I love, love, love Hazel Cho! I was so excited to read Book 2! And.... It did NOT disappoint!

This book kept me guessing to the very end. I love all the characters and how it tells their life stories as well as the thriller! I will always be back for more of this series!

Thank you NetGalley & Poison Pen Press for thus ARC for my honest review!

#NetGalley #TheRedLetter #DanielMiller

Hazel Cho is back & thriving, well sort of. Professionally, things are better than ever. She’s hired a couple of people and is even in a relationship. A friend from college asks her to take on a case that brings back the bad memories from the last huge case Hazel was a part of.

Luckily, she never backs down from a challenge.. but what will it cost her?

I loved the first book and knew I’d love the second one just as much. I can’t wait to see if Hazel takes us on another journey in the future.

Thanks Netgalley for the advance copy!

What a thriller!

I read this in just two sittings—totally gripping. It was such a refreshing change from the usual domestic thrillers. The mystery is unique: a killer is on the loose, sending red letters with Bible verses to victims before striking.

Hazel, the private investigator and the protagonist, is a sharp, determined, and flawed character in a way that makes her feel real. As she dives deeper into the case, it slowly starts to unravel in terrifying ways... and then the investigation hits way too close to home.

A dark, fast-paced story that kept me hooked from start to finish!

loved it!
The sequel to The Orphange by the Lake.

Hazel Cho's career as a PI continues. she has moved up to a bigger office, and larger staff.

Her new case?
A Priest receives a letter. A RED Letter, in a red envelope, with a red wax seal. After, he is poisoned and dies. But these letters start showing up in other peoples mailboxes. It is up to her to figure out what happened and is happening.

This story does not disappoint.

I read the book preceding this one and loved it. When I started this one I was hoping it would not disappoint and it didn’t! The story was every bit as engrossing and the mystery as well plotted. The characters were engaging and well developed with personalities that drew me in and kept me reading well past when I should have. There were a plethora of ‘bad guys’ to chose from but the villain was unexpected. Hope to see more by this author in the future.

This is the second book I have read by this author, and I enjoy his books. I love the main character, Hazel, and her best friend in this book, and I love how she has developed throughout the book. The book starts with her being a growing business owner, and life is going well, continuing where it was left off from the first book. The story starts quickly, takes off, and seeing what is coming next is hard. Throughout the book, you feel Hazel's frustrations, fear, sadness, and determination as she investigates the case. This book was a hard-to-put-down story, and I did not see the end coming. I hope there is a book three to the series.

I am sooo hear for the Hazel detective series. The Red Letter was amazing, fast read, and soo good! I read Orphanage by the Lake and loved it. Daniel Miller totally followed it up with a amazing new journey for Hazel and her detective agency. She now has a full agency with a team. She is brought in to help with a case for a young man who is accused of killing a local priest. However, right before he died he received a red letter. What starts as one letter and one death leads to some interesting connections and a possible serial killer. Hazel has her hands full as she digs further and further into the case. Hazel is amazing and so hope that Daniel Miller keeps the amazing series going.

Having loved The Orphanage by the Lake and now really loved The Red Letter, Daniel G. Miller is quickly becoming one of my new favorite authors! I was SO stoked to read about Hazel again as I really loved her in the first story. I'm telling you this thriller was jaw dropping! Had all the elements I love in a thriller. 100% recommend!!!

Thank you net galley for this arc. i really enjoyed Hazel . i also like the premise of the story i enjoyed the first story so i will continue to read books from this author.

Just wow. I loved(!!!) The Orphange by the Lake. I did not realize this was a continuation. I only requested the ARC because of how much I enjoyed Daniel’s previous book! But the way I felt so invested in Hazel’s continuation of ssa-kicking?! Daniel… You gotta stop this!

5 star read for me. I love that both books read like a manuscript. There’s no junk, page fillers, word vomit to take up space. You open to the first page and are immediately taken into NYC with Hazel as if there’s no where else in the world you’re supposed to be.

I enjoyed the connections with the characters, both new and old. I had my sights on a different reveal, so once the truth unfolded, I was screaming. Externally, I might add.

The heartbreak I felt for Hazel, the fear, the love. I didn’t realize I could be so roped into a book that I would just sob. At the sadness, the happiness, and every emotion I felt in between. I’m not sure my heart can handle a third book, but there’s nothing I want more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen for the ARC digital. I cannot wait to put up the print in July and add it to my bookcase.

This is my second book from this author and I enjoyed it! I would recommend this book to others. I’m intrigued to know if there will be a third book following this main character.

Woww this was a hell of a ride. Loved very bit of it. The story is about Hazel and PI and she is after a serial killer who delivers red envelopes to each victim before they are going to die a horrible death.
This is a medium-paced thriller with a good story. Loved every bit of it. The end was a 'didn't she that one coming' end.
It was a well thought of story, which I really enjoyed. I didn't read the first book, The Orphanage (which is on my shelf🤩), but that didn't matter a bit.
The plottwists are quite shocking and there is tension throughout the book.
I really recommend this one!

This was my most anticipated book this year so when I was able to read it early I dropped absolutely everything. It was well worth it. I was nervous it wouldn’t live up to my love for the first book, but it definitely comes close.

