Review: Under a Dark Sky by Lori Rader-Day

Title: Under a Dark Sky by Lori Rader-Day
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 416 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

From the critically-acclaimed author of The Day I Died comes a terrifying twist on a locked-room mystery that will keep readers guessing until the last page

Only in the dark can she find the truth . . .

Since her husband died, Eden Wallace’s life has diminished down to a tiny pinprick, like a far-off star in the night sky. She doesn’t work, has given up on her love of photography, and is so plagued by night terrors that she can’t sleep without the lights on. Everyone, including her family, has grown weary of her grief. So when she finds paperwork in her husband’s effects indicating that he reserved a week at a dark sky park, she goes. She’s ready to shed her fear and return to the living, even if it means facing her paralyzing phobia of the dark.

But when she arrives at the park, the guest suite she thought was a private retreat is teeming with a group of twenty-somethings, all stuck in the orbit of their old college friendships. Horrified that her get-away has been taken over, Eden decides to head home the next day. But then a scream wakes the house in the middle of the night. One of the friends has been murdered. Now everyone—including Eden—is a suspect.

Everyone is keeping secrets, but only one is a murderer. As mishaps continue to befall the group, Eden must make sense of the chaos and lies to evade a ruthless killer—and she’ll have to do it before dark falls…

Review:

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!