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The Familiar Dark
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
A spellbinding story of a mother with nothing left to lose who sets out on an all-consuming quest for justice after her daughter is murdered on the town playground. Sometimes the answers are worse than the questions. Sometimes it's better not to know. Set in the poorest part of the Missouri Ozarks, in a small town with big secrets, The Familiar Dark opens with a murder. Eve Taggert, desperate with grief over losing her daughter, takes it upon herself to find out the truth about what happened. Eve is no stranger to the dark side of life, having been raised by a hard-edged mother whose lessons Eve tried not to pass on to her own daughter. But Eve may need her mother's cruel brand of strength if she's going to face the reality about her daughter's death and about her own true nature. Her quest for justice takes her from the seedy underbelly of town to the quiet woods and, most frighteningly, back to her mother's trailer for a final lesson. The Familiar Dark is a story about the bonds of familywomen doing the best they can for their daughters in dire circumstancesas well as a story about how even the darkest and most terrifying of places can provide the comfort of home.
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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ImperfectCJ I heart that sign! 11mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @ImperfectCJ I got one for each of my girls 😂 I mailed your book yesterday! 11mo
ImperfectCJ @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Ooh! Book mail on the way...so exciting! Thanks! 11mo
Eggs Ha ha love the sign 🤩 11mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs thank you!! 🖤 11mo
72 likes5 comments
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Addison_Reads
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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I read this #Dark gritty crime novel last week and thought it was really well done.

#ScarathlonDailyPrompts #Scarathlon #TeamSlaughter @Clwojick

27 likes1 stack add
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Addison_Reads
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Pickpick

Another audiobook finished for #Scarathlon and #LittenListen.

Amy Engel writes dark, gritty crime thrillers that will make your skin crawl with the depravity of the characters. In this book she focuses on a horrific crime, a town with secrets, with a dysfunctional family at the center of everything.

If dark crime novels are your thing, read this one.

#TeamSlaughter #Scarathlon2022 @Clwojick @aperfectmjk

Clwojick Way to go! 🖤🦇 2y
aperfectmjk Sounds good 2y
vivastory This sounds fantastic! 2y
29 likes1 stack add3 comments
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TheLudicReader
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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#alphabetgame #LetterF #LetterG
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

The Familiar Dark is a deep dive into a dysfunctional family and a horrible crime.
I know The Goldfinch is divisive, but personally I loved it.

jlhammar I also loved The Goldfinch! 2y
mcctrish I loved The Goldfinch too 2y
29 likes2 comments
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JamieArc
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Pickpick

I read and liked this author‘s other book, The Roanoke Girls, but also know how dark this author can get, so I braced myself for this one. It was a good mystery. Fast-paced, and then for the last 40 pages, I had to cover the page so my eyes didn‘t glance ahead to find out what happened. This book is about a lot of things, and I like that it shows that people aren‘t all good or all bad. A solid mystery, though it‘s already fading from memory #NYWD

monalyisha Great review! 2y
TheLudicReader I also loved The Roanoke Girls. This one broke my heart. Glad you enjoyed. I would read anything this author wrote, I think. (edited) 2y
45 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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JamieArc
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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✅ We Begin at the End Finished
✅ The Familiar Dark finished
✳️ Making progress on When We Spoke in Tongues
⚠️ Have not started Sing, Unburied, Sing or Paper Palace
BUT
✳️ Started When We We‘re Vikings (#NYWD)
✳️ Making progress on Dune

Overall, #JoyousJanuary readathon is going quite well!

Andrew65 Great 👏👏👏 2y
PaperbackPirate Wow! Great job! 📚📚 2y
33 likes2 comments
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JamieArc
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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#JoyousJanuary Goals:
📚Finish We Begin at the End (almost done)
📚Finish When We Spoke in Tongues (just started)
📚Finish The Familiar Dark (just started)
📚Start/make progress on Sing, Unburied, Sing and The Paper Palace
This feels ambitious for me but doable 💪🏼

Andrew65 Good luck 😊👍 2y
33 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Kappadeemom
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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I have a #stalker 🤣🐶

sleepy.ash87 So cute 🥰 2y
wanderinglynn Aw, so sweet! ❤️ 2y
BittersweetBooks But the cutest stalker 🥰🤣 2y
See All 6 Comments
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Awww!! I just saw that this author wrote this! I loved The Roanoke Girls! Is this one good? 2y
Kappadeemom @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I really enjoyed it! 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Kappadeemom great! I ordered it! 2y
39 likes1 stack add6 comments
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Kappadeemom
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Watching football and starting a new book is a great Saturday!

