Psychological Thriller Review: A Step Past Darkness | Vera Kurian

Vera Kurian proves she can write about much more than psychopaths in her newest thriller, A Step Past Darkness. This book was a totally different feel than Kurian’s first book, but no less captivating. Picture I know What You Did Last Summer mashed up with Stand by Me and The Breakfast Club and a dash of Stranger Things. But even that doesn’t really capture how twist-y this book is!

About the Book | A Step Past Darkness

Setting

The small, idyllic town of Wesley Falls seems like it should be a great place to grow up. But underneath the surface, the town is full of shady practices and sinister cover ups that are hidden beneath the veil of the town megachurch, Golden Praise. The most devout members of the church have the best status, while the people who are furthest from the church are known as the burnouts. The most elite girls in school are called the Circle Girls, and they wear necklaces with small gems that relate to some unknown hierarchy in the Golden Praise church.

Characters (the Capstone Six)

Maddison is a devout member of the Golden Praise church and a Circle Girl. Kelly is a quirky, brainy girl who recently transferred to the high school from a local Catholic church after it shut down (presumably by the Golden Praise church). James is a burnout from the trailer park who sells marijuana and is secretly best friends with Kelly. Padma is a smart and driven Indian girl who secretly works at the Golden Praise church to save money for college. Casey is the golden boy, loveable football player who is kind-hearted and well-liked. Jia is an eccentric girl who happens to be clairvoyant and works at her mother’s crystal shop.

Plot

Summer, 1995. Six high school students who go by the Capstone Six are brought together to work on a project the summer after their sophomore year. They couldn’t be more different—a devout member of the local megachurch, a quirky bookworm, a cynical burnout, a kind-hearted athlete, a shy brainiac, and an eccentric clairvoyant. They are attending a party in the town mine to examine the old chambers for their project, when they witness something unspeakable. In the wake of the crime, the six vow to take care of the perpetrator of the crime, never speak on it again, and leave the town, the secret, and each other behind.

Summer, 2015. Jia breaks the pact they made twenty years ago to bring the Capstone Six back together. Only now they are five… Maddy has been found murdered, leading to more questions than answers. Was her death linked to the incident that happened that summer twenty years ago?  The five remaining gather back in Wesley Falls for the funeral, and are forced to return to the mine and confront the person they thought was dead…

Review | A Step Past Darkness

It’s rare for a sophomore novel to outpace the author’s debut, but in this case I think Vera Kurian accomplished it. I loved her first book Never Saw Me Coming about a student enrolled at a psychopathy study at a university, only someone seems to be murdering the study participants one by one. That book was more of a heart-pounding thriller where you are in the mind of the main character (check out my review at the link!).

In A Step Past Darkness, the story has so much depth and complexity. The dual timelines and the six narrators may sound messy, but this story is tightly plotted and expertly paced. Coming in at 450 pages, I was intimidated by the length, but the story flew by (especially on audiobook!). There wasn’t a single slow moment, and I was at the twisted-finale before I realized it.

The bulk of the story takes place in the timeline in summer of 1995. We are introduced to the Capstone Six as individuals and how they came together. One thing I loved about this book was that the short descriptions of the characters make them seem like stereotypes for high school students from different groups. However, the characters are anything but stereotypical. Each of them surprised me in different ways. I was also pleasantly surprised that this wasn’t a story of six teenagers forced together through tension and unrest. The six may not have selected their group, but they are immediately open-minded and supportive of one another. This was so refreshing!

The 90s lovers out there will also appreciate the fun nostalgia pieces. At one point they are discussing the OJ Simpson trial. At another part, one of them references The Firm workout videos. There are so many moments like this that oriented me back in time to the mid-90s and what it would have been like as a teenager at that point in time.

The setting was steeped with small town lore. The teenagers grew up essentially in this bubble where the Golden Praise church is the powerful part of town. Any rebelling happens quietly, or they face the consequences. The rumor mill is prominent throughout the book. And the mysterious church at the center of it all becomes more ominous the more we learn about it. I’d go as far to call it a cult or at least cult-lite.

The conclusion is twist-y and shocking when you learn exactly what has been going on with the Golden Praise church and the town of Wesley Falls! These six students may be the exact people to change the trajectory of their community, once and for all. I know you are probably wondering how the story wraps up and how much suspension of disbelief is required. And I’m not going to be the one to answer that. You’ll have to read it to find out!

Thank you to Park Row Books and Harlequin Trade Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

About the Author | Vera Kurian

Vera Kurian is a writer and scientist based in Washington DC. Her debut novel, NEVER SAW ME COMING (Park Row Books, 2021) was an Edgar Award nominee, was named one of the New York Times’ Best Thrillers of 2021, and has sold in 15 countries. Her short fiction has been published in magazines such as Glimmer Train, Day One, and The Pinch. Her second novel, A STEP PAST DARKNESS, was published in February of 2024. She has a PhD in Social Psychology, where she studied intergroup relations, ideology, and quantitative methods. She blogs irregularly about writing, horror movies and pop culture/terrible TV. She enjoys existentialism and puppies. You can find her on Substack or Instagram.