Dark Shadows - Sibel Hodge

Reading Challenge Category: Free Kindle Unlimited read

Official Blurb:

The Victims...
Two suicides.
One horrifying accident.
Each involving a university student.
The police don't think it's a coincidence. They just can't prove it.
The Detective...
Fearing a possible cult is coercing innocent students, Detective Becky Harris is sent undercover to investigate. But after more tragic incidents occur, she suspects the connection between the victims is even more terrifying. And finding the evidence to prove it may cost Becky her whole career. The Counsellor...
A distraught student turns to her counsellor Toni with a strange story to tell. But a tragic car accident prevents Toni from learning more. Convinced something sinister was going on in the young woman's life, Toni starts digging further, enlisting the help of her godfather, an ex-SAS operative. What they discover is a nightmare conspiracy. And someone operating in the dark shadows is deciding who lives and who dies.

My Thoughts:

Wow, this was certainly an eye-opener and really quite scary!
I know this was all fiction, but the author has done a lot of research into the ‘Great Reset’, and everything she wrote about in this story is already starting to come true. It is quite frightening that we could get to the point that is in this book. I actually resonated more with the dystopian future this was heading towards than I did when I read ‘1984’ by George Oswell. Unfortunately, Hodge’s seemed more realistic!
The story itself was very unique and unlike anything I have ever read before. It draws you in right from the start and keeps you gripped until the end. We are reintroduced to characters that we have seen in previous books by Sibel Hodge. However, if this is the first book you have read, you won’t feel like you have missed anything. A few things are referenced but in a vague way where you don’t need the full details. So, this can certainly be read as a standalone novel.
We are mainly getting Detective Becky Harris and counsellor Toni’s points of views. However, there are a few times where we see into the minds of the bad guys.
With the perspective being of that of two very similar women, it did become quite confusing about who knew what. They are both investigating the same crimes but without knowing of each other’s involvement. So at times, I did have to keep reminding myself that Becky didn’t know something or vice versa. I think even the author got confused a few times as Becky referenced something that she didn’t find out about until the next chapter! A few inconstancies like this made the book lose a star rating (I only give allowances for things like that in ARC books, and this wasn’t one of them).
Considering this book was written before the current pandemic, and the author couldn’t have known what would happen over the last eighteen months since the book was published, she was bang on the nose with a lot of her predictions. That is what made reading this so scary because if the beginning of this pandemic could be so well predicted, can what follows be too?
Overall, a very eye-opening read. Other than the few irregularities, this was a brilliant read, and I really must get around to reading Hodge’s entire back catalogue!

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