Review: A Dark and Secret Place

A Dark and Secret Place by Jen Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to Booklist for the ARC and the opportunity to read this title!

In this thoroughly addictive thriller from fantasy writer Williams, Heather Evans returns to her childhood home after her mother’s mysterious suicide and uncovers a shocking secret—her mother maintained a decades-long correspondence with imprisoned serial killer Michael Reave, also known as the Red Wolf. Even more chilling is the fact that women have started disappearing again, and the circumstances are eerily similar to those in Reave’s previous crimes. Is a copycat at work, or is Reave somehow hunting from prison? Heather joins DI Ben Parker’s investigation in the hopes of both uncovering her mother’s connection with Reave and helping to save the lives of any future victims who could be trapped in the Wolf’s murderous jaws. Williams does a marvelous job of establishing an ominous sense of place, and the juggling of two points of view—Heather’s and Reave’s in the letters—connect the past and present brilliantly. Heather is a haunted and at times unlikable protagonist whose complexity paves the way for the disturbing twist at the end. Fans of Alex North and C. J. Tudor should get their hands on this one ASAP, though a strong stomach will be required.

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