Darker Days: A Novel

11 months out of the year, life is usually pretty sweet for the residents of Bird Street. Ralph Lewis is a Superior Court judge married to Luana, a college professor. Their daughter Kiana is a budding Olympic diver, while their son Django is a piano prodigy. Their close circle of friends includes a best-selling author and a wealthy industrialist. However, there is a price for success, and the bill comes due in November, when a pall of darkness spreads over the neighborhood and misfortune often follows. The children are oblivious to the cause of the gloom that enshrouds their house, but they notice a shift in their parents’ moods when the purgatory is nearing its end. Ralph, Luana, and their friends must fulfill their end of a pact with a sinister figure dubbed “The Accountant”; their debt involves a sacrificial offering before November’s end or else.

Darker Days is an intense and riveting book about the price people pay in the pursuit of happiness and the destruction caused by secrets and lies. Author Thomas Olde Heuvelt has written an excellent novel exploring the horrors of human frailty and conformity. This is an unforgettable read for 2025.