A Dark and Secret Place

Some family secrets are buried deeply within shadows and looking into these dark corners can lead to disturbing discoveries. For Heather Evans, such secrets change everything she thought to be true. Growing up, her relationship with her controlling mother was strained at best, resulting in Heather leaving home as a teenager. Then, her mother commits suicide, an act that seemed completely out of character. Heather returns home to a community she no longer knows and to a cavernous house rich with creepy shadows and sounds. While going through her mother’s belongings, she discovers a cache of letters that reveal that her mother has for many decades carried on a correspondence with the brutal serial killer Michael Reave, also known as “The Red Wolf.” Why? What is their seemingly affectionate connection? This begins a journey in which Heather digs into her mother’s past while aiding DI Ben Parker as he tracks a newly minted “Red Wolf” who mimics the actions of the incarcerated original. The story, which has many Gothic overtones, is well-plotted and packed with intriguing characters. Highly recommended.

DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Jake Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series

This is my first book I have read by this author and certainly won’t be the last one. It’s a wonderful psychological and suspense thriller about family secrets- a mother’s correspondence for years with a serial killer. Heather who wants to know why she kept secret for years when she discovers lots of letters written by the serial killer ‘Red Wolf’ to her mother. She decides to meet the killer to find out the truth.
It’s a dark story not for the weak but suspense thriller lovers will truly enjoy this book as much as I did.

What an amazing, terrifying thriller! I raced through it and stayed up late to finish, lost sleep but wow, what a read!

After years away, Heather Evans returns to her old home after her mother’s suicide to take care of her family’s affairs. She feels stunned that her mother would end her life in that way, then finds a stack of letters to her mother from a notorious serial killer called the Red Wolf, who is in prison serving a life sentence for hideous murders of women. Heather’s mother apparently was corresponding for years with this man, whose real name is Michael. Intrigued, she gets in touch with police and after new murders that resemble those of the Red Wolf or a copycat, DI Ben Parker accepts Heather’s help to get some answers.

If you’re curious about the mind of serial killers, this multilayered thriller is for you. It goes back and forth in time to describe Michael’s horrific early years – but is he the actual new killer? And why does Heather feel she’s being stalked? The settings are very creepy, including the scary house, the woods, her mother’s past that Heather seems to know little about, and the new murders. My only slight complaint is that in places the story was almost too gratuitously graphic, but people who don’t mind that will love this. The book took me prisoner, and I couldn’t put it down. Well done – whew!

Thanks so much to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for my advance review

When Heather Evans’s estranged mother dies by suicide, Heather returns to her childhood home to take care of her mother’s business and plan a funeral. Almost immediately, the strange occurrences begin–haunting figures, bird feathers strewn about the house, really creepy stuff. If that isn’t enough, Heather finds a bundle of letters–correspondence between her mother and the notorious killer Michael Reeve, aka the Red Wolf, who’s been in prison for 20 years. When the police learn of the letters, they set up meetings between Heather and Reeve, hoping to learn more about his victims and where they are buried, but also to gain hints as to who may be doing copycat killings in the region. After much delving, Heather determines the answer to the puzzle lies in an old commune where her mother and Reeve once lived. She drags a friend with her to the site, now a posh residential spa. In this tricky psychological thriller, much is drawn from Reeves’s past, from Grimm’s fairy tales, and from medieval folklore, all of which adds layers to the grisly nature of the story.

4.5/5

I have to say that I am pretty disappointed with all the low reviews I have seen for A Dark and Secret Place by Jen Williams. I didn’t let that deter me and I’m glad I didn’t because I LOVED this book! Cultish books are so hit or miss for me, and they have to be done just the right way or I really don’t like them. This was the perfect dose of it for me and added just enough to the story that it intrigued me more instead of turning me off. The descriptions of the bodies were completely disturbing, and I wouldn’t say this is a book for the squeamish reader. I loved the parts where our creepy serial killer Michael is telling dark and creepy fairy tales, and there is a great paranormal aspect that really kept me guessing. I had no idea if there was actually something supernatural going on, or if it was all made up, and that was just another part I really enjoyed. I liked Heather’s present viewpoint as she digs to find out what her mom knew, but also that we end up with a couple of other viewpoints as well. Not really sure if it’s a spoiler so I won’t say who, but the combination kept me glued to the pages and I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next.

