Darkly

What would you kill for?

The New York Times bestselling author of Night Film spins a twisted web in this masterful YA psychological thriller about the dark legacy of a notorious games designer.

A seemingly ordinary high school student. A mysterious summer internship. And a legendary games designer, now dead.

When an ad for an internship with the Louisiana Veda Foundation appears, Arcadia 'Dia' Gannon rushes to apply. Veda's game-making empire, Darkly, was renowned for its ingenious and terrifying games back in the day and Dia is as obsessed with them as anyone.

The remaining games are priced like highly sought-after works of art, with the rarest and most notorious commanding tens of millions of dollars at auction. Now, Dia is thrust into the enigmatic heart of the operation. But who are these other interns? Why do they all seem to have something to hide? And why was she really chosen? It soon becomes clear that this summer will be the most twisted Darkly game of all.

Nobody really knows all the secrets of the world of Darkly. An enticing adventure awaits the lucky seven young adults selected to solve the mystery, but who knows just what that mystery might reveal! Pessl has created a world where friendship, truth, loyalty and trust may not be as they straightforward as they should be. The complex plot weaves the seven interns in a heart-stopping adventure filled with challenges and terrors whilst competing for their chance to solve the puzzle. Even the reader must try to untangle who is not who they seem. Everyone has secrets. This psychological thriller compels the reader to follow the captivating storylines which lead to a satisfying twist. Highly recommended! -- Chris, QLD Better Reading
This was a cleverly woven mystery which at times had my heart racing! It was a speedy read because I was desperate to find out what had happened, but it kept me guessing right up to the last minute. The detailed descriptions made this very visual, as eerie or creepy as that was at times. The unearthing of clues was such that as a reader I was unable to skip ahead – each piece was necessary to solving the mystery. I finished it a few days ago and haven’t been able to stop thinking about, going back and checking details again. -- Laura, NSW Better Reading
The tag line “what would you kill for?” was definitely a way to hook me in and set up anticipation for what I assumed would be a contentious ride. The book starts off relatively slowly as it eases you into the story and introduces our protagonist. However the pace ramps up soon enough as the author weaves in the intrigue and mysterious elements to keep the reader guessing and involved. Twists and turns abound as the story rolls along until the finale which turns everything on its head. All in all it was an intriguing story to read with more than enough twists, turns and tension to entertain and involve the reader of this type of fiction. -- Kelly, SA Better Reading
‘Compelling’ is the word I would use to best describe this great novel. Once I got into this story-which was very quickly- I was hooked and couldn’t wait to read another chapter. The subject matter was initially a concern for me – an interactive board game, with players from all over the world and a mystery to solve? I confess that if I had picked this book up at a library, I don’t think I would’ve done much more than read the blurb. What a cracker of a tale I would have deprived myself of! The main character Dia is so well written and continued to evolve throughout the story and the back story was so bizarre and fascinating that I got sucked into the whole “who, where, what” scenario and just wanted to find out more. The twist at the end was also very clever- I never saw that coming. If you love a great mystery- you will eat this up with a spoon. Think Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets Jumanji. Highly recommended. -- Kathy, VIC Better Reading
Really loved this book. It captivated me and then I found it really hard to put the book down. The plot twist was great and kept me guessing until the very end. -- Elt, QLD Better Reading

Marisha Pessl is the author of the critically acclaimed young adult novel Neverworld Wake, as well as two New York Times bestsellers: Night Film and Special Topics in Calamity Physics. She lives with her husband and three daughters in New York.

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