We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin

"It's been a decade since the town's sweetheart Trumanell Branson disappeared, leaving only a bloody handprint behind. Since her disappearance, Tru's brother, Wyatt, has lived as an outcast, desperate to know what happened to his sister. So when Wyatt finds a lost girl, he believes she is a sign. But for new cop, Odette Tucker, this girl's appearance reopens old wounds. Determined to solve both cases, Odette fights to save a lost girl in the present and in doing so digs up a shocking truth about that fateful night in the past . . ."--Provided by publisher.

At the beginning of We Are All the Same in the Dark, I wasn't sure I liked it; the language was a little stilted, and it jumped right into the thick of it. That feeling didn't last long, however. I couldn't put the book down; it slowly drew you in until I couldn't stop reading.

You get drips of information that slowly help you put together the puzzle of the town. I was honestly surprised at some of the turns, and even the things I suspected managed to take me off guard somehow.

The atmosphere and characters are what make this book compelling. The small town with a dark past hanging over it, the feeling of danger right around the corner. And all the characters are captivating – and suspicious.

I loved both of the narrators in the book. Odette, a young cop with ties to the town tragedy, and Angel, the young girl Odette is trying to help. I loved both perspectives, and how their connection, though short, had such a lasting impact.

Odette lost one of her legs the night Trumanell disappeared, ten years before the book takes place. Her experiences in the book were eye-opening. Her reality is something I know nothing about, and some of her struggles I would never have considered. The same with Angel and her missing eye.

This book creeps up on you. The characters get under your skin, and you can't stop reading because you need to know everyone is okay. We Are All the Same in the Dark will unquestionably be a hit with my patrons.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Atmospheric and sad but such a great thriller. Three POVs, a detective I really liked and some good complex mysteries-yes plural mysteries - for the reader to sort out. Almost 5 stars. Definitely recommend.

This was an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley & the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5

I dropped it a half star in my mind because I guessed who the killer was in the first half.

We Are All the Same in the Dark is a mystery/thriller set in small town Texas where the stories of two missing girls ten years apart weave and wind together as local cops try to solve these cases.

The PoV switches quite dramatically midway through so we primarily see things through the eyes of two different women. This keeps the story fresh and sets it apart from some the usual police-hunt-badguys thriller staples out there.

Heaberlin builds up two solid, well built main characters who we can sympathise with and understand their motivations. Some of the supplementary characters are a little more obtuse but that's necessity of the mystery genre.

Overall it's a well-structured, -paced and -finished novel that delivers a good storyline with believable characters.

Two thrillers in a row and I really enjoyed them both?! Am I turning into a thriller reader??

Both Odette and Angel were fascinating protagonists, and I was glad to spend time with them. Also I shouldn't be surprised ‘cuz it's not like it's hard to become a biological parent, but still I'm always surprised when characters have really shitty parents. Like, not beating your kids or putting a hit out on them actually is pretty easy. Oooh and there were some good religious overtones about forgiveness and guilt that were interesting though not theologically sound. Also some good disability rep, and the author had an interesting note about her research in the back, which I appreciated.

4.5 but I'm feeling generous :)