I absolutely ADORED the evil within. I love a good jumpy book and the evil within was just that, there was plenty of jumpy moments that would send goosebumps up my arms, I could also picture the cottage down to the country style kitchen and the countryside of Devonshire. I don’t want to give too much away- but please give this book a read it is gripping, spooky and thrilling!
Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Part murder mystery, part ghost story the Evil Within is a tale of a grieving man whom suddenly quits his job in London and moves to the isolated village of Slyford St James in Devonshire. Odd things start happening and as Jim becomes friends with local villages Jed and Emma and they begin to attempt to unravel the unsolved murder of a little girl. Thanks so much to the publisher and to Netgalley for the ARC.

I'll admit that I thought this book was weird when I read the first few chapters, but after a few more, I liked it. It was a bit slow & repetitive in places, but it was such a creepy story that I could not put down. It's not a traditional ghost story, but a murder mystery with supernatural forces as witnesses - sounds weird but it works.

This was a well-crafted novel, with a surprising angle to the paranormal side. The "ends" were all tied up nicely by the ending, which then surprised me. I enjoyed the setting, the characters were all believable, and I'm looking forward to more Dark Devon Mysteries.

The Evil Within by S.M. Hardy is set in London and the Devonshire countryside. When financier banker Jim Hawkes is reeling from the death of his fiancée two years prior, real life becomes too much to handle, so he makes a rash decision to quit his job and find some peace and solitude in a rented cottage in the countryside. However, this vacation isn’t at all what Jim was hoping for. As soon as he arrives, strange things start to happen, and a new friend appears, Jed the caretaker of the house. Jim is then introduced to Jed’s friend Emma, in which they realize Jim is more like them than he realized...they each have “the sight”, but Jim doesn’t believe any of it.

Odd things start to happen to Jim at the cottage, dangerous things, and Jed and Emma think there is a reason Jim was brought to this village. The cottage Jim is renting was the scene of an accident that killed a six year old girl, Krystal, however many believe it really wasn’t an accident. When Jim starts to experience dealings with the supernatural, he finds himself in a dangerous situation wondering if ghosts can really murder the living. Is this the breakdown he thought he was having, or are his experiences really what Jed and Emma believe will give the village the answers they have been looking for?

The beginning of the book pulls you in. You are driven into the psyche of Jim Hawkes, is he really going crazy or is he some type of clairvoyant that sees dead people? It was a fantastic ghost story that included some interesting characters and events, with just the right amount of creepiness to keep you wanting more. But the second half of the story fell flat. There was too much of being in Jim’s head where he repeated the same thoughts and sequences that became annoying. Then just when you thought the big ending was about to emerge, it never really happened. It became boring and confusing, which led the reader to not really know what was happening. The villain and ghost as well as I guess what would be the ‘host body’ quickly became too much to handle and I just wanted it to be over.

The book had potential, the beginning was great...but I can’t recommend anyone reading a book through the first 50% and then stopping., so I can only give it 2.5 stars. I would like to thank Netgalley and Allison & Busby publishing for an advanced reader edition of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A little slow to start, but I loved the way the supernatural elements are mixed in with the mainstream story in this book and I would like to read more. A genuinely different read

The town of Slyford St James is an isolated, forlorn places shrouded in a thick layer of swirling mist.
This parallels with Jim Hawkes' mental state. His mind in a constant fog, he is confused and uncertain about his own stability. Is he indeed having a breakdown or is something supernatural at play?

This is an interesting take on the traditional ghost story. The first half of this book was so good! It was atmospheric and creepy, there was a sense of foreboding as unusual characters were introduced and we glimpsed into Jim's internal struggles, and the pieces of the mystery surrounding the town began coming into play. However, the last half of the book lost momentum. The pacing, atmosphere, and storytelling that made the first half great faltered here, and it made reading from about 60% on tedious. I also found the ending to be incredibly abrupt and unsatisfying.

The Evil Within is a murder mystery wrapped into a ghost story.

Two years after the death of his fiancée, for which he feels guilt, Jim Hawkes has a sudden breakdown, leaves his job in the middle of a meeting, and moves from London to a cottage in the little village of Slyford St James, in the Devonshire.

Before he’s even finished unpacking, Jim Hawkes is witness to supernatural occurrences, the main one being the appearance of a little girl in red, Krystal, whom he learns died in the house he now occupies.

He meets Jed and Emma, two inhabitants who also possess « the sight », and is quickly convinced that he’s been brought there to solve the mystery of Krystal’s death, not everyone in the village believing it was an accident.

Of course, this would mean a murderer is still roaming free and Jim’s presence, along with his gift, doesn’t doesn’t please him/her much.

