I really enjoyed this dark and twisty police procedural thriller! The focus being on three “main” characters with a wider supporting cast helped the story flow and feel tight. A few red herrings got me and I found this novel hard to put down!

One Dark Night is a bit of a sleeper hit. The story starts a little strange, almost like a collection of folklore about 'Sally' the local ghost, and after the quintessential murder mystery is revealed pivots to the sort of drama that appears to focus more of the person lives (dysfunction) of the MCs than the actual crime investigation.

Something that I felt stood out in Richell's work though is that the personal lives and the murder mystery blended together surprisingly well, it wasn't so much a compromise as a perfect mix of elements.

Other strengths include the fast paced prose, and vivid story telling. There is always something to be appreciated about a piece of writing that never feels convoluted or confusing. Other than a raft of characters to keep up with, I never felt lost or unsure just where the characters were.

Probably only one drawback of the story is just erring a little too far into how many POV character there were, it certainly kept the mystery alive, however without a singular MC to root for it did make the story a little academic almost - the mystery was enough to maintain the tension but I never got a sense of satisfaction seeing where any particular character ended up.

Overall in terms of crime thrillers, I'd highly rate this one!

It is Halloween. Teenage pupils from a nearby private school are partying in a wood with the name of Sally in the Wood. They have gathered around a ouija board and are endeavouring to scare themselves witless, hoping for a message from the above named Sally who, legend has it, was a young bride murdered by her husband on their wedding night when he discovered she had been unfaithful to him. Sally is said to drift through the wood in her white wedding gown, appearing at the top of an old, crumbling tower, known locally as the folly.

The following morning a girl guide troop stumble upon the dead body of a girl in a white dress at the foot of the tower. A rather delicious murder mystery story follows. Rachel is a counsellor at the school and she and her daughter, Ellie, live in a cottage in the grounds of the school which Ellie attends as a scholarship pupil. Ben, the detective assigned to be in charge of the investigation, is Rachel’s ex husband. Ben has a new partner but he and Rachel keep in close contact as they co-parent Ellie. Various suspects begin to become apparent but the red herrings are handled very smoothly and I didn’t guess who the culprit was, which is exactly how I like my mystery stories.

I always summarise a book using the present tense, I prefer books to be written in the past tense, but this is just a little niggle in an otherwise most enjoyable novel. I’m going to look out for Hannah Richell’s other books now.

Published by Simon & Schuster

4.5 stars. This was such a page turner! I was gripped from the very first chapter and the way it was written and revealed kept me hooked.
I love a bit of a murder mystery and suspenseful thriller, and this one delivered it amazingly in a fast paced plot. Kept me guess and I still didnt guess right. Very well done indeed. The only thing I was getting annoyed about was the miscommunication trope which just grinded at me especially near the end. Felt it could have been done in another way.
Otherwise near perfect. Thanks so much Netgalley and publisher for an eARC. Definately one for your 2025 TBR.

I really enjoyed this book. It is the tale of the death of a girl in the woods, dressed like the girl in a local fable of ‘Sally in the Woods’. As the story of the night of her death unfolds, suspects are found, and discarded, as the police try to determine the truth. As will happen in a small town, many of the characters are interconnected so that suspects are related to police, to school staff and to students.

This was a cut above the average thriller. It kept me guessing for much of the story, and I found myself changing my mind on the guilty party as I read further. Some elements were a little obvious, but overall I really enjoyed the book. I would recommend Hannah Richelle’s books to thriller lovers. They always entertain.

4.5★s

Thorncombe was a small English village, nestled in the woods where a private school resided and nearby an old stone folly, dangerous for climbers or adventurous spirits. The night of Halloween saw many youngsters sneak away from their homes to attend the party in the woods, where costumes were worn and jokes were played on the unsuspecting. But it was a small group of girl guides the following day who came across the body of the girl in white, her body arranged to look as though she was sleeping. Who had laid her out to look like Sally, the ghost of the woods?

Detective Ben Chase was on the scene, along with his boss, DCI Khan and forensics. But when the girl was identified as a student at the school, where Ben's daughter Ellie went, along with his wife Rachel who was a councillor, suddenly things became too close to home. Ellie was taken to the police station for questioning - Ben was taken off the case as he was too close to it. Would they discover the killer? The students were frightened; too scared to move around outside - and there were those with secrets...

One Dark Night is another exceptional thriller by Aussie author Hannah Richell which I really enjoyed. Eerie and spooky, the woods and Halloween were a good mix. The old tale of the ghost of the woods blended through to scare everyone more, while in my mind, there were suspects everywhere!! I didn't solve the mystery though... Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley & Simon & Schuster AU for my digital ARC to read and review.

A murder mystery, One Dark Night (2025) by Hannah Richell takes place in the small English town of Thorncombe. Locals believe the woodlands are haunted and are mortified when a teenage girl is murdered at a Halloween party in the old stone folly. The narrative is told by various characters as the town, its secrets and the local teenager's dubious behaviour raise questions. As Detective Ben Chase investigates the murder, he is concerned about his teenage daughter’s safety and the various hidden secrets. A whodunnit with an eerie gothic feel, with the usual surprise reveal and twists makes this an enjoyable three and a half star read rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement. With thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes.

Wow this was a real page turner from the very first page.
Lots of twists and red herrings. Just how I love a book to be.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advance Ebook of Hannah Richells latest suspenseful offering.
The description of the folly in this tale was amazing and it felt like I was there with the victims and the protagonists.
I definitely recommend adding this one to you tbr pile for 2025.

‘A body in the woods, Margaret had told her.’

The woods near the small town of Thorncombe are said to be haunted, by a girl in a white dress murdered on her wedding day. It is said that she lures people to their deaths. Everyone knows the story, and (of course) the woods provide the perfect setting for a Halloween party staged by teenagers, many of whom are students at a nearby exclusive school. The next morning, the discovery of the carefully arranged body of a girl dressed in white, throws the small community into turmoil. What happened to the girl? Who is responsible for her death?

The police investigation is hampered by the unwillingness of the teenagers present to share the information they have. This becomes particularly important for Detective Ben Chase whose daughter attends the school and whose estranged wife is a teacher there.

I won’t venture into spoiler territory. Suffice to say that Ms Richell introduces several red herrings, and there is no shortage of questionable characters who might just be involved. No, I did not work it out before the reveal, and yet I was not surprised. Why? Because Ms Richell draws the various parts of the story together brilliantly.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I really like Hannah Richell books, so I leapt on this one with glee. Having been a parent of teenagers, the issues resonated with me. I could really relate to Rachel, knowing something was wrong with Ellie, but what? There was some clever misdirection and a truly amazing ending. But along the way, there are a lot of other issues too, like gaslighting, grooming, false accusations, unresolved grief, societal expectations, class and trust. I just had to keep reading, which is a hallmark of a good book. The suspense and tension was well done. Many thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy to read and review.

A gripping, cleverly written thriller that had me hooked from the first page. The body of teenager Sarah is found in the woods after a Halloween party and left in a macabre state. She attended the local exclusive school where investigating detective Ben Chase has both a daughter in the same year level and his ex wife is the student counsellor. There are plenty of suspects from within the school and local community and webs of lies and secrets abound, keeping you guessing until the very end. The setting of “Sally in the wood” was perfect to build the creepy atmosphere. I was also interested to learn that this place actually exists between Somerset and Wiltshire in England and is believed to be haunted.
Totally riveting and captivating!

Love a great suspenseful thriller and this is a great read. Hannah Richell knows how to draw you in and keep you engaged. I literally read through the night I was so captivated by this story.
A ghost story of Sally in the Wood, a young bride killed by her husband on their wedding night is a legend that plays out throughout the story. Sally haunts the woods and there have been sightings of her over many years.
On Halloween a group of kids from the nearby private school are partying in the woods where Sally is meant to have died. A young girl from the party is murdered but how and by whom.
Rachel, the school counsellor and her daughter Ellie live on the school grounds and her ex husband Ben, a police detective are all caught up in this murder mystery. I thought I had the murderer worked out but I was wrong. A truly atmospheric read and another great book by Ms Richell.

So this is the book I was reading at the same time as A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and there are some eerie similarities!

This one tells the story of school counsellor, Rachel, DCI Ben, and their daughter Ellie, as they each deal with the murder of Ellie's classmate. The circumstances around the death are unusual, and remind many of the old legend of 'Sally in the Wood' - a woman said to have been murdered at the same place, many years ago.

I thought this was a great crime novel, and the alternating points of view contributed to a well-rounded story. I liked each of the three main protagonists and their decisions throughout the book. The pace was fantastic, and there was enough progression in the case that I was satisfied while still hanging out for the truth.

The 'Sally in the Wood' folktale seemed a bit like a gimmick to add something extra, and it didn't really work for me. I think this could have been just as good a story without it. Which is quite interesting, in hindsight - apparently the entire premise of the story came about from the author's wanting to use the very real location in a story.

All in all, I did rather enjoy this one. I saw a few things coming but ultimately was surprised and captivated by the way things unfolded.

