Sisters Ellen and Rosanna lost their parents when they were children and were raised by their Aunt and Uncle. Now sharing a flat, when Rosanna has problems with her latest boyfriend – the very much married Matt Leyton - and Ellen spots him on the platform at an underground station on her way home, she’s determined to let him know what she thinks of him.
What happened on that platform sees Ellen waiting for a knock on the door from the police. Except it doesn’t come. Neither is there anything broadcast on the news or reported in the paper. That immediately triggered my curiosity. Surely what happened would have at least made the local news and papers. But it hasn’t.
I felt although this began as a psychological thriller, once Carl, who was helping Ellen, discovered the truth about what had happened to Matt Leyton, it took on completely different identity. I was interested to find out what the writer had planned for the main characters. For me, the whole story became more about how events triggered a force for change in each of them. The end was neatly wrapped up, and very plausible. It’s probably going to disappoint someone who thinks this will be an edge of the seat, nail biting read. It isn’t that at all. Yes, there are moments of tension, and there is drama, but it’s definitely not a cover-to-cover thriller.
Recommended.
I would like to thank Storm Publishing, Deirdre Palmer and Netgalley for an ARC of The Girl in the Dark in exchange for an honest review.

So, I just finished reading "The Girl in the Dark" by Deirdre Palmer, and I've got some mixed feelings about it. This book follows the lives of two sisters, Ellen and Rosie, who find themselves in a complicated web of emotions and actions.

Ellen's chance encounter with her sister's married lover, Matt, at a train station sets off a series of events that lead her to believe she's committed a terrible act. From here, the plot was generally ok, but the characters and their actions and emotions were too superficial

There were moments of suspense but the story was disjointed and all over the place with things introduced that just added to the clutter.

The characters were interesting, but some, like Georgie and Emily, felt a bit unnecessary to the plot. I struggled to see their contribution to the story. And as for the message of the book, I'm not entirely sure what it was trying to convey.

While it wasn't a page-turner for me, I can appreciate the slow burn approach that Palmer took. It did build tension, even though it took its time. I would still be open to reading more from this author in the future, but this particular book didn't quite hit the mark for me. It's a case of "not great, but I didn't hate it either," just like some of the other reviews mentioned.

Ellen and her sister Rosie are orphans living in London . Rosie has been in a relationship with a married man, Matt . Ellen sees him at an underground station and thinks she has pushed him in front of a tube train. She becomes disorientated after this, stealing money at work, leaving her job and hiding out in a disused underground station. Her sister also packs her job in and goes to Cornwall to stay with friends.
Now I have finished, the plot was OK, though emtions were quite superficial, lots of new elements introduced into the plot at random intervals and there was not a great deal of suspense. Rather than a psycholigical thriller, poor Ellen seemed to have had a breakdown and to have obsessive tendencies based on her sister's experience (her sister was less affected by what had happened) . No real twists in the story and chapters where either nothing much happened or the plot took off on a completely unexpected path . I am not sure what some characters added to the book (Georgie. Emily) and what the message in the book was supposed to be.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC, not great, but I didn't hate it either.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

3 stars. Sadly, this book was not for me. I didn't love the writing and I found the characters petty amongst a slow burn of a story. I have read other books from this author and loved them, so I think this one just didn't resonate with me. I will pick up more from this author, however.

The Girl in the Dark:
Five stars!! I read this book in one day. I could not put it down. It shows how ordinary people cope with the challenges of life. The characters are memorable and I couldn’t wait to find out what happens to them!

This is the second book I have read by this author and like the first really enjoyed it
A good robust plot and characters and plenty of twists to keep me wondering what was going to happen next
It did take a while to build up but thats not a negative as this adds to the tension of the storyline
A really good thriller and look forward to the next book by this author

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the arc opportunity.

There was a level of suspense and unknown to the book but not what I expected from the description. I struggled to get into the storyline and relate to the characters. There were several characters introduced - not sure they added to the storyline - and many of the chapters didn’t give us any addition information or add to the plot. I really didn’t see any twists and turns as I normally would with a suspense book.