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FelinesAndFelonies
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Pickpick

This was a different kind of domestic thriller. Complicated relationships & secrets tear a family apart. It touched on justice, the people & relationships that serve to form the foundation of who we are. It was different & I liked the small-town vibes; even though I had a hunch on who the killer was pretty early. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

65 likes1 stack add
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TheLudicReader
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Pickpick

Last year I read and loved Engel‘s The Roanoke Girls. This was also a one sitting read. What does a mother do when the most horrible thing she can imagine happens? Eve must visit her own “familiar dark” in order to solve the mystery and get revenge. Riveting and heart-breaking.

36 likes3 stack adds
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Gizmo86
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
Pickpick

I'm torn. I absolutely loved The Roanoke Girls by the same author but I felt a little lacking with this one. I enjoyed reading it and the tone of the book was good. I just can't help but think the size of the book didn't fit the story, it felt like it should've been longer. Wasn't a fan of the ending either or the revelation of who the killer was. Seemed a bit of an add on. Decent book all the same.

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Gizmo86
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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😔💯

Tattooedteacher I say the same thing about addiction. 3y
28 likes2 comments
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Gizmo86
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Grabbing 30 minutes reading while Bear cooks my birthday dinner - Pork Kiev ❤️💖🐻

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Gizmo86
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Happy Easter 🐰🐰 lovely day for reading with a cup of tea. Today's flavour Carrot Cake 🥕🎂

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Gizmo86
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Reminiscent of my all time favourite quote 💖😪

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Gizmo86
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Gizmo86
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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🤓🤓 Happy Saturday 🐾🥂

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TheNerdyProfessor
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Pickpick

This book is gritty and dark, offering a glimpse into one mother's journey to find the person who killed her 12-year-old daughter. The writing had more depth than your typical run of the mill thriller, providing insight into what it's like to be poor and how difficult it is to escape one's familial roots. The ending took me by surprise but in good way. Overall, this was a short, suspenseful read that was equal parts heartbreaking and empowering.

71 likes3 stack adds
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MyNamesParadise
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Pickpick

A short, but good read. It really paints a picture of the poorest parts of the Ozarks. The murders of 2 12-year-old girls sets the stage for this gritty, thrill ride. It‘s told from Eve‘s point-of-view, the mother of one of the murdered girls. This read delves into toxic family dynamics & how the truly poor really live. The story is quickly paced and it kept me page turning until the powerful end!

sharread Someone else on Litsy has a rabbit. 🥰💗 4y
MyNamesParadise @sharread oh it‘s not a rabbit! It was my chihuahua when she was a puppy and could curl up in a ball on my chest. 😊 4y
32 likes2 comments
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suzie.reads
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Pickpick

A very dark and gritty read with a great twist at the end!
#ReadtheUSA2020 #Missouri (30th state) #Murder2020 (book 61)

50 likes2 stack adds
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Godpants
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Pickpick

What a heartbreaking book.

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Godpants
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Hopefully can listen to a few hours of this today.

my.books.in.squares I enjoyed this. 😊 4y
Godpants @my.books.in.squares I‘m not very far in, but it‘s a combo of all of my favourite themes, so I‘m pretty sure I‘m going to like it too. 4y
13 likes2 comments
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FromMyLectory
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Pickpick

What sets the plot apart from conventional thrillers, is this cold perpetual feeling of grief and hopelessness hidden behind every word. The story is not about the big reveal or the excitement building up to it, but about how each of us are driven by emotions. A solid character study in the form of spunky Eve, Engel has delivered an amazing and perceptive story that is sure to leave a mark..!

