Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC and amazing book!

The Return to Graybridge is a gripping mystery with a chilling atmosphere that keeps you on edge. I agree and recommend this book to anyone who loves a suspenseful, emotional read. Esmé’s journey back home to confront her past and uncover the truth behind Kara’s murder is both haunting and captivating. The small-town secrets, layered mysteries, and Esmé’s struggles make this a standout thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. The dual perspective adds to the mood of the story and showcases their thoughts and processes.

I enjoyed this book however I didn’t feel like it screamed thriller. It was a very by the code mystery book about a detective and essentially the process of catching the murderer. I can say that I didn’t expect the murder i definitely believe it was 2 different characters. The first was whom I was lead to believe in the first half of the book and then I had a different character in mind during the second half. (I don’t want to name my predictions as I do not wish to give any spoilers).

*I received an ARC free from NetGalley*

I always have to give props to any author who surprises me because I feel like I can always guess "the shocking twist." Since I didn't in this novel, I feel like it deserves at least four stars. This was less thriller and more police procedural, which can be a hit or miss for me. Luckily the female detective was a strong character with a no-nonsense attitude. Esme's chapters were just as intriguing and although the main focus is solving a murder, there's also subplots about resolving family trauma. This is the second book featuring the detective, but I didn't read the first one and I didn't feel lost at all. Looking forward to more books in the series.

Awesome thriller with some massive plot twists! Highly recommend this book for all thriller lovers. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

This right now is probably a 3.5. Thrillers are a tough genre to really be fully impressive. I feel like most thrillers follow the same formula and it can be difficult to be innovative. I was interested enough to finish.

Interesting story, well written. Loved this quick read and enjoyed the author's writing style. Will recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoy Parlato’s novels and her writing. It just draws you in and she does such a good job of weaving suspense and character driven drama into the storyline. This is such an atmospheric book that has good pacing. I really enjoyed the dual PoV between Esme and Rita as I always enjoy getting the prospective of detectives. I will say this is more of a police procedural compared to a thriller but does have some of the thriller aspects to it. Overall it was a decent novel that will keep readers entertained.

What Waits in the Woods is about Esme who left her hometown to go pursue her dreams of becoming a professional ballerina but eleven years later she returns home after a injury and finds out that her high school best friend Kara is found dead behind her childhood home. This was my first time reading anything by this author and I look forward to read more books by her. This was well written, great characters and kept me turning the pages till the very end. I enjoyed this book and would recommend this one to anyone but especially to readers who love a good mystery. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this book in exchange of my review of What Waits in the Woods.

I enjoyed this book. Great for fans of fast paced thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read it!

I love thrillers, I love trying to guess who the villain is - and in this book I got it so wrong! The story was well paced and I liked the chemistry between the MC and her friends and family. It has twists and turns and like I said, the ending was a surprise twist that I just didn't see coming!
Really enjoyed this book and will be looking out for more by Terri Parlato.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC copy in exchange for a review.

I've not read Terri Parlato before but I enjoyed this mystery. The characters were compelling and I enjoyed learning about the detective as well. Apparently, this is the second in a series, but it didn't seem that reading the first novel was imperative to the story, which was nice. I'd definitely read from this author again!

A worthy police procedural and mystery. I was glad to spend time with Rita again and follow along on the investigation. There were some twists and a surprise ending.
Many thanks to Kensington and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This one was all over the place for me. There are 2 POVs from some pretty uninteresting MCs. It all comes together at the end but you have to work to get there. It was just middle of the road.

I really liked her first book, but this one just fell flat for me. I felt like I put it down more then I was willing to pick it up.

The pace was slow, and as much as the twists suprised me, I can't say it was worth it much. A lot was dragged out. It didnt pick up till the last 40% I'd say.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Little did I know that this was the 2nd in a series, but I believe each can be read on its own. So I have the kindle version of this one, but ended up switching to the audiobook because I had a 6 hour car drive and figured why not. It held my attention throughout the car ride and I was guessing the entire time who could have been behind it all. I have to say even though I read so many mysteries, I tend to SUCK at finding out the main culprit.

