THIS LITTLE DARK PLACE is the compelling new debut from A.S. Hatch that had me hooked from the first page. It was different from what I expected, although I really didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't the dark and twisty ride that it certainly turned out to be. The reader is left questioning just what exactly is going on which keeps you guessing right up to the end. Nothing is as it seems and leaves only more questions. Even Lucy's identity wasn't forthcoming to me until just before the end...

The story begins in a unique way narrated solely by Dan in the form of letters to someone named Lucy, taking readers on a journey throughout all that lead up to where he is today. He shares the harrowing days of trying for a baby with Victoria and all her superstitions she has attached to falling pregnant. She becomes completely obsessed with it all. Her wardrobe soon only exhibits orange clothing; changing her diet to promote fertility; joining a gym; taking up yoga; but the one that hurt Dan the most was when Victoria stopped visiting his mother with him. That particular superstition was one that saw you cut off any friends of loved ones that were ill or on the brink of death. Victoria loved his mother and she loved her...but Victoria's desire to fall pregnant was far greater than her love for Ivy.

Then one day, the news they have been waiting for - Victoria is pregnant! They are both elated and overnight, it appears the old Victoria is back again, as they begin to plan the nursery and for when the baby comes. Dan is a carpenter, like his father before him, and he decides to surprise Victoria with all the necessary baby furniture - made by hand by him. He spends days and nights secretly working on them - a change table, a cot, a rocking chair for Victoria to sit in whilst nursing their baby. When he had finished, he planned to surprise Victoria when she returned home from the gym. But instead, they argue...and he never got to share the surprise with her. Later that night he finds Victoria in the rocking chair in the nursery...but nothing prepared him for what he would find.

In the midst of the turmoil he found himself in with Victoria's obsession of having a baby, Dan ultimately found himself somewhat superfluous...and incredibly lonely. It is during this time, whilst cleaning out his inbox that he discovers an email inviting him to join a virtual pen pal program called Inbox Inmate, where people exchange letters via email with prisoners. At the height of his loneliness...or maybe it was more like rock bottom...Dan fires off an email one New Years Eve. He never thought anything more about it. Until a few days later he finds a reply in his inbox from a prisoner named Ruby.

It isn't long before Dan and Ruby are exchanging secrets in their letters; deepest their fears and their darkest desires. Dan finds himself looking forward to Ruby's bright and cheery letters as opposed to the indifference he receives from Victoria.

Then when Dan's mother Ivy dies, Victoria doesn't even attend the funeral, and soon Dan learns that his mother had a cottage in the country that he knew nothing about. He drives out to this isolated cottage called Lanes End and upon finding it dilapidated decides to renovate it himself to something resembling inhabitable for he and Victoria to move into. The cottage finally ready, packed and ready to go, on the day they are to move in Victoria drops a bombshell - she is not going with him. But moving in with her personal trainer Scott.

Dan is devastated. Making the move himself, he soon becomes something of a hermit at Lanes End, cutting himself off from everyone and speaking to no one. This was meant to be a new start for him and Victoria...and instead he finds himself alone.

Added to that, Ruby dropped her own bombshell prior to the move - she was in love with him. Not knowing how to respond to that, he decided to do nothing at all. Having been rebuffed by his silence, Ruby becomes irate in her emails to Dan demanding an explanation...but he says nothing, ignoring her.

Until one day, Ruby comes looking for Dan...and never leaves. Soon, Dan finds himself questioning her motives. Who is she really? What does she want with him? Why is she here? And can she be trusted?

Woven throughout the story of Daniel's past is the one from his present - in jail. We see another tale unfolding throughout his letters to this Lucy and we are left wondering just who can be trusted? And who is Lucy? Can she be trusted?

There is so much unfolding throughout the pages of THIS LITTLE DARK PLACE, and the unique style in which it is written is a wonderfully clever concept. The entire story is told through a series of letters to the aforementioned Lucy, although at times it doesn't seem so...but rather more like it is happening as we read.

There is such an isolation to this story that is almost claustrophobic and the descriptions are chilling in parts, particularly of those surrounding Lanes End.

My only complaint is with the ending...I felt all that tension building was a bit of an anti-climax that simply didn't do the rest of the story justice. It felt a little rushed and a bit of a let down when compared to the love, pain, grief and obsession throughout. I thought it would have been a little more elaborate and satisfying.

A twisty tale of love, obsession, grief and betrayal, THIS LITTLE DARK PLACE is compelling debut that is both addictive and suspenseful.

I would like to thank #ASHatch, #NetGalley and #SerpentsTail for an ARC of #ThisLittleDarkPlace in exchange for an honest review.

