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Crimson Falls
Sight in the Dark
When recently divorced Cleo Kemp inherits a house in the small town of Crimson Falls, she jumps at the opportunity to start over in the seemingly idyllic location. A photographer struggling to find work, Cleo stumbles into the woods looking for a dead body announced on her police scanner. But she’s not prepared for what she finds -- the body of her handyman, and the only man in town who has seen her at her most vulnerable, Officer Will Truman.
Still reeling from being discarded by her second husband, Cleo has a hard time with trust, keeping everyone at arm’s length. But when she’s thrown into assisting Officer Truman with the case, she becomes consumed by the investigation. As she learns that every neighbor harbors dark secrets, she starts to wonder how she can really call Crimson Falls home, and if she can trust the man she’s starting to care for.
When the killer strikes again, closer to home than Cleo ever thought possible, she grows desperate to learn the truth. But in a town riddled with secrets, lies, and mysteries, is there such a thing?
Still reeling from being discarded by her second husband, Cleo has a hard time with trust, keeping everyone at arm’s length. But when she’s thrown into assisting Officer Truman with the case, she becomes consumed by the investigation. As she learns that every neighbor harbors dark secrets, she starts to wonder how she can really call Crimson Falls home, and if she can trust the man she’s starting to care for.
When the killer strikes again, closer to home than Cleo ever thought possible, she grows desperate to learn the truth. But in a town riddled with secrets, lies, and mysteries, is there such a thing?
216 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 11, 2019
62 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
A.M. Ialacci
8 books115 followersGrowing up on a steady diet of Murder She Wrote and Nancy Drew, it wasn't until Anna left her twenty-year teaching career that she realized she might be able to write her own mystery. Single mom to a teenager on the autism spectrum, and living in a multigenerational household, she loves the beach, reading Scandinavian crime fiction, and binging on Netflix. Anna is the winner of the Occasions, Just Write Writing Contest 2018, and a runner up in the Writer's Domain One Sentence Story Contest 2018.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
March 17, 2019
Cloe's aunt has left her a house in Crimson Falls. The timing is perfect for Cloe's because she is newly divorced and in need of a house. When her friend is found dead, she becomes immersed in the investigation and the investigating officer. I liked this one because not only did you have suspense,but you also had just a little romance.
March 11, 2019
I feel like I am repeating myself, but holy crap! This town just keeps getting more captivating. Ms. Ialacci is new to me, and by looking her up this might be her debut. And what a debut it is! Amazing. I can't wait to read more about this town, and more from this author!
April 19, 2019
The October crime wave.
A great little read. Nice tight plot and characters we can relate too. Battered and bruised but not out. A plot full of entitleness that some people feel.
She had inherited the house at just the right time. Now she could leave her ex-husband and memories behind and start afresh. Alright she might need Dutch courage on a regular basis but we all have our vices? However she didn't expect that the things her great aunt wrote in her letter to be true. That the place suffered from a crime wave, the 2nd week in October, annually. But when her odd job man is found shot by an arrow in the woods she starts to think that there might be something in it. Her home trashed, her dog stabbed, her livelihood affected but her friendship with the deputy growing she throws herself head first into the investigation. Do they get the killer? Do they get to know why the nan was killed? What other secrets will be unearthed?
A great little read. Nice tight plot and characters we can relate too. Battered and bruised but not out. A plot full of entitleness that some people feel.
She had inherited the house at just the right time. Now she could leave her ex-husband and memories behind and start afresh. Alright she might need Dutch courage on a regular basis but we all have our vices? However she didn't expect that the things her great aunt wrote in her letter to be true. That the place suffered from a crime wave, the 2nd week in October, annually. But when her odd job man is found shot by an arrow in the woods she starts to think that there might be something in it. Her home trashed, her dog stabbed, her livelihood affected but her friendship with the deputy growing she throws herself head first into the investigation. Do they get the killer? Do they get to know why the nan was killed? What other secrets will be unearthed?
