I would like to thank Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me an ARC ebook of One Dark Night which is schedule to be published on August 19 2025. I appreciate the opportunity to read Hannah Richell's newest release in exchange for my honest review.

This book could also be titled One Dark Night... when absolutely everyone miscommunicates with each other. This book would have been maybe 10 chapters long if everybody would have just SPOKEN to each other rather than sending vague text messages or not asking more direct questions. That being said, it was a pretty fun ride. I had basically sorted it out before the ending but it was still such a great sense of mystery and creepy thriller vibes. The setting of a foggy school surrounded by a possibly haunted forest set such a perfect stage for the unravelling of a whodunnit.

Detective Ben Chase, his soon to be ex-wife Rachel, and their daughter Ellie are our main narrators and it was fun if not frustrating to see how the story progresses from their points of view, especially having details from other's chapters that our current narrator is not privy to. Very clever trick to keep us engaging to see how they all try to be on the same page. (Just talk to each other people, make a phone call where you have service for the love of all that is unholy)

One Dark Night takes place over Halloween night and is a great read to curl up on your couch with a hot cup of tea and maybe a few extra lights on while you play detective along with Ben and his colleagues.

3.5 stars

One Dark Night by Hannah Richell is a  mystery novel about a a group of teenagers who meet in the woods to celebrate Halloween, and the next day one is found dead.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Simon & Schuster,  and the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.




My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Sally in the Wood is steeped in folklore, rumoured to be haunted by "Sally", whose long blond hair and vintage white dress can be seen roaming the woods and folly, often causing accidents on the local road.

A group of students from the nearby private school decide to have a Halloween bonfire up in the woods.  The next morning, a group of girl guides find the body of a young girl.

Rachel, the school guidance counselor, and her ex-husband Ben, a police officer, have been trying to keep her daughter Ellie, under control.  There have been a lot of changes in Ellie's life, and she's not handling things well.  So, although she was supposed to be spending the weekend with her father,  she ended up at the bonfire.... but she's lying about a number of things.

 

My Opinions:
This was good, so I'll be looking for other books by this author, and hoping for great.

Be warned, the ghost in the woods plot has been done a lot!  And the typical teenager lying and keeping secrets from her parents has also been done too often.  It was quite predictable. It felt like a book directed to the YA crowd.

However, I did like the way the story progressed, and that it was done from multiple points of view.  There were quite a few characters, but they were easily separated.

Overall, it was an atmospheric tale, and a fairly fast read.

This was a twisty, multi-POV British thriller set at Halloween and perfect for #Summerween reading! I was invested from the start, loved the twists and highly recommend it for fans of authors like Christopher Golden. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. This was my first book by Hannah Richell and won't be my last.

Hannah Richell’s One Dark Night is easily the standout thriller of summer 2025. Her storytelling is completely spellbinding—right from the opening chapter, I was utterly hooked and a tiny bit resentful of having to stop and sleep instead of staying up to finish it. The plot’s unpredictability is its greatest strength. Each twist lands like a thunderbolt, and just when you think you’ve pieced things together, Richell flips the narrative again. The story unfolds with chilling precision and emotional depth, weaving layers of atmosphere that grip you firmly.
Richell’s writing is flawless: haunting, immersive, and laced with tension. This is a must-read for anyone who loves a thriller that keeps you guessing, keeps you awake, and keeps your heart pumping long after finishing!

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of One Dark Night by Hannah Richell. Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this ARC; I can’t wait for everyone else to enjoy it come August 19, 2025!

Many thanks to Netgalley, Simon and Schuster Canada, and author Hannah Richell for the advance egalley of this book.

When a body is found the day after Halloween, a small British community must reckon with its past and the dangers lurking in its present in this spine-tingling novel from “not to be missed” (Hayley Scrivener, author of Dirt Creek) author Hannah Richell.

On Halloween, a group of teenage students meet in the woods near Sally in the Wood, a road steeped in local lore and rumored to be haunted by the ghost of a murdered girl. By the end of the night, one student will be dead.

Rachel, the school guidance counselor, is trying to keep a handle on her increasingly distant teenaged daughter, Ellie, while students and parents panic and mourn. Her ex-husband and detective Ben, dealing with a personal crisis of his own, has concerns about his daughter’s safety as he investigates the death of one of her classmates. Meanwhile, Ellie is keeping secrets from both her parents, including one about where she was that night.

First off, I am a big Hannah Richell fan, so I couldn't wait to read this book. Once I started it I could not put it down. The characters were very relatable. The storyline quickly drew me in. And thd twist in thd book kept me guessing. Just when I thought I'd figured out who the killer was, BOOM, another twist. Loved the ending. I'd definitely recommend this one! 5 out of 5 ⭐️

I found it repetitive at times which made it a slower read than it should've been. The plot was interesting, just dragged out in places.