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(Saul Anguish, #0.5) #1
Into the Dark: Shortlisted for the 2023 Crime Novel of the Year
Into the Dark is the new dark and gripping crime thriller from Fiona Cummins about revenge, greed, ambition and the true cost of friendship.
The Seawings, a beautiful Art Deco home overlooking the sweep of the bay in Midtown-on-Sea.
The gilded Holden family - Piper and Gray and their two teenage children, Riva and Artie - have vanished from the house without a trace.
The DS Saul Anguish, brilliant but with a dark past, treads the narrow line between light and shade.
One late autumn morning, Piper’s best friend arrives at Seawings to discover an eerie scene – the kettle is still warm, all the family’s phones are charging on the worktop, the cars are in the garage. But the house is deserted.
In fifteen-year-old Riva Holden’s bedroom, scrawled across the mirror in blood, are three happens next?
The Seawings, a beautiful Art Deco home overlooking the sweep of the bay in Midtown-on-Sea.
The gilded Holden family - Piper and Gray and their two teenage children, Riva and Artie - have vanished from the house without a trace.
The DS Saul Anguish, brilliant but with a dark past, treads the narrow line between light and shade.
One late autumn morning, Piper’s best friend arrives at Seawings to discover an eerie scene – the kettle is still warm, all the family’s phones are charging on the worktop, the cars are in the garage. But the house is deserted.
In fifteen-year-old Riva Holden’s bedroom, scrawled across the mirror in blood, are three happens next?
327 pages, Paperback
First published April 14, 2022
76 people are currently reading
2448 people want to read
About the author
Fiona Cummins
13 books558 followersFiona Cummins is an award-winning former Daily Mirror showbusiness journalist and a graduate of the Faber Academy Writing A Novel course. She lives in Essex with her family. Rattle is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 427 reviews
September 11, 2022
Rounded down from roughly 3.5 stars ⭐️ I absolutely loved the first book I read by this author, it’s one of my favourite thrillers ever. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
Into the Dark follows the aftermath of the Holden family going missing. DS Saul Anguish has just moved to the area and has some secrets of his own. What happened to the family? Where are they?
Ever since I started studying Forensic Psychology academically with the hopes of going into it as a career, I’ve really struggled with thrillers (which used to be my favourite genre). Often I notice small issues, like within this book, of things that don’t ring true in real life. I want to make it very clear that it is not a specific issue with this book, I see it in many books and TV shows. But it does affect my enjoyment a little. There was also a word thrown in that was completely misused. I know I am being nit-picky, but it felt like it was thrown in for kudos without actually researching what the word means, which did really bug me.
That being said, I absolutely loved the setting of this one and some of the twists were definitely able to blow me away. I struggled to follow the jumping timeline occasionally and didn’t connect with any of the characters. I couldn’t see anything special in DS Anguish, if anything he gives me really bad vibes. However, if another book was published with his character I would definitely read it to see if I could gather more insight. It feels like this story isn’t over and it definitely left me wanting more! I think the authors previous book just left such a high bar for me that it would never have been met!
I would recommend this book to any thriller fans, as long as you don’t mind jumping timelines! I want to thank Netgalley, Pan Macmillan and Fiona Cummins for allowing me to read this and give my personal thoughts.
Into the Dark follows the aftermath of the Holden family going missing. DS Saul Anguish has just moved to the area and has some secrets of his own. What happened to the family? Where are they?
Ever since I started studying Forensic Psychology academically with the hopes of going into it as a career, I’ve really struggled with thrillers (which used to be my favourite genre). Often I notice small issues, like within this book, of things that don’t ring true in real life. I want to make it very clear that it is not a specific issue with this book, I see it in many books and TV shows. But it does affect my enjoyment a little. There was also a word thrown in that was completely misused. I know I am being nit-picky, but it felt like it was thrown in for kudos without actually researching what the word means, which did really bug me.
That being said, I absolutely loved the setting of this one and some of the twists were definitely able to blow me away. I struggled to follow the jumping timeline occasionally and didn’t connect with any of the characters. I couldn’t see anything special in DS Anguish, if anything he gives me really bad vibes. However, if another book was published with his character I would definitely read it to see if I could gather more insight. It feels like this story isn’t over and it definitely left me wanting more! I think the authors previous book just left such a high bar for me that it would never have been met!
I would recommend this book to any thriller fans, as long as you don’t mind jumping timelines! I want to thank Netgalley, Pan Macmillan and Fiona Cummins for allowing me to read this and give my personal thoughts.
April 21, 2022
EXCERPT: Fear, a slippery coil of it, tightened in Julianne's stomach. She forced herself to look upwards.
The Holdens had bought the original art deco light fitting from a specialist dealer when the hotel had closed down a couple of years ago. With dozens of antique icicle droplets, it had cost tens of thousands of pounds.
Piper was always complaining that the bottom tier of the chandelier hung too low, especially as she was so tall. But Julianne wasn't thinking about that now.
All she could see was the fine mist of blood that coated the delicate pendalogues.
ABOUT 'INTO THE DARK': THE PLACE: Seawings, a beautiful Art Deco home overlooking the sweep of the bay in Midtown-on-Sea.
THE CRIME: The gilded Holden family - Piper and Gray and their two teenage children, Riva and Artie - has vanished from the house without a trace.
THE DETECTIVE: DS Saul Anguish, brilliant but with a dark past, treads the narrow line between light and shade.
One late autumn morning, Piper’s best friend arrives at Seawings to discover an eerie scene – the kettle is still warm, all the family’s phones are charging on the worktop, the cars are in the garage. But the house is deserted.
In fifteen-year-old Riva Holden’s bedroom, scrawled across the mirror in blood, are three words:
Make
Them
Stop.
What happens next?
MY THOUGHTS: Buckle up your seat belt and hold on tight, for here the evil hides within plain sight.
Think the Marie Celeste in a suburban home. The coffee's hot, the toast is made, the phones are plugged in and charging, keys and wallets waiting to be picked up on the way out the door, but no one's home . . .
My heart is still pounding, my mind reeling. I want to jump up and run around fist pumping, yelling 'hell, yes!'
Into the Dark starts off quite innocuously. It's like, 'there's nothing to see here folks that you haven't already seen in a hundred other domestic dramas/psychological thrillers' until it's not. The shift is infinitesimal. There's a change in the feel to the writing, it's subtly darker. Then the worms start crawling out of the woodwork, and all hell breaks loose.
The characters are cleverly and deviously constructed. What you see isn't what you get. There is so much more to every character than you could ever imagine when you begin reading. There are decades old secrets and lies. There are a number of people manipulating each other, but amongst it all is one person intent on the ultimate revenge and willing to play the long game to get it; a master manipulator at work, pulling strings, blackmailing, calling in favours owed and setting events in motion that will leave many lives shattered.
A one sitting read. Bump this one up to the top of your TBR list.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#IntotheDark #NetGalley
I: @fionacumminsauthor @panmacmillan
T: @FionaAnnCummins @panmacmillan
#fivestarread #contemporaryfiction #crime #domesticdrama #policeprocedural #psychologicalthriller #suspense
THE AUTHOR: Fiona Cummins is an award-winning former Daily Mirror showbusiness journalist and a graduate of the Faber Academy Writing A Novel course. She lives in Essex with her family.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Pan Macmillan via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Into the Dark by Fiona Cummins for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
The Holdens had bought the original art deco light fitting from a specialist dealer when the hotel had closed down a couple of years ago. With dozens of antique icicle droplets, it had cost tens of thousands of pounds.
Piper was always complaining that the bottom tier of the chandelier hung too low, especially as she was so tall. But Julianne wasn't thinking about that now.
All she could see was the fine mist of blood that coated the delicate pendalogues.
ABOUT 'INTO THE DARK': THE PLACE: Seawings, a beautiful Art Deco home overlooking the sweep of the bay in Midtown-on-Sea.
THE CRIME: The gilded Holden family - Piper and Gray and their two teenage children, Riva and Artie - has vanished from the house without a trace.
THE DETECTIVE: DS Saul Anguish, brilliant but with a dark past, treads the narrow line between light and shade.
One late autumn morning, Piper’s best friend arrives at Seawings to discover an eerie scene – the kettle is still warm, all the family’s phones are charging on the worktop, the cars are in the garage. But the house is deserted.
In fifteen-year-old Riva Holden’s bedroom, scrawled across the mirror in blood, are three words:
Make
Them
Stop.
What happens next?
MY THOUGHTS: Buckle up your seat belt and hold on tight, for here the evil hides within plain sight.
Think the Marie Celeste in a suburban home. The coffee's hot, the toast is made, the phones are plugged in and charging, keys and wallets waiting to be picked up on the way out the door, but no one's home . . .
