I actually had issues with the audiobook and kept hearing echos when listening on the app, but I was able to read this and I enjoyed it!
The writing of this book really brought to life the ominous atmosphere. It was a suspenseful read with a great storyline. I also thought the nod at Little Red Riding Hood definitely made this feel even more creepy. I thought this was written and enjoyed the unique aspects of it as well. It kept me on edge!

First off, I adore the cover. It's probably the reason I initially chose to download it. This audiobook was provided by Dreamscape Media and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good read and a great listen. Lorna Bennett is a fantastic narrator. After Heather's mother commits suicide, Heather discovers stacks of letters from a serial killer stored in the house: instant hook. Learning that her mother wrote back and forth for years with the infamous "Red Wolf" Heather's journalistic nature has her diving head first into the mystery, particularly because the murders have started again. The only problem? Michael Reave, the "Red Wolf," is already in prison.

While I thought the relationship between Michael and Heather was a bit predictable, and the ending was a bit predictable too (I think most novels that have two timelines going end up being predictable for me in the long run, so not unexpected), I did really love the creep-factor! Jen Williams flawlessly drew me in, and the story curled around me like vines—holding me in a stranglehold as I found myself sitting face-to-face with Michael, discovering dead birds strewn about places Heather has been, and ultimately out to where it all began: a commune, where her mother and Michael first met.

So much going on, so much death - and yet the pace and the audio quality held me from start to finish. I actually enjoyed Michael's character quite a bit. As we listen to his story, I found myself having some compassion for him; even though he was brutally murdering women and then placing them on display, the holes he puts in them full of flowers, and missing their hearts.

I also liked the mother-daughter relationship that was portrayed. Heather and her mother were estranged, so to see the whole story come together and provide some insight into that estrangement, both for the reader and for Heather as a character, was nicely done. The narrator was great, and I look forward to more books by the narrator and by the author in the future!

I’ve heard so many good things about this one and it did not disappoint! I really loved this and the twists and turns of you are looking for a thriller deff go for this one

This atmospheric thriller had my pulse pounding and had me on the edge of my seat throughout the entirety. The creep factor is a 10 and it totally works. The narrator was excellent and drew me in and held my attention throughout. This had a fascinating storyline with multiple narrators during multiple timeframes. I was blown away by the ending. A wild ride and I loved every minute of it!

When Heather’s mother unexpectedly commits suicide, she leaves behind a baffling note and a box of letters she received from a notorious serial killer, known as “Red Wolf.” Shortly thereafter, a body turns up that has the same marks of the Red Wolf, but it must be a copycat since he is still in jail.

Heather decides to dig into her mother’s history and visit the serial killer, after the reluctant agreement from the investigator who is on the case of the new murders.

This was a good story with a fairly unique story line. The characters could have been more developed, but it was pretty fast paced and engaging. If half stars were permitted, I’d give this 3.5, so I rounded up.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an audiobook copy for me to listen to and review. The narration was great!

I loved this! It was such a quick listen for me, I found the narration great and it really drew me into the story. My main genre is thrillers and what I thought was the plot to start was intriguing in itself. I'm totally fascinated by people who write to serial killers who are in prison - what's the attraction?

When Heather returns to her mother's home after she's committed suicide unexpectedly, she starts to go through some of the items in the house and finds letters with notorious serial killer Michael Reave. Heather finds pictures too and realizes they knew each other when they were younger and living at a commune. The police ask her to speak with him when there's a copycat killer on the loose. She starts to get deeper into what's going on and it took a few twists I wasn't expecting.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Dreamscape media for the copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

This sounded really good to me, but it is very different than the normal read I would pick up. This started off very weird and creepy. It definitely caught my attention from the start and as the story started to develop.

The narration was ok, but it did have an echo. That could be from the program and not the actual audio of the book though.

This was my first from this author and I would read more in the future.

This was so good and creepy! I enjoyed this dark mystery that I just couldn’t put down. I gave this a 4.5/5 stars because the ending was really unrealistic but I just can’t get over how good the rest of the book is. Looking for a dark mystery? Then you MUST check this one out.

A dark and secret place was such a creepy and addicting read. The red wolf was a detailed and gory serial killer which I really enjoyed. All of the characters were interesting and it was great to follow Heather's journey to the truth about why her mother did what she did. There were plenty of twists, some I was able to figure out and others I did not see coming at all. I especially did not see who the new red wolf was coming. There was plenty of mystery and action to move the story along. The only thing for me was the ending wrapped up really quickly. The narroration was excellent. The narrator did a great job at making the atmosphere even creepier while reading and really put you in the scenes.

Now raise your hand if you enjoy serial killers and twisted family secrets 👋🏼. It took me a bit to get into this one but once I did I enjoyed it. As someone who has just dipped their toe in the fantasy pool I was drawn to the fairytale inclusion in this story and afterwards looked more into one of the old Grimm fairytales that were mentioned, and it made me appreciate the book a bit more. It was a slow burn to an insane fire. This would be good for fans of true crime and light horror.

I don’t know about ya’ll but I’m getting really tired of so many cult stories. It’s becoming so overly done. I really did like the fairy tale stories being told by the serial killer, that was unique and creepy. Other than that, I don’t think this was memorable or anything either. Really interesting synopsis but lackluster execution. I do think the narrator did a great job with the different voices and characters, for the women. When she was doing a male character, I couldn’t take it seriously.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Dreamscape media for the advanced audiobook.

Wow what a wild story! This is dark and twisty and unexpected. I think this story is quite original and reminds me of the dark fairytales. A book of nightmares really. I actually really enjoyed this story and was expecting it to go the way it did. One thing i slightly guessed. But i liked the cultish and dark atmosphere. The audio was pretty great as well (did have an issue with the sound. Seemed a bit robotic like not a great copy) but the narrator did a fantastic job and it sounded so sinister.

what in the world !?!?! This book was sooo intense and nerve wracking in the best way possible !!

Heather is a middle aged "journalist" and she has to come back home because her mother, Colleen, committed suicide. She is not only upset about this but so confused. while she is going through her mother house and she things, she stumbles across a box of letters from an inmate. Hes not just any inmate-he happens to be Britain's most notorious serial killer- Michael Reaves or The Red Wolf. Heather is slowly starting to figure out she had no idea who her mother really was. Right about the same time as her mothers death, women start disappearing and being found dead and displayed the same way Michael Reaves had killed his victims- hearts missing and displays with flowers and plants in their mouths. With the help of DI Ben Parker, Heather decides to go and talk to Michael Reaves and try and find out more information about her mother and more information about this copy cat killer.

This book was the perfect thriller. I loved every page and was so intrigued the whole time. The story was told in dual timeline, so you got to read and understand Michaels backstory and why he was doing the things he was doing. The author planted the perfect amount of clues throughout the whole story to keep you guessing and following Heather on her journey to get for information about her mother!! What Heather finds and discovers about her mother, her family and herself is SOOO insane. I loved the ending and how everything was explained, but I literally had NO IDEA who was the copy cat murderer and what was going to happen !! This was an amazing thriller and I am so glad I got to read it !! Highly Recommend!!

Thank you to netgalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced reading copy of A Dark and Secret Place in exchange for an honest review.

A slow building, dark and disturbing psychological thriller ⁣
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This book is creepy, dark and involves cults, communes and ritualistic killings. It is a mix of horror and psychological thriller but it is also a definite slow burn. ⁣
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I enjoyed the mix of morbid Grimm fairytales intwined with the plot - it gave it an extra creep factor. I enjoyed the past storyline a bit more than the present timeline. Parts got a bit gruesome but that never bothers me. ⁣
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I had high hopes for this one because I love a good serial killer story and while this one isn’t for the faint of heart, it lacked the faster, frantic page turner pace that I enjoy. ⁣
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I did this on audio and the narrator did a wonderful job - it felt ominous and creepy throughout. The dark and disturbing atmosphere was definitely one of my favorite aspects of the book.⁣
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Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, Netgalley audio and Dreamscape Media for the ARC as as the ALC!

Well woah this one is dark. DARK. I read and listened to this one so my reading experience was totally amplified.

The characters were good! Nothing exceptional and I'm sure I'll probably forget them after a while, it's the story that really hooked me. We have the amateur detective/down and out journalist, the dogged detective/forced love interest and the supportive best friend.

As I said earlier, the plot is memorable. For some reason I wasn't expecting a cult story so that surprised me. Michael Reave's constant fairy tale telling intrigued me. I love a good juxtaposition.

I also thought this one took place in America so I was pleasantly surprised when I read that it's based in London and surrounding area.

This one was partly a slow burn, the end was WOAH.

Dark and chilling is definitely the best way to describe this book! Colleen is Heather’s mother. She commits suicide and leaves a strange note behind. Heather returns to her hometown. Heather who had no idea her mother had been corresponding with a serial killer and while searching for answers discovers she might not want to know more about her mother’s past.
I enjoyed the story. It was borderline creepy but it was definitely dark. The characters I thought where good! Heather was a tad strange but she was an excellent character to research the past secrets. I thought this was an enjoyable physiological thriller ! The chapters are short and it’s a slow start but the pace definitely picks up. I would recommend to others!!

Thanks to NetGalley and CrookedLane books for the advanced copy for my honest review in return!!

This book was full of creepy twists and dark secrets.

I really liked the hidden past aspect, as well as the silence of the lambs aspect of interviewing the murderer.

The plot was ripe for so much more tension than it actually delivered. I also wondered how the character could spend so much of her time away from any sort of income. How was she able to support herself?

Overall, this was a fun read that I would recommend, but it could have been even better.

This story didn't quite do it for me. I thought this one sounded right up my alley but it just didn't grab me it was too slow of a story for my liking.

Honestly I wasn't a fan of the narration, she really needs to work on her male voices the bad guys voice was just a raspy whisper that did not sound good. Her women's voices and accents were good but the male voices weren't.

3 stars

OK Y'all!!! This was one mind twisty, crazy, "hill family cult", crazy mess of a great story! WOW!!!! Let me say the entire story had me wondering exactly what was going on. I was confused about Heather's mom, the neighbors, the guy in prison. EVERYONE! I really enjoyed this book and the writing was really good as well!

I loved this storyline! The book follows Heather, a woman who has just lost her Mom to suicide. It is then she finds out that she never knew her Mom at all, as she was corresponding with serial killer, Michael Reave, the "Red Wolf". As there is a copycat killer preying on women, Heather wants to know if her Mom really committed suicide or was she killed. No spoilers but I highly recommend this book. Definitely worth the read! Thanks to #netgalley for the advanced reader copy.