The audiobook is narrated by Lorna Bennett, and I thought she did such a great job upping the creep factor to the novel. She might actually be a huge part of why I enjoyed it so much, and there is nothing I like more than when a narrator adds to the story. She is also a narrator for The Lost Apothecary which I loved on audio, and if possible, I think she did an even BETTER job with A Dark and Secret Place. I am still trying to decide if I was super shocked at the end, but there was definitely a major piece I wasn’t expecting. This is a very dark and atmospheric book, but it also went deeper than I expected it to, which I really liked. It did leave me with a couple of unanswered questions that I would have preferred to know the answers to, but that definitely makes it all the more mysterious that way. I would honestly love it if this would be turned into a series somehow since I don’t think I got quite enough of the Red Wolf. I’m sure this isn’t happening, but a girl can dream, right? I loved basically everything about A Dark and Secret Place and it has added Williams to my list of autobuy authors!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A Dark and Secret Place is the first thriller from author Jen Williams and her first foray into a new genre lives up to its title. A Dark and Secret Place is a dark, atmospheric exploration of a young woman’s search for the truth in the wake of a horrific tragedy. What she discovers is unsettling, upsetting, and related by Williams in a compulsively creepy and frightening manner.

Williams employs alternating narratives in a tale about a young boy who escapes some form of imprisonment, emerging into the woods where he is met by a man who takes him in and raises him. There, under the tutelage and with the encouragement of the old man, the boy’s evil pursuits proceed. Why? Williams answers that question only in part, which may leave some readers frustrated, feeling that the story is incomplete.

In the present day, Heather has returned home after receiving news of her mother’s sudden suicide. Heather and her mother, Colleen, had a troubled relationship, especially after the death of Heather’s father. With him gone, it became clear that he was the one who held their family together, and Colleen blamed his death on Heather. “You know what you’ve done” she told Heather. Now Colleen is gone, too, and has left a suicide note that Heather shares with her best friend, Nikki. In her final message, Colleen explains that she can no longer live with the things she knows and the decisions she has made over the course of her life. She declares that her actions will not be understood because no one knows about the “awful shadow I’ve lived under forever. All those monsters in the wood never really went away, not for me.” Heather is puzzled by the fact that the note is addressed “to you both,” because, to Heather’s knowledge, she is her mother’s only surviving family member. And she has no idea what decisions Colleen references. Even more baffling is the fact that Colleen’s life seemed to be proceeding normally. She was even in the process of creating Christmas-themed crafts, perhaps to be delivered to a local retirement home. As Heather peruses the state of Colleen’s home, she wonders, “What made someone put down their cozy crafting project and think about ending their life instead?” Clearly, something was very wrong, but Colleen never shared her troubles or feelings with Heather.

Heather becomes determined to learn what suddenly drove Collen to suicide when she discovers bundles of letters sent to her mother for years by serial killer Michael Reave from his prison cell. It is apparent that Colleen also wrote to him. In his letters, he talks about a commune where Colleen lived in the 1970’s, but Heather has no knowledge about that aspect of her mother’s past. Heather reaches out to the police to advise them about the letters in case they might contain information that could help solve the current case of a murdered woman whose body was staged just as Reave, the notorious “Red Wolf” posed his victims. Heather becomes embroiled in a cat-and-mouse game with Reave as she embarks on a journey for answers that could cost her her life. She agrees to visit him in prison in an attempt to extract information from him, but he seems to be interested only in telling her fables she cannot decipher.

As Heather moves closer to the truth, it becomes apparent that someone is watching her . . . and leaving startling and disturbing clues for her in and around her mother’s home, including a note: “I know what you are, and I think you do, too.” Even though someone is entering Colleen’s home in Heather’s absence, she does not involve or seek assistance from the police. And she will not be deterred from her search for answers, as flashes of long-buried memories begin to surface and it becomes clear that she is in danger. A copycat killer is stalking young women and staging the crime scenes in the same style as the “Red Wolf.” Heather could be setting herself up to be the next victim.

Williams weaves a cleverly constructed tale about her Colleen’s past, family secrets that Colleen hid from Heather her whole life, and the shocking events that drove Colleen to take her own life. Williams’ alternating narratives proceed at a steady pace as details about the commune and its inhabitants, the boy’s upbringing in the woods, and Heather’s quest for answers gradually provide insight into what happened to Colleen and, more importantly, why.

Heather is a recklessly determined, headstrong young woman who places others in danger with her and naively trusts seemingly benign characters. But when she begins to unravel the her family’s complicated history and her place in it, she understandably cannot stop until she knows everything. The story is gripping and once Williams unveils the mystery at the heart of it — the nature of the relationship between Heather’s mother and Reave — her deftly-timed delivery of clues hold reader interest. Williams expertly uses the settings she establishes to full advantage, incorporating them into the story as inanimate supporting characters that add nuance and depth to a tale that will appeal to fans of both fictional thrillers and true crime.

A Dark and Secret Place is more than a horrifying story about evil people and their horrific deeds. It is also an intriguing exploration of family dynamics and the fractious relationship between Heather and Colleen, a relationship that, tragically, the two did not have an opportunity to repair. Through Heather, Williams examines the extent to which family history informs self-concept, and challenges readers to ponder how learning that that everything you grow up believing about yourself and your family is untrue might impact and change you. And, ultimately, it’s a story about forgiveness.

