Massive thank you and shout out to Daniel G. Miller for the link to this ARC.

I read Orphanage by the Lake last year, and recommend it to pretty much everyone. To say I was dying for this one is an understatement!!

Hazel is back to face her first possible serial killer. She's been through a lot, and doesn't want to take the case. Until her boyfriend asks her to, that is. Then the whirlwind of jaw dropping clues and twists keep you guessing, right to the end. The characters are (mostly) likeable and solidly built with growth from the previous book, which makes it even harder to distinguish potential suspects.

This is another I will be recommending to anyone and everyone.

I finished The Orphanage By The Lake two days ago and upon putting it into my goodreads, realized it was actually part of a series!! Immediately I knew I needed to get my hands on The Red Letter. I was so disappointed that the release was pushed back to July but Daniel G Miller so kindly gave a link to his readers to access the book through Netgalley, early. Love him for that.

Everything I loved about The Orphanage, I loved about this book. The characters, chefs kiss. The twist, loved it. The overall story, easy to follow but still interesting af.

I'm hooked and I can't wait to see if there's going to be a book 3!

Thank you to Netgalley, to Daniel G Miller, and to the publisher for the ARC!

✨Review✨

The Red Letter by Daniel G. Miller

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

A DEAD BODY. A MYSTERIOUS RED LETTER.

This was such a quick and gripping read.
The opening scene is so dramatic and shocking that you will not be able to put this book down until the last word is read.

Hazel’s next case in The Orphanage by the Lake series, the stakes are even higher and more life threatening!

This book is so thought out and creative with many hidden meanings for the readers to find.

“The lies are in the street; the truth hides behind closed doors”

Will there be more?

Thank you to NetGalley, Daniel G. Miller, and Position Press for the advanced copy!

📆Release date: July 2025
🔪 Emotional
🔪 Suspense
🔪 High Stakes
🔪 Mystery

Great read from the start. Love how the story developed and the plot twist was unexpected. It was so hard to put down. This series needs a third book and Hazel should get a happy ending with Bobby

Hazel Cho is back again in this great follow up to The Orphanage by the Lake. The characters are written in such a way that they’re so likeable and different. I loved the length of chapters but unfortunately that meant I didn’t go to sleep when I should have done! I couldn’t stop turning the page and the ending did not disappoint.
I really hope Hazel has many more books to come. She’s an absolute delight.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. I would recommend to anyone who likes a good thriller with twists and turns along with a dab of dry humour.

I loved book number 1 (the orphanage by the lake) and I was so happy to see more from Hazel! I really like her character so it was fun to dive back in.

Book number 2 did in fact not disappoint (phew), i feel like the author really fleshed out the additional characters this time making the side characters more interesting. As always a surprise twist at the end which caught me off guard, in the first book I started to piece together the twist around the 70-80% mark but this time I was left befuddled!

If you like strong female leads who are stubborn and resilient then you’ll like Hazel, she’s been through the wringer but that never stops her from continuing on. I was happy to see this stayed true to her character arc throughout book 2.

Thank you for the gifted copy, as always I recommend both books in this series!

Publishes - July 22nd

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!

This was a 5 star read for me. I was hooked from the very beginning until the very end. The whole time, I was engaged and was trying to piece it all together. Every time I thought I knew how it was going to end, more twists were thrown. This book had me believing I was actually alongside Hazel trying to find out who the Red Letter Killer was. I love when a book is able to draw me in as if I’m living alongside the characters and experiencing the story in a visual way. Great read!!

I stayed guessing the entire time. I love when I don't figure it out immediately and this was that book. Hazel has a case about a serial killer? Yes please!

This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time! It all starts with a case that private investigator Hazel Cho reluctantly agrees to investigate— a dead body and a mysterious red letter. But the letters keep coming, and so do the mysterious deaths. Are they connected? Is Hazel in danger? I HAD to find out — I could not put this book down!

I opened up The Red Letter completely blind, with zero expectations, and got sucked into a sharp, suspenseful thrill ride that kept me flipping pages like my life depended on it. This was my first dip into Daniel G. Miller’s work, and definitely not my last.

Hazel Cho, our main character, is the kind of protagonist who sticks with you, not because she’s flashy, but because she’s smart, sharp, and just the right amount of stubborn. The story starts off at a leisurely pace (think: slow simmer rather than instant boil), but trust me, it’s worth the wait. Once it gets going, it really gets going.

I didn’t see the ending coming at all, which is a rare and beautiful thing, and Miller’s writing is quietly clever, layered, and confident. You can tell you’re in the hands of someone who knows exactly what they're doing. I hope this is only the second of many Hazel Cho mysteries to come. I’m officially hooked.

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 Poisoned Pen Press 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 #netgalley 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣.