Find You in the Dark

by Mark Gillespie

Laura Hansen is a woman haunted by the past.

Five years ago, a fateful encounter with a stranger turned Laura’s dream life into a nightmare. Humiliated and shunned, she cut ties with family and friends, disappearing north to the Scottish Highlands.

Now, Laura lives a reclusive life on the road. A loner, avoiding the eyes of strangers. She never stays in one place too long, fearful that someone will recognise her.

What is she running from?

Then one day, she sees him. The stranger who destroyed her life. His name is Dirk De Vries, and he’s on holiday with his family.

This is Laura’s chance. But what starts out as a simple revenge plan soon descends into a night of chaos.

A night that will change all of their lives forever.

Find You in the Dark is a heart-pounding psychological thriller about obsession and revenge that will haunt your dreams. If you love suspense and nail-biting tension, you'll love Find You in the Dark

255 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 29, 2023

About the author

These days, Mark Gillespie writes psychological thrillers, suspense and horror. Previously, between the years 2016-2020, he wrote a lot of apocalyptic/dystopian fiction.

Mark is a former professional musician from Glasgow, Scotland, who nowadays lives in Auckland, New Zealand with his wife Íde and a small menagerie of four-legged rescue creatures.

Favourite books: I am Legend, The Razor's Edge, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Body (Stephen King), I'll Be Gone in the Dark, Trainspotting...

Favourite films: Jaws, Ikiru, The Invitation, Vertigo, The Thing, Eyes Without a Face, Seven Samurai, The Wicker Man...

You can find him on Facebook as Mark Gillespie's Writing Stuff. He's also on Twitter as MarkG_Author.

Website: www.markgillespieauthor.com

Reviews

[Cat B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't often give 5 stars but this book had me enthralled from the beginning and all the way through to the last page. Not a dull moment and an excellent ending. Very sympathetic protagonist through to the end and a few twists and surprises throughout. Never a dull moment, I loved it.
I received a free advanced reader copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving my honest review of the tale.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so picky when it comes to psych thriller / suspense because it is one of my favorites. But THIS STORY. Had me hooked from chapter one. First book I’ve read by this author and it had such a great pace and that ending??

[Donna Mallery · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling story! I read this book in a few hours of an afternoon! Boy, is there ever a need for revenge here! I was anxious throughout the whole story, and I enjoyed every minute of it! And it was satisfying too!

[Suzanne Fisher · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping for a good revenge story, I didn’t get it.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This starts off with Laura out at a bar with friends. She has had too much to drink and calls a car service for a ride home. Her friends just laughed it off and put her in the car. I guess these friends have never heard of stick together, especially with a drunk friend. Laura wakes up the next day in a hotel room with a creepy guy. Although the creeper is not your typical creep. He blackmails Laura into helping him out. Suddenly Laura’s life is turned upside down. I thought I knew where this was going but it takes an unexpected turn.

I understand her boyfriend Tommy’s reaction but not her parents. Even if they believed what happened, wouldn’t a parent think my child has made a terrible mistake, but still support her.

There are some similarities to another book I just read by this author – I Know Who You Are. I thought it was odd these similarities, but it really doesn’t take away from the story.

I loved this book. It was really suspenseful, alot of twists and turns. I wanted to like Laura and I felt bad for her at first. But she really took things to the extreme. She was no better than Dirk, really worse than him. The end really leaves you hanging.

[Michael Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can honestly say that I was not a fan of thrillers/horror stories until I happened to try a Mark
Gillespie book. I enjoyed it! After reading more than 15 of Mark’s books – all of which I’ve
thoroughly enjoyed – I can say I’m hooked (at least on the ones he has written!) I like the way I
get pulled right into the story; it is always well-written and it keeps me engrossed. I’m not a fast
reader, so I usually miss some sleep, because I don’t want to put the book down. He always
has a twist or two, so I never see the end coming, but I’m always satisfied.

[Katherine Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new author for me and I very much enjoyed this book. This is an atmospheric psychological thriller that keeps readers on edge. The story delves into the darkest corners of the human psyche and the narrative shifts between gripping action and a great road trip. This was my favourite element of the story. I loved travelling across the country with Laura in the UV.

When she sees her attacker in a chance encounter, trouble comes at her from more than one direction when her close friendship with a like-minded woman gets too intense. I loved Laura’s new lifestyle, travelling free and selling crafts in roadside layby’s. She may have had her life obliterated, but she built herself a pretty good new one. The twists are masterfully handled and keep readers guessing.

The story evokes a rolling sense of dread. The descriptions pull you into the story, making the scenes vivid and drawing pictures between the lines. The characters are multi-dimensional, with complex motives and an emotional element of not recovering that elevates the novel. This is a must-read for fans of suspense.

[Sam Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received an ARC from the author and the review I leave is both honest and voluntary.
A dark thriller that warns its readers of the evils of social media and how easy it is to destroy a persons life. Well written with fabulous characters, this is a tale of obsession and bitter revenge when a chance encounter throws the reclusive Laura back into the path of the stranger who demolished her once idyllic life.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

I finish this book in one day! It was very very well written, and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I will definitely read this author again, and I highly recommend this book!

[Lindsay Risinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the book. Suspense keep me interested the entire time…..but….I NEED TO KNOW MORE! Cliffhangers always leave me annoyed but I still really enjoyed this book. Hoping there is a sequel so I get some answers 😂😊 overall was a good read. I enjoyed it.

[marcia potts · Rating 4 out of 5]

A woman gets her life ruined, and then gets revenge.

A woman gets drunk on a night on the town. Totally gets taken advantage of from a ride share driver. The woman has her life ruined, and takes her revenge years later.

[Yvonne Kanocz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has a few twist and turns

This book has a few twist and turns that will grab your curiosity. I had trouble with the way it felt like something was missing. It leaves you hanging for more details. Overall it was good.

[Jeanshughgooglemail.Com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, very good storyline

[Lisa Kintzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very suspenseful but I feel the ending was unfinished, left me wondering what happened

[Cherie Ellsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

He's three for three

Pick one of his titles and you'll be back for the next by this author. I enjoyed them all, perhaps you will too!

[Kelly Sweetie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very drawn out

Honestly this dragged on when it could've finished in 100 pages and alot of typos. A long boring read. You saw everything coming

[MGB · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book pushed me away quite quickly. I read through a few chapters and found myself repulsed by the scenario.

Stopped reading at that point.

[Kiersten Oechsner · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Marie Perkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastic book but … rating is based on the end. So very disappointing, felt rushed as if the author had run out of ideas.

[David Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Gillespie at his best- an action-packed psychological thriller.
Find You in the Dark is the 21st book I’ve read by Mark Gillespie, and I can easily say it is his best. Based on my past reading of Mark’s books/stories I’ve come to know there will be plenty of action, characters who are flawed but likeable, and at least one twist that leaves the reader reeling. Well, not only did Find You in the Dark contain all these elements, but it also incorporated modern social media, a predator who was not likeable in the least and some additional characters whose motives are questionable at best. The action level of this story exceeded most of his previous stories and set the stage for a book that was impossible to put down. Additionally, this story should leave the reader questioning what they see on social media, or just how vulnerable anyone is a tech savvy predator.

[Sentinelle23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤💙😰😲 Original and totally captivating!

Something was wrong, thought Laura, as she awoke with her eyes fixed on an unfamiliar ceiling...

A smell of rancid smoke bothered her.
But where was she?
And what had happened?...

-----------------------------

A mind-blowing, original story, read quickly so much I was captivated by the Machiavellian plot.

I really enjoyed the well-chosen characters in this thriller.

I would never have guessed the ending...
I recommend !

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is excellent! A really great story! Scary stuff! It sure does get you thinking! Really well thought out characters, a brilliant plot! Great suspense & pace, a really thrilling read! I do always really enjoy this authors work & do strongly recommend!