March 15, 2019
This is my introduction to A.M. Ialacci, and I really enjoyed her style. Sight in the Dark is the sixth novella in the Crimson Falls series and the least dark so far. This installment has all the elements of a cursed town, but it also a fun, quirky mystery, with lots of suspects and wonderful, likable characters, along with the unlikable ones.
The two main characters have a great rapport and I really enjoyed their teasing of each other and there may be a hint of a love story developing.
Cleo has just inherited a house in Crimson Falls, from her Great-Aunt Mildred but that's okay, her marriage just ended and a relocation sounds like a good idea, even if her great-aunt included some questionable cautions and concerns about the town for her to be aware of. This story will keep you guessing right up until the end.
I did receive an advance copy of this fuve star story from the author. And this is my honest review of this mesmerizing story that grabbed me at the first page.
The two main characters have a great rapport and I really enjoyed their teasing of each other and there may be a hint of a love story developing.
Cleo has just inherited a house in Crimson Falls, from her Great-Aunt Mildred but that's okay, her marriage just ended and a relocation sounds like a good idea, even if her great-aunt included some questionable cautions and concerns about the town for her to be aware of. This story will keep you guessing right up until the end.
I did receive an advance copy of this fuve star story from the author. And this is my honest review of this mesmerizing story that grabbed me at the first page.
April 8, 2019
This book in the Crimson Falls series had me cracking up. I loved little miss trying to set herself up in this crazy town. Trying to find out if the curse is true and puts herself smack dab in the middle of all of the action. She's got a bad case of the can't help it's and a growing crush on the deputy. But never fear the curse is near and dear and well of course the day is near. Great characters and an awesome twist make this a wonderful addition to the Falls. These are all standalone and each one has been a great read and all related to the curse. Read each one and decide for yourself. Is there really a curse or is it used as a reason to get rid of people? Keep your eyes open and be on guard because the answer may be a little of both.
March 21, 2019
Loved this suspense/thriller. Cleo who inherits a house in Crimson Falls, decides to go there to get away after her divorce from her husband. It kept me on edge not knowing who was gonna get killed. It's a page turner. This book has twists and turns especially after Cleo hears on the scanner that a dead body was found in the woods. Unfortunately, it is her handyman. Cleo works with Will to find out who killed her handyman. The ending was amazing as who I thought it might have been it was not. Thanks for keeping me on edge from beginning to end. 5 stars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 12, 2019
A.M. Ialacci weaves a fabulous tale about Crimson falls and its Founders Day!
Cleo Kemp and her dog Oliver drive to Crimson falls to escape Cleo’s second bad marriage and to possibly settle in to her Great-Aunt Mildred’s home. There, she meets the handyman Nicholas only to have him found murdered in the woods just a few days later!
Cleo gets herself involved in the case with Officer Will Truman, more so than she expects and it is quite exciting! I could not put this one down.
Cleo Kemp and her dog Oliver drive to Crimson falls to escape Cleo’s second bad marriage and to possibly settle in to her Great-Aunt Mildred’s home. There, she meets the handyman Nicholas only to have him found murdered in the woods just a few days later!
Cleo gets herself involved in the case with Officer Will Truman, more so than she expects and it is quite exciting! I could not put this one down.
April 3, 2019
My first from A.M. Ialacci, but certainly not my last. Sight in the Dark is a fun, quirky mystery with a hint of a love story that will keep you guessing right up until the end. With believable, relatable characters, this story will take you on a ride, and in the end you'll feel like the people of this cursed town could actually be your neighbors (minus all the murder, of course). With a debut like this, I can't wait to see what A.M. Ialacci writes next.
April 5, 2019
This is a great story. Cleo Kemp is recently divorced and her aunt left her a house in Crimson Falls. In need of housing she travels to the house. When she finds her handyman dead, she helps Will, the police detective, to find out how he died. Crimson Falls in known for a October curse. This novella will keep you guessing what happens next.
