movement, is horrifying in the size of backwards steps it proposes and the amount of abuse it instigates and encourages, making the book very uncomfortable to read in places as the 4 leaders of the movement step their game up and begin their hateful campaign.
That said, with more twists and turns than a roller coaster this book will keep you reading into the wee small hours!

I find it quite hard to review this book. I have followed the Lacey Flint series over the years and it was very good to catch up with her, and of course follow her difficult personal relationships and life in general. But the specifics of the plot, which is about the Incel movement and men who hate women, disturbed me so much that I found the novel difficult to read, much as I appreciated it was well done and well plotted.

I think the recent Sarah Everard case, as well as other crimes against women, made this topic too much for me at the moment.

Overall I think top marks for the plotting, writing and character of Lacey, but on a personal level it dropped a star for me due to the subject matter.

Wow!
When a baby is snatched from its pram and cast into the river Thames, off-duty police officer Lacey Flint is there to prevent disaster. But who would want to hurt a child?

There is SO MUCH happening here!… gripping and full of suspense and twists. And that ending is shocking. I never saw those reveals coming… I have to know what happens next!

I found this a rapidly moving thriller tackling the incel movement. I have heard of this but I found it a new topic for a book and was interested in the views expressed, while disagreeing!!
I was able to engage with the characters and was always keen to pick the story up again. The main character is unusual, presumably due to her back story. She is very focused and takes action apparently without thinking and without taking advice!
I was interested enough to buy another book about her!
Recommended

This trully was an utter joy to read! As always Sharon Bolton has hit a home run. This is exactly what thrillers aspire to be! I literally couldn't put it down. I've read all of the other books in the series but not having read them won't take away from how much you'll love this book at all. The characters are so beautifully written and so intelligently portrayed and well rounded. I'm madly in love with Mark btw and am longing for the relationship.him and Lacey have together. It's so kuch more than just a thriller, it's a mystery, there's romance, suspense, real current life issues and situations, and real life worries and threats which I loved! It's so fast paced and it drags you along and never let's up. There's no down time with this one, no filler pages or dragging things on and on.... it starts with such a bang and goes on at a break nace pace tile the end! Even the final page still has yet another twist to end on a cliff hanger. It's so well paced and never feels rushed or tied up just to close out the book. There's no loose ends or things that don't add up.... its just such an amazing story and I dare anyone to dislike it

I absolutely loved this book!

I didn't realise that it was the latest in a series, but it was exceptionally easy to get into. The author did a fantastic job of feeding me enough information that I had a good idea of any important facts pertaining to the characters from previous books.

This is probably the first time that I've read a crime book and felt genuinely uncomfortable. Unlike most crime books, which focus on serial killers or outlandish acts of terrorism, this one was far closer to home. The incel movement is very real and insidious, as a woman it's frightening to know that there are probably men much closer than I'd like with these views. That makes the threat in this book more real to me; these are people who hate half the world's population and probably dislike everything I stand for. With how common extreme right wing terrorism is, it made The Dark a very current and uncomfortable read. But I liked that at the same time.

These were predominantely female characters (except Joesbury) who were facing a threat that hated their existence. Each character went through their own struggles and fear around it, whilst Lacey had an extra fear on top. I enjoyed how Joesbury reacted to the ideology he was presented, it gives you hope.

The Dark also felt very well researched, alongside being well written. I can't imagine what the author had to read in order to research this book, and it came together perfectly in this story. Everything felt realistic, possibly a little too close to home sometimes!

Thank you to Orion and NetGalley for letting me read and review this early! It was an excellent crime story with rich characters and creepy antagonists!

This is the fifth novel in the Lacey Flint series by author Sharon J. Bolton.

Lacey Flint is a little bit of a mystery with a secret past that she very much wants to remain secret. A very strong character who enjoys the company of men, which often leads to potential trouble for Detective Lacey Flint. She is a risk taker and adopts a no nonsense approach to both work and life.

Off duty police officer Lacey Flint is reluctantly involved in a crime when a baby is snatched from its pram and thrown into the river Thames. Her natural instinct is to get involved and try to save the child.

Meanwhile DCI Mark Joesbury had feared the worse when on monitoring some dark web sites had witnessed a new terrorist threat from the extremist, women-hating, group known as ‘incels’ or ‘involuntary celibates.’. The pressure is on to put a stop to this group before further crimes are committed but first they must deal with the snatching of a child, the first in a series of violent attacks designed to terrorise women. The case becomes very personal when the leaders of the group appear to focus on Lacey and make her a figure of hate for the sect which obviously makes her very vulnerable.

