3 for neutral. Unfortunately, this book was too slow paced and I was not able to finish. If at a later date I am able, I will update my review. I am a very moody reader, so it likely is me, which is why I do the 3 for neutral.

This book starts off as a letter written to someone named Lucy. The author of the letter states he had been contacted many times by journalists etc wanting to know “ what really happened” 16 years ago. He exepresses gratitude for her asking for his version of the facts.
We then are told a tale of a couple Victoria and Daniel, struggling with a wife trying to fill a void in her life with one thing after another and a husband, Daniel, who is trying to keep her happy while dealing with a mother slow decline to dementia. His wife obsession turns to having a baby and when that fails they both look outside the marriage for comfort. Daniel starts a pen pal relationship with a young woman in prison who quickly expresses feelings of love for him.
This. book was really slow and I disliked how it kept referring to characters that you had no frame of reference for until the last two pages. I wanted several times just to put it aside but have been on a book slump and maybe it’s just me. I do not know what category this would fall under. It really dragged on with nothing happening, This one was not for me.
Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher fir the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

Let me thank NetGalley and the publishing house as well as the author for allowing me an electronic copy in return for an honest review.
So I set with this for a few days to process the story and what happened. So for that reason, I rate it 4/5 because if it's good enough to make me think about after it's done, I'm impressed. I don't want to give spoilers away, but I really like the way the author used our deeply-hidden prejudices against us. The fact of the main character finding an antipsychotic medication presumably used by the woman who just got out of prison for seriously injuring her (possibly/probably) abusive boyfriend. The author leaves us to label the "crazy criminal" ourselves which helps the author with the twist. Impressive. There are a lot of psychological suspense out there and many follow the same timeline but with different characters and settings. This one was different.

I found this book to be very slow and laboured until about two thirds of the way through and only picking up pace in the latter stage. It seemed to be a good premise but for me it failed to live up to what it could have been. Sorry this one was just not for me and I had to skim read over parts just to get to the end. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

This Little Dark Place by H.S. Hatch is an interesting thriller, I was hooked from the first page. This is the best kind of book where you start it, look at the clock and hours have passed and you’re nearly finishing with the novel!

Here’s the scoop:

Daniel and Victoria are together. They’re trying for a baby. Ruby is in prison, convicted of assault on an abusive partner.

But when Daniel joins a pen pal program for prisoners, he and Ruby make contact. At first the messages are polite, neutral – but soon they find themselves revealing more and more about themselves. Their deepest fears, their darkest desires.

And then, one day, Ruby comes to find Daniel. And now he must decide who to choose – and who to trust.

The story is structured as letters from Dan and there are some twists and turns which is what a reader whats in a thriller. I highly recommend this novel!

Out on October 10

First of all the blurb on the back had me first go. This book just captivated me and I didn't want to put it down. This was so well written.. I look forward to reading more of this authors books.( I hope they write more) . Be prepared for the roller coaster ride.

A l’instar de Dan, on doute de tout et tout le monde. On élabore des théories, on devient presque paranoïaque, on voit des choses bizarres… On voit trouble et on ne s’en rend même pas compte. C’est là tout le talent de A. S. Hatch. J’ai véritablement été surprise par les rebondissements. Et la fin, quelle fin ! Jamais je ne l’aurais vue venir. C’est une claque! J’ai adoré la note sur laquelle elle se termine !

J’ai donc passé un excellent moment avec cette lecture. Je n’ai pas vu le temps passer avec elle. C’est une bonne introduction à la plume de A. S. Hatch et il est sûr que je la retrouverai avec plaisir.

I’m very excited to be reviewing This Little Dark Place by A.S. Hatch. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review – all thoughts are my own. My initial summary of this book for you all is – buckle up bitches, you’re in for a ride. I had so many emotions while reading it – this usually consisted of worry, hate and not without a sprinkling of angst. So, if you’re sitting comfortably I’ll just delve straight in – band aid clean off.

Straight off we are getting the impression that Daniel has done something terrible. He’s writing a story to a girl named Lucy, who wants to get his side of the story. Intriguing. He tells the story of Victoria, his girlfriend and Ruby his pen pal. Ruby interestingly is in prison for assaulting her ex-partner, Lee. The first chapter packs a punch and sets up the premise of the story perfectly. My initial thoughts on Daniel starting up a friendship with Ruby was quite frankly NO WAY. Okay so that person could be completely innocent, but I’d constantly have that niggle in the back of my mind that they could cause me harm if they were ever to be released and wanted to find me.

A.S. Hatch has is goal in mind but sets up little Easter eggs within each character’s arcs. Daniel’s childhood was referred to multiple times and the author refers to violence and hatred in childhood. Can a childhood experience alter and defect a brain? Is rationality at home or is it a stranger? Daniel is a reasonable human being and Ruby ever so slightly crazy, yeah? His characterisations are complex and highlights the effect of isolation and trauma on the human mind. Dan’s childhood tainted by a vulnerable mother, an abusive religious fanatic who displays behaviours regarding sex that is deeply disturbing and with no doubt affected Dan’s perceptions of relationships and sex. I felt for Dan – he had it hard, but he also frustrated me at different points too. I wanted to find out why this trio were interconnected together, what was going to be the tipping point? I’m not ashamed to say that I couldn’t focus on anything else while reading their story.

