
Only Darkness
Danuta Reah(Author)
HarperCollins (Publisher)
Published on 20. August 2010
Book
Paperback/Softback
272 pages
978-0-00-741383-6 (ISBN)
Description
Dark, edgy and unbearably tense, this extraordinarily accomplished first novel is both a love story and a gripping psychological thriller of immense power.
Debbie Sykes is a young college lecturer whose ordered life is about to be changed forever. One stormy winter's night, waiting for the late train home, Debbie is acutely aware of being alone - the woman who usually shares her evening vigil is not there. Vulnerability turns to fear, though, when she turns to see a sinister figure looming between her and the safety of the street. The next day, she hears that the missing woman has been found murdered by the man they call the Strangler, a brutal killer who dumps his victims on isolated stretches of railway track.
The police renew their efforts to find the murderer before he strikes again, but how much time do they really have? When Debbie's story is publicized by an unscrupulous journalist, it seems as though the jaws of an invisible trap are beginning to close around her - strange things start to happen and the foundations of Debbie's life subtly shift. Only Rob Neave, ex-policeman and college security officer, appears aware of the danger but he is distracted by his own tragic past. The clock is ticking, and it will be midnight far sooner than anyone thinks.
Debbie Sykes is a young college lecturer whose ordered life is about to be changed forever. One stormy winter's night, waiting for the late train home, Debbie is acutely aware of being alone - the woman who usually shares her evening vigil is not there. Vulnerability turns to fear, though, when she turns to see a sinister figure looming between her and the safety of the street. The next day, she hears that the missing woman has been found murdered by the man they call the Strangler, a brutal killer who dumps his victims on isolated stretches of railway track.
The police renew their efforts to find the murderer before he strikes again, but how much time do they really have? When Debbie's story is publicized by an unscrupulous journalist, it seems as though the jaws of an invisible trap are beginning to close around her - strange things start to happen and the foundations of Debbie's life subtly shift. Only Rob Neave, ex-policeman and college security officer, appears aware of the danger but he is distracted by his own tragic past. The clock is ticking, and it will be midnight far sooner than anyone thinks.
Reviews / Votes
'As much a study in the nature of trust of trust as an exercise in suspense... A mixture of rich characterisation and atmosphere... may well do for Yorkshire what John Harvey achieved for Nottingham'Sunday Express
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Product notice
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 127 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
246 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-00-741383-6 (9780007413836)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Person
Danuta Reah is an educational consultant who has also taught creative writing. She lives in Sheffield. Only Darkness is her first novel.