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JHSiess
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Pickpick

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⁣⁣⁣
Author ??? ????? explores the journey to justice of a mother following the brutal murder of her only child. ??? ???????? ???? is an atmospheric, uncompromisingly disturbing study of "the shadowy side of the human experience." ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⁣⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣•» ????? ?? ??? «•
⁣⁣⁣
Penguin Group Dutton has provided two 2 electronic copies. Enter through ???., ??? ?!⁣

https://tinyurl.com/yc4bsme2

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TheLibrarian
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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My order arrived from my local bookstore finally. USPS had it moving all around me and returned it to the bookstore because it was “undeliverable.” Diving into The Familiar Dark next!

#bookmail #indiebookstore

Cailey_Mac My local bookstore has been delivering too! She‘s really kicking butt on social media to make sure people are still able to get books, and puzzles 4y
81 likes1 stack add1 comment
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NikkiKey94
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Pickpick

This book ripped my heart out and crushed it. This is by far one of my favorite books I have read this year! I went on an emotional roller coaster and I enjoyed every minute of it. Definite 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟!

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thereadingowlvina
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Pickpick

A harrowing story of one mother's love and quest to look for the murderer of her daughter. It's a dark, melancholy & atmospheric thriller! I liked it!

Rating: 3⭐

For my full review please visit https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3274756743?book_show_action=false&from_rev...

***Thank you Penguin Group Dutton & NetGalley for this gifted review copy in exchange for an honest review***

32 likes1 stack add
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kezzlou85
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Pickpick

This was an interesting story though a hard one as my own daughter is 12 so that was tough. The plot was interesting and built to a clever, dramatic ending. I had begun to realize just who might be behind it but it was done well. The ending was clever and fitted really well with the tone of the story. I also liked seeing how the relationship between her mother settled as the story went on. A hard hitting raw story but a great read. #Netgalley 4*

Crazeedi Nice review 💖 4y
kezzlou85 @Crazeedi thank you. ❤ 4y
39 likes1 stack add3 comments
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mollyrotondo
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Panpan

⭐️⭐️ I was liking the beginning of this book even though the main character kept saying she was going to find her daughter‘s killer but not really doing a lot of investigating. But then about halfway through it became a soap opera. Way too dramatic and not in a fun way.

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Lauren.Archer
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Panpan

Alas, I am afraid that I am not a fan of Amy Engel‘s storytelling. With this and Roanoke Girls, I just felt deflated reading both these books.

For my full review, please visit my blog at: http://obsessedbookaholic.com/2020/03/20/the-familiar-dark-book-review/

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton Books for an Advanced Reader‘s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

mollyrotondo Uh oh. I just started this with a book club. About 50 pages in so not to the root of the book yet. 4y
63 likes1 comment
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wildwoodreads
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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The Familiar Dark is a great new thriller by the author of The Roanoke Girls. I was so happy to be given a chance to review this before its release date on March 31st. Eve‘s daughter was murdered and she needs answers. But sometimes those answers changes everything. This was easily a 5 star read for me. This is one you don‘t want to miss.

https://readinginthewildwood.com/2020/03/07/the-familiar-dark-by-amy-engel/

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kyraleseberg
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Pickpick

I loved this book! Eve is an unforgettable character and I related to her as a mom sooo much! Her relationship with her own mother was fascinating and the small town secrets were gritty and believable. Heartbreaking, powerful, and full of fierce women determined to take care of their own.

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my.books.in.squares
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Pickpick

I finished this thriller last week. The characters were brilliant and their backgrounds were set out well whilst keeping a good pacing. At no point in this book was I bored or lost interest. It was intense and emotional.

Pub date: 31 March 2020
⭐⭐⭐⭐

53 likes2 stack adds
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AudiobookingWithLeah
The Familiar Dark | Amy Engel
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Pickpick

MY RATING⇢ 5 STARS | GRADE A+
The beginning of this gutted me and the middle had me transfixed and the end left me gasping and in tears...such a gutwrenching story. That is not just superbly written but is also perfectly plotted. I highly recommend.

See my full review here⇢ https://leahsbookishobsession2.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-familiar-dark-by-amy-eng...