So what would you do if you find out after your mother passes away that she has been in contact with a convicted serial killer since you were a baby.. Letters that make it seem like at the very least they were friends..

Well Heather is curious enough that she contacts the police and wants to vist him.. HIs name is Michael and he goes by the Red Wolf.. However he has always claimed that he was innocent, and refused to talk to the police.. but when other women start dying and when the bodies are found they very much mirror the Red Wolfs, could it be that he was actually telling the truth and hes innocent, or that maybe there is a copy cat out there..

This book definitely hooked me from the beginning, Michael was a very interesting character, and even though at times I wanted to smack Heather for her decisions I understood how much she needed to know about her mothers past, and how it shaped her into the woman Heather grew up with..
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I really enjoyed about 90% of this book, I had no idea who the killer was or what was going to be revealed.. I dont want to spoil anything for a future reader but the ending left me feeling vaguely unsatified, we get the answers about why these specific women were being targeted, but not about the past which put the future plans in motion..
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All in all I did really enjoy reading this story and will read more by this author in the future.

This book was a DNF for me. I love books about serial killers but this one was really lacking the interest that pulls you into a story. I also hated how the beginning was so confusing. Lots of characters and thoughts that made it hard to get oriented to the narrative.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I'm going against the tide and give this one a mere 2.5, rounded down to a 2, out of 5. Parts of this novel read like a batch of bad, gory Grimm's fairy tales. - just a gruesome sell-out to those who love evisceration, decapitations, and dismemberment. Certainly not my cup of tea.
The interior monologues went on and on, and Heather somehow manages to vanquish all these brutish monsters on her own. I kept thinking to myself: this is nonsense.
I get that this will be a great read for horror fans, but despite a promising beginning - which even had me hooked - the rest of the story kept chasing its own tail and the characters didn't come across as real or plausible.

Wow, I've gotten lucky with 2 good thrillers in a row. I used every free moment I could find to fly through this as quickly as possible--I just had to know what was going to happen. It would definitely be a 5 star, except I felt that the ending was kind of confusing, and I didn't ultimately figure out the why of why all this happened. What was the purpose? (SPOILER ALERT) They basically made women have babies so they could adopt them out and murder them when they were adults? I don't get it.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

What an amazing thriller this was!!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This book definitely had me guessing around every turn. I literally had no clue how it was going to end or where each new clue was even leading me!! And let’s just say I definitely didn’t expect the ending. I had a few things that I guessed might happen but otherwise I was totally intrigued the entire length of this book.

The book follows Heather, whose mother has committed suicide. She was never real close with her mother but she finds herself back in her childhood home and is trying to uncover the reasoning behind her mothers suffering. She soon discovers that her mother was in contact with a serial killer for almost Heather’s entire life.

Heather being the journalist she is gets too deep into the investigation of her mother, the serial killer and the new deaths that have recently started that mimic the serial killers old ways. But, the killer is in jail so who could be responsible for this new round of killings???

This story takes Heather on a dangerous investigation where she very well likely may get herself killed as well...

I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller as a little bit different type of book than my normal fantasy reads 🙈 it still was super good and I am glad I got the opportunity to read this eARC.

I want to thank NetGalley, Jen Williams and Crooked Lane Books for a copy of the eARC for my honest review!

A Dark and Secret Place comes out June 8th so if you love yourself a good mystery/thriller I would totally add this to your TBR!

Straight away the premise had me hooked; a woman discovers that her mother has been corresponding with a serial killer as though they are kindred spirits. Then there's the underlying folklore theme, which gives the story a bit of mystery and depth. The calls back to nature and mud and feathers makes the whole book feel particularly creepy.

I think a Dark and Secret Place sits somewhere between crime and horror. Whatever the sub-genre is, I'm into it. There were moments when it was genuinely spine-chilling -- figures in the trees, old tales of wolves, and an overall creeping feeling that Heather is always being watched. I was on edge the whole time reading (in a good way).

Then there's the backstory of Michael Reave that comes to light. Never quite said explicitly, but we all know what happened by the end. That's showing, not telling at its finest. Overall, this book has vibes of The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks and Secrets of a Serial Killer by Rosie Walker and I won't be surprised if it's a big hit this year.

