I am someone who reads a lot of thriller books and can generally predict what happens. The ending was definitely not predictable and I was kept guessing through the entire book. Definitely not a “read alone in the dark” book!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A very entertaining and gripping book that is sure to keep you at the edge of your seat.

Heather, a thirty something year old journalist had no idea that her mother Colleen, who recently committed suicide had so many secrets, that is, until now. Upon returning to bury her now deceased mother Heather finds letters written by her mother to a well known serial killer Michael Reave. Intent to uncover the truth, Heather starts an investigation of her own. What she finds out is much more than she bargained for.

What I liked about this story was that it was not predictable usually in mysteries we could, about halfway into the story know what will happen but this story at least for me ended a bit unexpected.

If I had to make a criticism though, I felt that there were some parts in the middle that dragged and I would have liked more of Ben Parker especially toward the end, His character was quite good so I would have been more excited if he was more involved when Heather and Nikki went to Fiddler's Mill.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers and mysteries. I am sure you will enjoy it.

This is a dark and disturbing tale. Much like the fairytales that are intwined within this story. It takes a few chapters to get into it, but then the story begins to become interesting. Whilst this is a story about a serial killer, it’s different to most others in the genre. It’s paced much like a Grimm Fairytale, slow at first, atmospheric and then starts gaining momentum between present day and alternating with Michael’s back story. The villain(s) are quite clear in this story and most of it I could predict before the end. However there was one twist that I hadn’t worked out and it was a really good one, though the clues were there when you are reading. This is the first book I have read of this Author and I liked that it was slightly different to other books I’ve been reading lately in this genre.

Thank you to the Author, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for giving me a complimentary digital Advanced Readers Copy. I am voluntarily reviewing a ARC and all opinions in this review are unbiased and my own.

This book turned out to be too dark for me. The pacing was dead slow (no pun intended) and the creep factor was too much for my taste. Others will probably feel differently and enjoy the story. I volunteered to read the book based on its very good description, but wasn't up to the task. My apologies. Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane for providing an ARC for review.

I did enjoy this book.

Heather comes back to her childhood home to clean up her mother's house after her mom committed suicide. While cleaning she found a few letters and other memorabilia to connect her mom to a serial killer. The question of why her mother had a relationship with this man, is obviously the main plot of the story. And also , enters a lot of questionable behaviour of Heather trying to play detective. But, isn't that always the case.

I found myself more drawn to the back story about Michael. About how he ended up in prison for all these gruesome murders even though he's always claimed innocence.

There were a lot of why was this even brought up moments. Or, more so, a lot of I need more information. The folklore, the cult, what happened to the other people in the commune, the red coat, the mother, the babies. A lot of unanswered questions.

All in all, I do give this 3.5-4 stars. It kept me hooked, albeit it took a while to get super exciting there was enough twists and turns so it wasn't predictable.

I also see this turned into a movie one of these days.

Uhm, hello Jen Williams! Welcome to the Thrill-side, please stay and write a few more!

This is a beautifully dark fairy tale. I loved it.

Heather isn’t happy to be back in her hometown sorting through her recently deceased mothers things. As if dealing with her mother’s suicide isn’t enough Heather begins to uncover some pretty alarming skeletons - Like the fact that her mother was secret pen pals with a serial killer, and now someone is mimicking his grisly acts.

From there it’s a steep descent into the shadows of her mother’s past that leads Heather into the heart of the forest where her mother first crossed paths with her mysterious serial killer pen-pal.

Big thank you to Crooked Lane Books, Jen Williams, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novel has some definite creepy elements to it and is quite gruesome in parts, so this is not for the faint-of-heart reader. Readers who enjoy the serial killer genre will likely enjoy this novel. For me, it was a bit slow moving and repetitive in places and I had a hard time with the implausibility of various plot elements. I found the main character quite unlikable and there were loose ends that bugged me. Not my favorite read lately, but it was entertaining enough.

