Lights Out by Louise Swanson #LightsOut @LouiseWriter @HodderBooks #BookReview

 

A state of emergency has been declared in the UK. From now on, at 8pm every night, all electricity cuts out.

The Government promises it's a temporary measure. They promise they are always thinking of your safety.

But for Grace, the darkness is anything but safe.

Someone is coming into her house under its cover every night while she lies in bed upstairs, too terrified to sleep. Someone who knows her past, who knows why she has more reason to fear the dark than most...

And every morning she wakes to a new message from the intruder:

I have you in my sights. Love, The Night

But how can Grace escape, when there's nowhere safe left to hide?

Lights Out by Louise Swanson was published in hardback by Hodder on 5 September 2024. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.

I originally read this one quite a few months ago. My review was published in The Mature Times, September 2024 edition. 

Louise Swanson’s Lights Out is her second novel published under this name. She’s previously written under the name Louise Beech, writing in various genre and style

Lights Out is a tension filled speculative thriller story that is both chilling and also incredibly emotional at times. 

The UK Government have declared a state of emergency and from 8pm every night, all electricity will be cut. The Government assure people that their safety is paramount, but ‘lights out’ has instilled such a sense of fear and foreboding into the country. It’s also the dead of winter, residents are cold, vulnerable people are getting sicker, the hospitals are overrun with patients who’ve had accidents. 

Grace has always been terrified of the dark and lights out has increased her fears to a whole new level. Not only does she have to deal with the blackness, she’s also being targeted by an intruder. Someone is entering her house, whilst she is in bed asleep. From the items they leave behind and the messages they write, it is clear that this person knows all about Grace. 

This is a complex and multi layered story that upon first glance seems to be about Government control. Yet dig deeper and we find exquisitely drawn characters who suffer guilt, regret and fear on a daily basis and who have let these define them. It’s far more than just a book, it’s a story of the power of understanding, and honesty and the courage that is needed to overcome fear.

Beautiful prose and elegantly created characters in a unique setting. 

Louise Swanson is the penname of bestselling author Louise Beech, who has published eight novels with Orenda Books, and a memoir, Eighteen Seconds, with Mardle. 

Her work has previously shortlisted for the Romantic Novel Award and the Polari Prize. 

She won Best's Book of the Year with her 2019 psychological thriller Call Me Star Girl. 

Louise blogs regularly on louisebeech.co.uk, and is on Twitter under the name @LouiseWriter.