I didnt know that this was the second book in the series and I haven't read the 1st one either.

I thought that this worked well as a standalone. I thought that the book was written well and the characters were just okay.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ebook for an honest review.

Another great book by Kristin Wright! I really enjoyed the second book of the Allison Barton series. Very well written legal thriller with a touch of humor. I loved how the author approaches sensitive and difficult topics.
100% recommend this series!
Thank you Thomas & Mercer, the author and Netgalley for an advanced copy of the book.

A legal thriller that poses the question of what secret is so important you would risk going to prison rather than reveal it. There's some well written courtroom scenes and some humor, some twists and turns and of course that tantalizing secret! Second in a series.

This is the second book in the series, and even though I didn't read the first one yet, I think this one reads nicely enough as a standalone. Book was well written, and even though I didn't really care for some of the themes of the book, I did enjoy the book and will read more in future. Recommended.

I really enjoyed this well-written legal thriller and found that the pages went pretty quickly whenever I got into it. The story is told in alternating chapters from the viewpoints of Jane and Allison and they are both strong characters. There are some tense moments as well as some humorous moments and also some heartbreaking moments as we learn about Jane's past.

I plan to read the first book in this series, The Darkest Flower, which is available free from amazon with a Kindle Unlimited membership. Personally I don't feel that I missed anything by not reading it first though.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer via Netgalley for the opportunity to read a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own. This book was published in April 2022.

This is a fast paced thriller that kept me interested and on my toes throughout. I really enjoyed it! I hadn't read book 1 in the series but I don't think that was a hinderance at all. Kristin Wright is a very talented author; there was humor and deep topics, all very well incorporated.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I chose this one in the “read now” feature because I absolutely loved The Darkest Flower. However I didn’t love this. It didn’t grab by interest.

Plot: Jane Knudsen, a fiercely private ice queen, hires former law school roommate, Allison Barton, as her attorney when Jane finds her boss dead at the law firm office. Allison knows Jane is hiding something, but how important are these secrets to the case? Does being distant and cold mean someone is capable of murder?

Characters: I love the parallels between the two female POVs, Jane and Allison. They’re strong in their own very different ways and their flaws are very relatable. This book also has a full cast of shady and untrustworthy characters in the sidelines. I questioned everyone’s motives.

Setting: Every scene felt realistic. Readers were given the details they needed to place us alongside our characters, but nothing excessive or distracting.

Conflict/Resolution: It’s a slow build until it’s not. The twists. The turns. The breadcrumbs of information and red herrings that I ate up. I loved the ride this book took me on.

Writing: This is an easy, bingeable read. The writing style balances description, dialogue, and action/plot.

Overall/Other notes: Thank you NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Kristin Wright for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Excellent writing and I loved the plot. I appreciated the humor also.
Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Jane Knudsen is an attorney who stands accused of murdering her boss after she arrives at work one morning and finds him dead. Jane retains her old law school roommate, Allison Barton, to represent her. The two women are both highly skilled attorneys but are very different in terms of who they are as people. They have not seen each other since law school. Allison, after agreeing to represent Jane, recalls that during law school Jane was an intensely private person whom neither she not any of their classmates ever really knew well at all.

The story twists and turns and is told in alternating chapters from Jane’s and Allison’s viewpoint, which is something I think greatly added to the level of suspense as the plot unfolded. Along the way, Allison discovers some shocking information from the past that causes her to re-evaluate her first impression of Jane and to begin to understand that Jane was not a standoffish ice queen as many of their law school classmates had thought, but someone who had legitimate reasons to have difficulty trusting other people and to prefer her privacy.

Both Jane and Allison are flawed and complex characters, which very much adds to the plotline. There are multiple twists and turns that keep the reader guessing and the story is both interesting and spellbinding.

Whether it be series or books, telling a story occuring, even partly, in courtrooms is very hard. There is an easy chance of it becoming too complicated to follow or too dry. Lawyers do investigate other avenues, either to prove their client is innocent or to divert the case from their guilty client. However, it can never touch the level of adrenaline one gets from the thrill of the chase that are frequently portrayed in police-procedural thrillers. "The Darkest Web" written by Kristin Wright achieves the rare feat of keeping the readers hooked to the book, in spite of it being a legal thriller.

This is the second book in the Allison Barton series. Allison is a small-town defence lawyer who is retained by Jane Knudsen, her former law school roommate, when Jane becomes the most likely suspect in the murder of her firm's senior associate. Inspite of them being roommates for a year, Allison really doesn't know anything about Jane. Jane is extremely attractive however she had always been reticent about showing her true self to anyone. Even in the law firm she works, Jane has the reputation of being a workaholic with no personal connections whatsoever.

