A Thrilling Read.

Many thanks to Orion Books and Netgalley for a FREE Advanced Review Copy of this book. 

Although this is book 5 in the Lacey Flint series, this is the first one I've read. I don't believe this detracts from the story at all, and I'm interested enough to go back and check out the previous four books, which I suspect will enlighten me as to how Lacey ended up where she is in this book.

"A few hours after midnight, two young women sat in a car close to the edge of a cliff; one of them was dead, the other merely felt that way." ... This has to be one of the best opening lines I've ever read.

From here, we're thrown into a dire clifftop drama, which almost results in a teen, male stranger going over the edge with the occupants of the car.  The narrative then jumps ahead twelve years, and we meet the main character, Lacey Flint, out on the Thames in a Kayak. Quickly, the action and drama ramp up again, and the reader is taken on a wild ride to discover the multiple who-dunnits and become embroiled in a fight to stop even worse events from unfolding.

The plot, pacing, characterisation, and world building were all excellently done. I found the premise, of men terrifying women back into the not-too-long-ago-dark-ages, wholly believable and pretty scary. All the reasons were both compelling and all too possible.

Here are some lines I loved ... "Driving the eighty miles from South London, with nothing but her own thoughts and the recriminations of a corpse beside her, had been harder than she'd expected." 

And ... "Tears were for bearable pain, for lighter sorrows; this pain couldn't possibly be released by tiny drops of water." 

And ... "The most important journey of Lacey's life was taken in a heartbeat."

This book kept me guessing all the way, and the pacing stayed racy, and the suspense up there, right until the end. I enjoyed this read immensely, and The Dark gets a solid five stars from me.

***

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.

Absolutely brilliant! Such a clever plot line, always one step ahead and chilling possibility in today’s world. I am sad it is over and wish I could read it again for the first time. More please!

A one sitting book that i found impossible to put down. One of the scariest books i have ever read and in my opinion the best book i have ever read by this author. The story delves into the dark web and the story of ' incels ' which i knew very little about. Full of disturbing scenes which left me speechless and constantly holding my breath but i just had to know the truth. Sharia law comes to the UK. This book deserves more than five stars and is a MUST READ!!!!!!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

I read this book in a day as I couldn't put it down. A chance encounter between two young people at the start thinking of ending their lives they have two choices, and how will those choices effect their lives .
Lacey is running from her past and has many secrets. In the police she tries to keep a low profile but someone is about to blow this apart.
A men's movement is causing havoc in the city targeting women. The leader has Lacey in his sights but why!!
A rollercoaster read ride until the very end

Having read a couple of Sharon’s books, I was intrigued to read this one when I saw it on NetGalley but not realising that it was the latest in the series of her Lacey Flint novels - more to add to my TBR list!

The book opens with a flashback to an event from the last that will have massive repercussions in the future. In the modern day, Lacey is working as part of the Thames river police and is off duty when, whilst canoeing home, a baby is abducted from its pram and placed in an inflatable unicorn on the Thames. Lacey springs into action and during this chase, a second pram and baby are tossed from the bridge high above the riverbank. Just what is going on?

This story delves in the dark web and the story of “incels”, which was new to me. I found this disturbing to read about, possibly because you can imagine over the course of the story how plans can come to fruition with a number of small changes by law. Some genuinely shocking scenes made me gasp but also want to read on to see what else would unfold.

Thank you NetGalley for my copy.

An excellent book. Quite a slow starter but stick with it & it becomes unputtadownable!
In fact it becomes quite scary that such groups could be real!!

Lacey Flint is back and oh how I've missed her. In this book we learn more about her past and are left gasping to know more about her future. The plot concerns an online group of incels (involuntary celibates) who are apparently planning a huge terrorist attack in order to attain their goals of completely subjugating women. The leader, Aryan is devious and manipulative and able to wind men up to commit lesser (though none the less devastating) attacks in the run up to the big day.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. I think there's one in the series I've missed so I'm off to see if I can find out which and buy it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Constable Lacey Flint is happy working as part the Metropolitan Thames Division, but she's avoiding promotion to detective and hiding a secret that could destroy her career, and ruin her relationships. Her world is turned upside down after saving an innocent child, and in doing so thwart the start of a new terrorist campaign. The leader of the terrorists recognises her, realises that he knows her secret, and teases her throughout his campaign of terror. With innocent lives and her dark secret in the hands of a madman, Lacey is running out of time to stop the terror.

