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EnglishWhat Is *The Girl in the Dark* by Zoë Sharp About?
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The Girl in the Dark is a crime thriller by Zoë Sharp and the first book in her Blake & Byron series. It is out now in paperback, ebook and audiobook, and it follows Blake Claremont and Detective John Byron as they investigate the murder of a formerly homeless woman — and uncover a killer targeting society's most vulnerable people. If you like crime fiction in the vein of Karin Slaughter, Kendra Elliot or Cara Hunter, this is the book to start with.
The story
The novel opens with a woman dying on hard stone. Shannon, formerly homeless, had just got her life back on track and was known for helping other people. Her last words are "No police" and "I need Blake."
Before the blow that fractured her skull, Shannon had discovered something that terrified her in the weeks before her death — but nobody seems to care what happened to her, except Blake Claremont, the woman who saw her as a big sister.
Blake has never forgotten that Shannon helped her when she was a lonely teenager sleeping rough on the streets of London. Determined to find the killer, she calls on her old friend Detective John Byron. As they investigate, they realise there are more victims: someone is killing people who have fallen through the cracks — people nobody sees and nobody looks for. Blake and Byron see them, and they won't stop looking until the killer is caught — unless he finds them first.
Where it sits in Zoë Sharp's work
The Girl in the Dark belongs to the Blake & Byron series, alongside The Last Time She Died. It is separate from Sharp's longer-running series:
| Series | Notes |
|---|---|
| Blake & Byron | The Girl in the Dark, The Last Time She Died |
| Charlie Fox | Long-running series, including Trial Under Fire, Killer Instinct, Riot Act, Hard Knocks, First Drop, Road Kill, Second Shot, Third Strike, Fourth Day, Fifth Victim, Die Easy, Absence of Light, Fox Hunter, Bad Turn |
| Lakes Thriller | Dancing on the Grave (#01), Bones in the River (#02) |
| Standalone thrillers | Listed on the site alongside the series |
If you are new to Sharp and want the full reading order across all of these, the site's "Books in Order & Excerpts" pages are the place to check.
Formats and how to get it
- Paperback
- Ebook
- Audiobook — the site offers a way to listen to The Girl in the Dark audiobook free with a 30-day trial
An excerpt is available on zoesharp.com if you want to sample the opening before buying.
Who it's for
The book is pitched at readers of bestselling crime thrillers, with the site naming fans of Karin Slaughter, Kendra Elliot and Cara Hunter as the audience most likely to be gripped. The subject matter — violence against vulnerable people, homelessness and a killer who preys on those society overlooks — makes it a darker, socially grounded thriller rather than a light mystery.
Staying up to date
Zoë Sharp runs a VIP email list for alerts on new books. Joining it is the most direct way to hear about future Blake & Byron releases or other new titles.