The Woman in the Dark
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The Woman in the Dark

The Woman in the Dark

by Vanessa Savage

Overview

In the vein of The Couple Next Door, a debut psychological thriller about a woman who moves with her family to the gothic seaside house where her husband grew up--and where 15 years ago another family was brutally slaughtered.


Sarah and Patrick are happy. But after her mother's death, Sarah spirals into depression and overdoses on sleeping pills. While Sarah claims it was an accident, her teenage children aren't so sure. Patrick decides they all need a fresh start and he knows just the place, since the idyllic family home where he was raised has recently come up for sale. There's only one catch: for the past fifteen years, it has become infamous as the "Murder House", standing empty after a family was stabbed to death within its walls.

Patrick believes they can bring the house back to its former glory, so Sarah, uprooted from everything she knows, pours her energy into painting, gardening, and giving the rotting old structure the warmth of home. But with locals hinting that the house is haunted, the news that the murderer has been paroled, strange writing on the walls, and creepy "gifts" arriving on the doorstep at odd hours, Sarah can't shake the feeling that something just isn't right. Not with the house, not with the town, or even with her own, loving husband--whose stories about his perfect childhood suddenly aren't adding up. Can Sarah uncover the secrets of the Murder House before another family is destroyed?

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781538714294
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication date: 03/12/2019
Pages: 352
Sales rank: 103,094
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.70(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Vanessa Savage is a graphic designer and illustrator. She has twice been awarded a Writers' Bursary by Literature Wales, most recently for A Woman in the Dark. She won the Myriad Editions First Crimes competition in 2016 and her work has been highly commended in the Yeovil International Fiction Prize, short listed for the Harry Bowling Prize, and the Caledonia Fiction Prize. She is on the current longlist for the Bath Novel Award.

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Woman in the Dark 4.5 out of 5 based on 0 ratings. 4 reviews.
Anonymous More than 1 year ago
Hard to put down, a real thriller
Anonymous More than 1 year ago
Very creepy and enjoyable book.
Twink More than 1 year ago
The Woman in the Dark is Vanessa Savvage's debut novel. Now, I'm not too sure about that cover, but what's inside was a really good read! When Sarah's mother dies, she falls into a bit of a tailspin. Hoping to have a fresh start and a new outlook, her husband Patrick convinces her to take her inheritance and buy his childhood home. He has such fond memories of this house and his time in it - it was 'perfect' in his words. And he wants that for Sarah and his two children Joe and Mia. But the house isn't quite perfect - it's actually known as The Murder House. Yes, a mother, father and child were murdered in the home after Patrick's family moved out. Ahh, a nice set-up with lots of possibilities......I love a good spooky house story. But is it the house? Or the people living in it? Savage does an excellent job at keeping both options on the table. The relationship with Sarah and Patrick begins to deteriorate, as does their own mental states. As readers, we want to shout at Sarah to just get out now. Take her kids and run. The teens are not exempted from the what's happening either. And yet, they all stay..... (and as a perquisite of spooky house stories - yes, there's a scary cellar - and you shouldn't go down there either.) The Woman in the Dark is told from Sarah's point of view. But there's also someone else - is it the person that Sarah sees watching the house? Italicized chapters darkly hint at the past. Savage keeps the reader guessing with many supporting characters that are all just a little off. The suspense builds with many red herrings, possibilities, what-ifs and more as the book progresses. Shades of Jack Nicholson and redrum. I found Savage's writing to be really addictive - I was always trying to squeeze in just one more chapter before putting the book down. I'm quite looking forward to what she writes next.
Taylornichole221 More than 1 year ago
Some parts seriously left me with chills. I can’t tell you how many times I had to catch myself from yelling at this book. “Lies!” Or “That’s not an answer!” Or “RUN AWAY!!” This ending though was fantastic. Totally did not see it coming and I loved when the title finally clicked for me. Solid four star rating from me. I definitely recommend it if you like psychological thrillers!