An atmospheric, grief soaked debut that didn’t quite come together for me
Release date: September 22, 2026
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Synopsis:
A haunting, atmospheric debut thriller with a love story at its heart, following a feisty young woman caught between her husband and a mysterious stranger who disturbs their off-grid life in rural Washington.
Helen and Tyler were soulmates, a couple with a storybook beginning and an enduring bond, until Tyler’s sudden murder shattered her world. Numb with grief and desperate for escape, Helen impulsively marries Wade—a near stranger—and goes off-grid with him to a farmhouse in rural Washington, far from her polished Seattle existence.
By day, Helen, who definitely wasn’t built for canning food and sewing dresses, contemplates setting her garden on fire. By night, she faces down insomnia and PTSD with her collection of poems by Plath and Poe—and daydreaming about her past with Tyler. But the routine of her “trad wife” life is broken when an unexpected traveler Isaac, Wade’s broodingly mysterious brother.
Wade is stunned—Isaac died in a horrific farm accident years ago—and he quietly insists to Helen they are in danger. Helen isn’t sure what to believe. Has Isaac truly come back from the dead? Is Wade manipulating her fragile grip on reality? Or is her mind turning against her? As her suspicions close in from every side, Helen must navigate a maze of secrets, grief, and uncertainty—where trusting the wrong person could be fatal.
A stunningly original debut, Call Off the Dark blends a heart-piercing love story, immersive psychological drama, and spine-tingling thriller, resulting in a multilayered, transportive narrative that reminds us of the magic in human connection and that our truest partners in life can keep us tethered to the world, even from the grave.
Review:
Call Off the Dark had so many individual elements that worked for me, but unfortunately they never quite added up to a completely satisfying read. Hallie Shepard is a strong writer, the premise immediately intrigued me, and the isolated rural Washington setting creates this wonderfully stifling, uneasy atmosphere. There’s a sense throughout the book that something isn’t quite right, and I really enjoyed that underlying tension.
I do think it’s worth noting that despite being marketed as a thriller, this never felt like one to me. There are absolutely unsettling moments, mystery surrounding what’s happening, and some paranormal elements, but the pacing is much more of a slow burn psychological drama. The strongest part for me was actually the exploration of grief and loss. Helen’s grief is woven into everything, the choices she makes, her relationships, her memories, and even her ability to trust her own perception of what’s happening around her.
Unfortunately, the slow pace also worked against the story at times. Parts dragged for me, and by the final stretch I found myself more ready for it to end than eager to discover what happened. I was hoping all of the strange pieces and unanswered questions would eventually click together in a way that made the slower journey worthwhile.
Instead, the ending left me feeling more confused than satisfied. It felt muddled and a little too unexplained for my taste, especially after spending so much time waiting for answers. There’s plenty here that I admired, the writing, atmosphere, unusual premise, and thoughtful examination of grief in particular, but overall this landed squarely in the middle for me.
Perfect for readers who love:
- Slow burn, atmospheric fiction
- Isolated rural settings
- Stories centered on grief and loss
- Psychological uncertainty
- Paranormal elements
- Unreliable perceptions
- Unsettling rather than action packed reads
- Genre blurring stories
Overall rating: 3/5
Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.
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