What's Done in Darkness

A Novel

By: Laura McHugh

Narrated by: Jennifer Sun Bell

Abducted as a teenager, a woman must now confront her past and untangle the truth of what really happened to her in this dark thriller from the author of The Wolf Wants In.

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Self • “Compulsively, propulsively readable.”—Laura Lippman, bestselling author of Lady in the Lake

Seventeen-year-old Sarabeth has become increasingly rebellious since her parents found God and moved their family to a remote Arkansas farmstead where she’s forced to wear long dresses, follow strict rules, and grow her hair down to her waist. She’s all but given up on escaping the farm when a masked man appears one stifling summer morning and snatches her out of the cornfield.

A week after her abduction, she’s found alongside a highway in a bloodstained dress—alive—but her family treats her like she’s tainted, and there’s little hope of finding her captor, who kept Sarabeth blindfolded in the dark the entire time, never uttering a word. One good thing arises from the horrific ordeal: a chance to leave the Ozarks and start a new life.

Five years later, Sarabeth is struggling to keep her past buried when investigator Nick Farrow calls. Convinced that her case is connected to the strikingly similar disappearance of another young girl, Farrow wants Sarabeth’s help, and he’ll do whatever it takes to get it, even if that means dragging her back to the last place she wants to go—the hills and hollers of home, to face her estranged family and all her deepest fears.

In this riveting novel from Laura McHugh, blood ties and buried secrets draw a young woman back into the nightmare of her past to save a missing girl, unaware of what awaits her in the darkness.

Perfect narrator for a harrowing ride!

I chose the book after seeing it featured in our alumni magazine, and what a treat it was! The story was a terrifying slow burn, the twist was perfectly delivered, and the characters rang true. But it was the narrator that sealed the deal: either she's from the very area where the story is set, or she did a fantastic job recreating that very particular "bootheel" dialect. (Oh, and Landry's? Name changed slightly, but those throwed rolls are the real deal.)

Bought on a whim.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I bought this title from the winter sale. (2022) I was pleasantly surprised and found myself drawn in. This is an easy read that I think is good for a weekend cuddled under a warm blanket with a mug of hot cocoa!

unpredictable wonderful

this story was nonstop. The details and character development made you feel immersed in the story. the narrator was great. I recommend this book.

Her Best Yet!

I've greatly enjoyed everything I've read by Laura McHugh, starting with "The Weight of Blood," which blew off the top of my head. This is even better and the best yet of what I've read. Downloading the next one now.

Good story

Nice short book with interesting storyline. Different from any others Ive read. Maybe a little far-fetched hed that it all ended up being one family, but somehow it worked.
Worth a listen!