A Dark And Secret Place is an exciting thriller, that has lots of twists and turns, with bits of fantasy played into the plot.

Heather, a middle-aged daughter is forced to return to her family home when her Mom, Colleen Evans commits suicide. Heather discovers a pile of letters exchanged between her mother and a dangerous serial killer known as the Red Wolf, who was well known for ghastly murders of young women. Hearther goes crazy over this disturbing discovery and decides to meet up with the convicted serial killer in custody, to find out what pushed her mom to suicide.

Heather starts finding flower petals and bird feathers scattered around the rooms and shadows at the back garden close to the woods watching her moves and vanishing into thin air as soon as they are noticed by her. Is Heather safe or is she the unwitting target of becoming a victim?

All the bits of the puzzle pieces came together well in the end but the ending was pretty long drawn out, but still worth a read!

I would like to thank Jen Williams, Crooked Lane Books, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Summary:
An entertaining novel dotted with eerie elements, a good spooky read !!

3.5 stars!! I did love this story but overall it was a slow read for me. I love how it came together at the end but I was left wanting more! I really enjoyed the true crime plot line and characters.

Thank you for the chance to read and review this :)

I have mixed feelings about this story. It didn’t grasp my attention as I thought it would and that disappoints me. My mind wandered and I found myself unable to focus on what was happening. Not as much as suspense or intrigue for me and I was confused a bunch. While the story wasn’t for me I am sure that others will enjoy so I encourage you to give it a read.

The ending of this book took me by surprise but it explained so much that was left unexplained previously. Tied it up in a nice little bow but NOT in a hasty way.

Heather Evans and her mother have never had a good relationship, so when Heather is called home because of her mother's suicide, she can offer no insight as to why it may have happened. As she begins to go through her mother's belongings, she makes a startling discovery - her mother had been corresponding with The Red Wolf, the notorious serial killer Michael Reave. He has been in prison for almost twenty years and the stacks of letters show that this relationship has gone on for that long. Heather realizes that she may have never really known her mother. To add to the mystery, a young woman has just been found murdered in the same style as The Red Wolf. Is he innocent or is there a copycat murderer. Struggling to make sense of everything, Heather approaches the police with the letters and is asked to speak to Michael Reave in prison.

As you read this story, more and more secrets are revealed about Heather's mother, just reinforcing the idea that Heather really didn't know her mom. The story is written from multiple perspectives at multiple points in time. We see Michael as a child and can identify red flags that will inform his behavior as an adult. The original Grimm's fairy tales are woven throughout the story and give the reader a sense of unease. There were many plot twists and scary moments throughout this book. It was a perfect read for October and I really recommend this book. This was the type of book you read and then check the locks on your doors.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. As soon as I read the premise of this book, I knew I wanted to read it. The book starts off with the main character, Heather returning to her family home after her mother passes away, once going through her thongs, Heather realizes her mother has been writing to a serial killer for years. With similar crimes now starting and Heather wanting to meet the Red Wolf, the story weaves seamlessly current time and before as it’s called. I did find it started off a bit slow, but once I reached 100 pages in, I couldn’t put it down, it had great plot twists and turns, a few I didn’t see coming! Can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next.

Jen Williams may be a novice in thriller genre, but she is a well- established author, especially in UK, where she received British Fantasy Award twice. So, let's make that clear right from the bat: this is a well written, well-crafted book. But as far as thrills and chills go, this story was somewhere in the middle for me.
What worked:
-the setting. The connection between human and nature is a big thing in the story, but even without this, descriptions of Fiddler’s Mill are really great. Woods are often used as a background for thrillers and it works in this one as well, adding another layer of secrecy.
-The inclusion of lore into overall bleak descriptions of casual violence, existence of cult and killings in the area gives the book this almost fantastical, sinister vibe. And that's a great thing because without it, Michael Reave and some other important players in this this novel wouldn't be as complex, and thus, as interesting to read. In a sense, it shows where author's strengths and interests lie. Keeping it as far as possible from the genre she usually writes, it's still the lore element that I found incorporated the best in overall story.
-Heather in the culmination scene. I know this sounds very specific, but for majority of the novel, I simply didn't care for her. As main protagonists go, she is not very likeable or a very convincing character. We were told she feels this way or thinks that way, but her actions kept painting a different picture. Until the culmination scene. I was actually pleasantly surprised with this very uncharacteristic turn of dealing with the problem and thinking on the spot when the sh*t hits the fan, because it's not something we often see in this type of novels. I enjoyed that very much.