3.5 stars. Another entertaining mystery with Hazel Cho, PI. More people die in book 2. And I was truly shocked with the guilty person was revealed--didn't see that at all. I like how Miller wrote about a politician without getting political in the story--it can be done folks! It would be fun if this series continues. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

“Watching a man die is a tough way to spend your afternoon.”

This book pulled me in with the first sentence, but to be honest it wasn’t my favorite. I had a really hard time getting into this book. The main character, Hazel, was hard to like and seemed quite surface level. The twist at the end was pretty good, however it didn’t change the fact that the rest of the book was hard for me to read. I found myself having to force myself to pick it up.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read The Red Letter in exchange for my honest review.

I had the privilege of being an ARC for this book. I enjoyed it very much! I loved how we saw Hazel grow with her business after the first book, The Orphanage at the Lake. It was full of suspense wondering who was sending these letters and who would be next to receive the letter of death! Unfortunately Hazel just doesn't have the best of luck with her love life but I feel because its leading to who she really should be with. I like how Hazels character is relatable when it comes to her relationships and family. Im glad we can see how they dynamic is changing. Overall great book and story line.

The Red Letter by Daniel G. Miller is a spine-tingling, adrenaline-pumping thriller that had me hooked from page one and kept me on the edge of my seat until the final word. Hazel is a brilliant, complex protagonist whose life seems picture-perfect—until a murder case involving a mysterious red letter drags her into a chilling web of secrets, past traumas, and relentless suspense.

The pacing is flawless, the plot twists are genuinely shocking, and the tension never lets up. Every time I thought I had it figured out (which was many times), Daniel G. Miller hit me with another curveball. There was never a dull moment—every chapter ended with me needing to know more.

If you’ve never read The Orphanage by the Lake, I highly recommend starting there before diving into The Red Letter, as this book includes some spoilers from that book. Plus, the emotional depth and layered flashbacks in The Red Letter hit even harder when you have the full backstory.

On a romance note... I need to see Hazel and Bobby Riether together asap!

Overall, this book was an absolute thrill ride from start to finish. I loved every second of it and cannot recommend it highly enough. A masterclass in suspense—I’d give it more than five stars if I could!

Release: July 22, 2025
Author: Daniel G. Miller
Publisher: Poisoned pen press

Rating: 4 ★ 

Hazel’s life is finally on track—her private investigation firm is thriving, her love life is solid, and even her tough-to-please mother seems proud. But everything changes when a local priest is found dead with a strange red letter by his side. When Hazel agrees to look into the case as a favor to a friend, she quickly realizes this isn’t an isolated murder. More victims start turning up, each one tied to a red letter—and one of them connects to a dark part of Hazel’s past she thought was long behind her. As the killings continue and the mystery deepens, Hazel is forced to confront not only a dangerous killer, but truths about herself and those closest to her. To stop the murders, she may have to open one final, chilling letter.

This book was such a ride! It’s the second in the Hazel series, but you could easily jump into it without reading the first—though now I definitely want to go back and reread the whole thing from the beginning.

Hazel’s back on a new case after a neighborhood priest is found dead with a red letter in hand. What starts as a favor quickly turns into something much darker when more victims—and more red letters—start to surface. The suspense had me hooked from the beginning, with twists in nearly every chapter. Just when I thought I had the killer figured out, the story would pull the rug out from under me again.

I liked Hazel more this time around too—she felt sharper, more grounded, and the emotional layers really came through. The tone was darker, and the stakes were higher, which made the whole thing feel even more intense. I loved that the mystery wasn’t just about solving a murder, but also about Hazel facing parts of her past she thought she’d buried. The character development, the clever clues, and even the subtle humor all worked together really well.

This one’s gripping, twisty, and smart. Definitely recommend if you’re into thrillers that keep you on your toes—and make you care about the people caught in the middle of it all. Can’t wait to see what Hazel faces next!

Favorite Quote:
"what if the key to your salvation is hidden in the very thing you've spent your life running from?"

This was a solid follow up to The Orphanage by the Lake! I love Hazel and Kenny and was very glad to hang out with them again.
I figured out who the killer was pretty early on, but still really enjoyed reading all the twists and turns!
I hope there are more books to follow!

thank you @netgalley for this ARC.
Part of The Orphanage by the Lake
Pub Date Jul 22 2025

A DEAD BODY. A MYSTERIOUS RED LETTER.

Hazel has everything she wants.

Business is booming at her boutique private investigation firm. She's dating the man of her dreams. Even her perpetually skeptical mother seems impressed. Then the NYPD finds a beloved neighborhood priest dead along with a mysterious red letter.

Hazel investigates the murder as a favor to an old friend and discovers that the priest wasn't the only recent murder victim to receive a red letter...and one victim has ties to a psychopath from a past life that Hazel thought she had buried. One by one, the red letters continue to appear, and with every letter, another killing, each more mysterious than the last.

As Hazel closes in on the killer, the killer closes in on her, and Hazel begins to question everything she thought she knew about herself and the people around her. Even worse, Hazel discovers that the only way to find the truth is to open one more...


The first book was gripping gripping, suspenseful journey but I didn't like the detective however this book is another case of her and this time I liked it. It's a part of Hazel series but also you can read this as standalone. I liked the suspense elements and the letter theme, very gripping with twist and turns in every chapter.