Whispers in the Dark

by Allison Gunn

Mare of Easttown meets The Outsider in this spine-tingling and twisty debut about a series of disappearances in a small, fundamentalist town and what one broken family must do to remain together as dark forces close in.

After losing her young son in an accident, Rachel Kennan throws herself into her career as police chief of a small Virginia town to avoid focusing on her grief. Meanwhile, her husband, Finn, a washed-up writer whose alcoholism led to the devastating tragedy that changed everything, struggles to redeem himself before his family completely falls apart. Their two daughters are the only things keeping Rachel and Finn together, but the girls have demons of their own.

At the same time, a disturbing crime rocks their tightknit, religious community, sending Rachel chasing leads in a place that does not take kindly to outsiders. When an ominous force in the forest starts calling to the children, fear spawns hate among the townspeople, placing the Kennan family directly in the line of fire. Left with no choice but to rely on each other, Rachel and Finn must come together to face threats inside and out.

A haunting family saga and a disquieting horror debut, Nowhere draws from Appalachian folklore to caution us that true terror is what we bury in our own hearts.

Genres: Horror, Supernatural, Fiction, Thriller

345 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 28, 2025

Reviews

[John Morris]

What a story, dark, disturbing, and utterly compelling. This was a tale of Appalachian folk lore, with echoes of the Pied Piper and Peter Pan. However, the main characters were (mostly) unlikeable and deeply flawed individuals, with very few redeeming features.

A new police chief, Rachel, relocates to a remote and deeply religious small town in the Appalachian mountains. Both her and her family, being outsiders with a colourful past, are not made welcome by the fundamentalist locals.

The body of a hiker is found, impaled on a tree branch, in the forest, and this is just the beginning.The town's children gradually undergo personality changes and start disappearing into the forest. When they return, they are not what they were.

This was a dark and very disturbing tale, with a cast of well developed characters and a fast-moving plot. I found it a real page turner and a fully engaging story. Highly recommended!

[Sophie]

Based on the description I really thought I would like this, but unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me.

Initially there was a creepy atmosphere, but this didn’t continue. I think part of the problem was how deeply unlikable all the characters were, especially Rachel. Nobody listened to anyone else and everyone was angry about something all the time.

The story didn’t really feel like it went anywhere and the conclusion was a bit lacklustre. Sadly this just wasn’t really for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Embla Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Lisa Poe🐈‍⬛]

Congrats on making the Rachel the most hateful character I’ve ever experienced 👏🏻 the number of times I wanted to help Finn m@rder and bury her body was too many to count.

[CurlUp&Hex]

5 Star ARC Review ✨

After the tragic loss of her son, Rachel Kennan has buried herself in work as deputy of a small religious Appalachian town. Her marriage to Finn is unraveling under the weight of grief and his alcoholism. The only thread holding them together is their daughters, Charlie and Lucy.

But when crimes stir tension in a community that already despises them, and a dark force from the woods begins calling to the children, fear spreads like wildfire. As kids start to vanish, Rachel and Finn must put aside their differences and confront both the townspeople and the creeping horror in the shadows.

This book blew me away. I could NOT stop reading. A horror thriller absolutely drenched in blood and folklore, it kept escalating—every time I thought “whew, this is creepy,” it got creepier. The dread sinks in and never lets go, even past the final page.

Think Children of the Corn, but set in the Appalachian Mountains:
🌲 small-town religion
🌲 chilling woods
🌲 creepy children
🌲 dark, merciless folklore

Allison Gunn has written a story that feels destined for the screen—I could easily see this as a haunting series or film.

Thank you to NetGalley for approving me for this honest review! I cannot wait to read more from this incredible author.

[Jen]

Creepy and bleak.

[ellie]

This was SO surprisingly good and literally terrifying? Bleak horror that at parts made me want to stop reading. Does not pull its punches. Wtaf

[Yvonne (the putrid Shelf)]

Whispers in the Dark is a slow-burning, emotionally loaded horror debut that blends folk terror with a bruised family drama and it mostly pulls it off beautifully.