My heart is still pounding, my mind reeling. I want to jump up and run around fist pumping, yelling 'hell, yes!'
Into the Dark starts off quite innocuously. It's like, 'there's nothing to see here folks that you haven't already seen in a hundred other domestic dramas/psychological thrillers' until it's not. The shift is infinitesimal. There's a change in the feel to the writing, it's subtly darker. Then the worms start crawling out of the woodwork, and all hell breaks loose.
The characters are cleverly and deviously constructed. What you see isn't what you get. There is so much more to every character than you could ever imagine when you begin reading. There are decades old secrets and lies. There are a number of people manipulating each other, but amongst it all is one person intent on the ultimate revenge and willing to play the long game to get it; a master manipulator at work, pulling strings, blackmailing, calling in favours owed and setting events in motion that will leave many lives shattered.
A one sitting read. Bump this one up to the top of your TBR list.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#IntotheDark #NetGalley
I: @fionacumminsauthor @panmacmillan
T: @FionaAnnCummins @panmacmillan
#fivestarread #contemporaryfiction #crime #domesticdrama #policeprocedural #psychologicalthriller #suspense
THE AUTHOR: Fiona Cummins is an award-winning former Daily Mirror showbusiness journalist and a graduate of the Faber Academy Writing A Novel course. She lives in Essex with her family.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Pan Macmillan via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Into the Dark by Fiona Cummins for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
February 1, 2022
4-5 stars rounded up
‘Here there be monsters’ in the uncharted waters of the upmarket Essex seaside town of Midtown-on-Sea. In fact, these waters are shark infested with deep and dangerous under-currents. It’s a Tuesday morning when the Holden family disappear. Friend Julianne calls for Piper for their weekly jog, Piper‘s husband Gray’s car is unusually still on the drive, breakfast is on the table, washing circulating in the machine, phones are charging but none of the family are there. There is one definite sign that something is distinctly amiss, a fine mist of blood coating an antique chandelier. Coincidentally, DC Saul Anguish arrives in Midtown to join the major crimes unit led by DI Angus O’Neill but that’s quite another story. What develops and unfolds is told in non-linear timeline and from several perspectives and which flows extremely well.
Wow, this is yet another excellent psychological thriller from this talented author, this one is deviously and deliciously dark from beginning to end and you savour every unpredictable twist and turn. You think you’ve figured the ever deepening mystery out, you haven’t! This is a
multilayered thriller with lives and pasts colliding, with very complex characters with extremely complicated backgrounds and even more tangled relationships. Few it has to be said are likable and are masters of deception and manipulation. A few have very dark pasts, are concealing huge secrets that are disturbing and chilling. The panic and fear, tension and suspense builds and you feel as if you are on a rollercoaster ride propelling you at great momentum towards an outcome you cannot foresee. There is treachery, lies by the truckload and one character who is so cold calculating it freezes your blood. This is a jet black, intense, thrill of a ride with a rather enjoyable ending, so well played!
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Pan MacMillan for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
‘Here there be monsters’ in the uncharted waters of the upmarket Essex seaside town of Midtown-on-Sea. In fact, these waters are shark infested with deep and dangerous under-currents. It’s a Tuesday morning when the Holden family disappear. Friend Julianne calls for Piper for their weekly jog, Piper‘s husband Gray’s car is unusually still on the drive, breakfast is on the table, washing circulating in the machine, phones are charging but none of the family are there. There is one definite sign that something is distinctly amiss, a fine mist of blood coating an antique chandelier. Coincidentally, DC Saul Anguish arrives in Midtown to join the major crimes unit led by DI Angus O’Neill but that’s quite another story. What develops and unfolds is told in non-linear timeline and from several perspectives and which flows extremely well.
Wow, this is yet another excellent psychological thriller from this talented author, this one is deviously and deliciously dark from beginning to end and you savour every unpredictable twist and turn. You think you’ve figured the ever deepening mystery out, you haven’t! This is a
multilayered thriller with lives and pasts colliding, with very complex characters with extremely complicated backgrounds and even more tangled relationships. Few it has to be said are likable and are masters of deception and manipulation. A few have very dark pasts, are concealing huge secrets that are disturbing and chilling. The panic and fear, tension and suspense builds and you feel as if you are on a rollercoaster ride propelling you at great momentum towards an outcome you cannot foresee. There is treachery, lies by the truckload and one character who is so cold calculating it freezes your blood. This is a jet black, intense, thrill of a ride with a rather enjoyable ending, so well played!
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Pan MacMillan for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
May 17, 2022
Nooooooo! Whhhhhyyyyyy!
That was an infuriatingly perfect ending to a sensational psychological thriller. This author is now an automatic read for me. I have never been slapped in the face so many times whilst reading a mystery but I dare not say more because I think the less you know the better. The characters are so richly drawn and compelling that I didn't want to stop listening. Such delicious treachery! Loved every word.
That was an infuriatingly perfect ending to a sensational psychological thriller. This author is now an automatic read for me. I have never been slapped in the face so many times whilst reading a mystery but I dare not say more because I think the less you know the better. The characters are so richly drawn and compelling that I didn't want to stop listening. Such delicious treachery! Loved every word.
February 17, 2022
A chilling unnerving atmosphere permeated every page.
When Julianne Hillier arrives at her best friend, Piper Holden’s, sprawling beach front home, for their regular morning run, she’s surprised because Piper normally opens the door as soon as she arrives.
She knocks on the door, but no one answers.
She calls Piper’s landline, but no one picks up.
She peers through the living room window, but there’s no sign of anyone.
Julianne’s contemplating what to do next, when the Holden’s housekeeper arrives.
Together, the two women enter the house.
An unzipped school bag sits by the front door.
The smell of freshly brewed coffee and burnt toast drifts through from the kitchen.
The radio is on.
On the kitchen bench are three mobile phones, plugged into their chargers, next to a set of keys, and a wallet.
A handbag sits on a chair.
Their cars are in the garage.
Piper, her husband Gray, and their two teenage children – Riva and Artie – are nowhere to be found. The house is empty.
Then they find blood on a chandelier.
It soon becomes apparent that Midtown-on-Sea ain’t no paradise.
Into the Dark dove deep into the inner depraved workings of some very damaged and dark minds. Pretty much all of these characters disturbed and creeped me out at one point or another. These were some that I had sympathy for, but others had me shaking my head in disbelief over their cold callous soulless lack of empathy.
The mystery was complex, multi-layered, well-paced, and unsettling with a multitude of shocking twists. That last 30% - wow the deception, did not see any of that coming. I feel I should point out that the descriptions of the murders were quite graphic, not Karin Slaughter intensity level, but getting up there.
Just to forewarn you, upon completion I discovered that one of the main characters – DC Saul Anguish – featured in both Rattle and The Collector (both of which I have yet to read) and this book does contain spoilers relating to his childhood and adolescence. A bit of a shame, but if anything, it has made me even more determined to get my hands on that series.
The Neighbour (my first read by Fiona Cummins) was one of my top reads two years ago, so it thrills me to pieces that Into the Dark lived up to that one. I will definitely be bumping When I Was Ten and The Collector series up my tbr.
Pre-order your copy in preparation for the release date 14th April, 2022, as Into the Dark is domestic thriller and psychological suspense at its finest.
I’d like to thank Netgalley, Pan Macmillan, and Fiona Cummins for the e-ARC.
‘Midtown-on-Sea was the kind of place estate agents called paradise’.
When Julianne Hillier arrives at her best friend, Piper Holden’s, sprawling beach front home, for their regular morning run, she’s surprised because Piper normally opens the door as soon as she arrives.
She knocks on the door, but no one answers.
She calls Piper’s landline, but no one picks up.
She peers through the living room window, but there’s no sign of anyone.
Julianne’s contemplating what to do next, when the Holden’s housekeeper arrives.
Together, the two women enter the house.
An unzipped school bag sits by the front door.
The smell of freshly brewed coffee and burnt toast drifts through from the kitchen.
The radio is on.
On the kitchen bench are three mobile phones, plugged into their chargers, next to a set of keys, and a wallet.
A handbag sits on a chair.
Their cars are in the garage.
Piper, her husband Gray, and their two teenage children – Riva and Artie – are nowhere to be found. The house is empty.
Then they find blood on a chandelier.
It soon becomes apparent that Midtown-on-Sea ain’t no paradise.
Into the Dark dove deep into the inner depraved workings of some very damaged and dark minds. Pretty much all of these characters disturbed and creeped me out at one point or another. These were some that I had sympathy for, but others had me shaking my head in disbelief over their cold callous soulless lack of empathy.