This book was woven with folklore, a fraught mother-daughter relationship and a serial killer. The premise was really good. A daughter finds out her recently deceased mother has writing to a serial killer.
It was well executed and quite satisfying.
Recommended!

Thanks NetGalley and Jen Williams and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC of A Dark and Secret Place
This story was ok, story line was good but it missed grabbing my attention
Heather has returned to her mother's house. Her mom has recently passed away and Heather has to deal with her affairs. Luckily she has her best friend for support. Heather stumbles across some letters in her mom's house and realizes she's been writing to a man in prison for years. Now she needs to start digging, how well did she really know her mother. And what she uncovers is not at all what she expected
Good story line, I recommend the book, but just didn't grab me from the start.

Some family secrets are buried deep within shadows and looking into these dark corners can lead to disturbing discoveries. For Heather Evans, such secrets change everything she thought to be true. Growing up, her relationship with her controlling mother was strained at best, resulting in Heather leaving home as a teenager. Then, her mother commits suicide, an act that seemed completely out of character. Heather returns home to a community she no longer knows and to a cavernous house rich with creepy shadows and sounds. While going through her mother's belongings, she discovers a cache of letters that reveal that her mother has for many decades carried on a correspondence with the brutal serial killer Michael Reave, also known as “The Red Wolf.” Why? What is their seemingly affectionate connection? This begins a journey in which Heather digs into her mother's past while aiding DI Ben Parker as he tracks a newly-minted "Red Wolf” who mimics the actions of the incarcerated original. The story, which has many Gothic overtones, is well-plotted and packed with intriguing characters. Highly recommended.


DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Jake Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series

I really enjoyed this story. I choose it for its cover and was not disappointed in the writing. I will definitely be on the lookout for more from this author.

Bone-chilling! I figured out some things but there were others that were so crazy!
Heather is a former journalist returned home after the suicide of her mother. She begins the process of going through her mother’s belongings and happens upon a hidden tin of letters from a serial killer in prison Michael Reave, dubbed “The Red Wolf”. This is an absolute shock to her. Though her and her mother were not close, she could never have imagined this. When a body is found staged the same as the red wolf had done cut up with flowers inside, Heather knows she must do something. After encouragement from a detective, she meets with Michael to try and gain some insight into who this copycat is.
She travels to the woods where they met and researches the history of the place but the more she finds out, the more she needs to know. Someone is scaring her and taunting her but she is determined to find out the truth about her mother and Michael.
The deeper Heather ventures into the woods, the darker the secrets are that she uncovers!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 Stars

This was a great thriller with a few twists and turns. Heather's estranged mother commits suicide and when Heather goes home for her funeral, she discovers that he mother has been pen pals with a serial killer for longer than she's been alive.

I liked the characters. I liked the setting. The writing is wonderful. The gore factor is amazing! I think the predictability is there, so I deducted 1.5 stars for that and for not explaining why Heather left home when she was 16. I think it would have made sense to go back in time to Heather growing up with her mother and showing the strain in their relationship. I feel like it was an overarching theme, but you don't really get the sense of how bad their relationship was.

I look forward to checking out more of what Jen Williams has to offer.

A special thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Jen Williams for providing me with an ARC.

I’m not quite sure what to make of this novel because there is so many bad people. I’ve read about serial killers often being abused as children, but in this book, SO many people are raised to be deranged. I don’t mean the kind of damage that can happen when a kid is raised in a cult or with bad parents; I mean the folks in this tale are lunatics. The Grimm fairytales are mentioned more than once in the story, and it does have that incredibly dark feel to it that the Disney-fied fairytales most of us grew up with don’t have. So I guess if you’re in the mood for that you might like this, but mostly I just wanted it to be over.

I am a big horror movie buff and greatly enjoy mystery/thriller novels. That being said, I absolutely love this book!! The opening with Michael as a young child drew me into the story. It made me pity his character and I wanted to know what would become of him.

Heather is a strong female character and a likable leading lady. I did not see any of the twists and turns coming. This book was not predictable in the least. So many surprises-the commune, her mom having an affair with Michael, she has a twin! Her dad is the red wolf! This book not only draws you into the story but with the amazing detail and imagery-you feel like you are actually there inside the book.

