Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: July 3, 2025
A party on Halloween leads to a tragic end for a young woman, sending an entire community into chaos and despair. This is the premise for U.K author Hannah Richell’s new novel, “One Dark Night”.
After a Halloween party held at the local folly, the body of a young woman is discovered in the woods. The students of the local private school, where the teenager attended, are tight-lipped, especially Ellie, who has more to fear than most if the truth comes out. Was the death an accident? Could the young woman have been pushed and, if so, by who? Then of course there’s the local urban legend that speaks of a woman who was murdered by her fiancée on her wedding day and still lurks in the same woods. Is the young woman’s death a tragic accident, or is something more sinister at play?
A multi-protagonist novel, “Night” is narrated by teenager, Ellie and her estranged parents, Rachel, the school counselor and Ben, a detective. All three are connected to the murder in some distant way, but as the story develops, more and more secrets are revealed about the family, and the community itself, allowing more possible suspects to enter the scene.
The dark and haunting tale of “Sally in the Wood”, the paranormal urban legend, was delightfully creepy, and there was enough there to create an entire novel based on this background alone. Richell gives the right amount of detail on Sally so readers keep her fresh in their mind throughout, without distracting from the main storyline.
I loved the guessing game that Richell provided in “Night”. There was a wide variety of possible suspects to choose from the cast of characters, some more obvious than others, but the ending itself was surprising and unexpected. Richell chose a believable, but less obvious, outcome, that I didn’t see coming.
There was consistent suspense and intrigue throughout the novel, immersing me in the story and aligning me with all of the protagonists in different ways. “Night” is pulse-pounding and atmospheric, and the writing flowed seamlessly. As a fan of Richell’s previous work, “The Search Party”, it was a no-brainer that I’d take on her new novel, and she did not disappoint.

Dark woods and caves, a posh school, and the legend of a woman in white roaming around aimlessly? Sign me up!

A Halloween party in the local forest leaves one student dead at the bottom of a folly. Is it a coincidence that she is dressed like Sally-in-the-woods, a woman from a longstanding legend who apparently haunts these parts? Could it be coincidental that this student was found by the folly that was built for the long departed Sally? Did a game go wrong? Or did someone deliberately set out to kill this teenager?

A lot of questions and it's up to detective Ben Chase to put the pieces of this puzzle together. But Ben has quite a few things on his mind, and at some point something is going to have to give as he struggles to fit everything, and everyone, into his day. There's the new girlfriend; there's the ex-wife who works at the school; and there is his teenage daughter who is, more often than not, a complete stranger to him these days. Dear daughter is hiding some secrets, and she doesn't seem to be able to confide in anyone. Does she know anything about that night? Does she know what happened? Or does she know the killer?

Zeroing in on a suspect quite early on made me worry about potential predictability. To my surprise, that fear was entirely unfounded as the story went in a completely different direction. In hindsight, I most definitely missed a clue. It even registered, by way of a vague little ringing of a bell in the back of my head, but I failed to make that all-important connection that would have led me to discovering the truth before it was revealed. Back to detective school, I go.

Many of these characters struggle with feelings of grief and loss. The loss of a relationship, of a friend, of a life, and even of what could have been but never was. I enjoyed this part of 'One Dark Night' as much as the mystery into who killed this student. It's always a bonus when there is that bit more depth to characters than I at first anticipated. This isn't just about finding a murderer, it's way more emotionally charged than that. It's about characters trying to deal with whatever life throws at them, and some of the struggles are totally relatable.

'One Dark Night' is an atmospheric, tense, and addictive story. It's spooky, sometimes chilling, and incredibly clever. A well-plotted page turner, for sure, and I look forward to what's next from this author.

I enjoyed reading this book. I related to the characters, especially Rachel,Ellie' mum.
Liked the way an old legend was interwoven into the story making it cause of accidents old and new.
Realistic characters,gripping story line had me hooked to the last page.

This was an unusual story, with some great twists. I had a really good time reading it, and was very invested in the story.
Some good characters, and nice resolutions to the various threads of the story.