The mystery was complex, multi-layered, well-paced, and unsettling with a multitude of shocking twists. That last 30% - wow the deception, did not see any of that coming. I feel I should point out that the descriptions of the murders were quite graphic, not Karin Slaughter intensity level, but getting up there.
Just to forewarn you, upon completion I discovered that one of the main characters – DC Saul Anguish – featured in both Rattle and The Collector (both of which I have yet to read) and this book does contain spoilers relating to his childhood and adolescence. A bit of a shame, but if anything, it has made me even more determined to get my hands on that series.
The Neighbour (my first read by Fiona Cummins) was one of my top reads two years ago, so it thrills me to pieces that Into the Dark lived up to that one. I will definitely be bumping When I Was Ten and The Collector series up my tbr.
Pre-order your copy in preparation for the release date 14th April, 2022, as Into the Dark is domestic thriller and psychological suspense at its finest.
I’d like to thank Netgalley, Pan Macmillan, and Fiona Cummins for the e-ARC.
July 25, 2022
Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I kept rolling my eyes too often while reading about complicated relations between two families and every time the author pushed forward another golden secret hidden deep in the closet which in my opinion did not add to the plausibility of the story. It may be me, not the book, but I will have to stay away from 'neighbour secrets and drama.'
*Many thanks to Fiona Cummins, Pan Macmillan, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
*Many thanks to Fiona Cummins, Pan Macmillan, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
March 23, 2022
Beware the female of the species!
Fiona Cummins writes ‘dark’ very, very well.
This was a master class in the twisty plot and the ever tightening screws of tension. One Tuesday morning Julieanne Hillier arrives at her friend, Piper Holden’s house, at 7:45 am for their regular Tuesday run. There is no answer at the door. She knocks again, wonders what to do, rings Piper but the call is not answered. Soon the housekeeper arrives and they both go in. The kitchen is a scene of breakfast interrupted, warm coffee not finished, half eaten bowls of cereal, the smell of burnt toast. But no sign of Piper, husband Gray or children Riva and Archie.
Police are called. This is the first case for new member of Midtown-on-sea’s Major Crimes Unit, DC Saul Anguish. There is a dark side to Anguish which we learn more about as the book progresses. A message on Riva’s dressing table mirror, written in blood, gets everyone’s attention - “MAKE THEM STOP!” The team has a forensic linguist on call, blue haired Dr Clover March. Saul is unaccountably drawn to ‘Blue’ as he refers to her and there is certainly a strange, edgy chemistry between them. Blue has some interesting insights into the case as there will be more handwriting to be analysed.
The narrative then switches between the weeks and days before the Holden’s disappear and the present. Oh my, this story is full of unreliable narrators and the truth is doled out very sparingly. Every time you think you have a handle on things there is another layer of deceit. Make sure you sitting down so you don’t get dizzy!
The characterisations were excellent even though many of the characters have the reader fooled for a while. They are all, ultimately, pretty horrible people. The plot was murky and twisty and crackled with tension throughout. I also liked the slightly ambiguous ending.
I loved Fiona Cummins’ Bone Collector duology. The second book was particularly chilling and, having just re-read my review of it I am guessing that the Saul in that book turns out to be the Saul in this one. If so, he really is a very dark character and I am mightily impressed! I’m thinking this could potentially have a sequel featuring Saul and Blue. I really hope so. I loved this book and can’t wait for more from Cummins! Many thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.
5+ stars.
Fiona Cummins writes ‘dark’ very, very well.
This was a master class in the twisty plot and the ever tightening screws of tension. One Tuesday morning Julieanne Hillier arrives at her friend, Piper Holden’s house, at 7:45 am for their regular Tuesday run. There is no answer at the door. She knocks again, wonders what to do, rings Piper but the call is not answered. Soon the housekeeper arrives and they both go in. The kitchen is a scene of breakfast interrupted, warm coffee not finished, half eaten bowls of cereal, the smell of burnt toast. But no sign of Piper, husband Gray or children Riva and Archie.
Police are called. This is the first case for new member of Midtown-on-sea’s Major Crimes Unit, DC Saul Anguish. There is a dark side to Anguish which we learn more about as the book progresses. A message on Riva’s dressing table mirror, written in blood, gets everyone’s attention - “MAKE THEM STOP!” The team has a forensic linguist on call, blue haired Dr Clover March. Saul is unaccountably drawn to ‘Blue’ as he refers to her and there is certainly a strange, edgy chemistry between them. Blue has some interesting insights into the case as there will be more handwriting to be analysed.
The narrative then switches between the weeks and days before the Holden’s disappear and the present. Oh my, this story is full of unreliable narrators and the truth is doled out very sparingly. Every time you think you have a handle on things there is another layer of deceit. Make sure you sitting down so you don’t get dizzy!
The characterisations were excellent even though many of the characters have the reader fooled for a while. They are all, ultimately, pretty horrible people. The plot was murky and twisty and crackled with tension throughout. I also liked the slightly ambiguous ending.
I loved Fiona Cummins’ Bone Collector duology. The second book was particularly chilling and, having just re-read my review of it I am guessing that the Saul in that book turns out to be the Saul in this one. If so, he really is a very dark character and I am mightily impressed! I’m thinking this could potentially have a sequel featuring Saul and Blue. I really hope so. I loved this book and can’t wait for more from Cummins! Many thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.
5+ stars.
March 30, 2022
In 2020, When I Was Ten absolutely knocked my socks off and was one of my favourite books of the year. I still tell people to read it whenever I am asked for recommendations. So when Into The Dark arrived I dropped everything and dove straight in.
This is one very dark and chilling story. With a cast of unlikeable and disturbed characters, Into the Dark is one you don't want to miss. Get it on your TBR now. Fiona Cummins nailed it again and it is easily 5 stars from me, and I see this being on my year end top books list again
So what is it about? How can a family just disappear without a trace? Well, the Holden Family have done just that. Julianne arrives early one morning for her weekly run with Piper Holden, but there is no answer when she knocks. She gets herself inside and find the radio on, mobile on the bench charging, the smell of coffee and toast and school bags ready to go. But there is no sign of Piper, her husband Gray or the 2 teenage kids, Artie and Riva. On a mirror, written in blood are the words
Make
Them
Stop
Now from the outside looking in it feels creepy. A new DS to the area, Saul Anguish is put on the case and soon finds that things do not add up. All of these characters are hiding something, there are so many secrets and lies your head will be spinning.
The ending is brilliant and you will not be able to pick where it is going. I can't recommend it more.
Published in Australia this week.it is out now. Thanks to MacMillan Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read.
This is one very dark and chilling story. With a cast of unlikeable and disturbed characters, Into the Dark is one you don't want to miss. Get it on your TBR now. Fiona Cummins nailed it again and it is easily 5 stars from me, and I see this being on my year end top books list again
So what is it about? How can a family just disappear without a trace? Well, the Holden Family have done just that. Julianne arrives early one morning for her weekly run with Piper Holden, but there is no answer when she knocks. She gets herself inside and find the radio on, mobile on the bench charging, the smell of coffee and toast and school bags ready to go. But there is no sign of Piper, her husband Gray or the 2 teenage kids, Artie and Riva. On a mirror, written in blood are the words
Make
Them
Stop
Now from the outside looking in it feels creepy. A new DS to the area, Saul Anguish is put on the case and soon finds that things do not add up. All of these characters are hiding something, there are so many secrets and lies your head will be spinning.
The ending is brilliant and you will not be able to pick where it is going. I can't recommend it more.
Published in Australia this week.it is out now. Thanks to MacMillan Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read.
May 4, 2022
What in the name of all toxic relationship/dysfunctional family craziness did I just read??! Fiona Cummins, what a dark, devious mind you must have to come up with this plot (and that is a compliment!). 😂
The "golden" Holden family, Piper and Gray and their two teenagers, Riva and Artie, seem to have it all, so when Piper's best friend, Julianne, shows up one morning for their daily run and finds that the entire family has seemingly vanished without a trace - the kettle is still warm on the stove, the family’s phones are all charging on the counter, and their cars are in the garage - she knows something is wrong. Then a gruesome discovery in Riva's room - the phrase "make them stop" scrawled across the mirror in blood and spray of blood on one of the chandeliers, changes everything. DC Saul Anguish is called in to investigate, and along with the help of forensic linguist, Clover (Blue) March, who was brought in to investigate the bloody message, the two quickly find they have some bizarre peculiarities (to say the least) in common. They set out to find what happened to the Holden family and why Julianne seems a bit too eager to help them. What ultimately happens is nothing short of wonky a@@ crazy, and if any of you all figure it out completely before the end then I must admit I worry a wee bit about your twisted mind! 😂😂
I don't want to say much about the plot because I don't want to give anything away; but it goes without saying that it is twisted and dark and not for the faint of heart. From early on, you loathe most of the characters, but you also can't stop reading because you have no idea what next-level craziness they might come up with next. I really liked Saul and Blue's relationship and wouldn't mind see them in all their bizarreness again. Despite the darkness, interestingly I ended this book with a smile, as there was a certain satisfaction with the final few pages of the book - an altogether fitting ending to a smashingly good read! 4 stars.
