"Intertwining the narrative with the transcript of an anonymous interview, this stunning suspense debut from Katie Garner will take you on a twisting path where nothing - and no one - is what it seems.

Finding the truth seems impossible when her own dark past has her seeing lies everywhere she looks...

From the outside, criminal psychiatrist Dr. Madeline Pine's life appears picture-perfect - she has a beautiful family, a successful mental health practice and a growing reputation as an expert in female violence. But when she's called to help investigate a mysterious death at a boarding school for troubled girls, Madeline hesitates. She's been through tragic cases before, and the one she was entangled in last year nearly destroyed her...

Yet she can't turn away when she hears about Charley Ridley. After the girl was found shoeless and in pajamas at the bottom of an icy ravine on campus, the police ruled it a tragic accident. But the private investigator hired by her mother has his doubts. If it were Madeline's daughter who died, she'd want to know why.

Arriving at the secluded campus in upstate New York, Madeline's met by an unhelpful skeleton staff and the four other students still on campus during winter break. Each seems to hold a piece of the puzzle. And everyone has secrets - Madeline included. But who would kill to protect them?"

Boarding schools with a few students left for the holidays is like my catnip.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me the chance to read a digital ARC of this book. I think I am definitely in the minority based on the Goodreads reviews, but I thought that this book was just okay. I am always intrigued by books that have an academic setting and was immediately drawn in by the synopsis of the story. In this book, Dr. Madeline Pine goes to an all girls boarding school to help solve the death of one of the students, Charley. Although the story is that she was sleepwalking and walked into the woods and died of hypothermia, Charley's mom isn't convinced that this is all there is to the story. She hires a private detective, who in turn hires Madeline Pine, to help figure out what really happened to Charley. The author does do a great job of creating a creepy atmosphere, and the school definitely seems sketchy. As the detective and Dr. Pine investigate, things start happening that are hard to explain, which adds to the overall creepy atmosphere of the story. This would definitely be a good book to read in the fall, around Halloween. There were some twists at the end that I didn't see coming. This is one of those popcorn thrillers that you can read in one sitting. While I was reading it, I kept feeling like I was waiting for more to happen, and there were some parts of the story that felt repetitive or seemed to lull a bit. The last 50 pages or so were definitely the best part of the story, in my opinion, and I kind of wish some of those twists and story plot points would have been fleshed out more throughout the story. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either, and overall, liked the book.

The Night It Ended by Katie Garner is a dark and twisted mystery thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end.

In this suspenseful debut, Dr. Madeline Pine, a criminal psychiatrist, is drawn into the investigation of a mysterious death at a boarding school for troubled girls. Initially ruled an accident, Madeline is approached by the mother of the deceased, who believes there is more to her daughter's death. As Madeline delves deeper into the case alongside a private investigator, she uncovers a web of lies and secrets among the staff and remaining students.

The fast-paced narrative kept me engaged and constantly questioning the motives of everyone involved. The author skillfully builds tension and creates a sense of unease, making it a thrilling read. While the characters may not be highly relatable, they are well-developed and add depth to the plot. The twists and turns in the storyline kept me intrigued, although I did find the swapping between present time and past interviews a bit challenging to follow. Although, the shocking and unforeseen twist at the end took me by surprise, adding an extra layer of excitement to the story.

Overall, The Night It Ended is a gripping mystery thriller that will appeal to fans of the genre. Despite its length and the back-and-forth timeline, the twists and shocking ending make it an enjoyable read. I would recommend it to those who appreciate dark and suspenseful stories. But it's worth noting that this book delves into dark and triggering themes, so it's advisable to check the trigger warnings before diving in.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC copy of The Night It Ended from NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

A dark and creepy whodunit with clever characters. Several excellent red herrings that kept me swapping back and forth as to who did it. Totally unexpected conclusion. Brilliant book with shocking twists.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC and congratulations to Katie Garner on your fabulous debut novel, The Night It Ended! A great whodunit! I was drawn in from the first page and could not put it down as I kept going back and forth on who the killer could be. Madeline Pine is a criminal psychologist whose story was incredible and very well written which is why I felt the book very unpredictable. The twist and turns of the plot reminded me a lot of Alice Feeney’s novels. I was thoroughly impressed with how she kept the pace throughout the novel and it never once felt stagnant. I highly recommend this book.

The Night it Ended is a solid mystery with some shocking twists, and was a quick read for being a pretty long book!

Our main character is a criminal psychiatrist asked to come to a remote school for troubled girls where one teenager has died. The family wants answers, and Dr. Madeline Pine goes to interview the four remaining girls, the headmistress, and the three other workers on the property at the time. Dr. Pine takes several medications for anxiety and other mental health issues, and she begins to feel unsure about what is real and whether her meds are causing her to see and think things that haven’t happened.