These books have good plots and are well written but the the character Lacey Flint is very much the star of the show. Exciting character who is multi faceted and never far from the action. A very enjoyable read that would work as a stand alone.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Orion for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my gosh Sharon Bolton has done it again and Lacey is back with a bang!
It's been several years since the last Lacey Flint book and I was delighted to hear that there would be a new novel about one of the best heroines in crime hitting the shelves this year.
This really didn't disappoint. It felt incredibly up to date, featuring incels (genuinely terrifying), cyber threats, political attacks and demonstrating the speed at which a new normal can change the public arena. Covid isn't mentioned but the air of fear and anxiety arousing from an ever present, often unseen danger as well as the claustrophobic feeling of being kept indoors for your own safety is definitely present.
Lacey is as brilliant as ever and once again her past is lurking, threatening to surface and be revealed. All our favourite characters are back too with Joesbury, Dana and Helen all present and so beautifully characterised.
Honestly it was a gripping, electric, edge of the seat narrative and all I'm wishing for now is the next instalment.

Great to have PC Lacey Flint back in this latest from Sharon Bolton. After a baby is snatched and thrown into the Thames, Lacey witnesses the scenario and rushes into the canoe to rescue the baby. A series of events follow and a new woman hate group is prevalent in the city on the dark web. DCI Mark Joesbury heads up in investigation and needs to identify the leaders behind this new terrorist group.
It’s becoming harder for Lacey to conceal her troubled past, and nearly comes to surface in this instalment. Can’t want to see how
Lacey deals with this going forward. This can be read as the series or standalone as goes into detail on past events.

*4.5 stars*

Police officer Lacey Flint is back!

Lacey is off duty when a baby is snatched from its pram and mercilessly thrown into the River Thames - by coincidence though, Lacey is nearby, and manages to save the baby, but who on earth would do something so wicked?

DCI Mark Joesbury isn’t surprised however, he and his team have been monitoring the dark web looking at a group of women hating ‘incels’ (members of an online community of young men who consider themselves unable to attract women sexually, typically associated with views that are not only hostile towards women, but also men who are sexually active), and what better way to hurt a woman than by abducting and killing her child!

It’s clear that Joesbury has his hands full here, and things are about to get a whole lot worse, especially when he discovers that Lacey embodies everything the incels hate about women, and becomes their prime target!


Goodness me! This was a real roller coaster of twists and turns. I did guess who the perpetrator was pretty early on, but it didn’t really spoil my enjoyment of it, particularly as the author is so adept in her use of smoke and mirrors!

I hadn’t read any of the previous Lacey Flint books so when I was given an ARC of this story, I only knew it would be a crime thriller. I did find that it didn’t matter that I hadn’t read any of the others.

This story is disturbing because it latches onto the very real threat of men who hate women – for various reasons but mainly because they can’t make relationships and blame everyone but themselves. I’d never heard of ‘incels’, until about a month ago when another story mentioned them – this one brought the horror to life. To me, they are a bunch of pathetic and entitled people who don’t feel the responsibility for their own lives.

However, these ‘idiots’ bring about a spree of terrorist acts in the name of ridiculous demands – for the ‘natural order of things’, where women should be in the kitchen or bedroom and have no power over their lives. No woman is safe. They have conveniently forgotten that it’s always been a ‘man’s world’ and women have had to fight for the crumbs.

Although the focus is on this terrorist group, the story is about more than this, which involves Lacey’s past.

I really liked the writing style, and it was great to read British English (except for chamomile, which is camomile in the UK). It’s set in London and the descriptions give a good sense of place. The cast of characters fits well into the plot. The plot has its twist and turns. All very well done, in my opinion.

Overall, this was a brilliant police drama and though I felt angry about the terrorists, I enjoyed it because it held my attention all the way through. Definitely a ‘dark’ read.

A recommended read!

I really enjoyed this thrilling story but wish so much that I had read the previous books, and will do so now. The novel worked well as a standalone, but I need to know exactly what happened to Lacey in the past, and how her relationship with Mark began and developed. This was a riveting read, with shocking and disturbing moments. There were times when I thought the plot seemed just too implausible, while at the same time being aware that anything is possible in the world of today. The writing was brilliant, and the ending made me desperate to read the next book. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy.