"What Waits in the Woods" by Terri Parlato is a suspenseful and atmospheric thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Set in a remote, wooded area, the story follows a group of friends who embark on a hiking trip that takes a dark turn when they stumble upon unsettling secrets lurking in the forest.

Parlato's writing is both vivid and immersive, painting a haunting picture of the woods and the tension that builds as the characters navigate their growing fears. The pacing is expertly crafted, with a slow burn that gradually escalates into a gripping climax. The interplay of friendship and betrayal adds depth to the narrative, as the characters confront not only external threats but also their own internal struggles.

The characters are well-developed, each bringing their own motivations and complexities to the group dynamic. As the story unfolds, the revelations about their pasts and relationships create a rich tapestry of intrigue, making it hard to predict who can be trusted.

Overall, "What Waits in the Woods" is a compelling read that expertly combines elements of psychological thriller and horror. Terri Parlato has crafted a chilling tale that will resonate with fans of the genre, offering a thought-provoking exploration of fear, loyalty, and the darkness that can hide in the most familiar places. This novel is perfect for readers looking for a gripping and atmospheric escape into the unknown!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a free arc of this novel.

I was immediately drawn to the premise of this story. I loved the idea of reading about a ballet dancer navigating a murder small-town murder mystery. Unfortunately, I just wasn’t as invested in this story compared to other novels. I think part of the problem is that I was far less invested in Rita’s POV compared to Esme’s. It’s as if Rita’s in the novel to provide extra facts that ultimately point to the murderer. In a way, I wish Esme alone had been the one to do investigations, forcing her to get clever with how she uncovers the clues. Essentially, I’m left with the impression that Rita’s presence wasn’t necessary to the plot. Perhaps I just missed the point of her role in the story, but that’s just my overall impression at the end. I do think the final plot twist is clever, and I was surprised by the final outcome. However, there were a few aspects that I was disappointed by in their explanation (such as the mysterious man and her mother’s death).

The story had a lot of potential, but ultimately left me disappointed. I wish Esme had been more proactive in the investigation rather than focusing on her new life in her old town. I’ll give this 3.5 stars rounded up to four.

The atmosphere of the book is dark and gloomy and the author makes good use of the woods to convey this to us. It is thick, dark, murky, tumultuous. However I found the book overall to be drawn out and too slow for my taste. I had a sense at the beginning of whodunnit, but that didn't detect from the book at all.
Able to be read as a standalone, the narrators do an excellent job with shifting POV and the contrast of their voices (very shocking at first! Was not expecting that) does a phenomenal job of telling the listener who they are listening to

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my advance copy of this audiobook

I love a good thriller novel, and this one was exactly what I was looking for! Short chapters are always nice, and figuring out who the murderer was may be hard to figure out!

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for a review.

I love a woods-centric thriller but this one left me wanting more. I can’t say too much without giving anything away but I thought certain characters didn’t get enough of a storyline considering the significant role they ended up playing. This one can be found on Kindle Unlimited.

Really captivating mystery. I love the way the author carries us through the story - with more details coming up as we proceed, I enjoy guessing who did it and changing my theory with all the twists and turns! I’m hopeful for more in this series.

The premise of this book was very interesting to me, the plot was good! I found it difficult to get past the narrator’s voice, it distracted me and ultimately I had to DNF.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

WHAT LIES IN THE WOODS is a slow burn police procedural suspense about Detective Rita Myers. Told from alternating POVs, I really enjoyed the narration, and twists.

*many thanks to RB Media and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review.

"What Waits in the Woods" follows Esmé Foster, who returns to her childhood home only to find an old friend has been murdered in her backyard. As she delves into the mystery of what could have happened, Esmé uncovers more about her past than she ever believed possible. Betrayed by family and friends, the story takes unexpected turns that keep readers on their toes.

The plot builds suspense gradually; it starts slow and speeds up towards the end. It effectively plays with reader's expectations, making them think they have figured out the mystery, only to then reveal Esmé's understanding of the situation. However, the ending feels a bit rushed, potentially leaving readers wanting more.

Despite some pacing issues, "What Waits in the Woods" would appeal to those who enjoy slower paced, cozy mysteries. The intricate storyline and character development make it an intriguing read.

This was a slow-burning mystery novel with few thrills. I was hoping for more spine-tingling moments and tension but it turned out to be an average read. The author threw in a few red herrings and twists but none of them managed to change my perspective on the plot and the characters.

This one did not hold my attention. I tried to give it a chance. Perhaps reading it would have been better in this context.

Esme decided to come back to his childhood small town as her career as a ballerina ended. But it turns out that someone she knows died and her family seems to be hiding something. It was detective Myers is the lead on this mysterious death and everything seems so blurry.

As I delved into the story, I realized that this has a lot of police procedural process that the mystery itself. Not that I don’t like it but I prefer it the other way around. This book also took me such a long time to finish but because this was an audiobook, I enjoyed it. Good thing that the narrator gave justice to the story and she gave life to the characters.

Thank you Netgalley for this one!

Phenomenal book. But before I get into that, I have to make a note about the narrators for the audiobook. They were the BEST. Absolutely perfect casting for both Esme and Rita’s characters.

This was an excellent thriller. I was hooked from the very beginning, and never found any reason to stop reading. I really liked all of the characters—but especially Rita. A 60-something MC in law enforcement is basically unheard of in contemporary fiction, and she is something else! She’s personable, smart, artistic, and tenacious. She has a normal relationship with her family. She’s a good neighbor and seems to be a good human.

I was trying hard to figure out who the villain was…I got close, but ultimately guessed wrong. Maybe more than once lol!

I loved the setting of suburban Massachusetts in fall…this story could definitely have taken place in any town near the one I live in, and I found it easy to picture exactly what the town looked like as a result.