#TheLittleDarkPlace #NetGalley
Loved the book. It made me guessing till the end. Daniel's character is awesome, although other supporting characters are also of equal importance.

What an interesting premise for a novel - very creative! There was an amazing buildup and a surprise ending I could not have ever predicted. I love surprises and this novel did not disappoint!

It has been a few days since I read this book and I am still not over the uneasiness that crept in from the time I turned the first page. I am still looking over my shoulder and mulling over the darkness of this captivating page-turner.

Writing to prisoners never sounds like a good idea. Well, unless they are your relatives or friends but definitely not strangers. Daniel is a married man whose marriage doesn’t seem to be working out. Things go haywire when he decided to contact an inmate. What started as an innocent exchange of letters soon spiraled way out of control.

I think unsettling is the word that aptly explains this book. There was something foreboding right from the first chapter. I knew things would go wrong though I didn’t exactly know what. There was a heavy atmosphere surrounding the characters. In addition, the setting did amp the tension. Once the character moved to a secluded cabin in the woods and Halloween approached, things could only get darker.

A Little Dark Place by A. S. Hatch is twisty, captivating, dark, memorable and quite a page-turner. This is a story of love, betrayal and obsession. Assume nothing.

Told in the form of letters to a woman the reader knows only as Lucy, This Little Dark Place is, at its core, the story of how seemingly small, everyday things can build and build into an actual psychotic break. How that break plays out and who is affected is really little more than the luck of the draw.

At the beginning of the book, Daniel is living a very ordinary sort of life. Living with his girlfriend Victoria, they are trying for a baby in hopes this will fix the ‘something missing’ in their relationship. This part may be painful to read for anyone with triggers relating to conception issues and miscarriage, it should be noted. Struggling with a difficult reality, Daniel joins a pen pal program for prisoners and starts communicating with Ruby, who he begins to feel is the only person who really understands him. Unsure if her version of the events which led to her being incarcerated is the absolute truth, though, he never really trusts her, which leads to his eventual downfall.

I did figure out fairly early on where Daniel ended up; considering the time frames involved, it was fairly obvious, but there were a lot of twists and turns to the story and Lucy’s identity did remain a mystery to me until the big reveal. This is a classic ‘unreliable narrator’ novel, but Daniel does come clean in his letters with the entire truth eventually being revealed. The action is pretty slow to build and to be honest, the prose often felt pretty overblown for, supposedly, what someone would write in letters, but I did enjoy the read. Four stars.

A story told through the letters written by the protagonist, who had himself been a pen pal to a former inmate. A different plot and a good page turner. Very nicely written with no downsides. Though I could guess one part of the suspense it still kept me going. Finished it in one day. 4.5 stars.

Loved this dark and twisty story. Kept me guessing until the end! I love how this is told in letters. So different. I couldn’t figure out who to trust! I kept going back and forth! I love not being able to predict much

How can you not like this book from the cover and title alone?! I mean y'all… A.S. Hatch hit this one out of the ballpark. I literally was invested from the first page which is the kind of book I want to read. Y'all need to go check that out!

This Little Dark Place by A. S. Hatch I just loved and was hooked after reading just a few pages. This is an excellent psychological thriller and an excellent read. Daniel and Victoria are trying for a baby without any success for over a year now. One miscarriage after another occurs, leaving Victoria angry and hopeless. Victoria has now become obsessed with becoming pregnant and the internet has become a good friend for what to do to become pregnant. They find it hard to talk to each other and they both start to do other activities outside instead of spending time together in the same house. Soon the couple become very distance between each other and Daniel doesn't know what to do to make Victoria happy.

One night he joins a pen pal program called Inbox Inmates. This is where people are allowed to talk to inmates who are in prison through anonymous network where their identities are concealed. He starts to write to someone called Ruby. She is convicted of assault on an abusive partner. At first it was all innocent and very polite however, they soon start to open up to each other in these letters and start to form a bond between each other.

Dan is very close to his mother who is suffering from Dementia and is devastated when she dies. Surprisingly, Daniel inherits an old unused run down cottage from his mother, which is literally surrounded by wilderness. He did not know his mother owned this. He decides to
renovate and move in there with Victoria as their lease to their house is coming up to renewal.

Sadly Victoria and Daniel still drifts apart and she spends more time at her parents than at their home. Daniel needs to decide what is best for both of them.

What does he do?

Does he try to save their relationship or walk away from it?

Then, one day out of the blue, Ruby comes looking for Daniel.........Daniel's world is getting complicated.

Does Daniel become close to Ruby?

I Highly recommend this book.....Its a page turner and will have you wondering what is going to happen to Daniel's relationship with Victoria and Ruby.

