Breaking The Dark

Breaking the Dark pulls you in the way only Lisa Jewell can—quietly at first, then suddenly, with a grip that doesn’t let go. This one has a slightly different flavor from her usual domestic-suspense style, blending mystery with a touch of the paranormal, and it works better than you’d expect.

The story follows Ruby Fox, a woman with an unsettling mix of intuition and darkness in her past, as she becomes entangled in a case involving missing children and a family hiding more secrets than they admit. Ruby is one of those characters who feels unpredictable in the best way—broken, guarded, but strangely magnetic. Jewell lets us sit with her flaws and uncertainties, which makes her incredibly compelling.

The pacing is classic Jewell: short chapters, shifting perspectives, and just enough withheld information to keep you leaning forward. The atmosphere is tense and a little eerie, especially as Ruby’s abilities blur the line between reality and something else entirely. At times, it almost feels like stepping into a dream you’re not sure you want to stay in, but you can’t quite pull away.

What really stands out is how Jewell grounds the supernatural threads in emotional truth. The fear, the trauma, the sense of being watched or misunderstood—it all feels painfully human. And by the end, the twists click together with that familiar, satisfying snap she’s known for.