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The Familiar Dark
6 hours, 52 minutes
A spellbinding story of a mother with nothing left to lose who sets out on an all-consuming quest for justice after her daughter is murdered on the town playground.
Sometimes the answers are worse than the questions. Sometimes it's better not to know.
Set in the poorest part of the Missouri Ozarks, in a small town with big secrets, The Familiar Dark opens with a murder. Eve Taggert, desperate with grief over losing her daughter, takes it upon herself to find out the truth about what happened. Eve is no stranger to the dark side of life, having been raised by a hard-edged mother whose lessons Eve tried not to pass on to her own daughter. But Eve may need her mother's cruel brand of strength if she's going to face the reality about her daughter's death and about her own true nature. Her quest for justice takes her from the seedy underbelly of town to the quiet woods and, most frighteningly, back to her mother's trailer for a final lesson.
The Familiar Dark is a story about the bonds of family—women doing the best they can for their daughters in dire circumstances—as well as a story about how even the darkest and most terrifying of places can provide the comfort of home.
A spellbinding story of a mother with nothing left to lose who sets out on an all-consuming quest for justice after her daughter is murdered on the town playground.
Sometimes the answers are worse than the questions. Sometimes it's better not to know.
Set in the poorest part of the Missouri Ozarks, in a small town with big secrets, The Familiar Dark opens with a murder. Eve Taggert, desperate with grief over losing her daughter, takes it upon herself to find out the truth about what happened. Eve is no stranger to the dark side of life, having been raised by a hard-edged mother whose lessons Eve tried not to pass on to her own daughter. But Eve may need her mother's cruel brand of strength if she's going to face the reality about her daughter's death and about her own true nature. Her quest for justice takes her from the seedy underbelly of town to the quiet woods and, most frighteningly, back to her mother's trailer for a final lesson.
The Familiar Dark is a story about the bonds of family—women doing the best they can for their daughters in dire circumstances—as well as a story about how even the darkest and most terrifying of places can provide the comfort of home.
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First published March 31, 2020
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About the author
Amy Engel
9 books2,182 followersAmy Engel is the author of THE FAMILIAR DARK, THE ROANOKE GIRLS and THE BOOK OF IVY series. A former criminal defense attorney, she lives in Missouri with her family. Her next literary thriller, I DID IT FOR YOU, will be published by Dutton in Summer 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,731 reviews
July 31, 2021
Another book will shake you to the core, leaving an unforgettable scar at your sole forever, stealing a vulnerable piece of your heart!
In the middle of wilderness, abandoned, neglected town, left behind with its trailer park, an empire of crystal meth, heroine industry with its citizens who turned into wolves wearing human posts.
Welcome to Missouri, Ozarks and meet with our heroine Eve Taggert who grew up with her drug addicted mother and her older brother Cal who did everything to protect and help her survive at this jungle. Now she became a mother of 12 years old Junie, is determined to do whatever it takes to keep her own daughter safe at this thrilling environment. But how long they could survive? A killer is out there, hunting the young girls! Somebody has to stop him. But who? Who could you trust? She is living in a violent boys’ club kind of community, a group of fathers and husbands who neglect their own families!
Yes, this book is ugly, harsh, disturbing, dark, crude and reading story seems like feeling stab wounds at your chest! It is realistic, depressing, irritating and not for every reader which makes it a quite delicate, unique and outstanding reading.
The two girls of small town were killed. Eve has to use the life lessons her mother told her for scheming her vengeance and wearing her protection armor against the upcoming threats for her own family.
This book is small-burn mystery, captivating your thoughts and enchanting you to a darkest journey. As soon as you involve in you hardly breathe. It’s hard to digest what you read. You’re gonna need more time to absorb the things.
If you’re a fan of whodunit kind of fast reading, this book is not for you. You may sense who the killer is but you keep reading because the world building of the story and the eerie atmosphere, heroine’s strength push you learn more about the story.
It’s remarkably dark but one of the best stories I’ve lately read. If you also enjoy Roanoke Girls, you shouldn’t skip this author’s brand new, fantastic work.
Special thanks to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton to share this powerful book’s ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review.
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In the middle of wilderness, abandoned, neglected town, left behind with its trailer park, an empire of crystal meth, heroine industry with its citizens who turned into wolves wearing human posts.
Welcome to Missouri, Ozarks and meet with our heroine Eve Taggert who grew up with her drug addicted mother and her older brother Cal who did everything to protect and help her survive at this jungle. Now she became a mother of 12 years old Junie, is determined to do whatever it takes to keep her own daughter safe at this thrilling environment. But how long they could survive? A killer is out there, hunting the young girls! Somebody has to stop him. But who? Who could you trust? She is living in a violent boys’ club kind of community, a group of fathers and husbands who neglect their own families!
Yes, this book is ugly, harsh, disturbing, dark, crude and reading story seems like feeling stab wounds at your chest! It is realistic, depressing, irritating and not for every reader which makes it a quite delicate, unique and outstanding reading.
The two girls of small town were killed. Eve has to use the life lessons her mother told her for scheming her vengeance and wearing her protection armor against the upcoming threats for her own family.
This book is small-burn mystery, captivating your thoughts and enchanting you to a darkest journey. As soon as you involve in you hardly breathe. It’s hard to digest what you read. You’re gonna need more time to absorb the things.
If you’re a fan of whodunit kind of fast reading, this book is not for you. You may sense who the killer is but you keep reading because the world building of the story and the eerie atmosphere, heroine’s strength push you learn more about the story.
It’s remarkably dark but one of the best stories I’ve lately read. If you also enjoy Roanoke Girls, you shouldn’t skip this author’s brand new, fantastic work.
Special thanks to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton to share this powerful book’s ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review.
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March 16, 2023
The world might be changing in some places, but not here. Here it was still the same old merry-go-round of drugs and poverty and women being chewed up and spit out by men. People in other worlds could wear black evening gowns and give speeches about equality and not backing down, but out here in the trenches, we fought our war alone and we lost the battles every day.
There's clearly a reason why so many of us are drawn again and again toward these thrillers told from the perspective of a parent who has, in one way or another, lost a child. It's definitely stronger now I have kids of my own, but this emotional connection to a parent - usually a mother - driven by love, fear, grief and desperation, has always been one of the strongest emotional ties I can experience to a book.
The Familiar Dark stands out because, unlike many thrillers of this kind, it focuses on working class people, struggling with poverty, addiction, and abuse. Eve knows most people view her as "white trash". She knows her mother's ugly reputation as the local dealer precedes her. When her daughter is found dead, she knows everyone is scrutinizing her behaviour, looking for some way to blame her for not reacting in the right way.
Well, I loved Eve. She is such an easy character to feel sympathy for, but she also has a lot of bite. She simply cannot play the part they want her to play when her daughter is murdered-- the part of meek brokenhearted mother --because that is only a tiny fraction of what she is. Because far more than she is sad, she is furious. She wants to know who took away her baby. And she wants to kill them.
I definitely think this is more of a character-driven thriller than a twist-driven shockfest. It explores what it is like to try so hard for a better life, to work your ass off so your kid can have something better than you did, and then to find that none of what you did was good enough anyway. The Familiar Dark takes on all kinds of dark themes, like poverty, partner abuse and child abuse. It looks at how women continue to suffer most in low-income areas.
Truth is, there's no good way to navigate being female in this world. If you speak out, say no, stand your ground, you're a bitch and a harpy, and whatever happens to you is your own fault. You had it coming. But if you smile, say yes, survive on politeness, you're weak and desperate. An easy mark. Prey in a world full of predators.
Definitely not an easy or a light read, but it was an effective one for me. While the mystery itself is quite easily solvable, it is Eve Taggert I will remember long after putting this book down.
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March 1, 2020
Dark, Gritty, and Disturbing
“The world was ugly, especially for girls. There was no escaping it. You either fought back or you surrendered.”
The Familiar Dark is a suspenseful, intense psychological thriller about a grieving mother’s quest for vengeance.
Eve, a young single mother, has led a hard life. She grew up in an area in the Ozarks where the poor are separated from the poorer. It’s a fine line to survive and Eve grew up with an abusive, drug-addicted mother. Eve could have fallen into a similar life, but she managed to stay on the straight and narrow for her daughter, Junie. However, when 12-year-old Junie and her best friend, Izzy, are found with their throats slit on a playground, something is unleashed in Eve. Determined to find her daughter’s killer at any cost, she will have to choose to live in the light or find comfort in the darkness.
Eve’s voice is raw and real. Her grief, as much as she tries to keep it tamped down, permeates the pages. She shares a very open story of her life and covers her abusive childhood and relationships. She doesn’t sugarcoat her behavior, nor does she blame others for her mistakes. Having nothing left to live for after Junie’s death, she doesn’t blink when putting herself in danger and finally can face the evilest of all, her mother. She has fought her whole life to not become her mother’s daughter, but now without Junie, she finds that she is more like her mother than she wants to admit.
This is a fast-paced tense page-turner, and as dark as it was, I enjoyed Eve’s voice. The Familiar Dark explores the relationships between mothers and daughters, family, love, and trauma. This is not a pretty story and some parts are uncomfortable to read. I didn’t love how the events played out, but in the end, they make sense. The ending stunned me and left me shaken.
This is a tautly written story that explores class and relationship dynamics. Eve is a strong female lead with a compelling voice. This isn’t a book for everyone: it’s intense, harsh, and unsettling. Despite its disturbing nature, I found The Familiar Dark to be a worthwhile read.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
“The world was ugly, especially for girls. There was no escaping it. You either fought back or you surrendered.”
