First of all,  the idea of this book was really interesting. It's told from the perspective of Daniel. They are trying to have a baby with Victoria. He makes friends with Ruby, when he joins a penpal scheme for prisoners. From then on, we have a super good mystery in our hands. 
I very much enjoyed this book. And if it hadn't been for the uneven pace between the beginning and the end of the book, it would be a 5 star. It was really slow at the beginning, but fantastic at the end. 

I'd definitely recommend this mystery, and will look forward to reading more from this writer. 

Thanks a lot to NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the change to read this book in exchange for an honest review.  

This story was a slow burner the first half is a little overly descriptive for me and it took a while to really get into the story. The second half was a lot stronger and I was completely hooked by the final 3rd. The story is told by Daniel who is trying for a baby with victoria when he joins a penpal scheme for prisoners and he strikes up a friendship with Ruby and what develops is a truly fascinating mystery.

‘This Little Dark Place’ is a dark, unsettling psychological thriller and I am trying my best to review this Novel without giving out the story, as it will be a spoiler of fun for my fellow readers! 

Daniel, a carpenter and Victoria are in a relationship and they live in a quiet little town where nothing really happens. Dan is happy doing his carpentry works and lives in peace, Victoria though, gets bored often. She is often looking for something to do, something to kill time. But soon gets restless and does something weird. The list goes on, until one day she decides to get pregnant.

The couple try and try for an year, and an other. One miscarriage after another occurs, leaving Victoria angry and hopeless. Soon, the couple aren’t functional anymore. They hardly talk to each other and indulge themselves in other activities just to stay in the same house.

That’s when Dan encounters a program online called Inbox Inmates where people are allowed to talk to inmates in prison through anonymous network where their identities are concealed. Then one day he receives a letter from a female inmate called Ruby whose email intrigues Dan to reply her and this begins a weird relationship between the two of them.

Meanwhile Dan is devastated after the death of his mother whose long suffering Dementia only made it worse for the couple. Surprisingly, Dan inherits an old unused cottage cum shed from his mother, which is literally surrounded by wilderness. Dan decides to renovate and move in there with Vic, which is somehow the beginning and end of his life!

The whole novel is in the form of letters or diary entries written by Dan to someone named Lucy from an undisclosed location and a futuristic timeline (year 2033!). Since Dan is the only available narrator who is unreliable and wavering right from the start, the reader has no other option than to trust his perspective on the other characters including Ruby and Victoria. Adding to the mystery, Dan’s narration becomes a mirror of the reader’s thoughts, displaying the exact questions that are slowly creeping into the reader’s brain. As crazy as this might sound, this is one very intelligent tool used by the author to play mind games with his audience and he really aces it!

This book is highly psychological with a thriller element that creates an unease right from the page 1. It only gets darker and spine-chilling as the story progresses and A.S. Hatch maintains a steady pace throughout. Now as a reader, I am still shaky from my reading experience, as my brain wanted to quit this book and take a breath but I just couldn’t put it down! Definitely one of the unusually breathtaking books I’ve read and totally unforgettable.

I volunteered to review this book on Netgalley and thanks to the publisher for my E-Galley. All opinions are mine.

This raw psychological thriller left me on the edge of my seat. (Most) of the twists were new. The middle lagged a tad, but overall I found this novel to be quite enjoyable.

I seem to be in the minority when it comes to this book as most reviews rave about the book. The premise sounded like this would be right up my alley, but this took me way longer to read than it should have.  I just didn't get into like I had hoped I would.  Mostly because I found the main character, Daniel, to be rather pathetic and I didn't care how things turned out for him.  I did like how the story was told, Daniel recounting the events of his life.   2.5/5 stars. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy of this book.

I’m always a fan of a good thriller! This Little Dark place was a good mixture of both suspense and psychology that kept you guessing. Some parts were just a dash predictable, but I absolutely enjoyed it. It was one I couldn’t put down until I finished it.

This Little Dark Place was definitely more of a slow burn than I was expecting, but it held my interest enough for me to keep reading. I liked how the story was told through a letter written by Daniel to a woman named Lucy explaining the events of his past, although in some areas the formatting was a little confusing as it jumped from past to present. The passages with Daniel set in the future, which I know were deliberately meant to seem vague and make the reader unsure where he was living, were still awkward for me. They featured two male characters who weren't developed and contributed nothing to the plot except to add confusion. The rise in action and tension towards the end helped make this a 3 star read for me.

# This Little Dark Place # Netgalley 
Wow what a excellent book, it takes you on a journey you definitely will not be expecting. Why did Danial start writing to the prisoners pen pal site in the first place.  Why did he start to write to Ruby, of all people he could have chosen from. However you never really know who you are writing too really in that situation. I actually asked myself. Surely if a pen pal site is what you want to do, but why write to a female when your in a relationship trying for a baby. Why not a male, if your motives are harmless. Ok a nice thing to do. I hear people probably saying. However why are you revealing your inner most secrets. It’s full of twists turns, also danger. What a rollercoaster of a ride you will have with this book

I think the format of this book was good, was different from what I usually read. It is basically a letter written by the main character Daniel explaining everything to Lucy. I had no clue who Lucy was until the end of the book, which was my favourite part. That probably saved the book for me. I found it a slow read.
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for my ARC copy in return for an honest review

What a good read. I read this in one sitting and couldn't put it down. It is written in a very cool format, the main characters whole life is written in a letter.  I very much enjoyed this book. I did figure it out quite early, but of course I only knew part of the story and had to keep reading to find out the why. 

Great book, would definitely read another book by the author. 
I was given this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

Probably more 2.5 for depressing the hell out of me 

This book is a very slow burn and the formatting of it is a bit confusing. It doesn’t really differentiate between the alternating of timelines though it became easier to differentiate that as time went on. 

