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.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.
What a ride! I was hooked from the first page. Hannah Richell knows how to tell a story, and that ending— you think you know, but you know nothing! I loved it.

4.5 Stars

Release Date 1st January 2025

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced e-book in return for an honest review.

One Dark Night centers around the gruesome death of a schoolgirl and the police investigation to find the killer. With a beautifully written cast of characters and a foreboding setting, it had me hooked from the very first page, till the very last. Everyone takes the news of Sarah's death differently, but someone knows the truth of what happened and they will stop at nothing to keep their secret from surfacing, even if it means lying to the people they love the most. I thought I had it figured out at about the 70-80% point in the book, but the author threw a twist in that even I did not see coming—a thoroughly enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed this read. The characters were well drawn and there was an interesting plot.

Local teenagers from a posh school have a Halloween party in the woods, particularly a wood said to be haunted called Sally In The Woods. There was a sinister feeling built up about the wood that was very effective. Sarah, one of the girls, is found dead after the party. Ben Chase the dad of Ellie, Sarah’s friend, is the principal police officer investigating the death. He recently separated from Ellie’s mum Rachel who’s a welfare officer at the school. He’s in a new relationship and his girlfriend is pregnant.

The teenagers are keeping many secrets and police are struggling to find the killer. The suspense in the story was built up well and there were a lot of twists and turns in this engaging read.

There were lots of characters, including Olivia whose dad was engaged in a controversial project that some of the locals opposed. Ellie was strongly against it and was vocally public in her opposition. There’s also Edward, the art teacher who is attracted to Rachel, and invites her around for dinner. She likes him but then becomes suspicious of him.

Ellie is interviewed by police shortly after Sarah’s death. She’s shocked that she’s a suspect. Then there’s Danny, Sarah’s boyfriend and his older brother Connor who could be manipulative and a bit of a trouble maker. The police soon move away from Ellie as a suspect and arrest a man with a previous Manslaughter conviction.

The mystery continues. It was not an easy resolution to guess the identity of Sarah’s killer given the magnitude of the secrets being kept by Sarah and Olivia.

I found the book to be a quick absorbing read, albeit it being over 400 pages long. I recommend this book to others who enjoy crime and mystery reads.

Many thanks to Netgalley for sending me the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One Dark Night absolutely delivered on tension, intrigue and creepiness! It’s about the murder of a young girl, discovered the morning after a Halloween party in the woods. I found this book so well paced and well written, it was the absolute definition of “Couldn’t put it down”!! I had to slow myself down near the end, as my brain just wanted to skim ahead to see what the heck was happening. There was a part where I audibly gasped, and my daughter said “Mum! What’s wrong?” “It’s just my book…” I breathed, still demolishing the pages. I liked the balance between a little bit of the supernatural, and a lot of solid police work. This book is right up there in terms of favourite thrillers I’ve read. Loved it!

I really enjoyed this read! Great themes- gothic academic setting, untrustworthy characters and ghostly fables. Lots of twists and turns and an ending I didn’t see coming.

Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy.
I read most of it in one sitting - unusual for me. While there were several very convincing red herrings, the resolution made sense and delivered some notion of a just world. I liked the construction of complex family lives, where people of all generations struggle to manage their work, feelings,, responsibilities and drives. The community is far from perfect but on the whole people are doing the best they can - sometimes with unintended consequences. This empathy with messiness came across strongly, but so did the need to find answers and ensure safety. The setting and relationships settled comfortably as context allowing the reader’s mind to focus on crime solving.
That’s good writing.

Wow.

This was so well done.

I was taken by surprise at the end and I LOVE THAT.
That’s not happened to me in a really long time.

The storyline was really well thought out.
The characters were well placed- purposeful and considerate.

The pacing was spot on. I didn’t feel bored or itching for it to hurry up at all!

I’ll be reading more of this authors work for sure!

Another great read from Hannah Richell. Last year I read and loved The Search Party so that is now 2 from 2 with this author. I did think that I had this one all worked out so I was really surprised by the ending. I was close but not quite.

A teenage Halloween party in the woods ends in tragedy. The kids are all keeping their secrets and police are desperate to find the killer. There were plenty of twists and unlikeable characters to keep you entertained and guessing.

There are quite a few characters and complex relationships to keep track of but I found it quite easy to do. For a longer book this was a quick, page turning read. I loved the Sally in the Woods stories as well,added to the creepiness of the woods.

Thanks so much to Simon and Schuster Australia for my early copy of this book to read. Publishes on New Years Day, 2025.

One Dark Night is a faced paced thriller based around the eerie death of a teenager on Halloween and bringing her killer to justice.

To begin with, I did find the story a little drawn out, and did get myself confused with all the different POV's. Once I go through about halfway through the book I did find it a little easier to remember who was who etc.

The last half of the book also did have me squirming in my seat trying to figure out just who the killer was, but did feel like the execution of the reveal a little lack luster. Definitely good for YA though.

This story had good premise and definitely would appeal more to a more younger reader.