In this book, you'll meet Esme who recently moved back into town after breaking up with her long-time boyfriend. Esme was a professional ballet dancer, but her career ended shortly after a hip injury leaving her wondering what the next step in life was to be and becoming stagnant in her mundane routine. Now that Esme is back home, old memories are popping up, and paranoia that a man is out to get her. Where does this paranoia come from? Well she was involved in a car accident while her father was driving, which resulted in her mother losing her life. After the accident, Esme remembers a man coming up to her and threatening to kill her too... only her friends and family are convinced it's a figment of her imagination. HOWEVER she's starting to feel watched and followed.

The night Esme returns back home BOOM her childhood friend is murdered, having Detective Rita Myers become involved to figure out why someone would want her dead. I love Rita's thinking and it's easy to follow along what her thought process and the evidence she's collected. The two POVs allowed for the book to hold my attention because it was easy to differentiate between the two and understand their perceptions.

I noticed I can be a bit harsh when it comes to rating thriller books just because I read SO many. but hey that's the way of life. Honestly, this was a good book but I can't say it was AMAZING and I was in love with it because it didn't feel too different to other detective books I've read.

Overall, if you like detective type books and whodunit then this is the perfect one for you. I recommend the audiobook because it was easy to follow along, however you might want to take notes of the characters just because there are quite a a bit.

I didn’t find out that this was a part of a series until after I had finished the book, and while it can definitely be read as a standalone, some aspects make a lot more sense once you find out that there is an overarching story of detective Myers behind all this.

I did not expect the plot to evolve as slowly as it did. There was a lot of back and forth and the focus was really on the police investigation, which, again, made sense once you know that this is part of a series about Rita‘s cases. The same is true for all the background trivia about her life.

I think what really bothered me the most, though, was the general atmosphere. Thrillers aren‘t known for their cheeriness, but this one felt downright depressing. Even scenes that supposedly took place during the day played out in gloomy twilight in my head, which must be attributed to the writing style and Esme‘s character.

All in all, this one wasn’t for me, sadly!

3/5 stars.

3.5 rounded up to 4.0

The second in a series, this novel has what seems to be an intergenerational cast of characters.
From older adult characters like our straight-talking detective Rita Myers to what seems to be millennials like Esme' and her grownup friend group. Rita's voice is practical with moments of compassion. The other main POV is Esme' and her actions and interactions (especially going into the woods after a murder, multiple times) will perplex most seasoned mystery readers, but she requires empathy. It definitely follows the well-loved trope of "grown-up child returns to a small town and discovers secrets", while still providing surprises at the end for Rita and readers.

Thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for the
e-galley. I listened to the audiobook on Everand for the review.

My reviews and ratings are my own.

Spoilers ahead


TW/CW:







Fatal car accident; grief; alcoholism; infidelity; someone taking pictures of others without consent; illegal drug use; drug distribution

3.5 stars rounded up. I found most of the book to be a lot. There were many pieces in the story that I didn't feel needed to be there and could have easily been omitted without losing the intent of the story. The last 50 or so pages went quickly and I enjoyed the ending; it was a twist that I did not expect and could not have guessed. I just wish there were better easter eggs throughout the story that kept me guessing and intrigued. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this and to check out a new to me author!

Thank you Kensington Books for the ARC. I was looking forward to seeing what Terri Parlato's second book would serve up as book #1 was promising. This was a bit bland to me.

When I started I did not know that this is second book in the Rita Myers detective series but you can definitely read it as a standalone as well.

Author has spent quite a time on the background of many characters so you know almost all of them but she has painted almost all grey so you either do not really like them or you do not care for them. Atleast I did not.

Esme Foster has been estranged from her family but an injury which lead to ultimate fall of her career, she decided it's time to be back at home to her alcoholic and sick father and divorced brother. What she doesn't know is there's another tragedy waiting to happen at the same time which leaves her devastated.

"It's just hard to picture that people from your past have moved on, have had other lives. You think of them as they were, stuck in your memory."

Detective Rita Myers is trying to figure out what and how and why of the tragedy and who is responsible for it. The end reveal was good even when I had it figured out still it left me surprised. It wasn't easy to guess and was definitely shocking. Overall an enjoyable and we'll written thriller mystery novel I would like to recommend to fans of the genre.

Star rating : 3.5 stars


Thank you Netgalley and kensington books for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.