I loved this story's premise, the writing style made for an easy read, and Jessie's character broke my heart.

But. Yes, I'm sorry, there's a but here. I'm going to divide this book in two halves. The first half is slow moving, spending a little too much time on mundane, repetitive content. I'd have liked to see more of Jessie's early life so I could better connect on an emotional level. I wanted to know how she'd gotten from where she'd been in the past to where she was in the present.

The truly unfortunate thing is that the current synopsis gives away a major plot point, which doesn't actually happen until midway in the book. So we spend the entire first half knowing where the story is leading us, anticipating exactly what's about to happen to Jessie, taking away any sort of suspense.

The second half is more intriguing, with a quicker pace and more action and suspense. I loved watching Jessie's growth. And I admit to having tears in my eyes at the end.

*I received a review copy from the publisher, via NetGalley.* ( )

Imagine being trapped in a place of near-complete sensory deprivation and isolation for over a year, and being thrown scraps from time to time by foster parents. Jessie Duval had to suffer through this and more at the tender age of 12 and as a result, suffered from language deficit and developmental delay. Through this year, the country music of Owen and Shelley James was her only solace, which she listened to on repeat. After being rescued, Owen and Shelley become a fixation in her imagination, to the point of stalking them, and an ugly incident leads to a restraining order.

After many years, just when she gets back on her feet, circumstances make her cross paths with them again and eventually Shelley James is discovered dead. As each revelation comes to the fore, the plot thickens and, the most unsuspecting person comes out as a devious personality.
I pitied Jessie, her difficulties seemed to have no end, but despite her traumatic childhood and disability, she tried very hard to get to the bottom of matters and get herself in the clear. She was so strong. Alone, with not a person whom she could call her own, she didn’t have anyone to turn to except for her mental therapist.

I loved the style of writing, especially the depiction of Jessie's speaking disability where she cannot grasp the right word for something she is trying to explain. For eg - "the word for very, very sad - pathetic".

This was a perfect whodunnit for a rainy day ensconced within blankets with a hot cuppa, guessing who the killer could be. ( )

Somewhere in the Dark by R. J. Jacobs is a highly recommended psychological thriller/mystery.

Jessie Duval's life is finally on the path to recovery. She is living in Nashville, has an apartment, sees a therapist she likes, and enjoys her prep job with a catering company. After a childhood of abuse and neglect, which included a year living in the dark in a locked closet, she is learning coping skills to overcome her issues. The one rule she must legally follow is to stay away from singers Owen and Shelly James. Jessie was obsessed with them for a reason and followed their concert tour for a year, but after therapy she understands what happened and has changed. Although she is still fragile, she is now doing well for herself.

Jessie just likes prep work, but her boss convinces her she will do a fine job serving at a graduation party after his help quits. Shelly James shows up at the party with Owen and their daughter, and Jessie tries to keep out of their sight. Subsequently, when the James's hire their catering company for a party, Jessie knows she should stay away, but she is finally talked into doing the job by a surprising source. After the party, when Shelly turns up dead, Jessie is a suspect, but there is a whole lot more going on than people realize and Jessie may have the key to who did it.

The narrative starts slowly as Jessie, her problems, and her background are introduced and explained. Since Jacobs is a psychologist, he delves into her trauma, background, thought processes, anxiety, and coping mechanisms resulting in Jessie being a sympathetic character that you will trust and feel supportive of her recovery. She is very observant and, although broken, she is in many ways also stronger than people realize. Jessie is a great character to build a story on because you want her to to be safe and continue on the path to wellness.

The novel is well-written, with several strengths and a few weaknesses. Obviously, the creation of the character of Jessie is a strength. She is a captivating character and she does carry most of the plot. Some of the supporting characters are not as fully realized, but it doesn't affect the plot negatively as the action starts and keeps moving. After the slow set up the plot takes off at a brisk pace once Jessie starts searching for answers. Everything quickly reaches a breakneck speed up to the twisty, surprising climax. The conclusion is uplifting and hopeful, which is a winning way to end the narrative.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Penguin Random House.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2020/08/somewhere-in-dark.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3490841763 ( )

Twenty year old Jessie is trying to move on with her life as a caterer after spending a year in prison for stalking her favorite country singers Owen and Shelly James. It is their music which helped her get through a terrible childhood experience where her foster parents kept her locked up in a closet for over a year. As she gets older, they become an obsession and she becomes a "groupie". It is at the final concert of their tour for the year that things go horribly wrong and she hurts a few people.
The reader gets the impression she is not a bad person and she did not mean for it to happen. In fact, I felt sorry for her. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and very protective of herself for a good reason.
She avoids the James' at a party she is catering and is invited to serve at their house by their manager. It is here that Shelly gets murdered and of course, Jessie is the obvious suspect since she was invited to serve food, so now she's in the fight of her life to prove her innocence. She makes a couple of surprising allies along the way.
I really liked her counselor Ms. Parsons, who was her biggest cheerleader and never really doubted her innocence. I am also a big fan of both thriller/suspense and the Nashville country music scene, so I thoroughly enjoyed a combination of the two. I have also enjoyed my share of country music concerts and I could feel the otherwise carefree atmosphere on those pages, and I was reminded of fun times with my friends in the summertime. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read another good book! ( )

Jessie Duval has had a historic childhood. Listening to Shelley and Owen James CD is the only thing that kept her grounded. Once she was old enough o be on her own, she followed their tour from city to city until the last night, when everything went wrong. Charged with stalking and a restraining in ordered, one year later she has everything back on track. Until Shelley is murdered and the police think she is the killer. Set in Nashville, Shelley and Owen James are country music royalty. Jessie has been obsessed with them, wishing and believing they were her family.. This was a fast paced read. A good mystery of who killed Shelley, and Jessie trying to prove it. Because of her upbringing, Jessie has difficulties with words, difficulties connecting emotionally with people, trust issues and doesn't like to be touched. She is also naïve and gullible, which made me feel bad for her. I really enjoyed Jessie's "closet story and found I wanted to read more about it. This is a solid story that I would recommend if your looking for a good mystery. This is due to be released on August 11th, 2020.
Thank you R.J. Jacobs, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. ( )