Title: A Dark and Secret Place by Jen Williams
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: B
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
For fans of Kathleen Barber and Julia Heaberlin comes a chilling psychological suspense from award-winning author Jen Williams about a woman who discovers her late mother had a decades-long secret correspondence with a serial killer, begging the question: how well do we know our own family and even ourselves?
When prodigal daughter Heather Evans returns to her family home after her mother’s baffling suicide, she makes an alarming discovery–stacks and stacks of carefully preserved letters from notorious serial killer Michael Reave. The “Red Wolf,” as he was dubbed by the press, has been in prison for over twenty years, serving a life sentence for the gruesome and ritualistic murders of several women across the country, although he has always protested his innocence. The police have had no reason to listen, yet Heather isn’t the only one to have cause to re-examine the murders. The body of a young woman has just been found, dismembered and placed inside a tree, the corpse planted with flowers. Just as the Red Wolf once did.
What did Heather’s mother know? Why did she kill herself? And with the monstrous Red Wolf safely locked inside a maximum security prison, who is stalking young women now? Teaming up with DI Ben Parker, Heather hopes to get some answers for herself and for the newest victims of this depraved murderer. Yet to do that, she must speak to Michael Reave herself, and expose herself to truths she may not be ready to face. Something dark is walking in the woods, and it knows her all too well.
Review:
A Dark and Secret Place by Jen Williams is a chilling mystery.
Heather Evans and her mom, Colleen, have been estranged for several years. But she is still shocked to learn her mum committed suicide. Returning to her childhood home to put Colleen’s affairs in order, she discovers her mum has been corresponding with convicted serial killer, Michael Reave aka Red Wolf. Because of a recent spate of murders that bear an eerie resemblance to Reave’s MO, Heather contacts the police about the letters. Surprisingly, Detective Inspector Ben Parker allows her to visit Michael at HMP Belmarsh. He is hoping that Reave might reveal information that will lead them to the killer. Heather continues trying to understand what her mum’s connection is to Michael.
Heather is a bit of a mess as she tries to make sense of this unanticipated information about her mum. She is uneasy at Colleen’s house due to some weird discoveries and the unnerving sense someone is watching her. She dismisses her uncomfortable feelings as she concentrates on learning more about her mum’s and Michael’s past. There is more to Heather’s attempt to find answers but she mostly keeps her other reasons to herself.
Chapters from Michael’s perspective reveal his deeply troubled past. He lives with a mysterious person who cultivates Reave’s interest in original fairy tales which are very dark. Michael is free to roam through the wood surrounding the place he calls home. He is content to spend time by himself so he is dismayed when some of the land is turned into a commune. Michael wants as little to do with the hippies as possible, but he cannot avoid running into them. After his arrest and conviction, Michael proclaims his innocence, but the evidence against is solid. When the killings begin in the present, does he know the identity of the copycat?
A Dark and Secret Place is an atmospheric mystery with a unique storyline. Heather is not an easy character to like and she makes questionable decisions. Michael’s history is disturbing and his crimes are extremely gruesome. His benefactor encourages Michael’s darkest impulses and the descriptions of his murders are graphic. With a jaw-dropping plot twist, Jen Williams brings this suspenseful mystery to a satisfying conclusion.
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