Heather Evans has returned to her family home following her mother's suicide. Heather struggles with feelings of guilt and regret, having left home when she was 16. She and her mother had a deteriorating relationship, but now her mother is gone, having taken her own life and Heather has to return home filled with grief, to organize her mother's belongings. She starts to find odd things such as bird feathers and flower petals and the ominous signs are just beginning. She finds her mother had been having correspondence with notorious serial killer "Red Wolf" who brutally killed women and carved out their hearts. It appears that they're relationship was a close one.
She calls the police and DI Ben Harper is on the case with Heather, while it seems a copy cat killer is also on the loose. Heather must face her past demons to find the truth in this clever and eerie psychological thriller!
4 stars.

Upon her mother's suicide, Heather returns to the small blinkered town from which she fled at at 16, never planning to return. She did not even have a key to her mother's house, something which was immediate fodder for the locals. She was not at all at ease staying in this house that held the fear, sorrow and anger of her childhood. Confused as to why her mother would jump from the cliffs to the her death on the rocks below, Heather went about the business of going through the house to sort through all the belongings left behind. TO her shock, she found letters, many years worth, which were written to her mother from a serial killer. Letters which gave every indication that she was close to this man and that he knew of a time her mothers life that Heather had no knowledge of. Did this notorious killer know why her mother killed herself? Could he tell her more about her mother's secret past? Heather, an unemployed journalist, had to find out. At the same time, more women are being killed in identical ways. Copycat killer? If so, who?
A Dark and Secret Place is a psychological thriller which brings heather through both her mother's past and her own present. It is well written and drives you through the course of the story. In tone and mood (only), it reminds me a bit of His/Hers by Alice Feeney, which I also enjoyed. Readers will enjoy A Dark and Secret Place.
My thanks to Crooked Lane Books, Jen Williams, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was “thrilled” at the prospect of reading this book. It sounded like an exciting fast paced mystery. The story was gripping at the start but then it went down a weird rabbit hole and I couldn’t fully enjoy it. Some of the characters were so underdeveloped they were basically stereotypical caricatures. Also there were some very dark, triggering moments in the book like animal torture scenes, etc. that made me not like the book as much. I just thought it was overkill and I would have preferred to not have to read that. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to do an honest review.

Your mother has committed suicide and left a cryptic suicide note. While in your childhood home preparing for the funeral and trying to figure out what to do with your mother's belongings, you come across a bundle of letters hidden in the attic. Your mother had been corresponding with someone for twenty-five years, which means the correspondence was occurring when you were a child and when your father was still alive. The correspondent is Michael Reave, aka the Red Wolf, a notorious serial killer. Not only does it make no sense for your mother to have been corresponding with a serial killer, but there is an active copycat who is murdering women at a much faster pace than the original Red Wolf. That is the situation facing Heather Evans in "A Dark and Secret Place."

When Heather informs the police about the correspondence, the lead detective asks her if she would be willing to talk to Michael, in the hopes that he will inadvertently reveal some clues to the identity of the current killer. Heather agrees to this request, wanting to meet Michael in the hopes of learning more about her mother's past, as her mother apparently has a history that is starkly at odds with the person she knew.
A Dark and Secret Place", which is a thoroughly creepy story, follows Heather's efforts to uncover her mother's past and the connection to Michael. Interspersed throughout the book are chapters about Michael's childhood. The author does a wonderful job of portraying the creation and evolution of a serial killer. The plot draws you in and keeps you entangled, wanting to keep reading to find out what will happen next. There are a number of good plot twists -- some of which I figured out or suspected before they were revealed and others which came as a surprise. If you like creepy thrillers, this book is for you.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Unfortunately, did not get along with this story or the characters.
Heather returns to her mother’s house following her death, and she discover letters between her and a serial killer, the “Red Wolf”. Now she is trying to uncover her mother secrets.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

Oof, this was creepy! I *love* thrillers, but I almost couldn't finish this one-- the first half was so supremely unsettling that I couldn't read it before bed (which has never happened before!). The second half, despite being more climactic, didn't scare me as much, and I was able to push through-- and I'm glad I did! Lots of twists.