This second book to feature criminologist Laughton Rees is just as well done as the first, Dark Objects.

What lurks in the Forest of Dean? Adele Friar's sister, Maddie, goes missing on Midsummer's Eve from Cinderfield, on the outskirts of the forest. Maddie is not the first to go missing, Could this be the work of the "Cinderman", a local legend who is blamed for these disappearances over the last 20 years?

Laughton Rees does not believe in these types of folklore, she believes in real facts. Rees happens to be in the area, coincidentally looking at the cases of the disappearing women when she hears about Maddie. She begins to investigate, but gets little help from the townspeople and the local police. Lucky for her, DCI Tannahill Khan in London offers assistance.

Needless to say, secrets will be revealed. This book was rich in atmosphere and the eerieness of the woods. There were plenty of twists, I thought I had it figured out when, no it was a wrong turn. I hope we see more of this engaging character who is smart, tough, and a little quirky. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, William Morrow, for an ARC. The review is my own.

Creepy woods, a legend about "Cinderman" and a deteriorating abby that has been in the same family for centuries where fire parties rage at night and weddings are booked every weekend. It's Midsummers Eve and another girl has gone missing, but this one won't be forgotten like many before her. Her sister Adele is determined to get to the bottom of what happened to her and knows something is terrible wrong. Criminologist Laughton Rees receives notice of a missing person being filed on a girl in the area of the Cinderman folklore. Having been researching this, she is bound to get to the bottom of what and what is continuing to keep the legend alive. The count of missing girls is well into the double digits and after doing some digging she knows she is the only one who cares enough to try and stop it. Gaining the trust of Adele, Rees uncovers more than she could have imaged going on in this little place called The Clearing and knows she herself is in danger as well and could be added to the list of missing if not careful in her determination to solve these cases. This was such a fast paced thriller and so good, I look forward to reading more of his novels. Thank you to Thriller Book Lovers Promotions for the tour invite, to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the free novel! This review is of my own opinion and accord.

Adele Friar is panicking when her sister Maddie goes missing in an area where women are known to vanish. While some are quick to dismiss her disappearance as Maddie just being Maddie, Adele feels it in her gut that something is off. The police are refusing to help, locals don’t really seem to care and her friends think she’s fine, so Adele kicks things up but lands herself in jail. When Laughton Rees steps in to help Adele look into her disappearance, they finally seem to be unraveling a bigger issue in the search for Maddie.

Family secrets, folklore, crime and investigative work tie The Clearing up into a neat little bundle. The Clearing will be published 7/11. Thanks to William Morrow and Thriller Book Lover Promos for my gifted copy.

When Adele's sister Maddie goes missing, she seems to be the only one in the town that cares. Until Forensic Specialist Laughton Rees gets involved. This town has a long series of young women that have just disappeared and no one seems to question it. The atmosphere of worry and the fact that the town just does nothing about it gives you that looming sense of dread. As we get into the story you just question everything about every character, who is doing what and why?? Theres a great mix of folklore that goes with missing, The Cinderman. You question if he could actually be involved. I loved the mystery around Adele and Maddie past, where they come from and why she so terrified of the woods. I really enjoyed this complex thriller, the ending was just so satisfying!
3.5stars

Thank you to ThrillerLoverBookPromotions, William Morrow, and Netgalley for my Gifted Copy

The Clearing is book 2 in the Laughton Rees series by Simon Toyne.
I was freaking shocked and excited when I seen this title sitting on my shelf.
I loved Dark Objects and when I seen Toyne was creating a second book I had to read it.
I really enjoy Forensic specialist Laughton Rees. She is such a strong character and her personality keeps me so engaged.
I thought the plot was intriguing. The characters were well-drawn and complicated.
And the twists throughout was a complete surprise and very satisfying.
An excellent mystery, with characters worth following and a mix of procedural and thriller elements.
A fast-paced, tension-filled, edge-of-your-seat thrilling read! I couldn’t flip these pages fast enough! I absolutely love this author’s writing – it pulled me in from page one and kept me fully captivated and intrigued until the very end.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and William Morrow for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This book builds upon the legend of the Cinderman - an ogre like creature that lives in the forest and has been used for decades to keep kids in line. The problem is, there's a real-life monster in the woods!

Adele and Maddie are sisters, raised by a foster family in the depths of the forest, the forest they must remain close to, though the two of them are estranged. That doesn't mean they aren't still looking out for each other, so when Maddie goes missing, Adele will stop at nothing to find her - even treading back into the forest she swore she would never return to.

When forensic researcher Laughton Rees discovers 58 cases of missing women from the area over the past 20 years, she flags Maddie's disappearance as part of the pattern.

Toyne did a wonderful job of making the reader feel empathy with Adele as we root for Laughton to cut through the legal and political red tape to get to the bottom of the mystery. This is part of a series but reads just fine as a standalone.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advance reader's copy.

