A thriller with more than a small splash of horror, Dog Rose Dirt is the story of Heather Evans and her reluctant return to her home village following her mother's suicide. Heather always had a strange relationship with her mother, so feels uncomfortable returning to the house where she grew up to arrange the funeral and sort through her mother's things.

Whilst looking through the house, Heather finds a box full of letters - sent over the course of many years - which she soon realises are from the notorious serial killer, Michael Reave, aka the Red Wolf, who has been in prison for 20 years for the brutal murder of women - which he has always denied.

Why was her mother in such close contact with the Red Wolf? and why did she kill herself, leaving behind such a mysterious note? Soon Heather becomes embroiled in her mother's past, and - when copy cat murders begin to take place - she finds herself face to face with the Red Wolf in prison, trying to help the police and find out more about his connection to her mother.

Dog Rose Dirt is an immersive, scary, gruesome read which had me shocked, disturbed, and racing to finish it and find out what was going on. It did get a little overboard by the end - and I really couldn't understand why Heather didn't seem to find anything scary herself until so late on in the story! but it was a very entertaining thriller.

I would like to give the book 3.5 stars out of 5.

Thanks to Netgalley for the preview of this book. It was great. Heather is a complex but intriguing character. The plot although initially slightly confusing is excellent. A brilliant book.

Difficult to get into but well worth the perseverance. A cleverly and intriguing crafted storyline. Hippie commune, a mother with a secret past, a jailed serial killer with a new copy cat killer in action, throw in a little romance what more could you ask for? A great read.

Interesting characters and well written. A bit dark and twisted in places but, hey, welcome to the mind of a serial killer!. Enjoyed this one a lot.

I had high hopes for this book going into it. The plot sounded like my kind of book. I love serial killer stories.

But sadly it wasn’t for me. It was very confusing to begin with and I lost interest. Also the daughter wasn’t the most likeable of characters.

I can see that it has mixed reviews, a lot of people loved it and others not so much.

Thanks for the advanced copy to read

Holy cow wow, if you like dark, disturbing thrill rides, then you need to read this book! It’s well written, fast paced, and unputdownable!!! Dark, dark, dark, but oh so delicious! A must read for my fellow disturbing thrill seekers! Sure to give you plenty of thrills, chills, twists and turns, and shocks! Highly, highly recommend!

This is Jen Williams first thriller and what a debut that is.

Estranged daughter and ex-journalist Heather only discovers her mother has been writing to a serial killer for decades after she unexpectedly commits suicide. This serial killer (Red Wolf) though – safely locked away in HMP Belmarsh – appears to have a big fan on the outside, as women start turning up butchered in remote patches of countryside, their mouths stuffed with flowers, and Red Wolf will only speak to Heather about it.

A dark and addictive read, with a serial killer and a story that will stay with you long after the last page. The use of folklore, location and dual timeline create an immersive and oppressive atmosphere perfect for this kind of story.

A dark, creepy, atmospheric novel which will give you the chills. Beautifully written and descriptive, with each scene perfectly set. The plot twists are unpredictable and there are undercurrents aplenty, all of which will give you goosebumps. Plenty of mystery from the beginning and an ending that you'll never see coming.

Characters are well thought out and fit comfortably within the plot. The various personalities depicted are easy to believe in and work well in their roles.

Definitely well worth reading, great storytelling which will have you on the edge of your seat

I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for an advance copy of Dog Rose Dirt, a thriller set in the fictional Kent town of Balesford.

Former journalist Heather Evans returns to her mother’s house in Balesford to try and understand why she committed suicide. She didn’t get on with her mother and they had drifted apart over the years so she soon discovers that there is a lot she doesn’t know, including a decades long correspondence with notorious serial killer Michael Reave or the Red Wolf as he is more popularly known. Now a copycat is killing in the same way as Reave and he might have information to give, but he’ll only give it to Heather.

I enjoyed Dog Rose Dirt, which has an interesting plot, full of twists and turns. It did not, however, have my rapt attention or engender an overwhelming urge to get back it whenever I put it down. I understand that the author is new to the genre and, to a certain extent, it shows. Apart from the action packed denouement the novel is quite slow and repetitive and whatever information Heather gains is piecemeal and not particularly informative. Also, the novel switches timeline on a regular basis between Heather’s now and Michael Reave’s “before” as it’s labelled. Neither is particularly engrossing as both come across as slightly muddled with nothing clear cut enough for the reader to grab hold of.

Having said that, the plot is different enough from the standard serial killer fare to be be commended and while some of the twists are guessable others are more of a surprise, so more kudos there.

I liked the idea of Heather trying to work out the cause of her mother’s suicide and I can see the reasons for some of her actions but she’s not a very attractive character, immature and unworldly for a 35 year old former journalist.

I think Dog Rose Dirt has some teething problems in its execution, but overall it’s a credible (not in a plot sense) offering so I’m happy to recommend it as a good read.

When Heather’s mother commits suicide, she returns to her childhood home looking for answers. Having fallen out with her after her father died she had had little contact in recent years so understanding her mother’s state of mind was not going to be easy. Meanwhile a serial killer is at large, murdering young women in a copycat way of a notorious killer, Michael Reave, who was currently serving life in prison. When Heather discovers hundreds of letters from Reave hidden among her mother’s belongings she is shocked to the core. Realising she really didn’t know her mother at all, she sets out to find the truth. A complex story that alternates between past and present gradually reveals its dark secrets. With many twists and an underlying chill of fear running through it, this excellent story delivers its full horror in a shocking climax.