After her mother’s suicide, Heather turns home to try to make sense of it all. She’s not close with her mother, so it’s no surprise when dark secrets come to the surface. The longer Heather digs, the more danger arises.

That there was obviously someone spying on Heather was unsettling. What I didn’t understand was why she wouldn’t tell her best friend because it put her in more danger than necessary. The pacing gets a bit shaky towards the second half, but I don’t think it detracted from the book overall. Finally, the gruesome animal scene wasn’t really for me, but I’m sensitive to anything where the animal doesn’t come out the winner.

Heather was the perfect character to play amateur investigator because she had been through so much in her life. It gave her a firm determination to keep digging. The storyline hooks you from the start. Williams does well at creating a puzzling and dark atmosphere. Overall, this was an enjoyable read. Thank you, Crooked Lane Books, for sending this along.

I loved this!! It reminded in some way of Sharp Objects. Fascinating, dark, twisted and so so clever.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. 2.6 rounded up
Very dark and I didn't really like any of the characters. Heather just annoyed me.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost ran through my mind the whole time I was reading this book...this part specifically:
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

This one was full of twists, turns, and deep, dark secrets. I wasn't overly shocked by the ending, but the trip to get there was something else!!

This one is hard to write about without giving too much of it away. A great book for people who like mystery/thriller on the gritty, gruesome side.

A Dark and Secret Place is nicely put together – a mélange of mostly functional young heroine, a dead mother’s secret, and the old sinister version of Grimm’s Fairy Tales layered on top of serial killer’s backstory. I very much enjoyed this disturbing and dark read unfold.

I loved true crime and am absolutely fascinated by criminals. I cannot imagine finding out my mother was corresponding with a convicted serial killer. This is dark, scary and suspenseful. I highly recommend this as a book club read - the discussion points would be fantastic!

Following the death of her mother, Heather returns to her old family home to a place that she left at 16. Going through her mother’s things, she finds that her mother has been communicating with a serial killer for years. How come Heather didn’t know anything about this?

The reader is drip fed pieces of Heather’s own childhood and at the same time her mother’s connection to Michael Reave, a renowned serial killer who was convicted and jailed for life in Belmarsh Prison. The investigate journalist in Heather just needs to find out more so she tells the police what she has found, and they allow her to go and see him accompanied to see if they can glean any further information from him. Heather herself is fragile coping with her mother’s death and all the secrets she has kept from her. She is also creeped out by the noises of the house and the constant feeling she is being watched.

Some of the book had some areas that I really found hard to handle and had to leave the book aside to come back to later, which rarely happens when I read! Each time I put this book down, I found it hard to pick back up. I am not entirely sure whether it was the dark creepiness of the book or whether it just didn’t hold my interest! A very strong start and it had me hooked at the beginning of the book I really wanted to know the connection between Colleen and Michael Reave but towards the middle I got so distracted, I lost interest. However, the ending made up for this!

I recommend this book to people who like a dark, terrifying, scary read with a twist. Thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After learning about her mothers suicide, Heather returns to her family home. Imagine her surprise when going though her mothers things she discovers she had been writing letters for years to a serial killer in prison. This book was a little too dark and slow for me, but there were a lot of twists and turns. Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

Heather returns to her home town after news her mother committed suicide. When going through the home she deaconess that her mother has been corresponding with a serial killer for her entire life. Heather’s passed away year prior and she is mad with her dead mother for her secrets and lies.

The serial killer dubbed the “Red Wolf” was charged with several awful murders however he still claims to this day he’s innocent. With approval from the police Heather decides to meet with the serial killer and ask him questions about her mother so she can piece together the missing parts of her mother’s life.

That’s when another woman goes missing. It can’t be the Red Wolf as he’s been locked you for 20 years. Her journalistic skills kick in and she meets with people from her mother’s past and Heather discovers that everything points to the woods. When she puts everything together It’s too late to call for help. She must the murder all on her own!

Holy moly this was one wild ride. It had me hanging on the edge of my seat.

