This was a great book that was intriguing from the start.

At first there seemed to be quite a few characters points of view going on but the more I read the easier it was to follow. From pretty early on I thought I had an idea of who the killer was and right up to the reveal I was certain who it was but alas, I was wrong this time. There was a big twist at the last minute which completely threw me off which was great because I do love a good twist, especially when I was so sure.

There were some interesting characters to help the story blossom, even some of the more sinister characters had their charms. In all a book of definitely recommend.

I love a police drama but this one was multi layered as it involved the detective, his ex wife and his daughter all with links to to the body of a young girl found in the woods.

There was definitely a spooky atmosphere in this story that lingered through the pages like mist, so close you could almost touch it. A variety of suspects, and a twist in the tale.

Thoroughly enjoyable read - would recommend.

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to review, this is my honest opinion

A spooky local folklore of a ghost in the woods comes to life in this story. It starts with a taxi driver being spooked in the early hours of Halloween night, seeing a ghost cross his path. It's late and he's tired so presumes it's his imagination playing tricks and mentality dismisses it.

A group of school kids gathering in the woods on Halloween leads to a mysterious death with a twist. There are so many potential suspects, and Sarah's death may have been an accident, but you are kept wondering all the way to the end.

This turned out to be an excellent crime novel – though it took me a while to really appreciate it. At the start it seemed very derivative – flawed divorced cop, stroppy teenager, posh school, perverted killer, local myth …. And a lot of bits I found unnecessary.
But then I found they were necessary bits after all. I moved from 3 stars, to 4 and finally – with the increasing number of unexpected twists and outstanding ending – it was a fully deserved 5-star book.
I was so sure who-dunnit – you can’t fool me. Only you can, and did!
Make sure you read right to the end – don’t give up. Highly recommended.

One Dark Night is set around a private school, and involves their pupils, the staff and the families there.
One Dark Night some of the pupils go to a party in the woods and there a girl is found dead. What follows is a police investigation into everyone’s whereabouts, their truths and lies, their secrets, their friendships and their families.
I loved this story and I found the characters really likeable and I wanted to know a lots more about what was happening. You always know that there is secrets but what they are is anyone’s guess.
Truly engaging and enjoyable.

First book by the author and really enjoyed it.

The body of a young girl is found just after Halloween, dressed in white just like the ghost of Sally who haunts the woods which are always dark and where no sounds are heard

Great read, kept me on the edge of my seat, twists and turns abound and I did not see the end coming! Highly recommended

i enjoyed this and found every plot twist exciting! everytime i thought of a new theory i was proved wrong and did not expect the ending!!!!! my only complaint is i wasnt a fan of how many pov’s there was !!

Halloween and a group of students from the nearby private school are gathering for a party in a quarry. The legend of Sally in the Woods takes centre stage, the woman who alledgedly haunts the woods wearing a wedding dress. Come the morning, one student didn't make it home.
Ellie, a student at the school is acting out of character, she's being haunted by something that happened that night, her mother Rachel, the school counsellor, is struggling to get Ellie to talk to her, and her Dad, Detective Ben Chase always has no joy. But he is tasked with finding the killer so has little time for teenage angst.
I really enjoyed this novel, its very tense with plenty of twists and red herrings. The writing is very descriptive. It was interesting to read the author's acknowledgement and realise the legend of Sally is real.

This is a really well written book, and I recommend it to anyone who loves a murder mystery full of twists. I thought the characters of Ben and Rachel were so strong I was hoping for a sequel when I got to the end. Really gripping and a comp[etely unexpected ending. I have read Hannah Richell before and will now be looking out for her books. Highly recommend.

Wow! Surprisingly good! I thought this might be a run of the mill chiller thriller, but it’s packed with tension and it’s just a bit different. Simple premise; a party in the woods around Halloween. Next day a body laid out with ritualistic elements is discovered. The narrative is from three main perspectives, Ellie, a school pupil with secrets and reasons to be fearful, Rachel, her mother, a counsellor at the school and with demons of her own and Ben, a police officer, Ellie’s dad and Rachel’s estranged husband. I really enjoyed the characters. They’re plausible and with a real time narrative, the reveals come bit by bit. There’s genuine tension and I had no idea how the story would pan out. The pacing is fast and I thought the social media aspect added well to the narrative. Anything these days is under an immediate social media spotlight and that aspect is explored really well by Hannah Richell. This is a little hidden gem and I raced through it. More please from Hannah.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Easy to read thriller, suspenseful throughout and the ending was not what I was expecting. Definitely worth the read.

How well do you really know your adolescent children? Act grown up, but really they still need love and attention.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.
I found it very easy to read and was immediately drawn into the plot. The plot was easy to follow and had good twist.
The characters were well drawn and believable. The ending was a surprise which I didn’t see coming.
I will recommend when it is published

This is my first book written by Hannah Richell and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It captivated me from the first page and kept me on tenterhooks throughout. It opened with the awful image of a young girl who has been murdered in the woods after an illicit teenager's Halloween party and how it impacts everyone in the small community. Suspicions abound, secrets are kept, as detective Ben Chase desperately tries to solve the case. His daughter Ellie, is a friend of the victim, but she is not as truthful as she should have been about the events of the night. There are twists and turns everywhere, its a wonderful read if you like a good thriller. Well crafted with a host of characters that draw you in. I would recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
It has to be the best book I’ve read so far this year. The storyline and characters were brilliant. I thought I had it worked out early on but I was so wrong. The twist at the end was crazy. I never imagined it would be them. It’s understandable why they done that to Sarah. Sarah was not a nice person to anyone, she had it coming. Well worth 5 stars and more. Brilliant writing.

