I think The Dark will appeal to fans of Sarah Pearse's novel The Sanatorium, which I also loved. Both novels have a strong but troubled female main character, great writing with a really strong sense of place, a largish cast of characters who are strangers with secrets, isolated cold settings and a truly sinister feel. After the tragic death of the station doctor, Jean-Luc, at the UN Research Base in Antarctica, A&E doctor Kate North arrives to replace him. She will spend the next twelve months looking after the staff, which over the winter will mean there are just thirteen of them. The story opens with Kate, our main character and a medical doctor, arriving at a research station in the Antarctic. She has her own reasons for taking the remote job and steps at short notice into a role recently held by a doctor who died in an accident on the ice. As the team shrinks down to core staff for the winter, only 13 people remain at the facility, When that number becomes 12, Kate begins to question whether the death is part of a bigger picture. Not knowing who she can trust, she begins a dangerous investigation… I found it very difficult to bond with Kate, the main character. Whilst I had empathy for her battle with her opioid addiction and mourning the death of her fiancé, her constantly terrible decisions made me wonder how she was ever chosen for her role in the research station. Haughton has created a fantastically atmospheric setting ... it's a chilling race to the finish to discover whodunnit' - Observer

There is a great plot here, but the leading character was so annoying that it detracted from my enjoyment. When their popular doctor was killed on a field trip due to faulty equipment, blame and suspicion disrupted group dynamics, and the growing tension is tangible. Boredom and loneliness can lead to emotional problems and personal rivalries, and strife when not carrying out their duties. I assume the research station was inland as the area was devoid of wildlife. Penguins, sea lions, etc., would have relieved the monotony and given the workers some diversion and amusement. The icy environment seems dangerous enough at the start of the book. But later in the story, when the temperature plunges and the lights go out leaving us in total darkness, ten Three quarters of the way through, she is forced to go cold turkey, turning into Superwoman in a totally implausible about turn. Wouldn't like to judge which is the most implausible scenario as there are so many.Kate North is a doctor struggling with drug addiction after a horrific car accident took the life of her fiance and almost ended hers. There was not one character I really liked or related to, and the ending, though not a huge surprise, was anti-climatic. Set against the dangerous sub-zero temperatures end endless night of the Antarctic… Brilliantly atmospheric and terrifying‘ CATHERINE COOPER In the most inhospitable environment - cut off from the rest of the world - there's a killer on the loose.

Ultimately enjoyed reading this story. There was certainly room for more edge; more suspense in the writing. Overall a decent 3 to 3.5 star read. Although Kate is not a greatly sympathetic character, with her reliance on medication and rather blundering approach to problems, the setting is excellent and the remote research station, plunged into darkness, creates a compelling atmosphere. As Kate struggles with the cold, remote leadership of station leader, Sandrine, the suspicion of other members of the group and the desolation of feeling alone, the situation escalates and leads to danger and death. The kind of heart-pounding, sleep-stealing read that you want to recommend to everyone you meet. An absolutely thrilling book" CASS GREEN Tense, thrilling and unpredictable, with one of the most unique and dangerous settings imaginable’– ALLIE REYNOLDSOnce she’s in the post, she starts to discover details about Jean-Luc’s death that disturb her. Addled by the drugs she’s taking to deal with her anxieties and grief, unable to sleep in the permanent night, she wonders who she can trust. “Something is very wrong here, I realise. No… worse. Someone is very wrong here.” A sense of growing menace pervades… the freezing wasteland and claustrophobic workings of the research station are finely rendered’ – FINANCIAL TIMES A sense of growing menace pervades … the freezing wasteland and claustrophobic workings of the research station are finely rendered’ Financial Times She mentions it often and when she has suspicions about one of them, she's disheartened because she believed this person might have loved her.

In the most inhospitable environment – cut off from the rest of the world – there’s a killer on the loose. Erst in der zweiten Hälfte passiert dann mehr und es wird auch spannender. Das Ende ging mir dann ein wenig zu schnell und das Buch war dann auch ein bisschen zu plötzlich beendet. The Dark is a really good read overall, atmospheric, chilling and the kind of claustrophobic setting that makes for a great thriller.

About this book

I loved the diverse cast of characters and didn't guess who the killer was. They all seemed suspicious, with lots of dark secrets gradually being revealed, so I kept changing my mind. Her addiction, naturally, makes her an unreliable character, and her adolescent-like behavior makes it hard to like her, much less sympathize with. Emma Haughton paints a vivid picture of how dangerous the setting is for the characters. We already know that someone has died out on the ice so this adds another layer of fear for the characters. I really liked Kate and how Emma developed her character over the course of the novel. There were some aspects to her character that made me want to find out more about her and what had happened in her past. I liked her interactions with the rest of the team, and she comes across as warm and friendly, although she does make some mistakes, even as she is still settling into life at the base. I really didn’t warm to Sandrine, who is the person in charge. I could picture Sandrine clearly in my mind and I thought the moments, when it was just her and Kate together in the book, were really tense. The kind of heart-pounding, sleep-stealingread that you want to recommend to everyone you meet. An absolutely thrilling book’ – CASS GREEN