When Maddie goes missing her sister Adele will stop at nothing to find her...even starting a small fire. Adele seems to get no help from anyone in her town. They seem to blame it on Maddie..saying that she will just turn up eventually or she just got lost in the forest. There's a local folklore in the area, when people go missing they blame it on the Cinderman. And a lot of people go missing. Laughton Rees has been following these missing persons reports in the area. Once she sees Maddie has gone missing she decides to go investigate herself. Adele and Laughton team up to figure out what is going on. Why aren't the cops trying to do anything to help find these missing girls? Can they figure it out before the Cinderman comes for them too?

Somehow I missed the fact I own book 1 in this series and started book 2 first. Starting with book 2 I still understood what was going on in the book. I like books where the FMC is a badass. Laughton and Adele were both strong characters, wanting to do whatever it takes to find Maddie and find answers to the other missing girls.

Let me tell you when I didn't see that twist coming...I. Didn't. See. It. I had to go back and reread the paragraph to make sure I read it right! I think it was an interesting read.

Thank you to William Morrow for the copies of my book! And thank you to NetGalley and Thriller Book Lovers Promo as well!

Simon Toyne, must drink the secret sauce before gliding his hands across the keyboard.

I can't think of any other explanation as to how time and time again, this author pumps out 5 star hits that leave my jaw permanently on the floor.

Fun fact about Toyne, not only is he an internationally bestselling author of the Sanctus trilogy (Sanctus, The Key and The Tower), but he has also worked in the British television industry for more than twenty years. As a writer, director and producer he’s made several award-winning shows, one of which won a BAFTA!

Ok, back to The Clearing.

This book right here was a doozie and one heck of a ride.

The best part of forming a bond with an author is that there is no need to read the back of the book, you know you trust the author will deliver so you just purchase it and come on, isn't it more fun to go into a book not knowing what to expect?

I loved this book, I loved it so much I felt the instant tingles as soon as I read the first page. This book right here is literary gold and I can not wait for the rest of y'all to read it!

Now, I don't want to ruin this book for you if you choose to go in blind like I did, but I will tell you its 100 percent worth it and you will not be disappointed, in fact, it will be the opposite, this book is going to set your soul on fire.

Don't believe me?

Check out this teaser :

Adele Friar knows better than most that something dangerous lurks in the forest. So when her sister Maddie goes missing, she fears that the woods may hold the answers. After all, Maddie isn’t the only one who has disappeared recently.

Locals put the unusually high number of missing persons in the area down to inexperienced hikers getting lost in the forest’s depths, or girls abandoning their sleepy rural town for the excitement of city life. Some even blame the Cinderman, a legend who haunts the woods looking for unsuspecting victims.

Forensic specialist Laughton Rees doesn’t believe in legends, she believes in facts. With help from Adele and DCI Tannahill Khan back in London, she is determined to find Maddie and dispel the dangerous ghost stories once and for all.

But something strange is going on in the forest—the police seem reluctant to investigate the disappearances, and the locals aren’t talking. What if the monster in the woods isn’t a myth after all, and a cold-blooded killer is stalking his victims from the shadowy safety of the trees?

As Laughton and Adele question everyone, from the gruff leader of an off-grid commune to the mysterious Earl who presides over the crumbling abbey in the heart of the forest, they slowly begin to unravel the legend of the Cinderman—and discover the truth is far uglier, and far more dangerous, than any mythical monster.

I absolutely loved Toyne's first book in this series, Dark Objects, so I was thrilled to be approved for an ARC of the second installment. I'm torn on how to rate this book exactly. On the plus side, I thought the setting/atmosphere was wonderful. It was absolutely chilling and I actually found myself feeling truly scared and on the verge of screaming several times as I read the book in bed at night! The concept of the Clearing itself was interesting while also being kind of foreign to me (not sure if this is a British thing?), so I enjoyed how that added an element of complication as well. The mystery itself was not overly original, but I still appreciated it.

What I felt was lacking in this book, though, were two components. First, I really wanted more depth from Laughton herself. She was somewhat of a minor character in Dark Objects, but I still felt as if she was fully fleshed out. In this book, she is much more prominent but fell flat for me. Secondly, the solution to the mystery was pretty lame. I was waiting for a big twist and it never came. Additionally, there were so many different suspects/moving pieces that I really expected quite a bit more when everything was revealed, but instead I was left with a lot of red herrings that didn't even quite make sense.

It is obvious that Toyne has a history in television writing, and I think that is where this series shines. While the books are perhaps not the most gripping mysteries or thrillers in terms of finesse and intricacy of plot, they are extremely entertaining and bingeable, and I will certainly continue to read the series.

