This book was a very different storyline than I had originally imagined. It was a tad confusing at times trying to keep track of who the narrator was talking to, however it did take a turn I didn’t see coming. I enjoyed the mystery that the author conveyed through the different writing style that they used.
Incarceration is not typically a topic that is included in books, and especially the subject of being pen pals with an inmate. I truly was captivated by the writing style of this book and would be very intrigued to read more by this author.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review and opinion.

Daniel and Victoria are together. They're trying for a baby. Ruby is in prison, convicted of assault on an abusive partner. But when Daniel joins a pen pal program for prisoners, he and Ruby make contact. At first the messages are polite, neutral - but soon they find themselves revealing more and more about themselves. Their deepest fears, their darkest desires. And then, one day, Ruby comes to find Daniel. And now he must decide who to choose - and who to trust.




Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This Little Dark Place is narrated by Daniel, who is writing to someone named Lucy. We learn of his life with Victoria, how they are trying to conceive and issues they face as every couple does.

Daniel also begins to write to a prison inmate, Ruby, who is incarcerated for an assault on her partner. When Ruby is finally released, she comes to find Dan.

This novel was a bit of a slow burn but so beautifully written and at times sad. I felt so much for these characters and honestly, I had no idea where this was going or how it would end. There were so many questions!! These characters were all so flawed and mysterious but you couldn’t help feel for everyone of them. I flew through this book.

Very impressed with this debut novel and look forward to reading more of this authors work.

Thank you to for this free review copy in exchange for my honest and unedited feedback.
4.5 ⭐️

When I'm travelling I love to read these short, twisty psychological thrillers – the sort of thing that's complex enough that you can get engrossed in even when you're on a delayed plane with a screaming baby and someone's elbow digging into you, but simple enough that you can still follow even when you're exhausted and can't focus well. Light, but not too light. This book fit that perfectly.

It's very slow to get going (to the point that I had to check the book description as what it claimed to be about didn't seem to be actually happening), but then it does some interesting stuff. It's rare that I read a plot twist I didn't see coming but that still makes sense, and this one took me by surprise. Ask me in a year and I don't think I'll remember much about this book, but I certainly enjoyed it at the time.

Brilliant! A different take on a thriller and one that kept me going right to the very last page. Recommended book and author.

This dark and twisty debut novel by A.S. Hatch did not disappoint this psychological thriller fan. The plot is both unpredictable and compelling, We glimpse many dark places along the way: the darkness of abuse, love, obsession, seclusion, betrayal and paranoia. The story is played out exclusively through the eyes of Dan the protagonist. The female characters are secondary and are more one-dimensional. Dan is a loner and finds it difficult to communicate his feelings in words which leads to many questionable decisions. The story is told through a series of letters written to the mysterious Lucy. The written word seems to free Dan to lay everything bare.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and opinion.

WOW This Little Dark Place By A.S. Hatch was a great read. I have to say I liked this book and was hooked from the very star. My heart broke for each one of these characters and the ending shocked me. I was so pulling for a happy ending between Dan and Ruby and was sad that it didn't come to that. I screamed at the end is this it because I wanted to see what happened to Daniel and the rest of his life. This was a great read for all!!!

This was a very dark tale, an unreliable narrator who you're left guessing about every step of the way. It was a good read but I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed it but think that's the point!

This was a great psychological thriller! It kept me on my toes with some twists and turns that I did not see coming. This was my first novel by this author but I’m excited to read more!

**I generously received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review**

As a long time lover of the mystery and thriller genre, I was excited to get my hands on an advanced copy of this book.

We are first introduced to the narrator, Daniel, as he’s writing a letter to someone named Lucy. The first inkling that something is off is quick to occur; he mentions to her how many people have approached him for “his version of the story”, and how he’s rebuffed them all. But something is different about Lucy. It is through his letters to her that we see what the story he refers to unfold.

