The Dark Above

William Chance & Lynn Roseworth #2

by Jeremy Finley

In this sequel to the critically-acclaimed novel that grabbed fans of X-Files and Stranger Things, Jeremy Finley returns with another thriller full of aliens and government cover-ups.

For most of his life, William Chance has been the living proof that his grandmother and her fellow researchers into missing people were right all along about the terror from the stars. Now, he’s avoiding the limelight and hiding out from everyone, including his family. He knows he can avoid everything, except for the nightmares: fires, storms, disease and violence – he dreams of it all.

When he’s suddenly exposed, he finds that the media, government operatives and renegade true believers are desperate to find him, but he has another mission. Joined by a girl with terrifying abilities, he begins a desperate journey across the United States to find the others who share his dreams to stop what could be the final days of the world.

Jeremy Finley’s debut The Darkest Time of Night was called “outstanding” in a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was a June 2018 SIBA Okra Selection. Now, he continues the story of Lynn and William, fifteen years later in a new fast-paced novel full of suspense and government cover-ups, perfect for thriller and supernatural fans alike.

Genres: Science Fiction, Thriller, Fiction, Adult, Audiobook, Mystery

324 pages, Hardcover

First published July 23, 2019

About the author

Jeremy Finley's debut novel, THE DARKEST TIME OF NIGHT, was called one of the best books of the summer of 2018 by People Magazine and a must-read by the New York Post, and was named to the Lariat List as one of the year's outstanding works of fiction. Both THE DARKEST TIME OF NIGHT and its sequel, THE DARK ABOVE, received rave reviews from NPR.
A working investigative reporter, he's received twenty Emmys and Edward R. Murrow awards, and is also the two-time recipient of the IRE award, a top national honor given out by Investigative Reporters and Editors.
He lives in Nashville, TN with his wife and daughters.

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dark Above by Jeremy Finley is the second book in the science fiction thriller William Chance & Lynn Roseworth series. This second book picks up the story fifteen years after the end of the first and continues on so it is definitely a series that is best read in order from the beginning.

The Darkest Time of Night, the first book of the series, featured Lynn Roseworth who had her grandson, William, camping in her backyard when he went missing. The only witness was his older brother who could only say “The lights took him.” That one sentence awakened something Lynn had buried for forty years as she spent as the wife of a U.S. Senator, a mother and now grandmother. Before she began her family life Lynn had been a secretary in the astronomy department at the University of Illinois working for a professor who was looking into the disappearance of many missing people, people who were thought to have been taken by U.F.O.s.

Now, fifteen years have passed since Lynn did everything she could to find her grandson, William. Since that time when William was found he has gone into hiding moving about whenever it seems someone is getting close to finding him. When it becomes clear this time that the media is onto him yet again William plans to run but suddenly finds himself with a young girl that seems to have the terrifying abilities that have haunted William’s dreams and now they need to stop what could be the end of the world.

The Darkest Time of Night was one of my favorite reads of 2018 so I was quite looking forward to seeing what would happen in The Dark Above. This second book of the series seemed to be even more intense and ran at an even quicker speed than the first with non-stop action from the start. I think for me though one of the biggest selling points of the first was having Lynn as the main character so while this was still excellent I couldn’t help but miss Lynn at the forefront making it not quite as good in my opinion but I still definitely recommend the series as a whole.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/

[Laura Wonderchick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it when a sequel is BETTER than the first book and you thought it was phenomenal! This hit all the marks for a rapid fire intense story that continued from the first book. Everything ended how I imagined and it was absolutely amazing!
Thanks to St. Martins Press for this early copy:)

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

William Chance is hiding out following the events in The Darkest Time of Night. He's hiding from fear, memories, and the knowledge of what is coming. But he can't hide from his nightmares. Then he finds a girl who shares his nightmares and begins a cross country race to find the others....only they can stop the coming destruction. His grandmother, her best friend, and a host of other operatives work for a secret organization looking for these same people. They believe they need to be contained to prevent the apocalypse manufactured by an alien species.

Darkest Time of Night had me sitting on the edge of my seat, binge reading. And that same feeling continued with Dark Above. Filled with action and suspense, the book was like X-Files on speed. The Truth is out there....but you probably don't want to know what the truth is. My favorite characters are still Lynn and Roxy.....the feistiest, bravest senior citizens ever!

It isn't often that I like a sequel even more than the first book. I liked The Darkest Time of Night, but found the action and suspense even stronger in this second book. I sipped coffee and read into the early morning hours because I had to know how it ended! Another binge read -- you're killing me, Finley! I'm too old for all-nighters! ha ha I'd better rest up before you publish another book!

