When Zoey gets a panicked phone call from her sister, Evie, informing her that their old family home has burned to the ground and two bodies have been found in the cistern, Zoey returns to her strange, isolated hometown for the first time in years. While the FBI begin their investigation, the locals begin one of their own, rehashing rumors of a cult that used to operate in the area and an unsolved disappearance which still haunts the town. As more questions pile up, Zoey realizes she can’t go home until she gets some answers. But it’s hard to get answers when just about everyone is hiding something.

This book is full of so many twists and turns, I almost got whiplash! This is definitely the kind of story where anything can happen and just about anything does. I was floored as each new revelation came, wondering who could be trusted and who was telling the truth. Because, let me tell you, very few people in this book tell the truth, lol.

But it all mostly comes together in the end to create a sensational story of family, betrayal, friendship, and loyalty; it’s got some heavy themes that all coalesce together into a great mystery/thriller.

I say “mostly” because there IS a lot going on, and I’m not sure we got answers as to how everything fit together in the end. Some things I’m still not exactly sure about, and with everyone lying, or at least stretching the truth, I couldn’t tell what was what. So, I wish some things were a little more clear.

However, I’m not really complaining. The big questions were all answered well, and I loved the ultimate ending. It was fitting. It really “had to” happen that way (read it and you’ll know what I mean).

Overall, this was a great mystery/thriller, with plenty to keep me interested. It’s got a ton of twists and tons of thrills and chills!

Girl In The Dark by J.M. Cannon is a low-tier thriller. Zoey receives a call from her older sister - their childhood home has been burned to the ground. Even worse, two bodies were found inside. Because, at the same time, her mother and father are missing, Zoey struggles to find out the truth about the bodies and about her family.

Books about cults are always a must-read for me, but honestly...this one was a waste of time. Flat, one dimensional characters. Non-sensical activities. Zoey making stupid decision after stupid decision.

This might benefit another pass by an editor, but I don't know that it will make this anything.

The true strength of "Girl in the Dark" is its atmospheric setting and vivid imagery.

Unfortunately, the novel's characterization and plot development fall short. The protagonist, while sympathetic, lacks the depth and complexity needed to connect with readers on an emotional level. Similarly, the supporting cast of characters feels underdeveloped, with their motivations and actions often feeling superficial and contrived.

The plot, while initially promising, quickly becomes predictable and formulaic, relying on clichés and tropes rather than offering anything genuinely original or thought-provoking. As a result, the twists and turns that are meant to surprise readers ultimately fall flat, leaving them feeling underwhelmed and unsatisfied.

"Girl in the Dark" is a novel with potential that ultimately fails to meet expectations. While it offers moments of intrigue and suspense, its lackluster characterization and predictable plot prevent it from truly shining. Despite its flaws, it may still appeal to readers looking for a quick and atmospheric read in the thriller genre. This would make a great airplane read, or car ride audio listen.
Big thanks to Netgalley, Victory editing, and the author J.M. Cannon for providing me with an ARC to review

I received a free ARC of this novel via Netgalley. I am providing my honest review.

The basics:
Zoey Knight receives a panicked call from her elder sister in the middle of the night— their childhood home has burned to the ground and two bodies were discovered inside. As Zoey works to ensure the bodies aren’t her missing mother and father, she quickly realizes the double-homicide case has much more sinister twists than she anticipated.

My thoughts:
Overall, this was a pretty basic thriller. Some of the twists were very interesting and I did not see them coming, but I was able to predict most of them. However, the novel was a very quick read, so I didn’t mind. I also really enjoyed Michael as a very well rounded and versatile character. I definitely found myself gravitating towards his chapters.

I did, however, have a few criticisms. I felt that every character (outside of Michael) was very one-dimensional and limited. I was particularly disappointed by Evie’s characteristics. The author chose to make her very childish and stagnant, but I felt the story would have been elevated much more if she carried some of the cynical traits of her mother. I also felt the author was trying to incorporate too many plots at once, which ultimately made each plot very simplistic. It’s really hard to successfully write kidnapping, identity fraud, missing persons, and cults effectively in the same novel. I felt the characters and overall book would have been much stronger if the author narrowed their focus. Lastly, I felt that Zoey was a completely unrealistic character. I am personally very tired of the “FMC with no law enforcement experience inserting herself into the middle of an investigation and making it worse rather than letting professionals handle it” trope, but that’s really all this novel was. Zoey consistently made poor, awful choices that could have cost her life with no remorse. She never used logic or critical thinking when making her decisions, so her chapters were honestly really tiresome to read.

Overall, I would recommend this novel to someone that’s looking for a quick, basic thriller.

I loved this book. I was instantly hooked and unable to stop reading. Great twists I didn’t see coming and kept me intrigued from the beginning to the end.

The premise was very intriguing, and I was excited to read. However, the writing was not my cup of tea and the story kind of became far fetched. It was difficult for me to finish, and just when I thought I was hooked back in the story went off the rails again. There were some good twists though.

This book had my head spinning trying to figure out what happened. This town was creepy and the story line grabbed my attention right away. There are so many different mysteries going on. Zoey is a strong female main character and when she finally finds out the truth my mouth dropped. I truly did not expect the twists and turns this book was giving me. It was written so well and I loved hearing about everyone’s story and how it all clicked together. I would love to read this again knowing everything I know now. Thank you for giving me a copy!

Girl In The Dark by J.M. Cannon is an excellent thriller that was an incredibly tense and gripping read.
Cannon has crafted a very suspenseful read that kept me glued to my Kindle.
This story just drew me in from the first page and I was lost. From the very beginning this was a gripping and unputdownable story.