What would you do if you found out your mother had been pen pals with a notorious serial killer since before you were born?
Heather discovers a cache full of letters to the infamous "Red Wolf" in her late mother's attic, and struggles to reconcile the parent she knew with the dark secrets she'd kept hidden. Motivated by the possible existence of a copycat killer on the prowl, the police allow Heather to interview the "Red Wolf" in prison to see if he can shed some light on who the new murderer might be.
The author is highly adept at sprinkling creepy, spine tingling bits throughout the novel. It if full of things that go bump in the night, mutilated birds, and dead bodies left in disturbing tableaus. But the better part of the novel is focused on Heather's multiple interviews with the "Red Wolf," who unfortunately doesn't provide a lot of information.
The ending is full of action though. However, I felt it was a bit rushed and didn't necessarily explain everything. The book could have done with an epilogue. There was also a critical character who is not introduced until the last few pages. This made the ending somewhat unsatisfying.
All in all, a decent and eerie read with lots of atmosphere.but maybe a few too many moving parts.

My thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I love crime thrillers and when I read the description I knew this would be a perfect read.

In the book, Heather comes back to her hometown after her mother has committed suicide. She tries to piece together her mother’s life before she died and why she had been writing a serial killer over the years. Heather becomes an armchair detective that works with detectives to track down the person or persons murdering local women.

I really enjoyed how the author leaves breadcrumbs throughout the book of the killer Little Red Riding Hood and the bad wolf. She also does a great job painting picture of scary murders and creepy scenery. The back and forth from past and present helped build up the background of how he turned into The Red Wolf. The author also gives the POV of the murdered women which adds to the thriller. You will be yelling at the book...Run girl, he’s in there!!! The book pulls you in as soon as you start reading and ends with twists that you won’t see coming.

👀 minor spoilers below 👀

The things that I didn’t like -
1-The beginning pulls you in but then goes into a slow crawl. I had to push through to continue to read. Once the story starts to pick back up it’s hard to put down.
2-The small very short romance between Heather and the detective added nothing to the story and could have been left out.
3. The plot between her and Diane could have also been left out. It wasn’t believable in the way Heather made choices in their discussion. She wouldn’t have made such a poor decision and you could see the outcome a mile away.
4. I do like scary movie troupes but this book has them all which can take away the focus on the main plot.

This is the first book I’ve read by Jen Williams. I look forward to reading another book if she continues to write thrillers/mysteries.

Good 🎖🎖🎖

Thank you NetGallery and Crooked Lane Books for this great ARC. In return I am submitting my voluntary opinion and review.

I am posting this review on my Goodreads account promptly and will post on Amazon on publication day (6/8/21).

A serial killer is targeting young women. After he kills them, he arranges flowers onto the corpses. He cares more about them dead than alive. The gruesome discoveries mimicked the same pattern once used by serial killer, Michael Reave, the Red Wolf. Yet, Michael is in prison, so who is killing them?

Heather Evans comes back home after her mother commits suicide. She’s saddened by her loss despite not being close to her mother. She left home when she was sixteen.

While cleaning her mother’s things, Heather makes a discovery. She discovers correspondence between her mother and the famous serial killer the Red Wolf. She doesn't understand her mother's connection with him and she starts investigating her mother's past. A past she might not want to find out after all.

I hate to say it but I didn’t enjoy this one. Not sure if it was the slow delivery or it was because I didn’t think that the characters were interesting enough.

In my opinion, something was lacking with the premise.

Cliffhanger: No

2/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Crooked Lane Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Heather returns to her family home following the unexpected suicide of her estranged mother. While clearing out the house she finds some letters from a convicted serial killer. Heather (with the help of a detective) visits the killer in prison to find out more about her mother and their connection as new cases are mounting up and the police suspect a copycat.
Although the synopsis appealed to me the book didnt grab me in the way I wanted it too. I couldn't identify with Heather ( although I did enjoy her chats with Michael) however I would still look for more books from the author
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for advanced copy for an honest review