This is the first novel by Jen Williams I've read, and I can't wait to read more! This book kept my on the edge of my seat. Somewhat of a slow build but after the first few chapters it picks up. There are plenty of plot twists and Williams does a good job with the pace of this book. Perfect for all mystery/thriller lovers!

*Thank you netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book to review*

Woohoo! This book was fantastic! Mystery, thriller and too much suspense, Jen Williams has a very particular style, her books have always made me shudder, and this was no an exception, I loved the story, the plot was twisted and dark, Heather is the main character, so good constructed, with a strong personality, the story is told in two different times, and to be honest all the time I was looking for the connection between them, I loved the mystery, because while I was reading I even get paranoia of not being the one they are been watched.
If you like thrillers and mystery, I highly recommend this one!

DNF

Will not post a rating or Goodreads

I am about 50% in and have no desire to continue.
Cults, Communes and Ritualistic killings are not topics that I care to read about.

I thank the Publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this one early and apologize that I am not the right audience for this book.

A Dark and Secret Place has more twists and turns then a mountain road. I wasn't sure if I was going to like the book because of all the different pieces of the puzzle that made the book. It starts with the homecoming of Heather after her mother's suicide. Heather doesn't believe that her Mom would ever commit suicide. While cleaning out the house she finds some letters between her Mom and the infamous serial killer the Red Wolf. The mystery of her mother truly begins for Heather. I actually enjoyed this book a lot more then I thought that I would. If you can be patient while the story builds and keep up with all the turns in the story you will totally enjoy this book.

I really enjoyed this story. I devoured it in two days! The setting is so creepy and eerie. Admittedly, I've always found serial killer storylines fascinating so I was hooked from the beginning. There is a lot going on, so at times, it can be a little overwhelming. There is a good deal of mystery with some twists and turns. The ending was so fast paced and exciting, I couldn't put it down. This is the first book I've read by Jen Williams and it certainly will not be my last. I highly recommend!

**this review will not be shared on goodreads or Facebook book club reviews**

I picked this book up so many times and could only read a few chapters at the time before by interest disappeared. I just could not get into it.
The beginning was so gripping but that was pretty much it.

Thank you so much though for allowing me to give it a go.

Jen Williams creates an eerie, dark, suspenseful story of murder, serial killings and adds touches of free love, drugs and hippie culture from years ago. Moody and dark, Heather Evans is trying to deal with her mothers suicide and the events leading up to it when she discovers her mother has been corresponding for years with an imprisoned serial killer. At the request of the police, Heather agrees to meet with the killer to glean more information as a “copycat” killer strikes repeatedly. Just who is the Red Wolf?
The storyline gets a bit muddled with all the visits to the prison a story repeated visits by the strange neighbors. Maybe too many themes going on at one time?
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

A Dark and Secret Place is the first book I've read by Jen Williams, and it was right up my alley, so I'm looking forward to reading more of her work. This novel is creepy and very well-written, and I didn't see the ending coming at all. I liked that the book went back and forth between the past and the present...it was such an effective way to tell the story, and it was nice to get the perspectives of more than one character. I really enjoyed A Dark and Secret Place, and thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for giving me a chance to read it and helping me discover a great new-to-me author. : )

It took me a few days to finish this book and not because it wasn’t well-written but because it was so gruesome. I’m not a cult fan and add to the horror of some scenes it was a little much for my stomach. I finished it because it was well articulated and I loved finding all the clues dropped along the way. When it was brought together, there were twist that I didn’t see coming.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book for a review.

This is my first read by this author, although she has been on my to read list for years. I quite enjoyed it as it was quite a quick paced thriller/horror/mystery.

I found myself quickly pulled in and couldn't stop turning pages. While I felt like the backstory could have been better established for both the main character and the killer as I still had some questions at the end, overall it was a decent storyline, with good characters and I will be checking out what else she's written.

This is one of the more scary books I have read in awhile! Filled with dark woods, menacing dogs, creepy killers and a 70's hippy commune to boot what was not to love!

Heather comes back to her childhood home after her mother's suicide. While going through her mother's things, she discovers a hidden tin full of letters of correspondence between her mother and a notorious serial killer Michael Reave, The Red Wolf. He has been in prison for over twenty years for the gruesome and ritualistic murders of several women. After Heather turns the letters over to the police, she is brought in to the investigation of a new string of murdered women that are showing up dead in an eerily similar fashion. Seemingly there is a copycat killer on the loose.
What did her mother know? Why did she kill herself? Why was she sending letters to a serial killer?

I was a little confused at the beginning not realizing that the book was going back and forth from past to present, but after the first few chapters it all came together. So stick with it and soon it will all make sense. I would like to thank netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The kind of thriller I live for! Spooky, gothic thriller/mystery that gave me goosebumps.

The plot follows Heather, a confused woman in her thirties, returns to her family home after her mother's suicide. She really never hoped to come back to this place after her father's death and the truly destructive relationship she had with her mother. Heather thought of her as a monster, but now she's dead, so Heather feels more confused and guilty than ever. The gothic house feels haunted and eerie, and she'd h=rather be anywhere else.

But then... Heather finds her mother's correspondence with a literal serial killer. And it seems like they were pretty close. Could he have had something to do with her death?