Big Thank you to Serpent's Tail, the author A. S. Hatch and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

This book was dark and intense. With twists and turns that will leave you gasping for air!! I loved it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

This Little Dark Place
By A.S. Hatch

The reason why I took off one star is because since this novel was written to Lucy by Daniel I didn't get invested in the character's until Daniel and Lucy start writing to one another. It took me that long to see Daniel's character development. I just didn't get drawn into the story and feel the warmth when the characters take possession of me and I forget that I"m reading. In the beginning while Daniel describes his life with trying to give Victoria a baby felt flat and without emotion to me. Either that or using Daniel as a narrator whom I did feel was a flushed out character; Victoria' whom was Daniel's partner who was trying to have a baby, her character development was non-existent. It was the same way for the other minor characters such as Gordon or Robbie.

I can understand that the author was using one long letter format as his writing style. I didn't get pulled into the story until Ruby's character was introduced and even more so until she shows up unannounced on his doorstep at Lands End. Victoria who had so much trouble getting pregnant and when she lost it to that terrible miscarriage was also flat and didn't evoke any emotion out of me unless the grisly description of her holding onto the dead fetus. The only reason I kept reading was because the writing flowed nicely and because of the so many positive reviews. Plus I had a feeling things would really get interesting when Ruby Daniel's Inbox Inmate showed up on his doorstep. I was right I couldn't put the novel down when Ruby and Daniel both met in person and their interactions with each other. It wasn't until the near end of the novel until I gained a real appreciation and enjoyment of this story.

The reason for my four star rating was because I loved the ending of this novel. I thought it was brilliant and phenomenal. I didn't find this story as creepy or chilling but more of a domestic noirish story. After finishing this book all of the loose ends came together for me. The final reveal of who Lucy was by Victoria visiting the trial was outstanding I look forward to what this author writes in the future and I am so happy that I stuck it out and finished this novel. As a whole after thinking about the cumulative impact of the novel in its entirety I think that this was clever, fresh and unique. A perfect Halloween read.

Thank you to Net Galley, A.S. Hatch and Serpent's Tail Publishing for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A mystery that meanders around with the pacing of a slice-of-life play (think Fences). I promise there is a crime involved eventually but it will take plenty of pages to get to it in This Little Dark Place.

Daniel and Victoria are trying to have a baby. It is not going well. Victoria throws herself into exercise. Daniel joins a prison pen pal program, where he meets an attempted murderer named Ruby. From there, their life starts spiraling downward.

I really disliked the pacing of This Little Dark Place. However, the plot and the characters forced me to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. We know something does because the book is a letter from Daniel to someone named Lucy. He is attempting to explain what happened. The biggest mystery is who is Lucy. Most of the other twists are pretty broadly foreshadowed. Overall, a compelling read that I still feel only deserves 3 stars from me.

Thanks to Serpent’s Tail and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This Little Dark Place….really is dark….it has a slowly growing sense of tension, the feeling something bad is coming,

I must admit to, initially, getting a little confused as to who was who, but it soon became clear.

Daniel is writing a letter, it tells of his life with Victoria. They have a quiet life, Daniel makes furniture and Victoria wants a baby. But the sadness of miscarriages causes them to drift apart, barely speaking to each other anymore.

Daniel decides to join a penpal scheme, where members of the public correspond with prison inmates, until one day, he gets a reply from Ruby. A strange and slightly bizarre relationship begins.

The chapters are written as letters between Dan and Lucy, where we here only his side to events…..who is Lucy?

I won’t say much more, as I would hate to spoil this wonderfully, dark and genuinely creepy, goosebumpy, psychological thriller.

Thank you to Serpents Tail, the author and NetGalley for a free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review.

When I saw the description, I knew I had to take it. Written in 3 sections: Victoria, Ruby and October, this poignant, captivating and compelling psychological read lived up to and more to every expectation I had for this book. Narrated through the letter by the protagonist Daniel to a mysterious person, Lucy, whose identity is revealed in the most heart touching way as possible, it was every bit of a read I needed!

Daniel and Victoria are together and they are trying for a baby. After many unsuccessful attempts, they depend on IVF, which fails leading Victoria to emotionally distance herself from Daniel. She gets indulged in public forums on social media for women who are unable to conceive. Finally, she conceives and it leads to a terrible miscarriage one night. This breaks Daniel, whose mother is in her final days suffering from Dementia. After Christmas. his mother dies living him a cottage which belonged to her abusive second husband, Frank. Victoria seems to be having an affair with her fitness coach after getting into a fitness regime after someone advised her, on the forums. Daniel knows this and Victoria knows that he knows this but he wouldn't say anything. He makes plans of moving into the cottage with Victoria, as a new start. To cope with loneliness, he joins a penpal program for prisoners. There, he meets Ruby, an art therapist who has been convicted on an abusive partner, with whom he shares an emotional bond during their exchange of letters until one day she confesses her love for him. The plot moves ahead until one day, Ruby comes to visit him. He has to explore the dark, complicated threads connected to one finale.

