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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
3.5. Definitely can't deny that it was pretty atmospheric and kept me engrossed, but the ending was kind of insane compared to the rest of it and stretched disbelief. The journalism subplot was completely unnecessary considering it didn't get resolved in any way and barely affected the plot enough to justify its inclusion.
*Thanks to Crooked Lane Books + NetGalley for the ARC!*
DNF, y'all, so let's not count this one as my official first book of the year! The setup is interesting, but the story plods along (especially in the middle) and then the ending is just like HEREYOUGOALLATONCEOKAYSORTITOUTYOURSELF!!! I don't know - I just didn't love it, but I wanted to, because I love a good dark premise.
DNF, y'all, so let's not count this one as my official first book of the year! The setup is interesting, but the story plods along (especially in the middle) and then the ending is just like HEREYOUGOALLATONCEOKAYSORTITOUTYOURSELF!!! I don't know - I just didn't love it, but I wanted to, because I love a good dark premise.
I really don't know where this book lands for me. This story is about Heather whos mom just died and she is returning home to take care of everything. As she starts cleaning she finds a box of letters from serial killer Michael Reave The Red wolf and they span over years. So Heather spends time reading them and trying to figure out the connection. And Michael has been caught and in Jail for years. Then when she contacts the police she finds out there is a copy cat out doing what The red wolf used to do with the bodies and murders. Michael has said this whole time he is innocent.
So I was really excited for the set up and thought here we go its going to be a did he do it who did it type story. IT starts out that way she starts working with the cops starts meeting with Michael and you get to know about Michaels past pre in jail in flashbacks.
But I wasn't a fan of Heather and it seemed like she was just wanting to get the story of the year to maybe get her old writing job back.
You find out close to the middle who was the Red wolf but then had to figure out but what comes next.
When some revels came at the end I knew then I figured them out.
I don't know where this books falls for me some parts I was so into but some I wasn't the end just seem here's the secrets which we knew and then they were like okay. Well here's some woods to walk around in. I wanted more out of the story I wish they changed some of the things for me like Heather herself I didn't like her she wasn't the badass I wanted and she seemed to care about getting the scoop more than anything. That's how she felt for me
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, Jen Williams, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
So I was really excited for the set up and thought here we go its going to be a did he do it who did it type story. IT starts out that way she starts working with the cops starts meeting with Michael and you get to know about Michaels past pre in jail in flashbacks.
But I wasn't a fan of Heather and it seemed like she was just wanting to get the story of the year to maybe get her old writing job back.
You find out close to the middle who was the Red wolf but then had to figure out but what comes next.
When some revels came at the end I knew then I figured them out.
I don't know where this books falls for me some parts I was so into but some I wasn't the end just seem here's the secrets which we knew and then they were like okay. Well here's some woods to walk around in. I wanted more out of the story I wish they changed some of the things for me like Heather herself I didn't like her she wasn't the badass I wanted and she seemed to care about getting the scoop more than anything. That's how she felt for me
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, Jen Williams, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars. Could our main character have made any more bad decisions - I don't think so.....and it was painful to listen to. I liked the premise of this one, but it was a bit predictable, and the unpredictable parts were.....just unrealistic in my opinion. I will give this author another shot, but this wasn't my favorite read.
This book is dark with a creepy feel. It has some cults, communes, darker Grimm fairy tales involved and a small amount of animal cruelty. It has a lot going on but overall, it is a really slow developing story. There is a ton of inner monologue throughout the book that wasn't really necessary and then everything unfolds in the last few chapters. So, while I wasn’t a fan of the story, I love this narrator. She does creepy so well and I might've stopped reading but she kept me tuned in.
Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Audio and Jen Williams for the advanced audio for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Audio and Jen Williams for the advanced audio for an honest review.
Holy smokes, this was just brilliant. I absolutely loved it!! I read this book in one sitting, it was that good. As soon as I started the first chapter I was hooked and just couldn’t stop.
The story revolves around the mysterious suicide of a middle aged woman, an unexplainable act for her daughter Heather ( the main character) who is now staying at her house to sort through her mother’s things. But a few days before the funeral Heather is shocked to discover that her mother has been corresponding with the famous serial killer, the Red Wolf. The man has been locked behind bars for the last twenty years, and yet the killings have started again with the same MO of the red wolf and the police are racing against time to find the copycat before any more women are murdered.. In the meantime strange and creepy things start happening to Heather pushing her to investigate just why and how her mother was connected to the red wolf.
This book was freakishly creepy and gory. You better leave your lights on while reading it because there were certain moments where I felt my hackles rise and I was not comfortable sitting in a dark room. The author cleverly combines pagan cult and local folklore with the killings of young women that date back to the 70’s. I assure you there is not one boring moment in this book and I especially loved the references to Grimm’s bloodthirsty fairy tales. Congratulations to the author on her first thriller! I was shocked to learn she’d never written one before.
Thank you @netgalley and @crookedlanebooks for the ARC in exchange of an honest review!
The story revolves around the mysterious suicide of a middle aged woman, an unexplainable act for her daughter Heather ( the main character) who is now staying at her house to sort through her mother’s things. But a few days before the funeral Heather is shocked to discover that her mother has been corresponding with the famous serial killer, the Red Wolf. The man has been locked behind bars for the last twenty years, and yet the killings have started again with the same MO of the red wolf and the police are racing against time to find the copycat before any more women are murdered.. In the meantime strange and creepy things start happening to Heather pushing her to investigate just why and how her mother was connected to the red wolf.