The Familiar Dark is a suspenseful, intense psychological thriller about a grieving mother’s quest for vengeance.
Eve, a young single mother, has led a hard life. She grew up in an area in the Ozarks where the poor are separated from the poorer. It’s a fine line to survive and Eve grew up with an abusive, drug-addicted mother. Eve could have fallen into a similar life, but she managed to stay on the straight and narrow for her daughter, Junie. However, when 12-year-old Junie and her best friend, Izzy, are found with their throats slit on a playground, something is unleashed in Eve. Determined to find her daughter’s killer at any cost, she will have to choose to live in the light or find comfort in the darkness.
Eve’s voice is raw and real. Her grief, as much as she tries to keep it tamped down, permeates the pages. She shares a very open story of her life and covers her abusive childhood and relationships. She doesn’t sugarcoat her behavior, nor does she blame others for her mistakes. Having nothing left to live for after Junie’s death, she doesn’t blink when putting herself in danger and finally can face the evilest of all, her mother. She has fought her whole life to not become her mother’s daughter, but now without Junie, she finds that she is more like her mother than she wants to admit.
This is a fast-paced tense page-turner, and as dark as it was, I enjoyed Eve’s voice. The Familiar Dark explores the relationships between mothers and daughters, family, love, and trauma. This is not a pretty story and some parts are uncomfortable to read. I didn’t love how the events played out, but in the end, they make sense. The ending stunned me and left me shaken.
This is a tautly written story that explores class and relationship dynamics. Eve is a strong female lead with a compelling voice. This isn’t a book for everyone: it’s intense, harsh, and unsettling. Despite its disturbing nature, I found The Familiar Dark to be a worthwhile read.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
April 30, 2020
My reviews can also be seen at: https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...
I really enjoyed Amy Engel’s previous novel “The Roanoke Girls” and have been looking forward to her next novel ever since.
It was worth the wait!
“Sometimes the answers are worse than the questions. Sometimes it’s better not to know.”
Thirty-year-old, Eve Taggert can't wait for her shift at the local diner to be over. Eve promised her twelve-year-old daughter, Junie that she’d be home early so they could order a pizza and watch a movie. Junie had spent the previous night at her friend, Izzy Logan’s house. Just then Eve sees her brother, Cal pulling up in his police car. Eve is surprised as Cal doesn’t come to the diner on Saturdays. Eve and Cal are very close. He's always been there for her and together they survived a traumatic childhood. As Cal gets closer, Eve notices a strange look on his face. She thinks about the sirens she heard earlier. She reassures herself that they had nothing to do with Junie. But now she can see that Cal has been crying. Cal NEVER cries.
“It’s Junie, Eve”
Since her daughter’s birth, Eve has expected that something would happen that would tear Junie away from her. She worries about accidents or terrible diseases. But she never thought something like this could happen.
Why would someone murder two innocent twelve-year-old girls?
Though she hadn’t seen her mother in years, her mama’s voice was always in her head . “Ain’t nobody gonna give a shit about who killed Junie except you.”
When Eve finds Junie’s journal she realizes her daughter had been keeping secrets. She’s surprised by what she reads but it gives her a place to start. It gives her a reason to get up. A reason to keep going. She is devastated by her loss but she needs to know what happened.
This means Eve may have to visit places and people she NEVER wanted to see again. The anger Eve kept in control since her daughter was born is burning hotter now and she makes a promise that she will find out what happened and she WILL make the person or persons responsible pay dearly. No one is going to get in her way.
An addictive read that pulled me in right from its heartbreaking start.
The story is told from a grieving mother's point of view. It's a dark and compelling read with subject matter that isn't always easy to read. However, I thought the author handled it well. This was a riveting story with many unforgettable characters. A novel that deals with family relationships including the complicated bond between mothers and daughters.
An emotionally powerful and chilling story about grief, heartbreak, betrayal, and vengeance.
With an excellent combination of complex characters and a gripping plot, "The Familiar Dark" is a novel I won't soon forget.
I'd like to thank the publisher and author for providing me with a copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed Amy Engel’s previous novel “The Roanoke Girls” and have been looking forward to her next novel ever since.
It was worth the wait!
“Sometimes the answers are worse than the questions. Sometimes it’s better not to know.”
Thirty-year-old, Eve Taggert can't wait for her shift at the local diner to be over. Eve promised her twelve-year-old daughter, Junie that she’d be home early so they could order a pizza and watch a movie. Junie had spent the previous night at her friend, Izzy Logan’s house. Just then Eve sees her brother, Cal pulling up in his police car. Eve is surprised as Cal doesn’t come to the diner on Saturdays. Eve and Cal are very close. He's always been there for her and together they survived a traumatic childhood. As Cal gets closer, Eve notices a strange look on his face. She thinks about the sirens she heard earlier. She reassures herself that they had nothing to do with Junie. But now she can see that Cal has been crying. Cal NEVER cries.
“It’s Junie, Eve”
Since her daughter’s birth, Eve has expected that something would happen that would tear Junie away from her. She worries about accidents or terrible diseases. But she never thought something like this could happen.
Why would someone murder two innocent twelve-year-old girls?
Though she hadn’t seen her mother in years, her mama’s voice was always in her head . “Ain’t nobody gonna give a shit about who killed Junie except you.”
When Eve finds Junie’s journal she realizes her daughter had been keeping secrets. She’s surprised by what she reads but it gives her a place to start. It gives her a reason to get up. A reason to keep going. She is devastated by her loss but she needs to know what happened.
This means Eve may have to visit places and people she NEVER wanted to see again. The anger Eve kept in control since her daughter was born is burning hotter now and she makes a promise that she will find out what happened and she WILL make the person or persons responsible pay dearly. No one is going to get in her way.
An addictive read that pulled me in right from its heartbreaking start.
The story is told from a grieving mother's point of view. It's a dark and compelling read with subject matter that isn't always easy to read. However, I thought the author handled it well. This was a riveting story with many unforgettable characters. A novel that deals with family relationships including the complicated bond between mothers and daughters.
An emotionally powerful and chilling story about grief, heartbreak, betrayal, and vengeance.
With an excellent combination of complex characters and a gripping plot, "The Familiar Dark" is a novel I won't soon forget.
I'd like to thank the publisher and author for providing me with a copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.
January 25, 2020
Amy Engel follows the brilliant The Roanoke Girls with this superb gritty, tragic, character driven, emotionally nerve wracking, atmospheric mystery set in the Missouri Ozarks in the small town of Barren Springs, a place barren of hope and opportunities in a desperate poverty stricken community, plagued by the social ills of drink and drugs. Single mom, Eve Taggert, works in a diner, a product of a tough and hard upbringing with a volatile and cruel meth addicted mother, and an older brother, Cal, who is now a police officer. She has tried to do her best for her beloved 12 year old daughter, Junie, ensuring that she did not grow up in the same circumstances as she did. The novel opens with the harrowing brutal murder of Junie and her best friend, Izzy, their throats cut, at the run down playground.
Eve's world collapses, torn apart by a unimaginable grief, she is plunged into the darkest of nightmares. She doesn't trust the sherriff to get to the bottom of what happened to Junie and Izzy and hunt the killer in their community. In response to the horrors of her situation, she turns her energies, fuelled by a vengeful fury, to get to the truth of what happened to Junie. Nothing is going to stop her, not the obstacles strewn in her path, Eve sheds any veneer of civilisation, willing to step into the fires of hell for justice. She traverses the town's underbelly, where no-one can be trusted as we learn of the details of her family and her traumatic history.
Engel writes a powerful story of loss, grief, lies and secrets, violence, misogyny, survival, the strength of female relationships, what it is to be a mother, and community. This vibrant novel is beautifully written and crafted, claustrophobic, melancholic, but if you are looking for a crime driven mystery, then this is possibly not a read for you. The author is far more interested in the characters, the flawed humanity, the place and the community. A tense, disturbing and suspenseful read that I recommend highly. Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.
Eve's world collapses, torn apart by a unimaginable grief, she is plunged into the darkest of nightmares. She doesn't trust the sherriff to get to the bottom of what happened to Junie and Izzy and hunt the killer in their community. In response to the horrors of her situation, she turns her energies, fuelled by a vengeful fury, to get to the truth of what happened to Junie. Nothing is going to stop her, not the obstacles strewn in her path, Eve sheds any veneer of civilisation, willing to step into the fires of hell for justice. She traverses the town's underbelly, where no-one can be trusted as we learn of the details of her family and her traumatic history.
Engel writes a powerful story of loss, grief, lies and secrets, violence, misogyny, survival, the strength of female relationships, what it is to be a mother, and community. This vibrant novel is beautifully written and crafted, claustrophobic, melancholic, but if you are looking for a crime driven mystery, then this is possibly not a read for you. The author is far more interested in the characters, the flawed humanity, the place and the community. A tense, disturbing and suspenseful read that I recommend highly. Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.
August 22, 2022
After the birth of her first and only child, Junie, Eve Taggert vows to do a better job parenting than her own mother did.
Growing up in dire poverty, in the heart of the Ozarks, Eve's drug-addicted mom was hell to deal with. Understandably, Eve wants to provide more for her own daughter.
Eve dedicates the next 12-years to putting her past far, far behind her. So much so, she never even bothers bringing Junie to her Mother's house. She doesn't need a Grandmother like that.
Most importantly, however, Eve tries her best to make sure Junie always feels safe and loved, a luxury she never had.
In spite of all of her best efforts, however, tragedy strikes. One snowy day, Junie is murdered, along with her best friend, Izzy, at an abandoned playground. Eve is shattered with grief.