Thank You NetGalley and Victory Editing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Girl in the Dark wasn't my favorite thriller but it was decent and a quick read. I felt very lost in the beginning, many characters were thrown at me but I didn't feel like I knew much about them or how/why they were significant. The end of the book had me hooked though. If the beginning was better written, I wouldn't loved this book. I feel like the author was trying to incorporate too many elements of thrillers that the plot got lost till the very end, ex: cult, murder(s), deception, mental illness. There was just too much going on that wasn't explained till the last 100 pages or so.

I feel like this book could have been a top thriller for me if the plot and characters were a little more fleshed out. I think that’s the only thing that stopped me from being more invested.

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Thank you, NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, I would like to thank NetGalley and Victory Editing for pulling me out of a reading slump by providing me with an ARC of this book!
This book was literally unputdownable - it was so fast-paced, action-packed, I really wanted to find out the truth, see the full picture. The story had many sub-plots but it didn’t feel overwhelming or confusing - the main question was if they were somehow connected to the main plot/each other or not.
I knew that this was going to be a gripping story when Zoey visited Charlotte for the first time - the tension, doubts, suspicion were everything (and that weird conversation between them was *chef’s kiss*).
I loved the writing style - I felt the tension, angst, despair. The same applies to the characters: they were not flat at all, their distinct features and deeds made it possible to feel concerned about some and to feel absolute hatred towards others.
I would like to congratulate to J. M. Cannon on this twisty and thrilling book and I’ll definitely put her other books on my #tbr , I’m already a fan!
4.5 ⭐️ rounded up.

When Zoey's childhood home burns down and bodies are discovered in the basement she is dragged back to her home town. This story is full of twists and turns and Zoey finds out that the sleepy little town she grew up in is full of secrets, and by full of secrets I mean FULL of secrets. Girl In The Dark has an interesting and mysterious story that keeps you asking what happened, who did it?
While this book kept engaged and curious the whole way through I genuinely needed to know what happened but I was not on the edge of my seat. I liked the characters but couldn't really develop any connection to them. Fair warning this book is a little dark in parts but is definitely a solid 3.5 rounded up to a 4 because I really had know the truth behind all of the secrets.

Netgalley can't find ISBN on goodreads but posted review manually on goodreads.

I liked how the story is straightforward. From the start it already hooks you into the mystery. While I also felt like in the middle the story dragged a little, closer to the end it again builds up the suspense. There were twists that shocked me, I also liked that part. I still have a lot of questions on the other characters like Zoey's friend. She doesn't look like what the town thinks of her because she seems smart enough to investigate herself. Maybe she just pretends? Probably a book about her side would be interesting too.

This book didn’t flow well for me- it felt rather disjointed and this distracted from the story. I think the plot sounded good but it wasn’t well executed.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I wanted to like it. It jumped around a lot. It was hard for me to keep the characters straight.

My goodreads review: Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this novel.
This was a fast paced thriller with several twists I didn’t see coming. Despite the action, I found it challenging to connect with all the characters and found the character development lacking. It was a little clunky in parts, which I found distracting. Some of the side plots didn’t fit well. Overall this story could have been developed into a 4 or 5 star novel with more effort. It’s a solid 3.5 though and it’s an enjoyable read.

Note to publisher: there are a couple of periods missing at the end of sentences. There’s also a mistake where Zoey purposely drops her phone to avoid being tracked when she escapes out of the police station bathroom, yet has the phone later on in the book despite not having gone back for it.
The side plot where “Claire” has a history of sleeping with Michael is weird and distracting. All characters could use more development, especially Claire and Evie. It’s difficult to understand their motivations and values.
Thank you again for allowing me to review this novel. It’s a great story and I enjoyed it!

When Zoey is called back to her hometown of Black Castle by her panicked sister, she is immediately pulled back in to the town’s rumors and secrets. Little does she know how deeply entwined her own family’s history is with the bad things that have happened there.

This story had me hooked from the beginning. With every reveal, new questions emerged. There were some good twists that I didn’t see coming. It wasn’t very believable, but that’s part of the appeal of these things... Also a bit on the gory side for my taste. I kept turning the pages because I just had to know!

2 Bodies are found burned in a house fire in a small town. The entire town is in shambles trying to figure out who they are and what happened to them. Most of them blame a mysterious cult called “The Family”, that disappeared many years ago. The truth is more shocking than anyone could have believed.

Girl in the Dark feels like a pretty average thriller. That sounds pretty harsh but what I mean is that it’s pretty straightforward, and nothing really stands out in the vast ocean that is thrillers. It was an enjoyable read; with some twist I saw coming a mile away and some I didn’t.

I freaking love books about cults, they are always so fascinating to read, but sadly this one had a lot less cult action than the descriptions lead us to believe. I was certainly missing some of that.

I highly recommend reading this if you are a fan of familial thrillers!

Big thanks to Netgalley, Victory editing and the author J.M. Cannon for allowing me to read an E-Arc of this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the ARC of Girl in the Dark.

Wow.. just wow. Girl in the Dark will make you forget you need to sleep and that you have chores. This is one of the fastest paced thrillers I've read in a long time - I just couldn't put it down. I had to know who the bodies belonged to, if The Family was real, and what happened to Megan after she went missing. Normally I can predict to some degree the ending of just about every thriller I pick up because they all follow a similar format, but I was not correct about anything at all at any point. The twists and turns and betrayals are so well executed that you won't know what hit you until you feel the blow.
There is one story that is left unfinished and I wish we knew what happened, but it wasn't enough of an issue for me to rate this one anything other than 5 stars.

This was my first book by J.M. Cannon but I will definitely be adding her other books to my TBR!

I received an advanced copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The book starts out with a bang! A different spin to this plot making it a fast-paced read I stayed up to finish. This story will keep you wondering what is the real truth with so many secrets until the very end! Looking forward to more from this author.