Esme Foster suffers a hip injury and leaves the ballet. She returns to Boston after 11 years to help care for her sick father and finds out her old friend Kara who resembles her has been killed in her back yard near the woods.
This was a creepy read that had me on the edge of my seat. Thanks NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ARC that will be released December 26, 2023!

Esme returns to her childhood home to find one of her friends has been murdered in the woods behind the house. She hasn't spoken to any of her childhood friends since she left 10 years ago to pursue her dream of being a professional ballerina. An injury ends her career, and sends her back home to her dying father and her brother that has been his primary caretaker for years. Detective Rita Myers starts asking questions that gets Esme reevaluating what she thought she knew about her family, her friends, and her childhood memories.

This book is told from dual points of view with Esme and Rita taking alternating chapters. There seems to be a lot of exposition and set up in this one that doesn't necessarily pertain to the story being told. It's possible that this is intended to be the first in a series, so the author is establishing the framework for that. The story itself is good, and the twist at the end will keep most readers guessing. However, readers who don't do well with expositional storytelling will probably not like this one much.

Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Books, for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book for review.

"What Waits in the Woods" masterfully establishes an atmospheric setting from the outset. The strategic use of time, particularly the foreboding darkness, enhances the mood of the narrative. As the title insinuates, something ominous lurks ahead.

The novel employs a dual point-of-view, providing a unique lens through which we perceive the unfolding story. On one hand, we have a dedicated detective, passionate about her work yet bordering on overworked. On the other, we have a former ballerina returning home to rebuild her life, only to be greeted by her father's impending death and the murder of her best friend. The stark contrast between these characters adds depth to the narrative. While their struggles evoke empathy, it's the plot that truly steers the story.

The narrative's pacing is facilitated by short chapters, though there are instances when the story's momentum wanes. Despite these occasional lulls, the reader is bound to experience the detective's frustration at hitting dead ends yet her unwavering resolve to keep going. The story progresses through an expert interchange of perspectives, gradually revealing clues to the mystery.

The novel is replete with suspenseful scenes that will set hearts racing. The revelations are meticulously delivered as the scenes unfold, keeping the reader on edge. The red herrings serve their purpose effectively, and the unveiling of the villain is a genuine surprise.

"What Waits in the Woods" delves into the labyrinth of secrets—those guarded within families and between friends—and explores the perils of jealousy and unrequited love. This novel is a compelling exploration of human relationships and resilience in the face of adversity.

Detective Rita Myers and Esme Foster alternately tell this story of the search for answers in death not only of Esme's childhood friend Kara but of her mother as well. Neither woman realized how many secrets there are in Greybridge, a town which felt much safer before things unwound, This is the second in the series but it was a standalone for me- and I didn't feel as though I missed anything. Esme's an interesting character, Rita is dynamic, and there are several possible villains, No spoilers from me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I mostly enjoyed this, but I wanted to punch Irene in the face and I felt esme was way too nice to her. The ending was kind of out of nowhere as well but all in all it was a good book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of Terri Parlato’s new thriller.
I was more than happy to jump back into the world of Detective Rita Myers as she investigates a murder in the backyard of Esme Foster. Once again, Parlato writes dimensional characters with a plot line that fills out at a great pace. I loved every twist and turn of this story and thought the ending was satisfying. Can’t wait to read a future story in the world of Graybridge, MA.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC to review.

Her ballet career sadly over due to a devastating hip injury, Esmé Foster is returning home to the suburbs of Boston after several years away. This also means returning to the life she thought she’d left behind forever. Considering her abrupt departure, she is apprehensive about how she’ll be received by both family and former friends.

To make matters worse, the first thing Esmé encounters upon her return is a crime scene on the front lawn of her father’s house. Even more bizarre is the murder victim is Esmé’s best friend from childhood, and she has a horrible suspicion she herself was the intended victim. Could this be related to her mother’s death several years earlier?

Told from the viewpoints of both Esmé and Detective Rita Myers, the reader gains insight into a wide cast of characters, including an eccentric designer hiding dark secrets and a neighbor seemingly prone to violent outbursts. It is not surprising everyone in town seems capable of being a suspect.