This was the first book I read from the author, and it was great! The dark brooding woods, the folly, the folklore and the spooky halloween atmosphere, it all worked very well together and of course the ending was jaw-dropping. Didn’t see that twist coming at all. Definitely recommended, and looking forward to the next book from the author.
Thank you to the publishers Simon and Schuster UK for an advanced copy of this ebook and giving me a chance to review it!

EXCERPT: Saturday, 10 p.m.
They crowd beside the bonfire, faces cast in flickering orange light, backs turned to the card unknown.
'It's not true. Sally wasn't real.'
'It is true,' insists the boy. 'Sally was here. Her name's scratched on the walls of the old hunting lodge.'
They lean into the story, his words holding them captive.
'She was a local girl. Engaged to be married, until her fiancé caught her cheating. He murdered her at the folly on their wedding day, left her body for the crows. They say she haunts the woods now, a girl in a white dress, luring people to their deaths.'
'Like I said, just a stupid story.'
'There's one way to find out . . .'
They circle the board, hands reaching for the glass jar. The boy waits until the only sounds are the crackle of the fire and the soft breeze whispering through the trees.
'Is there anyone out there?'

ABOUT 'ONE DARK NIGHT':
One night in the woods
A party gone wrong
A body discovered at sunrise

He murdered her at the folly on their wedding day, left her body for the crows. They say she haunts the woods now, a girl in a white dress …

Everyone in the small town of Thorncombe knows the tales of the haunted woods where the birds don’t sing and a girl in a white dress roams, luring people to their deaths. But when a girl in white is found dead the morning after Halloween, her body carefully arranged at the bottom of an old stone folly, the community is thrown into turmoil.

With a teenage daughter of his own, police detective Ben Chase knows how high the stakes are. Was the girl the victim of a party prank gone wrong, or does her death represent something more sinister and ritualistic?

As the investigation unfolds and the noose tightens around Chase’s own family, the only thing anyone can be sure of is that no one is safe until this violent killer is caught.

MY THOUGHTS:
If you're building a Halloween reading list, this one absolutely belongs on it. Those final chapters had me tense and wide-eyed. Proper pulse-pounding stuff.

The storyline felt grounded and real, the kind of situation you can picture happening without needing to suspend belief. The characters felt authentic too, especially the teens. It brought back memories of being that age and making reckless decisions just for the thrill of it. These kids from a fancy school make some questionable choices, but it all felt true to life.

Throw together a group of hormonal teenagers, a ghost legend, a masked manipulator, Halloween night, and just the right amount of booze and chaos, and you’ve got the perfect storm. It’s messy, dark and uncomfortable at times, but that’s what makes it such an engrossing read.

I’ve been reading Hannah Richell for years, ever since The Secrets of the Tides which still has pride of place on my shelf. She’s incredibly versatile, with a real gift for atmosphere and emotional tension. The twists kept coming and I found myself second-guessing everyone, but in the end I was still caught off guard — in the best way.

This was a dark, clever mystery full of mood and misdirection. I couldn’t look away.

The book is set just outside Bath in the West country. I know the folly and the woods which are north of Bath, whereas the author has changed the location for the story. From the writing I got the impression that the author is perhaps American, however the author was born in England, but has lived in Canada and Australia.
The author tells a good story. You have to suspend belief in some parts, but definitely an author I would read again.
Rachel Dean is Head of Student Welfare at Folly View College, a public school. She is separated from her husband Ben Chase who is a detective sergeant in the local police force. Their problems started when Ben's sister was killed by a drunk driver. They have a teenage daughter - Ellie.
There has been a halloween party in the local woods. There is a local folk tale about a young woman named Sally, who was murdered by her fiance and is rumoured to walk the woods.
The party is comprised mainly from students from the Folly school. When there is a murder and Ellie is found to have been at the party, without her parents knowledge, Rachel and Ben's world comes crashing down. Ben's news that his new partner Chrissie is pregnant couldn't come at a worst time. When some of the students report that a man had been watching them at the party - is this the killer? Or is the killer closer to home?
Recommended.

