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Only Darkness
Dark, edgy and unbearably tense, this extraordinarily accomplished first novel is both a love story and a gripping psychological thriller of immense power.
Debbie Sykes is a young college lecturer whose ordered life is about to be changed forever. One stormy winter’s night, waiting for the late train home, Debbie is acutely aware of being alone – the woman who usually shares her evening vigil is not there. Vulnerability turns to fear, though, when she turns to see a sinister figure looming between her and the safety of the street. The next day, she hears that the missing woman has been found murdered by the man they call the Strangler, a brutal killer who dumps his victims on isolated stretches of railway track.
The police renew their efforts to find the murderer before he strikes again, but how much time do they really have? When Debbie’s story is publicized by an unscrupulous journalist, it seems as though the jaws of an invisible trap are beginning to close around her – strange things start to happen and the foundations of Debbie’s life subtly shift. Only Rob Neave, ex-policeman and college security officer, appears aware of the danger but he is distracted by his own tragic past. The clock is ticking, and it will be midnight far sooner than anyone thinks.
Debbie Sykes is a young college lecturer whose ordered life is about to be changed forever. One stormy winter’s night, waiting for the late train home, Debbie is acutely aware of being alone – the woman who usually shares her evening vigil is not there. Vulnerability turns to fear, though, when she turns to see a sinister figure looming between her and the safety of the street. The next day, she hears that the missing woman has been found murdered by the man they call the Strangler, a brutal killer who dumps his victims on isolated stretches of railway track.
The police renew their efforts to find the murderer before he strikes again, but how much time do they really have? When Debbie’s story is publicized by an unscrupulous journalist, it seems as though the jaws of an invisible trap are beginning to close around her – strange things start to happen and the foundations of Debbie’s life subtly shift. Only Rob Neave, ex-policeman and college security officer, appears aware of the danger but he is distracted by his own tragic past. The clock is ticking, and it will be midnight far sooner than anyone thinks.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1999
4 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
About the author
Danuta Reah
41 books15 followersDanuta Reah, who also writes under the name Carla Banks, was born in South Yorkshire. She comes from an academic family but opted out of formal education at the age of 16. She worked in a variety of jobs from barmaid to laboratory assistant, in a variety of locations, including a brief spell in Kingston, Jamaica. "I didn't plan my working life that way, but it was probably the best apprenticeship a writer could have."
She always wanted to write. Telling stories was an important part of her childhood. "Every child needs a skill in the playground - it's a survival thing. Mine was telling ghost stories. I got thrown out of the needlework class when I was nine because the needlework teacher couldn't cope with the ghoulish tales I used to entertain the class with."
She went to university as a mature student and then went on to teach adults in Further and Higher Education. She taught linguistics and creative writing, and in the course of this, refined her own writing style. "I didn't find my voice until I started writing crime. My first novel was based on a rather creepy encounter I had on an empty station platform one evening - it's a story I often tell when I do author events, but beware: it needs bright lights and a crowd."
She published her first novel in 1999, Only Darkness, the rights to which have been purchased by Escazal Films. Her novels have been published internationally: USA, Germany, Holland, France, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Finland, Czech Republic.
Crime - or at least dissent - runs in the family. Her father was a refugee from Stalin's Belarus; one of her ancestors, John Woodcock, was hung, drawn and quartered in 1646 for his religious beliefs.
She is married and lives in South Yorkshire with her artist husband - and occasionally she draws cartoons about the writer's life!
Danuta Reah is past Chair of the Crime Writers' Association. She is a regular speaker at national and international conferences and literary festivals, and has appeared on radio and television. For several years she was a member of the writers group LadyKillers, with Leslie Horton, Priscilla Masters and Zoe Sharp. LadyKillers did talks and readings around the country. The group disbanded when pressure of work made it difficult for them to get together, but they remain good friends and would consider appearing again.
She always wanted to write. Telling stories was an important part of her childhood. "Every child needs a skill in the playground - it's a survival thing. Mine was telling ghost stories. I got thrown out of the needlework class when I was nine because the needlework teacher couldn't cope with the ghoulish tales I used to entertain the class with."
She went to university as a mature student and then went on to teach adults in Further and Higher Education. She taught linguistics and creative writing, and in the course of this, refined her own writing style. "I didn't find my voice until I started writing crime. My first novel was based on a rather creepy encounter I had on an empty station platform one evening - it's a story I often tell when I do author events, but beware: it needs bright lights and a crowd."
She published her first novel in 1999, Only Darkness, the rights to which have been purchased by Escazal Films. Her novels have been published internationally: USA, Germany, Holland, France, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Finland, Czech Republic.
Crime - or at least dissent - runs in the family. Her father was a refugee from Stalin's Belarus; one of her ancestors, John Woodcock, was hung, drawn and quartered in 1646 for his religious beliefs.
She is married and lives in South Yorkshire with her artist husband - and occasionally she draws cartoons about the writer's life!
Danuta Reah is past Chair of the Crime Writers' Association. She is a regular speaker at national and international conferences and literary festivals, and has appeared on radio and television. For several years she was a member of the writers group LadyKillers, with Leslie Horton, Priscilla Masters and Zoe Sharp. LadyKillers did talks and readings around the country. The group disbanded when pressure of work made it difficult for them to get together, but they remain good friends and would consider appearing again.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 17, 2020
Was an Interesting read for me because it was set locally to where I live and I also liked reading a book that was written in 1999 - a time I was alive yet a time before recent technology (landline phones played a part in the plot and it was so foreign to me). But apart from that wouldn’t recommended unless you’re really into dark messed up stories - there was far too much detail of monotonous stuff that for me didn’t build any suspense just delayed it so much that I didn’t feel any impactful thrills when things happened. The book did manage to give me a nightmare though so must have been somewhat effective in being scary / thought provoking.