Dog Rose Dirt is another of those novels about children who never really knew their parents. In this novel Heather returns to her mother's home after her mother's death to clear up the estate. Amongst her belongings she finds some letters and is sufficiently curious to go in search of who this person was and why her Mum kept the correspondence secret all her life. The trail leads into areas of real darkness and, along the way, Heather discovers a lot about herself. Perhaps some of the clues, that lead to her achieving success in her search for answers, are sometimes a bit contrived but this doesn't prevent Williams' giving us a properly scary book.
Discovery, serial murders, danger and love - all in one book. What's not to like?

This thriller kept my attention but the main character, Heather, was quite frustrating at times. I think it is unrealistic that Heather didn’t ask for help or discuss certain disconcerting events with someone ( I can’t give more details or it would spoil the book). The story moves well between present day and the past as Heather struggles to understand her mother’s death. I was disappointed with the ending.

First of all can we just take a moment to appreciate the title? It really appealed to me when I first heard about this novel, and it still does after reading the novel. This is a mixed genre novel as far as I can tell as it seems to be part horror / gothic / dark fantasy and part psychological thriller, and very well mixed it is. I have never read anything like this book and although it is slow to start, the measured lead in is very necessary to set the reader up for the rest of the novel. Truly disturbing and moving, the characters leap off the pages and draw the reader in which makes for very uncomfortable moments and I recommend reading this only while tucked up safe in your own home - definitely do not recommend reading it on holiday or anywhere near a forest. Consider yourself warned.

This is a great brooding atmospheric dark cloud of a book, that gets under the skin and builds a great sense of unease, which as a reader left me unnerved and on edge - what more can you want from a dark thriller?

Dark, twisted, and truly unforgettable, Dog Rose Dirt is genuinely one of the most creepy books I've ever read. I will admit, it took me a while to get into, and there were times where I considered bailing. Partly because I normally prefer my thrillers to be of the psychological/mystery varied, whereas Dog Rose Dirt was far more of a horror. I also found it was one of those books that took a while to get going, but once it did, I was gripped, and desperate to find out the outcome. I won't say more for fear of spoilers, but there were definitely more than enough twists and turns along the way, and I was left with my jaw on the floor at the final reveal. With a strong Silence of the Lambs vibe, Dog Rose Dirt is definitely a book to remember, albeit not one to read before bed...

3.5 rounded up to 4.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

Heather returns to her childhood home after her mother,Colleen has committed suicide. As she is sorting out her mother's possessions she finds a box containing letters from a convicted serial killer who has been in prison for many years . Around the same time there are more murders appearing to be from the same killer . The police want to interview the prisoner but he will only speak to Heather . Just what was the relationship between Colleen and the killer is something Heather needs to know . This leads back to a hippy commune in the grounds of a large house where her mother stayed before Heather's birth .
Staying at a cottage in the grounds of this house Heather along with her best friend slowly begin to unravel the story of the past , and also the current murders , leading to a shocking finale and discovering the truth about her mother's past.

Heather has come back to her childhood home following the death of her mother, Colleen, who committed suicide and left a very ambiguous note. Heather had left home at sixteen and had had little contact with her mother since then. While searching for clues about her mother’s past, she finds a bundle of letters from a convicted serial killer.
In the news, a serial killer is again at large and his methods are remarkably similar, but how is this possible? Heather takes the letters to the police and gets permission to visit Michael Reave in prison. What gradually comes to light is a horrific story involving child abuse, grooming and weird goings-on at a hippy commune in Lancashire.
Dog Rose Dirt is well written and very disturbing, but the plot does not quite work for me. Some of the characters, especially DI Ben Parker, were not developed enough; they just seemed to be there to move the plot along. There were so many references to fairy tales, wolves, feathers and dead birds thrown in that it all became a bit confusing and cliched. Heather was quite difficult to empathise with, especially as she made some seriously stupid, reckless decisions. Just when I thought I had figured out what was going on, the ending completely took me by surprise.
I read a lot of mystery thrillers, but Dog Rose Dirt veered slightly too far into the horror genre for my liking. I had to stop reading it before I went to sleep as I found the atmosphere very creepy.
Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

Unfortunately it took me days to get into this book, this could have been down to my mood at the time, but it seemed to take forever to get to the crux of the story. The book as a whole made for an ok read, but I felt the author was looking to shock and some parts felt over the top gruesome.

I must admit I really struggled with this.

I found the story slow and quite predictable.

It also appeared as the ending was very rushed with lots thrown at you just to get it in before the finish.

Not really for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

This is my first read by this author and I started reading with no expectations. I initially found this book quite hard to get into and nearly gave up. I’m glad I didn’t as I slowly was drawn into the story and characters as the book progressed. I thought this was a dark and disturbing read and I felt very uneasy at times. The story is well written and told through the two main characters Heather and Michael and moves from past to present very easily. The inclusion the of the folklore tales and descriptions of the woods made this a real atmospheric, creepy read. There are plenty of plot twists which I liked and lots of separate threads that all come together at the end. Overall, a dark read which I enjoyed 3.5 stars