Not going to say much about the plot, because....spoilers. The story kept my attention from start to finish. The characters are driven, dedicated and....scared shitless most of the time. Great story!

I will definitely be looking for more from this author! He leaves the door open for a third book in the William Chance & Lynn Roseworth series....but I will be in line for his next book, regardless of what it is.

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from St Martin's Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have some rather mixed feelings about this sequel to The Darkest Time Of Night... it is entertaining, but I guess I never felt really as connected to the characters or absorbed into the storyline as I did with the first book. This sequel picks up fifteen years after the events of the first book. And the spryness of the aged cast continues here (in epic proportions in some places). So despite some unbelievable actions, aliens still aren't accepted as actually abducting people in this future setting, making it feel not dissimilar to today.

But, once again, those aliens are abducting people at random and William begins to learn just what it means to be a conduit. The abductees returning to Earth are fewer in number, but bear a striking resemblance to the Four Horsemen. William tests his own strength and overall, this fast-paced novel requires more suspension of disbelief than the first. Unfortunately, there is less character development her, too and some overall rough transitions between scenes that just felt very abrupt. My main issue was more with William - he just never feels like the hero he is intended to be, and Quincy is just a caricature of a stock rich person. And the aliens themselves are still shadowy... the ending hints at more to come in the series, but this may be the end of the road for me, which is a shame, because I did think that the first book was a lot of fun.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. - Carl Sagan

This book is the sequel to THE DARKEST TIME OF NIGHT, which you really should read before starting this one, one reason being is that's it's an excellent story.

I liked this book. Quite a bit, in fact. But the first book is my favorite. And I think that's because of personal preference, not because there's anything wrong with this book or the way it's written. I especially liked the first book because the protagonist is an older woman, a grandmother. And as a reader I don't come across that often.

This book takes place fifteen years after the happenings in the first. The original protagonist is still in this book but takes a back seat to her grandson, who is the main focus of book two.

There's a lot of action in the book and it was a fun story to read. I would have rated it at 4 1/2 stars if I could. There's new, likeable characters. I was especially glad that the author told his story in the two books and isn't going to try to stretch it into a longer series. There was no need.

I received this book from St. Martin's Press through Edelweiss and Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, review coming soon.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great sequel to Darkest Time Of Night, in fact I liked it even better than the first book! The action has been ramped up considerably ( which I appreciate ), and Finley's lush characters still shine, especially Lynn and Roxy. Lots of twists and turns into X-Files/Stranger Things territory kept me engrossed. I highly recommend Finley's books and can't wait for the third one!

[Mel Tinsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Can I just say wow! The Dark above is one of the few sequels I have read in my life that is even better than the original! And thats saying something because The Darkest Time of Night is honestly in my top 10!
I spent all day and night on the edge of my seat, biting my nails to the quick, trying to prepare for yet another twist or turn! I want to tell you guys everything but dont know how to say a word without giving spoilers!
This book (and the one before) are absolute must reads for anyone who loved unsolved mysteries!

[Authentikate · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 STARS rounded up.

Two near-octogenarian badass women!? Alien abductions?! Some cool kids with X-Men-like powers!? Secret government agencies?

Yes please. Sign me up!

Another fun read with some gorgeous passages...really deftly written. A few oopsies with editing...minor stuff. Fun characters. Quick pacing.

Recommend both books in this series!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher, via Edelweiss, for an advance e-galley for honest review.

This wasn't quite as compelling as the first book, but there was definitely an intriguing storyline in this one as well. I found this one to be more action oriented, though it introduces a lot of new characters and perspectives as well. As a reader who very rarely dabbles in scifi, this might have been an it's me, not the book scenario, however.

[Chrystopher’s Archive]

Read and enjoyed the first book, bu this one just isn't grabbing me, so I'm setting aside. If you like urban science fiction (is that a thing?) like the X-Files and the Stargate shows, you should definitely check this series out. I'm just not in the mood for it atm.

[Deb Byrne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This just isn’t my genre. I didn’t realize it was science fiction and I just didn’t find it believable at all.

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can*]

I won this via goodreads giveaways in exchange for an honest review. All my opinions are my own.
----

not my cup of tea unfortunately

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

From my review on Reading1000Lives.com:

This sequel ends up reading like a Koontz-like thriller with fast moving action and intrigue alternating between the points-of-view of William, his grandmother, and his aunt. A key strength of the first novel was featuring a pair of elderly women as the main protagonists. While they are not lost here, the dominance of William in this half of the story removes that. Nonetheless, change can be nice, and the switch to a grown up William helps keep the schtick of Lynn/Roxy from getting worn.