My only issue: Dunks is referred to as great coffee at one point. I thoroughly disagree, but it seems to be the mantra up here.

Overall, a completely engaging read. I can’t wait to read more books with Rita in them!

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for an ARC of this book.

This book starts with the homecoming of a ballerina, injured and forced into retirement early. With this start I already felt that Esme (one of our main characters) would be well developed and complex, which hooked me. Complicating matters further, Esme is haunted by the childhood tragedy that killed her parents. She knows she is missing part of the memories, but isn’t sure how to connect them to reality. She knows what she saw, but with everyone doubting her recollection of the accident, she wonders if her mind has made up the memories that she keeps.

Of course, what is a homecoming without the greeting of a dead body behind your home? And one that used to be your friend, who also looks similar to you. This sends Esme reeling and brings back flashbacks of the accident from years ago. Could they be related and was Esme the real target?

Our second POV is Rita, our seasoned detective. Rita comes across are a no-nonsense woman with a great deal of compassion. Someone is lying and Rita struggles to identify who she can trust and who knows more than they are saying.

I felt as though are two main characters were very well developed and what I also liked about the audiobook- narrated by two different women, so there was no question of whose POV you were reading from. The surrounding characters also were given a lot of detail and thought as well.

The author did a great job always changing POVs right in a perfect place to make you have a difficult time putting the book down or stop listening. I was filled with anticipation of what was going to happen next, who had done it and if Esme was going to be alright.

That being said, I’m unsure how I felt about the ending.It was surprising, but confusing? I didn’t dislike the ending, but I didn’t love it either? I feel very question mark about how the story wrapped up. There of course were a lot of red herrings and missed clues along the way for me as a reader, but I don’t know. I have a difficult time describing how I felt about the ending. Also more of a slow burn, than faced paced mystery.

That being said, this was very much a genre defying novel- incorporating elements of mystery, thriller, family drama, and police procedural all wrapped up into one.

5 out of 5 stars


This was a really well written mystery set in the town of Graybridge which I would love to revisit. Only after reading this did I find out that this was not the first book that has featured Detective Rita Myers whom I really found enjoyable. I will be reading All the Dark Places. I also really enjoyed the two POVs of Rita and Esme and the narrators Christina Moore and Leah Horowitz were amazing. I enjoyed the mystery and kind of loved that Esme used to be a ballerina.

A slow burn that focuses on character development. I do feel that there was TOO much character development which caused me to be lost in the weeds way too often. It was difficult to connect with the characters. This book fell flat for me. It was too slow, and I found myself bored. This book could've been much shorter. Then we get to the end, and it felt rushed and not completely thought out.

This is the 2nd book in a series, but it was fine reading it as a standalone. The premise was good, but the execution lacked. I was wrong about who the killer was, even though I knew I had it figured out.

Thank you NetGalley, RB Media, and Kensington Books for my ALC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen and review this audiobook. The audio version of this book is narrated by Christina Moore and Leah Horowitz. I believe they did an amazing job bringing the characters to life. The two different POV's did not make it confusing with their narration. There were a couple possible editing errors that I caught while listening, but I can't confirm if they were on the narrator or the writer. Some of the chapters seemed to end unexpectedly. I actually went back 30- 60 seconds to make sure I didn't accidently hit a button and missed something. There was a lot going on in this book, but it kept me guessing as to who the killer was. It did seem to come out of nowhere and wasn't somebody that I had suspected. This is the second book in a series, but is fine as a standalone. I did not read the first one and didn't even realize it was part of a series until I saw others mentioned it. There is some "fluff" in the book, but as it is a continuing series, I believe that is the purpose, to get to know the characters who are featured in the series. Overall I really enjoyed it and listened every chance I got.

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.

Do you guys love audiobook? Have you ever tried one? This was my attempt with an audiobook, in-order to start something in new year. And, the audiobooks didn't disappoint, I always thought audiobooks are not my thing but this book changed my thought about it.

Loved the story line, loved the pace of the book and the way the plot get thickens. At one point, I Literally suspected everyone, every chapter kept me at an edge and I couldn't stop listening. The story was well written and the voice matches the story so well and I loved the way the person narrated it.

No- spoiler Plot:
The return of Esme to her hometown after a failing career made her a vulnerable person, to top it all when she enters into her neighborhood she sees police vans and sirens everywhere and she think something wrong happened to her ill-health dad but end up finding out that one of her childhood bestfriend is found dead in her back-alley nearby the woods.
Soon, everyone becomes a suspect and everything turns into a chaos. Esme brother, Byron, ex- boyfriend of the dead, Cara. Their neighbor, Riley who handles drugs and other suspicious activities around the woods, Riley's sister Cynthia who is mentally disabled and reason for her sister's death. Another creepy neighbor, Mr. York, who is a well renowned fashion designer but also happens to be a peeky pervert.
Esme feels so confused with everything happening around her, tries to connect with her school bestfriends and find comfort from them.
Absolutely loved the suspense till the very end.

This was definitely more of a police procedural than a thriller, which I wasn't expecting when I started the book. Once I realized that, my expectations shifted I was ready to love the story, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. The writing style is heavy on dialogue and as much as I wanted to love the dueling POVs of Esme and Detective Rita, I found it hard to connect with them for that reason.

I also found that the mystery was a little bogged down with family drama that I couldn't care too much about because I was already having a hard time with connecting with our protagonists at all.

As for the ending, it felt very abrupt. I feel like there was not a lot of buildup to make the reveal of the killer feel satisfying, and it was ultimately disappointing.

This is part of a series but I had no trouble reading it as a standalone, and I think I might try to get my hands on the first book in the series just to see if I connect better with characters from the authors previous work.