January 16, 2022
An excellent read, beautifully written. The pace was just right and the author refrained, thankfully, from introducing rafts of extraneous characters with every new chapter. The main character was relatable and the relationships believable. I found I resented having to put this one down, and finished it in two sittings. Keenly looking for another title by the author.
August 21, 2017
Läst på svenska: När ljusen slocknar
November 16, 2019
Lo siento, no es para mí. No pude pasar de las primeras 50 páginas. Quizás en otro momento. No la descarto del todo, pero hay mejores thrillers con protagonistas femeninas de mejor nivel allá afuera.
May 29, 2025
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March 27, 2010
Debbie Sykes, a young college lecturer, leaves work one cold stormy night to catch her usual train home and observes that the station is eerily dark and barren. Moments before arriving at the platform, she'd heard a loud crashing sound of glass being broken, but no one appears to be around including the young woman that she normally shares the train with. Suddenly, out of the darkness a menacing looking man steps out of the shadows and moves toward her. Recognizing that there has been several killings in the area Debbie becomes frightened and flees when her train finally arrives only minutes later. The next day she reads in the paper that the woman that she frequently shared the train with was one of the latest victims found in a deserted area of the train tracks. Debbie worries she might have seen the murderer. She innocently mentions her suspiousions to one of her colleagues at the college (other than the police) who has connections to the press and her story ends up in the papers. Killers read the papers too.[return][return]This is more of a psychological suspense thriller (woman being stalked by serial killer) than a mystery in the whodunit style, although you're never sure who the killer is. I enjoyed the story, and I liked the characters as well, specifically the often curious relationship between Debbie and Rob Neave, college security officer and ex-police detective. Rob has suffered a horrific personal tragedy in his recent past and has since left the force. Because of this he has become emotionally distant, quite and despondent. Even so, his police instincts kicks in and he fears Debbie may be the next victim of the train track serial killer and he becomes involved in the investigation. Surprisingly there is a bit of romance and sexual couplings in this story that I hadn't anticipated, but it wasn't unwelcome either. I was just as interested in Rob's past and his possible future with Debbie as I was in who the killer might be.[return][return]I did have a few minor problems with the story, however. First the style of writing was different from what I'm used to. It took a few chapters to warm up to the author's prose, but once I got into the story it stopped being an issue. Additionally there were a few things that didn't compute with me - when the police asks Debbie numerous times if she'd been getting any strange phone calls, and she answers no, when, in fact, she was getting scores of hang-up calls at work and at home - that was becoming rather annoying. OK that is minor but it irritated me to no end. Furthermore, this story wasn't one shocking clue after another as one usually finds in a thriller/mystery, therefore it was a tad slow and disjointed in places, but there are plenty of dark and edgy moments as well. This is a good book for being the author's first crime fiction novel. It's believable with sympathetic characters. I enjoyed the book enough that I ended up ordering all the author's other books too.
August 5, 2012
This first novel fom the pen of Danuta Reah has been waiting for me to read for some time. I may have some regrets that I didn't read it earlier and I'm certainly glad I have now. I can count on my fingers the number of authors who have impressed, excited and thrilled me this much. A very definite 'couldn't put it down' read, set in an area I have often visited and so well described. For those that love that 'heart in mouth' feeling, this is a must. I've already purchased her second book and, as I upload these thoughts I'll download my reading copy of that. Maybe this time I won't leave it as long before curling up in bed with my prize.
August 18, 2013
El tema del libro recuerda a "Los hombres que no amaban a las mujeres". Si no fuera porque fue escrito casi diez a�os antes, dir�a que est� inspirado en ese.
Una buena novela negra. El departamento de polic�a de un peque�o pueblo ingl�s, enfrentado a un misterioso asesino en serie que ataca salvajemente a mujeres j�venes en estaciones de tren.
El libro es, en general, muy bueno, aunque no me gust� mucho el final.
Una buena novela negra. El departamento de polic�a de un peque�o pueblo ingl�s, enfrentado a un misterioso asesino en serie que ataca salvajemente a mujeres j�venes en estaciones de tren.
El libro es, en general, muy bueno, aunque no me gust� mucho el final.
January 6, 2015
El libro me gustó mucho, es bastante adictivo, en las últimas 100 páginas no me pude despegar de él.
Tim me tenía harta, era demasiado fastidioso ya no lo aguantaba. Neave tenía muchos misterios, pero eso era como algo atractivo en él. No me gustó mucho el final, siento que le faltó un "algo" pero lo disfrute mucho así que se ganó sus 4 estrellas. Bienvenida a mis listas de libros Danuta!!
Tim me tenía harta, era demasiado fastidioso ya no lo aguantaba. Neave tenía muchos misterios, pero eso era como algo atractivo en él. No me gustó mucho el final, siento que le faltó un "algo" pero lo disfrute mucho así que se ganó sus 4 estrellas. Bienvenida a mis listas de libros Danuta!!
May 28, 2008
Contains an excellent level of texture. Very well done.
April 9, 2014
From the standpoint of creating a creepy atmosphere, this book should go to the head of the line.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews