The dark night in question is Halloween, when a group of pupils from a private school heads to the supposedly haunted woods for a party, and one of them dies.
The story is told in real time, and from various perspectives, mainly Ellie, a pupil at the party, Rachel, her mother who is a counsellor at the school, and Ben, a detective who is Rachel’s estranged husband and Ellie’s father.
All the main characters have their own demons, there are secrets, drugs, modern angst in the form of social media, as well as stories of ghosts.
It moved along at a great pace, with well-drawn sympathetic characters, and lots of false leads. I read the final section with bated breath, and wasn’t disappointed by the ending.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster UK for the opportunity to read this book.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

Wow! Just WOW. This is my first book by this author and let me tell you it won’t be my last! I was completely blown away it was sheer brilliance. I didn’t want to put the book down but life kept getting in the way it was pure awesomeness!

I was hooked from the start and couldn’t stop turning pages long into the night. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me holding on… truly wonderful. Once you pick this book up, you won’t want to put it down!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars!

My first experience of this author, and I found it well written, and a great thriller. I would recommend, a thoroughly good read!

This is a new author for me and what a story! Definitely one you keep forging through as the plot takes you on a variety of journeys through suspects and suspicious behaviours. The final few chapters are totally thrilling with a very satisfying conclusion which wraps up nicely and makes perfect sense. A bit of romance thrown in for good measure always helps soften the plot during a thriller too. Thoroughly recommend

Thank you to Netgalley the author and publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review

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

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.

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.

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)

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.

Ellie is in trouble Rachel is her Mum and Ben her Dad o and a detective investigating the murder of a school girl. Ellie was there but Mum and Dad think she with the other.

A fantastic murder mystery thriller when twists turns who is the dead girl, Ellie is a live wire campaigner or is it was? There are some other interesting characters Edward, Olivia, her Dad Chris the buisness mogul or ##### a better word to describe him. I liked Maxwell as well another detective. The action is swift gripping and I genuinely loved every page.

I highly recommend this book and can say I'm confident you're going to love it as well.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of One Dark Night by Hannah Richell. As a fan of crime dramas, this novel truly delivered. The pacing was spot-on, the characters were compelling, and the plot was filled with unexpected twists that kept me turning the pages. The ending caught me completely off guard—in the best way. I highly recommend this gripping read.

A well written bump in the dark novel, written around a lovely spooky setting with added oomph from a bunch of highly hormoned students out for a scary giggle at Halloween. Of course it all goes deliciously wrong with following days filled with tension as people suspect one another of keeping secrets and telling lies. The author is a Queen of Red Herrings and must have been chortling madly to herself while writing. Well done ✔ gold star 🌟

Just when i thought i knew where the book was going massive a massive twist blows me away wow. One dark night is jam packed full of secrets, twists and turns, mystery and murder.

Everybody in the small English town of Thorncombe know of Sally, she is a young girl who haunts the woods by the folly, you may see her wearing a long white dress. Students of the private school host a halloween party, playing truth or dare and drinking in the woods having a fun time with no adult supervision but what should be a fun night turns into something nobody could of expected. A body of a young girl is found dead wearing a costume of Sally in the woods with words written on her skin with dirt and posed with a mask. What happened that night at the party and who killed her as this is no accident.

The town is spooked by the death of one of their students, an investigation starts and students alike are questioned on what happened prior to this event. There is secrets, mystery and suspense. The characters were portrayed well and i kept thinking i knew who the murderer was when each time a massive twist got in the way. I definitely was not expecting the ending and who the real perpetrator was. Characters you will like and some you will dislike especially the actions they go about will have you feeling suspicious.

Would highly recommend, a must for those who enjoy a good mystery and suspense read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher Simon and Schuster UK for the copy of this arc in exchange of my full honest review.

Completely engrossing, couldn't put it down. Well thought out and written, characters very true to life, complex emotions dealt with well and all in all a cracking good read. Loved the suspense and moods created throughout.

This was a great thriller, full of twists and turns that kept me guessing right to the end. I could really see it working as a tv drama!
I thought the characters were developed really well and I was invested in all the relationship ups and downs. I’d love to read a sequel!

I really enjoyed this book from Hannah Richel! Th characters werre extremely well written in my opinion and the plot moved along really well. I reccomend it 5 stars.

With many thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily
Hannah Richell's debut blew me away so super excited to be sent the arc of her new book. This did not disappoint and the author well surpassed her debut. The writing is sublime and the descriptive narrative really does capture the atmosphere and the eeriness of the urban legend Sally in the wood. Multilayered with excellent characters that just jump from the pages, the author has a real talent for creating believable people. The plot is solid and with a very good ending that just oozes tension this is a very good, addictive read. Hannah Richell is going to be one of my go to authors for sure and she's getting a huge 5⭐️

Secrets and lies and full of twisty turns. Told in real time which I found added to the tension. I really enjoyed this book and will be buying it for friends to enjoy. A great book club pick.

A young girl is found dead after a Halloween Party and Ellie is scared. She shouldn't have been at the party and her father is the lead policeman on the case.
Rachel is the school welfare officer but also Ellie's mum and she knows Ellie is hiding something.
Everyone has a secret and can Ben, Ellies father bring about a conclusion

This book evokes all the feelings of a spooky dark night in the woods. I found it quite chilling in places and it certainly kept me turning the pages to see how it all came together in the end.
The story centres around Rachel and her daughter and the situation they find themselves in as a member of the school that Rachel teaches in and her daughter attends, is found dead in very strange circumstances.
Everyone is a suspect and just when you think you know who did it, there’s another plot twist to keep you guessing.

Loved this book. A great paced story with interesting and likeable characters. Definitely keeps you guessing all the way to the end

This is the first book I have read by this author – it certainly won’t be the last! I was initially enticed by the synopsis: ‘When the body of a young woman is discovered in the woods the morning after Halloween, arranged with ritualistic precision, teenager Ellie has more reason than most to be afraid…’

This precis really set me up for a gripping and atmospheric read. The characters are well written and believable, even if they are not all likable (I simply didn’t warm to Ben, no matter how hard I tried). I did like that the main characters are all dealing with their own anxieties: past indiscretions, dark secrets, the pressure of fitting in and being ‘good enough’ – both in real life and on social media, giving each of them motive to commit the murder. The tale is also heaving with surprising twists that kept me guessing right up to the satisfying reveal.

Overall, ‘One Dark Night’, is an atmospheric, character-driven murder mystery and the addition of the ghost story, albeit subtle, adds an eerie vibe, which I loved. Highly recommended.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters were all relatable and I must admit to not guessing who "dunnit".

The only down side, I felt it was a little slow in the beginning but when it took off I kept finding excuses to read!!. At one point I asked my husband to put the film on that we had been watching and realised it wasn't anything we had been watching but the book I was reading. Need I say more.

Will definitely recommend to friends.

Thanks to NetGalley & Rachael Quin for the ARC

What a thriller. Rachel, recently separated from her husband Ben, is a counsellor at a private school which her daughter attends. The death of one of the girls from the school at a nearby folly causes consternation among staff and pupils alike. It was murder. Fast paced and exciting. A brilliantly written book. Read it!!

This was a brilliant book! Keeping you hooked in from the very beginning, lots of guessing as to what is going on only to be hit by multiple curveballs along the way!

A fabulously written gripping story that was a pleasure to read. I would absolutely recommend this book, it was brilliant

An absolute cracker of a story, kept me up way past my bedtime. It took a little while to get the characters sorted in the first few pages - there's a lot introduced quickly. This is a Kindle thing, rather than the writing; unlike with a physical book, it's difficult to do a quick flick back to remind yourself. The characters are all so well drawn, and the relationships are very relatable.

#NoSpoilers, the plot and twists are real gotchas. This is my first read of this author, loved it and will be looking out for more.

Highly recommend

Fabulous story and completely unputdownable. I enjoyed the fact it was set 40 minutes away from me and the mention of Horseshoe Bats as I work at a charity where we have had the longest study of a mammal ever for our Greater and Lesser Horseshoe bats.

Lots of twists and turns in this, just when you think you've worked out whodunit it twists again. Love it when you get a surprise ending without even thinking of that as a possibility!
Ellie becomes drawn in to a murder investigation in the local area, but surely she's just like any other moody teenager?! Ben (her dad) is on the investigation team but soon gets sidelined when it becomes clear that Ellie is a suspect. Having lied about where she was on the night in question to both her mum and dad they start to have doubts about her innocence.
Loved the twists in the plot of this novel and will definitely be recommending. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this.