I really enjoyed how fast paced this book was. It didn’t take long for me to get into it and become invested. The only part that was confusing, was keeping track of who was talking. Because the book was so fast paced there were multiple characters being introduced in a short amount of time, and it was a little hard to keep up. That challenge didn’t last though, in a short time it became easier to understand who was talking. I think the backstory of the characters and their personal drama really added to the book. Near the end of the book, I gasped audibly with what was happening. I did not expect the ending at all. I would say this is a definite must read!

I was hooked from the moment I started reading The Woods At Dusk.

Detective Bailey is racing against time to find the real killer because even though Colin was seen fleeing the scene holding a gun he does not think he is the killer. He just can't believe a seventeen-year-old could kill his entire family.

Now, Bailey must figure out who Colin is protecting before the real killer gets away murder.

Great mystery!

The Woods at Dusk was okay. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it

Pro's
Interesting plot
Twists and turns
A truly crazy bad guy
Under 300 pages, which is a quick read!

Con's
It felt rushed, like chunks of character development were glossed over
Didn't really connect with any of the characters, Bailey would have been my fave
At times seemed a little farfetched
The character's stories felt unfinished

So while my con's definitely outweighed my pros, it's not like I felt like it was a waste of my time, I just probably won't rush out to read another one of her books.

Also, just putting it out there, I didn't get the relevance of dusk in the title


Thanks NetGalley for the book in exchange for my honest review

#NetGalley #TheWoodsatDusk

A wooded area where a person wipes out a whole family.
Detective.Bailey believes the young boy is protecting someone.
What are the motives to take his mother and the others.
A puzzling cases to read as it unfolds, and to enjoy reading
Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion
for Net Galley and Joffe

The woods at dusk by Kate Watterson.
Detective Chris Bailey Book 2.
No motive.
No weapon.
No confession.
One suspect.

It isn’t every day that Detective Chris Bailey is handed a triple homicide.They may have their share of problems in the scenic wooded hills of Tennessee, but news that a young man — a child, really — wiped out his entire family sends a ripple of shock through the whole community.Seventeen-year-old Colin Simon is witnessed fleeing the scene, gun in hand. He’s arrested for murder, but refuses to explain any of it. Not even what he did with the gun.The police have their suspect, so is it case closed?The victims were Colin’s mom, stepdad and grandma. He swears he didn’t do it and he had no reason to kill them.Bailey suspects there is more to this case than meets the eye. Who is Colin protecting? And how far will they go to hide the truth?Detective Bailey is in a race against time to catch a killer.
A very good read with good characters. Likeable story. 4*.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of The Woods at Dusk, the second novel to feature Detective Chris Bailey of a rural Tennessee Sheriff’s Office.

17 year old Colin Simon is arrested for the murder of his mother, grandmother and stepfather. All he will say is that he didn’t do it, but refuses to explain or offer mitigation. Neither Chris Bailey nor the prosecutor believe he did it, but he’s not helping himself.

I wasn’t overly enthusiastic about the preceding novel, The Lake House, but The Woods at Dusk is much more to my taste with greater emphasis on Chris and his investigation. I found myself getting really engrossed in the narrative and rooting for Colin.

The plot isn’t particularly realistic (and I can’t say why without spoilers), but it’s exciting and highly entertaining, so swallow your scepticism and go along with a fast paced and, by the end frenetic, story. It has a bit of everything, like shootings, mystery parentage, interpersonal friction, stalking and romance, so there’s no time to get bored. It is told from various points of view, mostly Chris Bailey, Stephanie the prosecutor and Trey, Colin’s defence lawyer. As the latter two are embarking on a relationship the author spends time with them, but as it is a rather different courtship it’s not too yawn inducing.

Colin is a bit of an enigma. He’s obviously scared, but won’t say of who or what, so much of Chris’s time is spent trying to unravel the enigma and get him to talk. It’s more interesting than it sounds as, boy, does he have a story to tell.