April 14, 2019
Cleo inherited a house in Crimson Falls, so since she's recently divorced & ready for a new start, she jumps at the chance to move there. Little does she know about the curse that stalks the town in October, but when she hears about a dead body on her police scanner, off she goes to help take pictures for the police since she's photographer struggling to find work. Cleo talks Officer Will Truman into letting her help, and this leads them on a journey of trying to solve the murder of her handyman. I really loved Sight in the Dark, as it was more of a mystery this time around. There were a lot of twists & turns with a big list of secondaries who could have dun it. Plus I really loved the lighthearted banter between Will & Cleo, not to mention the fur babies of hers. This story was a wild ride all the way until the end, so I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
April 24, 2019
Crime Doesn't Pay
Crime didn't pay off in Crimson Falls and I'm so proud to call this author family and friend! This is a very good story right from the start and I wasn't sure "who dun it" till the end. Good characters and can't wait to read the others in the series! ❤️👍🏻
Crime didn't pay off in Crimson Falls and I'm so proud to call this author family and friend! This is a very good story right from the start and I wasn't sure "who dun it" till the end. Good characters and can't wait to read the others in the series! ❤️👍🏻
March 16, 2019
This is defintuely a book that grabs you from the beginning and has some unexpected things happen to make you never picture how it ends. Thanks fo a great book!
April 17, 2019
A definite must read.
This is by far one of my favorites in this group. I really enjoyed it. This is very well written character wise. The plot was fantastic and not what you expected. The twist in this was definitely a surpise.
This is by far one of my favorites in this group. I really enjoyed it. This is very well written character wise. The plot was fantastic and not what you expected. The twist in this was definitely a surpise.
March 11, 2019
I LOVED this story! Cleo is one of my favorite characters!
What happens when a divorced woman inherits a house and a cat in a town that is crazy?
Read all about Cleo in the Crimson Falls Novella!
What happens when a divorced woman inherits a house and a cat in a town that is crazy?
Read all about Cleo in the Crimson Falls Novella!
April 22, 2019
I really like this story! It was a well thought out mystery with likable characters! I thought this story encapsulated the Crimson Falls novellas and Crimson Falls itself, really well!
May 5, 2019
I’m only giving this 5 stars cause the Author is my best friend... just kidding, this book is really good. The protagonist is extremely likeable and you really get to care about her. This book is full of twists and turns and “dun dun dunnnnnn” moments and you never see then ending coming
If you love mystery I highly suggest this book!
If you love mystery I highly suggest this book!
September 21, 2019
Sight in the Night is part of the Crimson Falls series. Crimson Falls is a town where the people stay because that’s where their families are. Cleo has just moved to town after she has been left a house and a cat, and well, after two failed marriages, Cleo needed a change of scenery.
Cleo hears all the rumors about the town and how every time Founders Day comes around in October bad things start to happen. People disappear, get murdered. Legend has it the members of the founding families are responsible. All of a sudden, Cleo stumbles into a crime scene. Is it happening again?
A. M. Ialacci has written an engaging mystery novella that keeps the reader guessing in this whodunnit. With compelling and likable characters, this story keeps you turning the pages.
I am looking forward to reading the rest of the Crimson Falls stories and I will definitely be reading more books be A. M. Ialacci.
Cleo hears all the rumors about the town and how every time Founders Day comes around in October bad things start to happen. People disappear, get murdered. Legend has it the members of the founding families are responsible. All of a sudden, Cleo stumbles into a crime scene. Is it happening again?
A. M. Ialacci has written an engaging mystery novella that keeps the reader guessing in this whodunnit. With compelling and likable characters, this story keeps you turning the pages.
I am looking forward to reading the rest of the Crimson Falls stories and I will definitely be reading more books be A. M. Ialacci.
September 14, 2019
Finally answers on the history of Crimson Falls
The evolution of Cleo and the opening of historical events about the founding family of the Falls kept me reading. So many different suspects but great characters to tell each part of the story.
The evolution of Cleo and the opening of historical events about the founding family of the Falls kept me reading. So many different suspects but great characters to tell each part of the story.
December 11, 2023
“I know it’s difficult for outsiders to understand, but a town is more than a place on a map. Some of us just want to reclaim it from whatever darkness has consumed us for far too long.”
