CJ reluctantly partners with Detective Kevin Braddock, and the complicated romantic history they share is far from over. They soon zero in on Shelley’s abusive ex-boyfriend and a local crime boss who controls the struggling mill village’s illicit enterprises. But anyone is suspect in a town with so many secrets. Even Shelley died with a few of her own.
As the investigation continues, so do the murders. One by one they’re leading CJ into a past she desperately fled from. CJ knows her hometown all too well. And that her search for the truth, and for a killer, will only get darker.
Revised This edition of Lost in the Dark, originally published as Everywhere She Turns, contains editorial revisions.
This one had a genuinely strong premise, which is probably why it is so frustrating that I never felt fully pulled in by the story itself. For something billed as a thriller, it was surprisingly easy to set aside and wander off to do literally anything else, which is never the goal with this genre. I kept waiting for that moment where the tension would really lock in and make me need to know what happened next, but unfortunately, that moment never really came.
Part of the problem was the structure of the story itself. The narrative constantly bounced between different characters and perspectives, clearly trying to establish that everyone in this town was hiding secrets and couldn’t be trusted. But instead of creating suspense, it actually made it far too easy to narrow down who was behind most of the murders. Honestly, I’m still baffled "Detective" CJ didn’t figure it out sooner considering this person literally bought her underwear and she’s sitting there “fingering the lace panties” while thinking about how they’re exactly her style. Ma’am. There is absolutely no logical reason for this person to know that much about your underwear preferences and somehow this wasn’t setting off every alarm bell imaginable?
And speaking of CJ… she may genuinely be one of the most frustrating characters I’ve read in quite a while. At almost every turn she manages to not only interfere with the investigation into her sisters death, she also simultaneously manages to put both herself and everyone around her directly in danger. I understand that she is desperate for answers and that grief is obviously driving a lot of her choices (along with her inability to trust the police to do their job), but there is only so much self-destructive decision making I can tolerate before my sympathy starts to wear thin. Especially when she herself acknowledges more than once that she should probably just go home because nothing she does is going to bring her sister back. And yet she continues making one reckless choice after another as though poor judgment is her number one personality trait.
Sadly, she wasn’t the only character who made this one more difficult to enjoy. Between the wildly over-the-top villain, an endless stream of side characters, and at least one character who was so “too good to be true” that they may as well have been wearing a flashing neon sign, it eventually became a chore trying to keep everyone straight. That said, I will give the book credit for one thing: the reveal surrounding “the Widow” actually did catch me off guard. I hadn’t completely figured that part out, although I was at least looking in the right general direction.
Overall, while this one definitely wasn’t a complete hit for me, it also wasn’t a total disaster. There were elements here that worked, and despite my frustrations I’d still be willing to pick up another book from this author in the future.
DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.
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