Then Things Went Dark

Brought to you Penguin.

Six people land on a desert island ready to make their reality show debut.

The contestants are hungry to prove themselves. The stakes are high and losing is not an option. But three weeks and eighteen episodes later, five of the six contestants sit in a Portuguese police station, and none of them are winners.

Because twelve million people were watching when Rhys Sutton died on camera, and someone must pay for the crime.

The best friend, the rival, the girlfriend, the lover, and the sworn enemy are left standing. And of course, no-one is talking. But how do you keep secrets when the world has been watching?

Especially when, just a day before his murder, Rhys was the most hated man on television.
"A delicious, murderous thriller that feels like you're watching a live episode of reality TV unfold in your living room. Fast-paced and addicting, I was gripped from the first page until the jaw-dropping conclusion." – Lucinda Berry, bestselling author of If You Tell a Lie
"True crime meets juicy reality TV as six well-known contestants compete in the ultimate quest for glory, where the stakes are death. Was it murder? An accident? Nothing is as it seems in this smartly plotted whodunnit, a complex game of scandals and scheming, alliances and betrayals that pops off the page."— Kimberly Belle, internationally bestselling author of The Paris Widow
“Fitzgerald plays a scathing, thrilling game of worst case scenario, poking fun and critiquing dystopian reality TV tropes while also forcing the reader to take a look at themselves and ask, ‘Why am I still watching?’” — Iman Hariri-Kia, author of A Hundred Other Girls and The Most Famous Girl in the World
“What if a murder happened on a reality show like Love Island? That's the premise of Bea Fitzgerald's masterful debut thriller. A page-turner that’s as addictive as the reality shows it satirizes, Then Things Went Dark is a clever, queer whydunit that will grip readers until the final page. With her pitch-perfect commentary on fame, social media, and reality TV, Bea has written a novel that's as thoughtful as it is entertaining. A true delight.” – Rebecca McKanna, author of Don’t Forget the Girl
© Bea Fitzgerald 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024