A solid thriller that sucked me in from the very first page. This book is full of twists and turns and you do not expect the ending AT ALL. The author kept me guessing throughout and just when I thought I had things figured out, BAM, another twist. I was rooting for Carl and Ellen throughout the book and was satisfied when it finally happened, I'm glad :) Rosanna was very mysterious throughout the book and was a great supporting character to Ellen. I feel like you could have further explored the sisterly bond of their childhood--however the mystery of the secrets from childhood set up for a good ending. I loved the multiple viewpoints and thought it gave the book great depth and made for easy reading. Loved this book and will definitely recommend to my followers on Tik Tok and Facebook!!

Ellen Randall has a secret or she thinks she does.What if events don't always appear as they seem?

A brilliant book which takes us through every emotion Ellen has

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for this arc

4 stars

When Ellen sees her sister's married lover Matthew at the train station, she sees red and pushes through the crowd to give him a piece of her mind. As the train is approaching they tussle, Ellen runs off and Matthew disappears. Is she a murderer?

Carl finds Ellen wrapped in a sleeping bag in a disused tube station. He wants to help her, as even after confiding in him, he is convinced she is not a killer!!!

A slow burner that took me a while to get into it. However it was still a good read with interesting characters.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this, but I don't feel it should be categorized as a psychological thriller. It's more women's fiction or just general fiction (with suspense elements), in my opinion.

Weird weird weird. One sister moving away. One sister pretending she is homeless. Who is Matt and why is his death not on the news? Why is this Carl guy getting involved. just weird....

Ellen and Rosanna Randall are sisters, living and working in London. Rosanna is very much the more outgoing of the two, and thinks she has found her ideal man. When Matt breaks up with her just before Christmas, Rosanna is desolate. Quite aware that he was married, nevertheless she really thought he was the one. Unbeknownst to Rosanna, Ellen decides to take matters into her own hands when she has a chance meeting with Matt at Victoria tube station.

I’m quite unsure what to think about this book. There were so many chapters where absolutely nothing happens, and others that just meander along. There was definitely a lack of depth, and all very predictable, no twists at all. The pace of the book was cautious and at times laborious, very much a slow burn.

Not a page turner for me.

2.5* rounded down.

Thank you NetGalley.

"Some things happen in the proper order. Other things happen entirely the wrong way round. Well, I guess there’s always a reason."

This wasn't like any psychological thriller I've ever read but I'm not complaining as you can tell by the five-star rating. There were no crazy mysteries to solve, no crazy plot twists yet the author was able to keep me captivated and intrigued all throughout the book. I was never bored. I truly wanted to keep reading and find out what was happening with each and every character. The multiple POVs I very much enjoyed- getting inside the heads of the of each character was a great way to keep the reader invested in the story. I was really pulled into this story, and I loved how it came together at the end-not too perfectly and realistic. I will say that I don't think this book will be for everyone, but I highly recommend giving it a try and keep an open mind. Don't compare it to any other psychological thriller you have read because this book deserves its own category.
Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for my Advanced Readers E-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a light but enjoyable read. It kept my interest but I did not find it to be a truly psychological thriller. It lacked depth for me. It was a little too predictable. I spent most of the book expecting a lot more to happen and there to be some more unpredictable twists.

The synopsis of this book had me desperately wanting to read it, but sadly, I was left a little deflated. Not that it wasn't an enjoyable book, just not what I was expecting.
It's a slow burn, light suspense novel about Ellen who has murdered her sister's lover, and as a result, her world starts to unravel.

I felt the plot lacked substance and
I had a difficult time staying interested in the characters and story and was left wanting more.

It was a quick read and, for the most part, was enjoyable. It just wasn't for me who loves a fast-paced, twisty storyline.

Thank you to #stormpublishing and #Netgally for the arc

Publishing date September 13th

Reading the blurb I was desperate to read this.

It didn’t quite work out. This doesn’t really qualify as a thriller/mystery as it has all been done before and the pacing almost made this feel unreadable.

I loved it! It wasn’t what I expected from the name!

There was so much depth in everyone’s feelings which was a massive surprise and made you care about them all so much.

I was rooting for the couple to realise and was a great tied up ending.

A good read :)

This was a slow burner thriller which took me a while to get into but once I did I really enjoyed it. So glad I stuck with it. It was definitely a mystery thriller which was brilliantly written definitely recommend this.

3.5 stars, rounded to 3.

This kept my interest, but not a whole lot happened. I was expecting a few more plot twists, anything to propel the story, but I was left wanting a little more. Psychological suspense? A little. Moderately interesting plot? Yes. Would I read more from the author? Yes.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.