The unreliable narrator trope is a familiar one, and one that I think is done well here. The story alternates between present day and interview transcripts from something that happened in the past, an interesting format which gave us some background info without telling the reader whose information it was.

I didn’t predict the ending or the twists that came out of nowhere. This read is set in the wintertime and would be a perfect bingeable book during a snowstorm, with its mentions of white outs and being stuck in the manor home. If you enjoy unreliable narrators, locked room mysteries, and twisty reads, this one is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing- Mira for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade publishing and NetGalley for my ARC of this. It's a solid and creepy mystery set at a school for troubled girls. Told partly in transcripts which I loved. I recommend going in blind and clearing your schedules. The story does get very dark but the twists are delectable.

Okay, wow.
This book was a whole ride trying to figure out who did it. Twist after twist. The ending blew my mind.
I kept thinking I had it figured out and then bam, nope wasn’t that person. I absolutely did not predict that plot twist! Great read.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc in return for an honest review.

The story idea is good and I really liked the interview/transcript interspersed in chapters.

I probably hit this book at the wrong time in an it's not you, it's me scenario - I'm mildly over unreliable female narrators , and Madeline in particular was extremely hard to get any sort of grasp on. It was also repetitive up front to make SURE we knew she was unreliable.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

1 star for the vibes. That's it.

There was too much wrong with this book to write a thorough review... I don't even know where to begin. No one was likeable, all storylines weren't believable, there were many, many plot holes, and it was too repetitive. The book could have been at least 100 pages less in length. I don't believe this author and whoever her editor(s) is are a good fit for each other. If it wasn't for the amazing atmosphere, I would have DNF'd it. The atmosphere was so wonderful, I kept hoping the story would redeem itself, but it didn't.

The Night it Ended
Katie Garner
Pub Date: June 27, 2023
Mira
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
This debut is too long, by at least 100 pages, and twisty and dark
The mystery behind Charley’s death was unsatisfying and anti climatic. I was able to read the whole book but I couldn’t recommend it.
3 stars

This book should have been at least a hundred pages shorter…from the very beginning the author purposefully leads the reader astray. I get it; the big bang, surprise, twist in the end. However, I hate when plot is sacrificed for the ending.

Que Dr. Madeline Pine who is on a bus, with two cell phones and a lot of medication. Odd way to start, especially when she chews up the SIM card of the newer phone for no apparent reason. The reader is left to form their own connection here, but you have to wait until the last five pages. There are also two timelines occurring. One being the current investigation into Charley’s death and the other is an interview log from the previous year. The only revelations into Madeline’s character are given in the interview log.

Dr. Pine, a criminal psychiatrist, has been invited by a PI to help interview students at a boarding school where the death of a student has occurred. Interesting premise, but then the story goes south. Dr. Pine is incredibly amateurish for a professional psychiatrist. She makes unbelievable claims, is never prepared, and shares ridiculous personal information. Honestly, she is extremely unlikeable and her personal story and trauma overshadows the investigation into Charley’s death. The level of cooperation between the boarding school and a hired PI is also unbelievable.

This novel could have been two different books instead of combining them into one for the twist. I found the twist at the boarding school to be especially cringe.

This is a nice mix of suspense, action, and intrigue. A bit too much time was spent with Dr. Pine, and her character wasn't my favorite, as she was somewhat annoying. She doesn't come across as the professional she's supposed to be. Her issues overshadowed those of the girls. The writing style was solid, as was the mystery. While I liked it, I would've preferred more about the mysterious death vs. Dr. Pine.

Dr. Madeline Pine, a criminal psychiatrist, is hired to conduct interviews for an investigation. A terrible incident has occurred at a remote school for troubled girls and young Charley Ridley’s body was found at the bottom of an icy ravine on the school's property wearing only her pajamas. With no evidence of shoes or a coat nearby, the police are left with questions and doubts that haven't yet been properly addressed by those who knew Charley. To clear things up, someone needs to talk. During Madeline's stay at the boarding school, it becomes more and more apparent that she is a tad unstable and struggling with some personal difficulties of her own. Can the doctor remain focused and vigilant in her search to peel back the lies, to keep digging for the unvarnished truth, and give Charley's mom the closure she needs? Find out on June 27, 2023.

This novel held my rapt attention at first with the mystery of what happened to poor Charley left to unpack with each new inquiry. The middle loses all momentum and crawls along at a snail's pace . . . the characters constantly whinging and coming across as unlikeable and immature. I did not realize at the time that this was a device the author was using . . . to lull and put you off guard, in order to slap you hard with a surprise twist or two further along in the story. I do suggest a complete read before you judge this one too harshly . . . the revelations that appear near the end of the story are stunning and really do make the book much more cohesive and satisfying.