The "golden" Holden family, Piper and Gray and their two teenagers, Riva and Artie, seem to have it all, so when Piper's best friend, Julianne, shows up one morning for their daily run and finds that the entire family has seemingly vanished without a trace - the kettle is still warm on the stove, the family’s phones are all charging on the counter, and their cars are in the garage - she knows something is wrong. Then a gruesome discovery in Riva's room - the phrase "make them stop" scrawled across the mirror in blood and spray of blood on one of the chandeliers, changes everything. DC Saul Anguish is called in to investigate, and along with the help of forensic linguist, Clover (Blue) March, who was brought in to investigate the bloody message, the two quickly find they have some bizarre peculiarities (to say the least) in common. They set out to find what happened to the Holden family and why Julianne seems a bit too eager to help them. What ultimately happens is nothing short of wonky a@@ crazy, and if any of you all figure it out completely before the end then I must admit I worry a wee bit about your twisted mind! 😂😂
I don't want to say much about the plot because I don't want to give anything away; but it goes without saying that it is twisted and dark and not for the faint of heart. From early on, you loathe most of the characters, but you also can't stop reading because you have no idea what next-level craziness they might come up with next. I really liked Saul and Blue's relationship and wouldn't mind see them in all their bizarreness again. Despite the darkness, interestingly I ended this book with a smile, as there was a certain satisfaction with the final few pages of the book - an altogether fitting ending to a smashingly good read! 4 stars.
April 15, 2022
Wasn't hugely impressed by this one, if I'm honest.
The twists were good but the whole thing just seemed to me to lack substance.
We've got two intertwined families - one of which has gone missing - who have all kinds of secrets. But I think trying to force in too many secrets meant a lot of the storylines fell short of entertaining because they weren't padded out. I felt very little for either of these families, and don't even get me started on the law enforcement.
Everything unravels pretty bluntly as the story jumps around so no mystery ever lasts for long, and some of the 'big reveal's at the end of chapters had me thinking, 'am I supposed to be shocked by that?' The story felt incredibly messy to me, with too many threads trying to tie things together ending up a knotted mess.
I didn't like the families, and it became apparent pretty early what had happened with the main mystery. The answer to it soured my whole experience of this story. I wasn't keen on the way it all developed because it felt shallow and convenient rather than revealing any kind of deeper themes. Also, it was very action-oriented, with things travelling along without much thought. Normally I love a fast-paced novel, but this just had too much going on to keep it this fast without losing some emotional connection.
Then we have the detective. The poor, misunderstood new guy (with a secret, of course) who doesn't fit in til he finds the token ostracised female (trying to prove that she deserves to be there despite being a woman) and they have an 'instant connection'. My eyes almost rolled out of their sockets. I'm beyond sick of this trope, and it's half the reason I've gone off crime recently.
This was quite a disappointing read for me, considering how much I loved the last Fiona Cummins novel I read. The ideas were there but there was too much work to put into red herrings; almost as though it was to distract from the complete lack of substance to the actual story.
Crime lovers less jaded than I might get a kick out of it, but it wasn't a great reading experience for me.
With thanks to Macmillan for an ARC
The twists were good but the whole thing just seemed to me to lack substance.
We've got two intertwined families - one of which has gone missing - who have all kinds of secrets. But I think trying to force in too many secrets meant a lot of the storylines fell short of entertaining because they weren't padded out. I felt very little for either of these families, and don't even get me started on the law enforcement.
Everything unravels pretty bluntly as the story jumps around so no mystery ever lasts for long, and some of the 'big reveal's at the end of chapters had me thinking, 'am I supposed to be shocked by that?' The story felt incredibly messy to me, with too many threads trying to tie things together ending up a knotted mess.
I didn't like the families, and it became apparent pretty early what had happened with the main mystery. The answer to it soured my whole experience of this story. I wasn't keen on the way it all developed because it felt shallow and convenient rather than revealing any kind of deeper themes. Also, it was very action-oriented, with things travelling along without much thought. Normally I love a fast-paced novel, but this just had too much going on to keep it this fast without losing some emotional connection.
Then we have the detective. The poor, misunderstood new guy (with a secret, of course) who doesn't fit in til he finds the token ostracised female (trying to prove that she deserves to be there despite being a woman) and they have an 'instant connection'. My eyes almost rolled out of their sockets. I'm beyond sick of this trope, and it's half the reason I've gone off crime recently.
This was quite a disappointing read for me, considering how much I loved the last Fiona Cummins novel I read. The ideas were there but there was too much work to put into red herrings; almost as though it was to distract from the complete lack of substance to the actual story.
Crime lovers less jaded than I might get a kick out of it, but it wasn't a great reading experience for me.
With thanks to Macmillan for an ARC
April 21, 2022
Thank you Pan Macmillan for sending me this book to review.
This book starts off at a meduim pace and just over halfway goes into overdrive.
There are 2 main characters Piper and Julianne who are best friends. Piper is the one who goes missing . The story centres around both their families. Most of the characters are dark and evil.
The story is about a family that disappears and there is evidence of foul play at their house. Have they been kidnapped or murdered.
This is a standalone book but does have special mention of a character in her previous book. Detective Saul.
So many twists and turns . Dont get comfortable its not what you think.
This book is all about money, greed and selfishness and how far people will go to achieve it.
I found this book to be unpredictable. At no time did I feel like I knew what was going to happen.
The timeline in this book hops from before the disappearance in each chapter to after the disappearance.
The ending was totally unexpected there is no way I could have predicted that.
The location of the story is in Midtown on Sea in England.
Highly recommend especially if you love detective stories.
This book starts off at a meduim pace and just over halfway goes into overdrive.
There are 2 main characters Piper and Julianne who are best friends. Piper is the one who goes missing . The story centres around both their families. Most of the characters are dark and evil.
The story is about a family that disappears and there is evidence of foul play at their house. Have they been kidnapped or murdered.
This is a standalone book but does have special mention of a character in her previous book. Detective Saul.
So many twists and turns . Dont get comfortable its not what you think.
This book is all about money, greed and selfishness and how far people will go to achieve it.
I found this book to be unpredictable. At no time did I feel like I knew what was going to happen.
The timeline in this book hops from before the disappearance in each chapter to after the disappearance.
The ending was totally unexpected there is no way I could have predicted that.
The location of the story is in Midtown on Sea in England.
Highly recommend especially if you love detective stories.
October 2, 2022
Into the Dark by Fiona Cummins
Synopsis /
THE PLACE: Seawings, a beautiful Art Deco home overlooking the sweep of the bay in Midtown-on-Sea.
THE CRIME: The gilded Holden family - Piper and Gray and their two teenage children, Riva and Artie - has vanished from the house without a trace.
THE DETECTIVE: DS Saul Anguish, brilliant but with a dark past, treads the narrow line between light and shade.
One late autumn morning, Piper’s best friend arrives at Seawings to discover an eerie scene – the kettle is still warm, all the family’s phones are charging on the worktop, the cars are in the garage. But the house is deserted.
My Thoughts /
Appearances can be deceiving. And Fiona Cummins’ latest book, Into the Dark does it so well. Missing persons, cryptic messages, and a heaping helping of deception make up this delightfully twisted domestic noir from Fiona Cummins. So, what exactly is this literary subgenre called, Domestic Noir? In a nutshell, Domestic Noir takes place primarily in homes and workplaces, concerns itself largely (but not exclusively) with the female experience, is based around relationships and takes as its base a broadly feminist view that the domestic sphere is a challenging and sometimes dangerous prospect for its inhabitants.
Fiona Cummins takes two marriages, which, from the outside appear picture perfect, and takes each and every aspect which creates that façade and exposes them for the lies and deceptions they are.
The story opens with Julianne arriving at her best friend, Piper’s house for their regular morning run. Piper Holden is forty years old, she’s a wealthy, privileged, mother of twin teenagers, and is married to a financial advisor named Grey. Julianne Hillier is near in age to Piper and the two have been best friends since grade school. Julianne is also a mother of two and she is married to husband, Quiller.
