DNF at 30% and not rated

Please look at other reviews for a more comprehensive look at the book.

I've been working on reading this story for weeks and while I loved the premise, nothing about the plot or the characters made me interested in reading any further. While there were some plot points I found myself invested in, the overall beginning of this story read as very dry rather than creepy.

I don't think I am the audience for this book and I can't bring myself to finish it to confirm.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read an e-arc of "A Dark and Secret Place" by Jen Williams. This book is set to come out 8 June 2021

Not gonna lie, this one wigged me out. I wasn't expecting the twists and turns, but man did they land hard. A Dark and Secret Place is an excellent book group choice or just a solo journey into the dark.

I finish most books, but I didn't finish this, I abandoned it 42% through, because I just didn't care enough about the characters and what was happening in the story.

I found it slow and plodding, rather than creepy. I tried to get into it, but it just didn't get under my skin, it didn't make me want to carry on reading..

There are plenty of positive reviews though, so don't dismiss the book based on my review - read the other reviews before deciding.

3 stars--I liked the book. (Content warnings for suicide and really, really icky animal violence. There are also tons of murdered women, but that's sort of the norm for this genre...)

I really enjoyed the dark fairy tales and folklore woven into this narrative--also the hints about creepy cults doing creepy things in the woods. I really dig those tropes, and I wish the book had fleshed this out more--what the cult was doing specifically, what they wanted, and so on.

I also enjoyed Heather, the main character, and her moments of fury. I'm not a violent person (I'm a peaceful wimp, really), but I was cheering on her moments of rage against men being gross.

A few things bothered me: this is yet another book that seems to glorify serial killers, making them and their unrealistic yet interesting methodologies the center of the narrative, and sometimes Heather makes some too-stupid-to-live decisions. Still, I was enthralled, and devoured this book quickly.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

An entertaining and thrilling story of serial killer genre. The plot and the suspense with the final twist is good. The characters are well written. But the events become unbelievable as the story progresses with no due explanations, so much so that I was wondering if it is a supernatural thriller. If that part is altered it would be an amazing read, with not many able to guess the suspense. 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

Just not my cup of tea, i found the characters laacking somewhat and the premise was a bit slow.

Many thanks to Net Galley, Crooked Lane and Jen Williams for my ARC.

I am someone who reads a lot of thriller books and can generally predict what happens. The ending was definitely not predictable and I was kept guessing through the entire book. Definitely not a “read alone in the dark” book!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A very entertaining and gripping book that is sure to keep you at the edge of your seat.

Heather, a thirty something year old journalist had no idea that her mother Colleen, who recently committed suicide had so many secrets, that is, until now. Upon returning to bury her now deceased mother Heather finds letters written by her mother to a well known serial killer Michael Reave. Intent to uncover the truth, Heather starts an investigation of her own. What she finds out is much more than she bargained for.

What I liked about this story was that it was not predictable usually in mysteries we could, about halfway into the story know what will happen but this story at least for me ended a bit unexpected.

If I had to make a criticism though, I felt that there were some parts in the middle that dragged and I would have liked more of Ben Parker especially toward the end, His character was quite good so I would have been more excited if he was more involved when Heather and Nikki went to Fiddler's Mill.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers and mysteries. I am sure you will enjoy it.

This is a dark and disturbing tale. Much like the fairytales that are intwined within this story. It takes a few chapters to get into it, but then the story begins to become interesting. Whilst this is a story about a serial killer, it’s different to most others in the genre. It’s paced much like a Grimm Fairytale, slow at first, atmospheric and then starts gaining momentum between present day and alternating with Michael’s back story. The villain(s) are quite clear in this story and most of it I could predict before the end. However there was one twist that I hadn’t worked out and it was a really good one, though the clues were there when you are reading. This is the first book I have read of this Author and I liked that it was slightly different to other books I’ve been reading lately in this genre.

Thank you to the Author, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for giving me a complimentary digital Advanced Readers Copy. I am voluntarily reviewing a ARC and all opinions in this review are unbiased and my own.

This book turned out to be too dark for me. The pacing was dead slow (no pun intended) and the creep factor was too much for my taste. Others will probably feel differently and enjoy the story. I volunteered to read the book based on its very good description, but wasn't up to the task. My apologies. Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane for providing an ARC for review.

I did enjoy this book.

Heather comes back to her childhood home to clean up her mother's house after her mom committed suicide. While cleaning she found a few letters and other memorabilia to connect her mom to a serial killer. The question of why her mother had a relationship with this man, is obviously the main plot of the story. And also , enters a lot of questionable behaviour of Heather trying to play detective. But, isn't that always the case.