Her little girl, her entire world, her purpose for being, is gone, but now she has a new purpose. Getting justice for Junie is her only goal and she may have to go back to her roots in order to get it.
We're talking some real, true to life, hillbilly justice here.
It's clear the police, her brother Cal amongst them, are not getting anywhere in their investigation. At least if they are, they aren't sharing it with Eve. So, she decides to do a bit of investigating on her own.
One of her first stops is her Mama's house. It's far from a warm reunion, but Eve feels oddly supported for the first time.
Maybe her Mama's lessons are finally going to pay off.
This book is aptly titled, as it got dark real quick and stayed there. The overall feeling is desperate and depressing, but it worked.
I thought Eve's character was so well written. I could feel what she was feeling, it hurt and kept me engaged the whole way through.
Coming in at under 300-pages, it is a pretty quick read, but definitely packs a punch.
If you like gritty Crime Fiction with the perfect touch of Hillbilly Noir, you should definitely give this one a shot.
I feel like this is Engel's wheelhouse; it definitely suits her writing style well. Atmospheric and DARK, just how I like 'em!
Thank you so much to the publisher, Dutton Books, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Growing up in dire poverty, in the heart of the Ozarks, Eve's drug-addicted mom was hell to deal with. Understandably, Eve wants to provide more for her own daughter.
Eve dedicates the next 12-years to putting her past far, far behind her. So much so, she never even bothers bringing Junie to her Mother's house. She doesn't need a Grandmother like that.
Most importantly, however, Eve tries her best to make sure Junie always feels safe and loved, a luxury she never had.
In spite of all of her best efforts, however, tragedy strikes. One snowy day, Junie is murdered, along with her best friend, Izzy, at an abandoned playground. Eve is shattered with grief.
Her little girl, her entire world, her purpose for being, is gone, but now she has a new purpose. Getting justice for Junie is her only goal and she may have to go back to her roots in order to get it.
We're talking some real, true to life, hillbilly justice here.
It's clear the police, her brother Cal amongst them, are not getting anywhere in their investigation. At least if they are, they aren't sharing it with Eve. So, she decides to do a bit of investigating on her own.
One of her first stops is her Mama's house. It's far from a warm reunion, but Eve feels oddly supported for the first time.
Maybe her Mama's lessons are finally going to pay off.
This book is aptly titled, as it got dark real quick and stayed there. The overall feeling is desperate and depressing, but it worked.
I thought Eve's character was so well written. I could feel what she was feeling, it hurt and kept me engaged the whole way through.
Coming in at under 300-pages, it is a pretty quick read, but definitely packs a punch.
If you like gritty Crime Fiction with the perfect touch of Hillbilly Noir, you should definitely give this one a shot.
I feel like this is Engel's wheelhouse; it definitely suits her writing style well. Atmospheric and DARK, just how I like 'em!
Thank you so much to the publisher, Dutton Books, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
July 6, 2020
I was really into this book. Great, challenging protagonist, the story starts with an intense event, well written. There is a twist in the middle of the book that genuinely surprised me and I am rarely surprised. I don’t know how I feel about the ending. It feels rushed after a protracted “mystery” and it is just so implausible. I get what the author was going for and the point she was trying to make with this twist but I didn’t believe it. Anyway. Well worth a read.
May 29, 2020
Thirty year old Eve and her thirty one year old brother, Cal, grew up the worst kind of poor. Raised by a cruel, drug dealing, mother who had men living in their rotting trailer, all through Eve's life, who allowed drug dealers to set up camp in her trailer, who didn't protect Eve from the men who would molest her, Eve and Cal's life was one of danger and misery. As children, Cal and Eve just had each other and they spent time wrapped around each other, trying to stay warm, with no food to eat, hiding from their mother and the violence of their lives. As dangerous as their world was, their mother was the most violent part of their lives. It's a wonder that Cal became a well respected officer of the law and Eve turned herself around after getting pregnant with Junie, at the age of seventeen.
Now Junie and her best friend have been murdered and Eve has vowed to go back to that dark place in her soul, the dark place that her mother raised her to have and hold forever, even when she had tried to distance herself from it. Eve vows to find out who killed the girls and she's going to take revenge, even though it will never bring her daughter back to her. Despite not seeing her mother for years, Eve goes to her for help and information, to dig deep into the seediness that resides in their poor Ozark community.
This is a book that was impossible to put down. I sped through it, feeling Eve's desperation, heartache, and resignation that she she would never escape her upbringing. Eve has given up and given in to the dark place in her heart. Now that her daughter is dead, she has no regard for her life and wellbeing...she just has one goal and that is to find the killer.
Thank to Dutton/Penguin Publishing Group and Edelweiss for this ARC.
Now Junie and her best friend have been murdered and Eve has vowed to go back to that dark place in her soul, the dark place that her mother raised her to have and hold forever, even when she had tried to distance herself from it. Eve vows to find out who killed the girls and she's going to take revenge, even though it will never bring her daughter back to her. Despite not seeing her mother for years, Eve goes to her for help and information, to dig deep into the seediness that resides in their poor Ozark community.
This is a book that was impossible to put down. I sped through it, feeling Eve's desperation, heartache, and resignation that she she would never escape her upbringing. Eve has given up and given in to the dark place in her heart. Now that her daughter is dead, she has no regard for her life and wellbeing...she just has one goal and that is to find the killer.
Thank to Dutton/Penguin Publishing Group and Edelweiss for this ARC.
March 23, 2020
5 stars!
Gritty. Emotional. Gripping. Addictive.
The novel starts with emotional intensity when Eve Taggart discovers her twelve-year-old daughter has been murdered at the local playground. Eve and her bother Cal, who is a local police officer, go on a hunt to track down the killer while uncovering small town secrets and scandal.
I loved Eve! I connected with her from the first chapter when she reacts to the discovery of her daughters death. My heart broke for her and I became extremely invested in her finding answers. Eve was a strong woman with a long hidden wild side. Eve’s childhood was enveloped within the backwoods, off-the-grid, redneck trailer park nestled in the deep, poorest parts of the Missouri Ozark mountains. She grew up with an abusive mother, having to fend for herself. After having her daughter at seventeen-years-old, Eve changes her way of life, escaping the filth and desperation of her childhood. Although she barely makes enough to get by, with help from Cal, she created a cleaner, healthier life for her and her daughter. However, those long hidden, backroads, fend-for-yourself ways reignite in Eve to help her find answers to her daughters brutal murder.
Each and every character was done to perfection, adding a new layer of intrigue and suspense to the story. My suspicions crawled all over this small town setting. The novel was highly atmospheric and drew me right in - especially the backroads, gritty trailer park scenes which had me feeling chills creep up my spine.
The mystery within these pages is pulse-pounding and stomach-churning. The writing was brilliant and kept me hanging on every word. I adored this authors previous novel, The Roanoke Girls, and am excited to say this was just as exceptional.
This was a Traveling Sister read that we ALL LOVED! Thank you to Edelweiss for my review copy!
Expected publication date: March 31, 2020.
Gritty. Emotional. Gripping. Addictive.
The novel starts with emotional intensity when Eve Taggart discovers her twelve-year-old daughter has been murdered at the local playground. Eve and her bother Cal, who is a local police officer, go on a hunt to track down the killer while uncovering small town secrets and scandal.
I loved Eve! I connected with her from the first chapter when she reacts to the discovery of her daughters death. My heart broke for her and I became extremely invested in her finding answers. Eve was a strong woman with a long hidden wild side. Eve’s childhood was enveloped within the backwoods, off-the-grid, redneck trailer park nestled in the deep, poorest parts of the Missouri Ozark mountains. She grew up with an abusive mother, having to fend for herself. After having her daughter at seventeen-years-old, Eve changes her way of life, escaping the filth and desperation of her childhood. Although she barely makes enough to get by, with help from Cal, she created a cleaner, healthier life for her and her daughter. However, those long hidden, backroads, fend-for-yourself ways reignite in Eve to help her find answers to her daughters brutal murder.
Each and every character was done to perfection, adding a new layer of intrigue and suspense to the story. My suspicions crawled all over this small town setting. The novel was highly atmospheric and drew me right in - especially the backroads, gritty trailer park scenes which had me feeling chills creep up my spine.
The mystery within these pages is pulse-pounding and stomach-churning. The writing was brilliant and kept me hanging on every word. I adored this authors previous novel, The Roanoke Girls, and am excited to say this was just as exceptional.
This was a Traveling Sister read that we ALL LOVED! Thank you to Edelweiss for my review copy!
Expected publication date: March 31, 2020.
May 11, 2020
Hot Diggity Dang! This is one exciting emotionally taut page-turner not to be missed. I had to ask Amy Engel about this one and her writing process. She joined us in our Behind the Pages group to answer some questions for us and gave us some great insight into her characters and writing.
You can find the Q & A here
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Amy Engel takes us to the poorest part of the Missouri Ozarks and creates a dark, harrowing, harsh and gritty atmospheric setting. We are pulled from the seedy underbelly of town to the quiet woods and the most dangerous place for our main character Eve her mother's trailer.
Eve determined to raise her daughter differently than she was and keep the evil that surrounds her mother and her hard ways from her daughter is now forced to go back to her roots in her quest for vengeance after her daughter is murder.
Amy Engel brilliantly delves into the darkness inside our characters while exploring grief, loss, family bonds and roots, loyalty and survival. The characters are strong, interesting and exciting and their relationships are unquie and powerful.
