“Hazel is twenty-seven, and her life is falling apart. As an amateur mycologist – someone who studies mushrooms – Hazel’s hobby takes her to some dark places, but following a traumatic divorce she reluctantly finds herself back in her childhood home in the shadow of the sprawling Idless wood. To start rebuilding, she takes the plunge and arranges to meet her estranged sister Cathy; she also bumps into Suzie, an old school friend with whom she shares a dark childhood secret.
But then Hazel meets Andrew, who claims to have rare fungi growing in his old farmhouse. Lured out into the wilderness by curiosity and no little professional ambition, Hazel is trapped by Andrew, shut in the basement with no help for miles around.
As Cathy and Suzie desperately begin the search for her, Hazel starts to feel that something darker and even more terrifying than Andrew resides in that farmhouse. But is the power living in the dark with her or . . . much, much closer?
Discover the brilliantly creepy and twisty new novel from Daisy Pearce, author of Something in the Walls. Part psychological thriller, part horror, it will thrill fans of books such as The Last House on Needless Street by Caitriona Ward, Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough and Home Before Dark by Riley Sager.”
Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of Dark Is When The Devil Comes by Daisy Pearce. Dark Is When The Devil Comes was published by Run For It on 28th April 2026 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow. I chose to read a free eARC of Dark Is When The Devil Comes but that has in no way influenced my review.
Daisy Pearce, you are fast becoming one of my favourite authors! This is the second book I’ve read by this author in the past six months. The first being Something in the Walls, which I LOVED. I was excited to see that publisher, Run For It, was publishing both books in fairly quick succession. I was also delighted to discover that Pearce has a couple of earlier books that will definitely be making their way to my TBR as soon as humanly possible.
Hazel is not having the best time. She’s split from her husband, knowing full well that the divorce was all her fault. She’s not on the best of terms with her sister, and she’s ended up cat-sitting at her parents’ house (for two overly pampered, pedigree cats) whilst she figures things out. Life doesn’t have much meaning for Hazel, but it carries on regardless. So when she encounters a fairly ordinary man whilst indulging in her one true passion, mycology, she tells herself he could indeed be a bad guy, but then she laughs that off. Because what are the chances of that?! As a horror fan, she knows the risks, but he’s dangled her version of a cute puppy in front of Hazel. A rare mushroom. Which happens to be on his land, in the creepy woods. It’s a cliché, it’s too obvious to be a trick, so she heads into the forest with Andrew. Before long, she’s locked in his basement. But she’s not alone. With her estranged sister, Cathy, trying to find her missing sibling and with Hazel’s school friend, Suzie, providing back-up, it’s a race against time to save Hazel. But is Hazel the only one in imminent danger….?
Dark Is When The Devil Comes is a thoroughly engrossing, character-led tale overbrimming with tension and dread. Hazel is such a great character. She’s a bit of a mess (she would be the first to admit that!) who owns her flaws, which only made her more likeable for me. Her relationship with her sister, Cathy, is a complicated one. As any sibling relationship can be, I guess. But in her hour (or several hours) of need, Cathy is the one who leads the charge to find and rescue her. Cathy is assisted by Hazel’s childhood friend, Susie, who I found a delight to read. Cathy and Susie are chalk and cheese, but they eventually team up and go on the most riveting hunt through the woods for missing Hazel. The pacing of this book is superb, the tension builds as the story unfolds, and you know whatever happens, it’s going to be messy and slightly traumatic (only slightly…?).
Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. In two books, Daisy Pearce has shown what an incredible writer she is. I’m excited to see what Pearce publishes in the future, but know that, whatever it is, I will be first in the queue. Dark Is When The Devil Comes is stuffed to the gills with palpable dread. The reader is on the edge of their seat, not knowing what is going to happen next, or who is really in the most danger. There’s a supernatural element which I sometimes struggle with, but the direction the author took the book worked really well. I enjoyed the characters. I found kidnapper Andrew to be a little bland at times but that does balance the whole ‘where is the real threat coming from here’ feel the book has. My only grumble would be that I much prefer the US cover to the UK cover. It ties Pearce’s two most recent books together beautifully, but that’s personal choice and I’m not even sure why I’m mentioning it! All in all, Dark Is When The Devil Comes is a creeping, uneasy, yet highly enjoyable read for established horror fans and those wishing to dip their toe in the ‘horror’ water. Part psychological thriller, part supernatural horror, part folk horror (done brilliantly again, as with Something in the Walls). One hundred per cent readable, one hundred per cent immersive and one hundred per cent atmospheric and chilling. Recommended.
I chose to read and review a free eARC of Dark Is When The Devil Comes. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.
Daisy Pearce was born in Cornwall and grew up on a smallholding surrounded by hippies. She read Stephen King’s ‘Cujo’ and The Hamlyn Book of Horror far too young and has been fascinated with the macabre ever since.
She began writing short stories as a teenager and after spells living in London and Brighton Daisy had her first short story ‘The Black Prince’ published in One Eye Grey magazine. Another short story, ‘The Brook Witch’, was performed on stage at the Small Story Cabaret in Lewes in 2016. She has also written articles about mental health online. In 2015, The Silence won a bursary with The Literary Consultancy, and later that year Daisy also won the Chindi Authors Competition with her short story ‘Worm Food’. Her second novel was longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Award.
Daisy currently works in the library at the University of Sussex, where she shelves books and listens to podcasts on true crime and folklore.
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