Another great novel from Ms Richell. When pupils from a private school throw a Hallowe'en party in the local woods things get really out of hand and the next morning. the body of one of them is found there. Throwing local folklore and numerous "clues" into the mix the author spins a twisty tale, and I was convinced of the killer from early on only to be satisfyingly wrongfooted at the very end.
Thank you to netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an advance copy of this book.

A very readable and enjoyable story, with lots of twists and turns. I thought I knew who the murderer was from fairly early one - but I was wrong! Recommended.

It’s Halloween, a group of teenagers make their way to a secluded folly, which locals describe as being haunted by Sally; a young woman who met her death on her wedding day. Teenage bravado, and the questionable behaviour of their not quite adult brains, result in games and dares. By morning, one of them will be dead too.

The narrative rotates between Ellie, Rachel and Ben. Ellie is 17, a scholarship student at the exclusive, fee paying Folly View college. Rachel, her Mum, is responsible for student welfare at the same college. Ben, Ellie’s Dad and Rachel’s ex-husband, is a DS with the local police. All three characters become deeply embroiled in the case.

The characters are varied and flawed, just as in real life, some likeable, some not.
The author has a lovely, easy writing style, making the pages turn quickly. The change of narrators, leave you wondering what is happening in the other story strand, which further increases the speed of the pages turning. The isolation of Folly View, so close to the folly and woods, adds to the already atmospheric writing.

The author scatters red herrings liberally through the pages, hoping to snag readers to reaching the wrong conclusion, which I did, I’m sure I won’t be the only one. I thoroughly enjoyed this tension filled book, and will have a look through Hannah Richell’s back catalogue too.

When a Halloween party takes place the teenagers attending think of it as nothing more than a chance to enjoy some illicit fun. The fact that the venue chosen is steeped in the nefarious "Sally in the Woods" legend makes the event seem all the more exciting.

For Ellie, a student at the local private school, the consequences of that Halloween party begin to spiral out of control. A dead body has been discovered at the foot of an abandoned tower in the woods and her estranged parents are inextricably involved in the ramifications. Ben, her father, is a detective investigating the suspected murder. Rachael, her mother, is the student counsellor at Folly View College and is struggling to support traumatised pupils while at the same time wrestling with the complications of her failed marriage. As the police investigation unfolds, a series of twists are thrown into the mix which will leave you anxious to discover the truth.

This well-paced murder mystery grips you from the start, and the underlying tribulations of domestic discord serves to enhance the read. This is definitely a novel that demands to be completed in a single sitting.

A great story that keeps you wanting to read more it follows Ellie who with her friends go to a Halloween party in haunted woods and 1 of the girls end up dead.
What follows is a tense read especially given that Ellie's dad is the detective investigating the death while dealing with his own problems at home. The interrogation at the police station with Ellie is very intense and keeps you guessing if she is telling the truth.
Would highly recommend thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.

i mean i dont understand kids that do this kind of stuff. who goes into the woods with this kind of background story about it, ha!? but for this gang it really will bring tragedy, one ends up dead.
and all the characters in this book find themselves involved. the detective come in to investigate what happened at the party who later discovers his daughter was there. his wife is the guidance councillor at the school where the students are in panic and mourning.
nobody seems to be without their issues and secrets in this book and noone is being as honest as they should be with those closest. and we as readers are constantly tense in this waiting game whilst the author plays a game with us teasing and then pulling it all always once we think we have a theory. which i loved by the way.
this was such a good book. the atmosphere that weaved through the pages was dark, full of unease and lent so well to what we felt every step of the way as more of the people and story was revealed to us.
the ending was a brilliant one and i was indeed surprised by it.