Daniel is a rather solitary, quiet man, not seeming to have any social life or friends outside of his girlfriend, Victoria. His letters to Lucy take us back to when they first met, their subsequent romance, and the difficulties they began to encounter. At a certain point in their relationship, Victoria decides she wants to have a baby. Their difficulty having a child begins to take a toll on them both, as the months then years pass, then the cycles of IVF.

During this time, their relationship becomes fractured and distant. Victoria is obsessed with having a baby and throws herself into every possible way to go about achieving that goal, with the help of an online forum. Everything from avoiding people who are sick or dying (this includes Daniel’s mother) to an extensive and soon nearly all consuming exercise regime.

As the chasm between them widens, Daniel begins writing to an inmate named Ruby. She is in jail on serious charges which she reveals later on to Daniel (one of which was originally attempted murder), under circumstances she tells only him.

It is this relationship he forms with Ruby which becomes the catalyst for further events that transpire. When she’s released from jail, and seeks him out, Daniel starts to wonder: who is Ruby really? What secrets is she keeping? Is her version of the events that landed her in jail the truth? Can he trust her?

The book was a fast but entertaining read. Overall, the one word that plagues me when I think of this book is SAD. If only the actions of some of the characters had been different, the book’s entire outcome would be different. I think the book would have worked better if I’d been more emotionally invested in the main characters, and if I’d actually LIKED Daniel more. He was very taciturn and had difficulty communicating his feelings. If he had done more talking and less pulling away from everyone and everything, he’d have been more engaging.

I enjoyed this book. I didn’t quite see the ending coming. The author, A. S. Hatch, did a good job in not telegraphing the twist the book took. There was also a well done build up of tension towards the finale. Overall, I’d rate this book a 3.5 out of 5.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC. I thought this was good! It was thrilling and the pacing was where I like books to be. The characters were thought out and the twists were good. Will read more from this author in the future!

Perfect title for a great book. I look forward to reading more from A.S. Hatch. You really don't have a clue as to how this story told by Dan, the main character, is going to unfold and end. . Who is Ruby, really? What about Lucy? The writing is fantastic and the character development is stellar. The book has so many layers and you just keep reading peeling away just to find out just what is really going on. The character development also pulls you deeper in to the plot.. it keeps you reading.. Then comes the end and you learn the truth. Original and satisfying finish.. I highly recommend and I cannot believe this is a debut novel. Fantastic first book.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

Really creepy, kinda misogynistic. All the female characters were quite one dimensional, and the protagonist’s character didn’t make enough sense to justify the major character turn and set up the twist. 2.5 rounded up

Do we truly know everyone in our life? Can you trust everything, everyone tells you?

Daniel and Victoria are happy, they are even trying for a baby. But, like every couple they have their issues.

Ruby is in prison for attempted murder. When Daniel stumbles on a pen pal scheme to write to prisoners, he inadvertently welcomes Ruby into his life. What develops is a story full of mystery.

I liked the format of being told the story through letters ✉️ though sometimes some of the descriptive writing felt unnecessary "We stumbled along silently like a three-legged creature swaying left and right. Ditches and thorny hedges lined the road. Behind them fields and fields separated us from everything; the great bay to our right, the hills to our left." Would someone actually write like this in a letter?

The first half of this story was to establish the characters, though sometimes it was still a mystery as to who some people were, which added to the suspense. It did feel a little drawn out and could have been condensed a little, just to keep our attentions.

The second half of the book was more exciting mainly due to the mysterious goings-on, the sense of distrust and suspense being built up.

Unlike some books where we are left with questions unanswered, I'm glad we got to uncover all mysteries in this story.

I give this book a 3🌟 rating. The second half boosted the rating up 👍🏻

✨✨I received a free review copy from the publisher and netgalley in exchange for my honest unedited feedback✨✨

I really enjoyed this book. Told in the first person throughout as Daniel writes to the mysterious Lucy to tell his side of the story, you are immediately hooked, Wanting to understand what that story is and where it will take you. I'm not usally one for this kind of reminiscent first person look back as a narrative, but it's incredibly effective in This Little Dark Place. Although by its nature it's an untrustworthy narrative, Daniels recollection has a reflective quality to it, giving us an insight not only how he felt at the time, but also how he has come to feel about it now. Although I am sure both Vic and Ruby would have a different version of events if asked.

