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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a book that I purely chose for the cover, but the story actually surprised me. I haven’t read a proper crime book in a while, and the plot really hooked me from the start.
Serial killers, journalists and family mysteries make the concept of this book really good, but the ending fell a little flat for me. I loved all the descriptive language and attention to detail, and some parts really had me on edge! Everything about this story was leading it in a really good way, but the ultimate ending felt fantastical and weird. If it had been written slightly differently, I would’ve still been on board, but certain elements just made it feel silly. That being said, I would definitely still recommend this as a good crime read to get you back into the genre.
Serial killers, journalists and family mysteries make the concept of this book really good, but the ending fell a little flat for me. I loved all the descriptive language and attention to detail, and some parts really had me on edge! Everything about this story was leading it in a really good way, but the ultimate ending felt fantastical and weird. If it had been written slightly differently, I would’ve still been on board, but certain elements just made it feel silly. That being said, I would definitely still recommend this as a good crime read to get you back into the genre.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I’m torn between providing the book with a 3.5 and 4 star rating...ultimately I decided to round up due to the ending.
A Dark and Secret Place was the best book to kick off the spooky Halloween season! What is more Halloween then the woods, serial killers, and unseen monsters?! Certain parts of this tale had me genuinely afraid....looking over my shoulder, holding my breath, hiding under my covers while reading, afraid. There were also some moments where the characters dialogue, actions, and thought processes were completely alien to me and that unfortunately made me disengage a bit. Overall the ending, in my opinion, made up for the less than authentic character actions. Often times endings are too far fetched or just plain impossible when it comes to thrillers. This ending however was spot on in terms of providing a satisfying resolution.
A Dark and Secret Place was the best book to kick off the spooky Halloween season! What is more Halloween then the woods, serial killers, and unseen monsters?! Certain parts of this tale had me genuinely afraid....looking over my shoulder, holding my breath, hiding under my covers while reading, afraid. There were also some moments where the characters dialogue, actions, and thought processes were completely alien to me and that unfortunately made me disengage a bit. Overall the ending, in my opinion, made up for the less than authentic character actions. Often times endings are too far fetched or just plain impossible when it comes to thrillers. This ending however was spot on in terms of providing a satisfying resolution.
** I read an advance reader copy of this book. **
A fast paced thriller with some nice twists and turns, this book was a quick read that kept my interest. I figured out some of the twists before the end but not all of them and the writing was solid and the characters were interesting so even if I had figured it all out, I still would have wanted to read to the end. There were some missteps and characters added that weren't needed at all (Harry), but overall this is an enjoyable thriller.
A fast paced thriller with some nice twists and turns, this book was a quick read that kept my interest. I figured out some of the twists before the end but not all of them and the writing was solid and the characters were interesting so even if I had figured it all out, I still would have wanted to read to the end. There were some missteps and characters added that weren't needed at all (Harry), but overall this is an enjoyable thriller.
This was an engaging, fast-paced, crazy ride of a book.
Things I liked:
* The initial setup was good: Heather is cleaning up her estranged dead mother's house and she finds a pile of letters - spanning decades - from the imprisoned serial killer Michael Reave/The Red Wolf and understandably freaks out. At the same time, police begin investigating a series of murders where victims are staged identically to the Red Wolf's -- Is there a copycat? Or was the wrong person arrested?
* Dual timeline interspersed with the present day storyline, describing Michael's horrific childhood (including some gruesome animal content that I really could have done without) and some parts of his young-adulthood.
* Heather's snark factor.
* Creepy fairy tales.
* The secrets that were revealed were upsetting in the best way.
The things I didn't like:
* Heather made A LOT of irrational choices. She seemed smart sometimes and SO very stupid at others.
* The ending felt rushed and like too many things were revealed in just a few pages, and it felt a bit like a spinning wheel of serial killer thriller tropes was used to wrap things up.
Final thoughts:
Going into a serial killer thriller, I know there is going to be some level of nonsense employed to move the plot along and sometimes it goes over the top too fast and gets dumb -- however! this book had a reasonable amount of nonsense and the fun/scary parts outweighed the "seriously?? (eye-roll)" moments, so overall this was a very enjoyable read. A perfect pool/beach/vacation book!
** Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the review ARC.
Available: June 8, 2021
Things I liked:
* The initial setup was good: Heather is cleaning up her estranged dead mother's house and she finds a pile of letters - spanning decades - from the imprisoned serial killer Michael Reave/The Red Wolf and understandably freaks out. At the same time, police begin investigating a series of murders where victims are staged identically to the Red Wolf's -- Is there a copycat? Or was the wrong person arrested?
* Dual timeline interspersed with the present day storyline, describing Michael's horrific childhood (including some gruesome animal content that I really could have done without) and some parts of his young-adulthood.
* Heather's snark factor.
* Creepy fairy tales.
* The secrets that were revealed were upsetting in the best way.
The things I didn't like:
* Heather made A LOT of irrational choices. She seemed smart sometimes and SO very stupid at others.
* The ending felt rushed and like too many things were revealed in just a few pages, and it felt a bit like a spinning wheel of serial killer thriller tropes was used to wrap things up.
