We Are All the Same in the Dark

A Novel

By: Julia Heaberlin

Narrated by: Jenna Lamia, Catherine Taber, MacLeod Andrews, Kirby Heyborne

Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

National Best Seller • People Pick • Optioned by Sister Pictures for Television • The discovery of a girl abandoned by the side of the road threatens to unearth the long-buried secrets of a Texas town’s legendary cold case in this superb, atmospheric novel from the internationally best-selling author of Black-Eyed Susans

“If you only read one thriller this year, let it be this one. Psychologically absorbing, original and atmospheric. I could not turn the pages fast enough.” (Elin Hilderbrand, number-one New York Times best-selling author of 28 Summers)

It’s been a decade since Trumanell Branson disappeared, leaving only a bloody handprint behind. Her pretty face still hangs like a watchful queen on the posters on the walls of the town’s Baptist church, the police station, and in the high school. They all promise the same thing: We will find you. Meanwhile, Tru's brother, Wyatt, lives as a pariah in the desolation of the old family house, cleared of wrongdoing by the police but tried and sentenced in the court of public opinion and in a new documentary about the crime.

When Wyatt finds a lost girl dumped in a field of dandelions, making silent wishes, he believes she is a sign. The town’s youngest cop, Odette Tucker, believes she is a catalyst that will ignite a seething town still waiting for its own missing girl to come home. But Odette can’t look away. She shares a wound that won’t close with the mute, one-eyed mystery girl. And she is haunted by her own history with the missing Tru.

Desperate to solve both cases, Odette fights to save the lost girl in the present and to dig up the shocking truth about a fateful night in the past—the night her friend disappeared, the night that inspired her to become a cop, the night that wrote them all a role in the town’s dark, violent mythology.

In this twisty psychological thriller, Julia Heaberlin paints unforgettable portraits of a woman and a girl who redefine perceptions of physical beauty and strength.

Praise for We Are All the Same in the Dark

“This chilling tale of buried sins is relentlessly unpredictable.” (The Times, South Africa)

“[Julia] Heaberlin knows how to build to a truly shocking twist, how to break a reader’s heart and then begin mending it. ‘What’s coming is always unimaginable,’ Odette’s one-time therapist tells her, ‘and by that, I mean just that. It cannot be imagined. What’s coming never acts or behaves the way we think it will.’ That’s true for this novel, too.” (The Dallas Morning News)

©2020 Julia Heaberllin (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“I’m not sure I can put into words how much I loved this book: gorgeous writing, interesting characters, a unique setting, and an unsettling, surprising mystery. At one point, I actually gasped out loud from both the beauty of the writing and the shock of the story. We Are All the Same in the Dark has it all. Everyone needs to put this book on their to-be-read list right now! You can thank me later.” (Amy Engel, best-selling author of The Familiar Dark)

“Exceptional ... After a devastating twist halfway through, the intense plot builds to an emotional finale. Heaberlin sensitively addresses issues of survival and vulnerability in this heart-wrenching gothic tale.” (Publishers Weekly [starred review])

"One of my favorite reads of the year ... [Heaberlin’s] beautiful prose propelled me through this spine-chilling novel.... The book is absolutely mesmerizing." (Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times best-selling author of The Weight of Silence)

wow!

At first the book is a little slow, but once you get through the first part it's great! The plot twist made my mouth drop open and I was shocked! Definitely a great book to listen to.

Dope read.

I can not say enough good things about this book. It was captivating, enthralling, page turning and poetic. I loved it.

Thrillers aren't my usual genre but...

This book was really good. kept me guessing all the way to the end.

Wow!

One of the best mysteries I’ve read in a while. I kind of guessed the ending but I almost didn’t mind because the ride to get there was so enjoyable. Recommend.

AhMazIng!

This book was one of the best book that I have read lately. It was suspenseful with lots of twists and turns, While also creating depth to the character.

One of the best books

This is one of the best audio books I’ve listened to in a while. Definitely agree with other reviews about going into it blindly.

It's not bad, but it isn't amazing

Be ready for long winded explanations and background stories. A lot of backstory on characters that doesn't matter in the long run. If you're looking for something to love and get lost in as you contemplate relationships and life, this may be for you. If you're looking for something practical to keep your attention all the way through, this is not the one. It is very pretty, but there are quite a bit of finer details and thoughts from the characters that make you zone out. The plot itself is worth the listen, but don't expect answers to anything until the very very end. All in all, I'm not returning it, but am I seeking out other books similar to this? No. My feelings about this book are best described as lukewarm.

I couldn’t put this one down. Narration was spot on!

Excellent everything. I loved this book a lot of twists and turns and great narration. Job well done.

Wow!!

This is a great story on many different levels! I love a good mystery, and I hated to shut this one off! The narrators were excellent as well.

Interesting murder mystery beautifully presented

I really did love this book. It was interesting from beginning to end. You really do pull for the missing women all the way to the end of the story. I do feel like the author tried to choose someone who wasn't obvious as the killer and it didn't feel like it fit as well as it could have. It's not that the character who committed the crimes isn't believable as much as it's a character you don't really know well. You meet him through memories and such, but I don't think he comes up in the storyline as a character we meet. I was expecting a twist, but I expected a more plausible twist. Either way, I'd still recommend this book to anyone else to read/listen to. It's a great story.