Thanks to Netgalley for sending me the ARC! I loved it! It was creepy with twists and turns that keep you guessing! I finished it on one day. I rate it a 4.2!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a massive fan of Darcy Coates haunted house stories so I was expecting something similar but in the woods. Theres definitely something creepy out there and its killing people. Just as well written as her other books but with a slightly different monster.

Review of “Hunted by Darcy Coates”

A thrilling supernatural manhunt takes us into the forest of Ashlough forest. This is for fans of investigation books that aren’t heavy on police procedurals. When it does go to the point of view of the police, she has her own crazy life drama. One of my biggest fears of the woods is getting lost. The book starts off with the immediate action of Eileen lost in the woods at night. Then it jumps to her favorite stalker noticing she hadn’t updated her social media all day. There starts off the multiple character POV search and bread crumbs in finding Eileen. Is she lost an accident or was this on purpose? I enjoyed that each POV was interesting. While I hated leaving one character's storyline, I also didn’t mind it because we were thrown into the next point of the investigation and the search for Eileen. I never lost interested and was eager to find out where this story was going. I gave this book 5 ⭐️ and I’m starting “House of Shadows by Darcy Coates” next.

Nit gonna lie, darcy coates is one if the best writer in thriller world. This book keeps me up all night. The horror vibe if darcy's works are amazing. Really fan of! I enjoyed this a lot and will probably read more on darcy's books.

***Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press!!

This book scared the daylights out of me at a few points. I really need to stop reading at night with only a bedside light on and when everyone else in my house is asleep. I wasn’t expecting this book to get to me but it did. The author had a really interesting way of making you feel as alone and isolated as the lost characters. So it wasn’t really a horror book but it was certainly frightening.

I went back and forth in my head through the entire book, is it a monstrous creature or a person? Serial killer or Bigfoot? Demon or cult? I found evidence for any of these possibilities all along the way. It was such a thrilling ride. And frankly, I think I would have been happy with any outcome. To me, this tells me it is a very well put together story.

My only complaint is that I felt the characters were a bit one dimensional at first. Though they did create some depth and layers to them as the story went on, so this didn’t actually impact the story too much. Chris was wonderful and ultimately I found him to be the most complex and compelling character out of the whole book.

I also appreciate an author who can make me honestly believe that they might kill off any of their characters at any moment. Lots of author can’t do that and I always seem to be able to point out “well, this guy can’t die or the whole book is over.” This book was not like that at all. At any point anyone could have been killed and the story would have carried on without them. In the end not all of them make it. I recommend this book highly. I’ve been disappointed by thrillers lately but this was a fun ride.

Eileen goes missing under unusual circumstances during a hiking trip. Todd has an unnatural attraction for her and decides to conduct a one person search despite the initial lack of interest from her brother Chris and friends. Unbeknown to Todd the others decide to search the same area. There is something in the forest waiting to hunt them down but is it animal, human or something else?
The monster in the mountain was creepy and had me on edge a few times. I could imagine being terrified and trying to escape from ‘him’.
At first I thought it a little farfetched someone would search the outdoors with little to no prior experience. A friend reminded me that people sometimes do this in real life only to end up injured and/or missing themselves.
The police investigating this case didn’t act like other characters I have encountered in similar roles. They weren’t the tough, canny investigators I expected and didn’t work as a team but at least one of them got the job done. I understood why as I got closer to the end.
My initial impression of Carla the main police character was she was inexperienced and unprepared to handle an investigation like this. Once she knuckled down to investigative mode a different side was revealed. This was probably when I started to take the book seriously.
The ending was an extremely tense one and just when I thought I knew who/what was responsible a surprise was thrown at me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of the final manuscript in return for an honest review.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into...the woods. Don’t. Don’t go into the woods. Just don’t.

The Basics:
Eileen is on vacation and decides to go for a little hike in the woods. Sounds delightful, yes? NO! No, it’s not! She gets lost, and just before dark, she realizes she’s being followed...no, stalked...by...something. This something is vaguely humanesque, but it is not human, at least not anymore.

So, Eileen goes missing; the police have no leads; her brother and his friends suit up to find her. When Eileen’s camera is found in a river and the photos she took reveal this mysterious presence, her rescuers realize just how perilous their mission into the unknown will be.

Guys, there is zero down time in this book. You’re thrown right in to the action with the first paragraph. On page one, I had anxiety, and one page two, I experienced claustrophobia. As the momentum builds, the pages fly by. Truth be told, while I wouldn’t classify this as a traditional horror story, there were a few jump scares, which I found immensely satisfying.

Grab this one, and enjoy the ride. I bet you won’t guess the ending. Betcha won’t.

Have fun!

I have read a lot of books by this author in the past. Now, it seems I have to read every book of hers as soon as it comes on the market. This was not an exception. The book thrilled me and made me smile at times. Scary I said to myself, but keep reading... The plot is going to take you to the darkest corners of your imagination and will make you make you guess till the end... The only thing is this author has a nice way of putting plots together - her endings are never predictable !

