
In the Beautiful Dark
A Novel
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $30.09
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Bahni Turpin
-
Jeremy Carlisle Parker
-
By:
-
Melissa Payne
About this listen
A woman investigates a friend’s long-ago murder in a haunting and hopeful novel about the weight of secrets and regrets by the bestselling author of The Wild Road Home and A Light in the Forest.
At Sunny Pines Retirement Community, where the “Sixty-Two and Better!” share their golden years, secrets abound. Some scandalous, some haunting, and some dangerous. For Birdie Allen, a retired business owner and grandmother, her secret is the only thing she’s got left. Getting old isn’t the hardest part about life. It’s the memories from more than fifty years ago of the death of her unrequited love. And Birdie’s abandoned quest to root out the killer.
With retirement comes a lot of time to revisit old ghosts, so when Birdie ties together a string of recent murders, and a woman disappears, she’s drawn into the same chase she gave up decades earlier. But this time she has the help of an eccentric community of eager new friends. And they’re not alone. Restless souls are watching, including Birdie’s lost love, and they sense the danger that lies ahead. They’re not leaving Birdie’s side until she finishes what she set out to do. But will Birdie’s pursuit of a killer finally free her of regrets and allow her to embrace the beauty of the life she’s created?
©2025 by Melissa Payne. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.Critic reviews
“Melissa Payne’s In the Beautiful Dark is a heartfelt delight of a story, often adorable, sometimes tastefully creepy and even bone chilling, certainly never predictable. She’s created a cast of lovely characters, led by the vibrant and determined Birdie, who remind us that it’s never too late to seize life. Richard Osman, look out, there’s a new geriatric sleuth in town.”—Boo Walker, bestselling author of An Echo in Time
“In the Beautiful Dark has everything you could possibly want in a novel: page-turning suspense, laugh-out-loud banter, an endearing ensemble cast of characters, and a long-unsolved mystery, tucked into an unforgettable setting. Melissa Payne has expertly crafted a moving, unpredictable novel that will keep you guessing and leave you smiling. The relatable (if nosy) residents of Sunny Pines found their way into my heart and will live there for a long time.”—Jessica Strawser, USA Today bestselling author of The Last Caretaker
“What an unexpected treat this novel is! Everything from the characters to the setting to the twisting plot kept me off balance and loving it the entire way. In turns heartwarming and thrilling, In the Beautiful Dark has something for everyone.”—Suzy Krause, bestselling author of I Think We’ve Been Here Before and Sorry I Missed You
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
The Husband Before You
- By: A J McDine
- Narrated by: Tamsin Kennard, George Weightman
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I thought my first husband died ten years ago. But now he’s back... Opening the front door, I’m stunned to see a familiar face. I never thought I’d see Freddie’s deep brown eyes and crooked smile again. But how is this possible when he died ten years ago…? It took years to move on, but finally my life is almost perfect.
-
-
Long, Repetitious, Predictable!
- By MA Reviewer on 04-14-25
By: A J McDine
-
The Wild Road Home
- A Novel
- By: Melissa Payne
- Narrated by: Landon Woodson, Lisa Cordileone
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mack Anders will do anything for his wife, Daisy. Even die. With the woman he loves fading away from Alzheimer’s, Mack fakes his own passing. The insurance makes certain that Daisy will be taken care of with dignity and comfort until the end. In a lonesome cabin in the Wyoming wilderness, he lives off the grid with nothing but thoughts of the past to keep him company and the belief that Daisy is better off without him.
-
-
Good Story, Well Told
- By Jo from Texas on 11-04-24
By: Melissa Payne
-
The Shadow Girls
- By: Nina Laurin
- Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie, Megan Tusing
- Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The latest thrilling and intense psychological suspense from the bestselling author of Girl Last Seen dives into the complicated and dark world of a prestigious ballet academy and explores just how far mothers will go to make their daughters stars.