This is a slower-paced thriller with enough of an intriguing plot to keep the reader engaged, but not necessarily enough excitement to keep them up at night. One of the main reasons why the characters are a bit one-dimensional. Rita is probably the most well-rounded, but she’s mainly depicted as a workaholic. Esmé comes across as defeated by life and isn’t a strong match for Rita as a counterpart. Other characters are either undeveloped (like Esmé’s brother) or a confusing addition to the plot.

While this isn’t going to keep you on edge while reading, it makes for an entertaining story. Overall, it is an easy read for fans of gentler thrillers, this will make for a nice way to pass the time during the upcoming cold winter days.

This book was very fast-paced and engaging from the beginning! The writing was very readable and I was flying through the pages whenever I picked it up. This story is told from dual FMC POV and one of the POVs is the detective. Sometimes I like the use of the detective POV in books and sometimes I don’t. I liked it in this one. I didn’t love how the twist was executed and felt like it came out of nowhere but overall this was an enjoyable read and good if you’re looking for a quick, entertaining mystery/thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Books and Terri Parlato for this ARC ebook. What Waits In The Woods will be published December 26, 2023.

“Sometimes the only thing you can do is leave” Here are reasons to read the Thriller book:

Retired Dancer - Esme is a retired dancer who leaves her life behind to move back home.
Friend Dead - but when she arrives, she finds her high school friend dead in the woods behind her house
Detective - Rita is a detective trying to follow the case, which seemingly has no leads
Childhood Connection - and what is the connection between the accident that killed Esme’s mom, and a mysterious man she sees following her?

As far as thrillers go, this one is sort of a slow burn. Mainly because you do jump between the 2 POVs and nothing really seems to connect. It takes awhile to really get into any kind of hints about what is happening, and there are a lot of red herrings. Overall the story is interesting and kept my attention but there wasn’t a lot that really made me remember after the fact.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington for the ARC! What Waits in the Woods follows Esme Foster, a former ballerina who recently lost her place in the Syracuse company after an injury. Esme decides to start over, leaving New York and her partner behind and returning to her hometown, Graybridge, MA. Upon her arrival back in town, Esme's story converges with that of Detective Rita Myers, who is investigating the murder of Esme's former friend, Kara Cunnningham. Esme is reminded of a car accident years ago that took the life of her mother, and the memory of a man in the woods telling Esme he would kill her. Has her longtime nightmare returned to get Esme or are there more secrets to this small town tragedy. Filled with untrustworthy characters and intrigue, What Waits in the Woods by Terri Parlato makes for a thrilling winter tale.

Honestly the cover of this book is what drawn me in. Our main character, a retired ballerina, has recently moved home after a career ending injury. Once she gets there she finds that her childhood best friend was murdered in the woods behind her house. This gives her flashbacks to the car accident that took her mom away, and the man who threatened to kill her that night— which no one else believes her about.
While I enjoyed this story (it was a fast, not super complicated read) I didn’t like the main character. I felt like she was too whiney and I couldn’t vibe with her. That didn’t ruin it for me, though. And I didn’t see the ending coming, which doesn’t happen often.

I’m sorry, but this was so boring. I could hardly concentrate on the words, and the characters were worse. This is a case where the writing style just wasn’t for me, and beyond that was a boring “who done it”

What Waits In The Woods

By: Terri Parlato

3 Stars

When Esme comes home after her failed ballet career, she is not expecting to find her ex best friend dead in the backyard. This is a story of murder, fear, and crime. Esme and the other intriguing and colorful characters find themselves on a crazy ride to find a killer.

In terms of a thriller, this was just okay to me. It seemed like it had more of a "crime show" feel to me. It was written well and kept me stumped till the end. I thought I knew the culprit, and I never figured out. Finding that out was a big shock. Overall, the characters, storyline, and writing were all done well. I wish there was a bit more "thrill," but I was not disappointed.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis

What Waits in the Woods is a dark, atmosphere psychological thriller with masterful suspense and brilliant writing, with complex characters and an intriguing plot.

First and foremost: a huge thank you to Kensington Books, Terri Parlato, and Netgalley for the advanced digital copy!

I need you to know that I was immediately endeared to one of our FMC - Esme - as her dance career came to a screeching haunt after an injury. I experienced the exact same thing, though it was my knee to her hip. So I felt a sort of kindred spirit to her right from the get go.