Review for 'Hunted' by Darcy Coates

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Poisoned Pen Press

This is the first book that I have read by this author. I am looking forward to reading more.

I was originally drawn to this book by its intriguing cover and blurb which both worked very well with the storyline. I am also a fan or horror.

This novel consists of 69 chapters relatively short in length so perfect for 'just one more chapter', like that ever happens for me, more like 3 or 4 more!! The majority of the chapters ended on a cliffhanger which definitely didn't help the 'just one more chapter' situation at all but kept me wanting to read on continuously. Thankfully, some chapters didn't end in suspense so I managed to get some sleep!

The story is presented from several points of view which I always enjoy as you can 'see' more of what is going on and get a better picture of it all.

Carla made me laugh with her non-people skills and managing to make situations worse by saying the wrong things, reminded me of myself 😂.
Found Todd to be a bit creepy going from saying Eileen was a friend and then going on about things like being his soul mate. Daft I know, but it also annoyed me that he littered unnecessarily!
Some of the things Decker came out with cracked me up!
All the characters were very well developed and strong as well as very realistic which I find is important regardless of genre.

The book was very well written, descriptive and very gruesome in some places, just my kind of book 😂. I found myself as lost in the story as the characters were in the book.

I must admit I did start feeling sceptical and a bit disappointed when I suspected a certain something. I won't go into what that was as it may give too much away. However, I decided to continue as it is well written and still interesting and I hate not finishing a book. I am so glad that I did!!

First unexpected twist came at approx 50%! There were several after that and I definitely did not suspect the ending!! What a twist!!! There's nothing worse than figuring out what is going on before you are even half way through the book!

Overall this book completely hooked me and I hadn't even realised! Filled with suspense, horror, mystery, suspense and more, a great thriller!

I would recommend this book to fans of police procedural, suspense, thrillers, mysteries, horror and more.

409 pages

Free on kindle unlimited or £3.99 to purchase. I think this is a very good price for this book.

Rated 4/5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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Thank you to the publishers, author, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story kept me engaged and wanting to know what was going to happen next but the chapters were always a different character's perspective, because of this it was hard to connect with them. The big reveal as to what was running around the forest was a bit of a letdown though. I did still enjoy this read nonetheless.

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

DNF

Enjoyed this creepy take of missing hikers and a small town that seems to be clueless about the goings-on. Ending was a bit contrived but I enjoyed the rest of the book.

What a ride this book was. It had me guessing the whole way through. Awesome thriller. This book was set in Australia so this book really appealed to me . This book kept me turning the pages wanting to find out more.

This is a book full of suspense. Nothing is as it seems and with each page, I changed my mind about what was going on. The back story built a forest that would have scared anyone who had ever read a horror story and a community of people who seemed to have a "i'm just glad it wasn't me" attitude to a young woman's disappearance. The main characters all seem to share a discouraged attitude that changes when they start finding information that will ultimately place each of them in danger too. A definitely different kind of mystery that keeps readers looking over their shoulder as the story races to an end. Great read!

22 year old Eileen goes missing whilst hiking - alone. The nightmare for any parent. Especially when one of the guidelines for hiking in this particular forest is to go with a group.

Fast forward to anxiety on the part of a friend Todd and a group of friends led by her brother Chris to try to find out what happened to Eileen, particularly as the local police seem rather lethargic about the whole thing.

On the other hand we have a detective whose spirit has been worn down by personal nightmares whilst in the course of duty, and a constant putting down by her superior. No wonder the investigations do not lead anywhere, just trying to get to the daily workload seems enough for Carla.

When pressure mounts however Carla has a Eureka moment when she digs out the dusty archives and sees exactly how many people have gone missing over the last couple of years. A more systematic approach reveals many things ignored upto now.

When Chris and his friends provide photographs of what seems to be a huge animal hovering over Eileen (when her camera was discovered in a stream) though initially skeptical Carla has to rethink strategy.

With a cast of very different youngsters - cranky, self centred, clever and foolish at the same time, focused and unfocused at the same time we are dealing with a story that was imaginative and fantastic and quite possible also.

A bit of a mixed read for me but quite a change from the usual mystery books I read. My first read of this author and I've got another one to read as well.

Hunted is another extremely suspenseful story by Darcy Coates. Eileen, a 22 year old woman looking for adventure, goes hiking in the remote Ashlough Forest. She disappears, but several days later Eileen's camera washes down stream with some disturbing photographs on it. There's something in the forest that's hunting humans. This dark crime thriller has such an eerie atmosphere and I was hooked from the beginning. With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my digital copy.

Her disappearance wasn't an accident.
Her rescue will be a mistake.

Five days after twenty-two-year-old Eileen Hershberger went missing on a hike through the remote Ashlough Forest, her camera was discovered washed downriver, containing bizarre photos taken hours after her disappearance. But with no body and no additional clues, finding Eileen in the dark and winding woods seems next to impossible.

