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 begs to be completed in a single sitting.

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⭐️

In a small English village and where your teenage friends enjoy talking about old spooky tales from the past and scare you and this is happening in Thorncombe, on the border of Somerset and Wiltshire. The woods near the tall stone folly and old mining sight are said to be haunted by the ghost of a young woman dressed in a white dress, and she lures people to their deaths and there’s been a few fatal car accidents on the stretch of road and it's adds fodder to the eerie myth. A group of teenagers meet in the woods for Halloween, it’s the perfect place to tell ghost stories, and scare each other and the next day a girl’s body is found near the bottom of the folly, the local police are in charge of solving the case. Detective Ben Case is assigned to the possible murder investigation, he discovers three things, his teenage daughters the same age the victim and attends Folly View College a private school and where his ex-wife works as a counsellor. Everyone in the girl’s family and the school are questioned, including the headmistress and her husband, teachers and staff, students and those who were in the woods that night and their alibis need to be followed up and verified. You assume teenagers wouldn’t sneak out at night, pull pranks each other and participate in odd dares and they would have more sense and some of the parents are in for a reality check and a big shock. If you enjoy a thriller with lots of twists and turns, it keeps you guessing who the killer is, you think you have worked it out and find out you’re completely wrong and I highly recommend reading this novel. Hannah Richell delivers a compelling read every time and I have been a big fan of hers since 2018, this one explores teenagers, their secrets, actions, feelings, fears, vulnerabilities, what’s happening at home and school, what they think of their peers and how no one wants to be the odd one out or even worse be a dobber and a sinister local legend that has been added to over time and has someone decided to use this as a basis to commit a crime and five stars from me.

I really enjoyed this book! It was very well written and kept me gripped. There were so many twists and turns that I knew exactly who the killer was – 5 times!!! Will be looking out for this author in future. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the early copy. A fabulous read.