Dark Design

Author: Nancy Mehl
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Series: Delaney Mysteries #2
Pages: 336
Release Date: October 21, 2025
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers

As she began to lose consciousness, she realized that she'd just made a very serious mistake. . . .
She tried to call out for help, but she couldn't see anyone on the shore. There was no one to save her.

When Erin Delaney learns that a serial killer has mimicked the murder portrayed in her bestselling novel, she joins her friend Kaely Quinn-Hunter, a former FBI profiler, in Virginia. Their reunion, only a few months after fending off an eerie killer in the woods of Tennessee, is bittersweet, as Kaely has been tasked by the FBI to recruit Erin's help to identify a suspect. The FBI's team is stumped by the murderer who re-creates killings from the books of multiple authors, with only ominous notes left behind. As Erin is drawn further into the web of fear and chaos, Kaely begins to fear for Erin's safety.

On top of tracking down a murderer, Erin must shoulder the weight of a haunted past and claims that she stole the plot of her novel from one of her sources. As she struggles on multiple fronts, the enemy looms closer than ever--and Erin's life hangs in the balance.

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Reviewer: Tammy Lunsford

This book is beyond brilliant. It is filled with some of my favorite fictional characters, and the mystery is tightly woven, and is also filled with thrills and chills. But what makes this book so special is the way the author is able to work an inspirational message  into what some would call a dark thriller. Light always dispels darkness, and this author has a gift for proving that in her mysteries.

Novelist Erin Delaney has just learned that someone has taken a murder scene out of her book and made it their own. Erin is still very fragile and is just getting back out into the world after a traumatic experience left her reeling. Law enforcement needs her insight into helping catch this monster. 

Erin was working with Kaely Quinn-Hunter, an ex-FBI profiler and friend, along with other law enforcement personnel. Erin had to dig deep and face her own fears in order to get through this time and keep her wits.

Nancy Mehl really turns up the heat in the suspense department with this one. The creep factor is definitely high, and the twists are enough to give you whiplash. I suspected everyone at some point and time, but I was so wrong with my assumptions.

This might be my favorite book by this author. Now I anxiously await the next book in this fabulous series.

Thank you to Bethany House for this ARC through Interviews & Reviews. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Reviewer: Anna Bottoms

This book by Nancy Mehl offered more than expected and had me up late at night chasing clues that led me in circles. Dizzying in the most delightful way.

The premise of staging author’s murder scenarios to send a message was spot on, but the crowning chill factor for me was the description of the murder in “Grin” that still  brings the total creepiness to new heights.

One thing I find most interesting in this series is the characters. An agoraphobic, the daughter of a serial killer, an FBI profiler, and a chief of police. A lot of ways to stir things up in this group, which I love.

Somehow, amidst the suspense, there is a thread of faith that weaves itself seamlessly throughout the story. Whether in a crisis of faith or fully dependent on God’s guidance, the journey is real and relatable. I loved this book. I highly recommend it.

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Bethany House through Interviews & Reviews via NetGalley. This is my honest opinion of the book. 

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Reviewer: Rebecca Maney

"Someone is killing women and they are using the MOs they took from certain mystery and suspense novels. . . . . The third murder copies the killings in your book, Erin. . . . "

Learning that a murderer has literally copied her story content sends former police officer turned author Erin Delaney on a journey she never expected to take. Teaming up with her best friend Kaely Quinn-Hunter and husband Noah, Erin fully cooperates with law enforcement in their attempts to apprehend a very clever, calculating criminal. Profiling someone who doesn't seem to display a distinctive signature makes the process extremely difficult at best and impossible at worst. It doesn't appear so, but could the victims have some unbeknownst connection to their killer or perhaps to each other?

The ever changing points of view throughout this story are nothing short of remarkable. Instead of being a distraction, the flow creatively assists the scaffolding, quite a dark design, meant to hold off what is just out of view until the very end.

An excellent suspense with shy hints of romance and wonderfully scripted spiritual conversations.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers through Interviews & Reviews.

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