Chris wants to believe his sister is still alive. When the police search is abandoned, he and four of his friends vow to scour the mountain range until they find Eileen and bring her home. But as the small group strays further from the trails and the unsettling discoveries mount, they begin to realize they're not alone...and Eileen's disappearance was no accident.

But by then, it's already too late.

Fantastic story that kept me turning the pages to find out what was going on. I have read several books by this author and this one is my favourite.
The plot kept you guessing until the end and The ending was a surprise as I thought it would go in a different direction. The characters were great and even though I did not like them all I did enjoy the back story of each of them.

This is one twisted and dark thriller that literally puts most of the characters through hell and back. This was an unusual thriller for me - set in and around the beautiful Ashlough Forest, but that beauty is hiding a nasty secret, something dangerous. Engaging with a hook that pulls you right in - just who (or what) is hunting in the forest? It kept me guessing

Darcy Coates Blew My Mind Again!

Release Date: 05/05/2020
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

I would like to thank #netgalley, #poisonedpenpress, and #darcycoates for the opportunity to read and review this ARC provided by NetGalley.

I am always excited for a nice suspenseful disappearance horror story! Darcy Coates is most definitely a modern day master of horror and suspense, and I am more impressed with each book that I pick up!

Hunted begins in a terrifying place. From the perspective of someone lost in thick woods, at night, and running for dear life! Eileen is battered as she runs, stumbles, and gets injured running from who knows what. She fights for her life from what sounds like nothing but a monstrosity, and then… Coates leaves you hanging. However, in a great way! It propels the story, and leaves you completely intrigued!

The characters that Coates writes with ease are fantastic! Each serves a purpose. Some I loved, some I thought were annoying, and some I hated. It all added a good flavor to the novel in my opinion.

Upon Eileen’s disappearance everyone who loves her is rightfully so crushed. A quirky, annoying friend of Eileen’s brother Chris, named Todd, is really disliked by everyone. As the reader I disliked him as well. However, he has feelings for Eileen and is hell bent on finding her! He is the first to enter the ominous forest in search for her.

As the story progresses Chris and Eileen’s parents visit the police in Helmer about Eileen’s disappearance in Ashlough Forest. The officer assigned to the job, Carla, is a burnt out cop that doesn’t seem to care. As a visitor to the forest discovers a camera on the banks of a river, and returns it to the police the plot thickens. There are several very mysterious photographs that raise a lot of questions.

Chris and his friends Anna, Flint, and Hailey embark to Helmer to speak with the police pertaining the photographs, and some anomalies they feel they found. Carla seems cold and distant, and the group decides to start searching themselves due to they think the police are not doing enough.

As the group prepares to enter Ashlough Forest they believe they are very prepared to handle the task. Anna is very intelligent and seems to have every scenario thought out. Feeling that they can easily endure the search the adventure and mystery ensues. However, with all of the planning, preparation, and supplies are they really capable of handling the treacherous forest?

Once again Coates completely blew my mind! I kept thinking I had the story pinned down, and kept being proved wrong! She writes very nicely, and is quickly becoming one of my favorite modern authors! I loved the layout of the novel as it went from one perspective of a character to another between chapters, but there were some things that bothered me. The major one was that multiple times Coates would write that a character would “swear” or “swear under their breath”. I felt every time this occurred it took me out of the story completely. If the character is swearing I would have liked to just read them swearing, or not mention it at all. It destroyed the illusion momentarily every time. This aspect also made a fantastic book, that felt like a thriller movie quality, not so much movie quality due to the swearing not being written just stating a person swore. It made it feel fake.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book very much other than my one criticism. Overall, I give Hunted 4 🌟’s out of 5 🌟’s. I felt it is the weakest novel of Coates I have read thus far, but was redeemed by the fantastic climax of the book.

You can get your own copy of Hunted 05/05/2020 from Poisoned Pen Press! You will be able to find it at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and other Book retailers!

HUNTED by Darcy Coates is the first book that I have read by this author. To me, it is a mixture of action adventure, search and rescue, police procedural and horror. Eileen goes missing while hiking in Ashlough Forest. A Few days later, his camera is discovered containing some weird photos. When the police seemingly abandon the search, her brother Chris and some friends decide to do their own search and rescue. But things don’t go smoothly and there are several odd and unnerving discoveries. Is there someone or something in the forest with them?

It actually took me a while to get into this book, but it improved as I read more of it. The first part of it felt disjointed, but that improved significantly. There are several changes in points of view and chapters tended to end in tense situations. The characters did not have as much depth as I would have liked, but you could definitely root for Chris and his friends and hope that they find Eileen. Their motivations were believable and the secondary characters enhanced the story rather than overwhelming the story. The plot was suspenseful, gripping, ominous and impactful.

Overall, I am glad that I read this book. It is certainly memorable, and that, along with the surprising twist near the end, pushed my rating up to 4 stars. I recommend this to those that enjoy thrillers with something extra and are willing to get past the initial part of the book.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Darcy Coates for a complimentary ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.