What didn't work:
-At the end of the book, I actually realized there is so many things included to make it as suspensive, as scary and as twisty as possible: the ritualistic killings, family secrets, creepy cults, serial killer, chapters that sounds like they are straight up from Luther episode, mysterious figure we can't really put a finger on, babies in the woods, creepy dead birds and many more that are spoilery. Individually they all sound interesting, but somehow together they make a far less interesting story than I would think it would be. And that's kind of the issue I had with it, because at the end, beside barely mentioning them, I felt like Williams never really explored any of them further. Hence, there were too many reasons, motives and twists for everyone's behaviour, never truly landing on any of them.
-Dual narrative was kind of all over the place. Heather's chapters were occasionally intersected with Michael's about the events of the past. They were there to set him up as an even more mysterious and intriguing figure in overall story, but his character simply fizzled out with the convoluted resolution.
-Already mentioned this, but Heather is not a great character. I appreciate heroines who are challenging to like, but I don't think this was author's intention in this book. She is just not a good character overall, so I got prickly more easily- there were some scenes that were set up so obviously you get infuriated when she does something stupid.
-The woman in the red coat. I was thinking of simply put this under that complaint of too many scary elements that were not explored enough, but I figured out this one annoyed me for the explanation behind the seeing. Shocking element didn't have an effect on me because it was: 1)one more thing in the line of messed up things happening here and 2) not explained enough for me to understand what was the point of including it.

All in all, this was an ok read, especially for October. There is a lot of scary elements in this novels: cults and murders, strange occurrences in the house, dark and mysterious lore... but, A Dark and Secret Place actually deals with one of the most universal fears out there: the realization that you don't really know anything about the person you knew all your life. And that alone, makes it worth your time.

3 1/2 stars
Not sure how I feel about this one. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it. There was a nice twist and the last 1/4 of the book was intriguing and kept me wanting more. I did like the parallel storytelling.

Thank you to Net galley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Journalist Heather Evans returns to the family home after her mother's suicide. She soon discovers that her mother had spent decades corresponding with an infamous serial killer, 'the Red Wolf. When copy-cat murders begin to take place, police are keen to have her help with the ongoing investigation. Soon she is drawn into her mother's dark past and the shadowy world of ritual killings.
The writing is excellent and the psychological insights lift this book from your typical serial- killer narrative and cliches.
I found this book genuinely frightening, the characters and landscape are vividly brought to life. I give it four and half stars and heartily recommend it.

ADaSP by Jen Williams, published by Crooked Lane Books, is a full length, stand-alone, suspenseful romance with thriller elements, a dark read that brought me to my limit.
There is a pletora of characters, storylines that had me in knots and left me lost, and I really, really enjoyed to unravel the twists and turns, secrets and plottwists this book brought to the table. A great read, 4,75 stars.

I never knew what i should expect in reading this book especially that it's my first from the author, but I have mixed emotions with it. It was fun, I love the spookiness, the mixture of themes and genres, the twist, it was a good book. I would def recommend for an October read! Maybe would read another or two from the author to see if I love their style.

Dark, horrifying, and disturbing, this was all the things I love about books in this genre.

I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through.

This story is a gem of the psychological thriller genre. I couldn’t put it down. It was intense and eerie.

Fantastic and riveting. I love the reverse Red Riding Hood type tale.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

When Heather's mom suddenly commits suicide, she is left wondering why. Though the two weren't close, something feels off about her mother's death. She begins to dig into her mother's past after discovering a link to a notorious serial killer, Michael Reave, and what she discovers could end her own life as well.