When a young women goes missing on the summer solstice the only person who seems concerned is her sister. Local police show little interest in investigating it. Dr Laughton Rees becomes involved when a missing person report is eventually filed and there are links to local folklore about The Cinderman.

Laughton Rees is a forensic expert and is investigating a series of missing women in a small town near the Forest of Dean in Cindertown. Locals believe the latest missing woman, as well as many before her could be due to the legend of ‘The Cinderman’, a ghost that haunts the forest . From the opening chapter there is a creepiness to this novel.

I enjoyed the storyline and all of the twists right up until the last chapter. The underlying storyline was on point for our current time (unfortunately) from the flaws in the foster care system to the trouble with human trafficking. I loved how the author took a folklore spin and combined it with a police investigation. All of the evil happening in the story was brought back to the power of powerful people's ability to cover things up if desired.

I received an ARC for this one, not realizing it was the second in the DCI Laughton Rees series. Dark Objects was book #1. I did not read Dark Objects, but I feel like this could be read as a stand-alone.

I like the slow burn sense of the relationship between Rees and Khan and look forward to seeing how this develops in future novels.

WOW, what a great book! This was my first time reading something by this author and definitely won't be my last!
This was such an interesting read as it was a crime story focused around excellent detective work, but also incorporated a folklore superstition. I could not put this book down, as I was dying to find out what was really going on. I loved how fearless and dedicated the main detective was.
This one has a lot of characters, and I was slightly confused at the beginning, but as I continued on, it was easy to keep up with and remember everyone. Everyone ended up being intertwined with each other one way or another and it was shocking how it all fell in place together.
If you are a fan of law & order or any sort of true crime, this book is for you!

Maddie goes missing and the woods may hold the answer. Some people are blaming the Cinderman, a legend who haunts the woods looking for unsuspecting victims. Forensic specialist Laughton Rees with help from Adele and DCI Tannahill Kahn is determined to find Maddie and dispel the dangerous ghost stories. What if the monster of the woods isn't a myth? This is a fast-paced fun and entertaining read with many twists and turns which kept me reading until the end. It was a second good book in the series. Looking forward to the next book!

It’s Midsummer Day, and Adele Friar’s sister, Maddie, is missing. It’s not like her to be unavailable to her sister, so she immediately knows something is wrong. From the start she’s met with resistance in trying to file a report, but refuses to be silenced.

Enter Laughton Rees, an academic and lawyer, who’s been researching the strange disappearances of young women in the area and just happens to hear of Maddie’s as she’s made her way into town. She decides to help Adele in her search, and they uncover the truth of not only her sister’s, but the others as well.

Steeped in folklore of the Cinderman, who lurks in the forest, there’s a spooky feel to the novel. You can almost smell the rot and decay of the woods, the chill of the air around you. It’s the perfect setting for the story.

It’s a bit slow paced for me though, and the ending wasn’t overly shocking (not that I guessed it right off). But it was an interesting read, and knowing it’s part of a series, I’d likely read more.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Lisa from Swell Media sent me a Net Galley link to this book, which I appreciated receiving. I had not previously encountered any books by Simon Toyne, though Goodreads indicates this is his second book using the character of Laughton Rees. Rees is quite an intriguing character, with her connections high in the British constabulary and her training as a lawyer that helps her conduct her forensic research.

This time, Laughton has seen a pattern in the disappearance of young girls in the countryside, and she travels to a community near the Forest of Dean to check out what really is going on. There she meets Adele, whose sister Maddie is the most recent girl to disappear, and they join forces to investigate, learning that local leaders, including the Lord of the Abbey, have been using the legend of the Cinderman to cover up their activities, supplying young girls for nefarious purposes. After several plot twists and turns, Laughton and Adele prevail, save Maddie, and put an end to some of the trafficking.

Laughton Rees Discovers A Gripping Complex Case

A man is standing very still in the forest. He is standing upwind so even his scent cannot be smelled. The forest’s secrets are his now, and his are theirs. He is the forest, and the forest is him. He knows what nourishes, what poisons, what gives life — and what brings death. A rabbit appears and then a doe. He sees a mark on the doe's neck. The rabbit approaches the man, rabbit does not notice him. He sees the blue ink mark on its neck also. He follows the rabbit with a tube in his mouth. With a strong breath, the dart hits the rabbit who tries to get away then collapses. As a man approaches the rabbit, he hears a buzzing. A rectangle near the rabbit's paw is displaying the word, Mum. He crushes the phone with his boot and kicks it into the brush. He drags the rabbit off the trail, and they disappear into the forest. From this strange start, this novel proceeds

This novel is a very complex novel as shown the numerous main storyline threads. First, there are two interrelated investigations, into recent abduction and into a 20-year history of uninvestigated missing person cases. On the antagonist side there are several closely related threads by individuals/groups. There is a woman held in captivity, Lastly, one thread is for the folkloric serial killer called Cinderman. Each of the threads had their own and at times multiple narrators. The author weaved them together so well that I was not confused at all and was provided multiple viewpoints into the main storyline. My interest was captured and maintained by wanting to learn the next clue discovered by Rees, and trying so sort out all the relationships on the protagonists’ side. There was a major revelation that changed my understanding of a major aspect of this novel. Maybe more astute readers will anticipate this, but it caught me by a complete surprise.