The twists and turns as multiple groups hunt William works well, with him not clear if any of them are telling him the truth, lies, or somewhere in between. Things begin to slow, however, as William discovers the group that controlled Lynn's work in the past. In one chapter, through a series of letters in the group's possession, both William and the reader learn the facts behind the past, going back to his great-grandparents and Lynn's childhood that briefly appeared in the prologue to the first book.

"The Dark Above" thus fills all the unresolved questions set up from the start of the book, and while it's ending implies that more books could follow, it still nicely wraps the series up to satisfaction as a cohesive pair. I enjoyed, but didn't particularly love "The Darkest Time of Night". With the expanded cast and increased action/pace of "The Dark Above", I actually prefer the sequel a little more. However, these novels really sit best together as a sum greater than their isolated parts.

The science part of the SF in the second novel becomes utterly ridiculous, so much that it might be better to call this fantasy with aliens. I was able to just suspend disbelief and enjoy the silliness of the plot and the attempts to 'explain' things paranormal by throwing in nonsensical statements about DNA and genetics. Partially this is because I'm used to doing this already as a fan of The X-Files. It's also because there are other aspects to the novel I appreciate, such as its turn toward the apocalyptic genre, where the key people returned by the aliens serve as symbolic Four Horsemen.

Together, "The Darkest Time of Night" and "The Dark Above" end up being an amalgam of popcorn genres, from drive-in '50's UFO flicks to Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Fans of these kinds of genre elements looking for a thriller with some engaging characters and surprises - even amid the very cliched realm of UFO/alien lit - should enjoy these.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Dark Above was the second book in this series, and it read like a totally different author wrote it. What I loved about the first book, The Darkest Time Of Night, was the protagonist, Lynn, an older woman whose past work experience in a lab came to haunt her when her grandson William was abducted by aliens. This novel started several years in the future, where William was now grown and hiding in plain sight so no one would bother him about his past experience.

This novel was filled with action scenes that, at first, had no explanation. It took a while for the plot to develop from men going after William with deadly force, to an actual reason behind those actions. In the mix, was a young girl, who claimed that there was a monster in the mountain, and needed William to help her. I was really disappointed that Lynn was not featured in this story. I loved her as a character in first book, and frankly, she was the reason I was so excited to continue reading this series. William was just okay as a a character. He was not given any backstory other than the abduction, so I never connected with him in this.

There was a huge part of the book where William was provided journals and letters between Lynn and other characters decades in the past. This was supposed to provide an explanation for Lynn's decisions and also set up the crazed group of people who sought out anyone who had been abducted.I sort of lost interest reading these letters because they were too abstract. It took a while before they made any sense, and the back and forth was annoying. But, the premise of this organization and their far reaching international plan was very creative.

To me, this book would appeal more to readers of science fiction who also like action. Whereas, the first novel would appeal to women who like strong characters with passion.


[Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chapter One introduces (or re-introduces if you read book 1) Lynn and Roxy. The 79-year-olds partnered to track down Lynn’s missing grandchild 15 years ago and have remained best friends, sharing secrets nobody wants to acknowledge.

In Chapter Two, we meet William. At 22, William, the aforementioned grandchild, has tried to move on in his life. Having good reason to believe he is a danger to his family, William is in hiding. His part of the story starts when he is discovered. The press, the government, conspiracy theorists, supporters of his Grandmother and other abductees are all zeroing in on William now.

What follows is a non-stop, no-time-to-sleep adventure/ordeal that involves traveling across country, east, south, west and north while tracking down the centers of massive tragic events including storm, disease and fire. William seems to be object of everyone’s hunt while he hunts for the answers to prevent global catastrophe.

There is a fair amount of violence, both human-generated and super-human-generated. Which I wasn’t crazy about, but it was part of the story. I did appreciate the continual action, ever-present tension and the family tragedy that unfolded throughout the story. I also admired the extraordinary actions that hero William took try to thwart the aliens, which, by the way, have been here for a while.

And the ending. I really liked the ending. Uh, uh. Read it yourself. Will there be another in the William Chance and Lynn Roseworth series? Maybe…..

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Elkie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: William Chance is in hiding. Once the focus of a media frenzy after his mysterious disappearance and recovery fifteen years ago, he hasn’t been forgotten. William fears that if he is found, the danger to his family and the world-wide disasters will get even worse.

