Six people land on a desert island ready to make their reality show debut. The contestants are suitably glamorous and dramatic—and also hungry to prove themselves. The stakes are high, and with millions of viewers watching, losing is not an option. But three weeks and eighteen episodes later, five of the six contestants sit in a Portuguese police station, none of them winners.
Twelve million people were watching when Rhys Sutton died on camera, and someone must pay for the crime. The best friend, the rival, the girlfriend, the lover, and the sworn enemy are left standing. And of course, no one is talking. But how do you keep secrets when the world has been watching? Especially when, just a day before his murder, Rhys was the most hated man on television.
I first met Bea through her two Greek myth retellings. This is quite a different beast; a murder mystery set during a reality show on an island, right up to date with drones and Big Brother style challenges. Viewers can watch live feeds from any camera during the day and the edited version in the evening, so - in theory - nothing is off limits. Even in areas without cameras, the microphones will still be working.
The producers have, of course, picked the most controversial people they can and supplied plenty of alcohol - seriously, everyone seems to be drinking all the time - and apart from the challenges, there's nothing to do but talk to each other. This quickly leads to bickering, manipulation and anger. But which of them killed Rhys? Despite being filmed from every angle, it's still unclear.
I liked the insertion of confession room 'footage' as things were happening; it mimics the sense of watching a show. We don't get quite as much of how producers edit and control the footage here, apart from a few comments that this or that will be dropped for various reasons. However it's incredibly clear that all the contestants are playing games - we're constantly seeing them plan how to respond to things, manipulating in the moment and on the go. They're all pretty skilled at it, in a terrifying way.
This is so different from Bea's other books that I almost felt I was reading a different author - except, when you look deeper, there are threads in those books as well about people manipulating others, trying to rise to the top. It's a funny thing for them to meet over, but it is there. This book won't necessarily have the same fans, but it definitely will have fans - and perhaps a TV adaptation? Would that be ironic?
A tense, exciting read, I think it'll do very well.
Then Things Went Dark publishes on the 5th of September, 2024. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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