Set in a claustrophobic, deeply religious Appalachian town, the novel follows Police Chief Rachel Kennan as she investigates a string of unsettling disappearances while quietly imploding under unresolved grief. Her marriage is fractured, her husband Finn is a mess of guilt and addiction, and their daughters are haunted in ways that feel both metaphorical and literal. Gunn excels at tying supernatural unease to very human pain, this is horror rooted in loss, resentment, and the things families refuse to say out loud.

That said, the pacing occasionally drags in the middle, and a few plot threads could have been tightened to keep the tension razor-sharp. The final act delivers thematically, but some readers may want a bit more punch or clarity after such a measured build-up.

[Becky Wallace]

Whispers In The Dark - Review
By Allison Gunn

Published by: Embla Books

Out: 28th August 2025
 
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
 
Book Blurb:
 
Rachel Kennan knows she’ll never be accepted as police chief by the locals of the deeply religious town of Dahlmouth in Virginia. But she couldn’t really care less. The loss of her son, caused by her husband’s recklessness, has torn her marriage apart. But they have two daughters and life, or some semblance of life, needs to carry on for them.
One day Rachel is called out to a horrifying scene in the woods. A man has been nailed to a tree - dead. If that wasn’t bad enough, Abby Grayson, a young local girl then goes missing. Rachel swears the two incidents must be related and when more children start going missing things take a very dark turn and soon the whole town is scared and up in arms. Rachel must work out what is real and how to get her family to safety.
 
My Thoughts:
 
Holy Moly! What have I just read? This got creepy … fast. I’m not easily scared but this book unsettled me … and I loved it.
 
“Come play with us.” She giggled.
 
Let’s start with the Kennan family. Rachel, Finn, and their two daughters, Charlie, and Lucy. They had gone through the worst thing any family could go through. The loss of a child. Their son, Aidan. The feeling of grief was palpable, and the complexities of this family were strong. I can’t say I was drawn to any of the characters, but they were certainly compelling.
The locals didn’t trust the family and made it extremely obvious, which had a huge impact on the story and added even more layers to this already deep tale.
 
And then it got even darker!!!
 
This horror-thriller was drenched in Appalachian folklore where children fall under a sinister, deathly possession. The atmosphere was so oppressive and thick, I could have cut it with a knife. I was on the edge of my seat. The environment of a small, closely knit, deeply faithful town added to the claustrophobic feel of this story, which only kept me reading.
 
This is a fantastic, chilling, suspenseful, deeply immersive debut. Don’t expect neat, happy resolutions. This story lingers long after the final page. But this was done in such a cleverly, un-annoying way, in my opinion. I was gripped and struggled to put this book down.

Parts of this read gave me similar vibes to the series called ‘From’.
On another note, this would make an excellent film or series … if done well.

I will be looking for more books by this author for sure.

[Cortney Roberts]

Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. I liked the creepy, moody vibe and the setting, but it was slow for me and never fully pulled me in. The idea and folklore were interesting, I just wanted a bit more from the story overall.

Not bad, just not a favorite. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Hanna (Hanna.k_draws)]

That was such a fun read!
Scary, unsettling and tense!
The kids here - Other Charlie and little Lucy especially - were brilliantly done! That scene in the kitchen when Lucy says to her dad: Don’t open the door! Really got to me!
The author had done a great job playing in the emotions of any adult / parent reading that! These kids were SCARY!! And I loved that!
The setting - a small isolated town surrounded by woods - was perfect for the plot of the book! I think the author created this really gloomy, cold atmosphere and the use of folk stories and legends about changelings was something that I really enjoyed here.
I couldn’t help but feel as if i was reading Stephen King! A much less dense that is 😜
Also the scene when Michelle is in the car driving to Dahlmouth!! Awesome!!!
What a great book!!!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy of that. Although I have to admit I now purchased my own copy of this 🙌

[Jen]

This book was delightfully scary. It centers on police chief Rachel and her husband Finn, who are adjusting to life in a very small town while reeling from the death of their son. When strange things start happening (body in the woods, missing kids, people acting out of character) they have to admit that there may be something supernatural going on.