It's all about the characters here and the mystery here adds to the dynamics between the characters. There are some heartstopping twists to the story and that final reveal is one dark emotional twist.
I read this one in The Traveling Sister group and it's one we all loved and made for a great discussion. We all highly recommend it.
I received a copy on EW
For more reviews from The Travelings Sisters can be found on our Traveling Sister Review Blog
https://travelingsistersbookreviews.c...
You can find the Q & A here
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Amy Engel takes us to the poorest part of the Missouri Ozarks and creates a dark, harrowing, harsh and gritty atmospheric setting. We are pulled from the seedy underbelly of town to the quiet woods and the most dangerous place for our main character Eve her mother's trailer.
Eve determined to raise her daughter differently than she was and keep the evil that surrounds her mother and her hard ways from her daughter is now forced to go back to her roots in her quest for vengeance after her daughter is murder.
Amy Engel brilliantly delves into the darkness inside our characters while exploring grief, loss, family bonds and roots, loyalty and survival. The characters are strong, interesting and exciting and their relationships are unquie and powerful.
It's all about the characters here and the mystery here adds to the dynamics between the characters. There are some heartstopping twists to the story and that final reveal is one dark emotional twist.
I read this one in The Traveling Sister group and it's one we all loved and made for a great discussion. We all highly recommend it.
I received a copy on EW
For more reviews from The Travelings Sisters can be found on our Traveling Sister Review Blog
https://travelingsistersbookreviews.c...
September 12, 2020
Once in a while, you read a story without having any idea of what to expect, and in the end, it turns out to be a totally unforgettable experience. The Familiar Dark is one such gem. At the heart of it, it’s the story of a mother, who sets out on a relentless pursuit for justice after her teenage daughter is murdered by an unknown assailant.
Set in a small-town part of the Missouri, 12-year-old Junie and her best friend, Izzy, are found with their throats slit on a playground. Determined to find her daughter’s killer at any cost, Eve will have to overcome her grief to find out the truth about what happened. Her quest for justice takes her to the darkest parts of the town and some of the darkest memories of her buried past.
The Familiar Dark is a dark and intense psychological thriller about a grieving mother and her quest for vengeance. The story is told entirely from a grieving mother's point of view. This is not a typical murder mystery. It often reminded me of thrillers by the Coen brothers where the world-building, the atmosphere, and some memorable characters drive the story forward. This is a story of loss, grief, lies, secrets, vengeance, and justice. The novel also explores the complex relationship between mothers and daughters, the life of poverty in small towns, and how people adapt to adversity.
The Familiar Dark is a well-written story full of twists. The book is atmospheric, and filled with some intense emotions with an equally intense atmosphere. The ending left me a bit wanting more but given the story arc, it was adequate. The book is dark and intense and may not be suited for everyone. At 256 pages, it's tightly written and feels like an intense ride from start to finish.
The characters are the real driving force behind this book. The main character has to be one of the strongest female characters I've ever read. From her loving relationship with her daughter driven by her desire to protect her from an abusive childhood and relationships and her transformation from a grieving mother to one seeking revenge, Eve’s character development was excellent. Eve is not perfect, far from it, but that’s what makes her character so real. Engel has done a great job of creating a small town and some twisted yet memorable characters. I think each character in the book was so well crafted despite their limited background story due to which the story really left a mark.
Overall, The Familiar Dark is a dark and emotional story about grief and vengeance. If you want to pick up a dark thriller with a great atmosphere, some complex characters, and a gripping plot, you will enjoy this book. 4 stars out of 5.
Many thanks to the publishers Dutton & Penguin Publishing Group and Edelweiss for the ARC.
Set in a small-town part of the Missouri, 12-year-old Junie and her best friend, Izzy, are found with their throats slit on a playground. Determined to find her daughter’s killer at any cost, Eve will have to overcome her grief to find out the truth about what happened. Her quest for justice takes her to the darkest parts of the town and some of the darkest memories of her buried past.
The Familiar Dark is a dark and intense psychological thriller about a grieving mother and her quest for vengeance. The story is told entirely from a grieving mother's point of view. This is not a typical murder mystery. It often reminded me of thrillers by the Coen brothers where the world-building, the atmosphere, and some memorable characters drive the story forward. This is a story of loss, grief, lies, secrets, vengeance, and justice. The novel also explores the complex relationship between mothers and daughters, the life of poverty in small towns, and how people adapt to adversity.
The Familiar Dark is a well-written story full of twists. The book is atmospheric, and filled with some intense emotions with an equally intense atmosphere. The ending left me a bit wanting more but given the story arc, it was adequate. The book is dark and intense and may not be suited for everyone. At 256 pages, it's tightly written and feels like an intense ride from start to finish.
The characters are the real driving force behind this book. The main character has to be one of the strongest female characters I've ever read. From her loving relationship with her daughter driven by her desire to protect her from an abusive childhood and relationships and her transformation from a grieving mother to one seeking revenge, Eve’s character development was excellent. Eve is not perfect, far from it, but that’s what makes her character so real. Engel has done a great job of creating a small town and some twisted yet memorable characters. I think each character in the book was so well crafted despite their limited background story due to which the story really left a mark.
Overall, The Familiar Dark is a dark and emotional story about grief and vengeance. If you want to pick up a dark thriller with a great atmosphere, some complex characters, and a gripping plot, you will enjoy this book. 4 stars out of 5.
Many thanks to the publishers Dutton & Penguin Publishing Group and Edelweiss for the ARC.
March 18, 2020
"Little girls were never safe. I should know; I used to be one."
Eve Taggert is a single Mother whose bright light was snuffed out when her twelve-year-old daughter, Junie was murdered in a local park with her twelve-year-old friend, Izzy. Who could do such a thing? Why would someone want to hurt these two young girls?
Eve's life has not been easy. She was raised by a drug-addicted mother who not afraid to dish out abuse to both Eve and her brother Cal. When she left her Mother's home, she swore she was never going back. When she became a single mother, she knew it would be hard, but her daughter was the bright spot in her life. Now she knows pain, grief, anger and is determined to find answers. Answers that might have her returning to her Mother's home. Answers that have her going places she never wanted to go just to get the answers she seeks. But will she find the truth?
Sometimes the answers are worse than the questions. Sometimes it's better not to know.
Eve's pain jumps off the pages. She has her brother Cal, a local police officer as support but that is not enough. She has lost her child. The one person she loves more than anything in the world. She wants vengeance. She wants whoever killed her daughter to pay.
Mesmerizing, Raw, Gritty, Sad, Heartbreaking, Powerful and Harrowing are just a few words to describe this book. Amy Engel has created a riveting book that I could not put down. This is a story about love, about Motherhood, about family, about loss, about grief, and about vengeance. Engel's writing is powerful and packs a punch. There were some twists that I did not see coming. If you have read The Roanoke Girls, you know Engel writes about powerful subjects and damaged characters. She writes about a mother's pain, loss, and grief.
Wowza was this book good! Hight recommend!
Thank you to Dutton Books, NetGalley, Edelweiss who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
**This was a Traveling Sisters/Friends Group read
Eve Taggert is a single Mother whose bright light was snuffed out when her twelve-year-old daughter, Junie was murdered in a local park with her twelve-year-old friend, Izzy. Who could do such a thing? Why would someone want to hurt these two young girls?
Eve's life has not been easy. She was raised by a drug-addicted mother who not afraid to dish out abuse to both Eve and her brother Cal. When she left her Mother's home, she swore she was never going back. When she became a single mother, she knew it would be hard, but her daughter was the bright spot in her life. Now she knows pain, grief, anger and is determined to find answers. Answers that might have her returning to her Mother's home. Answers that have her going places she never wanted to go just to get the answers she seeks. But will she find the truth?
Sometimes the answers are worse than the questions. Sometimes it's better not to know.
Eve's pain jumps off the pages. She has her brother Cal, a local police officer as support but that is not enough. She has lost her child. The one person she loves more than anything in the world. She wants vengeance. She wants whoever killed her daughter to pay.
Mesmerizing, Raw, Gritty, Sad, Heartbreaking, Powerful and Harrowing are just a few words to describe this book. Amy Engel has created a riveting book that I could not put down. This is a story about love, about Motherhood, about family, about loss, about grief, and about vengeance. Engel's writing is powerful and packs a punch. There were some twists that I did not see coming. If you have read The Roanoke Girls, you know Engel writes about powerful subjects and damaged characters. She writes about a mother's pain, loss, and grief.
Wowza was this book good! Hight recommend!
Thank you to Dutton Books, NetGalley, Edelweiss who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
**This was a Traveling Sisters/Friends Group read
June 13, 2020
“God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in her shoes
'Cause then you really might know what it's like to have to choose”- Everlast
Eve Taggert grew up in a small town in Missouri. A town only a lucky few will ever escape. Once it has a firm grasp on you, you’re there for life.
Raised by their mother in a double-wide trailer, it was no happy childhood for Eve and her brother Cal. Never enough food on the table and second-hand clothes were a luxury. That is if they actually even fit.
Now a young adult on her own, Eve wanted so more for her daughter, Junie. Protect her from all the evils this wicked town has to offer. So when Junie and her best friend Izzy are found murdered....
“You find him!” My momma hissed!
I listened to the audio version which is just over 6 hours and devoured it! The voice talent Lisa Flanagan did a phenomenal job bringing the character Eve to life. You’re right alongside as she battles the evils in her retched small town, searching for her daughter’s killer.
If this book is on your list I highly recommend the 🎧 version.
'Cause then you really might know what it's like to have to choose”- Everlast
Eve Taggert grew up in a small town in Missouri. A town only a lucky few will ever escape. Once it has a firm grasp on you, you’re there for life.
Raised by their mother in a double-wide trailer, it was no happy childhood for Eve and her brother Cal. Never enough food on the table and second-hand clothes were a luxury. That is if they actually even fit.
Now a young adult on her own, Eve wanted so more for her daughter, Junie. Protect her from all the evils this wicked town has to offer. So when Junie and her best friend Izzy are found murdered....
“You find him!” My momma hissed!
I listened to the audio version which is just over 6 hours and devoured it! The voice talent Lisa Flanagan did a phenomenal job bringing the character Eve to life. You’re right alongside as she battles the evils in her retched small town, searching for her daughter’s killer.
If this book is on your list I highly recommend the 🎧 version.
June 7, 2020
“Fury is reserved for other people. The worst thing you can be is an angry woman, an angry mother.”
And Eve Taggert is angry. The vengeance kind of angry, and she doesn’t care who knows it or what they think of her. She grew up poor in the Ozarks, and remains poor in the Ozarks, a single mother eking out a meager existence as a waitress. She and her brother Cal grew up neglected and abused with a tough-as-nails drug-dealing mother. Eve cleaned her life up when Junie was born and is determined to keep her daughter from her mother and give her a childhood different than the one she knew. Cal, now a policeman, is her support system.
Junie is Eve’s entire world, her only reason for living, and she struggles against all odds to give her a good life, a gentler, kinder life than the one she knew. She softens her own hard edges and through strength of will she buries the part of her that is her mother’s daughter.
But she knew this day would come…“It had happened now, finally. The disaster I'd been anticipating from the second Junie was born. And I had never even seen it coming."
Twelve-year-old daughter Junie and her best friend Izzy are brutally murdered and Eve’s life falls apart. She is not only grieving, she is angry and determined to find the person responsible and make them pay. The Taggert brand of justice is an eye for an eye and she won’t rest until she finds her daughter’s murderer.
Eve’s character development was excellent. I felt as if I were walking this path with Eve. Her search for answers drags her back to her roots and into the familiar dark underbelly of the Ozarks, and the darkness that lives inside her.
Emotional and gripping, this is grit lit at its finest. At 256 pages it's tautly plotted, atmospheric, and dark. It’s just as much a character study as it is a mystery. The complex relationship between mothers and daughters, the effects of poverty, and overwhelming grief are explored.
The mystery is compelling but it’s the characters that kept me furiously flipping the pages.
The tension doesn’t let up from the brutal beginning to the explosive ending that brought me to tears. I was riveted from beginning to end. Recommended for those who like their page-turners dark with exceptional writing and well-developed characters.
*Thanks to my friend Victoria who sent me her copy - you're the best!!
And Eve Taggert is angry. The vengeance kind of angry, and she doesn’t care who knows it or what they think of her. She grew up poor in the Ozarks, and remains poor in the Ozarks, a single mother eking out a meager existence as a waitress. She and her brother Cal grew up neglected and abused with a tough-as-nails drug-dealing mother. Eve cleaned her life up when Junie was born and is determined to keep her daughter from her mother and give her a childhood different than the one she knew. Cal, now a policeman, is her support system.
Junie is Eve’s entire world, her only reason for living, and she struggles against all odds to give her a good life, a gentler, kinder life than the one she knew. She softens her own hard edges and through strength of will she buries the part of her that is her mother’s daughter.
But she knew this day would come…“It had happened now, finally. The disaster I'd been anticipating from the second Junie was born. And I had never even seen it coming."
Twelve-year-old daughter Junie and her best friend Izzy are brutally murdered and Eve’s life falls apart. She is not only grieving, she is angry and determined to find the person responsible and make them pay. The Taggert brand of justice is an eye for an eye and she won’t rest until she finds her daughter’s murderer.
Eve’s character development was excellent. I felt as if I were walking this path with Eve. Her search for answers drags her back to her roots and into the familiar dark underbelly of the Ozarks, and the darkness that lives inside her.
Emotional and gripping, this is grit lit at its finest. At 256 pages it's tautly plotted, atmospheric, and dark. It’s just as much a character study as it is a mystery. The complex relationship between mothers and daughters, the effects of poverty, and overwhelming grief are explored.
The mystery is compelling but it’s the characters that kept me furiously flipping the pages.
The tension doesn’t let up from the brutal beginning to the explosive ending that brought me to tears. I was riveted from beginning to end. Recommended for those who like their page-turners dark with exceptional writing and well-developed characters.
*Thanks to my friend Victoria who sent me her copy - you're the best!!
February 20, 2021
A mother will do anything to avenge the death of her daughter.
Eve Taggert lives in a poor town in Missouri. She works as a waitress at a diner while raising her 12-year old daughter, Junie. The bodies of Junie and her best friend, Izzy, are found in a gruesome fashion at the park. Eve knows what it’s like to live a hard life, and will do whatever it takes to find the culprit...and make the culprit pay.
This is a hard read at times, as should be expected. Eve is poor...trying to do her best, living in a hellhole, and dealing with tragedy. The writing is raw and atmospheric, and moves at a quick pace as Eve decides to take the investigation into her own hands.
She’s tough as nails, but you will root for her as you learn the story of her...and those around her.
Heartbreaking, suspenseful, and powerful.
To end on a bright note, the author includes this in the acknowledgements: “Thank you to Larry the cat, who still keeps my legs warm while I’m writing.” 🐱
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
Eve Taggert lives in a poor town in Missouri. She works as a waitress at a diner while raising her 12-year old daughter, Junie. The bodies of Junie and her best friend, Izzy, are found in a gruesome fashion at the park. Eve knows what it’s like to live a hard life, and will do whatever it takes to find the culprit...and make the culprit pay.
This is a hard read at times, as should be expected. Eve is poor...trying to do her best, living in a hellhole, and dealing with tragedy. The writing is raw and atmospheric, and moves at a quick pace as Eve decides to take the investigation into her own hands.
She’s tough as nails, but you will root for her as you learn the story of her...and those around her.
Heartbreaking, suspenseful, and powerful.
To end on a bright note, the author includes this in the acknowledgements: “Thank you to Larry the cat, who still keeps my legs warm while I’m writing.” 🐱
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
May 25, 2020
Hauntingly Dark And Gritty!
Taking place in the Missouri Ozarks, the story opens with a freak snowstorm in the middle of April where two savage and heartbreakingly brutal murders are taking place in an almost non-existent run down park where there will be no witnesses to these senseless crimes. The story centers around Eve Taggert a waitress and her beloved brother Cal who is a policeman and have grown up together with an abusive and drug and alcohol addicted mother and yet they still have that love, hate relationship with her no matter how hard they have tried to break their familial bonds. Eve grew up dirt poor, hard edged in extreme poverty never having enough food in her belly and knowing never to trust anyone except Cal until at the young age of seventeen, her beautiful baby girl Junie was born and Eve promised herself and to Junie that she would try to put the past behnd her and give her baby girl all the love and affection that she had never known while growing up and especially, she promised to always keep Junie safe. Eve kept every one of her promises until that fateful day in April when a freak snowstorm descended opon the small town where Eve lived.
This book hit me hard and deep and will stay with me for a long while. This is not a pretty story, there isn't any humor or light touches. This is a dark, gritty, slap in your face wake up call for the reality of some people and places that you choose to ignore until you read a book like this. Eve is a special woman who tried to outrun her past and did everything right but somehow fate decided against her. This book covered everything from physical and sexual abuse, addiction, adultery, extreme poverty, murder, beautiful love, hate, and anything else you can think of. Amy Engel has a gift for writing because her words just resonated to my core and many times I would find my eyes filling with tears and experiencing an ache in my heart and that doesn't happen too often, even when books are very well-written. Excellent storytelling and stellar writing. This book should not be overlooked because it will give a powerful punch.
I want to thank the publisher "Hodder and Stoughton" and Netgalley and to the fantastic author "Amy Engel" whose writing made me experience such deep emotions!
I highly recommend this haunting novel and have given a rating of 5 Darkly Emotional 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars!
Taking place in the Missouri Ozarks, the story opens with a freak snowstorm in the middle of April where two savage and heartbreakingly brutal murders are taking place in an almost non-existent run down park where there will be no witnesses to these senseless crimes. The story centers around Eve Taggert a waitress and her beloved brother Cal who is a policeman and have grown up together with an abusive and drug and alcohol addicted mother and yet they still have that love, hate relationship with her no matter how hard they have tried to break their familial bonds. Eve grew up dirt poor, hard edged in extreme poverty never having enough food in her belly and knowing never to trust anyone except Cal until at the young age of seventeen, her beautiful baby girl Junie was born and Eve promised herself and to Junie that she would try to put the past behnd her and give her baby girl all the love and affection that she had never known while growing up and especially, she promised to always keep Junie safe. Eve kept every one of her promises until that fateful day in April when a freak snowstorm descended opon the small town where Eve lived.
This book hit me hard and deep and will stay with me for a long while. This is not a pretty story, there isn't any humor or light touches. This is a dark, gritty, slap in your face wake up call for the reality of some people and places that you choose to ignore until you read a book like this. Eve is a special woman who tried to outrun her past and did everything right but somehow fate decided against her. This book covered everything from physical and sexual abuse, addiction, adultery, extreme poverty, murder, beautiful love, hate, and anything else you can think of. Amy Engel has a gift for writing because her words just resonated to my core and many times I would find my eyes filling with tears and experiencing an ache in my heart and that doesn't happen too often, even when books are very well-written. Excellent storytelling and stellar writing. This book should not be overlooked because it will give a powerful punch.