By: Nina Laurin
-
Fair Play
- A Novel
- By: Louise Hegarty
- Narrated by: Andrew Wincott, Aoife McMahon
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A group of friends gather at an Airbnb on New Year’s Eve. It is Benjamin’s birthday, and his sister Abigail is throwing him a jazz-age Murder Mystery themed party. As the night plays out, champagne is drunk, hors d’oeuvres consumed, and relationships forged, consolidated or frayed. Someone kisses the wrong person; someone else’s heart is broken. In the morning, all of them wake up—except Benjamin. As Abigail attempts to wrap her mind around her brother’s death, an eminent detective arrives determined to find Benjamin's killer.
By: Louise Hegarty
-
Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter
- By: Samantha Crewson
- Narrated by: Lindsey Dorcus
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thirteen years ago, Providence Byrd threw the family car in reverse and ran over her mother. Even though her mother survived, that single instant of teenage madness made Providence a felon and irrevocably altered her life. When her mother disappears years later under suspicious circumstances, Providence tells herself that returning home is her chance to find closure after a prolonged estrangement from her family. Never mind that this is only half of the truth: she’s also returning to finally confront her abusive father, Tom Byrd.
By: Samantha Crewson
-
The Pretender
- A Novel
- By: Jo Harkin
- Narrated by: John Hollingworth
- Length: 14 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set in the tumultuous period of the Tudors' ascent, The Pretender brings to life the little-known story of Lambert Simnel. From humble beginnings as a peasant boy, Lambert's life takes an astonishing turn when, at just ten years old, he becomes a claimant to the English throne as one of the last of the Plantagenet line. As Lambert navigates the treacherous waters of royal intrigue and court life, complex themes of identity, power, and destiny unfold, weaving a tapestry of ambition and survival in a world where the stakes couldn't be higher.
By: Jo Harkin
-
The Husband Before You
- By: A J McDine
- Narrated by: Tamsin Kennard, George Weightman
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I thought my first husband died ten years ago. But now he’s back... Opening the front door, I’m stunned to see a familiar face. I never thought I’d see Freddie’s deep brown eyes and crooked smile again. But how is this possible when he died ten years ago…? It took years to move on, but finally my life is almost perfect.
-
-
Long, Repetitious, Predictable!
- By MA Reviewer on 04-14-25
By: A J McDine
-
The Wild Road Home
- A Novel
- By: Melissa Payne
- Narrated by: Landon Woodson, Lisa Cordileone
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mack Anders will do anything for his wife, Daisy. Even die. With the woman he loves fading away from Alzheimer’s, Mack fakes his own passing. The insurance makes certain that Daisy will be taken care of with dignity and comfort until the end. In a lonesome cabin in the Wyoming wilderness, he lives off the grid with nothing but thoughts of the past to keep him company and the belief that Daisy is better off without him.
-
-
Good Story, Well Told
- By Jo from Texas on 11-04-24
By: Melissa Payne
-
The Shadow Girls
- By: Nina Laurin
- Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie, Megan Tusing
- Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The latest thrilling and intense psychological suspense from the bestselling author of Girl Last Seen dives into the complicated and dark world of a prestigious ballet academy and explores just how far mothers will go to make their daughters stars.
By: Nina Laurin
-
Fair Play
- A Novel
- By: Louise Hegarty
- Narrated by: Andrew Wincott, Aoife McMahon
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A group of friends gather at an Airbnb on New Year’s Eve. It is Benjamin’s birthday, and his sister Abigail is throwing him a jazz-age Murder Mystery themed party. As the night plays out, champagne is drunk, hors d’oeuvres consumed, and relationships forged, consolidated or frayed. Someone kisses the wrong person; someone else’s heart is broken. In the morning, all of them wake up—except Benjamin. As Abigail attempts to wrap her mind around her brother’s death, an eminent detective arrives determined to find Benjamin's killer.
By: Louise Hegarty
-
Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter
- By: Samantha Crewson
- Narrated by: Lindsey Dorcus
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thirteen years ago, Providence Byrd threw the family car in reverse and ran over her mother. Even though her mother survived, that single instant of teenage madness made Providence a felon and irrevocably altered her life. When her mother disappears years later under suspicious circumstances, Providence tells herself that returning home is her chance to find closure after a prolonged estrangement from her family. Never mind that this is only half of the truth: she’s also returning to finally confront her abusive father, Tom Byrd.