The mystery in this book was good and the setting was atmospheric and creepy. I do wish we got a little more background on the characters and that the characters talked to each other more, but the way it was written added to the mystery. There were some gory parts in the book but overall it was more creepy than gory. I am not entirely sure I understood why some of the things happened but maybe we are not supposed to understand. The ending of the book dragged just a little bit in that final scene but I think it was resolved appropriately for the rest of the story.

Overall, this is certainly not a feel good story but is creepy throughout and downright scary at times. I would recommend to those who like horror. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[ReadWithRyan]

3.5 stars.

This is a slow-burn, character-driven, supernatural horror story which explores grief from a family tragedy, the breakdown of relationships, and an impending horror involving children.

It takes a good 100 pages to find your bearings with this one and to build up the basis of the horror elements while watching a toxic family attempt to function. The more subtle and mysterious horror elements in the first half worked so well but when pushed further, left me feeling it was undercooked a bit. I thought every single character was unlikeable too which is a rarity for me... was that the intention? The ending never really explains much (which I sometimes don't mind) but I feel like the horror could have really ramped up to make up for this.

[Stephanie H]

I knew as soon as I saw the email for this one that I wanted to take part in and read this. I am a sucker for a good gripping horror story and this one really didn’t disappoint! It was much more eerie and chilling than I thought it would be and I just absolutely loved it. The whole mixture of characters within the town was a joy to read about and unpick their secrets. I’ve always loved dark creepy forests but after reading this I may think twice about entering any 😂 A brilliant book

[Karen Long]

This book creeped me the hell out. Creepy kids in a small town in the appalations. No thanks. And dont even get me started on the FMC. What an absolute bitch of a woman. The whole family in this book are a little bit mental and I quickly realised that, for me, this book was not a bedtime read !!!
Having said all that, this book is still very much worth a read !!

[Carlie Viemann]

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc! I was really excited for this book. It definitely had some of its spooky moments, but I struggled to really get into it and focus, it felt scattered. Though that could’ve totally been the intention behind the story, it just wasn’t for me.

[Jacqui]

3.5 stars.

I enjoyed this even though it went into a completely different direction than I was expecting. It's an impressive debut set in a small town where people vanish into the surrounding woods. As the local police investigate it becomes clear there is something sinister in Dahlmouth.

I couldn't connect to a single character in this book. I hated all of them especially Rachel, who was both annoying and unrealistic. Even the children irritated me and it was hard to root for anyone. I think some of the characters could have been cut all together. I was expecting the crime with horror elements but this was too supernatural for my liking.

I liked the writing and would read Gunn's next book. I would probably make a great movie.

Content warnings - child death, domestic violence, homophobia, extremist religious views, suicide.

[Gina]

Have you ever come across a book that sounds so good from the blurb that you think, “I HAVE to read this!”? That happened to me recently with Whispers in the Dark, the debut novel by Allison Gunn.

The story follows Rachel Kennan, the police chief of a small town called Dahlmouth. Rachel and her family have never been fully accepted by the locals because they’re outsiders,something Rachel doesn’t particularly care about as she’s still grieving the death of her son, who died after her drunk husband crashed the car.

One day Rachel is called out to the woods to a gruesome scene, a man nailed to a tree. From there, things start to snowball. Soon a little girl goes missing and the tension ramps up even more. Even Rachel’s eldest daughter begins behaving oddly, as do many of the other children in town.

It was the Appalachian folklore elements in the blurb that really drew me to this book, and at first I found myself tearing through it at a hungry pace. But after a while, I started to slow down.

I’m not someone who’s ignorant to the flaws of humanity, in fact, I often find morally grey characters far more interesting than clean-cut good and bad. But in this novel, there simply wasn’t anyone likeable.

The author clearly intended Rachel to be a deep, strong, independent woman with a “gives no fucks” vibe. Unfortunately, she mostly came across as kind of a dick and incredibly annoying. I understand that people react differently under stress, but for a trained police officer with years of experience, she made some bafflingly stupid decisions. She pays little to no attention to her own safety, or her partner’s while in the field, seemingly just to push this “I’m a STRONG woman” narrative, which felt forced and inauthentic.

