' uncompromising and absorbingly written new novel. ' The Familiar Dark is a twisty thriller that will appeal to fans of dark mysteries, but it is also an exploration of motherhood’s many faces and the extraordinary strength of a woman protecting her child.' CrimeReads, 'The Most Anticipated Crime Books of 2020' The Familiar Dark promises to be a gripping new novel about the lengths to which we go for family.' 'In this heart-rending tale of motherhood and murder, Amy Engel takes us into the heart of the Ozarks.

Catherine Steadman, New York Times bestselling author of Something in the Water

Engel’s ability to conjure the harsh beauty of the Ozarks is spellbinding. 'A dark and beautifully written thriller with a haunting ending that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page. 'Engel masterfully creates a milieu in which women struggle against all odds to provide the best lives possible for their daughters. ' harrowing thriller.This rural noir stakes Engel’s claim to that dystopian terrain somewhere between Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects and Daniel Woodrell’s Winter’s Bone.' Laura McHugh, award-winning author of The Wolf Wants In A powerful, gripping, heart-stopping read.” As Eve Taggert seeks vengeance for her daughter’s murder and descends into the depths of her own jagged past, we are reminded that a mother’s love is a fearsome thing. “The Familiar Dark is a blistering rural noir brimming with dark secrets and the harsh realities of survival in a hardscrabble town. The Familiar Dark is a story about the bonds of family-women doing the best they can for their daughters in dire circumstances-as well as a story about how even the darkest and most terrifying of places can provide the comfort of home. 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. 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.

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. Eve Taggert, desperate with grief over losing her daughter, takes it upon herself to find out the truth about what happened. Set in the poorest part of the Missouri Ozarks, in a small town with big secrets, The Familiar Dark opens with a murder. Sometimes the answers are worse than the questions. 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.

The familiar dark a novel