I read an advanced digital copy of this novel courtesy on the publisher through NetGalley. Review available on goodreads.

This it’s one strange story. You will be reading looking into the night because you will need to know what’s going on.

Follow the clues, meet the people, try not to get killed, and figure out your real life.

Nothing is at all as it seems in this story. Hang on tight as you bounce around trying to figure out who the Red Wolf is.

I went in expectating way more from this. I feel like it was all just okay. Everyone in the book and the plot itself. Nothing made me go wow but I didn't hate it and I kept turning the page until about half way through when I just gave up
I wanted more. Supposed to be dark and thrilling and though I guess it had it's dark moments, I was just kinda bored with it all. But if you want a slow burn this could be for you.

From the beginning of this book I was invested. Even though it’s fiction, If you’re a true crime reader I’d encourage you to pick this one up because it feels so real. The serial killer background and story is so well written.

Heather is a strong female lead, that doesn’t take crap from anyone. I really enjoyed her character and felt that it was also well written. The story is intriguing and keeps you guessing until the very end. I was about 85% through the book and still hadn’t entirely figured out what was happening. Jen Williams did an excellent job writing a “feels real” serial killer with a unique MO.

The only reason I chose 4.5 stars instead of 5 because I felt there were a few loose ends. All in all it was a good book and definitely worth the read.

Get your copy when it’s released 06/08/21

This one was a little to gothic for me. And super predictable. It felt like it was supposed to be scary but wasn’t. Heather was not my favorite character so I didn’t really enjoy this one.

This was a truly gripping read. Hether had a rocky relationship with her mother and moved away as soon as she was able. However, the death of her mother has brought her back home where dark secrets start to untangle. A serial killer, an ancient woodland and a cryptic note. This book has all the ingredients for the perfect mystery. I loved the depth of each of the characters and felt they had lots of distinctive layers. I hope Jen Williams continues to write this genre.

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6. A Dark and Secret Place by Jen Williams, read this if you are in the mood for something dark and dreary.
When prodigal daughter Heather Evans returns to her family home after her mother’s baffling suicide, she makes an alarming discovery–stacks and stacks of carefully preserved letters from notorious serial killer Michael Reave. The “Red Wolf,” as he was dubbed by the press, has been in prison for over twenty years, serving a life sentence for the gruesome and ritualistic murders of several women across the country, although he has always protested his innocence. The police have had no reason to listen, yet Heather isn’t the only one to have cause to re-examine the murders. The body of a young woman has just been found, dismembered and placed inside a tree, the corpse planted with flowers. Just as the Red Wolf once did.

What did Heather’s mother know? Why did she kill herself? And with the monstrous Red Wolf safely locked inside a maximum security prison, who is stalking young women now? Teaming up with DI Ben Parker, Heather hopes to get some answers for herself and for the newest victims of this depraved murderer. Yet to do that, she must speak to Michael Reave herself, and expose herself to truths she may not be ready to face. Something dark is walking in the woods, and it knows her all too well.

This was a really dark and twisted tale. Enjoyed the POV in present and past. Well developed characters, even though they might have done ungodly deeds the author coaxes a compassion from the reader.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

many many readers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

I don't normally want to reread thrillers or mystery novels once I've finished, but I definitely would like to read this one again!

Set in the UK, we follow Heather Evans as she discovers her mother's correspondence with an infamous serial killer who murdered and dismembered women. At the same time killings have started that are eerily similar to that of the Red Wolf leading many to wonder if there is a copycat or if they didn't have the right man to start with.

This novel explores family, folklore, history, and cycles of abuse, as well as the question of nature vs. nurture. As Heather unravels the secrets of her mother's life and her own, she begins to wonder what exactly is she made of.

I highly recommend this book.

Warnings for animal cruelty, male violence against women, gore.

Thank you you to Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Heather Evans returns to the home she grew up in after her mother's suicide she finds unsettling questions that lead her down a dark and twisted path to discover the truth. This book was a good read that kept my interest throughout. The only element that I found to be too pat and predictable was Heather's relationship with the detective. I would recommend this book to patrons.