Lacey Flint is just in the right place at the right time when she saves a baby thrown into the Thames, but this in its turn puts her in the crosshairs of a very dangerous man who she’s crossed paths with before. Right from the first page this book takes you, grips you and turns any expectations and ideas you think you know what’s going to happen on it’s head. It is also scarily plausible. Lacey is a complex, strong and interesting woman, and not the only one in this series. Helen, Dana and Georgie are also dynamically and relevant. A breath taking ride. Can’t wait for the next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Wow Sharon Bolton just gets better and better, I loved this latest novel featuring Lacey Flint and the subject matter was spot on with the way the world is, regarding equality and diversity between the sexes. The storyline doesn't let up for a minute and I can't wait for the next instalment but in the meantime I'm going to read the Lacey Flint books again

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

This is my first read by this author and I thought the premise of the book looked like my kind of read. And it most definitely was. Wow, wow, wow is all I can say. I absolutely loved this book, which is the fifth in a series and yet can still be read on it’s own. There are references to previous events which don’t take anything away from what is a great storyline. I was drawn into the story right from the start and think the author certainly knows how to set a scene, connect with her readers and reel them in. I really liked the main character Lacey, she is very unique, believable and from this book alone there are enough hints about her history to pique my interest and I’ll definitely be reading the previous books when I can. I think this is a very well written book with a believable and very credible plot line which maybe wouldn’t seem out of place in today’s world. Lacey works for the Met Police in their Marine Unit and foils a plot from a terrorism group who are targeting women. She, along with her colleagues have to try to find the leaders of this group who exist and hide behind the dark web. I loved that the story is told through the different characters and their perspectives and for some their fears and worries are well founded. There are a lot of separate story threads here, along with plenty of action and at times the author really ramps up the tension and suspense making me desperate to continue reading to find out what would come next. Overall I thought this was a very thrilling and compelling read, one I found really hard to put down and I had many wow moments when reading. I can’t fault this book at all and think this is a brilliant read from start to finish. If you like police procedurals, crime books I would definitely recommend this.

The latest in the excellent Lacey Flint series and this doesn't disappoint. Another gripping and thrilling story which keeps you engaged all the way through.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for an advance copy of The Dark, the fifth novel to feature PC Lacey Flint of the Met.

A baby is snatched from its pram and thrown into the Thames. By coincidence Lacey is there and able to save the child. Her on/off boyfriend DCI Mark Joesbury is not there by coincidence, he is tracking a new terrorist threat from the incel movement and thinks that this is the first escalation. Lacey’s daring rescue of the baby puts her in the group’s crosshairs.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Dark, which centres around the very topical subject of white male grievance. I’m not sure that it’s a big subject in the U.K. but the author shows how easy it would be to make it so. She paints a very scary and all too believable picture.

The novel is well constructed and builds to a crescendo with plot twists and tension in abundance. I was glued to the pages, wondering what would come next. It is clever the way it mixes Lacey’s secrets with the ever growing incel threat, because they seem to become intertwined with Lacey becoming the focal point of one man’s inadequacy and refusal to own his behaviour. That’s the problem with this kind of movement, it’s always someone else’s fault. I had a good guess at the perpetrator early on, but as it was only a guess it didn’t in any way impede my enjoyment of the read. The motive was more elusive, but very on message for this kind of movement. It made me chuckle at its aptness and the clever mind that conceived it. The final showdown twist was also a stroke of genius that had me totally fooled and I make that distinction because it’s not the final twist, which is a sort of cliffhanger if the reader chooses to see it that way. It certainly opens up possibilities or shuts them down. Again it’s a matter of perspective.

It has been a while since I spent time with Lacey, so some of the details the author assumes we remember were lost to me, but overall she explains the highlights sufficiently. Lacey is an interesting character. She has secrets and doesn’t give much away, so she’s intriguing but sometimes unknowable.

The Dark is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

An author whose books i’ve read before, so eager to start this one. It fast paced with believable characters and storyline! I only guessed near the end so it kept me on my toes! Think there could be a follow up going off the ending! A recommended book

It’s been a while since I’ve read Lacey Flint novel, it’s been a while since the author wrote one! Welcome back Lacey! The novel starts with a tense and dramatic Beachy Head clifftop encounter. Fast forward a few years to Lacey’s police career and the shocking abduction of a baby on the Thames embankment near Tower Bridge. A pram is then thrown into the river and some Hollywood worthy scenes ensue. I guess if you’re going to attract readers full attention, that would do it!

It’s an incredibly tense, exciting and fast paced read right from the start. You hold your breath (at times I don’t even realise I’m holding mine) then exhale in shock at the callousness and then in relief. However, it’s just a brief respite so you can catch your breath and ground yourself.

The plot gets way murkier than the Thames, which does play an important role, indeed it feels like a character exuding a lot of atmosphere. We take a deep dive into gender equality and plumb the depths of the Incel movement and this is very well researched. I learn a lot even if I’m not entirely sure I want to know (!) but being better informed is always a plus. It’s clever, unsettling especially as a female, it’s dark (Tor dark) and at times it’s incredibly scary. What unfolds seems to be about power, leadership and control and the perpetrators ignite one heck of a fire. Their demands are bonkers, it’s to be a horrific “fight back“ with a day of retribution! It’s a twisty, twisty, twisty mystery that escalates, it’s insidious, horrendous, unsavoury and extreme and there’s a very personal and potentially ruinous angle for Lacey.

It’s exciting from start to finish, it doesn’t quite end where you expect it to but that’s a plus. Sadly, what unfolds feels all too believable especially when you read some filth that’s spouted in the anonymity of social media. I do guess who the perpetrator is, it kind of had to be but it doesn’t spoil it.

