A superb ripping thriller with a difference. Heather goes home as her estranged mother has committed suicide and she has to finalise arrangements. The story develops at a gentle pace that kept me wanting to find out what was really going on. Everything is very convoluted which adds to the intrigue of the story. The book covers the hippy period, ow people grow up changing all the way, a serial killer and a copycat ne as well. There is so much going on and it is great read.

Ex-journalist Heather Evans returns to her childhood home after her mother’s sudden suicide and discovers something chilling – letters between her mother and Reave, a serial killer known as the Red-Wolf locked in Belmarsh prison, dating back decades and that at one time she had lived in a hippy commune.

Then the body of a woman is found decorated with flowers, just like Reaves victims. Reave is the only person who can help and after years of silence, he will only speak to Heather.

Dog Rose Dirt has a strange air of about it that runs through the entirety of the story. It's a slowly revealed tale that drip-feeds clues about the Red Wolf and his past. As Heather delves further into her mother’s relationship with the killer, Heather realises she didnt really know her mum at all. The narrative is mainly seen from Heather's point of view but there are also a handful of chapters that detail Reave’s formative years.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I quickly wanted to read it and keep going until the conclusion- it certainly had me gripped and I enjoyed the ending. Nothing too gory about the murders are written about, just the way they are left with flowers in their cavities is possibly the worst it gets.

Only a couple of things niggled me were that if Heather is an investigative journalist then why didn't she look up more details on who owned the land the commune used to be on rather than relying on Wikipedia for all.her answers, Anna's story should have had proper closure and though its set in London to begin with, it mentions her mum was found at the bottom of some cliffs, but not where.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

This is a bit disturbing! Very unique and well written book but this felt very dark and darker still and it wasn't my cup of tea in the end.

When Heather goes back to her childhood gone after her Mother’s death she finds letters from a notorious murderer among her things, did Heather ever really know her mum, why was she corresponding with a murderer. A good book that is intriguing and a good page Turner.

This book grabbed me from the very first page. Well written very dark, twisty and keeps you turning the pages.

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.

I think there is a moment in everybody’s life when they realise that their parents have a past, that they were young once too. If you’re lucky that revelation isn’t too painful. It might even help you to understand them a little better than you did before. What happens though, if there are secrets hidden away? Dark things that you are really better off not knowing. In Dog Rose Dirt by Jen Williams, a young journalist discovers her recently deceased mother had more than her fair share of skeletons rattling about in the dim and distant past.

Unsurprisingly, Heather exhibits a dogged determination when it comes to uncovering the truth. Having worked in the media, she has developed that uncanny knack of worrying at a story until the knotted threads unravel and all the detail is laid bare. The downside to that tenacity is that when it is something intensely personal, like her fractious relationship with her mother, Heather still refuses to let go. What starts as curiosity quickly becomes an obsession that starts to eat away at her. Heather’s mental state becomes more and more fragile the further down the rabbit hole she travels. How does her mother know a notorious killer? Why is there a copycat that has picked up where the Red Wolf left off? Is Heather jumping to conclusions? Is it just her mind playing tricks or is there something more sinister afoot? I think it’s the mark of a successful psychological thriller when there is a niggling uncertainty in the characters right up until the end.

Dog Rose Dirt has a subtle air of disquiet that runs through the entirety of the story. Williams delivers a slow burn of a tale that expertly drip-feeds us tantalising clues about the Red Wolf and his legacy. The atmospheric narrative continues to build as Heather becomes more and more entangled in Michael Reave’s life. The further she delves into her mother’s relationship with the killer, the more questions Heather has. In addition, there are a handful of chapters that detail Reave’s formative years. This insight helps to flesh out his character and adds depth to his motivations.

Streaming entertainment services need to be making a beeline to Jen Williams front door. This is the sort of novel that is ripe for translation to the screen. Netflix did a cracking job with Sarah Pinborough’s Behind Her Eyes. They could easily achieve the same levels of success with Dog Rose Dirt. You’ll be pleased to know I’m putting together my dream cast list already.

I’ll happily admit I’m a big fan of Jen Williams fantasy novels so I was looking forward to her take on a different genre. I’m glad to report her first foray into crime/thriller territory is on par with her other work. There are some neat, well-executed twists and turns in a story peppered with plenty of suitably creepy moments. Things are unashamedly dark and throughout the novel there are scenes that almost veer into the realms of psychological horror. This gives the entire plot a more realistic air. There is nothing fantastical in this instance, Dog Rose Dirt explores an all too human evil.