I found myself more drawn to the back story about Michael. About how he ended up in prison for all these gruesome murders even though he's always claimed innocence.

There were a lot of why was this even brought up moments. Or, more so, a lot of I need more information. The folklore, the cult, what happened to the other people in the commune, the red coat, the mother, the babies. A lot of unanswered questions.

All in all, I do give this 3.5-4 stars. It kept me hooked, albeit it took a while to get super exciting there was enough twists and turns so it wasn't predictable.

I also see this turned into a movie one of these days.

Uhm, hello Jen Williams! Welcome to the Thrill-side, please stay and write a few more!

This is a beautifully dark fairy tale. I loved it.

Heather isn’t happy to be back in her hometown sorting through her recently deceased mothers things. As if dealing with her mother’s suicide isn’t enough Heather begins to uncover some pretty alarming skeletons - Like the fact that her mother was secret pen pals with a serial killer, and now someone is mimicking his grisly acts.

From there it’s a steep descent into the shadows of her mother’s past that leads Heather into the heart of the forest where her mother first crossed paths with her mysterious serial killer pen-pal.

Big thank you to Crooked Lane Books, Jen Williams, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novel has some definite creepy elements to it and is quite gruesome in parts, so this is not for the faint-of-heart reader. Readers who enjoy the serial killer genre will likely enjoy this novel. For me, it was a bit slow moving and repetitive in places and I had a hard time with the implausibility of various plot elements. I found the main character quite unlikable and there were loose ends that bugged me. Not my favorite read lately, but it was entertaining enough.

After her mother’s suicide, Heather turns home to try to make sense of it all. She’s not close with her mother, so it’s no surprise when dark secrets come to the surface. The longer Heather digs, the more danger arises.

That there was obviously someone spying on Heather was unsettling. What I didn’t understand was why she wouldn’t tell her best friend because it put her in more danger than necessary. The pacing gets a bit shaky towards the second half, but I don’t think it detracted from the book overall. Finally, the gruesome animal scene wasn’t really for me, but I’m sensitive to anything where the animal doesn’t come out the winner.

Heather was the perfect character to play amateur investigator because she had been through so much in her life. It gave her a firm determination to keep digging. The storyline hooks you from the start. Williams does well at creating a puzzling and dark atmosphere. Overall, this was an enjoyable read. Thank you, Crooked Lane Books, for sending this along.

I loved this!! It reminded in some way of Sharp Objects. Fascinating, dark, twisted and so so clever.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. 2.6 rounded up
Very dark and I didn't really like any of the characters. Heather just annoyed me.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost ran through my mind the whole time I was reading this book...this part specifically:
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

This one was full of twists, turns, and deep, dark secrets. I wasn't overly shocked by the ending, but the trip to get there was something else!!

This one is hard to write about without giving too much of it away. A great book for people who like mystery/thriller on the gritty, gruesome side.

A Dark and Secret Place is nicely put together – a mélange of mostly functional young heroine, a dead mother’s secret, and the old sinister version of Grimm’s Fairy Tales layered on top of serial killer’s backstory. I very much enjoyed this disturbing and dark read unfold.

I loved true crime and am absolutely fascinated by criminals. I cannot imagine finding out my mother was corresponding with a convicted serial killer. This is dark, scary and suspenseful. I highly recommend this as a book club read - the discussion points would be fantastic!

Following the death of her mother, Heather returns to her old family home to a place that she left at 16. Going through her mother’s things, she finds that her mother has been communicating with a serial killer for years. How come Heather didn’t know anything about this?

The reader is drip fed pieces of Heather’s own childhood and at the same time her mother’s connection to Michael Reave, a renowned serial killer who was convicted and jailed for life in Belmarsh Prison. The investigate journalist in Heather just needs to find out more so she tells the police what she has found, and they allow her to go and see him accompanied to see if they can glean any further information from him. Heather herself is fragile coping with her mother’s death and all the secrets she has kept from her. She is also creeped out by the noises of the house and the constant feeling she is being watched.

Some of the book had some areas that I really found hard to handle and had to leave the book aside to come back to later, which rarely happens when I read! Each time I put this book down, I found it hard to pick back up. I am not entirely sure whether it was the dark creepiness of the book or whether it just didn’t hold my interest! A very strong start and it had me hooked at the beginning of the book I really wanted to know the connection between Colleen and Michael Reave but towards the middle I got so distracted, I lost interest. However, the ending made up for this!

I recommend this book to people who like a dark, terrifying, scary read with a twist. Thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.