didn't do anything for me, good or bad ( )

Last year I read THE DAY I DIED by Lori Rader-Day and knew I'd read anything she wrote going forward, so I was thrilled to get a chance to read UNDER A DARK SKY which is coming out in August. (Thank you to William Morrow/HarperCollins for the ARC). This novel has an Agatha Christie feel in that there are a group of people in a house, with hidden secrets, motivations, resentments, and then violent things start happening; but who is responsible for them? That's the mystery. But this book is more than just a who-done-it. It addresses themes of loss, grief, emotional trauma, revenge and justice wrapped in a mystery that isn't easy to figure out. I wasn't sure "who-done-it" until the very end, which is always a plus in a mystery! The characters aren't always likable, but we gradually come to understand why they are the way they are, and at least feel some sympathy for most of them.

Eden Wallace, who has developed Nyctophobia after the loss of her husband, Bix, finds a reservation for a vacation at a dark sky park in Michigan after Bix's death. She decides to keep the reservation, which coincides with what would have been their 10th anniversary, as she wants to use the time to try to figure out what her life will be like going forward. When she arrives at the park, she is surprised when the house that was reserved by Bix has other guests: a group of twenty-somethings who are there for the week for their own celebration of sorts. Since it's already too late for her to leave (it's dark outside, after all), she decides to stay one night. That turns out to be a mistake, because one of the group is murdered the first night, and she becomes a suspect.

There are a lot of surprises gradually revealed about all the characters in the book, and the author does a great job of dropping surprises into the narrative at just the right time. The story holds, which is my way of giving praise to an author's efforts to keep all the parts of the story in a fine balance. This one kept me up past my bedtime! ( )

Wonderfully complex and suspenseful tale with an equally complex main character. Lori writes in the first person, and it's always a tall order to maintain interest in her flawed and struggling protagonists, but once again she does it. Despite her paralyzing fear of the dark, Eden has arrived for a week at a dark sky park which her now-deceased husband had reserved around the date of their 10th anniversary. She almost leaves when she learns she'll need to share the large guesthouse with a small group of 20-somethings holding their own dubious anniversary meet-up. When one of their group is murdered, suspicion falls on all of them, including Eden. As Lori takes us on this suspense journey, we learn many of Eden's and her housemates secrets, more accidents and deaths occur, and we finally learn the outcome. Suspenseful and immensely satisfying! ( )

3.5, rounded to 4. I kept reading because I wanted to know what happened, but it just seemed like the book kept getting longer and longer. War-ren seemed a little stalkerish at the beginning. He never even apologized for it or acknowledged it, and she was so broken and deliriously tired she just needed someone to cling to.

It did resolidify my want of doing a night or two at the dark sky park on the Pamlico Sound. ( )

4.5 stars.

Under a Dark Sky by Lori Rader-Day is a riveting, suspense-laden murder mystery.

Eden Wallace is still grieving the death of her beloved husband, Bix, when she discovers he planned a surprise anniversary getaway for them before his death. Eden goes on the trip which she hopes will be a turning point in coming to terms of her loss. Eden is optimistic the time away will help her turn the corner on the paralyzing fear of the dark she has experienced ever since the night he died. Upon her arrival at Dark Sky Park, she discovers she is sharing her getaway with six twenty-something strangers. Deciding to stay the night and leave in the morning, Eden is awakened in the middle of the night when one of the men is murdered. The local sheriff insists everyone remain during the early phase of the investigation and Eden tries to piece together who would have reason to murder their friend.

Eden has found it impossible to move past Bix’s death. Their life together was spent moving from base to base where her larger than life husband was always the center of attention. After his retirement from the military, they moved to Bix’s hometown of Chicago where Eden was hopeful his PTSD, nightmares and self-medicating with alcohol would improve. While Bix transitioned into civilian life with relative ease, Eden could not resist his efforts to “improve” her career choices. In the months since his shocking death, Eden has withdrawn from her family and friends and due to her sleep deprivation, she no longer works.

Although Eden is uncomfortable staying with strangers, her fear of the dark overrides this discomfort. The dynamics of the group are fascinating to her but she is quickly made to feel unwelcome by much of the group. She picks up on some tense undertones between the friends, and she is relieved to leave them to their own devices. She is of course upset by the murder, but Eden is confident the sheriff will quickly release her to return home.

However, Eden is stunned by the unexpected revelations that put her smack dab in the middle of the investigation. Unable to convince the sheriff she has no reason to kill anyone, she must remain in town while the police try to sort through the evidence and leads they uncover. When it appears someone has attempted to murder two other members of the group, the sheriff grows even more suspicious of Eden. She attempts to put her fragmented memories into some semblance of order to try to unmask the killer. At the same time, secrets about Eden’s husband are revealed and Eden is forced to confront the truth about Bix.

With unanticipated twists, shocking turns and fantastic red herrings, Under a Dark Sky is an intriguing mystery that is absolutely spellbinding. Eden becomes increasingly unreliable due to her lack of sleep and her troubling realizations about Bix. The plot is rife with clever misdirects, an atmospheric setting and plenty of suspicious characters. Lori Rader-Day keeps readers guessing the identity of the perpetrator and the reason for the murder right up until the novel’s dramatic conclusion. A brilliantly executed mystery that fans of the genre do not want to miss! ( )