I have a slight issue with one plot contrivance at the very start which resonates throughout but it’s not enough to stop a five star rating.

I really like the character of Lacey, she’s absolutely fascinating, a complete one off and I enjoy the relationship with DCI Mark Joesbury too.

I do hope there’s a number 6 to come!

With thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

She’s back! After an eight year absence – during which time Sharon Bolton has written several excellent standalone crime novels – Lacey Flint has returned in possibly her darkest and most dangerous case yet. It’s the fifth book in the series and after such a long wait, I’m pleased to report that I think it’s as good, maybe even better, than the previous four.

In The Dark, Lacey is still working as a police constable for the Metropolitan Police Marine Unit, not yet ready to consider going back to her old role as a detective. When a baby is snatched from its parents and thrown into the River Thames, Lacey is there to prevent a tragedy, but the incident leaves the police and the public shocked and confused. Who would want to harm an innocent baby? They don’t have to wait long for an answer; it soon emerges that the attack was carried out by a newly formed terrorist group calling themselves MenMatter. The group believe that men’s rights are being pushed aside and that women’s freedoms need to be restricted so that ‘natural order’ can be restored. The abduction of the baby was just the first of several terrorist attacks aimed at gaining publicity for their cause.

As DCI Mark Joesbury and his team at the London Met race against time to discover who is behind MenMatter, on the streets of London tensions between men and women begin to grow. It seems the terrorists are succeeding at creating fear and division; nobody is safe, but with her heroics on the river Lacey appears to have made herself a particular target. As she and Joesburys’ team try to identify the leaders of the group, Lacey discovers that her own secrets are at risk of being exposed. Can she help bring the criminals to justice while also ensuring that Joesbury never learns the truth about her past?

The Dark has a very topical plot; I’m sure it must have been inspired by the debate surrounding the murder of Sarah Everard in the UK last year, when questions were raised over the safety of women on the streets, as well as other 21st century policing problems such as the use of the dark web to plan and launch terrorist attacks and the growing online community of ‘incels’ (involuntary celibates). The scenarios Bolton describes seem almost dystopian but also frighteningly believable and possible. However, she doesn’t try to paint all men as misogynistic or violent and fans of the series will be pleased to know that Mark Joesbury is as wonderful as ever!

As well as some heart-stopping dramatic sequences which really made me fear for some of the characters’ lives, the novel also has a mystery element, with the police trying to uncover the identity of the incel leader behind the attacks. I had my suspicions and was proved to be correct, but that didn’t take away any of the tension as I waited to see when Lacey and the others would come to the same conclusion! It was particularly fascinating to watch Georgie, one of Joesbury’s team, use her knowledge of psychology and language patterns to form theories about online identities.

Of course, one of the highlights of the Lacey Flint series is Lacey Flint herself! In this book, Lacey’s secretive nature makes her particularly vulnerable and leads her to make some decisions that at first seem stupid and reckless but are actually the result of her desperation to conceal the truth about her troubled past. I wonder if this really is the last book in the series this time; it has quite a satisfying ending but there are still plenty of loose ends that haven’t been tied up and I would love to read more. On the other hand, I also love Sharon Bolton’s standalones so will be very happy to read whatever she writes next!

I love Sharon Bolton’s books, I read everything she writes, and enjoy every word.
This is a return to police officer Lacey Flint, the main character in several other books. When a baby is snatched from a pram and set adrift in the Thames, Lacey, who is off duty, saves the baby. As more worrying things begin to happen it seems there is a new terrorist threat, this time targeting women. It also, becomes apparent that the incels ( involuntary celebrates) have targeted Lacey. While the police are trying to unearth who is behind all the attacks and stop them with their own police intel, Lacey is intent on flushing them out and using herself as bait.
Highly recommend as I do all her books.

#TheDark #NetGalley

I love Sharon Bolton's writing but in particular I gave my heart long ago to Lacey Flint and Mark Joesbury. As usual the writing is compelling with a engaging and gripping plot and well dveeloped characters that no matter how flawed you can't help but like.
The plot line in this book was twisty and unpredictable and full of flints sassyness and flaws. I loved it and really hope that there is more to come.

I had thought the Lacey Flint series was finished so was very happy to see this new book. A very riveting edge of your seat thriller just like the previous books in this series. Although a not very nice subject about incels it is very believable and Lacey is right at the heart of their hate and is in real danger. This book is dark and harrowing but I just couldn’t put it down. Another rollercoaster of a story and I hope there is more to this series. I highly recommend this book and author. If you haven’t read any by Sharon you are missing a treat.

Six hours thirty-nine minutes of pure enjoyment, It was a riveting read, right from the first page to the last. Lacey Flint is back with a vengeance, she has secrets that would totally destroy her, if they got out her career as a police officer would be over and she would find herself in jail for a very long time. It's quite a while since the last book in the series but the preceding storyline did come back to me. Highly Recommend this book and it could easily be read as a stand-alone if you haven't read the previous books.