One Dark Night by Hannah Richell is a highly recommended atmospheric investigative mystery and gothic thriller.

On Halloween night a group of teens had a bon fire and party at Sally in the Wood, a near the folly that is said to be haunted by the ghost of a murdered girl. The next day the body of a murdered teen is found and the investigation begins with DS Ben Chase and DCI Hassan Khan taking a close look at teens from the nearby boarding school, Folly View College. Ben Chase's ex-wife Rachel is the school guidance counselor and his daughter Ellie attends as a scholarship student.

Many of the students know who was there and all the attendees are eventually interviewed. Ellie doesn't admit that she was there until forced to do so. It's clear that the teens and others are keeping secrets that are slowly exposed, and there is plenty of doubt about what happened that resulted in the death.

The pace remains fast and the tension increases right up to the explosive ending in this well-written twisty thriller. The Gothic vibes run strong here, especially at the beginning. The narrative unfolds through multiple perspectives, which gives the novel depth. The woods, the caves, and the folly on top of the hill provide plenty of chilling atmospheric touches throughout the plot.

All the characters are fully realized and presented with both strengths and weaknesses. The relationship between Rachel and Ellie is very realistic and believable. All the teen's responses, secrets, and attitudes are present and plausible.

One Dark Night is good choice to read around Halloween for those who enjoy atmospheric investigations. Thanks to Aria Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

This was such a fantastic read. It pulled me in and held my attention the whole way through! On Halloween, a group of teens meet up at Sally in the Wood, a road that's said to be haunted by a murdered girl. The next morning, a body is found. The small town is in panic mode, and detective Ben is investigating the case with the local police, and begins to piece things together to find a suspect. As old secrets begin to come to light, anyone could be a suspect. I loved the fall, small town setting . It is a steady paced, atmospheric, creepy crime fiction that had some nice twists and kept me guessing.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

Atmospheric, chilling, and emotionally resonant. A must-read for fans of psychological suspense and gothic folklore.

One Dark Night is everything I look for in a thriller: an eerie setting, layered characters, and a mystery that grips from the first chapter. Hannah Richell masterfully blends family drama with small-town secrets and local legend, weaving a story that’s both haunting and emotionally grounded.

Set in a quiet English village where the tragic tale of “Sally in the Wood” still echoes, the story begins with a Halloween party and ends in tragedy. What unfolds is a tense and beautifully paced investigation—not just into a murder, but into the emotional fractures within a family and a community.

Rachel, Ellie, and Ben each carry the story in a way that feels authentic and compelling. Richell handles the mother-daughter tension with sensitivity and insight, while keeping the suspense alive with red herrings, misdirection, and a truly satisfying twist.

The writing is atmospheric and vivid, with the forest and the decaying folly becoming characters in their own right. It’s not just a whodunit—it’s a meditation on grief, trust, and the shadows we carry.

I couldn’t put it down and didn’t want it to end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy. I’m already excited to read whatever Hannah Richell writes next.

I was hooked from the prologue. Richell’s writing style really worked for me. It’s smooth and atmospheric, creating such an intense mood that I felt like I was right there in the middle of it all. I kept second guessing everyone the entire time as the twists kept coming. Every character felt like they were hiding something and none of them were who I expected. I’m already looking forward to whatever Hannah Richell writes next.

Set on Halloween, this story follows a group of students who attempt to enter a house that is said to be haunted, a mother trying to keep an eye out for her ever-distant teenage daughter, and Ellie who is the keeper of many secrets. Richell does it again with this thriller - dark, fast paced, and thrilling you are engaged in the story the whole time and attempting to piece things together yourself. Fantastic for the fall season, I am so excited to share this one!! Thank you NetGalley! 4/5

Thank you Atria for my gifted copy!

One Dark Night was cloyingly atmospheric. I have been in such a slump, but Hannah Richell has such a way with words, that I couldn’t help but devour this. Her storytelling sucked me into this misty, dark academia inspired thriller. That’s a mouthful - but it needs to be in order to describe how rich and velvety this book was. My goodness. I was absolutely riveted, horrified, entranced, covered in goosebumps for its entirety.

I admit, I am not usually one for dark academia, but something about One Dark Night is going to stick with me. It flowed. It kept my attention. It kept me turning page after page. I needed to know how a girl ended at the base of a folly in a dense woodland, with half of her face covered in a raven like mask, and dark graffiti scrawled onto her arms. The image was haunting, and it follows you around to the very end.

I was so entranced by Richell’s writing, that I immediately snagged any of her previous works available at my local library.

One Dark Night is one you won’t want to miss.

This fast-paced and suspenseful read had me hooked from the very beginning. Set around a chilling Halloween party that ends in tragedy, the story is packed with twists, turns, and an eerie sense of dread that builds beautifully throughout. I loved how the tension kept me on edge, constantly guessing who to trust and what really happened in the woods that night.

The narrative unfolds through multiple perspectives - Rachel, a school counselor; her ex-husband Ben, a police officer; and their daughter Ellie - which added emotional depth and made the mystery feel more layered. I was especially drawn to Ellie’s storyline and the family dynamics at play. The characters felt real and flawed in a way that made them easy to connect with, and I appreciated how their personal struggles were woven seamlessly into the mystery.

The setting around Sally in the Wood added an extra layer of spookiness, with local legends and ghost stories giving the whole book a haunting vibe. Richell does a great job of creating atmosphere while keeping the plot tight and engaging.

The ending was satisfying and wrapped things up in a way that felt earned. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and will absolutely be checking out more from Hannah Richell. If you're looking for a tense, emotionally grounded thriller to read during the Halloween season, this is a great pick!

My copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Atria Books for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was such a suspenseful and well-layered story. I really liked the different points of view. Seeing things from Rachel, Ellie, and Ben’s perspectives added a lot and helped me connect with each of them in different ways.

