Rating: 3.2/5

When investigative journalist, Freya Sinclair, returns to her childhood home of Orkney, she is expecting her working life to be considerably quieter and less stressful than the position she has left behind in Glasgow. However, when human remains are uncovered during a stormy night, it turns out to be the start of an investigation into a disturbing conspiracy - and all this while Freya is also waiting on the outcome of an autism assessment.

There are some really impressive elements to this debut novel from Daniel Aubrey. The backdrop of Orkney with its unique history and character creates an appealing setting for the action. The various members of the dramatis personae are relatable and well-drawn. The mystery at the heart of the storyline is credible, engaging and as the narrative unfolds there are moments of genuine nail-biting tension. Against these positive characteristics, there are also aspects that aren't executed quite as slickly as they could have been. One of the downsides of being a series opener is that the author has to cover a lot of groundwork and not only introduce a cast of characters, but also make sure that the reader can gain a sound insight into the key players - particularly the central protagonist. It can be tricky to strike a suitable balance and I am not convinced that Daniel Aubrey consistently hit the sweet spot. There were a number of occasions where Freya's emotional state and fraught reaction to various situations became a touch frustrating. Yes, the reader needs to understand her character, challenges and motivation, but, at times, I felt this caused pacing issues by getting in the way of the mystery at the heart of the story rather than enhancing it.

Nonetheless, the overall impression of "Dark Island" is a positive one and there is certainly enough here to tempt me to come back for the next book in the series.

Whilst this book is at heart a crime novel, I really enjoyed the way this was done with a really unique main character. Thank you for letting me review this book

Journalist Freya, together with husband Tom and dog Luna return to her childhood home of Orkney, following a traumatic time reporting on the mainland for The Herald. Freya comes with plenty of baggage. Despite a scoop concerning a predatory GP she has had a rough time, run ins with colleagues and management, a failure to publish more injustices and a mental health concern that overrides daily existence. She wants a fresh start in Orkney writing for the local newspaper.

A storm uncovers two bodies, the bodies have been there some time. are they the bodies of the teenagers that went missing 17 years ago, believed by the Police to have committed suicide. Freya is asked to shadow experienced reporter Gill in covering the story but soon Freya’s previous problems start to raise their head again. Her mental health problems which make her determined and spot things others miss, also cause issues with the other reporters and the papers management as she uncovers a 17 year old mystery and conspiracy.

Is her source to be trusted, why have they resurfaced after all this time and why do they want to help her.

This is a well constructed plot, with a couple of twists (I got part of it, but not it all) and describes Orkney from the perspective of someone who has spent a long time there. Freya’s battle with her demons are well described and documented but for me there was too much about it and that interrupted the flow of the story. As the ending leaves it open for a sequel I would rather the details of her problems have come over a longer time and less intensively. This is written by someone who has been diagnosed late in life with neuro divergence and it feels like the author is writing at length about his personal experience .

Will I read a sequel, yes I will. I want to know how it works out for Freya as she continues her investigations into the dark side of Orkney, I want to know how she resolves her need for a diagnosis for what she suspects is autism and I want her to be successful and happy.

I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperNorth for an advance copy of Dark Island, the first novel to feature journalist Freya Sinclair, set in the Orkney Islands.

Everything in Freya’s life is changing. She is waiting on the results of her autism assessment and has moved back to Orkney, where she grew up, from Glasgow, swapping a job at one of Scotland’s most prestigious newspapers for a local reporter role. On her first day in her new job human remains are uncovered after a storm. Freya becomes obsessive about investigating the murder and puts herself, her job and her family in danger.

I enjoyed Dark Island, which is a strong debut with an atmospheric setting and a plot that takes a direction I didn’t expect. It is told almost entirely from Freya’s point of view with a few passages in italics from an unidentified person with links to the remains and vengeance in mind. These passages add nothing to the narrative during the majority of the novel, but add context to the resolution.

