I acquired a evaluation copy from the writer. This doesn’t have an effect on the contents of my evaluation and all opinions are my very own.

The Sound of the Darkish by Daniel Church

Mogsy’s Ranking: 4 of 5 stars

Style: Horror

Collection: Stand Alone

Writer: Indignant Robotic (October 28, 2025)

Size: 400 pages

Writer Data: Web site | Twitter

The Sound of the Darkish is a kind of books with a setup that makes you assume you already know precisely the place it’s going…till instantly, you don’t! That is my third Daniel Church novel, and I’m nonetheless amazed by how he can pull the rug from below you in one of the simplest ways doable. What begins as a simple true-crime investigation progressively warps into one thing far stranger and darker than it first seems, and I discovered myself hooked even after I wasn’t certain what sort of story I used to be strolling into.

The guide follows Cally, host of a well-received however small-time true crime podcast known as You Prefer it Darker, however life hasn’t been too type to her currently. Coping with melancholy and a failing relationship along with her boyfriend, the issues that used to provide her pleasure and function simply aren’t reducing it anymore. So, when a listener writes in with a tip suggesting she look right into a lesser recognized 1983 case during which a mild-mannered household man instantly snapped and murdered his spouse and youngsters in chilly blood, Cally hopes this new undertaking will spur her to get again on her toes.

Her analysis leads her to Warden Fell, a creepy deserted army set up which has lengthy since turn out to be the topic of whispers and concrete legends within the space. It was reported that the person on the middle of her case had gunned down his total household after visiting this web site, pointing to a doable connection. However interviews with others accustomed to the investigation, together with the killer’s sister and the medical expert who remembers autopsying the our bodies reveal particulars which might be far stranger. Ultimately, Cally catches a break within the type of the killer’s audio journals, found after visiting the previous scene of the crime. Nevertheless, at this level of no return, Cally begins to grasp that she isn’t merely retracing the trail of a person’s respectable into insanity. Moderately, she’s fairly actually changing into part of it.

I liked the primary half of this guide, which reads nearly like a straight thriller, following our protagonist as she dives headfirst into the nuts and bolts of investigative work. The pacing right here is measured however deliberate, giving readers sufficient time to choose by way of the clues. We additionally get a clearer sense of who Cally is on this part: her frustrations at not being heard, the sensation of being caught, and her battle to discover a sense of function. It makes her obsession with the unusual features of the case really feel that rather more plausible. In any case, how does a husband and father who’s by all accounts a mild and nonviolent man instantly resolve to slaughter the individuals he loves in such a horrific means? Walden Fell can be splendidly eerie as soon as Cally will get there, an early signal that issues are about to shift into one thing a lot darker, and certainly, that is just the start.

That stated, the center a part of the guide will get a bit shaky as we shift into the subsequent part. Right here, the plot turns sharply into territory bordering on conspiracy concept fiction with a beneficiant serving to of supernatural and cosmic horror. At this level, I do assume the creator’s management slipped slightly, as he tried juggling all these shifting components whereas nonetheless maintaining Cally’s reactions true to her character and convincing. However on the flip facet, the horror components are fantastically nicely completed, vivid and unsettling and stuffed with grotesque physique horror imagery. I had no concept Church had this expertise in his author’s toolbox.

And as soon as the plot reaches full throttle, the guide turns into exhausting to place down. An enormous a part of this is because of character work, each with Cally and the supporting solid. Stella, the eccentric actress we meet early on within the investigation, is a real standout and inconceivable to not like. Her scenes and dialogue with Cally are a few of the finest within the novel. Ellen, the younger police officer who briefly turns into romantically concerned with Cally additionally brings a gentle, down-the-earth presence even when their relationship feels a bit rushed. Nonetheless, the dynamic between the three girls within the ultimate act is what makes the occasions of the ending each so chaotic and thrilling, watching them come collectively to take down the large dangerous.

Ultimate ideas? The Sound of the Darkish is a moody, slow-burn supernatural thriller that isn’t afraid to take its readers down some wild and twisty roads. Although the plot will get slightly tangled in locations, it’s nonetheless an absorbing learn that’s undoubtedly memorable. And actually, that’s what I search for in a guide—one thing that leaves a powerful lasting impression lengthy after I’ve turned the final web page.