William makes one mistake and suddenly the media and some mysterious government operatives swarm around his rented trailer in Arkansas. Only his own prior planning, a mysterious little girl with the power to kill and an ardent, wealthy fan save him from capture. As this unlikely trio goes on the run together, Chance’s nightmares increase and the worldwide storms and fires escalate.

Lynn Roseworth, Chance’s grandmother, rescued her grandson from captivity when he was a child. She fully understands the danger to herself and the entire planet if William is held captive again. She and her friend, Roxy, embark on a mission to help William Chance save the world from alien forces.

Comments: I really liked the first book in this series, The Darkest Time of Night. I expected a continuation of the story of Lynn, William and their families. While technically that’s what is in this novel, it lacks the humanity that captivated me in the first book. The Dark Above is non-stop action without character development. Reading it felt like watching a Sci-Fi Thriller film that was so intent on special effects, it lacked depth.

Genres: Science Fiction, Thriller, Alien Invasion.

My rating: 3.5 STARS

[Marco · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second installment of Jeremy Finley's alien invasion series picks up years after the last events in "The Darkest Time of Night".

Just when everyone thought the truth would come out...

After exposing the small town that was full of abductees under the cover of an amnesia rehabilitation compound, Lynn Roseworth feels a return of the same menace exposed in the first book are returning...and once again it involves her grandson William.

A lot of action/adventure propels this novel into overdrive and fans of work by Dean Koontz will like this series that follows a group of individuals whose circumstances are literally out of this world.

Finley takes everything very seriously for his characters so nothing feels forced or above the realm of believing and takes his time to expose what is going on that makes the ending that much more intense.

William has a bigger part to play in this book and the family dynamics come into play as William goes off the grid, but upon his return finds out that the extraterrestrial threat has bigger plans for him than he thought.

A good second book in this series that I hope continues and brings more of the near-invisible menace's origin and story into the mix.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for early access to this title.

[Pamela Sewell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodreads Giveaway. As a five-year old, William Chance went missing in the woods near his grandparents home. Brother Brian said "the lights took him." Weeks later, his grandmother, Lynn Roseworth, finds him in a remote Colorado town. What isn't known is that Lynn was also abducted as a child. Now the wife of a prominent senator, Lynn has kept this as well being a UFO researcher under wraps. Now 15 years later, following an uptick of strangeness, he and his entire family is on the run. Government agents and other covert groups want to contain them each with a different, dangerous agenda. Banding with other abductees they endeavor to find the source and contain the devastation. Calling all fans of "Stranger things" and "X Files", this thriller's atmosphere and ominous tension building right up until an unexpected finale will keep you completely engaged and provide a banquet of food for thought. A memorable read.

[Gail Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a bit of a stinker, I'm afraid. From the beginning, the premise that there is some kind of invasion by aliens, it should be obvious that if they can get themselves here and set up shop, they've already won. I kept thinking that this was some other, less tangible and more insidious, type of intelligence what with all the dreams, vague abductions etc. It didn't help that there were so many characters and more being added throughout (just keeping all the family menmbers, friends, bad guys straight was a job in itself!) and when the pay off finally comes it turns out to be an alien monster with a quite human sounding ego, nasty temper and eyes that can be poked out, I was just glad that it was over! And what happened to the rest of the earth!? We were told several times that the threat was global, but no mention was made of how that worked out. Finally, the epilogue reminded me too much of a Hallmark TV movie. I DID want to like this book, but sorry.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a fan of the first book- largely because of William's grandmother Lynn and her friend Roxy, who were just terrific characters doing everything they could to find William. This sequel is focused on William, now an adult, who is a conduit for the human weapons. The aliens are still out there, there are four other conduits, Lynn and Roxy are still trying to sort things out, everyone is trying to escape not only the government but also Quincy, an evil Dr No style billionaire= whew! I didn't enjoy this as much as the first one but it was a good read in part because I was invested in William etc. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. I think this would be fine as a standalone (Finley makes sure you have the basic- which were great reminders for me, btw). Fans of sci-fi might argue it's not sci-fi enough but it works well for those of us who only dip n and out of the genre.

[Mary Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Dark Above" is a solid sequel to "The Darkest Time of Night." I love that it jumps ahead 15 years. Although the main character, William, is now an adult, he has not escaped the dangers that remain as a result of being kidnapped by aliens when he was a child.

"The Dark Above" has many of the beloved characters from the first novel (hello, Lynn and Roxy!), as well as new characters, one of which provides much-needed comic relief as everyone desperately tries to stay alive. As with "The Darkest Time of Night," Finley has delivered another novel that focuses on strong, intelligent women who refuse to back down in their search for answers.