With no more performance prospects and a dead end relationship, Esme packs up her life one night and begins the journey home. Upon her return she immediately learns that one if her high school friends has been murdered and it is currently an open investigation.

Enter Rita, the second voice in our alternating POV and the lead detective on the case. She is no-nonsense, straight to business, and already forming a list of suspects of her own. Surprisingly, however, this sleepy unassuming little town and its inhabitants have more secrets and mystery about than one would assume. The murderer is anyone's guess.

This novel unfortunately was not it for me. Right from the get go the writing style is bleak and bland. Instead of being shown information to absorb, we are just told things through heavy amounts of dialogue. It felt impossible to connect to the story or the characters as it sounded like a second hand retelling. While I greatly appreciated the mystery and the ultimate reveal, I found the journey getting there difficult and off putting.

What a great thriller. Follow Rita as she determines who killed Kara and why they did it. Secrets are spilled and the town starts to question how well they all really know one another.

this book was so so creepy and i was OBSESSED!!!! the storyline had me hooked instantly and i had no idea where the end was going!!! 10/10

WOW! This book sucked me in pretty quickly. The first things about this book that caught my eye were the cover, the description and the fact that one of the characters had the same name as me. I mean, she was a murder victim, but who is judging? Its rare to see my name around, so I was impressed. This one also takes place in my hometown of Boston, so that also caught my eye.

But once I got started reading, the details and plot were what really sucked me in and kept me guessing. Esme Foster comes back home to the Boston suburb to be closer to her family as her dad is dying when she comes home to police at her home. What we find out is that they aren't at her home, but in the woods behind her home. Her high school best friend, Kara Cunningham, was found murdered in those woods. Rita, the detective on scene, starts to investigate all the nearby players.

Through twists and turns, we follow Rita and Kara's journey to rediscovering their roots in this small town and navigating life with a murder on the loose. They both have self-discoveries of why they love this small town. I don't want to give it all away because, what fun is that?

This book comes out right after Christmas so what better present than a pre-order of this book! I would absolutely definitely recommend for any and all of you who love a good detective mystery!

#WhatWaitsInTheWoods #NetGalley

"Her ballet career derailed by injury, a once-promising young dancer returns to her hometown only to face a grisly discovery - and the increasingly alarming realization that nothing from her past is quite what she believed - in this electrifyingly twisty suburban thriller for fans of Stacy Willingham, Greer Hendricks, and Megan Miranda.

When Esmé Foster left the Boston suburbs to become a professional ballerina, the future shimmered with promise. Eleven years later, her career has been derailed by an injury, and Esme knows it's time to come back to Graybridge to help her brother care for their ailing father. But her return coincides with an unthinkable crime. Kara Cunningham, one of Esme's high school friends, is found dead in the woods behind the Fosters' house.

Esmé is shocked and grieving, but also uneasy. In her dreams, she still sees the man who showed up at the scene of the car accident that killed her mother - and told Esmé he was going to kill her too. Family and friends insisted the figure was a product of Esmé's imagination, that she was concussed after the crash. But she and Kara looked alike, sharing the same petite build, the same hair color. Could Kara's murder have been a case of mistaken identity?

Detective Rita Myers is familiar with close-knit communities like Graybridge, where, beneath the friendliness, there are whispers and secrets. The town has seen other tragedies too, including the long-ago drowning of a young girl in a pond, deep in the woods. Even within the once-close circle of friends that included Kara and Esmé, Rita discerns a ripple of mistrust.

Day by day, Esmé discovers more about the place she left behind - and the friends and family she thought she knew. Soon, shining a light into the darkness to learn what really happened the night Kara died is the only way she can bring the nightmare to an end..."

It would be super frustrating to be a killer and kill the wrong person I think.

"What Waits in the Woods" by Terri Parlato is a gripping thriller that immerses readers in a chilling tale of suspense and secrets. The atmospheric narrative creates a sense of foreboding that keeps you on the edge of your seat, making it a compelling page-turner.

While the plot is engaging, there were moments where I craved a bit more exploration of certain themes. However, the author's ability to create a palpable sense of unease and deliver a satisfying conclusion earns "What Waits in the Woods" a solid four stars. A recommended read for those who enjoy psychological thrillers with a touch of the supernatural.