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.

This was definitely not the read I expected but it was superbly written with twists and turns and some scary parts! Characters are well developed and meaningful. This is a book best read with the lights all on and don’t jump out of your seat if the door bell rings!!!!

I received an ebook ARC from Netgalley and this is my voluntary, honest review. If

A Dark and Secret Place by Jen Williams

On the fence on this one. I nearly gave up at more than one point in the story and admit that I skimmed more than read the book. The writing was fine, but the story was darker than expected and some aspects were horrific…so perhaps this book is more horror genre than I thought it would be from the book description. That said, I did read enough to get the gist of the story and came away disturbed and that is no doubt the outcome desired by the author.

What I liked:
* The writing style
* The way the past segued with the present portions of the story
* That I didn’t figure it all out before I finished even though I had read the end before I got there
* The convoluted incestuous storyline and family elements
* The creep factor – it was plenty creepy
* That it finally ended, and I was able to see the entire, though horrific, picture
* The dark fairytale element to the story…kind of
* That the story was well plotted and tidily crafted
* The twists, turns and surprises

What I didn’t like:
* The abuse of humans and animals
* The senselessness
* The choice Coleen was faced with…there must have been another…though probably not for this story to have been written
* Not knowing how Heather will end up in the future.

Did I enjoy this story? Yes & No
Who would I recommend it to? Horror buffs
Would I read more by this author? Maybe?

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars (for a book I skimmed and almost did not finish…hmmm…)

My Review of
A DARK AND SECRET PLACE
By Jen Williams
Gifted & Published by CrookedLaneBooks
On Sale: 6/8/21 – Link in my Bio
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The ability to describe my fascination with this book turned obsession is indescribable. The writing was so creepy and surreal and the way it would break off into short perfect chapters left just enough for the imagination. I think the world was big and the Authors did a great job at world building both the past and the present worlds. It was a slow burn at parts but that made me even more scared and wanting to turn all the lights on in the house. If you like to feel totally squeamish and hold on to your covers tight; this book is a keeper.
******
Synopsis:

For fans of Kathleen Barber and Julia Heaberlin comes a chilling psychological suspense from award-winning author Jen Williams about a woman who discovers her late mother had a decades-long secret correspondence with a serial killer, begging the question: how well do we know our own family and even ourselves?
When prodigal daughter Heather Evans returns to her family home after her mother’s baffling suicide, she makes an alarming discovery–stacks and stacks of carefully preserved letters from notorious serial killer Michael Reave. The “Red Wolf,” as he was dubbed by the press, has been in prison for over twenty years, serving a life sentence for the gruesome and ritualistic murders of several women across the country, although he has always protested his innocence. The police have had no reason to listen, yet Heather isn’t the only one to have cause to re-examine the murders. The body of a young woman has just been found, dismembered and placed inside a tree, the corpse planted with flowers. Just as the Red Wolf once did.
What did Heather’s mother know? Why did she kill herself? And with the monstrous Red Wolf safely locked inside a maximum security prison, who is stalking young women now? Teaming up with DI Ben Parker, Heather hopes to get some answers for herself and for the newest victims of this depraved murderer. Yet to do that, she must speak to Michael Reave herself, and expose herself to truths she may not be ready to face. Something dark is walking in the woods, and it knows her all too well.

A Dark and Secret Place by Jen Williams is a recommended psychological horror novel.

Heather Evans returns home after a long absence to bury her mother who inexplicably committed suicide. While going through her things, she discovers a decades-long long correspondence her mother had with convicted serial killer Michael Reave, “the Red Wolf.” He has been in prison for over 20 years, but currently there is a copycat out there, murdering young women and arranging their corpses in the same manner as Reave did to his victims. Heather shares the letters with the police and ends up visiting Reave in prison. It is also disturbing that her mother’s suicide note is address “To you both,” yet Heather was an only child – or was she? Heather begins searching for the truth.

The pace of this bleak, ominous tale moves rather slowly after a horrifying opening, delaying the obvious direction the plot will be predictably taking. The pace does pick up closer to the end and the novel becomes a scary, electrifying tale. As characters and information are introduce and presented in the first quarter of the novel, most readers of suspense novel will, like me, immediately make some obvious predictions. I have to admit that I didn’t find Heather a very compelling main character. The creepy alternate-chapter characters were more interesting (and disturbing).

It is certainly a creepy, atmospheric novel that has some spine-tingling moments and several truly horrifying scenes. However I did predict the direction the novel would take early on, so, even though there were gruesome scenes I didn’t predict, the direction wasn’t surprising. The writing is good, and Williams layers on numerous clues to increase the creepiness and dread. There are a couple of scenes I could have done without, just saying. It really leans more toward a horror novel than a suspense novel.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of the publisher/author.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2021/05/a-dark-and-secret-place.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4021413548