If you are expecting a fast-paced thriller, this isn't going to scratch your itch. If marketed widely to Young Adults or as a cozy mystery, I think this book fits solidly in those genres and may do quite well.

I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Night It Ended for my unbiased evaluation.  3 stars

have mixed feelings about this book. I'd like to rate it 3.75 but I can't, thus the 4 star rating. This is a dark story set in a dark location. Dr. Madeline Pine is asked to help investigate a death at an exclusive all girls school set in the middle of nowhere in upstate New York. It is winter and freezing cold. She is asked by a private investigator, Matt, to help as the deceased girls mother has questions about her death. The year before, Dr. Pine had helped with The Strum case, which apparently left some lasting effects on her psyche.

The school is old Very old. There is no technology taught. Only nature and the arts. It is set on 400 acres of forest. Dr. Pine's job is to question the 4 girls still there over winter break. This is a school for troubled girls. The 4 girls remaining are not very cooperative and Dr. Pine is not sure who is telling the truth and who isn't. Add to the mix a headmistress, Emilia, who is very unlikable and we are not sure we can trust her either. Also added to the mix is a father son team who maintain the school. The father is absolutely brutal and the son is terrified of his father.

The book focuses on Dr Pine's past and her struggles to do this job correctly. Someone is sneaking into her room at night, moving things around and tampering with her medication. There are no locks on the doors at all.

Mixed into this is an interview between 2 people with their names redacted. So we don't know who is talking about having a daughter who hates them and who was having an affair. I thought I knew who the interview was about but it turned out I did not. I was stunned at the end when that was revealed.

I'm taking into account this is a debut novel and it is very well done. I realized I had to look at the story as mostly being about Dr. Pine instead of about finding out what happened to the girl at the school, even though that was a part of the story. We do get answers and a whole lot more at the end of the book. The ending was so good I actually gasped. Yes. I gasped. I was shocked.

I really liked this, although I think it could have been a bit shorter. At 400 pages, it could have been cut down some. I do recommend this book. This is the type of book where everyone will see things differently about the focal points of the story and right from wrong. Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I greatly appreciate it.

Criminal psychiatrist Dr Madeline Pine receives a call on her way home from a therapy session from a private investigator who asks for her help. There was a death at an upstate private school for troubled girls that seems suspicious, and the PI wants Dr. Pine to interview some of the dead girl’s classmates. The Night It Ended details the doctor’s investigation, with a parallel plot line interspersed throughout the story by way of an interview session between unknown characters. While the plot had promise, the story falls flat under the weight of repetitious chapters, dialogues that just echo questions and answers, and a muddled dual timeline that is infuriatingly nonsensical until the very end. This was a slog to get through, and finishing was a challenge. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Gripping read. With a murder at a school for troubled girls Dr.Madelyn Pine gets the call to help find the truth. From the beginning, between interviews with a client about something that happened to them and trying to figure out the girls secrets, this book has you on your toes. What’s real, what’s twisted to make you think it’s real? Full of spine tingling twists and turns this book will have you breathless until the end.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley, Katie Garner and Harlequin Trade Publishing for hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

I have just one word for this book .. WOW!! Although I enjoyed the story throughout, I struggled with the characters. All were either vaguely not likeable or down right awful, but without giving anything away in the end they were the BEST part of the story. You will not see the end until the end and that I can guarantee. This is a mys read book!!

This was so freaking good. The plot twists had me hooked! Just when I thought I had something figured out "Bam" twist! So good it kept me on my toes!
I just reviewed The Night It Ended by Katie Garner. #TheNightItEnded #NetGalley
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This is another title that I was invited to read, and probably should have declined because I really am more than somewhat over the unreliable narrator / Nothing Is What It Seems trope at this point... Still, the promise of an atmospheric story set at a girl's boarding school, involving a mysterious death, was intriguing enough that I was willing to take the chance.

Unfortunately, my initial instincts were right. This one was not for me. I found the main character to be entirely unbelievable as a mental health professional - and adult, frankly. Any other adult who had encountered her would have quickly recognized that she was unstable and incapable of the task they set for her, as far as investigating Charley's death. I found myself rolling my eyes so hard they threatened to stay that way several times.

And speaking of Charley, she barely seemed the focus of any of the book - instead it was all about the mysterious instability of Dr Pine. The way the story was presented, interspersing obscure cryptic interviews with the ongoing narrative of the doctors involvement at the school, felt disjointed in a way that confused rather than intrigued me.

I couldn't finish it. I've read other reviews enough to know that there is a strange twist involving the mysterious interviews sprinkled throughout the chapters, but I could not find myself invested enough to even read through to figure out what that mystery was... the characters felt implausible and the pace was glacial On the whole this was not a good fit for me. It felt like a slightly different book than the blurb described, and just didn't engage me the way I wanted it to as a result.