Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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3.5 stars

The Wild Things is the third book in a series about horrific neighbors. We all have them, the senior citizen that reports every HOA infraction, the person who doesn't understand privacy and boundaries, and the suspicious neighbor that makes you wonder what is happening behind closed doors. This story is taken straight out of America's headlines, except maybe for the weird attempt at supernatural eeriness.

This book centers on true crime novelist Kendall Casey and her college friend Sam. Kendall has just moved into a secluded community in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina to research a cold-case about a missing girl, 10-year-old Eliana Conway. The new home, gives her a chance to reconnect with her friend, and the neighborhood's hot handyman, Sam. Things aren't as cozy as they seem in "The Cove" as Kendall immediately gets a sense of unease when she starts seeing the ghost of a young girl she believes to be Eliana. This sensation only escalates when she observes a young woman trying to escape from the backyard of her next-door neighbors, the Robinettes. Kendall suspects these successful, party animals aren't the neighborhood darlings she was originally led to believe.

This is an easy read, with a compelling story and suspense. It reads similar to a Frieda McFadden story, sans the romance. Granted there is some sexual tension between Kendall and her friend Sam - something the neighbors note and try to manipulate. But I found the supernatural elements, while they did add to the spookiness and tension, became rather twisted to the point of feeling out of place in this story. We are led in a downward spiral from suspicious neighbors, to supernatural beings in trees to a conjured "Baron Samedi" spirit as an antagonist. It was a bit overdone and disjointed toward the end.

Still, this is a good book to binge read on the week or vacation. It will keep you turning the pages until the very end.

This is a book I really wanted to like. The first-person narration was enjoyable, feeling more like a stream of consciousness than a simple recounting of events — something that’s often surprisingly difficult to pull off, but it came quite naturally to the author. The premise was fascinating, and the cover made me expect more of a supernatural theme than the thriller-horror direction it took.

What I would have preferred is for the characters to be more complex. In my opinion, most of them felt two-dimensional. I would have liked to see fewer characters, but with richer interactions and plots. I also feel the story missed a certain something to keep me immersed.

The Wild Things is a tense neighborhood thriller with dashes of the supernatural. I wish there had been more of the supernatural.

Having almost lost her life bringing a killer to justice, our crime-writer protagonist Kendall moves for a fresh start. This is complicated by the arrival of her sister, and her subsequent involvement with Kendall’s neighbours, whom she had been trying to maintain distance from.

This was my first book by this author and found it utterly engrossing. It started off slow but managed to avoid the trap of taking too long to ramp up. The story is both a thriller and supernatural with a side helping of romance, pinch of Agatha Christie vibes and sprinkle of horror.

There is a lot going on, but everything is woven together very neatly and a very talented author pulls it off. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I am keen to avoid spoilers by not going into too much detail here.

I do need well written characters to enjoy a book, and this one delivered those in spades, alongside a truly compelling writing style. I’m surprised I haven’t heard of this author before and will be looking out for her to read more in the future. I was up reading this one far too late, the sign of a really good book.

Although this is part of a series (and I will be going back to read the first two) but can be enjoyed as a standalone.

Many thanks to NetGalley and London Clarke for an ARC.

★★★★

Kendall Casey, a successful true crime writer, has just brought a killer to justice—but it nearly cost her her life. Her newest project takes her to North Carolina, where 10-year-old Eliana Conway disappeared 13 years ago. Though the police continue to release an age-progression photo each anniversary, the case has not received much attention—until someone matching Eliana’s description showed up at Last Chance Tavern, a bar near her hometown.

Kendall looks forward to a fresh start and putting her last case behind her. But the community she moves to—The Cove—and its adjacent woods hold dark secrets. At first glance, her neighbors fit all the classic stereotypes. The Robinettes, the successful entrepreneurs next door, frequently entertain and throw lavish theme-parties. The Guffs, the HOA enforcers from across the street, are despised by all. Though she hasn’t met the rest of The Cove, plenty of rumors circulate.

When Kendall’s wayward sister, Holly, arrives unexpectedly in The Cove, she is immediately drawn to the Robinettes, who, in turn, invite her into their inner circle.

Kendall herself has been trying to distance herself from them after a recent party took a strange turn. Already suspicious of the Robinettes, Kendall finds Holly’s odd behavior only deepening her concerns. With her manuscript about Eliana’s case abandoned, Kendall starts digging—and as she gets closer to the truth, terrifying visions haunt her nights, and she has unsettling encounters with the paranormal…

This was my first book by London Clarke, and the storytelling was so immersive that I could not put it down! The vivid descriptions of the paranormal experiences were truly disturbing (especially since I decided to start reading this late at night) yet deliciously intriguing.