This book was freakishly creepy and gory. You better leave your lights on while reading it because there were certain moments where I felt my hackles rise and I was not comfortable sitting in a dark room. The author cleverly combines pagan cult and local folklore with the killings of young women that date back to the 70’s. I assure you there is not one boring moment in this book and I especially loved the references to Grimm’s bloodthirsty fairy tales. Congratulations to the author on her first thriller! I was shocked to learn she’d never written one before.
Thank you @netgalley and @crookedlanebooks for the ARC in exchange of an honest review!
This book has an amazing premise! I was so interested in where the story was going. I really like the concept of Heather finding out details about her mother's life and her past through conversations with an imprisoned serial killer. What I didn't care for off the bat, however, was the cryptic nature of those conversations. It seemed to emulate The Silence of the Lambs, but less in a creepy and interesting way and more in a confusing and confounding way. From then on, I was losing interest in where the story was going and by the time I got to the end and all the details unraveled, I found the whole thing uninteresting and unbelievable. I feel the premise could have been executed a bit better and it all would have been a bit more satisfying. If you're able to roll with the confusion and suspend some parts of reality, this could be a great story for you!
Thank you to NetGalley, DreamScape Media, and Jen Williams for my advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley, DreamScape Media, and Jen Williams for my advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review.
I enjoyed the suspense and didn't see the twist coming. Overall an enjoyable read that kept my attention well. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys dark thrillers.
All of my reviews can be found at https://damppebbles.com/
There was no way on this earth I was going to be able to resist this book. The cover is stunning, the title is quite different to everything else out there so it immediately grabbed my attention, and the words ‘serial killer’ had me downloading a copy faster than you could say, well, ‘serial killer’!
Heather Evans receives dreadful news which sends her rushing back to the town, and the house, she grew up in. Her mother, who Heather readily admits she hasn’t really seen or spoken to for a while, has committed suicide. The note she left was confusing. Heather can’t quite believe it’s true but begins the unenviable task of packing up her childhood home. But sifting through the mundane, Heather finds letters going back years between her mild-mannered mother and the notorious serial killer known to all as The Red Wolf, Michael Reave. It makes no sense. But ex-journalist Heather is determined to find out why her mother has been sharing such personal correspondence with a convicted killer for decades. Particularly as the body of a woman has just been found, decorated with flowers, just as Reave used to do with his victims…
Heather’s story and her search for the truth had me glued to the pages throughout this intriguing crime debut. How well do we really know those we’re closest to? Probably not as well as we think! And that’s one of the main hurdles Heather has to cross in the unravelling of her mother’s life. Due to the recent bout of killings, which undeniably have a link to Reave in their similarity, Heather arranges to meet with the Red Wolf. She plans on using her journalistic skills to get the truth about her mother from the killer and discover more about their shared friendship, along with finding out her mother’s state of mind before she took her own life and wrote that strange suicide note. But Michael is intent on only sharing fables and morbid fairy tales which confuse and frustrate Heather, along with the police team investigating the recent murders.
Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Dog Rose Dirt is a well-written slow burn mystery which I found to be a compelling page turner. Some aspects of the story I guessed from fairly early on. Others I didn’t. This is the author’s debut crime novel but she’s an established writer in a different genre, which shows in the construction of the story and the narrative. Heather isn’t the most appealing of central characters but she had a rawness and a realness about her which I really appreciated. I don’t think you have to fall in love with a lead to become part of their story, I’ve said something along these lines many times before, but I was cheering her on. I wanted her to discover the truth, whatever that would be. I enjoyed Dog Rose Dirt and I would happily read more crime fiction written by this author. I hope there’s more to come. Recommended.
There was no way on this earth I was going to be able to resist this book. The cover is stunning, the title is quite different to everything else out there so it immediately grabbed my attention, and the words ‘serial killer’ had me downloading a copy faster than you could say, well, ‘serial killer’!
Heather Evans receives dreadful news which sends her rushing back to the town, and the house, she grew up in. Her mother, who Heather readily admits she hasn’t really seen or spoken to for a while, has committed suicide. The note she left was confusing. Heather can’t quite believe it’s true but begins the unenviable task of packing up her childhood home. But sifting through the mundane, Heather finds letters going back years between her mild-mannered mother and the notorious serial killer known to all as The Red Wolf, Michael Reave. It makes no sense. But ex-journalist Heather is determined to find out why her mother has been sharing such personal correspondence with a convicted killer for decades. Particularly as the body of a woman has just been found, decorated with flowers, just as Reave used to do with his victims…
Heather’s story and her search for the truth had me glued to the pages throughout this intriguing crime debut. How well do we really know those we’re closest to? Probably not as well as we think! And that’s one of the main hurdles Heather has to cross in the unravelling of her mother’s life. Due to the recent bout of killings, which undeniably have a link to Reave in their similarity, Heather arranges to meet with the Red Wolf. She plans on using her journalistic skills to get the truth about her mother from the killer and discover more about their shared friendship, along with finding out her mother’s state of mind before she took her own life and wrote that strange suicide note. But Michael is intent on only sharing fables and morbid fairy tales which confuse and frustrate Heather, along with the police team investigating the recent murders.
Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Dog Rose Dirt is a well-written slow burn mystery which I found to be a compelling page turner. Some aspects of the story I guessed from fairly early on. Others I didn’t. This is the author’s debut crime novel but she’s an established writer in a different genre, which shows in the construction of the story and the narrative. Heather isn’t the most appealing of central characters but she had a rawness and a realness about her which I really appreciated. I don’t think you have to fall in love with a lead to become part of their story, I’ve said something along these lines many times before, but I was cheering her on. I wanted her to discover the truth, whatever that would be. I enjoyed Dog Rose Dirt and I would happily read more crime fiction written by this author. I hope there’s more to come. Recommended.