A significant evolution of Rees’s character is revealed in this novel. This change is seen in some very frank personally revealing discussions with Adele whose missing person report for her sister is this novel’s genesis. Also, Rees talks with a detective from the first novel, Tannahill Khan, constantly throughout this novel. These conversations also show a major change in relationship. This may be not as noticeable without reading the first novel, but if you have, a very enjoying insight is provided. Let me say here that reading the first novel is not required to read this one. There are not any undocumented references that needed knowledge of events from the first novel. This aspect of the novel enhanced my reading enjoyment of this novel.

For the aspects that cause some readers to stop readers, there are not any intimate scenes. There is noticeable level of rude language. There is a little less vulgar and impious language. Violence generally described in the more edgy as it occurs. The level of all of these should not be an issue for most readers.

Overall, there was only one aspect with which I had a problem. It was with the strange aspects of the prologue. They were the referring to the woman as a rabbit and the blue marks on the neck. After reading the novel, I believe I know why, but the author did not explain why in the novel. The reasons that I really enjoyed reading this novel are that I provided above. My previous reading of this author was only the previous novel in this series. Based upon my great enjoyment in reading both novels, this author is cemented in my Must-Read category. I am looking forward to reading further books/series by the author. This was an easy five-star rating for this novel. I recommend reading this novel if you are interested in this genre.

I received a free prepublication e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from William Morrow. My review is based only on my own reading experience of this book. I wish to thank William Morrow for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.

🌳 BOOK / REVIEW 🌳

Thanks to the lovely @blondethrillerbooklover from @thrillerbookloverspromotions, I was able to snag a copy of #theclearing by @simontoyne - a brand new author to me! I was in the mood for another creepy, highly atmospheric read, and this one definitely hit both - and more.

I would argue that the setting of this book was my favorite "character." I was instantly immersed - this was well paced and definitely had a lot of chilling scenes. There was an element of folklore, which was a nice addition to storyline.

I read this in one sitting on the ride home from vacation. I did find out after the fact that this is the 2nd book in a series, but I didn't feel I missed anything. I'm excited to see more from Rees and Tannahill! This one releases 7/11 by @harpercollins !!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I found myself looking for anything to do other than read this book. The pacing seemed to be rather slow throughout the majority of the book and there was a lack of tension or suspense. The characters lacked depth or interest and the plot was weak.

An author with the deeply dark and explicitly gruesome second in a series I hadn’t heard of before. It’s set in a creepy forest in Gloucestershire inhabited by society’s castaways, people on the fringes, the anonymous, runaways. I love mysteries and crime/procedurals however, I wasn’t the right audience for this story. It felt more repulsive than even most of the truly hardboiled novels I’ve read.
Adele and Maddie are young sisters who’ve escaped a troubled care system and series of unfit caretakers. They’re hiding out in the Clearing, a place filled with myths and folklore, legends, boogeymen and monsters. Maddie disappeared the night of a traditional celebration of Midsummer’s Eve.
Laughton is an academic with more legal authority than seems plausible. She’s been researching many missing girls over a period spanning decades. She is drawn to the town by yet another missing case – Maddie. The local Chief constable, Beech, is uninterested in finding any missing girls. He’s much more interested in his own career advancement and personal gains. There’s also the Earl trying to dig his estate out of debt. There are several plots intertwined and they didn’t connect well for me. It wasn’t difficult to deduce who Cinderman was. I did enjoy Laughton’s character and did finish the book, probably wouldn’t read more in the series.
A digital advance reader copy of “The Clearing” Laughton Rees #2 by Simon Toyne, William Morrow, HarperCollins Publishers, was provided by NetGalley. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

For the life of me I couldn't get into this book. To be fully honest if it wasn't a Netgalley read I would have DNF'ed it. This is indeed one of my top favorite genres so I know that wasn't it. I couldn't find myself to care about any characters or the story. Or even the ending.

One of my favorite things in a book is when an author truly brings a setting to life and builds the suspense through the environment. Coyne did that masterfully- the forest and the evil it represented throughout the story built up the tension. While I thoroughly loved the setting of the book and found the lead character to be developed beautifully, I found the plot of the book to be less "complete". I believe I felt this way because I did not read the first one in this storyline as I was told it was a stand alone book. Don't do what I did and believe the reviews- read the first in the series- especially if you are a Simon Toyne fan.