Everyone around her is equally unlikeable and frustrating. Seriously, how am I supposed to care about anyone in this story?

There’s also a lot of shouting and some very odd dialogue.

I REALLY wanted to enjoy this one. It ticked a lot of boxes for me, but with the lack of characters with redeeming qualities, the strange dialogue, and no real answers or explanations for how the events unfolded, it ultimately fell flat.

I’m giving this 2.5 stars. It did pull me in and keep me gripped during the first part, but I quickly grew tired of the FMC and felt the execution of the story fizzled out.

[Pandorameetsbooks]

The first half of this book was tense; it had atmosphere. The first chapter hooked you, reeled you in, and it continues to steadily draw you closer. A dead body found in the woods, A missing kid. It was a compelling story that was very obviously a crime thriller with undercurrents of potential supernatural horror.

Then it went and jumped the shark and left the station at crazy town. It went from masquerading as a crime thriller (which it did well) to this pretend horror-fueled fest that threw every potential twist and turn at you. It moved at lightning speed, so you couldn't even catch your breath to try and figure out what had happened, and what was continuing to happen.

Worse still, you don't even care because not one single character in this book is likeable (there might be two, slightly, but one of them we don't get to really see much of, and the other has no backbone). Rachel has to be the single worst FMC I have ever read, she's rude, and needlessly cruel, and I get it, she lost her kid, then honestly, at this stage, just divorce your husband. It's not just Finn she's overly cruel to either. And how she made it to be a cop, let alone Chief, was beyond her, and if I had to listen to her insist on being called Chief one more time, I might have strangled her.

And honestly, if you can't root for one single person, then how can you root for a story? Like, I didn't care about any of them, so I didn't overly care about whether any of them lived or died.

The last-ditch reconciliation with the two main characters Finn and Rachael, came a little too late, and made little sense, and honestly, his whole confession could have happened prior to the whole story happening. I wanted Finn to survive at least, just so he could get away from his wife and a town that he hated, and hated him return.

Like, I enjoyed the story, but that became a stretch because of everything else. This also, 100% needed a trigger warning list, or at least some mention that this book contains spousal abuse, both physical and emotional, as well as Homophobia throughout the book.

[Jon Matthews]

Whispers in the Dark is a book that left me with very mixed feelings.

On the one hand, Alison Gunn absolutely nails the portrayal of a family torn apart by grief. The emotional core of the novel is its greatest strength. Rachel and Finn feel like real people struggling to survive an unimaginable loss, and the breakdown of their marriage, the guilt, blame and desperation that follows all feel authentic and believable. As a story about a broken family trying to come to terms with tragedy, this is a powerful and often moving read.

Unfortunately, I felt the supernatural elements were far less successful.

The novel introduces a number of eerie and intriguing ideas, but they never seem fully developed or explored. Rather than building towards a clear mythology or explanation, the supernatural aspects felt fragmented and underdeveloped. By the end, I was left with more questions than answers, which isn’t necessarily a problem in itself, but I never felt the story had earned its ambiguity.

My biggest issue was that the supernatural elements seem to undermine the very grief story the novel is trying to tell. Much of the emotional weight comes from Finn’s guilt surrounding the crash that killed Aidan, yet the story also suggests that supernatural forces played a direct role in causing that crash. If that’s the case, then the responsibility and guilt at the heart of the family’s tragedy become much less clear. The book seems torn between wanting the tragedy to be the result of human failings and wanting it to be the result of supernatural intervention, and for me those two ideas never fully reconcile.

Ironically, I found myself wishing the novel had committed more fully to being a family drama. The grief, trauma and fractured relationships were compelling enough on their own and, in many ways, more frightening than the horror elements themselves.

A moving and well-written exploration of loss and grief, but one whose horror elements never quite came together for me.

[Joshy p]

Usual boring horror tropes all jumbled together in a confused nonsensical casserole that’s over cooked and under salted.

Creepy in parts tho. That gets a bonus star.

