Gray After Dark

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars | 12,091 ratings

Price: 29.66

Last update: 09-17-2024


About this item

A merciless wilderness. A harrowing attack. A desperate escape.

When a tragic accident sidelines Miley's dreams of Olympic gold, she takes a summer job at a mountain guest lodge. The Frank Church Wilderness is remote, but it's the perfect place to train and recover.

Local lore about a staffer who died years ago doesn't scare her. But it should.

Miley's plans take a terrifying detour when she's abducted during a morning run. Held captive in a desolate off-grid cabin, she'll have to use her athletic prowess, cunning mind, and courage to survive. As the nightmare at the cabin escalates, Miley is forced to form an unlikely alliance and attempt a risky escape.

Can she outwit her captors and survive the wilderness before it's too late?

Inspired by true events, Gray After Dark is a pulse-pounding psychological thriller with a finale that will leave you breathless.


Top reviews from the United States

Dragoness
5.0 out of 5 stars Emotionally Intense, Dark Thriller
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2024
This is the second book I've read by this author. The first was Ask for Andrea which was absolutely brilliant, with less of the disturbing factor and more creative. I almost didn't want to read any of her other books because the others all sound darker than my normal reading choices. I will probably still pass on Run on Red but I finally bought Grey After Dark and Room for Rent.

I just finished Grey After Dark and I gotta admit, at one point I almost quit, asking myself 'why am I putting these dark images into my mind?' but the book was sooooo well-written I just couldn't put it down, even though I found it disturbing.

This is certainly Not a fun, easy read. It's quite dark and deals with some intense abuse. Those easily triggered should obviously stay away. The rape scenes weren't graphic (amazingly) but other scenes were. This book is Not for the faint of heart.

Given the genre that it is, it's quite well done. Noelle is an absolute master writer!

This book gives new meaning to "which would you rather face in the woods, a man or a bear?" meme circulating all over social media.

I have only one bit of feedback to the author:

I realize that women have been fighting for a very long time to NOT be blamed for rape and other abuse by men. Obviously, those things are ALWAYS the abuser/rapist's fault, No matter what. There is NEVER any excuse for rape or any kind of abuse.

Having said that, the fact remains that there ARE predators out there. OF COURSE it's the predator's fault. But at the same time, we must be realistic. Just as there are thieves out there and most of us know that and always lock our doors at night, right? We don't just leave our doors open and invite in the thieves.

Likewise, feminist thinking has gone too far in convincing women that they can run alone in the woods because if a man rapes them, it's the man's fault. OF COURSE it's the man's fault. BUT it was STILL foolish for the woman to run alone in the woods, especially without any sort of reliable weapon. (Leaving a weapon out of reach makes it worthless.)

So, my only minor feedback to the author is that she seemed to go out of her way to avoid the elephant in the room, which is that Miley really screwed up in choosing to run alone in the woods, without any cell service, with No weapon within reach at all times, and No one even knowing where she was.

That is sooooo obvious you might think it didn't need to be said, but it seemed strange that Miley never acknowledged her mistake. That part wasn't realistic. She seemed defiant even when her choice resulted in such a horrible situation.

It seemed that the author didn't dare let her main character do any real introspection about that bad decision for fear of being accused of blaming the victim.

Acknowledging that there ARE predators out there, and taking steps to avoid them, is NOT blaming the victim!

Yes, a woman SHOULD be able to run in the woods and be vulnerable, without fear of predators. But, unfortunately, that just isn't the way it is.

Also, I don't want to give any spoilers as to whether the characters survived or Not, so I'll just be vague here and say that more attention could have been paid to the long-term effects of such intense trauma, which sort of got glossed over.

Other than those teeeny tiny complaints, the book was phenomenal.

I'm going to take a deep breath, get up the courage and start the next book by this author. I hope she writes more books that are less disturbing and more creative (like Ask for Andrea).
Karena
4.0 out of 5 stars GOOD READ
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2024
This book was good! Could be potentially triggering to some but definitely kept me on my toes!! Crazy crazy storyline. Would recommend!
Savannah Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite thriller!!!
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2024
This book is an absolute masterpiece. I could probably write a whole novella on how good I think Noelle Ihli is. This is the third Ihli book I have read as I'm working my way through her list and I'm speechless every time.

Survival thrillers are my favorite subgenre of thrillers, and it's exactly for reasons like Gray After Dark. It's a pulse-pounding, gut-wrenching, heart-breaking story and action that you just cannot put down. This one was darker than the other ones I've read from Ihli so far, but I absolutely loved it more for that. I kept telling myself, okay, she's not going to do that right? It's not going to go that dark right? But she did. And it does. And it's so freaking good I legit can't stop talking about it.

She writes such good female characters. Do they sometimes make bad decisions? For SURE, that's how they get into these predicaments in the first place, but through it all, these are some of the most well-written, strong-willed females I've ever read. Miley is no different in Gray After Dark, and I found myself continuously impressed on how she just wouldn't give up, even when they tried to take everything from her, and even when they did take everything from her. I was so dialed in to Miley and her story, I cried when she cried. I cried when she didnt cry.

The character development as a whole is top tier. Miley and Brent were very consistent throughout, but some standout characters for me were my sweet baby Wes and Mary. My heart just ached for them. Even Hamish had character development, unfortunately. In the beginning at least, I found myself almost having sympathy for him. But Fred has three abuse victims, not just two, and I really like the way the book highlighted that so well, but then takes it further from there, until Hamish is almost unrecognizable.

I'll stop myself or I'll be here all day. Noelle Ihli is an instant buy author for me, the ONLY thriller author I've ever given five stars to (twice!) and has absolutely cemented a place on my favorite authors of all-time list.

Thank you for blessing us with your talent ????
P.H.
5.0 out of 5 stars Suspenseful
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2024
This book is hard to put down once you start reading it! Scary, creepy, maddening and made me a little anxious to see what would happen next, while I was reading it. I didn't want to put it down! Excellent book and I highly recommend it! But make sure you read the warning at the beginning of the book, because there are circumstances in it that you may not be comfortable with.
S Arakelian
4.0 out of 5 stars Gray After Dark
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2024
One of the best thrillers I have read. A page turner, heart pounding, nail bitting based on a true story. Couldn’t put it down. Great read.
AJ Holmes
3.0 out of 5 stars Intensely gut-wrenching read!
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2024
This is a very well written book that I did not want to put down. Admittedly, some of the scenes were a bit hard to digest, but I truly admired Miley's tenacious spirit. The hot and cold bond that she shares with Brent is so bittersweet after understanding the reason behind it.
Jose Orquiz
5.0 out of 5 stars Run Rabbit Run Run Run
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2024
This is the first 5/5 star read that I’ve read in a while! I could NOT put this book down. It was SO good. I was engaged the entire time. This is my 3rd book by this Author. My first book by her was Run On Red which I really enjoyed because it was non stop thrill. The “who dunnit” was easy to figure out but I enjoyed the book anyways! Then I read The Thicket but I really struggled with that one because it was a slow burn and I didn’t care for the writing. Gray After Dark has become my new favorite by this Author. If you want a great thriller that keeps your interest and is a real page turner, you’ve got to read this book! **Might be triggering for some. This is a dark thriller.

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