We Are All The Same In The Dark by Julia Heaberlin: A Review

Twists in a small town abound in mystery thriller We Are All the Same in the Dark. A community haunted by an unsolved disappearance, another appears seemingly out of thin air, and a cop determined to right the wrongs of the past.

We Are All The Same In The Dark: Synopsis

A small, rural town deep in the heart of Texas will not forget the memory of their it girl, Trumanell Branson, who went missing in the dark one average night. A decade has passed since her mysterious disappearance. Leaving nothing behind but a bloody handprint, her presence now lingers throughout the entire town. And while the town misses her, they originally aimed all of their suspicion on her brother Wyatt. Years later, Wyatt has been cleared of suspicion and lives in the family house, talking to his missing sister as if she is still there with him.

One day Wyatt is out driving, when he sees a girl lost and injured in a field of dandelions. Making a quick decision, he scoops up the injured girl and takes her home. He views this as a sign, and believes that finding her will either start something or end something.

Since the whole town is suspicious of him, it does not take long for a nosy neighbour to phone the police to report outlandish suspicions.

Odette Tucker, the youngest police officer on the force, gets called out to the house. Her history in this town is long; she comes from a family of cops who have all grown up and had families in the town. Her dad was the top dog on the police force before he passed away, her uncle is the town’s pastor, and everyone knows who she is. She also grew up with Wyatt, dating him all through high school and up to the night his sister went missing. That night had many twists and turns, and was dangerous for more than just Trumanell, as Odette lost a part of herself that in the dark that night as well.

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Odette is trying hard to solve the case of this young girl who was found lost and wondering the fields, and she is also trying to keep all suspicion off Wyatt, who she truly believes is innocent of any wrongdoing.

As both characters start spiraling out, the town keeps pinning all suspicious on Wyatt. And since the town can’t let their suspicion of him stop getting in the way, Odette needs to solve both cases to clear up all issues before people take matter into their own hands. But the more she digs, the more she finds the town’s dark side and its not-so-shiny history.

We Are All The Same In The Dark Review

When I first choose this book, I did not expect to stay up all night reading it. But that is exactly what I did.

I found We Are All The Same in the Dark absolutely riveting! It is a slow burn mystery book, full of unexpected twists and turns. The way the author builds up anticipation, and slowly feeds you all the information you need, keeps you on your toes. Since it is a slow burn you take these pieces of the puzzle hungrily and start to try to solve the mystery on your own.

I normally don’t enjoy books that switch the point of view, and this story is told from the point of view of three people. The way this was written, was intuitive and did not bother me. Heaberlin uses her different narrators to help give you a rounded perspective of what is, and what did, happen in the town. Allowing you to gather your own clues, along with the ones she hands out, I found myself engaged from start to finish.

We Are All The Same in the Dark is riveting from start to finish. It is a perfect book to get lost in at the beach, on your couch, or curled up by the lake. Add it to your TBR and immerse yourself in a dark small town mystery.

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