After learning about her mothers suicide, Heather returns to her family home. Imagine her surprise when going though her mothers things she discovers she had been writing letters for years to a serial killer in prison. This book was a little too dark and slow for me, but there were a lot of twists and turns. Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

Heather returns to her home town after news her mother committed suicide. When going through the home she deaconess that her mother has been corresponding with a serial killer for her entire life. Heather’s passed away year prior and she is mad with her dead mother for her secrets and lies.

The serial killer dubbed the “Red Wolf” was charged with several awful murders however he still claims to this day he’s innocent. With approval from the police Heather decides to meet with the serial killer and ask him questions about her mother so she can piece together the missing parts of her mother’s life.

That’s when another woman goes missing. It can’t be the Red Wolf as he’s been locked you for 20 years. Her journalistic skills kick in and she meets with people from her mother’s past and Heather discovers that everything points to the woods. When she puts everything together It’s too late to call for help. She must the murder all on her own!

Holy moly this was one wild ride. It had me hanging on the edge of my seat.

What would you do if you found out your mother had been pen pals with a notorious serial killer since before you were born?
Heather discovers a cache full of letters to the infamous "Red Wolf" in her late mother's attic, and struggles to reconcile the parent she knew with the dark secrets she'd kept hidden. Motivated by the possible existence of a copycat killer on the prowl, the police allow Heather to interview the "Red Wolf" in prison to see if he can shed some light on who the new murderer might be.
The author is highly adept at sprinkling creepy, spine tingling bits throughout the novel. It if full of things that go bump in the night, mutilated birds, and dead bodies left in disturbing tableaus. But the better part of the novel is focused on Heather's multiple interviews with the "Red Wolf," who unfortunately doesn't provide a lot of information.
The ending is full of action though. However, I felt it was a bit rushed and didn't necessarily explain everything. The book could have done with an epilogue. There was also a critical character who is not introduced until the last few pages. This made the ending somewhat unsatisfying.
All in all, a decent and eerie read with lots of atmosphere.but maybe a few too many moving parts.

My thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I love crime thrillers and when I read the description I knew this would be a perfect read.

In the book, Heather comes back to her hometown after her mother has committed suicide. She tries to piece together her mother’s life before she died and why she had been writing a serial killer over the years. Heather becomes an armchair detective that works with detectives to track down the person or persons murdering local women.

I really enjoyed how the author leaves breadcrumbs throughout the book of the killer Little Red Riding Hood and the bad wolf. She also does a great job painting picture of scary murders and creepy scenery. The back and forth from past and present helped build up the background of how he turned into The Red Wolf. The author also gives the POV of the murdered women which adds to the thriller. You will be yelling at the book...Run girl, he’s in there!!! The book pulls you in as soon as you start reading and ends with twists that you won’t see coming.

👀 minor spoilers below 👀

The things that I didn’t like -
1-The beginning pulls you in but then goes into a slow crawl. I had to push through to continue to read. Once the story starts to pick back up it’s hard to put down.
2-The small very short romance between Heather and the detective added nothing to the story and could have been left out.
3. The plot between her and Diane could have also been left out. It wasn’t believable in the way Heather made choices in their discussion. She wouldn’t have made such a poor decision and you could see the outcome a mile away.
4. I do like scary movie troupes but this book has them all which can take away the focus on the main plot.

This is the first book I’ve read by Jen Williams. I look forward to reading another book if she continues to write thrillers/mysteries.

Good 🎖🎖🎖

Thank you NetGallery and Crooked Lane Books for this great ARC. In return I am submitting my voluntary opinion and review.

I am posting this review on my Goodreads account promptly and will post on Amazon on publication day (6/8/21).

A serial killer is targeting young women. After he kills them, he arranges flowers onto the corpses. He cares more about them dead than alive. The gruesome discoveries mimicked the same pattern once used by serial killer, Michael Reave, the Red Wolf. Yet, Michael is in prison, so who is killing them?

Heather Evans comes back home after her mother commits suicide. She’s saddened by her loss despite not being close to her mother. She left home when she was sixteen.

While cleaning her mother’s things, Heather makes a discovery. She discovers correspondence between her mother and the famous serial killer the Red Wolf. She doesn't understand her mother's connection with him and she starts investigating her mother's past. A past she might not want to find out after all.

I hate to say it but I didn’t enjoy this one. Not sure if it was the slow delivery or it was because I didn’t think that the characters were interesting enough.

In my opinion, something was lacking with the premise.

Cliffhanger: No

2/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Crooked Lane Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Heather returns to her family home following the unexpected suicide of her estranged mother. While clearing out the house she finds some letters from a convicted serial killer. Heather (with the help of a detective) visits the killer in prison to find out more about her mother and their connection as new cases are mounting up and the police suspect a copycat.
Although the synopsis appealed to me the book didnt grab me in the way I wanted it too. I couldn't identify with Heather ( although I did enjoy her chats with Michael) however I would still look for more books from the author
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for advanced copy for an honest review

My thanks to Net Galley for the arc.

Heather Evans returns to her hometown because her mother committed suicide. Going through her things, Heather discovers her mother was writing letters to Michael (The Red Wolf) Reave, a serial killer. Why? That is what Heather keeps asking herself, why?? Further investigation leads Heather to pictures of her mom with Reave on a commune together. In between that there is another story where a young woman is found murdered and displayed the same way the Red Wolf displayed his victims.....but he is in prison? Do we have a copy cat? More questions for Heather and DI Ben Parker to discover. This was not a bad thriller. My issues with this, I believe I may have gotten an uncorrected copy because right in the middle of the chapters I would see the name of the title of the book, and a random name, Jen Williams , with a number next to.it. Book flowed real well but some of the characters did not seem fully developed.

