Hannah Richell’s One Dark Night is a masterfully crafted thriller set in a small English town, home to an exclusive and prestigious boarding school.

When a teenage boarder is found dead at the town’s infamous haunted folly after an illicit underage party, the community is thrown into chaos. No one knows what happened that fateful night, but the school counselor is brought in to speak with the students, while her ex-husband, a local police officer, is assigned to investigate the case. Their personal history adds a layer of tension to an already chilling story.

Richell excels at creating a rich atmosphere, weaving suspense through every page with her vivid descriptions and intricate character dynamics. The haunting setting of the folly is as much a character as the people involved, adding a sense of unease that lingers throughout the novel. The small-town secrets, believable yet unsettling scenarios, and a plethora of potential suspects keep readers guessing.

Told through multiple perspectives, the story moves quickly and smoothly, with each voice adding depth and complexity to the narrative. Richell has an undeniable gift for storytelling, seamlessly blending the mystery with deeply human moments of vulnerability, guilt, and betrayal.
The twists and turns build to a jaw-dropping conclusion. One Dark Night is a perfect blend of psychological intrigue and thrilling suspense—a must-read for fans of clever mysteries and dark, atmospheric tales.

Prepare to be shocked!
#Atria #OneDarkNight #HannahRichell

I was caught up in the book from the start! Not what I was expecting and lots of twists and turnsI

This book reminded me of the fun I had reading psychological thrillers in young adult fiction. If you enjoyed R.L.Stine's books like Silent Night as a teem this booked will bring you back to those days!.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★ ★
𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: August 19, 2025
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

This was my first read by Hannah Richell and I loved it. We have a fast paced thriller with twists, turns and uncertainty around corners while hunting for a k!ller from a Halloween party. I enjoyed the characters and how they all works so well together in this story, the way you try to figure this eerie mystery long the way as well.

When rumors, secrets and speculation joins the story it’s all a race to find out ‘whodoneit’. I enjoyed this and cannot wait for more from our author.

Large thank you to our Author, NetGalley as well as Atria Books.

I enjoyed this book. The lure of the tale of "Sally of the wood" gave an almost supernatural undertone which I liked. Seeing how everybody reacts to the death of this schoolgirl and how the town collectively reacts added some great layers. I also have to say that as someone who regularly guesses endings and twists this one had me bamboozled!

Ellie’s bully, Sarah, is murdered at a party on Halloween night. Before the story is done, almost everyone in town has been a suspect. Don’t believe anything about anyone!

I really enjoyed this book. It definitely kept me turning the pages long after I had planned to go to sleep.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

On Halloween night, a group of high school students gather in the woods in a small British town, and by morning one of them will be dead.
Small town mysteries with all the right ingredients always get me: start with some spooky woods by a private school, add in a guidance counselor, her cop ex husband and their rebellious teen daughter, and from the first few pages you know you’ll be up reading late into the night. I devoured this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4.5⭐️

Wow! I was not expecting that ending! That was a whole twist I did not see coming! Although, YOU LEFT US ON A CLIFF HANNAH😭

3.25 stars. This is an ARC from NetGalley. Overall, this was a well written story with a good twist at the end. I couldn't get fully invested into the characters, and everything felt just a tad underdeveloped. Maybe there were too many storylines with no true focus. Not a bad read, but nothing memorable. #netgalley #onedarknight #mystery #thiller

One Dark Night centers around the gruesome death of a schoolgirl and the police investigation to find the killer. With a beautifully written cast of characters and a foreboding setting, it had me hooked from the very first page, till the very last. Everyone takes the news of Sarah's death differently, but someone knows the truth of what happened and they will stop at nothing to keep their secret from surfacing, even if it means lying to the people they love the most. I thought I had it figured out at about the 70-80% point in the book, but the author threw a twist in that even I did not see coming a thoroughly enjoyable read. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a book to prove your theory’s wrong. Fantadic surprises!

I think this book was a good one! It is a good Halloween spooky season read for sure. It had a lot of suspense and thrill to it, so it kept me on the edge of my seat while reading it! I liked all of the twists and turns that came throughout the whole book.

