A gripping and atmospheric blend of occult mystery and horror where the line between neighbour and nightmare blurs, revealing that true horror often wears a familiar face. A darkly twisted horror novel hiding traumatic secrets, murders dating back decades and a gaping void of memory. This book is not for the faint of heart and covers some very intense subjects.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫

This book is not in English. I looked back at the listing and couldn't find anywhere where it said it wasn't English. It will have one or two sentences in English then pages of a different language. Sorry, for that reason I cannot properly review this book.

This was an unsettling horror novel. the twist at the end was done perfectly. if you like a mythic dark feel ,check this book out. but fair warning it deals with some heavy topics.

On a small island off the Alaskan coast, detective Audra is investigating the case of two missing girls when her best friend, and the island therapist, Allie, is found dead. Allie’s daughter, Hayley, has gone missing. This case is personal and Audra will stop at nothing to solve her best friend’s murder and find Hayley alive. Valorie, the daughter of a local cult leader, finds herself the lead suspect in the investigation. Everyone has looked at her like she’s crazy her whole life but she’s been receiving treatment. She’s been better. Sure, Valorie is missing time again but, she couldn’t have killed Allie. Could she?
As Audra rushes to find the missing girls, she uncovers secrets that make her question everything and everyone. This island may not be as safe as she once thought.

It took me some time to become invested in this book, but once I did I was hooked. I love the cult trope. The plot is intriguing and really takes you for a ride, right up to the suspenseful and engaging ending.

However, the writing felt juvenile, the world building was lacking, and I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters besides Valorie. Most were dislikable throughout the majority of the book. There was a lot of telling and not showing and yet, I found myself confused and re-reading passages to find details I missed. The chapters are told through multiple POVs. Audra’s chapters feel cold and disengaged while Valorie’s chapters are confusing. She struggles with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), so her chapters are a little all over the place. As someone with a psych background, I found the inner workings of her mind fascinating, but as a reader, I found myself disoriented.

Despite all the drawbacks, the plot made it all worth it, but I do not feel like this book will be for everyone. I also worry about the depiction of DID in this book. Generally, I do recommend this book, but it certainly was not a favorite for me.

Trigger warnings: cancer, grief, mental illness, sexual assault, gore

Thank you to NetGalley and Rising Action Publishing for an ARC of this book to review!

Asher has created a riveting, twisting, scary psychological horror/thriller with the Red Knot. I honestly was not sure what was going to happen until the very end. There are so many great characters, so many surprising moments, this is a book that transfixes and then propels you forward as quickly as possible because it is very hard to put it down before finding out all of this book’s secrets.

Audra, a detective whose husband recently died from cancer is shocked by her best friend’s murder. Her friend also happens to be the town therapist and the mother of her daughter’s best friend, who is now missing.

Valorie is a multiple times survivor of trauma and one of that therapists patients. The way these two will come together is gripping and suspenseful as all get out. This is a terrific book, highly recommended!

Thank you NetGalley and Rising Action Publishing for allowing me to read and review the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This was a wild ride! An isolated island, missing girls, a murdered therapist, and a whole lot of secrets. The daughter of a cult leader, Valorie, has been accused of murdering her therapist Allie for digging into her past. She has a lot of missing memories from her past they were just trying to bring to the surface. Allie’s daughter has joined the list of missing girls and Audra is on the case. She has to find out who killed her friend and took her daughter’s best friend. But what she finds will change everything. 4.5 stars rounded up!

2 stars--it was OK. I liked the plot--that might get 3 stars. But the writing was a pretty dire 1 star.

There's a lot of violence against women in this book, so read with caution. But I love a cult plot, especially with hints of supernatural, so I enjoyed that part of the book.

Writing wise though, I found the book muddled and shallow. It took me a long time to slog my way through it.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

I unfortunately received a file that is not showing up correctly on my kindle and cannot read this book. The entire first chapter was just a sequence of letters. I thought the rest would be okay, so I tried to keep going but it periodically had more issues with random letters.

However, what I could consume, I really enjoyed. I will just have to wait until The Red Knot has released!

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read The Red Knot!

