Sometimes Ashley Whitelam wonders if perhaps things were better when she and her family lived in a small London flat when she was a child. The happenings of one night changed all that. Now as an adult, her father has turned her into the sole source of income for their family. She is an admitted (to herself) scam artist posing as a psychic separating vulnerable people from their money. It's not to say that she doesn't have some supernatural powers because she does have visions others can't see. However, she keeps this to herself because she doesn't understand the reason for them. When her community is plagued with child murders, her father offers her services to the police hoping for free publicity. Ashley shocks even herself when she finds the body of the latest missing child. Is she or isn't she a psychic?   THE HUNGRY DARK, by Jen Williams, is a dark and eerie tale. It is so well told that the story is immersive from start to finish. Ashley is a complex protagonist whose position in her family is peculiar. She craves freedom from her creepy father who exerts a strange kind of control on her life, but the relationship is complicated. Her relationships with her mother and brother are troubling as well. The narrative is multi-layered and becomes complicated when Ashley begins to delve into the cases of the missing and murdered children. When she returns to the place that changed her life, the story becomes propulsive. Her very existence is on the line. Will her powers save her?   Skillfully crafted, THE HUNGRY DARK has all the elements of a mesmerizing thriller. Exciting and fast-moving, this book is well worth reading. Highly recommended.