Dog Rose Dirt is published by Harper Collins and is available now.

My musical recommendation to accompany Dog Rose Dirt is the soundtrack to Don’t Breathe by Roque Baños. Musically it’s about as tense as you can get. If that isn’t a perfect fit with this novel, I don’t know what is.

Deeply sinister! This book is not for the faint hearted. Brilliantly dark and twisted.

The story follows Heather as she comes to terms with her mother’s suicide. She never had a good relationship with her mother so returning home is difficult enough. Heather then uncovers that her mother had been writing for years to a serial killer known as the Red Wolf.

Heather starts on a path trying to find out who her mother really was and how she was connected to the Red Wolf. The dark and sinister revelations keep on coming until finally we discover the truth.

A brilliantly executed tale.

This intense and creepy thriller follow Heather, who returns to her childhood home after her estranged mother's suicide, and discovers a mysterious packet of letters which suggest that her mother was corresponding with the notorious serial killer, The Red Wolf. Meanwhile, women are being murdered in a similar manner to the Red Wolf's MO - who is the copycat? Heather is roped into the police investigation, and into interviews with the Red Wolf himself, to investigate. What is he hiding, and what connection does he have to her family? This was a quick, intense read and I enjoyed it a lot. Perfect for crime junkies and anyone looking for a good book to get really stuck into - perfect for the upcoming autumn spooky season, I'd say.

Well. This one really is something special. A kind of mash-up of crime, true crime and horror, it sees Heather Evans return to her childhood home to clear up her mother's house after mum killed herself.

Already estranged from her mother (who blamed her for her father's death), Heather is wracked by guilt even as she confronts a plethora of mysteries about her apparently boring mum.

Why has she been in correspondence for years with notorious serial killer ('Jack in the Green, the Red Wolf') Michael Reave?

Who is the woman called Lillian, who seems to know all about Heather's mum but who Heather has never previously heard of?

And what, precisely, is hiding in the shadows at the end of the garden?

Interweaving Heather's story with an older, darker tale and with instances of women being kidnapped, Williams has produced a seriously disturbing story that is almost an assault on any sense of ease or comfort, bringing an atmosphere of threat and, well, simply wrongness into what ought to be the brightest, cosiest moments. Is it, though, a new evil, a new threat, or is Heather simply discovering (or reawakening?) something old and persistent?

The answers seem to lie with Reave, but he will only speak in riddles, cryptic warnings and dark fairy stories. These are illustrated, a little, by passages describing his early life - these are eerie and haunting, but they take us to a hazy, remote world where blood, claw and sacrifice seem more real than teachers or Social Services. There is more than a hint of folk horror about this novel, although I think that it is not that, or not quite. What turns out to be the truth here is more about individual than communal wickedness, I'd say.

Heather is of course determined to find the truth, driven, I think, but some idea that it might set her free from guilt about her mother's (and father's) deaths. She is a complicated person with, as one might put it, anger management issues (she has her own secrets) as as she proceeds with her investigation different parts of her personality emerge and struggle with one another. She cultivates a relationship with the dishy DI Ben Parker, who's investigating a new spot of Reave-a-like killings, and we can see her desire for the company of an attractive and considerate man coiling round her interest in him as a source of information and also around a darker, more instinctive instinct that he represents protection from some sort of danger.

Heather is, in fact, a wonderful, three-dimensional character, from the mess she's made of her personal and professional life to her relations with her family to her delight at meeting up again with her childhood (and teenagehood) friend Nikki Appiah whose family have been more family to Heather than her own ever were (we eventually learn the reason for Heather's messed up family, in another dark thread that connects them to Reave). And as Williams has Heather explore her mother's past and present, she breathes life into a convincing landscape, whether she's describing slightly naughty teen antics in the suburbs or menacing goings-on in the woods. Part of the effect comes from the juxtaposition of mythological and fairytale elements with everyday menaces as when a young man in a pub harasses Heather: 'Got a face like a smacked arse on you, innit? Just saying, you'll feel better off you have a little smile.' But that is, of course, delivered by terrific writing which kept me hurrying through this story, intrigued at first by the mystery, gradually hooked into being concerned for the physical safety of various characters, then increasingly drawn into a worry over their moral fate, as it were, a concern that mounted and mounted into the explosive and frightening ending.