Loved this! So good, so exciting, so gripping and great story. Can't wait to read more by this author - absolutely brilliant.

I DNF made it half way through. Cults and ritualistic killings are not for me. I do believe it will still be a great book for other readers who enjoy this genre. I still have 3 stars because just because the books not for me does not mean it’s a bad book.

This was a very dark psychological thriller / mystery. Heather returns to her childhood home after her mother commits suicide. She left home when she was a teenager after her father died and the relationship with her mother turned dysfunctional. As Heather begins to go through her mother's things, she finds letter from a convicted serial killer called the Red Wolf. At the same time, it appears that a copy cat killer is at work committing similar murders as the Red Wolf did decades ago. Heather shares what she has found with the local detective and asks to visit Michael, aka the Red Wolf, which starts her down a dark path.

Although the story is interesting, and there was a lot of creepiness as Heather digs into her mother's past and the murders, I thought it was a little slow and I lost interest at about halfway through. The ending was also a little over the top and the decisions Heather makes are very not the brightest.

What happens when your estranged mother commits suicide and you find letters from an infamous serial killer among her possessions? You start looking for answers... even if you may not really want to know the truth. A Dark and Secret Place is exactly what this book is-- a psychological thriller with gruesome motives. Heather Evans is a journalist. When she finds the letters, she wants to know the story, not just for the truth, but so she can write the story and get her career back on track. Williams takes the reader on a journey to this truth through both the killer's and Heather's eyes. While very dark at times, the book keeps you engaged and wanting to get to the truth faster than you can read. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advanced reader copy. I will be checking out Jen Williams' other works for sure!

This novel was a slow burn and definitely had elements that drew me into it; for example, I loved the dark fairy tale aspect and local lore.
For me it just moved a little too slowly. I liked how the novel ended, I just felt like the whole first half could have been much shorter.
Thanks very much to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the advance digital copy to read in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

So what would you do if you find out after your mother passes away that she has been in contact with a convicted serial killer since you were a baby.. Letters that make it seem like at the very least they were friends..

Well Heather is curious enough that she contacts the police and wants to vist him.. HIs name is Michael and he goes by the Red Wolf.. However he has always claimed that he was innocent, and refused to talk to the police.. but when other women start dying and when the bodies are found they very much mirror the Red Wolfs, could it be that he was actually telling the truth and hes innocent, or that maybe there is a copy cat out there..

This book definitely hooked me from the beginning, Michael was a very interesting character, and even though at times I wanted to smack Heather for her decisions I understood how much she needed to know about her mothers past, and how it shaped her into the woman Heather grew up with..
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I really enjoyed about 90% of this book, I had no idea who the killer was or what was going to be revealed.. I dont want to spoil anything for a future reader but the ending left me feeling vaguely unsatified, we get the answers about why these specific women were being targeted, but not about the past which put the future plans in motion..
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All in all I did really enjoy reading this story and will read more by this author in the future.

This book was a DNF for me. I love books about serial killers but this one was really lacking the interest that pulls you into a story. I also hated how the beginning was so confusing. Lots of characters and thoughts that made it hard to get oriented to the narrative.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I'm going against the tide and give this one a mere 2.5, rounded down to a 2, out of 5. Parts of this novel read like a batch of bad, gory Grimm's fairy tales. - just a gruesome sell-out to those who love evisceration, decapitations, and dismemberment. Certainly not my cup of tea.
The interior monologues went on and on, and Heather somehow manages to vanquish all these brutish monsters on her own. I kept thinking to myself: this is nonsense.
I get that this will be a great read for horror fans, but despite a promising beginning - which even had me hooked - the rest of the story kept chasing its own tail and the characters didn't come across as real or plausible.

Wow, I've gotten lucky with 2 good thrillers in a row. I used every free moment I could find to fly through this as quickly as possible--I just had to know what was going to happen. It would definitely be a 5 star, except I felt that the ending was kind of confusing, and I didn't ultimately figure out the why of why all this happened. What was the purpose? (SPOILER ALERT) They basically made women have babies so they could adopt them out and murder them when they were adults? I don't get it.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.