It's not so often that I choose a book from the First Reads option on Kindle. Months can pass and nothing with pique my interest but In The Dark did and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it.
Told in two timelines and POVs this was a great puzzle. One timeline is the investigator and the SAR team head who are tracking a group through the wilds, after finding a plane with a deceased pilot. The other timeline follows the group of people that have been lured to a secluded location under the guise of trying out a new luxury resort in Kluhane Bay, B.C., that if they like it, can option a tender in the resort. And not long after arrival, it's clear that the brochure was a sham and the group are here for something else altogether.
I'm not going to spoil this but I will say that the mystery unfurls in a satisfying way. My murder board loving heart had all it could want here. Liars, cheaters and killers abounded and the mistrust among them set off reactions that were tense and deadly. When not with the ever-dwindling group, the focus on the investigators themselves came into focus. Sergeant Mason Deniaud is new in the area having transferred from the city after a particularly tragic event. Callie Sutton, is balancing her SAR work and a difficult family situation. I was surprised that I liked this part of the story as much as I did but I found it complimentary of the other thread. Everyone in this story has been touched by tragedy and there are examples of dealing positively and negatively with it and the attendant outcomes. The overall ending was very well done and surprisingly peaceful in some sense.
Now to the slight things that didn't work for me. First, let it be known that if you have not read Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (aka Ten Little Indians (thought an improvement on an even worse title. Love Dame Agatha's writing but she was problematic as hell in this way!), Ten Little Soldiers), this book has ALL THE DAMNED SPOILERS for that book. I felt that was not cool and this should have a big spoiler tag on the blurb for it. So, if you're thinking of reading that one (and I recommend you do) read that before you pick up this one. The second thing was what was going on with Mason and Callie. I don't want to spoil but this felt like a bit of romantic suspense and then had me wondering if this is a first in a series because it read like there could be more down the line as they work together again. But it was awkward because of Callie's family situation and I wasn't sure what the author wanted to do here.
Summary: A secluded mountain lodge. The perfect getaway. So remote no one will ever find you.
The promise of a luxury vacation at a secluded wilderness spa has brought together eight lucky guests. But nothing is what they were led to believe. As a fierce storm barrels down and all contact with the outside is cut off, the guests fear that it’s not a getaway. It’s a trap.
Each one has a secret. Each one has something to hide. And now, as darkness closes in, they all have something to fear—including one another.
Alerted to the vanished party of strangers, homicide cop Mason Deniaud and search and rescue expert Callie Sutton must brave the brutal elements of the mountains to find them. But even Mason and Callie have no idea how precious time is. Because the clock is ticking, and one by one, the guests of Forest Shadow Lodge are being hunted. For them, surviving becomes part of a diabolical game.
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