Book Review: The Hungry Dark by Jen Williams

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

The Hungry Dark by Jen Williams

Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (April 9, 2024)

Length: 352 pages

Author Information: Website

Jen Williams is an author who first came to my attention with her fantasy novels, but I have to say I’m thoroughly enjoying her recent foray into horror-tinged crime thrillers. The Hungry Dark is her latest work which once more serves as a testament to her versatility.

The book begins with an introduction to protagonist Ashley Whitelam, not your typical dodgy psychic. Sure, she may be a part of a family of con artists running sham seances, relying on an earpiece and her brother Aidan doing social media research to whisper details in her ear when performing her readings for the audience. But Ashley also has a secret. When she was a young girl, she could see shadowy “people” in the world around her that no one else knew were there. Calling them the Heedful Ones, Ashley learned to keep these visions a secret, especially after a traumatic event altered her family life forever. The ghostly figures stopped appearing, and Ashley kept a low profile in order to play her part in her father’s scams.

Eventually though, Ashley begins to chafe at the role, especially as the schemes become increasingly more questionable and ambitious. To drum up more publicity for their psychic business, Ashley’s father has volunteered her services to the local police, who are investigating a string of brutal killings dubbed the “Gingerbread House” murders due to the fact that all the victims are children found to have been generously fed with delicious treats before their deaths. Nothing was supposed to come out of it; the police were desperate enough and Ashley was simply running through the motions. But on her ride-along with the officers, Ashley catches sight of the Heedful Ones for the first time in years, which leads her to a discovery which blows up the case, landing her in the public eye.

Like it or not, Ashley has now become involved in the murder investigation, attracting both admiration and suspicion. She has also drawn the attention of an American podcaster, Freddie Miller, who tracks her down with an offer to team up on a true crime show about the Gingerbread House murders. As Ashley wrestles with how much she should reveal to Freddie, terrible memories begin to resurface, of an idyllic time spent in the mountains abruptly cut short by a deadly incident.

There is a lot happening here—one could even say too much, which might be this novel’s only drawback. Breaking the plot down into its major parts, we have no less than half a dozen threads to follow. First, we have the main storyline in the present, which focuses on Ashley and her family’s part of an active but tightknit group of charlatans running the psychic grift. Next, we have the Gingerbread House murders and the investigation. Then an element of romance is introduced once Freddie enters the picture. All the while, we also have Ashley’s struggles with her overbearing father, an issue which frequently comes in conflict with her obligation to her family as well as her desire to achieve more independence. Flashbacks are used to fill out her backstory at Red Rigg House, where Ashley spent some time as a child in their underprivileged charity program, which ended in disaster. And then of course, there is the mystery of the Heedful Ones.

Once all these elements are thrown together, the result is a tense thriller full of twists. But in getting there, we encounter some pacing and balance issues. Each thread vies for the reader’s attention, and in the process, we have a few ideas that are left feeling incomplete or underdeveloped. The tension builds, but occasionally, it feels like we’re juggling too many balls at once. For instance, the atmosphere is great, but the setting isn’t quite as immersive as it could be. Similarly, character development falls short of its full potential from the crowded narrative. I loved Ashley’s journey, but her motivations felt elusive at times, and her interactions with family members often had a baffling quality.

Still, I found The Hungry Dark a compulsive and entertaining read—everything I could ever ask for in a thriller. Several times the book’s ambition would cause it to stumble under the weight of its own complexity, but the suspense and intrigue makes up for it. The tensions are palpable, and I loved the blending of mystery, horror, and supernatural elements. If you enjoy dark thrillers, this is a journey worth exploring.