A Flicker In The Dark by Stacy Willingham

Dr. Chloe Davis the protagonist of A Flicker In The Dark has tried to rebuild her life after living in the shadow of the terrible crimes her father committed twenty years ago.  It has not been easy.  Twenty years ago six teenage girls went missing in Chloe's Louisiana small town.  The girls' bodies were found and Chloe's father was arrested and convicted for their murder.  Chloe was 12 at the time. 

The knowledge that their father was a serial killer has devastated the Davis family ever since.  Chloe's mother has been living in an assisted living facility since the murders, practically comatose.  Chloe's brother Cooper cannot form close relationships.  Chloe is doing somewhat better.  She is 32, a psychologist, and is getting ready for her wedding to Daniel, a great guy who cares about her. 

But not everything is wonderful.  Chloe has a pill dependency.  And then two months before her wedding a young girl in Baton Rouge where Chloe now lives goes missing and then another girl.  And the second girl Lacey was one of Chloe's patients.  History seems to be repeating itself and how will this all end?

My thoughts -  About 80 percent of the way through reading A Flicker In The Dark I was very impressed.  Stacey Willingham is a talented writer and she does a very good job in letting us know what Chloe, her brother Cooper and her mother have gone through these past twenty years trying to rebuild their lives.  And in the case of Chloe's mother never recovering.

Could A Flicker In The Dark be that rare psychological thriller that doesn't flood the zone with twists?   Granted, the backstory in which Chloe's father killed six teenage girls over one summer is over the top.  But I was hoping that the author knowing the dramatic way she began her novel would understand that more twists weren't needed. 

I had ideas about how A Flicker In The Dark would end.  One ending about who the present day killer would turn out to be I was more in favor of.  Another ending I felt would be heartbreaking but it would be plausible. But the rule now in psychological thrillers is why limit yourself to only one dramatic twist at the end when you can have three or four. 

A Flicker in the Dark has over 70,000  reviews on Amazon.com, most of them 4 and 5 stars. The book has received critical acclaim and the writing is very good..  I just think It could have been a much better novel if the author had been willing to dial it down at the end.   Sometimes less is more.