This is Freya’s novel as it is all about her thoughts and actions. She is neurodivergent and in fiction there are pros and cons to this. It is important for fiction to acknowledge and feature all types of people, so Freya is doing her bit to educate us “normies” on the complexities of her life. On the other hand, she is impulsive and obsessive with a frail grip on her emotions. It gets her into dangerous situations and it is a bit frustrating for the more clear headed reader. I don’t think she understands the phrase “stop and think”, so it certainly makes for a more exciting read.

The novel opens with the discovery of human remains and moves on from there. Obviously with buried remains the answers lie in the past, so Freya starts excavating it. She has help, but is remarkably resourceful herself. What she uncovers is not novel in crime fiction, but the author puts his own stamp on it and throws in some great twists towards the end. Throughout, the novel is propulsive and immersive (apart from the times that it got so tense I had to take a breather).

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

A great thriller, it was a fast-paced, realistic read that had me turning the pages late into the night!

Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into this book. I found it hard to connect or care about any of the characters, and I felt I didn't even know much about the main character for the majority of the book. I also found the italised paragraphs really random without a crumb of context for the majority (again). It didn't feel high stakes or have a lot of tension, and Freya was just generally unprofessional and in need of therapy. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

This book was brilliant! Well-planned, fast-paced and a joy to read. I am very much looking forward to whatever this author writes next, because if this is a debut we are all in for quite a treat.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

A pacy read with a great female lead and an evocative setting. Dark Island would make a great TV crime drama series too!

I absolutely raced through this fast paced, exciting murder mystery set in Orkney. Daniel Aubrey's writing skills and descriptions successfully transported me to winter in the dark islands. Newspaper reporter Freya is such a brilliant and complex character that I hope will appear in more books. Thank you to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for an arc.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have loved everything this author has written and this was no exception and probably one of the best. Great storyline and great characters . Would recommend.

This is a fast paced mystery with a great charter Freya. It had me gripped throughout. I look forward to reading more

I love this genre of book so I was excited to get to read it. Definitely recommend it if you're a fan of thrillers.

This was a fast-paced, gritty read. It was beautifully written with vivid imagery and not an ounce of descriptive cliche which I find in most thriller novels. I loved this brilliant and complex female lead and thoroughly look forward to the next instalment.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have a soft spot for mysteries where the sleuth is a journalist. This was an excellent example of the genre.
After a difficult few years working at The Herald, Freya Sinclair returns to her homeland of Orkney for a fresh start at The Orcadian. Her husband, Tom, has given up his job in Glasgow, convinced the slower pace of the islands will be good for Freya’s mental health. But on day one in her new job, remains are found at Skara Brae. At first assumed to be ancient relics from the prehistoric village, the bones are revealed to be more recent and are soon linked to a contemporary of Freya’s, who went missing from her school twenty-five years earlier.
Freya’s obsessive personality and tendency towards sensory overload compound an already overwhelming scenario. With Freya going rogue before she’s even got to the newspaper office, is her new life set to derail on the first day?
The suspenseful plot is revealed logically and at a good pace, and Freya makes an engaging and relatable protagonist. The prose is ‘invisibly’ good – smooth, devoid of pretension and nothing to trip or distract the reader. Yet descriptions still manage to evoke the distinctive setting of Orkney.
I look forward to reading book two in the series, which is neatly set up at the end of book one.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

Still healing from the life she has left behind in Glasgow, Freya moves back to her childhood home of Orkney, swapping a job at one of Scotland’s top broadsheets for one at the local paper. But any plans Freya and her husband had for a quiet life are soon shattered, when human remains are unburied by a winter storm. Struggling to fit in with her new colleagues, and unable to stop herself from searching for answers, Freya’s neurodivergence is both a gift and a curse, leading her ever closer to the truth, but in the process threatening her job, her marriage, and her life.