Final thoughts:
Going into a serial killer thriller, I know there is going to be some level of nonsense employed to move the plot along and sometimes it goes over the top too fast and gets dumb -- however! this book had a reasonable amount of nonsense and the fun/scary parts outweighed the "seriously?? (eye-roll)" moments, so overall this was a very enjoyable read. A perfect pool/beach/vacation book!
** Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the review ARC.
Available: June 8, 2021
Creepy from the first page! I received this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. The story is intricate and unexpected with lots of twists and turns along the way. Heather is believable as the main character, although I sometimes wanted to say, "Hey, what are you thinking?" She is true to herself and her journalistic instincts, deciding to investigate rather than call for help. Dialogue between characters flows naturally. I was occasionally confused by the brief introductions to some of the more minor characters and would forget details when they reappeared later on. A very interesting read!
I love books that draw you in from the first page, and A Dark and Secret Place did exactly that. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. The mystery starts off when Heather returns to her childhood home after her mother allegedly commits suicide. Heather is left with so many questions and soon realizes that she never really knew her mom. I highly recommend this book for people who enjoy a good thriller.
I loved the plot of this book. I mean who doesn't love a good serial killer novel?
Heather doesn't have a great relationship with her mother, Colleen. One day, Colleen commits suicide and Heather is forced to return home. While heather is going through her mom's things, she runs across correspondences that her mother has been having with a convicted serial killer, Michael Reave or better known as "The Red Wolf". All things seem to be lining up as more woman are being murdered the same way that "The Red Wolf" had killed before. Is he corresponding with someone on the outside or is this a copycat?
I really enjoyed this book, but it was definitely a slow burn for me. The plot reminded me of some other novels such as "Jar of Hearts" and I LOVEEDDD that novel. I was hoping for something along those realms while still keeping it original to their own stories. Part of me did feel like some parts could have been cut a bit shorter, but overall, I thought that it was a slow burn in a good way. I was able to predict the ending which may have wrecked it a bit for me as there was nothing jaw dropping for me.
Things I loved: it was eerie, creepy and indulging
What I didn't love: ending was predictable
Overall, a good read and I would recommend for those wanting a creepy serial killer novel to keep them up at night!
Heather doesn't have a great relationship with her mother, Colleen. One day, Colleen commits suicide and Heather is forced to return home. While heather is going through her mom's things, she runs across correspondences that her mother has been having with a convicted serial killer, Michael Reave or better known as "The Red Wolf". All things seem to be lining up as more woman are being murdered the same way that "The Red Wolf" had killed before. Is he corresponding with someone on the outside or is this a copycat?
I really enjoyed this book, but it was definitely a slow burn for me. The plot reminded me of some other novels such as "Jar of Hearts" and I LOVEEDDD that novel. I was hoping for something along those realms while still keeping it original to their own stories. Part of me did feel like some parts could have been cut a bit shorter, but overall, I thought that it was a slow burn in a good way. I was able to predict the ending which may have wrecked it a bit for me as there was nothing jaw dropping for me.
Things I loved: it was eerie, creepy and indulging
What I didn't love: ending was predictable
Overall, a good read and I would recommend for those wanting a creepy serial killer novel to keep them up at night!
Heather Evans returns home after her mother's baffling suicide. In her mother's belongings she finds some alarming letters- correspondence with the serial killer Michael Reave. Reave has been serving a life sentence for decades now after being convicted for several ritualistic murders of women, even though he continually pleaded his innocence. Finding these letters causes Heather to seek out the person her mother had been writing to and look more into this case. When a new body is discovered with the same MO as the previous murders, Heather tries to find out the truth about what happened and what her mother could have known.
Initially, A Dark and Secret Place is a gripping thriller. It gives you the creeps the same way the opening to a horror film does, very atmospheric which is great. I would advise anyone who can't handle animal cruelty in a book to skim that. I did find that once you reach a certain point in the book there is so much going on, so many different elements that are supposed to be mysterious, creepy, or haunting, that it does feel like a little too much.
The premise of this book was intriguing and the creep factor was definitely there for some of the book. I wasn't completely satisfied with it as I finished it up, but there are some great reviews for this book and I'm sure there will be even more by the publication date. I would definitely recommend you read it and form your own opinions because I have a feeling people are going to be very hit or miss with this one.
Thank you to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Jen Williams for the opportunity to read this review copy.
Initially, A Dark and Secret Place is a gripping thriller. It gives you the creeps the same way the opening to a horror film does, very atmospheric which is great. I would advise anyone who can't handle animal cruelty in a book to skim that. I did find that once you reach a certain point in the book there is so much going on, so many different elements that are supposed to be mysterious, creepy, or haunting, that it does feel like a little too much.
The premise of this book was intriguing and the creep factor was definitely there for some of the book. I wasn't completely satisfied with it as I finished it up, but there are some great reviews for this book and I'm sure there will be even more by the publication date. I would definitely recommend you read it and form your own opinions because I have a feeling people are going to be very hit or miss with this one.
Thank you to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Jen Williams for the opportunity to read this review copy.