As someone who doesn’t read paranormal fiction often, I believe most mystery and thriller readers would still enjoy the true crime aspect and the lurking horror in places we might not expect at first glance in pretty setting such as The Cove.

Note: I loved the map included at the beginning of the book. Not only did it help map the streets and understand the properties, but the color and style of the Neo-Gothic homes, with the woods closing in all around, created the perfect, eerie picture of The Cove.

Thank you, NetGalley, BooksGoSocial, and London Clarke, for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This book was incredible! Many thrillers start slow to allow for character development, atmosphere, or setup for later twists, which can sometimes make the first half boring. However, this book kept me on my toes the entire time. It blended elements of mystery, suspense, and psychological tension, especially as the protagonist tries to uncover the truth about a missing child while dealing with eerie neighborhood dynamics and personal struggles, keeping readers questioning what’s real and who can be trusted. It even incorporated some romance! Every twist was a surprise—I truly never knew what was coming next. Especially when the paranormal things came into play. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves crime and romance, and I’ll definitely be reading more from this author!

This was my first book from London Clarke and it did not disappoint! I loved the storyline with its quirky side stories. The sub story lines and action every chapter kept me on my toes. I like that the neighborhood felt like its own character. All the characters were a little mysterious so it was fun to guess what was happening. Will definitely read more London after this one.

Do you like mystery? And horror? And losing sleep because you must keep reading? Then this is the book for you! It's not your typical suspense novel; it's better! I'm not going to give a synopsis; I'm going to recommend opening the book, read, and enjoy! This is a fantastic author who deserves to be more talked about and this may be the book that breaks through.

Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy. All opinions are my own.

I didn't know what to expect when I got The Wild Things from NetGalley. I LOVED London Clarke's writing style. She had me hooked till the end. I finished it in one sitting, biting my nails the whole time.

It's about Kendall, a True crime author who moves around quite a bit since she likes to live where the crime occurred. So she can Investigate the area and interview people. Her newest book is about a little girl who goes missing. She just left her house, and no one knew what had happened. So Kendall moves into a house nearby and is near her childhood best friend.

The Neighbors here are something else. Between the secrets, the parties, and the ghosts. Kendall will be lucky to get this book finished.

There's Mystery, Paranormal, True Crime, and some Romance.

Thank you to NetGalley, The Publishers, and London Clarke for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an Honest Review.

I snagged this one on NetGalley and wow I’m so glad I gave it a chance. I really enjoyed the whole ride, part true crime part paranormal, part thriller?

There were definitely some twists and turns that completely surprised me which was so nice because I feel like a lot of stuff I’ve read recently I’ve been able to figure out or catch on what kind of twist was coming but not here.

This was a new author to me and kind of shocked I’ve never heard of her before but I’m definitely going to check out other books by her.

I received a complementary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the author and the publisher.
This book starts out as your typical thriller, but boy of boy does this take some crazy turns. I enjoyed the writing, it was easy to read and a quick fast paced thrill ride. This one had mystery, intrigue, supernatural and just some real creepy things going on in this small neighborhood full of strange interesting neighbors. I didn't know this was part of a series, I don't think you need to read any of the others first because I was pulled in to this book right from the start.

London Clarke has done it again. She's scared the hell out of me.

Kendall Casey is a true crime writer who immerses herself in her subjects. She moves to the crime scenes and digs deeper than anyone has before. Her latest subject, a missing girl, brings her to The Cove, an exclusive community in the North Carolina mountains.

Luckily, Kendall won't go into the neighborhood blind. Her best friend since college, Sam, lives in the neighborhood. The neighborhood is cliquey; there's the Gruffs, who everyone hates because they are the Karen and male Karen of the neighborhood. The Pooles are a quiet couple who keep to themselves. And then there's the Robinettes, Flip and Blair, two beautiful people who are quick to invite Kendall to their monthly party. When she arrives at the elaborately decorated backyard, she meets more neighbors and starts to feel strange about her neighbors. Something isn't quite right. Another evening, after a dinner with the Robinettes and Sam, Kendall wakes up next to Sam, and neither can explain why.

When Kendall's sister unexpectedly shows up, Kendall reluctantly lets her stay. The Robinettes quickly welcome Holly, who then disappears from Kendall's life and house, communicating only occasionally via text.

Kendall's struggling with her latest book and slowly finding new clues, but she's also being haunted by a young girl in a nightgown and bare feet who keeps appearing to Kendall...and later Sam.