[Chelsea]

Lost all of its initial promise

This book started out really well. I loved the descriptive writing style and could picture everything in my head but after a few chapters, it started to veer off into something that completely lost me.
There wasn’t one character that was likeable (which was extremely disappointing) and this had me pulled further and further away from the story. The dialogue at times was just completely strange. Why would anyone describe a missing child as having “bluebell eyes” when describing them to an EMT or someone looking for them? It was just really random. Some of the dialogue between Finn and Rachel seemed really unnaturally at points and the characters who supposedly despise Rachel and don’t trust her suddenly calling her ‘Rach’ in conversation was really jarring.
It was a really promising beginning and I liked the concept but unfortunately a poor execution.

[Carrie Beaton]

The writing is atrocious. DNF at 28%

[John]

I thought this book was going to scare me from the reviews but all it did was put me to sleep multiple times. The characters are all dicks with no redeeming qualities to make you empathise with them. The story itself started off boring, got better around 50% and then flat lined again. The ending was so pathetic and boring.

[Tom Goodall]

Painfully mid, final third sort of got going a bit but overall just not a very compelling story.

Felt like it had some potential in the beginning, big city cop in small town Appalachia up against the locals and the spooky spooky woods, then just falls down into a series of DEEPLY unlikeable characters and half baked ideas.

[Richard Howard]

Though the book has an undoubted narrative pull and evokes a creepy atmosphere it's ultimately disappointing because it offers no real explanation for the events that happen and because it also commits what for me is the ultimate sin, killing off everybody, including characters one has come to identify with.

[Krystelle (based on the novel by Stephen King)]

This had a really strong premise, I just don’t think that the author really knew what to do with the premise. It ended up being a bit meh in the end, with a lot of characters and action that didn’t really go anywhere in particular. A shame, because I really wanted to like this one more.

[Jackie McCarthy]

Started off ok but then just didn't deliver. Plot dire. Characterisation awful, you have the main family and a bunch of interchangeable stereotypical hillbillies. Shame. I think this author could have a good book in them but this isn't it.

[nikki sumner]

I came close to dnf this one as it was a slog to get through with the worst main characters who I could not stand.
It’s going for folk horror with some Stephen King tones but nowhere near his standard of writing or storytelling

[Frances P]

I found the mix of crime novel with the supernatural element a bit mehh tbh. Also the main characters were quite unlikeable but not enough to be good villains!

[Abbie]

5/5 ✨ DEBUT NOVEL!?!?!? 🤯 This absolutely blew me away and I was not expecting it. At times I couldn’t read fast enough but also - make it stop because it was merciless. The authors vision was clearly foot to the floor DARK 😱 Rachel is a detective investigating the discovery of a mutilated body found pinned to a tree in the woods, and a string of missing children. Set in the Appalachian mountains (literally one of the creepiest settings possible 😅), the atmosphere is claustrophobic, unsettling, and steeped in folklore. It conjures up thoughts of skinwalkers, the pied piper, changelings, and a foreboding sense of something watching and waiting. Their teenage daughter comes home one day CHANGED - in a way that can’t be explained and the 6 year old daughter is suddenly absolutely terrified of her! So begins a rapid descent into a living nightmare. Rachel’s voice is jagged and feral - savage with anger, soaked in resentment as she blames her husband for the brutal loss of their 8 year old Son. Grief has rotted this family from the inside out, twisting them beyond recognition. It tears through Rachel with every breath, her rage constantly simmering, festering beneath the surface. These characters are deeply flawed and their marriage is a battlefield. Their rows are explosive, destructive, toxic, and vitriolic but they must put aside their differences to confront the horror in the woods. The pressure from all sides feels suffocating for us as a reader as well as for our FMC and I almost didn’t want to see where it was all going to lead. The emotional impact is visceral and unrelenting. This is not for the feint hearted - it was very bleak, intense, disturbing and utterly gripping. If it wasn’t a buddy read I’d have 100% tapped out during one of the early creepy chapters!! Now I need a hot chocolate, a fluffy blanket and a cuddle 😭🤣