Back in the dark and dangerous town of Crimson Falls, this book is set in 2017.
Cleo Kemp moved to Crimson Falls six months ago; she inherited a house from her great-aunt, Mildred.
Cleo is a photographer. One of her specialties is crime scene photography. Oliver is Cleo’s trusty hound-mix dog.
Nicholas Stubbs is Cleo’s handyman. He does odd jobs all over town. But when Nicholas turns up dead in the woods, it brings two unlikely souls together.
Will Truman and Cleo have such a fun vibe together. Total couple potential from their first interaction. They’re fun together, and funny.
After Cleo’s dog bites Will’s hand, she offers to make it up to to Will by helping him on the investigation.
Will and Cleo are dynamic and realistic. They both have damage—one is widowed; the other is twice divorced. They don’t have perfect bodies. Will, admittedly, has a “dad bod” and Cleo gets called a “cow” by Eddie.
Much-needed moments of levity; hilarious exchanges:
“And you’d better eat it fast because it’ll get moist in there.”
“Ew. Don’t say that word.”
“What word? Moist.”
“EW. Stop it.”
“Moist, moist, moist.”
The tae kwon do scene, in the middle of the sports good store…just…yes. 🙌
Well paced, with a smooth flow.
Cool ending. Would have liked a bit more for Will and Cleo, but I’ll take it. They’re an awesome (and hilariously idiosyncratic) couple.
After all the duds between book 1 and this (book 6), I was ready to abandon this series. So thank you, author, for making this series worth reading again.
“Cleo glanced at her companions and realized she understood now why people stayed in Crimson Falls.”
Back in the dark and dangerous town of Crimson Falls, this book is set in 2017.
Cleo Kemp moved to Crimson Falls six months ago; she inherited a house from her great-aunt, Mildred.
Cleo is a photographer. One of her specialties is crime scene photography. Oliver is Cleo’s trusty hound-mix dog.
Nicholas Stubbs is Cleo’s handyman. He does odd jobs all over town. But when Nicholas turns up dead in the woods, it brings two unlikely souls together.
Will Truman and Cleo have such a fun vibe together. Total couple potential from their first interaction. They’re fun together, and funny.
After Cleo’s dog bites Will’s hand, she offers to make it up to to Will by helping him on the investigation.
Will and Cleo are dynamic and realistic. They both have damage—one is widowed; the other is twice divorced. They don’t have perfect bodies. Will, admittedly, has a “dad bod” and Cleo gets called a “cow” by Eddie.
Much-needed moments of levity; hilarious exchanges:
“And you’d better eat it fast because it’ll get moist in there.”
“Ew. Don’t say that word.”
“What word? Moist.”
“EW. Stop it.”
“Moist, moist, moist.”
The tae kwon do scene, in the middle of the sports good store…just…yes. 🙌
Well paced, with a smooth flow.
Cool ending. Would have liked a bit more for Will and Cleo, but I’ll take it. They’re an awesome (and hilariously idiosyncratic) couple.
After all the duds between book 1 and this (book 6), I was ready to abandon this series. So thank you, author, for making this series worth reading again.
“Cleo glanced at her companions and realized she understood now why people stayed in Crimson Falls.”
August 16, 2020
Another great installment in the Crimson Falls series. This one artfully reveals the murder suspects one by one, in such a way that the reader really has no idea which one is the killer until the very end. The only thing you know is that they each have a convincing motive, therefore it could be literally any of them.
The only thing nagging at the back of my mind while reading is how free Will is in revealing to Cleo pertinent details about the case. I've never been a police officer or been involved in a murder investigation, so there's a lot I don't know about how things are done, but it seems like that much sharing of info would be considered inappropriate, and that he could have got into trouble for it. Especially considering that Cleo was at the scene of the crime when the body was discovered, so how did Will know she wasn't the killer?
Otherwise it was a very engaging book with elegant prose and likeable characters. I will definitely be reading more by this author.