I'd highly recommend this for crime fans.

With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC

One Dark Night is an atmospheric creepy and twisty mystery.

The pacing felt a little slow, and it is a longer book, however it easily held my attention throughout. The characters were well drawn and it was easy to empathise with Ben, Rachel and Ellie’s plight. I loved their relationship dynamics, and Ben’s work as a policemen and Rachel’s as a school counsellor provided fascinating insights into the case.

The ghost story of Sally in the Woods made for a wonderfully chilling dynamic. I loved the eerie vibe of the woods and school, and the imposing Folly. I thought I’d figured out the ending, but was delighted to be wrong!

A great read for anyone looking for an absorbing and twisty mystery.

Thank you Simon & Schuster for a copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

My 6P review: Premise, Plot, People, Place, Prose/Pace, Praise

A body is found after Halloween. Ellie was there. What is she holding back? The daughter of detective Ben Chase, she knows how police work. She can’t talk her mother who is the counsellor at Ellie’s school. Who can she trust?

For a somewhat lengthy book, I had no problems in finishing this premise had be intrigued and the story did not let me down.

I loved how the story was based on the folk story of Sally in the Wood. It was cleverly interwoven within the story.

The characters were brilliant. Each had their own personality and story to tell and while there quite a few of them, it was easy to keep track of. Their reactions were so plausible, they all seemed real.

Their setting was amazing. I could clearly picture it and felt I was walking alongside the characters, smelling and breathing the same air and seeing the same things.

I thought I had this one figured out a couple of times but to my utter delight, this was not the case.

In thoroughly enjoyed this book and am delighted to know that she has written others which will be placed on my TBR.

thank you to Netgalley for an Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me early access to read and review this book.

Firstly I want to acknowledge that I thoroughly devoured this thriller. It left everything up to the imagination and gave nothing away until the very end. Hannah's writing was atmospheric and created the dank and eerie picture I needed to get sucked into this mystery.

As much as I love that it played on a real location, it would have been fun to have leant into the superstition a little more, even leaving a final 'is it really true?' impression that lingers in the back of readers minds. That being said, this is my opinion and the wiring does an amazing job of tying everything together.

I can't wait for the release of this book and for people to get their hands on it! I'll be interested to see what others opinions are of this novel.

4.5 stars 🌟

This book was so well written and thought out - I just could not put it down.

The story keeps you guessing all the way through to the very end (that I did not see coming).

One of the things I loved most about this book was how easy it was to form a connection with the characters. I genuinely cared about what happened between Ellie and her parents,

The book was eerie and had a haunting presence. A ghost story mixed with a real life murder. The reason for my half star is because I felt like there were still a few unanswered questions that should have been addressed, other wise a great thriller!

Hannah Richell knows how to tell a tale. One Dark Night is set near the grounds of an elite school where, after a party on Halloween night, one of the students is found murdered. There are many characters to keep track of and a few red herrings all leading up to the final reveal. The book is well written at a great pace and had me struggling to put it down.

One Dark Night is a masterful atmospheric thriller that had me hooked from start to finish. Set against the eerie backdrop of Thorncombe’s haunted woods, the story weaves chilling local legends with a gripping modern-day murder investigation.

The plot kicks off with the discovery of a girl in white, dead at the bottom of an old stone folly, and from there, it’s an intense ride. Hannah Richell crafts a tense and claustrophobic narrative, blending small-town secrets, family drama, and the relentless pace of a police investigation. Detective Ben Chase’s perspective added emotional weight, especially as the investigation began to hit uncomfortably close to home.

And that twist at the end? I didn’t see it coming, and it left me reeling in the best way. Richell keeps you guessing until the final pages, making every chapter impossible to put down.

If you love thrillers packed with atmosphere, suspense, and jaw-dropping surprises, One Dark Night is a must-read.

Big thanks to Simon & Schuster for a copy on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
One Dark Night is a mystery thriller filled with intrigue, tension, spooky and a whole lot of drama.
Secrets, lies and deception is on everyone’s lips in this gripping tale.
Welcome to the small town of Thorncombe.
In the woods there’s the legend of the girl in the white dress.
How she lures them in and haunts them to their death.
On Halloween night, the local school teens have a party.
By morning a girl is found dead.
Police detective Ben Chase begins the investigation.
As he analyses the evidence, what he uncovers is shocking…..
Hannah’s new book centres around a upmarket school and a party that goes horribly wrong.
Well written and eerily atmospheric, this is one that needs to be added to your reading pile on release day.
A compulsory page turner that will keep you turning the pages way into the evening.