What's Done in Darkness
Sarabeth made headlines at seventeen when she survived her abduction from a remote Arkansas farm. Now, she might be the only one who can save a missing girl.


⭑ Harlan Coben's pick for Best Summer Thriller on the Today Show
⭑ One of 2021’s Best Beach Reads—OPRAH DAILY
⭑ An Amazon Editors' Choice for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
⭑ An ELLE MAGAZINE Best Books of Summer pick
⭑ A Self Magazine Best Book of the Year

Praise for What's Done in Darkness
"Laura McHugh is already on everyone's short list of crime writers to watch for, someone who just goes from strength to strength. WHAT'S DONE IN DARKNESS is timely, but more importantly, it's a deeply empathetic look at a community and place that are all too easy to stereotype. Compulsively, propulsively readable, it never loses sight of what's really at stake for its characters -- or its readers." —Laura Lippman, New York Times bestselling author of Lady in the Lake
"What’s Done in Darkness is a beautifully paced story of a young woman’s courage to confront, both psychologically and by novel’s end literally, an evil that might again entrap her. Laura McHugh expertly delivers a harrowing tale of a world where little is what it first appears to be." —Ron Rash, New York Times bestselling author of Serena
"Once again, Laura McHugh has written a gorgeously evocative and perfectly plotted rural thriller you'll devour in one gulp or die trying. Thoughtful, compelling, and steeped in the secrets of its backwoods setting, What's Done in Darkness is a cry for justice for the girls and women lost on the shadowy, ultra-religious fringes of the homeschooling movement. With every dark, unsettling twist, it becomes more and more apparent: The Ozarks belong to Laura McHugh." —Amy Gentry, bestselling author of Good as Gone and Bad Habits
"Laura McHugh is magic. She makes you feel like you are holding hands with her characters—breathing the same night air, shivering beside them, seeing the world through their vulnerable and empathetic eyes. In her latest spine-chilling thriller, McHugh weaves a dark and delicious spell as Sarah travels from the terror of a mystery in her childhood to the redemptive side of the mountain. Seamless, expressive writing, a voice like a crystal clear lake, an intimate sense of place, and storytelling that keeps the pages spinning make this a thriller that should be at the top of everyone’s summer reading list." —Julia Heaberlin, internationally bestselling author of We Are All the Same in the Dark
"Exquisitely written, What's Done in Darkness is a stunning suspense about family obligation and personal freedom. Laura McHugh has created an exceptional mystery that weaves the past and present, through the eyes of a woman learning to choose what she wants out of life. The vivid imagery and powerful prose are riveting, and I was glued to every gorgeous line. It's a haunting, enthralling must-read."
—Samantha M. Bailey, USA Today and #1 national bestselling author of Woman on the Edge