Quiz A Flicker in the Dark Stacy Willingham

A Flicker in the Dark: Book Quiz

How well do you know A Flicker in the Dark?

This 20‑question quiz covers the full arc of Stacy Willingham’s psychological thriller—from the Breaux Bridge disappearances to Chloe Davis’s final confrontation. Questions are divided into plot/sequence, character motivation, theme/symbol, and synthesis. An answer key with brief explanations follows.

Before you start, you might want to revisit the full book summary or check out the questions and answers and the ending explained for deeper analysis.

Questions

Plot & Sequence (8 questions)

  1. What event triggers Chloe’s unease at the very start of the novel? (Multiple‑choice)
    a) A difficult therapy session with Lacey
    b) A phone call from reporter Aaron Jansen
    c) Seeing a missing‑girl poster
    d) A surprise engagement party

  2. In what year did the original disappearances in Breaux Bridge occur? (Short‑answer)

  3. What is the name of the 15‑year‑old patient who goes missing after visiting Chloe’s office? (Short‑answer)

  4. Where does Chloe find Aubrey Gravino’s necklace? (Multiple‑choice)
    a) In her office drawer
    b) In a box in her closet
    c) At the morgue
    d) In Daniel’s briefcase

  5. What object does Chloe use to communicate with her comatose mother? (Short‑answer)

  6. Who does Chloe initially suspect is the copycat killer? (Multiple‑choice)
    a) Aaron Jansen
    b) Bert Rhodes
    c) Daniel Briggs
    d) Cooper Davis

  7. What discovery in Daniel’s childhood bedroom makes Chloe suspect him strongly? (Multiple‑choice)
    a) A bloody knife
    b) Newspaper clippings about Chloe’s father
    c) Sophie’s hidden diary
    d) A map of Breaux Bridge

  8. Where is Riley being held captive at the novel’s climax? (Short‑answer)

Character Motivation (5 questions)

  1. Why does Chloe decide to become a psychologist? (Short‑answer)

  2. What reason does Cooper give for committing the murders? (Multiple‑choice)
    a) Revenge against Lena
    b) A “darkness” he couldn’t fight
    c) Jealousy of Chloe’s success
    d) Pressure from Tyler Price

  3. Why does Daniel help his sister Sophie fake her disappearance? (Short‑answer)

  4. What is Tyler Price’s (Aaron Jansen’s) motive for copying the murders? (Multiple‑choice)
    a) He reveres Richard Davis’s crimes
    b) Cooper manipulates and controls him
    c) He hates Chloe for being a psychologist
    d) He wants media fame

  5. Why does Chloe’s father originally confess to the murders? (Short‑answer)

Theme & Symbol (4 questions)

  1. The Nietzsche epigraph warns against what danger? (Multiple‑choice)
    a) The darkness of the woods
    b) Becoming a monster while fighting monsters
    c) The power of fear
    d) The abyss of memory

  2. What does the firefly most clearly symbolize? (Short‑answer)

  3. The porch light that Chloe always keeps on represents: (Multiple‑choice)
    a) Her need for control and safety
    b) Her fear of the dark
    c) Her hope that the past won’t return
    d) All of the above

  4. Throughout the novel, the “darkness” inside characters represents: (Short‑answer — give one key idea)

Synthesis (3 questions)

  1. How does Chloe’s understanding of her father change by the end of the book? (Short‑answer)

  2. In what way does the novel challenge the idea that “monsters hide in plain sight”? (Short‑answer)

  3. What does Chloe’s decision to release the firefly in the final chapter suggest about her personal growth? (Short‑answer)

Answer Key

  1. b) A phone call from reporter Aaron Jansen. – In Chapter 2, Aaron calls Chloe to ask about her father, immediately shattering her composure.

  2. 1999 – Chapter 3 describes the summer of 1999 when six girls vanished from Breaux Bridge.

  3. Lacey Deckler – Lacey is Chloe’s patient who goes missing in Chapter 12; her body is later found behind Chloe’s office.

  4. b) In a box in her closet – Chloe discovers Aubrey’s necklace in her own closet in Chapter 27, leading her to suspect someone close to her.

  5. Scrabble tiles – In Chapter 30, Chloe uses Scrabble tiles to ask her mother questions; her mother spells “Daniel.”

  6. b) Bert Rhodes – Chloe suspects Bert, Lena’s father, because of his violent history and his angry confrontation with her (Chapters 23–25).

  7. b) Newspaper clippings about Chloe’s father – In Chapter 37, Chloe finds a copy of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil with clippings about Richard Davis hidden inside.

  8. Chloe’s childhood home in Breaux Bridge – Chloe deduces that Daniel (later revealed to be Tyler) has taken Riley to the abandoned family home (Chapters 41–42).

  9. To understand her own pain and trauma – Chapter 7 explains that Chloe became a psychologist in part to make sense of what happened to her family.

  10. b) A “darkness” he couldn’t fight – Cooper uses almost the same words as his father’s televised confession, blaming an uncontrollable inner shadow (Chapter 46).

  11. To protect her from their abusive father Earl – Daniel confesses in Chapter 45 that he helped Sophie escape after their father beat her.

  12. b) Cooper manipulates and controls him – Tyler Price is a lonely follower whom Cooper uses to carry out the copycat murders (Chapter 46).

  13. To protect Cooper, his son – Richard Davis took the blame for Cooper’s crimes; this is revealed fully in Chapter 48.

  14. b) Becoming a monster while fighting monsters – The epigraph from Nietzsche sets up the novel’s central warning about moral compromise.

  15. Hope, letting go, or Lena’s spirit – The firefly first appears as Lena’s belly‑button charm and returns in the final chapter when Chloe sets a firefly free, symbolizing release and forgiveness.

  16. a) Her need for control and safety – The porch light is a constant detail that Chloe obsesses over; its absence triggers anxiety, underscoring her desire to feel secure.

  17. The evil that exists within people, often concealed behind normal appearances. – Characters like Cooper and Richard Davis invoke “darkness” to explain violent impulses, highlighting the theme of hidden monstrosity.

  18. She realizes her father was innocent of the murders and only confessed to protect Cooper. – Chloe learns the truth in Chapter 48 and begins to separate anger from understanding.

  19. The true killer turns out to be Chloe’s brother Cooper—someone she trusted—while the father she feared was actually protecting him. – The novel subverts the expected “monster in plain sight” by making the threat familial and the trusted figure deceptive.

  20. She chooses to let go of control and the need to hold onto pain, embracing freedom and forgiveness. – Releasing the firefly mirrors Lena’s firefly charm and shows Chloe moving forward without being trapped by her past.

Ready for more?

Explore our detailed summary and analysis, dive into common reader questions, or read our ending explained for a thorough breakdown of the novel’s final twists.