What Lies in Darkness

Jess Lambert, Book 2

By: Christina McDonald

Narrated by: Angela Dawe, Cassandra Morris, Carly Robins

A missing family. A traumatized detective. The past and present collide in a riveting novel of suspense by the USA Today bestselling author of These Still Black Waters, Do No Harm, Behind Every Lie, and The Night Olivia Fell.

Late Christmas Eve, the Harper family’s car crashed on a desolate stretch outside Black Lake. Sixteen-year-old Alice was found injured by the side of the road—alone. It was as if her parents and younger sister, Ella, had simply disappeared.

One year later, Alice is still dealing with nightmares and unanswered questions when she and her friends find Ella’s bloodstained backpack in the basement of an abandoned home. As Detective Jess Lambert investigates, she uncovers dark secrets that put her on a collision course with her past. Jess’s only witness is haunted by her own ghosts—ghosts that might ultimately be connected to Jess.

Jess will do anything to find out what happened to the Harpers—no matter how deep she has to dig. Because neither the living nor the dead are giving up their secrets easily.

©2024 Christina McDonald (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Utterly compelling. In Detective Jess Lambert, McDonald has captured the perfect mix of gritty determination and haunted soul. With twists and turns everywhere, What Lies in Darkness delivers the kind of page-turner you don’t just read, but devour.” —Lisa Gardner, New York Times bestselling author

“A cleverly-crafted thriller, packed full of atmosphere and emotion, with sucker-punch twists that will knock you sideways. And—wow—what an ending!” —Lisa Gray, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal bestselling author

“What Lies in Darkness is a riveting story about the love of family, the devastation of loss, and the secrets we keep. And it has earned Christina McDonald a place in the pantheon of thriller-writer greats. Change your plans for the night because you won’t be able to put this one down.” —Alex Finlay, If Something Happens to Me

What lie in darkness

Good read good plot twist at the end would recommend to friends enjoyed it very much 9/10

Twists and turns

The characters are well developed and believable. The approach of telling the story through the different perspectives of the characters adds additional interest to the story. The hint of the supernatural also enhances the plot development.

Christina did it again!

Christina McDonald did it again!! Wowzer of an ending that tied into book 1!

I didn’t want to stop reading on and kept turning pages any chance I got. Twisted story but also shows the love a mother has for her children to do anything to protect them.

EASY FUN

It was definitely had more of maybe a young adult or older adolescent kind of story but I’m not gonna lie. I enjoyed it. It was easy. Somethings just to help me if I detach from the day and I have listen to both of them probably going to listen to the third. 

Good ending

I really liked this book! It had twists and turns that kept me guessing. The ending was great.

Even though I don’t like the genre I enjoyed it

I don’t like ghost stories but this series is quite listenable to me. It really has me stumped. There’s a twist in the end that I predicted though… I also don’t like vivid descriptions of people in chronic pain but I still liked it.

Outstanding mystery

WHAT LIES IN DARKNESS is the second book in the Jess Lambert series by Christina McDonald. A friend told me I should read book one first, but the blurb didn’t interest me so I passed. WHAT LIES IN DARKNESS works well as a standalone book.

When three members of a family vanish while driving home from a Christmas Eve party, their bodies never found, the father is suspected of family annihilation. A year later, surviving teenage daughter Alice is recovering from PTSD, living with her aunt Melody and her mother’s twin Jack. Detective Jess Lambert is on the case, physically limited from the car accident that killed her daughter, recently out of rehab for pills and booze. Both Jess and Alice see the ghost of Iyla, Jess’s daughter.

Told from the first person points of view of Alice, Melanie and Alice’s mother Laura WHAT LIES IN DARKNESS kept me interested from start to finish, mostly because of Alice’s story, though all three were interested.

Twisty and Intense

I'm so glad Christina McDonald continued the Jess Lambert story in this new book. I thoroughly enjoyed it, only guessing part of the "who dunnit" and quite surprised at multiple twists at the end as well as potential leads for the next book. I can't wait to read it.

Couldn’t listen

I tried for 2 days to listen to this book. Just not an intriguing story- too slow or boring- I don’t know, didn’t hold my attention at all

Fast paced and keeps you guessing

At first, I didn’t realize this was the second book in a series. Though that didn’t seem to be an issue. While there is character progression, you can read it without reading the first and read between the lines of what happened. This is a very quick read if you’re looking for a fast paced thriller-this is it.

It’s a baffling mystery- a whole family disappearing after a late night car wreck on a rural road? All of them gone, save for their teenage daughter who is left to pick up the pieces. What a brilliant story line! And yes it does in fact keep you guessing. Though there is a *slight* sci-fi element, it’s written in as being so normal you’ll eventually not even notice it.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.