Happy Monday, all! Yes, Family of Killers just came out a few months ago, but believe it or not, we’re already looking ahead to my next book release. Coming in August 2025, it’s Death in the Dark. I’d say it was my second collaboration with Erik Larson, but I’m pretty sure he has no idea who I am, and no idea about this one or The Perfect Place to Die. However, just as Devil in the White City inspired me to write that book, Splendid and the Vile inspired me to write this next one.
If you haven’t read it, it’s focused on the first year of Churchill’s time as Prime Minister, tracing the events of the Bombing of Britain. I read it because the time period already fascinated me, and I was blown away by how well Larson shows the world of that time period coming to life. After I finished it, I immediately wanted to write something that takes place in the same period. It just felt so real to me. Then again, Churchill was never a serial killer (I mean, to the best of my knowledge, I guess, but I’m very willing to give him the benefit of the doubt), nor did he personally fight against any (discounting fascist leaders of world powers). My book contract was for another historical thriller, and we’d been discussing serial killers more . . .
So I dove into research mode to see if the Bombing of Britain had any serial killers operating at the same time. It’s a sad sign of the world that it turns out there are serial killers pretty much anywhere, anytime in the modern days. (I tend to think this is likely something true of all history. It’s just we’ve gotten much better at identifying them now that there’s more cooperation and communication between places.)
In this case, there was the Blackout Ripper, a man who murdered four women over almost as many days during the Bombing of Britain. The murders themselves were reminiscent of Jack the Ripper: bloody and violent. (So much so that I toned things down a few notches for the book.)
So I had my villain, but I very much needed a hero.
As I’d been reading Larson’s book, one of the people that impressed me the most was Mary Churchill, his youngest daughter. She was about 18 when the war broke out, and she kept a detailed journal of her life at that point. She had hopes and dreams, strengths and flaws, and she just came across to me as someone who might have a decent shot at going up against the evil of the Blackout Ripper. I was a bit hesitant using someone from actual history as my main character, but I also recognized all of this was going to be fictional, and so I moved forward with her as my protagonist.
The result? Death in the Dark. It was a breath of fresh air to write, as it was set in a time period I was so much more familiar with, which required so much less research to try and get just right. (I’m not sure I’ll ever write something set as far back as Family of Killers again, though I suppose I’ve done so much research into the time period, it would be easier the second time . . .)
In any case, I look forward to you all getting to read this one, and I’m very pleased to be able to share the cover with you today. (After the pic, I’m including the synopsis from the back cover.) Sourcebooks has, once again, hit it out of the park. I love how it fits in with the other three covers, while still being its own, new thing. I’d love to hear what you have to say.
And here’s the official synopsis from the back cover:
When multiple women are found murdered in their London homes during The Blitz, seventeen-year-old Mary Churchill vows to uncover the identity of the Blackout Ripper, even if it puts her own life at risk. From the author of The Perfect Place to Die and Don’t Go to Sleep comes another chilling historical mystery.
Seventeen-year-old Mary Churchill feels helpless as London is ravaged by air raids and mandatory blackouts. As the youngest daughter of the Prime Minister, she longs to do something important, to help those in less fortunate circumstances. On a night out on the town, she connects with an older woman who is in-between jobs and promises to meet her again the next day. Except she never shows up. Mary has a sense that something is wrong, so she decides to go searching―and finds her brutally murdered.
Horrified, Mary immediately goes to the police. But there’s a war happening, and they don’t have enough manpower to fully dedicate themselves to the murder case. So, Mary takes it upon herself to investigate. The deeper she falls into the case, the more shocking murders she finds. All women, all strangled and mutilated. This is her chance to do something to actually help, to find out who is responsible for the murders and make sure they never have a chance to harm anyone else.
Against the backdrop of bombings and darkness, Mary searches the streets of London for any clues she might ascertain and finds herself in a game of cat-and-mouse with the Blackout Ripper. If only one of them can make it out alive, does Mary have what it takes to make sure its her?