Darkrooms by Rebecca Hannigan

Darkrooms by Rebecca Hannigan,  A Gripping Debut Literary Thriller Set in Small-Town Ireland

About the Book

Darkrooms is a haunting literary thriller that digs into the heart of guilt, grief, and the dangerous weight of long-kept secrets. Set across two timelines in a brooding Irish town, this powerful debut follows two deeply flawed women as they circle the truth about a child who vanished into the woods twenty years ago and never came home.

From the Back Cover

Two girls went into the Hanging Woods. Only one came back.

On the night of the Summer Solstice in 1999, nine-year-old Roisin O’Halloran disappeared into a stretch of woods that had frightened the children of Bannakilduf for generations. Two decades later, her sister Deedee, a rookie Garda barely holding herself together, and Caitlin, Roisin’s childhood friend and the last person to see her alive, are pulled back toward the truth. One of them is hiding something. And the past is done waiting.

About the Author

Rebecca Hannigan holds an MA in Creative Writing Crime Fiction from the University of East Anglia, graduating in 2023. She won the UEA/Little Brown Crime Prize for her dissertation and has been shortlisted for Virago/The Pool’s Best New Crime Writer. Born in England to Irish parents, she now lives in Essex. Darkrooms is her debut novel, and she is already at work on her second.

Who Is This Book For?

This book is perfect for readers who love slow-burn psychological thrillers, morally complex characters, and atmospheric settings that feel alive with dread. If you enjoy authors like Tana French or Flynn Berry, or you are drawn to stories about trauma, small-town secrets, and women navigating impossible situations, this novel belongs on your shelf.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: What is Darkrooms by Rebecca Hannigan about? Darkrooms is an Irish noir mystery thriller about the disappearance of a nine-year-old girl named Roisin, who vanished in a woods outside a small Irish town in 1999. Twenty years later, two women, Roisin’s sister Deedee and her childhood friend Caitlin, are forced to confront the buried truth about what really happened that night.

Q2: Is Darkrooms a good book for fans of Tana French? Yes. With its atmospheric Irish setting, taut plotting, and morally complex characters, Darkrooms is a strong choice for readers who enjoy Tana French, Flynn Berry, or stories where nothing is quite as it seems. It shares that same sense of place, dread, and psychological depth.

Q3: Is Darkrooms suitable for adult readers only? Yes, Darkrooms is recommended for adult readers aged 18 and above. The book deals with heavy themes including trauma, alcoholism, grief, and the psychological aftermath of a child’s disappearance. It is a literary crime novel with mature and emotionally intense content.

Q4: How long is the hardcover edition of Darkrooms? The hardcover edition runs to 368 pages, making it a satisfying, full-length read. The story is paced as a slow-burn thriller that rewards patient readers, with the tension building steadily toward a powerful and unexpected ending.