The setting was so eerie. The haunted woods and the legend of Sally in the Wood created the perfect creepy vibe. The Halloween night timeline made the tension even stronger. I liked how the secrets slowly came to light and how each character was carrying their own weight.

Some parts were a little slow but the mystery kept me pulled in. It’s a story about family, secrets, and how the past can shape everything. Definitely a solid read that kept me turning the pages.

One Dark Night by Hannah Richell is a slow-burning, atmospheric thriller that weaves past and present together in a compelling and emotional way. The tension builds gradually, drawing you into the lives of the characters and the secrets that unfold over the course of the story. Richell has a talent for creating mood and setting, and the stormy, isolated backdrop adds to the sense of unease throughout. The emotional depth layered into the suspense makes this more than just a mystery. It’s a story about relationships, choices, and the ripple effects of one night. If you enjoy character-driven suspense with rich writing and a haunting edge, this is a great pick.

Definitely a twisty ride with a bit of urban legend thrown in the mix! 🙌

This one had me guessing - every time I thought I had it figured out, the character would no longer be a suspect! 😅 I recommend checking this one out!

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Hannah Richell for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

This book is an excellent mystery – very atmospheric and well-plotted. The character development is good, and as a reader you care about everyone involved. This story takes place on Halloween and the week following, after a tragic death occurs after an illicit teenage party. Suddenly, there are lots of secrets and lots of strange behavior and getting to the bottom of the mystery turns out to be a difficult challenge for the police officer, Ben Chase, and his estranged wife, Rachel Dean, who works as a counselor at the exclusive private school where our dead student attended. The students involved are clearly reluctant to tell what they know, and there are multiple shady characters that come to light throughout the investigation. I was enjoying turning the pages to watch the story unfold, and was very satisfied with the ending. The writing style reminds me a lot of Tana French’s novel, “In the Woods” – totally different story, but similar type of atmospheric mystery. This is a perfect read for “spooky season” or anytime you are looking for a dark and moody mystery story.

Ok this was spooky!! I love thrillers that are a bit more haunting and atmospheric. This gave me an uneasy creepy feeling and my jaw dropped at the twist. I thought that I had it figured out

🪾ARC REVIEW🪾

“There’s a killer roaming free—someone violent and seemingly unhinged—and it could be absolutely anyone.”

“It’s hard to believe kids would do anything so brutal to one of their peers.” “You ever read Lord of the Flies?”

“You like to destroy things, don’t you? Unfortunately for you, so do I.“

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Dark, eerie, creepy, all the spookiness I love! I always enjoy UK police procedurals as well. A lot of red herrings to sus out. HIGHLY recommend this one for Summerween👻

Thank you @netgalley @atriabooks @atriathrillers

#gifted #netgalley #onedarknight #thrillerbooksaddict #thrillerbookstagram #thrillerbooks #thrillerreads

Really enjoyed this procedural mystery with a multigenerational cast of characters. It has a fun Halloween vibe and is set around the students and parents at a college in Thorncombe, near Bath. The setting was fantastic dn I liked the blend of procedural investigation with small town drama, and the story had plenty of twists and turns.

It may still be summer time but it is always the right time to read a murder mystery set on Halloween night. What could go wrong with a party in the woods? So much! There is the creepy element of local lore of the ghost of a young girl. The story is told through multiple points of view, of the event on Halloween night and the days that follow as the case is investigated. I liked the way the chapters listed the times as the story unfolded. There are several potential suspects and ways the story could unfold. I thought I had it figured out but then I was wrong. I really enjoyed One Dark Night by Hannah Richell. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!!

very thrilling and very effective mystery novel. throughout this one really works! the ideas are effective and the interesting plotting is good. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

I really enjoyed this book, it had me hooked from the very beginning. Loved the autumn/halloween vibes, would be a great fall read. The only critique I have is that the author tended to use a few words over and over again. Also, a bit of a spoiler but they just glossed over the fact that one of the teachers acted wildly inappropriate with not one but two of their students.

This is an eerie and atmospheric read surrounding a murder investigation. The body of a young girl is discovered on Halloween night and she is said to haunt the woods. Is it real or a myth?

I loved the premise of this book, especially since stories about missing girls is one of my favorite topics in a thriller to read about. With that said, I just had a really hard time connecting to any of the characters. I appreciated the multiple points of view and the character growth that took place throughout the story, but I just didn’t connect with any of them. I think this factor would have mattered less if this wasn’t such a character driven story.

Even though I didn’t really care for any of the characters, I was still invested in figuring out who the murderer was and was surprised at the end.

If you like a whodunnit story told from multiple perspectives with an atmospheric vibe consider checking this one out.

Thank you @atriabooks for the gifted copy of the book.

Halloween, a murder, a small town. All the things I love in a mystery whodunit! I tore through this story filled to the brim with a slew of suspects, giving me the opportunity to don my detective cap and play along. The twists and turns kept coming against a spooky backdrop leading to a jaw dropping ending that I did not predict. Highly recommend!

A teenage girl dies at a party in the woods on Halloween night. A sinister ghost story that is local folklore. A local cop, his ex-wife who happens to be a counselor at the school that the deceased girl attended, their teenage daughter and another staff member or two get caught up in trying to untangle this mystery and find out who killed Sarah.

I enjoyed the characters in this book though after reading the premise, I was really looking forward to more of the ghost story of Sally In the the Wood being told but I felt that it really fell flat at doing that. It was definitely mentioned multiple times but it just felt like it was brought up more in passing and not at all as in depth as it had the potential to be. Just a personal disappointment of my own since I wish that the author had woven this ghost story more into her story. I think that would have added way more spookiness to it.

Thank you Atria Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.