This was a great twist on the serial killer story - one that I found fascinating. The story itself is very atmospheric, suspenseful and twisted in ways I didn't expect. Without revealing the twist, this has a different take on things and it worked!

If you're looking for a read with murder, mystery, family drama, and 'monsters', this book has it all.

I really wish I could award half stars because this book really deserves to be 3.5 stars. I had a very hard time getting into this book, maybe I should put it more as a slow start but I really enjoyed the last half of the book. Am I the only person who initially thought this book waa about werewolves? Ehh I'm probably the only one.

Jen Williams has a very unique writing style. She uses so much vivid wording that it really spurs your imagination when reading. I really appreciated her extremely detailed style.

Thank you Jen Williams, NetGalley, and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC!

A very sad story but gripping. Why has Heather's mother been in contact with a serial killer for over 20 years, and why did she commit suicide. The tale has a lovely flow to it, characters are descriptive and complex, the scenes well thought out. I read it in 2 days, was eager to see the finale and it was well worth the effort. Dark and foreboding it will keep you hooked to the end.

A new twist on the serial killer theme - definitely worth reading! I read a lot and see the same themes over and over, this was a well done plot kind of combining the serial killer, cult, and family mystery all woven together. Characters were well developed and flawed, which I like since you get tired of all the perfect people in some novels. May not like them or agree with them, but they are more human and give a better story. If you like a good mystery with relatable people - you will like this one.

A Dark and Secret Place was a unique thriller with plenty of twists.

After her mother’s shocking suicide, Heather Evans returns home and discovers a stack of letters from infamous serial killer Michael Reave. Known as the Red Wolf, Michael was convicted for the gruesome murders of several women.

When bodies start turning up dead in the style of the Red Wolf, Heather agrees to talk to Michael in prison and try to get some answers about who her mother really was, who may be responsible for the current murders and what darkness really drove her mother to kill herself.

This novel had a lot of strong points including a unique story line and a creepy, intriguing pace. There was a lot going on (a serial killer’s backstory, a lot of talk about a commune, some fairy tales and a lot of characters). The chapters are also told from different perspectives (Heather’s, Michael’s and various women that have recently gone missing) and it becomes a lot to keep track of. I found Heather to be a bit unlikeable as a protagonist, coming off as pushy and abrasive during some parts. While I enjoyed the story, I found the ending to be very rushed, packing in a lot of major twists in a short amount of time. There is also a romance aspect that wasn’t fully fleshed out and, as a result, felt unresolved/unnecessary in the end. A good atmospheric read, but not one of my favourites.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advance copy of this e-book in exchange for a review.

This book had all the makings of a great story but it was just ok for me. Heather Evans returns home after her mother commits suicide. She finds letters from convicted serial killer Michael Reave in her mother's belongings and decides to investigate especially when new bodies of women killed in the same way start appearing. The story moves between "before" and present day to tell the story of how everyone is connected. The build up was so slow that it wasn't until more than 60% into the book that it picked up. The writing was good and the setting creepy but I felt like there were a lot of storylines left unfinished.

Heather has returned for her mother’s funeral and having left home at sixteen is wondering why her mother committed suicide. Her mother was a cold person who Heather was not close to but after going through her mothers things - who was this woman?
This book starts well and although I found the middle part a little rambling it was a readable thriller.
The plot which does have twists was somewhat predictable.
This would be recommended by me as an easy read

A truly scary, spooky read. I had my heart in my mouth at several places in the book. Compelling and beautifully written. Not a run of the mill thriller, very different, with interesting characters. I loved this book. Highly recommended.

This was a fast and interesting read for the most part, but I found the denouement a little far-fetched. Also, the detail about the red coat was just baffling to me. I realize that I'm focusing on an odd detail, but still--she kept her coat on? It just seems like that was a detail shoehorned in for the plot.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing this review copy.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
Heather returns home when her mother commits suicide after having been estranged for awhile. As she goes through her mother's belongings, she is surprised to find a tin of letters to a serial killer. Stranger still is that murders have been discovered recently, in the same style as that of the imprisoned killer.
Overall I liked it, but it was a bit unrealistic in places. Some parts were predictable, but there was enough suspense to keep it interesting.

A dark story about Heather Evans, an ex journalist who returns to her mother's house after she died through suicide. The suspense is built up gradually, in the beginning Heather has a strange feeling that something is not right. Never having had a good relationship with her mother, she starts to investigate the life she led which led her to a serial killer and the site of a former "hippy commune" .
The story dragged at times, but became fast moving towards the end when everything fell into place. I, personally did got get the impression of terror that some other reviewers mention, but this is certainly not a cosy crime novel. The story mostly follows Heatherin the present time, but also delves into past events which provides some explanation about the murders, both in the present and the past. Definitely a book which stays with you for a few days, though not one which gave me nightmares.
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review. This is one of the better thrillers I had read more on time. You grow so fond of the characters, even the bad guy. One of the more unique subplots. Beyond five star

I really enjoyed this book! There are plenty of twists and turns, and the writing style is atmospheric and matches the very dark, creepy tone of the book. One of the twists was completely jaw dropping and unexpected. Recommend for fans of dark psychological thriller or even horror. The serial killer is beyond sadistic but I appreciate that the author does not use rape as a plot device. Our murderer is more Hannibal Lecter.