When Julianne gets to the house, it’s not a case of ‘what she finds’, more a case of ‘what she doesn’t find’. The Holden house is empty. No-one is at home. Even stranger still, are all the signs that the family were there. Cars in the garage. Cell phones charging in the kitchen. School bags packed and ready at the front door. Coffee cups still warm. And you can even smell the lingering scent of toast being cooked. But all four people living in the house are gone. What ensues is a unexpected series of twists as we learn the truth of what happened to the Holden family.
The timeline revolves around the disappearance – days before; hours before; and weeks before; with each jump Cummins is able to give us a different glimpse into their lives, their interactions, actions and…..secrets.
Investigating this case is Detective Constable Saul Anguish. At just twenty-four years of age, Saul is newly appointed to the Major Crime Unit in Essex. To further taint these already murky waters, Saul arrives at the MCU with a past which he would prefer remain hidden, because if discovered, could end what is looking like a promising career.
As we bounce around back and forth in time (hours, days and weeks) before the disappearance of the Holden family, Cummins gradually adds the layers to what is a complex mystery. Piper’s marital issues; her husband’s ‘dodgy’ business dealings; a daughter who is far from perfect but, who comes across as an angel. Not to mention the goings on with the Hillier family. Nothing is quite as it seems. And you never know what goes on behind closed doors. There is so much deception and misdirection in this book, it’s hard to know who you can trust and each new reveal Cummins drops is more shocking than the last. All the clues are there but, just when you think you know what’s happening, you are thrown a massive curveball. Pay close attention, you will need all your Scooby senses full alert for this one!
In the end, it had come down to her or Julieanne. And one simple truth.
The only way to keep a secret is to make sure there's no one alive to tell it.
Synopsis /
THE PLACE: Seawings, a beautiful Art Deco home overlooking the sweep of the bay in Midtown-on-Sea.
THE CRIME: The gilded Holden family - Piper and Gray and their two teenage children, Riva and Artie - has vanished from the house without a trace.
THE DETECTIVE: DS Saul Anguish, brilliant but with a dark past, treads the narrow line between light and shade.
One late autumn morning, Piper’s best friend arrives at Seawings to discover an eerie scene – the kettle is still warm, all the family’s phones are charging on the worktop, the cars are in the garage. But the house is deserted.
My Thoughts /
Appearances can be deceiving. And Fiona Cummins’ latest book, Into the Dark does it so well. Missing persons, cryptic messages, and a heaping helping of deception make up this delightfully twisted domestic noir from Fiona Cummins. So, what exactly is this literary subgenre called, Domestic Noir? In a nutshell, Domestic Noir takes place primarily in homes and workplaces, concerns itself largely (but not exclusively) with the female experience, is based around relationships and takes as its base a broadly feminist view that the domestic sphere is a challenging and sometimes dangerous prospect for its inhabitants.
Fiona Cummins takes two marriages, which, from the outside appear picture perfect, and takes each and every aspect which creates that façade and exposes them for the lies and deceptions they are.
The story opens with Julianne arriving at her best friend, Piper’s house for their regular morning run. Piper Holden is forty years old, she’s a wealthy, privileged, mother of twin teenagers, and is married to a financial advisor named Grey. Julianne Hillier is near in age to Piper and the two have been best friends since grade school. Julianne is also a mother of two and she is married to husband, Quiller.
When Julianne gets to the house, it’s not a case of ‘what she finds’, more a case of ‘what she doesn’t find’. The Holden house is empty. No-one is at home. Even stranger still, are all the signs that the family were there. Cars in the garage. Cell phones charging in the kitchen. School bags packed and ready at the front door. Coffee cups still warm. And you can even smell the lingering scent of toast being cooked. But all four people living in the house are gone. What ensues is a unexpected series of twists as we learn the truth of what happened to the Holden family.
The timeline revolves around the disappearance – days before; hours before; and weeks before; with each jump Cummins is able to give us a different glimpse into their lives, their interactions, actions and…..secrets.
Investigating this case is Detective Constable Saul Anguish. At just twenty-four years of age, Saul is newly appointed to the Major Crime Unit in Essex. To further taint these already murky waters, Saul arrives at the MCU with a past which he would prefer remain hidden, because if discovered, could end what is looking like a promising career.
As we bounce around back and forth in time (hours, days and weeks) before the disappearance of the Holden family, Cummins gradually adds the layers to what is a complex mystery. Piper’s marital issues; her husband’s ‘dodgy’ business dealings; a daughter who is far from perfect but, who comes across as an angel. Not to mention the goings on with the Hillier family. Nothing is quite as it seems. And you never know what goes on behind closed doors. There is so much deception and misdirection in this book, it’s hard to know who you can trust and each new reveal Cummins drops is more shocking than the last. All the clues are there but, just when you think you know what’s happening, you are thrown a massive curveball. Pay close attention, you will need all your Scooby senses full alert for this one!
In the end, it had come down to her or Julieanne. And one simple truth.
The only way to keep a secret is to make sure there's no one alive to tell it.
March 28, 2022
The Place: Seawings, a beautiful Art Deco home overlooking the sweep of the bay in Midtown-On-Sea.
The Crime: The gilded Holden family - Piper and Gray and their two teenage children, Riva and Artie - have vanished from the house without trace.
The Detective: DS Saul Anguish, brilliant but with a dark past, treads the narrow line between light and shade.
One late autumn morning, Piper's best friend arrives at Seawings to discover an eerie scene: the kettle is still warm, all the family's phones are still charging on the worktop, the cars are in the garage. But the house is deserted.
With many characters and subplots, which are all tied up at the end, only makes this a more intriguing read. The characters all had a dark side. I did find the authors writing style a little difficult to get into. No one is quite who they seem. We get the perspective of different characters ae we regularly move between the days before and after the disappearances. There's lots of twists in this gripping and page turning book. I could not put this book down.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #PanMacmillan and the author #FionaCummins for my ARC of #IntoTheDark in exchange for an honest review.
The Crime: The gilded Holden family - Piper and Gray and their two teenage children, Riva and Artie - have vanished from the house without trace.
The Detective: DS Saul Anguish, brilliant but with a dark past, treads the narrow line between light and shade.
One late autumn morning, Piper's best friend arrives at Seawings to discover an eerie scene: the kettle is still warm, all the family's phones are still charging on the worktop, the cars are in the garage. But the house is deserted.
With many characters and subplots, which are all tied up at the end, only makes this a more intriguing read. The characters all had a dark side. I did find the authors writing style a little difficult to get into. No one is quite who they seem. We get the perspective of different characters ae we regularly move between the days before and after the disappearances. There's lots of twists in this gripping and page turning book. I could not put this book down.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #PanMacmillan and the author #FionaCummins for my ARC of #IntoTheDark in exchange for an honest review.
July 26, 2023
An excellent psychological thriller from Fiona Cummins - hugely compelling and darkly delicious with a cleverly twisted mystery at the heart of it.
What I love about this authors writing is the way the characters live on the page, in this case we have a deeply disturbing group dynamic going on that makes Into The Dark a classic page turner with bite. I read it in one obsessive sitting, the unpredictable nature of it kept me hooked.
Loved it.
What I love about this authors writing is the way the characters live on the page, in this case we have a deeply disturbing group dynamic going on that makes Into The Dark a classic page turner with bite. I read it in one obsessive sitting, the unpredictable nature of it kept me hooked.
Loved it.
January 5, 2024
deliciously bleak as any
other story fiona cummins
has plotted, this contains a
ruthless killer, a shipworthy
romance, tons of irony. ♡
other story fiona cummins
has plotted, this contains a
ruthless killer, a shipworthy
romance, tons of irony. ♡
April 18, 2022
There's twisty,there's unreliable characters,there's killers and psychopaths,there's criminal law officers...and then there's ridiculousness,which is what this book is.
Absolute,laughable ridiculousness.
Absolute,laughable ridiculousness.
April 4, 2022
One morning, Julianne Hillier arrives at her best friend's house to go for their regular run together, but finds no one home. The family's phones are there, charging, the kettle is still warm, and their passports haven't been taken. Upstairs in the daughter's bedroom, a message is scrawled in blood: "make them stop".
I read When I Was Ten by Fiona Cummins last year and rated it one of my top books of the year, so was excited to give this one a go... and knew to expect it to be dark. And dark it is, but I also was a little disappointed.
Whereas When I Was Ten feels carefully planned out from the beginning, Into The Dark feels less tightly plotted, with occasional threads left loose and hanging. The b-plot of the new detective Saul Anguish and the forensic linguist "Blue" he connects with feels largely unrelated to the central mystery, and I was disappointed that there was no real connection by the end other than him working on the case.