At no point does this story flag - taut and demanding, it's the perfect antidote to all those distractions that can get in the way of reading.

Only, don't, perhaps, read it in the dark on your own...

A great read
Definitely a dark book
With plenty of twists and turns
Make sure you read this book when your not alone in the house
Thanks NetGalley

This story has many elements which make it absorbing and addictive reading.

Heather returns to her childhood home after her mother's death. She is not in a good place in her life and struggles to accept her mother's apparent suicide. Heather, an unreliable protagonist, finds copious correspondence between her mother and a serial killer, 'The Red Wolf'. Unsure what to make of it, and in the light of similar recent murders, she sends them to the police and begins an unorthodox investigation of the past and present crimes.

Atmospheric, and horrifically graphic in parts, it intertwines fantasy, folklore, horror and psychological suspense. The settings are cleverly crafted and provide a menacing ethos. It uses folklore and fairytales, drawing out their darkness, fusing them with psychological suspense and noir characters. It's about good and evil, but the lines are blurred.

This story delivers the shocks of horror fiction, with the illusions and secrets of folklore, making this a creepy, disturbing and often grisly read.

I received a copy of this book from Harper Fiction via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Short Version: Not your every day serial killer narrative.

Long version:

The Plot: Part find the serial killer part folk horror this plot sways between subtlety and brutality and always carries a chill.

I really enjoyed the plot, the flipping between then and now was done well and didn’t confuse me. There are enough clues throughout that reveals are met with an “ahhh” rather than “oh fuck off” which is always appreciated :)

The Setting: All the locations in the book are used flawlessly to heighten tension. Descriptions are enough to give colour and flavour but none of them are over written.

The Characters: For me the characters is where the glue of the story is. Heather is so normal she could be you, everything from opinions to reactions it’s is all so normal and relatable. I love how complex Reave and my feelings about him were, I can’t say I liked him but I did maintain a sympathy for him and the inevitability of his story. I thought the mum being such a powerful character even though she was dead was elegantly done. The only character I didn’t really click with was Nikki, I thought she was a bit insipid.

lastly, I loved the fact it wasn’t a tired, bitter detective doing the investigating.

The Ending: Nailed it. I did work out a fair bit but that only added to my enjoyment of the ending.

The Prose: Nice flow with good rhythm and brilliant dialogue.

The Pace: Had a really good ebb and flow that matched the story and the rhythm of the prose, hangs together really well.

Who would love this? Crime and serial killer narrative fans.

The intrigue in this story is amazing, very well written with just enough revealed to keep you guessing. In fact, I would be surprised if anyone can work out what happens in this story. The main character is tough, she needs to be with all that happens around her. Brilliant book and highly recommended.

I enjoyed this book. Heather Evans returns home after her mother's death and discovers that her mother has been writing to a serial killer in prison for the last 20 years. When a so called copycat killer hits the news, Heather decides to involve the police. It soon becomes clear that her mother had been keeping lots of secrets about her early life. This is a real page turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat to the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

A new voice for thriller fans is London storyteller Jen Williams, with the experienced fantasy author turning her pen towards crime tinged with shades of folklore in DOG ROSE DIRT. After Heather Evans returns to her hometown after many years following her mother's baffling suicide, she uncovers decades of correspondence between her mother and an infamous, imprisoned serial killer nicknamed The Red Wolf. .When the body of a young woman is found in the woods in a manner echoing The Red Wolf’s crimes, fear is dialled high.

Is there a copycat? Was there a partner long ago, or was he telling the truth as he proclaimed his innocence all these years? Williams delivers some interesting elements with her first thriller, with a nice set-up, switching timelines, and a good touch for dark atmosphere with shades of Grimm. Pacing and a protagonist who grates, perhaps intentionally, may divide some readers. A solid read that shows some promise.

Thankyou to NetGalley and the Publisher HarperCollins for an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, this book is definitely out of my comfort zone. I love a good psychological thriller/crime book and this book definitely fulfills those categories and more bordering on the creepy psychotic side of fiction.

I opted to read it as the title intrigued me. I didn’t really know which what the author was going to take the reader and now I do, WOW!