Oh my. I loved everything about this gothic thriller. We've got an eerie house, possibly a haunted setting nest to the forest, a notorious serial killer with a possible copycat, ritual murder, and an overwhelming sense of unease throughout the book. It literally took my mind off of everything else in my life as I devoured this novel compulsively, from which I'm really thankful to Crooked Lane Books.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review,

I had to stop this one and not finish. I just couldn't get hooked after several chapters in. The writing seemed very disjointed and not something I could follow along with.

Got this as an ARC from NetGalley, my thanks to the publisher and the author.

Overall a decent story idea, different from your usual thrillers. Frankly the short description of the book was what drew me in. The plot development though was on the weaker side, with Heather questionably solving a serial killer crime that the police could not solve, even though the clues that the main character followed were basic and blatant and should have been through the minds of the police.
The plot was also fairly predictable. One could easily guess that Heather was Michael’s daughter.
The story though was too long for my liking. It definitely could be much shorter. A few of the chapters felt unnecessary to me and could have been left out or at least shortened to make it less chunky to read and yet would not make any difference to the plot, like the romance with Ben and the funeral.

Following the suicide of her mother, Heather returns to her house to organise the funeral and sort through her things. To say that she had a difficult relationship with her mother is putting it mildly. The atmosphere is established from the outset; frosty, gloomy and full of foreboding. This is compounded when Heather finds some letters to her mother from a serial killer ‘Michael Reaves/Red Wolf killer, currently residing in Belmarsh prison – clearly they had been corresponding for years. And so begins Heather’s involvement into the mysterious Red Wolf murderer as prompted by the police, she visits Michael in prison.

This is a fairly complex plot, weaving fairy stories, fantasy, murder and the history of the spooky house, deep dark woods and hippy communes and disappearing girls. So one would expect this to be exciting, scary and satisfying. Regrettably I did not find it so. In all honesty, for my taste, it was over-egged. Predictable situations and too much about the woods and nature; it just left me bored. As for characters – the police officer was less than discrete and Heather - I have no words to describe the many ways I found her wanting.

Absolutely huge apologies to the author. Just not my thing it would appear. Fear not though, most reviews are glowing.

Thank you to theauthor, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

What a great spooky read. Heather comes home to take care of her late mother’s affairs. While going thru her things she finds some letters to her mom from a man that isn’t her father, after questioning who he is she finds out he’s a serial killer known as the Red Wolf, and upon finding out about Heather Michael desperately wants to meet her. This fascinating thriller goes between past presents and all the spooky Grimes fairy tales in their original form.. As Heather works to figure out her mother’s past she puts herself in the sights of another or is it the real Red Wolf? Buckle up grab your comfy clothes and turn on all the lights to read this spook fest.

I really thought this was going to be a 4-star read...until everything I liked about the book vanished.

Heather returns home after her mother shockingly commits suicide. There were no signs to look out for, and she can’t wrap her head around it. While clearing up her mother’s home, she finds a tin with tons of letters...written to her mom...from a serial killer named Michael Reave.

Michael is serving a life-sentence in prison, even though he’s always claimed innocence. Why in the world was her mother communicating with this man? What was she hiding? Now, when a body is found in a similar fashion to the old ones, Heather starts to dig into her mother’s past as the police try to figure out if Michael knows more than he lets on about the current kill.

What I liked:
-The initial setup is gripping. I was very interested to see where the story would go.
-A few parts were generally creepy, which I don’t often feel while reading.
-It’s atmospheric, and the writer did a good job making me feel a sense of dread.

What I didn’t like:
-Heather’s dialogue was a bit obnoxious at times.
-I love books with amateur sleuths, but once Heather started investigating, all of the suspense dissipated.
-There’s so much going on, and it’s hard to process. The book touches on a commune (more like a cult), haunting fairy tales, a mysterious woman in a red coat, suspicious neighbors, and much more.
-The ending shoved so much down my throat, and I’m still not even sure what happened. I do know that it was a bit OTT though.
-There’s a sad and disturbing scene involving animals (around 30%). While I understand why it’s in the story, and that in and of itself didn’t effect my rating, I feel I should mention it.

2.5 stars. There are many positive reviews for this book, so please check those out as well if you are thinking of reading it.

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

Jen Williams’ writing is simply superb and A Dark and Secret Place keeps you fully entertained. The characters are well liked and the plot has enough twists to keep you engaged until the end. I always try to solve mysteries myself as I read them. Although I identified one character, I was not able to figure the full mystery before I read it. I throughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone whom devours mystery novels.

Haunting, is what I would use to describe this book. It is definitely a thriller with lots of twists and turns that keeps you reading. Williams creates a new level to this genre by creating a story based on serial killers, family relationships, dark fairytales, and British folklore. And while there are gory parts that can be hard to handle, I thought it was a great read. Even though I am now currently afraid of the dark again!

This was an atmospheric, well-executed murder mystery with an interesting heroine at its dark heart. Although I found the POV switches a bit of a pace-killer, the mystery was absorbing and worked best during the book's most compelling scenes, in which Heather talks with an incarcerated serial killer. The fairy tale aspects were a nice touch, and the ending is genuinely horrifying.