Tessa isn't looking forward to returning to her hometown where the ghosts of her past are everywhere. Her father is dying in a jail cell, and her friend, Callie, only sees her as a reminder of their testimonies against Wyatt Stokes, the man they believed killed Callie's cousin and many others. Questions that were never answered start to resurface, and Tessa's journey to the truth might put everyone in danger.

THE DARKEST CORNERS is a rich, suspenseful story that grabs the reader from the first page. Kara Thomas does a marvelous job of balancing complex issues, from Tessa's relationship with her incarcerated father to being in a town where an infamous murderer lives, and to simply experiencing so much darkness that light is almost unrecognizable. The protagonist, Tessa, is relatable, sharp, and has plenty of baggage to work through. The secondary characters go beyond simply being labeled as suspects from day one, and instead, most of them are fascinating and intriguing in their own rights, especially Callie.

The plotlines are brilliantly connected, spanning several different families, and weaving together mysteries that don't seem crucial but later will stun the reader. Some of the twists were visible early on, but many are gasp-worthy. As the secrets deepen and more clues only lead to more questions, THE DARKEST CORNERS is made for sucking readers in.

While the riveting mystery will appeal to suspense readers, the emotional complexity, family and friend relationships, and jaw-dropping ending will win readers of all kinds over. Kara Thomas writes an exciting and dark story where the pasts that haunt hold more ghosts than ever imagined.