Heather returns to the home of her mother after she apparently commits suicide. Whilst sorting through her mother’s belongings she comes across years worth of handwritten letters between her mother and another man (not her father). The other man turns out to be a notorious serial killer who was in prison when he was writing to her mother.

Heather finds out things about her mother she never expected to from when Heather was small and from before she was born.

I want to say so much more about this book but no matter which way I write it I feel like I am vocalising too much about the plot or giving important twists to the plot away.

This book is definitely not one for the faint hearted or one for those who can easily picture scenes.

I would recommend it though, just make sure you include a few tea breaks in your reading time as I found myself putting the book down several times just so I could straighten my thoughts about what I had just read before I continued.

Definitely one for the top of the bestsellers chart!

A very engaging read that couldn't quite make up its mind whether it wanted to be a crime novel or a horror story. It ends up being a bit of both, The blurb on the back of the book will tell you what it's about and has been professionally done so need for me to regurgitate
Heather's story is modern day but there is also a voice from the past. For me Heather was immensely likeable and I clicked with her straight away. She is why I kept reading the book. The plot is concise, it doesn't wander off into rabbit out of hat territory in order to give people the increasingly bizarre twists they so desperately covet. Fairy tales are always grim (pardon the pun) and although a device I have seen used before this was a good way of introducing horror to a crime/psychological thriller.. Somewhat unbelievable ending, not least because the reader was left feeling a bit aimless and not entirely sure what was going on.
Reduced to 4 stars I'm afraid due to US spellings. I have been told that the US market is more important and that is why it is done but if I can read a US book and cope then visa versa should hold.

The Red Wolf aka Michael Reave is in prison serving a life sentence for the murder of numerous women. When the dismembered body of a young woman is found hidden in a tree trunk it bears a similar M.O. to the murders of the Red Wolf's victims. Heather Evans is an ex-journalist who hails from Kent and returns there, after learning that her mum, Colleen committed suicide. She discovers stacks of letters in a biscuit tin in the loft and realises that Colleen was communicating with the Red Wolf for many years. Heather needs to find the answers to many questions. Reave has claimed to be innocent for many years, but is he? Why did her mother kill herself? Is there a copycat killer at large?

Set in the fictional Kent town of Balesford, this is an unsettling and bleak story, though extremely compelling, as someone plays mind games with Heather. Colleen and Heather were estranged for a number of years but becoming obsessed with her mum's secretive nature, Heather decides to make a series of prison visits to Reave, with the aid of DI Ben Parker.

The tale is told in a back and forth format following Heather in the present time and going back to tailing Reave in the past when he was a young boy. I found Reave's set 'before' chapters to be especially riveting. Additionally, the reader is treated to a chapter by each of the murdered women shortly before their death which added pizzazz as well as a further disturbing element to the story. As Heather uncovers details about her mother’s past, she realises just how much of a stranger she was to her. There’s a folk horror undercurrent and a fairy tale element throughout, and Jen Williams has bestowed the reader with a fabulous offering although there are some very black dark tropes and themes in there including child abuse. All in all, an intense, exceptionally atmospheric and creepy tale to be read with the lights on!

Disclosure: Thank you to HarperCollins UK for providing a digital ARC of Dog Rose Dirt by Jen Williams via Netgalley for review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Oh I got so cross with Heather I really couldn’t be bothered with how everything panned out. Why would she keep such important things from the police other than to aid the author I suppose.

Dog Rose Dirt is a serial killer thriller, that dances tantalisingly along the boundary between crime and horror, and very much toys with the monster in the shadow. It had a somewhat slow start, but began to pick up pace when Heather finds letters from a serial killer to her recently deceased mother which really kickstarts the thriller aspect of the book. The atmosphere in this book was fantastic, and the creeping build of tension of intrigue was like a constant, growing shiver down your spine, and Williams managed to use the landscape and atmosphere to lift the book to another level. There were plenty of twists and turns, some obvious and some less so, and a few places where the pace did feel a little slow – but I could not esape that atmosphere, and it kept me hooked into the story like nothing else. There were a few disturbing scenes, that I feel will put a few people off, but overall the darker aspects were well-written and and carefully handled, and I particularly appreciated the delicate approach to the topic of suicide. Overall, this was a brilliant read.