Do you ever start reading a book, and immediately know that you’re in for a good time? I loved the way Dark Island was written, especially the way Daniel Aubrey vividly describes the beautiful and threatening Orkney landscape. The small town setting helped to create the sense of a community with something to hide, and one that Freya will have to fight to get to the truth. I loved the way that I never knew who to trust, or what would happen next. This also came from the main character, who is awaiting the results of an autism assessment as she starts her new job. While I have to admit that I found some of Freya’s struggles and habits a little frustrating as a reader, meaning that Dark Island wasn’t quite a five-star read for me, I did like the way Freya’s character contributed to her difficulties. In a genre that can become a little repetitive, Freya is an original protagonist, who I think offers some important representation.

Dark Island is mostly set over only a few days, and I was hooked from the very start. Its ending seems to set up a sequel, and I would certainly enjoy learning more about these characters, and reading more beautifully-written thrillers set in such a gorgeous landscape.

#DarkIsland #NetGalley
Best of 2024.
Reporter Freya Sinclair has always known she was different. While waiting on the outcome of an autism assessment, Freya uproots her life in Glasgow, quitting her job at one of Scotland’s top broadsheets and taking a local beat in her childhood home of Orkney. But her plans for a quiet life are shattered when human remains are unburied by a winter storm on Orkney’s wild Atlantic coast. The identity of the bones opens old wounds in the islands, and sheds light on a darker truth nobody wants to accept. As the nights draw in, Freya’s obsessive hunt for answers turns into a cat and mouse game, with each secret she unearths threatening her job, her family, and presenting a murderer with their next victim. In a place where nothing stays buried forever, is uncovering the truth more important than saving lives?
Wow!!! What did I just read? I swear I didn't figure out about that ending. Loved it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harpernorth for giving me an advance copy..

A well paced, gripping read, set in Orkney, this book was a real page turner. Good for fans of Peter May's Lewis trilogy, and made me hungry for more. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review of the book.

Loved this! Read it in two nights and stayed up way too late to finish it, I was down to 4% on my battery, something Freya would totally understand.

This was Will Dean meets Ann Cleeves but with Daniel Aubrey’s own unique voice. Freya was a fascinating, if somewhat frustrating character. I’m dying to find out more about Fergus and the set up for future books in the series was so intriguing.

My daughter has just been studying Orkney and Skara Brae (we even made a version in Minecraft) and with Daniel’s evocative descriptions I was driving through those landscapes with Freya - and kind of wishing I wasn’t along for some of the ride!

Reading the author’s bio it’s clear how authentic and raw the voice is, which shines through. There are some authors and series which I buy without even needing to read the blurb, Daniel Aubrey’s Orkney Mysteries just made this list.

Wow! I read many crime books, but this one stands out for all the right reasons.

‘These islands are terrible at keeping their secrets. Nothing in Orkney stays buried forever. Freya already knew that, didn’t need the reminder, but she still got one this morning.’

In Dark Island, reporter Freya has moved back with her husband to her childhood home of Orkney after quitting her life in Glasgow. Her new job at the local paper veers from the expected sedate pace when a wild winter storm reveals human remains at Skara Brae on the Atlantic coast. Freya pursues the truth with disregard for her own safety to the point of obsession. I loved her unique quirks, tenacity and battles with her undiagnosed autism traits. Her thoughts and interactions with her co-workers, suspects, the police and witnesses allow us to see the world through her perspective, which is both atmospheric and revealing. From her abrupt and abrasive co-reporter Gill to DI Muir, all the characters are distinctive. Freya ends up in many hairy situations and close calls: I couldn’t put it down. The identity of the bones uncovers old secrets that threaten her job and even her life.

Most books play like a 2D film in my head. However, Daniel Aubrey engineered a fully 3D experience using tangible and sensory prose – and here’s the really clever bit – without ever slowing down the pace and taut plot. 

Evocative of place, with fully formed characters and a gripping plot. This novel is a fantastic read; I was hooked from start to finish and recommend it to all crime fans.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperNorth for the ARC.