Unfortunately this was just not good, which is so disappointing because the premise is really interesting. While the overall plot of the book might have been good the writing was bad and the mental health representation was just atrocious.

First of all, I think it's very obvious that this is one of the author's first books. The writing was very juvenile and it was most glaring in the characters. All of the POV characters in this book were adults, but they did not feel like that at all. The writing was so immature, it felt more like teenagers narrating. All of the main characters were annoying and unlikable and never made a rational decision. The interpersonal conflicts between them all felt like high school drama, which is crazy considering the very serious subject matter of most of this book. Additionally, I did not feel like I was in Alaska at all. The world-building and creation of setting and atmosphere left a lot to be desired. The whole place just kind of felt like an amorphous blob with a few buildings here and there. I honestly just pictured the island from Midnight Mass the whole time.

By far the worst part of this book was the mental health representation. One of the main characters has DID and she was considered this incredibly violent and crazy murder suspect. Everyone's scared of her and she's basically ostracized for her mental health issues. I don't want to spoil anything so I can't go into too much detail, but it's really just another case of poor mental health = crazy. And I don't think this is supposed to be a critique on that stereotype, because the other people had some valid reasons to believe she was violent since she actually does some very questionable things. I was really getting Split starring James McAvoy vibes.

Also, I keep reading reviews saying that the plot twist was exciting and totally unexpected, which I just don't agree with. I don't agree that plot twists need to come out of nowhere, and it's not a bad thing if the reader can predict what happens. However, I really don't think that this book has a plot twist, it's literally just the characters figuring out what's happening. I don't know, maybe it's just a disconnect between some reviewers and what this book is, or I was just so done with it by the end, but there's not a plot twist in this book (which isn't a bad thing, just adjust expectations).

I don't know, this book just didn't work and was not at all what I was expecting, but with some work it has some potential.

Put. This. On. Your. TBR. Now.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I genuinely had the best time reading this book. Murder, missing girls, remote island, repressed memories, religious cults: everything a girl could want in a thriller/horror novel. The story kept me on my toes the whole way through and I could not help but keep turning the page!

This book follows two POVs-Audra & Valorie. Valorie does have Dissociative Identity Disorder so her sections can feel disorienting or hard to follow. This wasn’t a dealbreaker for me and I am glad it wasn’t because as the book progresses we journey along with her in navigating this disorder and fighting to recover memories that could help solve years long mysteries plaguing their little island. I think this was really well done.

If you’re a fan of murder mysteries, thrillers, with a blend of horror. Please do me a favor and read this book!

Unfortunately, I didn’t finish The Red Knot, however I’m giving it more than one star because I believe it would have value for some readers.

I am not the audience for this book, admittedly- I was expecting more horror, and I think as a seasoned horror fan this book did not shock me as it was supposed to. I also think this book is much better suited to teen readers. As an adult reader, the dialogue felt stiffer and the plot felt more obvious, because of my personal viewpoint.

There was a sense of mystery in this book, however it wasn’t enough when I felt disconnected from the characters and the plot. There wasn’t enough characterisation for me to remember different people, and often a name would be mentioned and I’d have no idea who they were. That being said, I think there’s an interesting exploration of trauma and mental health, and I’m not writing off books by this author in the future.

TL;DR: Im not the right person for this book, and I felt it needed further edits, but there is more value in this for young readers and non-horror fans.

DNF Review 20%
Giving this book 3 stars as there wasn’t anything inherently wrong with it. I’m just not the reader for it. Here’s why:

Writing style:
My preference with horror, thrillers etc is first person pov whenever possible. I want to feel the action with the character. This book is written third person past tense and I couldn’t get into it.

Children:
I’ve recently been trying to navigate away from books where the main character is a child or a mom. In a horror or thriller I’m not typically looking for a heavy family dynamic involvement.

Why others may love this book:
-it’s gory
-missing people
-it is spooky

Please know I’m picky with horror and thriller books. This is a great story. It’s just not for me.

Thank you for approving me for this eARC! I am leaving this honest feedback voluntarily.