For a debut, this book is truly fine as wine! Every character in the book is constructed with a finesse that it captivates and indulges you into itself. It turned out to be a quick read, a read which you do not want to put down. So many unexpecting twists and each one just around the corner going unnoticed for the reader's eyes. You know when you have read to many mystery/thrillers that you just go on and unearth every mystery kept under? It's like your mind is a spoiler. It ruins half of the fun when you guess right but reading this book felt like I am experiencing the psychological thriller genre with new eyes.

This book gives you very strong emotions and it is a gripping tale well told with all the vividness! The book is filled with fall's essence, eerily creepy. The best Fall read of my life and nothing anyone will say will change it! I absolutely cannot wait to read this again and again. That's how remarkable this book is! #InLoveWithThisRead

Recommended: To everyone looking for a perfect fall read and every psychological thriller lover out there, this book is for you!

I just can’t get through this. It’s supposed to be a thriller but it’s not thrilling… at all. The main character just goes on and on and it seems like there’s no point to the groveling. Maybe had I read further the story would come together and become more exciting, but it’s not worth the boredom and a potential reading slump. I acknowledge that this book is simply not for me which is why I gave it two stars; the book is not bad but it could not keep my attention and as far as I had read, I would not consider it a thriller. I really enjoyed the idea that the main character was writing to a prisoner, but it was not enough for me to continue reading. Even though I did not enjoy nor complete this arc, I am extremely grateful to have been allowed the chance to read it.

Chilling edge of your seat thriller so well written so tense an author to follow,I was immediately drawn in by the characters the storyline highly recommend,#netgalley#serpentstail

When I first read the synopsis I was immediately drawn to the book, and glancing at the front cover I knew I was in for a twisted read. The novel did not disappoint.

When you first met Daniel you are ultimately drawn to him. You hear about his father's death, his step-fathers' controlling nature, the early years with Victoria and their struggle for starting a family and you are left feeling sad and sympathetic towards him. The story continues with more heartache and it really sets the scene for the whole novel. Daniel's voice is so poignant that it is hard to feel nothing but compassion and tenderness towards him.

As Victoria changes you are once again led down the path of routing for Daniel and willing her to leave so that he can find peace and happiness elsewhere. The cottage becomes a haven not only for Daniel but for the reader. Then the novel shifts gear slightly as Ruby enters his physical life. Alarm bells are ringing and you suddenly feel very protective of Daniel and want to shake him into action. He needs to rid himself of Ruby. Can she really be trusted?

Hatch very cleverly adds tension to the build up and you feel yourself bracing for the shock or climax, which is just around the corner. The twist, although subtle, is good and all the pieces slowly fall into place. Something that had been bothering me suddenly all made sense and really fulfilled my expectations and enjoyment of the novel.

A very big thank you to Netgalley, Serpent's Tail and A. S. Hatch for this dark, twisted and psychological novel which I loved.

This is my honest, unedited feedback.

This dark thriller is what I always go back to. I loved how I kept wanting to read until the very end. If you’re looking for a book you can finish in a day, pick up this bingeworthy read.

As soon as I see the words "psychological thriller" I'm ALL in! This Little Dark Place is a debut novel by A.S Hatch ...

I feel like a bit of the magic was lost on me at the beginning because my kindle copy was very choppy which left me confused. My copy didn't have chapters and at times things felt a bit run on. With that being said once I found a rhythm I was invested and didn't want to put it down. The characters were very well developed and intriguing, the storyline was interesting and one that absolutely played with my mind. All the twists and suspense I crave in a thriller! I was questioning the story, and at times so sure I had it all figured out ... I definitely went back and forth. Overall this is a solidly written thriller that I enjoyed and I would read more by this author.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and publisher for my review copy.

I struggled to read this book. It was all over the place. I couldn't connect to any of the characters and ultimately did not care what was happening. The story was just long and boring. I kept hoping that something interesting was going to happen but nothing ever happened. The main character rambling throughout the entire novel was just meh. I finished the book but honestly couldn't tell you what I read. I also couldn't tell the difference between the story and the letters/ correspondence. There was no transition which made it hard to decipher what was going on. This one just wasn't for me! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.