If books about alien abductions, corrupt government officials, or badass women check any of your boxes, you should definitely read "The Dark Above." But read "The Darkest Time of Night" first, if you haven't already!

[Suzi McGal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had recently read the first book,The Darkest Time of Night, and although I wasn't crazy about it, I was interested enough to read this sequel. Unfortunately, I did not particularly care for this one either. The books aren’t bad but something is lacking for me. I kept reading hoping for a good sci-fi tale and for more than I was getting. All of the problems on Earth (violence, flooding, severe storms, fires, terrible illnesses) are being caused by aliens testing new weapons on us humans, their lab rats. Government conspiracies and coverups galore. Sounds exciting but it often dragged on without getting to the point. Interesting ending that could lead to a sequel, just not sure that I’ll be reading it.

[Lisa N · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up to 3. This is a sequel to “The Darkest Time of Night.” Darkest Time centered around 70 year old Lynn and her best friend, who were a fun duo, looking for Lynn’s missing grandson. This book takes place 15 years later from the grandson’s POV. Where the first book was campy and fun, this one was a lot more sci-fi and serious. William and his cohorts trying to stay one step ahead of the Men in Black while also trying to figure out a way to stop the alien’s control of their abilities. Although I did like some of the new characters, overall I didn’t like this book as much as the first one. Probably because I’m not a big sci-fi fan. The first book was more family driven which appealed to me more.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, I did not read book one. But I must read this for my bookclub. In all honesty I would have put it down if I did not need to finish it for the bookclub. I love scifi. But I was not swept up into the story.
I'm sure that I'm missing something from book one, but it seems like there is more going on with Lynn and Roxie then is mentioned here. There are a lot of characters to keep straight.
Blue, Lynn, Roxie, Lynn's children, grandchildren, and then there is Quincy, Jane, Ryan, Lily, Ava, and Juan, not to mention the government agency guys who are after everyone and the people who are hiding Blue. It's very convoluted. But I will say that pushing through it, I did end up liking the book enough to give it 3 stars. I wouldn't pick up a third book though.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh this book was real good! If you enjoyed the x files you will enjoy this. It is the second book in this series and is mainly about William although some of the characters from the first book are in here as well as new characters. You can read this book as a standalone but I would recommend reading the first book before so you get more enjoyment and to know better what is going on. This book is set 15 years on from the first William has been found and is being chased by aliens, govenment and conspiracies bound! A good thriller with plenty of twists. Really good details and storyline.fast paced and nail bitting in parts. So fun to read.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was dumb too. Why did I read these?! The idea was good enough. Woulda been a fun episode of X Files. But the writing is soooo bad! Like simple grammar and editing errors! Don’t people get paid to fix that?! At one point, he crosses from Alabama into Louisiana. THERE IS A STATE BETWEEN THOSE TWO BUDDY. I don’t understand why I read these. The characters are two dimensional, the writing is bad, the dialogue is BAD...but I didn’t quit. And I read BOTH of them!! So there IS something about it I enjoyed. Man, remember Sleeping Giants?! Those were soooooo good!! #engelbrechtreads2019 #engelbrechtreads

[Mhd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounded up to get to 4-stars. MUST read #1 before this book will have any chance of making sense. It's good but not as good as #1 and that difference was very disappointing. Also, this one requires more active suspension of disbelief. I think it needed to be shorter and better paced. I think Finley was trying to make it closer to be a stand-alone, a lot from # 1 was rehashed. Also, there's a fair amount of "letters" between characters from out of their FBI+ files, rather than action or dialogue. Still, I'm glad I read it (and glad I skimmed some sections!). I will look for #3, which was clearly set-up in the last few pages.

[Lisa Aldrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this book on Overdrive. It's very X-Files / Alien conspiracy which i never read/listen to. However, I love xfiles and fringe so it was recommended to me. This is #2 in a series so you need to read/listen to the forst book. It stems around William and his abilities after he was taken by the aliens. He seems to be the one that activates the other 4. This book was really good and i finished it in a day on audiobook. Realizing there is book #1 in this series, i have requested that one to listen too. If you like scifi then you'll love this book.

[Bonnie Saleeby · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you liked the X-Files or Stranger Things; this book is one you must read. Author Jeremy Finley does an excellent job of pointing out that there are many views to reality. What do you do if a family member doesn't believe you? What if the government believes part of the story but not the full story? Follow William, with his small group of believers, as they try to get to the truth and learn a few things that were even hidden from them. Very thought provoking, how would you react, exactly what would you believe? A must read!