I want to thank the publisher "Hodder and Stoughton" and Netgalley and to the fantastic author "Amy Engel" whose writing made me experience such deep emotions!
I highly recommend this haunting novel and have given a rating of 5 Darkly Emotional 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars!
June 9, 2020
⭐4 out of 5 dirty yokels⭐
The setting is what makes this book so fascinating.
Barren Springs, a small, poverty-stricken town in the Ozarks, filled with simple-minded bigots, meth addicts, families who can't afford food, and uneducated low life cops.
"𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣, 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡? "
"𝙊𝙝, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬, " 𝙄 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙, 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮.
"𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙, 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄'𝙢 𝙜𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙩, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙅𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙚. "
𝙄𝙣 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧. 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙙𝙖𝙮.
The story follows Eve. A country bumpkins, raised by an addict and abuser, but doing her best with what little she has for the sake of her 12 year old daughter Junie. But when Junie is murdered by someone in town, Eve uses the darkness and anger inside herself to get to the truth.
A great book with some fascinating and well-rounded characters, and the ending was..... WOW!..... brutally perfect.
The big flaw was Eve's narration. I never felt her character was realistically portrayed because, although she says she's never travelled outside of Barren Springs, she is frequently comparing it to other towns. Even the quote I used is an example. In other places this.... In other towns that.... The author really wanted the reader to recognize the awfulness of the town but in doing so made Eve a forced and unbelievable character.
Still though, I was rooting for her the entire time!
The setting is what makes this book so fascinating.
Barren Springs, a small, poverty-stricken town in the Ozarks, filled with simple-minded bigots, meth addicts, families who can't afford food, and uneducated low life cops.
"𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣, 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡? "
"𝙊𝙝, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬, " 𝙄 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙, 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮.
"𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙, 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄'𝙢 𝙜𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙩, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙅𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙚. "
𝙄𝙣 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧. 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙙𝙖𝙮.
The story follows Eve. A country bumpkins, raised by an addict and abuser, but doing her best with what little she has for the sake of her 12 year old daughter Junie. But when Junie is murdered by someone in town, Eve uses the darkness and anger inside herself to get to the truth.
A great book with some fascinating and well-rounded characters, and the ending was..... WOW!..... brutally perfect.
The big flaw was Eve's narration. I never felt her character was realistically portrayed because, although she says she's never travelled outside of Barren Springs, she is frequently comparing it to other towns. Even the quote I used is an example. In other places this.... In other towns that.... The author really wanted the reader to recognize the awfulness of the town but in doing so made Eve a forced and unbelievable character.
Still though, I was rooting for her the entire time!
December 26, 2019
Eve Taggert grew up in the poorest part of the Missouri Ozarks with a meth addicted mother hell bent on crime and an older brother, Cal, that always did his best to protect her.
Eve, now an adult, works at the local diner scraping by a meager existence for her and her 12 year old daughter, Junie. When Cal, now a police officer, shows up at her work with the most devastating news. Junie and her best friend Izzy have been murdered at the playground, throats slashed and left for dead.
Eve has been taught a lot by her mama and one of those lessons is to never surrender. Some one takes something from you then you steal it right back and Eve will have vengeance one way or another.
What a fantastic book. A slow burn yet addictive murder mystery. If you read The Roanoke Girls then you already know what a fabulous writer Engel is and this book only serves to remind us of that. I will read anything this woman writes. EVERY SINGLE STAR!!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Thank you to Edelweiss and Dutton Books for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Eve, now an adult, works at the local diner scraping by a meager existence for her and her 12 year old daughter, Junie. When Cal, now a police officer, shows up at her work with the most devastating news. Junie and her best friend Izzy have been murdered at the playground, throats slashed and left for dead.
Eve has been taught a lot by her mama and one of those lessons is to never surrender. Some one takes something from you then you steal it right back and Eve will have vengeance one way or another.
What a fantastic book. A slow burn yet addictive murder mystery. If you read The Roanoke Girls then you already know what a fabulous writer Engel is and this book only serves to remind us of that. I will read anything this woman writes. EVERY SINGLE STAR!!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Thank you to Edelweiss and Dutton Books for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
April 24, 2020
Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes!! Amy Engel's new thriller was absolutely terrific.
“It’s never the thing you’re expecting that wallops you. It’s always something sneaky, sliding up behind you when your attention’s fixed on something else.”
Eve’s world is torn completely apart when her 12-year-old daughter, Junie, is found murdered. Living in the same poor town in the Missouri Ozarks where she grew up, Eve expected many paths her daughter might take, but she never imagined she’d be murdered alongside her best friend.
Although she is flattened by grief, Eve is determined to find who killed her daughter and make them pay. If that means riling up the town’s resident drug kingpin, with whom she has a volatile history, so be it. Her older brother Cal, a policeman, tries to keep Eve on the straight and narrow, but ultimately knows she'll do what she has to do to find justice.
Looking into Junie’s death will take Eve back to the trailer she grew up in, and her mother, an addict who is tough as nails and knows everything that goes on in the town. She raised Eve and Cal with alternating cruelty and neglect, and made it clear to Eve that she had very little desire to be a mother. Both siblings tried to veer as far away as possible from the path that their mother cut, Cal becoming a policeman and Eve trying to raise her daughter to have self-worth and opportunities. But above anything, they remember one thing about their mother: no one ever messes with her family and gets away with it.
The Familiar Dark is excellent and so worth the hype. It is full of twists and turns, emotion, and evocative imagery. I devoured this book and actually wished it was longer. It's certainly dark and sad, but it's a terrific thriller and I was really impressed with Engel's storytelling ability.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
“It’s never the thing you’re expecting that wallops you. It’s always something sneaky, sliding up behind you when your attention’s fixed on something else.”
Eve’s world is torn completely apart when her 12-year-old daughter, Junie, is found murdered. Living in the same poor town in the Missouri Ozarks where she grew up, Eve expected many paths her daughter might take, but she never imagined she’d be murdered alongside her best friend.
Although she is flattened by grief, Eve is determined to find who killed her daughter and make them pay. If that means riling up the town’s resident drug kingpin, with whom she has a volatile history, so be it. Her older brother Cal, a policeman, tries to keep Eve on the straight and narrow, but ultimately knows she'll do what she has to do to find justice.
Looking into Junie’s death will take Eve back to the trailer she grew up in, and her mother, an addict who is tough as nails and knows everything that goes on in the town. She raised Eve and Cal with alternating cruelty and neglect, and made it clear to Eve that she had very little desire to be a mother. Both siblings tried to veer as far away as possible from the path that their mother cut, Cal becoming a policeman and Eve trying to raise her daughter to have self-worth and opportunities. But above anything, they remember one thing about their mother: no one ever messes with her family and gets away with it.
The Familiar Dark is excellent and so worth the hype. It is full of twists and turns, emotion, and evocative imagery. I devoured this book and actually wished it was longer. It's certainly dark and sad, but it's a terrific thriller and I was really impressed with Engel's storytelling ability.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
August 28, 2021
The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel is a 2020 Dutton Books publication.
Best friends, twelve-year-old- Izzy and Junie are murdered at an abandoned playground. The crime rocks the small rural town of Missouri Oaks.
Although local law enforcement has opened a full-scale investigation- with her one ray of sunshine gone- Evie tosses away the veneer she’s been hiding behind for the sake of her daughter and goes full throttle in the search for her daughter’s killer. Even though her brother, Cal, is a member of law-enforcement, Evie doesn’t trust the police, for good reason.
As the urgency increases inside Evie’s mind, she becomes increasingly bold, giving herself over to the darker parts of her psyche she’s been trying to contain, as the shocking truth comes into sharper focus…
Wow. This book, which is hard to put down, is dark, really dark- gritty and intense. I’d say this is not just a mystery, but a character study as well. The rough environment Evie lives in and her less than nurturing upbringing is the exact opposite of what she wanted for her daughter-
Junie still met with a violent end, despite how desperately Evie tried to give her a better childhood than her own.
The story almost plays out like a Greek tragedy-
This book offers little in the way of redemption and justice is not in any way triumphant. By the time I turned the last page, I was nearly numb.
The choices made when women have limited options, is the primary theme of the book. This message might be inexorable and depressing, but it’s also powerful and sobering.
4 stars
Best friends, twelve-year-old- Izzy and Junie are murdered at an abandoned playground. The crime rocks the small rural town of Missouri Oaks.
Although local law enforcement has opened a full-scale investigation- with her one ray of sunshine gone- Evie tosses away the veneer she’s been hiding behind for the sake of her daughter and goes full throttle in the search for her daughter’s killer. Even though her brother, Cal, is a member of law-enforcement, Evie doesn’t trust the police, for good reason.
As the urgency increases inside Evie’s mind, she becomes increasingly bold, giving herself over to the darker parts of her psyche she’s been trying to contain, as the shocking truth comes into sharper focus…
Wow. This book, which is hard to put down, is dark, really dark- gritty and intense. I’d say this is not just a mystery, but a character study as well. The rough environment Evie lives in and her less than nurturing upbringing is the exact opposite of what she wanted for her daughter-
Junie still met with a violent end, despite how desperately Evie tried to give her a better childhood than her own.
The story almost plays out like a Greek tragedy-
This book offers little in the way of redemption and justice is not in any way triumphant. By the time I turned the last page, I was nearly numb.
The choices made when women have limited options, is the primary theme of the book. This message might be inexorable and depressing, but it’s also powerful and sobering.