Kendall knows that the Robinettes are hiding something and she will do whatever it takes to find her sister, even with terrifying results, some of which are otherworldly.
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I know that I should expect this type of story from London Clarke. I should plan to just miss sleep because its impossible for me to put the book aside. I MUST know what happens.

It's scary, it's supernatural, it's weird, it's so, so good.

The Wild Things - Netgalley

by London Clarke



Creeeepy!

Kendall Casey a true crime writer moves to The Cove North Carolina to complete a book about a young girl Eliana Conway who disappeared thirteen years before but possible sightings of her in the last three years.

The Wild Things the third book in The Neighborhood Nightmare Series an excellent read I absolutely loved it. London Clarke brought in paranormal witchcraft cult and spun it into a story that pulled me in and had my attention up to the last page.

The Wild Things is a thrilling page turner that combines the old-fashioned mystery of Agatha Christie and spine-tingling horror of old school Stephen King. The characters were great as were the twists. I loved this book.

What a great book! I loved the style, loved the characters, and loved the growing sense of unease. Maybe things came together a little too conveniently at the end, but I still stayed up until the wee hours to finish it!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this book for me to read!

I am not a prolific thriller/mystery reader, however this book may have turned me. I could not put it down and read it extremely fast. A true crime author moves into a neighborhood suggested by a long time friend, and she starts to question everything from then on. She starts to question reality, who she can trust, and how to protect the people she cares about. There is so much happening in this book, but it all pieces come together for a couple different mysteries.

This book has a lot of dark themes, that-for me- are quite scary and unsettling. However, the dark spirits weren’t focused on so much that I felt like it’s all the book was about.

Think Frieda McFadden meets Harley Laroux.

The book started off a little slow however, don’t let that fool you. It was still grasping with suspense of knowing something was coming. The book is filled with moments of anticipation and feeling off in the pits of the stomach. Once it takes its turn, its darkness is riveting like something out of a Harley Laroux novel. I could have never guessed the ending or suspected the outcome.

By far one of my best reads this year!

This book is reported as part of a series however, I seen no issue with reading as a stand alone. I will be going back to read the first two books, because I don’t like leaving a series incomplete but mostly because I am excited for more chaotic creative story lines like this one!

The Wild Things: Neighborhood Nightmares Series centers on Kendall Casey a true crime writer who travels around following the stories she covers. Her latest project brings her to a community called The Cove in the North Carolina mountains. She is there to investigate the disappearance of a young girl three years earlier. The community is quick to welcome her, especially the Robinettes who throw interesting parties. Kendall gets a weird vibe from them and begins seeing strange things. Is she experiencing hallucinations or is something else going on....

This is a supernatural horror book that I thought would be right up my alley. This is the fourth book written by London Clarke that I have read and I tend to enjoy her writing, characters, plots, and books. While other reviewers are loving The Wild Things: Neighborhood Nightmares Series, it failed to wow me. We can't love them all and that is the case here so please read the other reviews for this book as well.

What did work was how Clarke created the chilling and creepy vibe in this book. She nailed the something-isn't-quite-right feeling that Kendall was feeling. This book was just missing that little bit of something that would have pushed my rating higher.

First of all thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh this book was *chefs kiss* for me.

We follow Kendall, a true crime writer who moves regularly based on what case she is writing about. She moves into her best friend’s neighbourhood and let’s just say the neighbours are a little…strange.

I can’t say more without spoiling it! I’m off to read the rest of the series immediately!

I love thrillers and anything to do with romance and crime, and this has all three! It was seriously spooky too and I honestly was surprised with every twist that was revealed!

This author is now an auto buy for me!

This is a fantastic supernatural horror novel wrapped in a mysterious disappearance in a very strange place.

Our protagonist is a successful true crime author who moves to an HOA regulated area to work on her new book. The disappearance thirteen years ago of a then ten year old girl which happened nearby.

The neighborhood, known as The Cove has a variety of eclectic residents. The older couple across the street are always yelling and screaming about any perceived violations and act as neighborhood bullies. The couple next door are well loved and are known as the wild things. They have lavish parties each month for the neighborhood with free food and drinks for all.

At first they welcome our protagonist with open arms. But creepy things begin happening. Visions or hallucinations of a little girl, a dark human shaped man crouching in the trees with evil intentions, and voices when nobody is around.

We'll find out that this neighborhood holds a very dark supernatural secret. Something terrifying and not all the residents are who we first believe.

While this is happening, strange things begin to unfold and the case she's working on for the book keeps getting more twisted as new information comes to light.

This is a book which reels you in from the start and keeps you fully engaged throughout. Secrets upon secrets are slowly revealed adding layers to the horrific things this neighborhood is hiding. I highly recommend it.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.