This is a clever book, masterfully written. It’s difficult to put down as, page after page, we learn more about the village, its inhabitants (and their nice and not-so-nice secrets), and the other villages around. S.M. Hardy (pseudonym of author Sue Tingey) manages to create a nice, and sometimes creepy atmosphere, compelling characters we quickly care about, words flowing in a slow rhythm fitting to the story.

This isn’t a « classic » ghost story. No cheap scares, turning heads or blood on the walls. The Evil Within reads as a mystery, some witnesses being ghosts, and some information being brough to our amateur sleuths by unconventional means. The mystery, itself, is quite engaging.

By the end of the book, we’ve learned to like Slyford St James and its citizens so much that it’s a pity having to put it down. Fortunately, it seems a little window has been left open for a potential sequel.

Thanks to Allison & Busby and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for this unbiased review.

Thank you to NetGalley, S. M. Hardy and Allison & Busby for this ARC.

This book was just ok for me. It was a well written good ghost story with a good twist, but it wasn't my favorite.

This was such a creepy, atmospheric novel! I really loved it all the way until the twist at the end that felt just a little unfair. Still, I'm looking forward to reading other books by the author.

This book had all the elements I enjoy in a story but I didn't like it. I think my main problem was with the main character Jim and his internal dialogue, it was too repetitive and angsty, dragging the pace of the book to a slog. Most of Jim's thoughts could have been cut out and this would of been a better story.

As it was though I was being beat over the head with the details, I don't need them repeated every few pages, I got it the first time.

This was an eARC from NetGalley and Alison & Busby in exchange for an honest review.
This is a sort of ghost story with a twist.
The main character Jim Hawkes was bereaved two years previously and decides to change his life and leaves his job and London and rents a cottage near the village of Slyford St James in Devon. There was an accident involving the family of the house he is renting which resulted in the death of their daughter. Jim moves to the cottage to relax and refocus but becomes involved in solving the death of the young girl. He wonders about his sanity when he hears noises from the attic, moving objects and voices in his head. He befriends two villagers Jed and Emma who tell Jim that they believe that he came to the village for a reason. They both have psychic powers. Fast paced, great characters and quite a lot of tension throughout. It kept me in suspense until the end. Will definitely be reading the sequel.

Top marks for the book cover. I really enjoyed the story. Different to those I normally read. It was well written and flowed well.

.Jim Hawkes is searching a bit peace and quiet after leaving his life in London behind. But in his new place he expriences strange unexplained things like noises. So Jim starts to go through the mysterys and look into the previous death of a young girl in his own attic.
I really liked the story it's written very well, I like the suspense and mysterious elements a lot and it's a fantastic and twisted story that keeps you reading.

This was an interesting take on a ghost story. It focuses on Jim, whose fiancee died a couple years back and who lost his high powered job after. He decides to leave London and move to the countryside for a while so he can regroup. The cottage he rents seems to be haunted, and he makes friends with a couple other folks in the village, Jed and Emma, who seem to also be able to see/interact with ghosts.

The story here was decent, with some truly scary scenes, but does require the reader to be able to suspend their disbelief. There is a good mystery involved, but don't expect it to be something that could happen to anyone. I thought the majority of the book was a little slow-moving- there were things that happened multiple times that would've have been just as meaningful if they had only happened once, and the reader is regularly introduced to what Jim is thinking, which got a little tedious as the book went on. The pace picked up a great deal in the last 10% of the book, which was a big difference from the rest of the book, maybe too much of an adjustment in pace.

I liked the connection Jim had with Emma and Jed, as well as their connection with each other. They were believable characters. All in all, a pretty decent ghost story. Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It’s been two years since Jim Hawkes’s fiance died, but he still hasn’t recovered. Believing all he needs is some time away from the world, he rents a cottage in the Devonshire countryside. But his new home is far from quiet. He may be living alone, but he hears something in the attic and catches the figure of a little girl in the corner of his vision. Emma and Jed, the new friends he has made, believe he was sent there by divine providence to solve the haunting and the mystery that surrounds it. This story is an interesting juxtaposition between a man’s grief and and his vulnerability to see what other’s cannot.

Thank you NetGalley and Allison & Busby for the eARC.
Jim Hawkes lost his fiancee 2 years ago and hasn't gotten over it. Plagued by terrible nightmares he leaves his job in London to recuperate in a cottage in a small village, planning to rest and get his equilibrium back. Unfortunately, things don't go to plan. There are strange noises in his attic, he sees a little girl who was killed and has a strange voice in his head saying some frightening things. He wonders if he's going mad. He makes 2 friends, Jed and Emma, who believe he was meant to be there for a reason; they also think he's psychic.
I'm in 2 minds about this book: on the one hand I liked the story, on the other I found his constant thought processes a bit tiresome, it became boring.
The ending was quite tense and I did like his romance with the daughter of the local pub's owner. I am curious whether the next book will continue with Jim's story and therefore would definitely read it.