And the aforementioned darkness — in this book it seems that every character harbours a murderous desire, and as more and more of them revealed this side of themselves, it was hard to suspend disbelief, especially with Saul — whose backstory really needed to be explored much more to make him feel real, as the nuggets dropped about him along the way were wild.
Overall still a fairly gripping read, and I might have marked it higher had my expectations not been so high.
Content warnings: domestic violence (one short explicit scene), implied sexual assault
I read When I Was Ten by Fiona Cummins last year and rated it one of my top books of the year, so was excited to give this one a go... and knew to expect it to be dark. And dark it is, but I also was a little disappointed.
Whereas When I Was Ten feels carefully planned out from the beginning, Into The Dark feels less tightly plotted, with occasional threads left loose and hanging. The b-plot of the new detective Saul Anguish and the forensic linguist "Blue" he connects with feels largely unrelated to the central mystery, and I was disappointed that there was no real connection by the end other than him working on the case.
And the aforementioned darkness — in this book it seems that every character harbours a murderous desire, and as more and more of them revealed this side of themselves, it was hard to suspend disbelief, especially with Saul — whose backstory really needed to be explored much more to make him feel real, as the nuggets dropped about him along the way were wild.
Overall still a fairly gripping read, and I might have marked it higher had my expectations not been so high.
Content warnings: domestic violence (one short explicit scene), implied sexual assault
August 27, 2022
More twists than DNA!
If you’re after a 100% psychological thriller you don’t get more damaged than these characters. By that I mean everyone! There was so much going on in this read it felt like three novels combined into one explosive book.
Story arc drifts between the crime now, the days before and the days after. I’m not usually a fan of so many time changes but this one worked. There was one aspect of the plot that didn’t add up (the only hint I’ll give as not to have a spoiler - teens + surprise visit = never talking about it) but couldn’t ping the rest of the read for this one inconsistency.
Awful characters in the best way - thank goodness they’re fictional. Excellent read.
If you’re after a 100% psychological thriller you don’t get more damaged than these characters. By that I mean everyone! There was so much going on in this read it felt like three novels combined into one explosive book.
Story arc drifts between the crime now, the days before and the days after. I’m not usually a fan of so many time changes but this one worked. There was one aspect of the plot that didn’t add up (the only hint I’ll give as not to have a spoiler - teens + surprise visit = never talking about it) but couldn’t ping the rest of the read for this one inconsistency.
Awful characters in the best way - thank goodness they’re fictional. Excellent read.
April 2, 2022
⭐️5 Stars⭐️
Holy Moly what a hefty dose of deviously dark and evil minds and master manipulators!
Into the Dark by Fiona Cummins is a delicious psychological thriller with more twists than a cheese twistie! The story is meticulously plotted and there’s never a dull moment.
The Holden family, Gray, Piper and their two teenagers have vanished from their luxurious Art Deco coastal home. Their mobile phones are still charging, school bags are by the door ready to go, kettle is still warm and cars are still in the garage. A bloodied mirror with the worlds ‘Make Them Stop’ is in the daughter’s bedroom.
Julianne and Piper have been best friends since they were young and it was Julianne and their cleaner who discovered the family missing that morning.
Detective Constable Saul Anguish is on the case, incidentally he has a dark past and is an intriguing character.
This crime thriller is a wild ride of deceit and revenge with a brilliant and satisfying ending. I guarantee you won’t want to put this down.
I’m hoping for a second book featuring Saul and Blue (Dr. Clover March), the forensic linguist.
I’m so excited to read more from this author and need to hunt down Fiona’s back catalogue especially the duology that features the dark Mr. Saul Anguish.
Thank you so much Pan Macmillan Australia for a copy of the book.
Holy Moly what a hefty dose of deviously dark and evil minds and master manipulators!
Into the Dark by Fiona Cummins is a delicious psychological thriller with more twists than a cheese twistie! The story is meticulously plotted and there’s never a dull moment.
The Holden family, Gray, Piper and their two teenagers have vanished from their luxurious Art Deco coastal home. Their mobile phones are still charging, school bags are by the door ready to go, kettle is still warm and cars are still in the garage. A bloodied mirror with the worlds ‘Make Them Stop’ is in the daughter’s bedroom.
Julianne and Piper have been best friends since they were young and it was Julianne and their cleaner who discovered the family missing that morning.
Detective Constable Saul Anguish is on the case, incidentally he has a dark past and is an intriguing character.
This crime thriller is a wild ride of deceit and revenge with a brilliant and satisfying ending. I guarantee you won’t want to put this down.
I’m hoping for a second book featuring Saul and Blue (Dr. Clover March), the forensic linguist.
I’m so excited to read more from this author and need to hunt down Fiona’s back catalogue especially the duology that features the dark Mr. Saul Anguish.
Thank you so much Pan Macmillan Australia for a copy of the book.
February 1, 2025
An over the top and highly entertaining crime thriller. Everyone, and I mean everyone's more than a bit twisted , making Into the Dark a lot of fun to read.
Fast paced, with lots of twists and very dark indeed.
Fiona Cummins has successfully parked her crime tank on the late, great Mo Hayders lawn. Not quite as good as her, but not far off.
Recommended.
Fast paced, with lots of twists and very dark indeed.
Fiona Cummins has successfully parked her crime tank on the late, great Mo Hayders lawn. Not quite as good as her, but not far off.
Recommended.
March 27, 2023
3 / 5
This book had all the promises but failed in the end. I have no idea what type of ending that was or it you can even call it an ending. Felt unfinished, a lot of unanswered questions very very questionable police practice which I was not a fan of.
The biggest problem I have with this book is that every chapter is referring to a different time perspectives of different incidents, and it gets worse when they start introducing different characters. It’s so confusing to follow and understand. I just didn’t get the plot since it was too confusing to follow, which is an immediate turn off. I felt like the character development of DC Saul Anguish was poor. Nothing behind the character but surface level description, with a very dark side, unexplainable patterns of behavior which made me consider what the book even meant. I am not sure if there is a previous book to this which may actually explain abit about the character. I think the blurb doesn’t really match the story line, I think it was obvious, I wasn’t blown away and certainly not impressed. I’m just confused about it.
I don’t know, I had high hopes for this book, but it wasn’t it for me. It felt like someone had sold me a dream. I don’t understand the positive reviews on this one, honestly I don’t see it. The plot is low-key too bland, was kind of expecting it.
This book had all the promises but failed in the end. I have no idea what type of ending that was or it you can even call it an ending. Felt unfinished, a lot of unanswered questions very very questionable police practice which I was not a fan of.
The biggest problem I have with this book is that every chapter is referring to a different time perspectives of different incidents, and it gets worse when they start introducing different characters. It’s so confusing to follow and understand. I just didn’t get the plot since it was too confusing to follow, which is an immediate turn off. I felt like the character development of DC Saul Anguish was poor. Nothing behind the character but surface level description, with a very dark side, unexplainable patterns of behavior which made me consider what the book even meant. I am not sure if there is a previous book to this which may actually explain abit about the character. I think the blurb doesn’t really match the story line, I think it was obvious, I wasn’t blown away and certainly not impressed. I’m just confused about it.
I don’t know, I had high hopes for this book, but it wasn’t it for me. It felt like someone had sold me a dream. I don’t understand the positive reviews on this one, honestly I don’t see it. The plot is low-key too bland, was kind of expecting it.
November 6, 2025
That was deliciously good, twisted, dark, surprising and exciting. Fiona Cummins gave us a story that brilliantly written, complex and oh so so disturbing.
I absolutely loved it and can't wait to read more books featuring Saul Anguish.
I absolutely loved it and can't wait to read more books featuring Saul Anguish.
March 16, 2022
Having read, and enjoyed, previous mysteries by Fiona Cummins, I was excited to read her latest and thought it had one of the best starts of any crime novel I have read. Midtown-on-Sea is a wealthy, coastal town, seen as a paradise for those families can afford to buy there, with excellent private schools, an easy commute into London and breath-taking views.
Julianne Hillier and Piper Holden have been friends since their daughters were young. Both have, what appears to be a perfect family, a successful husband, one son and one daughter each. Both attractive and financially comfortable, the two women go for a run each morning. On the morning this novel opens, Julianne jogs up to the Holdens beautiful house, Seawings, but Piper does not, as usual, open the door. The cleaner appears and opens the door, but the sight that is revealed is mystifying. There are open schoolbags by the door, phones charging on the counter, doors on the drive and in the garage, even the smell of breakfast being prepared, but no sign of Gray or Piper Holden, or their children Riva and Artie, apart from a message on a mirror and a misting of what appears to be blood on the chandelier….
