What's Done in Darkness by Laura McHugh

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

"Laura McHugh expertly delivers a harrowing tale of a world where little is what it first appears to be."--Ron Rash, bestselling author of Serena

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

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

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

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

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published June 22nd 2021

by Random House

4/5 stars

This is my first time reading a Laura McHugh book, I thank all the hype over on Instagram for bringing this book to my attention.  It definitely lived up to the buzz.

What's Done in Darkness comes in at 256 pages and packs a punch.  There was the mystery that played out with before and after points of view.  It shows a dark side of a Christian but honestly I don't feel there were Christians at all but rather dominating people who wanted control without any form of compassion or love. 

There were many twists and turns making it hard for me to unravel this mystery.  The setting felt like going back in time when husbands took control, made all the decisions and ruled with an iron fist.  While I found the mystery interesting with its many layers it was Sarah's journey that spoke to me.  Definitely an author I will read more of.

I obtained this book from my local public library.