Under a Dark Sky

Winner of the Anthony Award!

“Fans of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None will be riveted by Rader-Day’s latest psychological thriller, which makes you question who you really know and trust and whether you should be afraid of the dark.”—Library Journal, Starred Review

"A brilliant concept, brilliantly told!" --Jeffery Deaver, New York Times Bestselling Author

Only in the dark can she find the truth . . .

Since her husband died, Eden Wallace's life has diminished down to a tiny pinprick, like a far-off star in the night sky. She doesn't work, has given up on her love of photography, and is so plagued by night terrors that she can't sleep without the lights on. Everyone, including her family, has grown weary of her grief. So when she finds paperwork in her husband's effects indicating that he reserved a week at a dark sky park, she goes. She's ready to shed her fear and return to the living, even if it means facing her paralyzing phobia of the dark.

But when she arrives at the park, the guest suite she thought was a private retreat is teeming with a group of twenty-somethings, all stuck in the orbit of their old college friendships. Horrified that her get-away has been taken over, Eden decides to head home the next day. But then a scream wakes the house in the middle of the night. One of the friends has been murdered. Now everyone—including Eden—is a suspect.

Everyone is keeping secrets, but only one is a murderer. As mishaps continue to befall the group, Eden must make sense of the chaos and lies to evade a ruthless killer—and she'll have to do it before dark falls…

Lori Rader-Day is the Edgar Award–nominated and Anthony, Agatha, and Mary Higgins Clark Award–winning author of Death at Greenway, The Lucky One, Under a Dark Sky, The Day I Died, Little Pretty Things, and The Black Hour. She lives in Chicago, where she is cochair of the mystery readers’ conference Midwest Mystery Conference and teaches creative writing at Northwestern University. She served as the national president of Sisters in Crime in 2020.

“I don’t know a writer who captures better the insecurities and damaged and damaging relationships of ordinary women.” — Ann Cleeves, New York Times Bestselling Author

“A brilliant concept, brilliantly told! Under a Dark Sky is a novel that you simply can’t put down. Populated by living, breathing characters and filled with fresh prose and sharp dialogue, we thrill to spend a harrowing, yet redemptive, get-away with our wonderful protagonist.” — Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author

“Lori Rader-Day is a modern-day Agatha Christie: her mysteries are taut, her characters are real and larger than life, and her plots are relentlessly surprising. Under a Dark Sky is a stellar addition to her award-winning catalog... A dynamite late summer read!” — Kate Moretti, New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Year

“Under a Dark Sky by Lori Rader-Day is an atmospheric and absorbing mystery with an intriguing cast of characters. You’ll want to read this gripping novel with the lights on.” — Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of The Weight of Silence

“Both an irresistible locked-room puzzler and a finely wrought examination of friendship, love, and loss, this is the kind of book you can’t help but read too fast: You can’t wait to find out what happened, no matter that you never want it to end.” — Elizabeth Little, author of Dear Daughter

“With a delicate yet steady hand, Lori Rader-Day traces the lines that join these old friends together and the barriers that divide them, to reveal a constellation as inevitable as it’s astonishing. Splendid stuff from a master of the genre. ” — Catriona McPherson, author of Go to My Grave

“Fans of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None will be riveted by Rader-Day’s (The Day I Died) latest psychological thriller, which makes you question who you really know and trust and whether you should be afraid of the dark.”
— Library Journal (starred review)

“A dark sky park where even the slightest glimmer of light is blocked out provides a fascinating backdrop for Lori Rader-Day’s inventive fourth novel. ... A shrewd plot and realistic characters also soar in Under a Dark Sky.” — Associated Press

Praise for The Day I Died: “Mary Higgins Clark Award winner Rader-Day’s (Little Pretty Things) third novel will thrill readers who can’t get enough of the psychological suspense genre.” — Library Journal

Praise for The Day I Died: “Lori Rader-Day is so ferociously talented that it kind of makes me mad. Not fair! The Day I Died is a terrific novel—gripping and twisty and beautifully layered. It kept me locked up and locked in from the very first word to the very last.” — Lou Berney, Edgar Award-winning author of The Long and Faraway Gone

Praise for The Day I Died: “Beautiful prose and tack-sharp observations round out this slow-burning but thought-provoking meditation on the ravages of domestic violence.” — Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Day I Died: “Secrets lie behind every loop, slant, and swirl of The Day I Died, Lori Rader-Day’s compelling story of a handwriting analyst searching for a lost boy. Richly written, complex, and imaginative…this is a perfect read for fans of Mary Higgins Clark.” — Susanna Calkins, Macavity Award-winning author of the Lucy Campion mysteries

Praise for The Day I Died: “An unusual protagonist, a timely crime, and outstanding writing make Lori Rader-Day’s The Black Hour a stand-out debut.” — Sara Paretsky, New York Times bestselling author

Praise for The Day I Died: “An exceptional debut...An irresistible combination of menace, betrayal, and self-discovery.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Praise for The Day I Died: “A searing, psychological suspense novel about small-town dreams shattered by a deadly secret.” — Terry Shames, Macavity Award-winning author of A Killing at Cotton Hill

Praise for The Black Hour: “Addictive.... A perfect thriller for the summer.” — BookPage

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