Are You Afraid of the Dark?

By: Sidney Sheldon

Narrated by: Kit Flanagan

Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

All around the globe, people are being reported dead or missing.

In Berlin, a woman vanishes from the city streets. In Paris, a man plunges from the Eiffel Tower. In Denver, a small plane crashes into the mountains. In Manhattan, a body washes ashore from the East River. At first these seem to be random incidents, but the police soon discover that all four of the victims are connected to Kingsley International Group (KIG), the largest think tank in the world.

Kelly Harris and Diane Stevens, young widows of two of the victims, encounter each other in New York, where Tanner Kingsley, the head of KIG, assures them that he is using every resource to solve the mysterious deaths of their husbands. But he may be too late. Someone is intent on murdering both women, and they suffer a harrowing series of close escapes. Who is trying to kill them and why?

Forced together for protection, and suspicious of each other and everyone around them, the two widows embark on a terrifying game of cat-and-mouse against the unknown forces out to destroy them.

Taut with suspense and vivid characterization, full of shocking twists, and with an unnervingly realistic premise, the long-awaited Are You Afraid of the Dark? is Sidney Sheldon at the top of his game.

©2004 Sidney Sheldon (P)2004 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A breezily pleasing read." (Publishers Weekly)
"The best kind of guilty pleasure." (Booklist)

For the Sheldon Fan

I have been reading Sheldon off and on since I was in my teens. I found his books, full of travel and facinating. However, I was some what disappointed with this title. I found it trite, cliche, and the ending very uneventful. If you are a Sheldon fan this is a lite, quick read to keep your mind occupied. Unfortunately, this title will not bring in new Sheldon fans.

Another good one

I always look forward to Sheldon's new books and this was no exception. I found it to be very good but a little more perdictable than some of his previous works. Definitely worth a listen!

An average tale of intrigue

I'm not a Sheldon fan, but this book had enough elements of mystery and intrigue to keep your attention. All of the seemingly unrelated events which begin the book, take shape and bring focus to the two main characters. I was interested in how they would get through their ordeal, although I felt at the end, that some questions were still left unanswered. The setup is absolutely better than the rest of the book because you want to know what's going on. When you find out, the pace and the mystery seem to bog down.

Good narration, mediocre book

Mediocre story that starts off well but then becomes too predictable and silly.

The narrator did a great job with the voices and accents so the experience was still enjoyable.

I am a Sheldon Fan

This was his last novel so not as long nor as detailed as his early works. But for younger readers this is more to the point. All the Sheldon twists and turns are there. Surprise villains and such. At the heart is weaponizing the weather. Fiction right? Then on the postscript he lists all the real life documented events of weather weaponization since the 1960s. To include UN treaties to make the US stop. Hmmmmm. Worth the read!

Narration was annoying.

Her female voices didn't have enough variance. Her attempt at all the Male thugs became humorous. I couldnt do any better myself but i do expect better when paying for the performance.

poorly written

Sheldon's early books were much better. The reader does a decent job with what she has to work with, but the book reads more like a script for TV- stilted sentences, poor descriptions, basically just switching between flashbacks of memory and real-time; mostly poorly written sex scenes. I will not buy any more of his books, written or audio.

Missed you Sidney Your almost 80! More!!.

We have long been fans of Sidney Sheldon, dating back to his very first book....25 years ago? It has been so long in coming and we absolutely loved it. It follows his wonderful formula of back and forth and putting all the pieces together. We sure hope he has a few more in him very soon and may he live to 120!

Not Up to Sheldon standards

I totally agree with all said by Brian in his review "Very Amateurish" I too could not believe how many times these women escaped death. The book did not have the twists typical to his usual works either. I was disappointed.

A Disappointment

Too many characters and flashbacks. Started well but faded fast.