The Woods at Dusk is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

The blurb for The Woods at Dusk by Kate Watterson describes a teenage boy who is witnessed leaving the crime scene of a triple homicide of his own family, but said teenager claims his innocence without offering up an explanation. I was immediately eager to read this novel & figure out the mystery!
At the beginning it switches point of view multiple times & I was confused trying to figure out who was who. But I found the case & the mystery within it a fascinating read.
Each chapter begins with a snippet from who I assumed to be the killer’s terrifying mind, which is just enough of a cryptic taste to spook you & puzzle you on their identity.
At one point when two lawyers were casually speaking to each other, it didn’t feel natural to me but perhaps that’s because I’m not a lawyer. I also felt the repetitive reminders that Chris was a “country” cop a little unnecessary.
The weaving of this story felt complex but still realistic, which can be a very challenging concept to achieve in mystery/thriller books. This book was able to surprise me with a couple twists, which I always enjoy whilst reading mysteries. I really appreciated the surprising romances throughout this book.
If you’re looking for a new intriguing mystery, albeit not a scary one, with a couple dashes of romance & a few twists along the way, I would check out The Woods at Dusk by Kate Watterson.

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Joffe Books for letting me read an arc of this book!

Good story, found it a little hard to get into for a start but overall good characters and plot. Would read more by this author.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I thought this book was a very easy to read thriller and although there was some twisty bits in the book, I felt that there could be more, with a bit more "hype".

I like the main characters, although I felt as though there could have been more background about the actual murderer. If I had to say, Detective Chris Bailey was my favourite character and he was just him and didn't give two hoots what anyone else thought and he always did what he thought was the right thing.

I loved the ending, which gave me a virtual hug.

I am not sure if I got the snippets at the beginning of each chapter, and I am not sure who they were meant to be, was it just one character or an accumulation of them all.

This is my first book by Kate Watterson and I would definitely like to read more of her work.

I rarely read books not set in the UK as I'm a very visual reader and prefer to be able picture where the book is taking place. I'm glad I read this one though - it's good. Lots going on, fast paced and interesting characters, not least the 17 year old accused of a triple homicide. If he won't talk to lawyers or police what hope has he of being exonerated.

Really enjoyed it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, Joffe Books, I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

The Woods at Dusk, by Kate Watterson, is a fast paced novel in the romantic suspense genre. While I'm not a huge fan of that genre, this story was well written and the base storyline kept my interest and I couldn't put it down. If you do love romance then you will love this book because it is chock full of love and romance based drama.
Detective Chris Bailey is investigating the grisly murder of a grandmother, her daughter and son in law. This beautiful area of Tennessee has had plenty of issues but the idea that a teenage boy murdered his whole family is just too shocking to be believed. But Colin Simon was seen running, with the gun, from the scene of the crime. Not only did he get rid of the gun but he refuses answer any questions even after he’s been arrested for homicide.
So, why does Detective Bailey think that there's a lot more to Colin's story than what the evidence seems to show? While Colin says that he's not guilty, he refuses to tell the police where the weapon is. He claims that even more people will be killed if he answers any of their questions. So, Bailey and a team of people, who care about Colin, are going to work outside the box to solve this mystery.

I discovered a fantastic new (to me) author! I loved the storyline and especially the way the author wrote. The suspense was captivating and the book was short without extra, unnecessary fluff. I will be reading much more from this author!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Joffe Books and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Intriguing and suspenseful, fast-paced and action packed.

A young man has been accused of murder but no one is convinced he did it, including the detective and prosecutor. The young man refuses to say anything that will help him. There are interesting characters in the book with complicated relationships. The suspense is more boiling beneath the surface until the end of the book. I have read this author in the past and liked her and will continue to follow her. This was a good 41/2 stars. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Good book! This book had suspense, intrigue, action drama, and quite a few twists and turns! It was a little short but still a really good read! The storyline was interesting and flowed nicely! I wish it was a bit longer but its still worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!