The writing is fine, good even, and the characters are interesting (though not highly likable and sometimes frustrating).  Prepare yourself for no real action until the end of this story, though there are some twists and surprises along the way. 

It is unclear who Lucy is (and no clarity comes until the bitter end) but I wasn’t as excited by this reveal as some reviewers were. By then I was just ready for this to be over. Would I try another book by this author? Maybe, depending on the topic. 

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Serpent’s Tail / Profile Books for a copy in exchange for a review.

Title: This Little Dark Place

Author: A.S.Hatch

Pages:288

Genre:thriller

Oct.10,2019

An emotionally raw and compulsively readable psychological thriller. A powerful tale of obsessive love and stealthy betrayal, full of twists that jolt you right up to the end.' -  Alice Blanchard, award-winning author of The Breathtaker

'Carries the reader along with a sense of foreboding, with a shocking twist at the end.' - L.F. Robertson, author of Two Lost Boys

'A breathless page-turner with gathering tension throughout.' - Rebecca Alexander, author of A Baby's Bones

How well do you know your girlfriend?

How well do you know your lover?

How well do you know yourself?

Daniel and Victoria are together. They're trying for a baby. Ruby is in prison, convicted of assault on an abusive partner. But when Daniel joins a pen pal program for prisoners, he and Ruby make contact. At first the messages are polite, neutral - but soon they find themselves revealing more and more about themselves. Their deepest fears, their darkest desires. And then, one day, Ruby comes to find Daniel. And now he must decide who to choose - and who to trust.


My thoughts

Rating: 5

Every now and then a book comes along that holds you captive from the very first page when that happens there is not letting go , this story is told in a unequal way that it makes it feel a bit dark and twisted and your seen it though one of the main character's eyes. There's no way I can explain why I liked it as much as I did but there's something about this story that just grabs you and won't let go , and that's the type of story I love to read ,the ones that gives you goosebumps and make you stay up late at night reading , as for the characters there the type of characters that make you rethink everything you think you know about them as well as the story. Its has the right type of mystery, suspense , and the question of who should you truest when you write letters to people . Plus it also makes you ask do you really know yourself as well as you think you do . With that said I want to say thank you to Netgalley  for letting me read and review it exchange for my honest opinion .

This book was very well written. Nice and easy to read and flowed well. Had me on the edge of my seat. Wondering which way it was going to go. Great mystery can’t beat it.

This Little Dark Place by A.S. Hatch is a unique addition to the psychological thriller genre.  An intriguing premise, an atypical format, and told in a compelling voice, this is one that will pull you in from the start.

Daniel and Victoria are a couple who are trying to conceive a child.  When things become stressed in the relationship, Daniel finds solace in Ruby, a prison inmate who is serving time for domestic assault.  The two gradually reveal more and more of themselves to each other, until the day that Ruby is released and comes looking for Daniel.

There is a wonderful sense of unease and foreboding as the novel progresses, and I particularly enjoyed reading the letters that are exchanged between Ruby and Daniel.  If I had one criticism, I would say that I tend to be partial to novels that are written in short, concise chapters rather than the  long and unbroken segments presented here as, for me, they are more coherent and accessible.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Serpent's Tail/Profile Books for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and had me thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. The character development of Ruby kept me on tenterhooks. Absolutely loved the final twist which I did not manage to work out until the very end!!

This thriller was outstanding. I could not put it down. I read it in two days and if I had no children to distract me I’d have read it in a day. It kept me hooked from start to finish and kept me guessing in each and every chapter. Daniel and Victoria are a couple trying to start a family. Daniel however starts writing to Ruby as part of a prisoner pen pal programme. She assaulted her partner and is serving time in prison. Their correspondence begins innocently, as friends, but develops quite quickly and they begin to tell each other their deepest secrets. When Ruby is released from prison she comes looking for Daniela d then things get interesting. 
This novel is unforgettable. A must read for all thriller fans!!!

I must confess that half way through this book I was struggling. Who is Ruby -is she telling the truth ? Who is Lucy ? Who is Gordon ? What is Robbie up to ? Are  any of them  real anyway ? Did I actually care enough to carry on ? Well I did persist and I am glad I did. Yes the book takes a bit of getting into Dan tells the story -both past and present -of his life with partner Victoria and their unsuccessful quest to start a family .As they  grow more distant from each other -Dan begins an online friendship with a prison inmate-Ruby-telling each other their innermost secrets.
 The second half of the book had me gripped and -no I didn't see that end coming .Recommended -stick with it !

Thankyou NetGalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy. All I can say is OH MY GOODNESS! This is a definite THRILLER. This book keeps you hooked. Full of suspense and action. A.S. Hatch keep them coming!

Daniel and Victoria are in a relationship,  living together and are trying for a baby.  However, Dan starts to feel lonely when things don’t go to plan and he joins a pen pal program for prisoners.  He and Ruby soon make contact, to begin with the messages are polite, but they soon start to reveal more about themselves.  And then one day Ruby comes to find Daniel, and he must decide who to choose - and who to trust. 
This was a fast read, building up the suspense all the way through.  It is narrated by Daniel in the form of a letter to Lucy.  I did feel that some parts of the story jumped about a bit which made me confused slightly.  However, I enjoyed the story.
Many thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this advanced copy. 
I've never read anything by this author before and am so pleased I did. 
Every so often you try a new authority and they grab you from the first place. 
I don't want to give anything away about the story but it was captivating from the start and I had real problems putting the book down. 
This was a great read and full of tension with an unexpected twist you don't see coming. 
I would highly recommend.