I found This Little Dark Place to be a uncomfortable exploration of what can happen when relationship turn toxic, when communication breaks down and when mental health takes over.

A really great holiday read which I have no doubt people will whizz through. I read this in two sittings which is pretty much unheard of for a mama with 2 kids and 2 jobs!

This Little Dark Place was very engaging and kept me reading until the end, so I'll give it high marks for that. The chatty way the story was written made it easy for me to get immersed in the book. Some of the plot points were easy to figure out, but I did like the twist at the end with the letter.

What I didn't care for was the way the story jumped from timeframe to timeframe with barely an indication that the jump had occurred. Maybe this is something that'll be cleaned up later on, but it was a bit hard to follow because of that. I think additional chapter breaks would've helped out here. Because of the chatty way the story was written, I never felt any real scare while reading this. It was like reading someone's diary and maybe that was the intent, but I wouldn't really classify this as a thriller. Overall, I enjoyed it and I appreciate the opportunity to review it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Serpent's Tail for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

OMG.... Every now and then a book comes along that holds you captive from the very first page. You can't really explain why you found the story so captivating,you just know that you couldn't put the book down whilst at the same time you didn't want the story to end. Well,for me This Little Dark Place was one of those books,it's a mesmerising,enthralling read. The tension builds throughout culminating in a totally unexpected twist conclusion.

The story is narrated by Dan in the form of letters as he takes the readers and a character called Lucy through his interactions with his girlfriend Victoria and a female convict called Ruby who Dan had started writing to after he joined a pen pal program for prisoners. A number of the relatable characters in this gripping story were not who they appeared to be and I found myself changing my mind about certain characters a number of times as the twists and turns unfolded. I loved the descriptions of isolated Lanes End were most of this story was set. I could close my eyes and imagine myself sitting on the cliff edge with a good book as the sun sank slowly on the horizon or exploring the trails through the woods.

This Little Dark Place is a extremely well written debut thriller. It's a twisty compelling tale of love,obsession and betrayal. I love the atmospheric cover that really fits perfectly with the setting for this story.I would love to watch a film adaptation of this book and I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future. Worth far more than five stars and very very highly recommended.

Short but punchy with well written with believable characters. I enjoyed this one very much, good solid story.

This epistolary novel is written completely from the main character’s point of view via a series of letters. Within them, Dan tells a story of love, betrayal, suspicion, and very bad decisions.

This was a quick, enjoyable read. Although I guessed some of the big plot points early on, there were enough surprises to keep me rapidly turning the pages.

All of the main characters are flawed in ways that made them feel more real. By the end, I cared enough that I was left saddened by the bad decisions that led to some truly awful consequences.

The epistolary nature of the book left me a bit turned off at times, which is the only reason this book is getting four stars from me instead of five. I didn’t like the insanely long letters/chapters that provided little room for taking breaks without interrupting the flow of the story. For example, the first letter begins on page one and doesn’t end until the 20 percent mark.

Despite this quibble, I definitely recommend this book for thriller/mystery fans who are interested in following Dan down a dark, twisted path that highlights the dangers of letting your imagination run wild without checking all the facts first.

Thank you to NetGalley and Serpent’s Tail for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A short but powerful read. Told through letters from Daniel to Lucy (whose relationship to Daniel is unknown to the reader), this book tells the story of Daniel, the demise of his relationship with his girlfriend, and how he meets Ruby through a prison pen pal website.

This psychological thriller sucked me in from the very beginning and didn't let go. The story is mysterious and frustrating and makes you want to shake the characters by the shoulder and say "What are you thinking?!"

Highly recommended!