Victoria is clearly a woman with issues herself. She seems deeply insecure and unsure what she should be doing with her life. Victoria is a character a lot of women can relate to whether we want to admit it or not. A lot happens between Daniel and Vic- failed pregnancy attempts, IVF, fears of infidelity, the death of their baby boy and the death of Daniel’s mother, the final nail in the proverbial coffin. Their relationship is doomed. Too much has happened, too much to forget.

The author has managed to balance the fine thread of strong characterisation with an absolutely insane plot with head spinning twists along the way. The strongest dynamics come between Ruby and Dan. They share secrets, fears, hopes but underlying is mistrust, anger and a realisation that – do you ever know someone? Can life in a virtual world be replicated in the real world? Ruby on paper has had it hard. A bad relationship with her father, she only has her twin to guide her through life, gets too attached to her clients and then she met Lee. An abusive partner who broke and grinded her down, enough was enough, her sister was going to help her escape. However, things go wrong and Lee ends up critically injured. Ruby is convicted which brings us full circle to her being in prison communicating with Dan. She’s quite obviously innocent, Isn’t she? I immensely enjoyed the way the author added complex layers to his characters to deepen and enrich the storyline, it was mesmerising.

Dan and Vic move further apart. Things from this point get cray cray. The last quarter of the book is most definitely my favourite. Things sky rocket out of control. Ruby’s character has seriously questionable issues. Who can you trust? Are things as they appear? The characterisation-sublime, the plot – out of control, the atmosphere – tangible. Even the house seems to be adding to the sense of mistrust and fear. Be prepared to go through a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s a good un.

This Little Dark Place is a story of epic proportions. Fear, deniability, and desire make a potent mix. The author has nailed the psychological thriller. Hold on to the edge of your seat, it’s brutal.

First of all, the idea of this book was really interesting. It's told from the perspective of Daniel. They are trying to have a baby with Victoria. He makes friends with Ruby, when he joins a penpal scheme for prisoners. From then on, we have a super good mystery in our hands.
I very much enjoyed this book. And if it hadn't been for the uneven pace between the beginning and the end of the book, it would be a 5 star. It was really slow at the beginning, but fantastic at the end.

I'd definitely recommend this mystery, and will look forward to reading more from this writer.

Thanks a lot to NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the change to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This story was a slow burner the first half is a little overly descriptive for me and it took a while to really get into the story. The second half was a lot stronger and I was completely hooked by the final 3rd. The story is told by Daniel who is trying for a baby with victoria when he joins a penpal scheme for prisoners and he strikes up a friendship with Ruby and what develops is a truly fascinating mystery.

‘This Little Dark Place’ is a dark, unsettling psychological thriller and I am trying my best to review this Novel without giving out the story, as it will be a spoiler of fun for my fellow readers!

Daniel, a carpenter and Victoria are in a relationship and they live in a quiet little town where nothing really happens. Dan is happy doing his carpentry works and lives in peace, Victoria though, gets bored often. She is often looking for something to do, something to kill time. But soon gets restless and does something weird. The list goes on, until one day she decides to get pregnant.

The couple try and try for an year, and an other. One miscarriage after another occurs, leaving Victoria angry and hopeless. Soon, the couple aren’t functional anymore. They hardly talk to each other and indulge themselves in other activities just to stay in the same house.

That’s when Dan encounters a program online called Inbox Inmates where people are allowed to talk to inmates in prison through anonymous network where their identities are concealed. Then one day he receives a letter from a female inmate called Ruby whose email intrigues Dan to reply her and this begins a weird relationship between the two of them.

Meanwhile Dan is devastated after the death of his mother whose long suffering Dementia only made it worse for the couple. Surprisingly, Dan inherits an old unused cottage cum shed from his mother, which is literally surrounded by wilderness. Dan decides to renovate and move in there with Vic, which is somehow the beginning and end of his life!

The whole novel is in the form of letters or diary entries written by Dan to someone named Lucy from an undisclosed location and a futuristic timeline (year 2033!). Since Dan is the only available narrator who is unreliable and wavering right from the start, the reader has no other option than to trust his perspective on the other characters including Ruby and Victoria. Adding to the mystery, Dan’s narration becomes a mirror of the reader’s thoughts, displaying the exact questions that are slowly creeping into the reader’s brain. As crazy as this might sound, this is one very intelligent tool used by the author to play mind games with his audience and he really aces it!

This book is highly psychological with a thriller element that creates an unease right from the page 1. It only gets darker and spine-chilling as the story progresses and A.S. Hatch maintains a steady pace throughout. Now as a reader, I am still shaky from my reading experience, as my brain wanted to quit this book and take a breath but I just couldn’t put it down! Definitely one of the unusually breathtaking books I’ve read and totally unforgettable.