4 stars
April 25, 2020
There’s dark and then there’s Ozarks dark.
Engel gripped me with her prologue, was unrelenting in the tension throughout and then gut punched with the ending. The murders are not just a plot point, this isn’t just a thriller, this is an uncompromising look at a town born of desperation and brutal lives where the die is cast early and escape is futile.
The world might be changing in some places, but not here. Here it was still the same old merry-go-round of drugs and poverty and women being chewed up and spit out by men...out here in the trenches, we fought our war alone and we lost the battles every day.
You’ll find an array of small town folks on both sides of the track, most doing the best they can in a town aptly named Barren Springs. And many more will frighten and anger you, but it’s a mother’s all consuming grief and need for justice that propels the narrative and you feel her ferocity on every page.
… Everyone feels sorry for those parents, those mothers, until they don’t. Until the mothers don’t cry enough or cry too much…Until the mothers are angry. Because that’s the one thing women are never, ever allowed to be. We can be sad, distraught, confused, pleading, forgiving. But not furious. Fury is reserved for other people The worst thing you can be is an angry woman, an angry mother.
Engel’s sparse prose is vivid even while describing the bleakest of circumstances; arresting when it could wallow and all the while painting a gritty picture that you can’t look away from or dismiss. I had to stop myself from reading this in one sitting, this is page-turning suspense at its best, but it is the emotional impact that will last. 4+++ bumped up to 5 for its characterization and insights into the darkest parts of our souls.
Engel gripped me with her prologue, was unrelenting in the tension throughout and then gut punched with the ending. The murders are not just a plot point, this isn’t just a thriller, this is an uncompromising look at a town born of desperation and brutal lives where the die is cast early and escape is futile.
The world might be changing in some places, but not here. Here it was still the same old merry-go-round of drugs and poverty and women being chewed up and spit out by men...out here in the trenches, we fought our war alone and we lost the battles every day.
You’ll find an array of small town folks on both sides of the track, most doing the best they can in a town aptly named Barren Springs. And many more will frighten and anger you, but it’s a mother’s all consuming grief and need for justice that propels the narrative and you feel her ferocity on every page.
… Everyone feels sorry for those parents, those mothers, until they don’t. Until the mothers don’t cry enough or cry too much…Until the mothers are angry. Because that’s the one thing women are never, ever allowed to be. We can be sad, distraught, confused, pleading, forgiving. But not furious. Fury is reserved for other people The worst thing you can be is an angry woman, an angry mother.
Engel’s sparse prose is vivid even while describing the bleakest of circumstances; arresting when it could wallow and all the while painting a gritty picture that you can’t look away from or dismiss. I had to stop myself from reading this in one sitting, this is page-turning suspense at its best, but it is the emotional impact that will last. 4+++ bumped up to 5 for its characterization and insights into the darkest parts of our souls.
January 12, 2020
This is a harsh and grim tale but it’s compulsive reading. The setting for this book is Barren Springs, Missouri which is off the beaten track and a very hard place to make much of a living. In fact, it’s just a hard place. Two twelve year old girls, Izzy and Julie are murdered. Izzy’s parents are Jenny and Zach who are reasonably well off by the regions standards while Junie’s mum, the narrator Eve is by her own admission trailer trash. This novel is an eye opener as it shows the harsh reality of a world of grinding poverty, of wasted lives, of reflexive violence, living hand to mouth and the drug and alcohol addiction of people old before their time. Eve is tenacious in her desire to avenge the death of her beloved daughter who lit up her world and made her want to rise above what she is born into. Her pursuit for her brand of justice takes her on a shocking journey.
Amy Engel portrays the loss of a child, the overwhelming grief and pain in such a way that you feel it. Eve’s attitude to her loss is very thought provoking as she turns her grief to anger and utilises that for Junie. The author shows with great clarity that Eve’s world is now dark, dark dark as she reverts to the person she was before Junie was born. The world that Eve came from with a mother who is harsh, cruel, beyond mouthy, and a drug dealer with itinerant boyfriends is uncompromisingly bleak; there is no sugar coating in this tale. There are many characters in the book who are similar to this so when Eve is on the receiving end of an act of kindness it jolts you and is a welcome beam of light.
This is a well written, twisty, suspenseful novel with some jaw dropping shocks along the way and so dark you can hardly see your hand in front of you. Eve is as tenacious as a pit bull with a similar bite and I’m not sure if it’s possible to describe her as likeable but I do admire her survival instinct. The justice she metes out is biblical and not what most people would do though they may wish to. I think this is a novel that I’ll remember and I would recommend it to fans of this genre.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the ARC.
Amy Engel portrays the loss of a child, the overwhelming grief and pain in such a way that you feel it. Eve’s attitude to her loss is very thought provoking as she turns her grief to anger and utilises that for Junie. The author shows with great clarity that Eve’s world is now dark, dark dark as she reverts to the person she was before Junie was born. The world that Eve came from with a mother who is harsh, cruel, beyond mouthy, and a drug dealer with itinerant boyfriends is uncompromisingly bleak; there is no sugar coating in this tale. There are many characters in the book who are similar to this so when Eve is on the receiving end of an act of kindness it jolts you and is a welcome beam of light.
This is a well written, twisty, suspenseful novel with some jaw dropping shocks along the way and so dark you can hardly see your hand in front of you. Eve is as tenacious as a pit bull with a similar bite and I’m not sure if it’s possible to describe her as likeable but I do admire her survival instinct. The justice she metes out is biblical and not what most people would do though they may wish to. I think this is a novel that I’ll remember and I would recommend it to fans of this genre.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the ARC.
October 2, 2020
While this wasn't nearly as twisted as the last Amy Engel thriller I read, this was still a solid read and I'm excited to read anything else she puts out in the future!
TW: Because this is a thriller I've hidden them behind a spoiler tag. Click 'view spoiler' if you would like to see them -->
TW: Because this is a thriller I've hidden them behind a spoiler tag. Click 'view spoiler' if you would like to see them -->
July 28, 2020
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Or in this case, of a daughter murdered, in a small gritty town.
A little too convenient in parts and the character just couldn’t evoke that connection for me.
A good twist but it missed its mark for me. Still, not a bad read, just not a great one.
3.5⭐️
A little too convenient in parts and the character just couldn’t evoke that connection for me.
A good twist but it missed its mark for me. Still, not a bad read, just not a great one.
3.5⭐️
April 27, 2020
Wow this is dark!
Damn the writing is amazing!!
A gritty dark captivating novel that I couldn't put down. The main character has to be one of the strongest female characters I've ever read. And you have to be a pretty tough reader yourself to swallow everything this book throws at you.
I would compare this to "Unspeakable Things" by Jess Lourey. Both are dark difficult topics involving children. I thought Unspeakable Things was very good, but The Familiar Dark is even better in my opinion.
*Thank you to Penguin Publishing Group in Edelweiss+ for access to the digital review copy!
Damn the writing is amazing!!
A gritty dark captivating novel that I couldn't put down. The main character has to be one of the strongest female characters I've ever read. And you have to be a pretty tough reader yourself to swallow everything this book throws at you.
I would compare this to "Unspeakable Things" by Jess Lourey. Both are dark difficult topics involving children. I thought Unspeakable Things was very good, but The Familiar Dark is even better in my opinion.
*Thank you to Penguin Publishing Group in Edelweiss+ for access to the digital review copy!
February 2, 2020
After reading and loving “The Roanoke Girls” I was very excited to get the chance to review “The Familiar Dark” and had prepared myself for a late night!!
Eve Taggert is working in the diner when her brother Cal a policeman, arrives to give her the traumatic news that her Daughter Junie aged 12 and her best friend Izzy have been discovered in the playground with their throats slit!!
Eve grew up in a trailer in the poor area of Missouri in the small town of Barren Springs, her mother Lynette a meth addict with numerous boyfriends. Eve distanced herself from Lynette as she wanted a better quality of life for her daughter, one where she would grow up feeling safe and loved.
Eve’s world is plunged into despair at losing her daughter, how can she carry on without her. Eve wants answers even if it means she has to dig for it herself,putting her own life at risk. Eve’s grief soon turns to anger and she is prepared to do anything to get her hands on the murderer even if it means going to her mom for assistance and returning to her childhood home.
I was addicted to this book and it’s twists and turns along the way. It is gritty and dark but told in a gripping way that you are swept along by the journey desperate for the girls to get the justice they deserve.
I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.
Eve Taggert is working in the diner when her brother Cal a policeman, arrives to give her the traumatic news that her Daughter Junie aged 12 and her best friend Izzy have been discovered in the playground with their throats slit!!
Eve grew up in a trailer in the poor area of Missouri in the small town of Barren Springs, her mother Lynette a meth addict with numerous boyfriends. Eve distanced herself from Lynette as she wanted a better quality of life for her daughter, one where she would grow up feeling safe and loved.
Eve’s world is plunged into despair at losing her daughter, how can she carry on without her. Eve wants answers even if it means she has to dig for it herself,putting her own life at risk. Eve’s grief soon turns to anger and she is prepared to do anything to get her hands on the murderer even if it means going to her mom for assistance and returning to her childhood home.
I was addicted to this book and it’s twists and turns along the way. It is gritty and dark but told in a gripping way that you are swept along by the journey desperate for the girls to get the justice they deserve.
I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.
January 31, 2021
Wanted to give this 3.5 stars - really enjoyed the writing, the main characters, and the story - even though it’s centered around the murder of two young girls. Look forward to reading The Roanoke Girls by this same author.
August 16, 2020
Five Dark Stars!