The only thing nagging at the back of my mind while reading is how free Will is in revealing to Cleo pertinent details about the case. I've never been a police officer or been involved in a murder investigation, so there's a lot I don't know about how things are done, but it seems like that much sharing of info would be considered inappropriate, and that he could have got into trouble for it. Especially considering that Cleo was at the scene of the crime when the body was discovered, so how did Will know she wasn't the killer?
Otherwise it was a very engaging book with elegant prose and likeable characters. I will definitely be reading more by this author.
September 22, 2020
I really enjoyed this version of the Crimson Falls novellas. The backstory was really well done and it was awesome to have some of the questions answered from previous books. Even though each of the books is different, and only based in Crimson Falls, I truly enjoy when characters make the crossover between the stories. It’s so awesome reading different authors tell a story based in the same place, but each adding their own spin.
My final thought: NOT THE DOG. #sightinthedark #amlalacci #crimsonfalls #crimsonfalls8 #thriller #novella #read #books #shortstory #bookstagram #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookreview
My final thought: NOT THE DOG. #sightinthedark #amlalacci #crimsonfalls #crimsonfalls8 #thriller #novella #read #books #shortstory #bookstagram #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookreview
May 11, 2021
A story of new beginnings
She inherited a house just when she needed it most. Her marriage had ended. She was ready for a new start, but there was a weird thing happening in that town. Every October all kinds of evil things took place, such as murders and assaults snd rape cases.
Her dog bit the policeman's hand. She ended up driving and writing for him since the police were short staffed.
She became involved in solving this mystery.
I read it for relaxation and it suited that purpose perfectly. Thank you to the author.
She inherited a house just when she needed it most. Her marriage had ended. She was ready for a new start, but there was a weird thing happening in that town. Every October all kinds of evil things took place, such as murders and assaults snd rape cases.
Her dog bit the policeman's hand. She ended up driving and writing for him since the police were short staffed.
She became involved in solving this mystery.
I read it for relaxation and it suited that purpose perfectly. Thank you to the author.
May 15, 2021
Well written story with a well plotted mystery. The characters were well defined and engaging.
Cleo moves to Crimson Falls when she inherits a house there. She is reeling from a divorce so any distraction is welcome. Her new neighbor is becoming a good friend and taking crime photos keeps her busy. The downside to her new life? Crimson Falls has a reputation for evil one weeks a year and her handyman was just murdered!
Cleo moves to Crimson Falls when she inherits a house there. She is reeling from a divorce so any distraction is welcome. Her new neighbor is becoming a good friend and taking crime photos keeps her busy. The downside to her new life? Crimson Falls has a reputation for evil one weeks a year and her handyman was just murdered!
May 25, 2020
A young woman, Chloe, inherits a house (and cat) from her aunt in the town of Crimson Falls. There is a legend that the town was founded on killings that are repeated every October. Chloe is a photographer and gets involved in the investigation of this year’s murder.
My first thought was “What???”, but the story is very good and was a very easy and enjoyable read.
My first thought was “What???”, but the story is very good and was a very easy and enjoyable read.
May 11, 2021
An enjoyable murder mystery!
I hadn't read any Crimson Falls Novellas before but really enjoyed this one. Sight in the Dark contained a good dose of suspense and kept me guessing for most of the book. The three-dimensional characters brought the story to life and make for a great read.
I hadn't read any Crimson Falls Novellas before but really enjoyed this one. Sight in the Dark contained a good dose of suspense and kept me guessing for most of the book. The three-dimensional characters brought the story to life and make for a great read.
May 27, 2021
Awesome
Great book. I ain’t gonna lie though, I cried when Ollie got hurt. I hope he hangs in there in the future books of this series. I really like the idea of Will and Cleo being a couple.
Great book. I ain’t gonna lie though, I cried when Ollie got hurt. I hope he hangs in there in the future books of this series. I really like the idea of Will and Cleo being a couple.
April 17, 2021
I loved it! Crimson Falls is a fascinating town filled with interesting characters. I enjoyed the banter between Will and Cleo. A fun read!
June 7, 2023
A little underwhelming.
Had a good ending though.
Had a good ending though.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews