Number of Pages: 384

Overall Rating: 3.75 out of 5

How far would you go to make sure the man that almost killed you was truly dead? Kucy decides that joining a true crime retreat under a fake name in a canyon, that may are may not be supernatural, in hopes of finding the missing bones of her would-be-killer was worth the potential peace of mind it would bring her. However, she meets some unsavory characters as well as those who may be more than they seem. Lucy has to figure out who is trustworthy and who may be conspiring with the man she came hunting for. The Restless Dark by Erica Waters, is a suspenseful thriller featuring love, lies, and lots of questions as we follow Lucy on her journey through the fog that she may not be able to leave when the retreat is over.

The Good

This book overall was pretty believable as far as the characters and the overall plot of the story. I could totally see some real true crime podcasters hosting a camping weekend in hopes of solving some pop culture mystery or case. The people that attended the retreat also have the same personalities of those I could see attending said camping weekend. This is no shade to the true crime community. I am an avid listener to many true crime podcasts and normally fall asleep to the sounds of Dateline or Crime Junkie. Also I can totally see some crazy characters turning up to an event in a spooky canyon and causing some chaos. The suspense felt realistic as well which I think takes it to a new level because readers understand what the characters are feeling.

The Bad

The pacing really took away from this book. There was a lot of going back and forth from really fast and getting you on the edge of your seat and then it drops you into a boring lull where the suspenseful thing that just happened has very little effect on. Yes, things in the real world aren’t all action all the time. Life itself goes back and forth between action and calm most of the time. However, if there’s a week of time where a bunch of strangers are brought together in a spooky area that not many of them know and the metaphorical shit hits the fan, all normality goes out the window.
I am also on the fence about the number of serial killer admirers who would be forthcoming about their love for murder right off the bat. Have serial killers become a pseudo-celebrity? Absolutely. Would “fans” of a serial killer cosplay as them at an event to find their bones and tell the girl that was almost killed by said serial killer that they wouldn't mind finishing that the killer started? Maybe but I’m not sure how many of those kinds of people would be in a group of about 30 people. I have been to some conventions that were attended by those kinds of people but only about 10 out of 1,000 or so attendees were that blatant about their serial killer idols. So is it possible? Probably but the way they were portrayed was a little iffy and uncomfortable even for me.

The Favorite (Quotes)

"Apparently, most true crime enthusiasts perfer their gore from the safetyof their cars while they commute home to the subrubs."

"This is real life, not a fucking Greek tragedy."

"... I suspect that whatever little romance they started up yesterday is over. Finding a bloddied body must have that effect."