The Familiar Dark was an unexpected rave for me. I didn’t have high hopes because of some unfavorable reviews, but it appears I’m an outlier.
After tentatively opening the front cover I knew I would enjoy this from the first page. Although gritty, I didn’t find it as bleak as described by others and I admired the fortitude of several female characters in the story.
Above all, it’s a story of love between mothers and daughters. Not easily moved to tears, I needed a few hankies while reading as there are some raw and touching moments.
The juxtaposition between the beautiful prose, ugly circumstances, and severe poverty was breathtaking. I loved the writing and know that I’ll not soon forget this book.
Definitely looking for others by this author!
The Familiar Dark was an unexpected rave for me. I didn’t have high hopes because of some unfavorable reviews, but it appears I’m an outlier.
After tentatively opening the front cover I knew I would enjoy this from the first page. Although gritty, I didn’t find it as bleak as described by others and I admired the fortitude of several female characters in the story.
Above all, it’s a story of love between mothers and daughters. Not easily moved to tears, I needed a few hankies while reading as there are some raw and touching moments.
The juxtaposition between the beautiful prose, ugly circumstances, and severe poverty was breathtaking. I loved the writing and know that I’ll not soon forget this book.
Definitely looking for others by this author!
May 23, 2021
Hauntingly Dark And Gritty!
Taking place in the Missouri Ozarks, the story opens with a freak snowstorm in the middle of April where two savage and heartbreakingly brutal murders are taking place in an almost non-existent run down park where there will be no witnesses to these senseless crimes. The story centers around Eve Taggert a waitress and her beloved brother Cal who is a policeman and have grown up together with an abusive and drug and alcohol addicted mother and yet they still have that love, hate relationship with her no matter how hard they have tried to break their familial bonds. Eve grew up dirt poor, hard edged in extreme poverty never having enough food in her belly and knowing never to trust anyone except Cal until at the young age of seventeen her beautiful baby girl Junie was born and Eve promised herself and to Junie that she would try to put the past behnd her and give her baby girl all the love and affection that she had never known while growing up and especially she promised to always keep Junie safe. Eve kept every one of her promises until that fateful day in April when a freak snowstorm descended opon the small town where Eve lived.
This book hit me hard and deep and will stay with me for a long while. This is not a pretty story, there isn't any humor or light touches. This is a dark, gritty, slap in your face wake up call for the reality of some people and places that you choose to ignore until you read a book like this. Eve is a special woman who tried to outrun her past and did everything right but somehow fate decided against her. This book covered everything from physical and sexual abuse, addiction, adultery, extreme poverty, murder, beautiful love, hate, and anything else you can think of. Amy Engel has a gift for writing because her words just resonated to my core and many times I would find my eyes filling with tears and experiencing an ache in my heart and that doesn't happen too often, even when books are very well-written. Excellent storytelling and stellar writing. This book should not be overlooked because it will give a powerful punch.
I want to thank the publisher "Hodder and Stoughton" and Netgalley and to the fantastic author "Amy Engel" whose writing made me experience such deep emotions!
I highly recommend this haunting novel and have given a rating of 5 Darkly Emotional 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars
Taking place in the Missouri Ozarks, the story opens with a freak snowstorm in the middle of April where two savage and heartbreakingly brutal murders are taking place in an almost non-existent run down park where there will be no witnesses to these senseless crimes. The story centers around Eve Taggert a waitress and her beloved brother Cal who is a policeman and have grown up together with an abusive and drug and alcohol addicted mother and yet they still have that love, hate relationship with her no matter how hard they have tried to break their familial bonds. Eve grew up dirt poor, hard edged in extreme poverty never having enough food in her belly and knowing never to trust anyone except Cal until at the young age of seventeen her beautiful baby girl Junie was born and Eve promised herself and to Junie that she would try to put the past behnd her and give her baby girl all the love and affection that she had never known while growing up and especially she promised to always keep Junie safe. Eve kept every one of her promises until that fateful day in April when a freak snowstorm descended opon the small town where Eve lived.
This book hit me hard and deep and will stay with me for a long while. This is not a pretty story, there isn't any humor or light touches. This is a dark, gritty, slap in your face wake up call for the reality of some people and places that you choose to ignore until you read a book like this. Eve is a special woman who tried to outrun her past and did everything right but somehow fate decided against her. This book covered everything from physical and sexual abuse, addiction, adultery, extreme poverty, murder, beautiful love, hate, and anything else you can think of. Amy Engel has a gift for writing because her words just resonated to my core and many times I would find my eyes filling with tears and experiencing an ache in my heart and that doesn't happen too often, even when books are very well-written. Excellent storytelling and stellar writing. This book should not be overlooked because it will give a powerful punch.
I want to thank the publisher "Hodder and Stoughton" and Netgalley and to the fantastic author "Amy Engel" whose writing made me experience such deep emotions!
I highly recommend this haunting novel and have given a rating of 5 Darkly Emotional 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars
January 22, 2020
4.5 stars!
Life hasn't been easy for Eve Taggert. She grew up poor in the hollers of the Missouri Ozarks with a cruel mom hardened at a young age by life. Eve and her brother Cal were determined to make a better life for themselves and by most accounts, they've succeeded.
Eve was only eighteen when she had her daughter Junie and it changed her life for the better. She stopped drinking and made the decision to raise her child with all the love and attention she was denied.
Cal, now a police officer, remains a supportive older brother, helping Eve and Junie out and spending time with them regularly.
Eve is looking forward to ending her shift at the local diner when Cal arrives to deliver the worst news a mother can hear: Junie and her best friend Izzy are dead. Their bodies were discovered at a nearby playground.
In the days following Junie's murder, Eve's grief turns to determination. She vows at a press conference she will find the person who killed Junie and Izzy and she is going to tear them apart.
"I thought about all the press conferences I'd seen over the years, parents trotted out for missing kids, killed kids, abused kids. Everyone feels sorry for those parents, those mothers, until they don't. Until the mothers don't cry enough or cry too much. Until the mothers are too put-together or not put-together enough. Until the mothers are angry. Because that's the one thing women are never, ever allowed to be. We can be sad, distraught, confused, pleading, forgiving. But not furious. Fury is reserved for other people. The worst thing you can be is an angry woman, an angry mother." *
The media, stunned by Eve's unexpected outburst, packs up and leaves town for the next story. Eve navigates a complicated relationship with Izzy's parents over their shared tragedy and looks to her mother in an odd way for help. The qualities she despised in her mom are now the very qualities she needs in order to find the truth and an unexpected but tenuous bond is created.
Distrustful of the sheriff, Eve begins her own investigation which leads her back through the dark hollers and into a maze of small town secrets.
The Familiar Dark is a thriller filled with so much heart, I couldn't put it down. As a mom, I related so much to Eve and her determination to find justice for her daughter. I was fascinated by her relationship with her mom. This mystery delivered some unexpected twists but it's greatest strength, for me personally, was the authenticity of the characters and the bonds created by women doing everything they can for their children.
I highly recommend this novel to readers who love a character-driven mystery with heart.
Huge thanks to Dutton and Edelweiss for providing me with a DRC in exchange for my honest review. The Familiar Dark is scheduled for release on March 31, 2020.
*Quotes included are from a digital advanced readers copy and are subject to change upon final publication.
For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com
Life hasn't been easy for Eve Taggert. She grew up poor in the hollers of the Missouri Ozarks with a cruel mom hardened at a young age by life. Eve and her brother Cal were determined to make a better life for themselves and by most accounts, they've succeeded.
Eve was only eighteen when she had her daughter Junie and it changed her life for the better. She stopped drinking and made the decision to raise her child with all the love and attention she was denied.
Cal, now a police officer, remains a supportive older brother, helping Eve and Junie out and spending time with them regularly.
Eve is looking forward to ending her shift at the local diner when Cal arrives to deliver the worst news a mother can hear: Junie and her best friend Izzy are dead. Their bodies were discovered at a nearby playground.
In the days following Junie's murder, Eve's grief turns to determination. She vows at a press conference she will find the person who killed Junie and Izzy and she is going to tear them apart.
"I thought about all the press conferences I'd seen over the years, parents trotted out for missing kids, killed kids, abused kids. Everyone feels sorry for those parents, those mothers, until they don't. Until the mothers don't cry enough or cry too much. Until the mothers are too put-together or not put-together enough. Until the mothers are angry. Because that's the one thing women are never, ever allowed to be. We can be sad, distraught, confused, pleading, forgiving. But not furious. Fury is reserved for other people. The worst thing you can be is an angry woman, an angry mother." *
The media, stunned by Eve's unexpected outburst, packs up and leaves town for the next story. Eve navigates a complicated relationship with Izzy's parents over their shared tragedy and looks to her mother in an odd way for help. The qualities she despised in her mom are now the very qualities she needs in order to find the truth and an unexpected but tenuous bond is created.
Distrustful of the sheriff, Eve begins her own investigation which leads her back through the dark hollers and into a maze of small town secrets.
The Familiar Dark is a thriller filled with so much heart, I couldn't put it down. As a mom, I related so much to Eve and her determination to find justice for her daughter. I was fascinated by her relationship with her mom. This mystery delivered some unexpected twists but it's greatest strength, for me personally, was the authenticity of the characters and the bonds created by women doing everything they can for their children.
I highly recommend this novel to readers who love a character-driven mystery with heart.
Huge thanks to Dutton and Edelweiss for providing me with a DRC in exchange for my honest review. The Familiar Dark is scheduled for release on March 31, 2020.
*Quotes included are from a digital advanced readers copy and are subject to change upon final publication.
For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com
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