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Suspense readers will enjoy One Dark Night. Hannah Richell wrote an entertaining book that will keep you reading until the end.

This book definitely keeps you guessing! What a fun and gripping read. It is extremely well written, wonderfully paced, and has really great twists. Would definitely recommend this thriller!

#OneDarkNight #NetGalley
Brilliant.
Hannah Richell delivers an atmospheric and deeply layered thriller in One Dark Night, a tale of haunting secrets, fractured families, and the reverberations of a tragic Halloween night in a small British town.
What I liked :-
1 Multi-layered Narration: The story unfolds through multiple perspectives, offering a well-rounded view of the mystery. Rachel, the overburdened school counselor; Ellie, her secretive daughter; and Ben, her ex-husband and the lead detective, each bring unique insights that add depth and complexity.
2 Eerie Setting: The local lore surrounding “Sally in the Wood” creates an unsettling atmosphere. The ghostly legend provides a chilling backdrop, blending supernatural undertones with the novel’s grounded psychological tension.
3 Strong Themes: Richell tackles themes of privilege, teenage rebellion, and parental guilt with sensitivity. The story also explores how urban legends can shape collective fears and obscure deeper truths.
4 Suspenseful Pacing: The narrative builds tension steadily, interweaving the mystery of the Halloween night with the characters’ personal struggles. Every chapter ends with a sense of foreboding, keeping readers engaged.
What I disliked :-
None.
Overall :- One Dark Night is an engaging and atmospheric thriller that combines the eerie allure of ghost stories with a gripping, character-driven mystery. Hannah Richell masterfully portrays the complexities of familial relationships and the lingering influence of the past on the present. While some elements may feel familiar to seasoned thriller readers, the well-crafted suspense and nuanced exploration of its themes make this a compelling read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for giving me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

A party in the woods gone out of control in is the main plot-line in this creepy whodunnit, One Dark Night by Hannah Richelles.

Police are called to a crime scene in the thick brambles of trees: the body of a young woman has been found. Her lifeless form was clad in a white dress. A bird mask was placed over her face and disturbing words were scrawled across her slender frame. Placed near a local folly, she is soon realized to be a student in the tony local boarding school. As these woods are said to be haunted by a woman in white was this just a joke gone bad, or something much more sinister?

I was unfamiliar with Hannah Richelle’s work before picking up this book, and i just may pick another for my TBR after this fun and easy to read thriller. The action shifts between Detective Chase, his ex-wife Rebecca and their stubborn, talented daughter Ellie. My main criticism of the book is that while the three characters I just mentioned were well drawn and thought through, many of the other characters feel one-dimensional. As a result, I’m subtracting 1.25 stars and rating this twisty thriller as 3.75 stars.

Sally Says, pick up this book if you dare.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

A Halloween party held in the woods leaves a teenager dead. Rachel works at the school this student attended. Her ex-husband Ben is the detective trying to solve the case. Their daughter Ellie, well I’ll just say that she is concealing more than one secret.
So many potential suspects, and while I was certain, my final guess was correct, alas, I was wrong. Every time another secret was revealed, it opened another door that the potential killer was behind.
Told by Rachel, Ellie, and Ben, everything comes together in a surprising conclusion. I should have guessed whodunnit and why, but I suppose I was too busy flipping pages. I read this on a very cold Saturday, but since it doesn’t publish until August, I could definitely see myself doing a reread on the beach. 4.5 stars.

This is a chilling and creepy novel that will keep you out of the woods forever! It involves multiple families and Folly View College which is an exclusive institution for higher learning. One morning after a party in the woods, Sarah's dead body is discovered--beautifully posed with a mask covering her face. There have long been rumors of "Sally in the Woods" who was said to have died there and now haunts it. Of course these are unsubstantiated so they couldn't possibly be true...or could they? The kids are scared, the detectives are flummoxed, and rumors abound. Who could be responsible and why? To add to the confusion, there are caves discovered and the homeless often camp there. It's a crazy plot that invites superstition and rumors but I flew through it as it was so good!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.