This book totally pulled me in. The isolated Alaskan island setting is eerie and intense—perfect for a slow-burn mystery with real stakes. From the first chapter, I felt the tension: three missing girls, a murdered therapist, and a blood-covered woman with no memory found at the scene.

Audra, the detective, is relatable and determined, even as the case gets increasingly personal and twisted. Valorie, the main suspect and daughter of a cult leader, was fascinating—unreliable, broken, and hiding so much pain. Watching her piece together her past while the investigation spirals was gripping and at times, genuinely unsettling.

I loved how the story explores trauma, memory, and trust in a community with way too many secrets. The storm literally and figuratively cuts everyone off, and that claustrophobic vibe made it impossible to put down. It definitely leans into psychological horror, with just enough twists to keep me guessing, even if a few things felt a bit familiar by the end.

Moody, emotional, and totally bingeable. A solid read for fans of isolated thrillers and character-driven suspense. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I have always been a huge fan of a book following the trail of a female detective, and this hit the nail right on the head. There were a few times throughout the book where I got a little bit lost, but it was easy to find my way back. The ending was most definitely not what I was expecting so i really enjoyed the sci-fi turn that it had decided to take. It was hard to put down, I just wanted to keep reading to see what was gonna happen.

Monique Asher DID. NOT. MISS. with The Red Knot. Setting the pacing of this book aside, this book was perfect. I was bought in to each character and how their story would end and I especially loved the POV from Valorie/Veronica, I feel like it added to the overall chaos of the book. I was expecting the cult aspect to play more of an apparent role in the entirety of the book, not just the end, which I feel like made the book drag in some places. It could’ve been 100 pages shorter and more exciting in some places, but I still would 100% recommend because of the characters, atmosphere, and the shocking ending! If you liked The Last Session by Julia Bartz, you NEED to pick this one up!

Thank you to Monique Asher and NetGalley for sending me an early copy of this book!!

A trippy and wild mystery that unfolds with captivating suspense. This gets so dark, and I so loved it. Each clue revved up my heartbeat.

5 Stars – A Haunting, Unforgettable Horror Thriller

The Red Knot by Asher Monique is a brutal, atmospheric masterpiece that blends cult horror, psychological suspense, and cosmic dread into one unforgettable ride. Set in an isolated Alaskan town still haunted by a cult’s legacy, this story grips from page one and never lets go.

Valorie Clemens is a complex, flawed protagonist whose struggle with trauma and dissociative identity disorder adds raw emotional depth to an already chilling narrative. The mystery unfolds through unreliable perspectives, twisted secrets, and jaw-dropping turns that had me questioning every character. No one is safe. Nothing is what it seems.

Monique’s writing is immersive and razor-sharp, painting an eerie, claustrophobic setting and diving deep into the darkness of both the town and the human psyche. Think True Detective meets The Ritual—gritty, gripping, and deeply unsettling.

It’s bold, unflinching, and completely riveting. Easily one of the best horror thrillers I’ve read. Get ready to be disturbed—and blown away.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.75

This was an interesting ride of murder, missing girls, a cult, all set on an Alaskan island. The characters were interesting, and learning about the history of some of the people in town leading into the cult was really interesting. Valorie was such an interesting character because she was so complex and has been through so much that you really feel for her. The plot drags a little at times, but it is still interesting enough to keep you turning the pages, and when you get towards the end, it does get crazy. Overall, it's a decent read!

I’m always hearing requests for a book resembling True Detective Season 1. Well this one is certainly one to look at if you’re tired of the Logatti comparisons! Superbly crafted duel (tri?) protagonists in this cult/cop horror. I especially enjoyed the trippy prose when Valorie would recede control.

The Red Knot was a crazy horror story that took me on a ride that I didn’t wanna get off. I RAN to request this on NetGalley and i thought ok I’ll just start a few chapters. I couldn’t put it down. The plot was captivating and bounced us delightfully and disorienting between the two FMCs Audra and Valerie. The dual POV and timeline really worked into creating a fast paced thriller that confused me (compliment) and threw me off the plot twists. i absolutely LOVED the ending and had to process it for days.
(Also compliment) Highly recommend!!