Jane's secretive nature and her unwillingness to reveal herself to anyone, only makes her look more guilty to the police. How will Allison try this case? Does she believe that her client is innocent? If yes, how does she proceed in proving her client's innocence? Who is the actual murderer? What is it that big secret that Jane is reluctant to share, even if it means she might be convicted for murder? Read the book to get these questions answered.

Author Wright uses these two women as the pivotal characters to tell a compelling story of women's lost voices, untold anguish and the unfairness they are having to go through, every day they live. I don't want to give away even a small glimpse of the story but will just say this - the dark web is an important element in the story but the author's portrayal of it just about wrenched my heart and made me furious all at the same time.

I can't say the reveal of the actual culprit was too surprising - you can see it coming to a certain extent. But the way the story gets there is the novelty of the book. The author takes us through the various vagaries of human nature and their proclivities, exposes the darker sides of human nature, from the seemingly idiotic to the most cruelest, all the while making us see two real, feeling women, whom everyone of us cross by in our everyday life. I particularly enjoyed the dynamic between Jane and Allison; they start in quite a contentious place but end in a place of great personal growth. I loved the way the author makes the reader question themselves, their prejudices and preconceptions. I had quite a few insightful moments myself.

Overall, this is a marvellously written story of strong character sketches and great emotional connect. It's a book that is not to be missed if you love reading.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review and all the opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Interesting somewhat fresh take on a legal thriller. It's difficult to keep my attention in legal thrillers, frankly the law just isn't that interesting, but this book did an admirable job. I wouldn't call it particularly twisty but I didn't guess the ending. Good read.

Wow! Just one word to describe this brilliant book & series. Kristin Wright found the sweet spot of the mystery/ thriller genre AND it's refreshingly not a police procedural!! I knew I HAD to read this book after reading the first book - The Darkest Flower. And what a book! I loved the characters - Jane Knudsen and the plot. There was so much suspense behind Jane's past and the reveal is shocking! I couldn't tell who the killer was even a page before the actual reveal that's how unpredictable it was and I LOVED it! Allison Barton is a such a great character! Her approach to every problem is sensible and Kristin makes everything feel so real unlike other books where you can tell stuff's written for shock value. I love this book and series and recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley, Thomas and Mercer, and Kristin Wright for this arc!

This was a very entertaining and engaging book! The characters were interesting and intriguing! I found myself trying to guess what the next twist might be!

This story revolves around two women: Jane who has been accused of murder and Allison, her lawyer and previous law school roommate. You can't judge a book by its cover and that certainly applies to people. Jane seems to have it all; she's attractive and also smart, she's a lawyer. But she's hiding a secret that gives her motive for murder. I didn't realize this book was part of a series. This was my first read by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style. Now I want to get my hands on the first book in the series!

a very solid 4.25 stars!

The Darkest Web follows Jane Knudsen, a lawyer who is beautiful, cold, and guarded who finds her boss shot dead when she comes into work. This is obviously upsetting because who wants to be accused of murder, especially when they're hiding a deep, dark secret. This was my first novel by Kristin Wright and I was very impressed! I didn't know how much I liked legal thrillers, but between the ongoing investigation Jane and Allison got into while also trying to keep Jane out of jail, I was hooked! The only thing I didn't love was the ending, I felt like I was slightly underwhelmed. Regardless, will definitely be going back to read the first book in the series because the nuggets they gave in this one kept me intrigued 👀

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC!

Intriguing book which keeps you turning the pages long into the night. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book!

the book was actually really interesting i wasn’t expecting it at all i requested the book because i liked the cover and i thought it was so creative compared to others i’ve seen recently the writing was good as well i just wanted to see more plot twists.

When Lawyer, Allison Barton’s college roommate, Jane Knudsen, calls her up asking for legal representation Allison is surprised. Despite being roommates, the two weren’t particularly close. Allison felt like she barely knew Jane in college, and curiosity gets the better of her. Allison soon finds out that beautiful, smart—but intensely private—Jane has been accused of murdering her boss.
Will Allison be able to prove Jane’s innocence, or will this be the case she loses?


This is a good read for legal thriller fans who enjoy friendship dynamics and the day-to-day legal details of being a lawyer. Jane and Allison’s past friendship is revealed as the case progresses, and Allison needs more information to represent Jane. The story was well plotted with an engaging writing style. Really enjoyed the legal detail scattered throughout the book, which made the story immersive. The main character was a little too jealous which wasn’t the most likable character flaw, but overall, the characterization was good, and the main character had other redeeming qualities.

This is my first read from this author and I enjoyed it. The story was very interesting based on tragic childhood with a bit of murder mystery involved. I hope to see more of her work.