I volunteered to review this book on Netgalley and thanks to the publisher for my E-Galley. All opinions are mine.

This raw psychological thriller left me on the edge of my seat. (Most) of the twists were new. The middle lagged a tad, but overall I found this novel to be quite enjoyable.

I seem to be in the minority when it comes to this book as most reviews rave about the book. The premise sounded like this would be right up my alley, but this took me way longer to read than it should have. I just didn't get into like I had hoped I would. Mostly because I found the main character, Daniel, to be rather pathetic and I didn't care how things turned out for him. I did like how the story was told, Daniel recounting the events of his life. 2.5/5 stars. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy of this book.

I’m always a fan of a good thriller! This Little Dark place was a good mixture of both suspense and psychology that kept you guessing. Some parts were just a dash predictable, but I absolutely enjoyed it. It was one I couldn’t put down until I finished it.

This Little Dark Place was definitely more of a slow burn than I was expecting, but it held my interest enough for me to keep reading. I liked how the story was told through a letter written by Daniel to a woman named Lucy explaining the events of his past, although in some areas the formatting was a little confusing as it jumped from past to present. The passages with Daniel set in the future, which I know were deliberately meant to seem vague and make the reader unsure where he was living, were still awkward for me. They featured two male characters who weren't developed and contributed nothing to the plot except to add confusion. The rise in action and tension towards the end helped make this a 3 star read for me.

# This Little Dark Place # Netgalley
Wow what a excellent book, it takes you on a journey you definitely will not be expecting. Why did Danial start writing to the prisoners pen pal site in the first place. Why did he start to write to Ruby, of all people he could have chosen from. However you never really know who you are writing too really in that situation. I actually asked myself. Surely if a pen pal site is what you want to do, but why write to a female when your in a relationship trying for a baby. Why not a male, if your motives are harmless. Ok a nice thing to do. I hear people probably saying. However why are you revealing your inner most secrets. It’s full of twists turns, also danger. What a rollercoaster of a ride you will have with this book

What a good read. I read this in one sitting and couldn't put it down. It is written in a very cool format, the main characters whole life is written in a letter. I very much enjoyed this book. I did figure it out quite early, but of course I only knew part of the story and had to keep reading to find out the why.

Great book, would definitely read another book by the author.
I was given this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

Probably more 2.5 for depressing the hell out of me

This book is a very slow burn and the formatting of it is a bit confusing. It doesn’t really differentiate between the alternating of timelines though it became easier to differentiate that as time went on.

The writing is fine, good even, and the characters are interesting (though not highly likable and sometimes frustrating). Prepare yourself for no real action until the end of this story, though there are some twists and surprises along the way.

It is unclear who Lucy is (and no clarity comes until the bitter end) but I wasn’t as excited by this reveal as some reviewers were. By then I was just ready for this to be over. Would I try another book by this author? Maybe, depending on the topic.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Serpent’s Tail / Profile Books for a copy in exchange for a review.

Title: This Little Dark Place

Author: A.S.Hatch

Pages:288

Genre:thriller

Oct.10,2019

An emotionally raw and compulsively readable psychological thriller. A powerful tale of obsessive love and stealthy betrayal, full of twists that jolt you right up to the end.' - Alice Blanchard, award-winning author of The Breathtaker

'Carries the reader along with a sense of foreboding, with a shocking twist at the end.' - L.F. Robertson, author of Two Lost Boys

'A breathless page-turner with gathering tension throughout.' - Rebecca Alexander, author of A Baby's Bones

How well do you know your girlfriend?

How well do you know your lover?

How well do you know yourself?

Daniel and Victoria are together. They're trying for a baby. Ruby is in prison, convicted of assault on an abusive partner. But when Daniel joins a pen pal program for prisoners, he and Ruby make contact. At first the messages are polite, neutral - but soon they find themselves revealing more and more about themselves. Their deepest fears, their darkest desires. And then, one day, Ruby comes to find Daniel. And now he must decide who to choose - and who to trust.


My thoughts

Rating: 5

Every now and then a book comes along that holds you captive from the very first page when that happens there is not letting go , this story is told in a unequal way that it makes it feel a bit dark and twisted and your seen it though one of the main character's eyes. There's no way I can explain why I liked it as much as I did but there's something about this story that just grabs you and won't let go , and that's the type of story I love to read ,the ones that gives you goosebumps and make you stay up late at night reading , as for the characters there the type of characters that make you rethink everything you think you know about them as well as the story. Its has the right type of mystery, suspense , and the question of who should you truest when you write letters to people . Plus it also makes you ask do you really know yourself as well as you think you do . With that said I want to say thank you to Netgalley for letting me read and review it exchange for my honest opinion .

This book was very well written. Nice and easy to read and flowed well. Had me on the edge of my seat. Wondering which way it was going to go. Great mystery can’t beat it.