By: Samantha Crewson
-
The Pretender
- A Novel
- By: Jo Harkin
- Narrated by: John Hollingworth
- Length: 14 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set in the tumultuous period of the Tudors' ascent, The Pretender brings to life the little-known story of Lambert Simnel. From humble beginnings as a peasant boy, Lambert's life takes an astonishing turn when, at just ten years old, he becomes a claimant to the English throne as one of the last of the Plantagenet line. As Lambert navigates the treacherous waters of royal intrigue and court life, complex themes of identity, power, and destiny unfold, weaving a tapestry of ambition and survival in a world where the stakes couldn't be higher.
By: Jo Harkin
-
The Book Club for Troublesome Women
- By: Marie Bostwick
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By early 1960s standards, Margaret Ryan, Viv Buschetti, and Bitsy Cobb, suburban housewives in a brand-new "planned community" in Northern Virginia, appear to have it all. The fact that "all" doesn't feel like enough leaves them feeling confused and guilty, certain the fault must lie with them. Things begin to change when they form a book club with Charlotte Gustafson—the eccentric and artsy "new neighbor" from Manhattan—and read Betty Friedan's just-released book, The Feminine Mystique.
By: Marie Bostwick
-
The Bright Years
- By: Sarah Damoff
- Narrated by: Ferdelle Capistrano, Joy Osmanski, Lee Osorio
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Told from three intimate points of view, The Bright Years is a tender, true-to-life novel that explores the impact of each generation in a family torn apart by tragedy but, over time, restored by the power of grace and love.
-
-
Engaging, Gut-wrenching, Beautiful
- By Amazon Customer on 04-24-25
By: Sarah Damoff
-
When the Wolf Comes Home
- By: Nat Cassidy
- Narrated by: Helen Laser, Nat Cassidy
- Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One night, Jess, a struggling actress, finds a five-year-old runaway hiding in the bushes outside her apartment. After a violent, bloody encounter with the boy's father, she and the boy find themselves running for their lives. As they attempt to evade the boy's increasingly desperate father, Jess slowly comes to a horrifying understanding of the butchery that follows them—the boy can turn his every fear into reality. And when the wolf finally comes home, no one will be spared.
-
-
A wildly imaginative, horrific, wonderful read
- By Jesse & Flanny on 04-25-25
By: Nat Cassidy
-
The Secrets of Lost Stones
- By: Melissa Payne
- Narrated by: Cris Dukehart
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thirty-two-year-old Jess Abbot has lost everything: her job, her apartment, and - most heart-wrenching - her eight-year-old son, Chance, to a tragic accident. Haunted by memories and grief, Jess packs what’s left and heads for the small mountain town of Pine Lake, where she takes a position as caregiver to an eccentric old woman. A rumored clairvoyant, Lucy is strange but welcoming and immediately intuits Jess as a “loose end” in need of closure. But Jess isn’t the only guest in Lucy’s large Victorian home.
-
-
Exceptional
- By Rebecca R on 09-10-19
By: Melissa Payne
-
Great Big Beautiful Life
- By: Emily Henry
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years—or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.
-
-
Not a romcom - reminds me of Evelyn Hugo too much
- By Jessika on 04-23-25
By: Emily Henry
-
The Twisted Women's Book Club
- By: Karin Slaughter, Lee Child, B.A. Paris, and others
- Narrated by: January LaVoy, Andi Arndt, Saskia Maarleveld, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dr. Margaret Richter has it all. She’s rich, thanks to her best-selling self-help books. She has a beautiful home in Cape Cod overlooking the beach. And she has a monthly book club that everyone is dying to get invited to. Literally. Because behind the crystal wine glasses, the fine linens and the catered hors d'oeuvres lies a tangled web of secrets, of deceit, of murder. No member of the book club is innocent—and many are guilty. And the person with the most to hide is Margaret Richter herself.
-
-
Hang in there … it gets better
- By JulesJules on 04-14-25
By: Karin Slaughter, and others