This is a very clever, crime novel. It includes a new Detective Constable to the area, Saul Anguish, who brings a very definite extra element to a plot where nobody is what you expect. For, underneath the gilded veneer, things are very wrong in Midtown and nobody’s relationship is as simple, or perfect, as it seems. This novel has a sinister feel from the first page - the beginning was brilliant, the middle excellent, the ending unexpected. One of the psychological thrillers of the year, I expect this one to pick up some prizes this year. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
Julianne Hillier and Piper Holden have been friends since their daughters were young. Both have, what appears to be a perfect family, a successful husband, one son and one daughter each. Both attractive and financially comfortable, the two women go for a run each morning. On the morning this novel opens, Julianne jogs up to the Holdens beautiful house, Seawings, but Piper does not, as usual, open the door. The cleaner appears and opens the door, but the sight that is revealed is mystifying. There are open schoolbags by the door, phones charging on the counter, doors on the drive and in the garage, even the smell of breakfast being prepared, but no sign of Gray or Piper Holden, or their children Riva and Artie, apart from a message on a mirror and a misting of what appears to be blood on the chandelier….
This is a very clever, crime novel. It includes a new Detective Constable to the area, Saul Anguish, who brings a very definite extra element to a plot where nobody is what you expect. For, underneath the gilded veneer, things are very wrong in Midtown and nobody’s relationship is as simple, or perfect, as it seems. This novel has a sinister feel from the first page - the beginning was brilliant, the middle excellent, the ending unexpected. One of the psychological thrillers of the year, I expect this one to pick up some prizes this year. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
April 28, 2022
Seawings, in Midtown-on-Sea, a beautiful albeit over the top art-deco home is the setting for Piper, Gray, Riva and Artie Holden. It is an ordinary Autumn morning when Piper’s best friend Julianne arrives for their scheduled Tuesday run - something is off. The house is locked, no one is answering and it isn’t until the cleaner arrives that Julianne can get inside and see that absolutely no one is home.
Not all that odd except that - the coffee is still hot, the toast is on the counter, the families phones are charging on the counter, school bags are ready to go and there is not a soul in sight. The Holden family have seemingly disappeared without a trace…
Enter, Detective DS Saul Anguish who is brilliant, with a dark and sinister past (everyone has secrets, right?) arrives with his mentor to investigate - stepping into the house it smells of wealth and deception. Before too long the detectives are called into teenage daughter, Riva’s bedroom to find, scrawled in blood on the mirror: Make them Stop! What happens Next….
I have been waiting for this book for a good long while and I can finally say that I have finished it and it did not disappoint. The author has done an excellent job of making this book seem like a standard innocuous domestic thriller (Sandy said this in her review - check it out) but then out of left field it hits you like a tonne of bricks and it is anything but that innocuous or domestic.
Beginning with DS Anguish - I was suspicious from the get go - familiar - I’ll let you figure that out - breadcrumbs are there for readers of The Collector however if you have not read Fiona Cummins Bone Collector series that is not going to diminish your experience with this book. Dive in head first and don’t come up for air.
The characters were well thought out and described we had some unlikeable sorts including Quiller (what a name) who I detested but if you liked him - check yourself hehehe. The ladies in this book are on Point!!! Seemingly innocent and doe eyed but wait…. I will not spoil but something more sinister is going on with everyone you come across - nothing is as it seems.
Question everything - when you think you have this one figured out… think again I know I thought a few time pffft I see what’s happened here… nope… WRONG!!! It was great I love that bring on those twists - twist me up!
Some of the writing in this book was pulling at the heartstrings a bit like an excerpt from DS Anguish’s memory of his mother:
"He’d wanted her to eat nutritious meals, to afford the electricity bill without having to choose between rent or heat, to not barter the secret parts of herself in exchange for dirty notes, touches by lustful fingers. But while she had sometimes attempted to do what he’d asked of her, she’d been unable to resist the siren song of liquid oblivion."
I cannot fault it. It was peppered with surprises, the twists and turns were exactly twisty enough to keep you guessing and then still get you right at the end, you may need to suspend your belief a bit throughout but it is fiction after all so I am completely fine with this, the ladies were sass and sinister central I loved it! Overall it did everything I needed and I hope you will like it too!
This was my foray back into reading after a few weeks of illness and it wasn’t only that I was so delighted to be able to be able to read again but this novel was a 5 star read.
If you haven’t read Fiona Cummins other books I highly recommend them including When I Was Ten that is a doozy of a standalone.
Not all that odd except that - the coffee is still hot, the toast is on the counter, the families phones are charging on the counter, school bags are ready to go and there is not a soul in sight. The Holden family have seemingly disappeared without a trace…
Enter, Detective DS Saul Anguish who is brilliant, with a dark and sinister past (everyone has secrets, right?) arrives with his mentor to investigate - stepping into the house it smells of wealth and deception. Before too long the detectives are called into teenage daughter, Riva’s bedroom to find, scrawled in blood on the mirror: Make them Stop! What happens Next….
I have been waiting for this book for a good long while and I can finally say that I have finished it and it did not disappoint. The author has done an excellent job of making this book seem like a standard innocuous domestic thriller (Sandy said this in her review - check it out) but then out of left field it hits you like a tonne of bricks and it is anything but that innocuous or domestic.
Beginning with DS Anguish - I was suspicious from the get go - familiar - I’ll let you figure that out - breadcrumbs are there for readers of The Collector however if you have not read Fiona Cummins Bone Collector series that is not going to diminish your experience with this book. Dive in head first and don’t come up for air.
The characters were well thought out and described we had some unlikeable sorts including Quiller (what a name) who I detested but if you liked him - check yourself hehehe. The ladies in this book are on Point!!! Seemingly innocent and doe eyed but wait…. I will not spoil but something more sinister is going on with everyone you come across - nothing is as it seems.
Question everything - when you think you have this one figured out… think again I know I thought a few time pffft I see what’s happened here… nope… WRONG!!! It was great I love that bring on those twists - twist me up!
Some of the writing in this book was pulling at the heartstrings a bit like an excerpt from DS Anguish’s memory of his mother:
"He’d wanted her to eat nutritious meals, to afford the electricity bill without having to choose between rent or heat, to not barter the secret parts of herself in exchange for dirty notes, touches by lustful fingers. But while she had sometimes attempted to do what he’d asked of her, she’d been unable to resist the siren song of liquid oblivion."
I cannot fault it. It was peppered with surprises, the twists and turns were exactly twisty enough to keep you guessing and then still get you right at the end, you may need to suspend your belief a bit throughout but it is fiction after all so I am completely fine with this, the ladies were sass and sinister central I loved it! Overall it did everything I needed and I hope you will like it too!
This was my foray back into reading after a few weeks of illness and it wasn’t only that I was so delighted to be able to be able to read again but this novel was a 5 star read.
If you haven’t read Fiona Cummins other books I highly recommend them including When I Was Ten that is a doozy of a standalone.
July 25, 2022
How intriguing is that premise? An entire family … poof … gone. When Julianne arrives at her friend Piper’s house for their run, she comes across the weirdest scene. Breakfast table laid out, radio playing, school bags by the door, phones charging, cars in the garage … It all looks absolutely normal. Except for the fact that, you know, the actual people aren’t there. What happened to this family?
Right from the beginning, my spidey-senses were tingling all over the place. Something felt very off. I didn’t feel like I could trust whatever was coming out of these characters’ mouths. I definitely got the sense there was a lot more going on but I couldn’t quite see the big picture. The pieces of the puzzle were scattered everywhere, just begging for someone to put them together.
That someone comes in the form of DS Saul Anguish. Newly arrived in town, Saul is … well, honestly, the only word that pops up in my head when I think of him is “weird”. He’s definitely hiding a dark past and a very dark side. Mostly he just gave me the creeps. While his backstory and certain behavioural aspects sound immensely fascinating, I didn’t quite see the point of it all. Unless the intention is for him to be a central character in a future series. If not, all his anguish (see what I did there?) was just kind of thrown out there with nowhere to go. This is also true of a certain condition that a colleague is suffering from, which I felt added absolutely nothing to the story. But again, if these two characters are set for a series, then it all makes a bit more sense, I suppose.
Personally, I feel there is a moment where a story just becomes too twisty. I give Fiona Cummins bonus points for keeping it all straight in her head because that can’t have been an easy task. There is no doubt ‘Into The Dark‘ has a very clever plot and there are twists a-plenty but sometimes, enough is just enough. For me, things became a bit too over the top and slightly ridiculous. There was never a point where I felt like throwing in the towel, though. Not even because of the awfully unlikeable characters. No matter how far-fetched the answers might have been, I did want to see if the theory I came up with quite early on would pan out. In case you wondered, yes. But also way not.