A really good read. When a group of teenagers decide to party in the woods on Halloween they never expected it to turn into the nightmare where a young girl is found dead in suspicious circumstances and there are plenty of suspects that have you holding your breath at times. So many twists and turns and the author keeps you gripped from the beginning with clever writing, I thought I worked it out but it was a roller coaster of a ride and a story that had you guessing right to the end.

Free courtesy of Netgalley

This is the first time I have read a book by Hannah Richell, and it is very rare that I get to the end of a book and have got it all wrong.

I really enjoyed this book from the beginning and I couldn't put it down, the twists and turns keep you guessing right to the end.

When a bunch of teenagers throw a party in the woods on Halloween, what could possibly go wrong, the woods have a unique name 'Sally in the woods' where it was said that a bride was murdered in a tower on her wedding day. When a body turns up at the bottom of the tower the night after the party, dressed in a Sally in the woods costume, speculation is firstly who is it and what happened.

Ellie attends a local private school, where most of the teenagers attend. Her mam is the school councillor and her dad is a detective in the local police force. They have just divorced and Ellie is playing them both off each other but what is her connection to the body in the woods and what was she doing at the party ??

This is an excellent murder mystery book and I would definitely recommend it to any fans of this genre (and anyone who loves a well written book)

Teens from a prestigious private school gather in the woods on Halloween to party. Away from the all seeing eyes of adults, the young people are determined to have a good time, dressing up and telling spooky stories. And what is better than the local ghost story of Sally, a spirit that roams the very woods they are in. To get things going there is plenty of both drink and drugs to go round, especially when the local bad boy and his henchman turns up to make sure supplies are topped up. When one of the lads brings out a homemade ouija board things start to get a little scary, with accusations of someone pushing the planchette. One of the girls is convinced someone is watching, but when the boys investigate they can’t find anyone.

These events set the scene for what starts out as a creepy story, with the narrative from a local taxi driver adding to the suspense. What the local girl guides discover early the next day brings brings the school, the pupils and staff into a murky world of murder, mystery, lies and deceits.

Loads of red herrings and twists, this is an entertaining read though as the book progresses it does not live up to its early chapters. The plot develops into a pretty normal police procedural, and could have been so much more. The characters were ok, but very much par for the course with the stereotypical difficult, angst ridden teenagers, the overly protective parent, the strict head teacher and her creepy husband, the bent copper, etc., etc..

An enjoyable read, worth giving it a go.

3.5*

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK.

3.5 rounded up

Sally in the Wood - urban legend or something real and menacing?

The day after Halloween a young, female body, dressed in a long white dress, is found at the base of a folly. As if that’s not disturbing enough, half of her face is covered with a grotesque mask with a black beak and raven feather with Punish. Destroy. Repent. repeatedly covers her skin. DS Ben Chase and DCI Hassan Khan are in charge of the investigation and they have their work cut out interpreting what all this means as well as who carries out the heinous crime. The crime scene represents a huge challenge too, with woods, caves and an old quarry to search. However, that’s not the only challenge Ben faces as he and his ex-wife Rachel have many concerns about their daughter Ellie, a student at the prestigious Folly View College where Rachel is ac counsellor. Ellie’s recent behaviour has given them many sleepless nights.

The most impressive aspect of this slow burner psychological thriller is the atmosphere created, the area allowing plenty of scope for a novel of this kind with its gothic undertones. I can picture the gloomy, forbidding folly which seems to loom over the surroundings, the legends attached to it, the claustrophobic woods and the ghostly road that runs alongside it about which numerous folk tales have arisen. Of course, Halloween adds to the spooky atmosphere and as if that’s not enough, there are some characters that raise a hair or two on the back of the neck.

The novel has multiple layers (perhaps one too many???) and is told from several perspectives which I enjoy as it already deepens the already strange mystery, it builds the tension and suspense and has me asking many questions, giving plenty to think about as a picture of what might have happened on Halloween emerges piecemeal. There’s menace in places, it’s certainly unsettling partly as it’s unclear who can be trusted. There are moments of high tension along with many twists and turns as it progresses to a good ending.

However, I feel it’s rather overlong and drawn out which slows the pace, one character doesn’t bring true, seeming to be a stereotype and one off shoot aspect of the conclusion appears to be rose tinted to me.

Overall though, there’s no question this is good and well worth reading. It’s well written and I like the authors style.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Simon and Schuster for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.

I love Hannah Richell’s books, and this one is completely stupendous. So atmospheric and chilling, with characters I cared about, a taught thriller where the tension builds and builds and then snaps. I thought I had it all figured out: I absolutely did not. Hannah’s books always have so much heart in them, and I loved the tenderness in this book as well as the dark, pacy mystery.

This was a real page turner, so good I read it in a day. A teenage girl is found murdered. The investigating officer has a daughter at the dead girl's school. His ex wife also works at the school.