I found this book to be very engaging and well done. The build up was paced well, the twists perfectly placed and well thought out. I didn't feel as though anything was rushed or done badly.

Wow! Have you read a book recently that grips you from the very start and as you believe you’ve figured out all of the twists and turns, you realize that the story twists in another way leaving you shocked? This book is exactly that. Jen Williams must be a true crime enthusiast because she has taken all aspects of true crime and weaved a hauntingly disturbing tale that actually had me checking my doors and having an eerie feeling in the pit of my stomach as I continued to read. Excellent, adrenaline-filled, haunting, thrill of a ride that those who love thrillers and true crime will most certainly have to read!

Well, you’ll never read a fairy tale to a little one without remembering THIS book…..who knew Grimm’s Fairy Tales could be SO grim? Think Woodstock meets Red Riding Hood. It totally had me hooked from the start of the story. I never made any associations between the characters in the course the book so it held my attention throughout. Heather gets a jolt of reality at the end of the story and with her personal history you wonder whether HER future is a page out of that Grimm book as well.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-copy of A Dark and Secret Place.

I was intrigued by the description of the book.
When Heathers mom dies, Heather returns to her family home and discovers that her mother had been corresponding with a serial killer. When a copy cat killer starts recreating the murders, Heather is asked to talk to the original killer to see if she can find out any information.

It took me a while to get into this book. I didn’t really find it to be that much of a thriller. Heather was not that interesting of a character to me, but I wanted to find out who the killer was. I was surprised when the killer was revealed though. I would recommend this book for anyone who might not enjoy thrillers but would like to start reading them.

Jen Williams does a serviceable job with a modern Gothic mystery in A Dark and Secret Place.

After her mother's suicide, Heather discovers years of correspondence between her estranged mother and a convicted killer. With some similar crimes being committed, Heather begins to wonder what was happening to her mother and the small town.

Overall a twisty, exciting read, although I felt the characterization ran flat at times.

3.5 stars rounded up.

A slow start but ultimately an exciting read with an odd, unrealistic ending. Heather Evans returns to her family home after a long estrangement to take care of her mothers effects after her shock suicide. Whilst cleaning out the house, Heather finds a series of letters her mother had received from convicted serial killer Michael Reave, currently serving time in prison. With new murders in the news possibly linked to Reave, Heather is determined to find her mothers connection, and the new killer. I was instantly intrigued by the premise. After a patchy start, the story flowed quite nicely and I enjoyed the author's writing style. However, I understand why no one seemed to like Heather. She was pretty pathetic and whiny, basically threw herself at the detective and ignored pretty clear indications of an intruder. Hello, feathers don't just appear inside your house unless it's haunted. In fact, the only time I warmed to her was when she lashed out at the funeral.
The ending was clumsy. There wasn't enough to explain Heather ending up at the cabin. And unfortunately, I saw all of the major twists coming so I rounded down half a star. But this was a very good crime thriller. Recommended.

**Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for my 'very early' advance copy.

Perhaps I just have very high standards for psychological thrillers, but I could not finish this book. I did not find the plot to be compelling and I did not empathize with any of the characters. The back of the book sounded so promising, but I just did not feel like it delivered like I hoped it would.

I really enjoyed this thriller! Some parts of it are dark or suspenseful enough to almost become horror as well, and it's truly an addictive read. The only reason I gave it four stars instead of five is because of the portrayal of journalists in such a negative/unethical light (which I won't go into here because I can't give details without also giving spoilers) - but perhaps journalists are just like that in the UK? Aside from that, I thought the characters were well fleshed-out and developed, the atmosphere and descriptions done fabulously well (I literally caught myself thinking 'hey this new character looks like that person' even though, obviously, I'd never actually visually seen the character), and the plot still gave me a surprise twist even though I figured out everything else.
Will certainly be recommending this book to everyone I come across.