If anything, ‘Into The Dark‘ is hugely addictive and it reads immensely fast so the pace is definitely spot-on. Not quite characters to root for, but definitely ones you hope will get their comeuppance. A tale of manipulation, of toxic relationships, of vengeance with the most delightful sting in its tail. In my most humble opinion, not as good as ‘When I Was Ten‘ but despite my nitpicking still entertaining and enjoyable.
Right from the beginning, my spidey-senses were tingling all over the place. Something felt very off. I didn’t feel like I could trust whatever was coming out of these characters’ mouths. I definitely got the sense there was a lot more going on but I couldn’t quite see the big picture. The pieces of the puzzle were scattered everywhere, just begging for someone to put them together.
That someone comes in the form of DS Saul Anguish. Newly arrived in town, Saul is … well, honestly, the only word that pops up in my head when I think of him is “weird”. He’s definitely hiding a dark past and a very dark side. Mostly he just gave me the creeps. While his backstory and certain behavioural aspects sound immensely fascinating, I didn’t quite see the point of it all. Unless the intention is for him to be a central character in a future series. If not, all his anguish (see what I did there?) was just kind of thrown out there with nowhere to go. This is also true of a certain condition that a colleague is suffering from, which I felt added absolutely nothing to the story. But again, if these two characters are set for a series, then it all makes a bit more sense, I suppose.
Personally, I feel there is a moment where a story just becomes too twisty. I give Fiona Cummins bonus points for keeping it all straight in her head because that can’t have been an easy task. There is no doubt ‘Into The Dark‘ has a very clever plot and there are twists a-plenty but sometimes, enough is just enough. For me, things became a bit too over the top and slightly ridiculous. There was never a point where I felt like throwing in the towel, though. Not even because of the awfully unlikeable characters. No matter how far-fetched the answers might have been, I did want to see if the theory I came up with quite early on would pan out. In case you wondered, yes. But also way not.
If anything, ‘Into The Dark‘ is hugely addictive and it reads immensely fast so the pace is definitely spot-on. Not quite characters to root for, but definitely ones you hope will get their comeuppance. A tale of manipulation, of toxic relationships, of vengeance with the most delightful sting in its tail. In my most humble opinion, not as good as ‘When I Was Ten‘ but despite my nitpicking still entertaining and enjoyable.
April 1, 2022
Such a wild adventure! Another one I highly recommend.
One morning, a lady arrives to her friends home for their usual morning jog, only to find the place deserted. The whole Holden family, Piper, Gray and the children Riva and Artie are no where to be seen but their belongings are all still here. On the mirror in a bedroom there is writing 'Make Them Stop'.
Detectives are called in and DS Saul Anguish, new to the area, is one of the detectives on the case. As the story goes along, a cast of supporting characters are introduced, all with unique backgrounds and we get to find out more about Saul's dark past too.
This book drew me in immediately, with the eerie mystery of the missing family and as it went along the author weaved a twisted and fascinating story full of surprises. It was wild in places and could see this one being made into a movie. Such an enjoyable novel. 4.5🌟
Thanks so much to NetGalley and PanMacmillan for this gifted advance review copy.
One morning, a lady arrives to her friends home for their usual morning jog, only to find the place deserted. The whole Holden family, Piper, Gray and the children Riva and Artie are no where to be seen but their belongings are all still here. On the mirror in a bedroom there is writing 'Make Them Stop'.
Detectives are called in and DS Saul Anguish, new to the area, is one of the detectives on the case. As the story goes along, a cast of supporting characters are introduced, all with unique backgrounds and we get to find out more about Saul's dark past too.
This book drew me in immediately, with the eerie mystery of the missing family and as it went along the author weaved a twisted and fascinating story full of surprises. It was wild in places and could see this one being made into a movie. Such an enjoyable novel. 4.5🌟
Thanks so much to NetGalley and PanMacmillan for this gifted advance review copy.
September 25, 2022
~3.75 🌟
After reading The Neighbour by Fiona Cummins and it becoming one of my favorite thrillers of all time, I was very excited to pick up her newest thriller! (Into the Dark) started off really interesting, I struggled at first with the alternating timelines but ended up enjoying the way the story was told. The twists at the end were very satisfying, raising my initial rating (about 70% into the book) from a 2.5 to an almost 4-star read. I personally didn't enjoy Saul and Blue's subplots. While they were important to the main storyline.. I think I would've enjoyed the book more without them. I will definitely pick up more books by the author :) -oh and also if you enjoy thrillers and haven't read the neighbour.. READ IT!
After reading The Neighbour by Fiona Cummins and it becoming one of my favorite thrillers of all time, I was very excited to pick up her newest thriller! (Into the Dark) started off really interesting, I struggled at first with the alternating timelines but ended up enjoying the way the story was told. The twists at the end were very satisfying, raising my initial rating (about 70% into the book) from a 2.5 to an almost 4-star read. I personally didn't enjoy Saul and Blue's subplots. While they were important to the main storyline.. I think I would've enjoyed the book more without them. I will definitely pick up more books by the author :) -oh and also if you enjoy thrillers and haven't read the neighbour.. READ IT!
August 22, 2022
Started with a lot of promise but then just turned into one unbelievable storyline after another. The characters were all disjointed and unlikeable and overall the plot was just too far fetched for my liking.
October 10, 2023
It's Tuesday morning and Julianne calls around to Piper's beachside house for their weekly jog. Piper's husband is Gray, his car is unusually parked on the drive, breakfast is still on their table but none of the family are present. There is a sign that something bad happened, there is blood on their antique chandelier.
Where are Piper, Gray and their two children Riva and Artie? Their cars are in the garage but the house is empty.
In fifteen year old Riva's bedroom, scrawled across the mirror in blood are three words
MAKE
THEM
STOP
This is told from two timelines, before and after the disappearance and from several peoples perspectives.
An excellent psychological thriller which draws you in from the start and keeps you hooked with its unpredictable twists and turns.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
Where are Piper, Gray and their two children Riva and Artie? Their cars are in the garage but the house is empty.
In fifteen year old Riva's bedroom, scrawled across the mirror in blood are three words
MAKE
THEM
STOP
This is told from two timelines, before and after the disappearance and from several peoples perspectives.
An excellent psychological thriller which draws you in from the start and keeps you hooked with its unpredictable twists and turns.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
July 17, 2022
WHEN I WAS TEN is one of my all-time favourite thrillers, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Cummins’ latest book, INTO THE DARK. Cummins is a master at portraying deeply flawed, toxic and amoral characters, so I wasn’t surprised that each and every member of this cast had something to hide. With twists and turns in just about every chapter, I was never quite sure where the story was headed, and each revelation scattered all my carefully thought-out theories into the wind. I do love an unreliable character, and Cummins takes the theme to the next level!
Saying that, I was surprised to find that the book didn’t grab me as much as I had hoped and that I didn’t really care about any of its characters. This bunch of people are definitely not the sort you want to get too close to, as one unpleasant surprise followed the other and each character harboured some dark shameful secret. I’m not a fan of twists for the sake of shock value only, and some of these felt a bit forced, stretching credibility in the later part of the book. I also felt that Saul was an unlikely candidate for homicide detective, but what do I know? I felt like I was missing something with Saul and Blue, as if I had stepped into the middle of a series and missed the character building necessary to make these people feel fleshed out and real.
All in all, INTO THE DARK quickly drew me in and I devoured the first half of the book greedily. Credibility was a bit stretched in the second half, as a series of shocking twists rained down on me, and I felt the tentative emotional ties I had built with the characters fray and snap in the wake of these. Whilst this was not my favourite book by the author, it will still be a good choice for readers who love morally corrupt characters and an element of darkness and menace running through the story.
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Saying that, I was surprised to find that the book didn’t grab me as much as I had hoped and that I didn’t really care about any of its characters. This bunch of people are definitely not the sort you want to get too close to, as one unpleasant surprise followed the other and each character harboured some dark shameful secret. I’m not a fan of twists for the sake of shock value only, and some of these felt a bit forced, stretching credibility in the later part of the book. I also felt that Saul was an unlikely candidate for homicide detective, but what do I know? I felt like I was missing something with Saul and Blue, as if I had stepped into the middle of a series and missed the character building necessary to make these people feel fleshed out and real.
All in all, INTO THE DARK quickly drew me in and I devoured the first half of the book greedily. Credibility was a bit stretched in the second half, as a series of shocking twists rained down on me, and I felt the tentative emotional ties I had built with the characters fray and snap in the wake of these. Whilst this was not my favourite book by the author, it will still be a good choice for readers who love morally corrupt characters and an element of darkness and menace running through the story.
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