Pupils from a private school have been forbidden from having a Halloween party in the woods; which is why they are in the woods that dark night. Drinking, smoking (tobacco and weed), some popping pills, and definitely telling ghost stories and using a Ouija Board. The woods are reputed to be haunted by Sally, a young girl who, was murdered, or killed herself, or died for some other reason. Although the story is apocryphal, it is deeply entrenched, to such an extent that the road through the woods is actually called “Sally in the Woods”! The morning after the party, one of the girls is found dead at the foot of an old folly which stands at the pinnacle of the woods. Was she murdered, did she kill herself, or did she die for some other reason? The body is laid out reverentially, with an arcane message written on the limbs, and with a black feathered mask hiding her damaged face. DS Ben Chase has no doubt this is murder. However, Ben has two problems of his own which impinge on the investigation. The first of these is Rachel, his wife (from whom he is currently separated), who is the Student Counsellor at the school. More significantly, however, is Ellie, his daughter, who is a pupil at the school, knew the victim, was at the party without his knowledge or consent, and is harbouring secrets about her own movements during the night. In fact she looks like a prime suspect.
This is a well written story, with good descriptive detail, a solid plot with twists which are hard to spot, and a final twist which wrongfooted me. Tension is maintained, although it is perhaps a bit melodramatic towards the end. Categorising it: it’s a murder-mystery whodunnit, with a touch of police procedural, a bit of a thriller element, and not a ghost story although it sounds like it should be.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

This book will keep you guessing all the way through with it twists and turns to an ending you will never see coming. Absolutely brilliant.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

One Dark Night is a beautifully written and emotionally charged novel that blends suspense with powerful human drama. Hannah Richell masterfully unravels the story of one fateful evening, revealing secrets, tensions, and the fragility of relationships. With richly drawn characters and a haunting atmosphere, this is a gripping and thoughtful read that lingers long after the final page. A compelling novel for fans of layered, character-driven suspense.

What a great read was totally hooked and couldn’t wait to see how the story unfolded. Would highly recommend this book

This is the first time I'd heard of Hannah Richell, and I'll definitely be looking out for her in future.
Following the death of a teenage girl at a Halloween party in the woods, this thriller leads us through twists and turns, with a surprising conclusion.

Is it really possible that a group of 17-year-olds believe in ghosts? So much, that they think a ghost murdered one of their own? In One Dark Night, it seems so. A group of teenagers gathers in the woods with food and drinks and even some drugs and then wind each other up about a girl, Sally, who was supposedly murdered near an abandoned folly.
The next morning one of the girls has disappeared and yes, she’s found at the foot of the folly, dead. Murdered, so it seems.
The police, in person of detective Ben Grace, wants to find the killer. Some of his colleagues have different ideas. The head of the school the girl was attending only thinks of the reputation of the school. Several of her friends are so shocked and frightened it influences their whole life and they are hardly functioning anymore. Ben Chase has his own problems with his recent divorce and his even more recent new relationship.
The story is neatly written with a balanced pace and some interesting characters and events. I didn’t think it very dark or intense, there was too much of a ‘teenagers’ vibe to it for me. Despite that, I gave it three stars because I wanted to see how it ended.
Thanks to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for this review copy.

It's worth reflecting that the story proposal could not have been possible just a few decades ago, such is the change that modern technology can unleash for good, or in this case, ill!
One Dark Night by Hannah Richell gives more than one insight in to how mobile phone technology can play a pivotal role in people's lives and deaths. A girl's body found at the foot of a folly, deep in the woods. Did she fall or was she pushed? The 'dressing' of the body on the ground would suggest the latter but as it was done with such great care it begs the question, "Why the push?"
It's a job for Rachel Dean's ex husband to investigate. Rachel's relationship with Ben went off the rails when Ben's sister was killed. Now they live almost separate lives save for their shared parenting duties with Ellie their daughter. Rachel now works at an independent school as a counsellor and by virtue of a scholarship, Ellie is there too. It is not long before the body is identified and it turns out she is a student at the same school as Ellie. To make matters worse, it appears that a large number of students were in the vicinity of the tragedy at an impromptu Halloween party the night before! Could they be linked to the girl's demise at the foot of a folly? Or maybe a sectral presence of local legend 'Sally in the wood' played a part?
I enjyed the murder mystery, it's a linear tale with hardly any flip flopping. Some interesting twists at the end too.