#BookReview: ONE DARK NIGHT by Hannah Richell @simonschusterUK

Publication: 3rd July 2025 – Simon & Schuster UK

A party at sunset. A body at sunrise.

What happened that night in the woods?

ELLIE
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 …

RACHEL
 As both Ellie’s mum and the local school counsellor, Rachel, must grapple with the terror gripping the community, a tough job that’s made even harder when she realises her daughter is keeping secrets …

BEN
Police detective Ben Chase is desperate to solve the murder, but with his daughter Ellie struggling and the noose circling ever tighter, can he catch the killer before they strike again?

AMAZON

WATERSTONES

One Dark Night was, for me, quite a gripping and intense story. I read it in two sittings, quite absorbed in the story, the characters, and the atmosphere.

First of all, I loved that the story is told from different perspectives: from the teenager who never feels quite at ease in her new exclusive school and who is still dealing with her parents’ divorce; from the detective in charge of the murder investigation who finds himself questioning not only if his own daughter is involved, but also the life choices that brought him to his present situation; to the school counselor who is worried about her own daughter and her students and wonders if someone, in that beautiful school, is involved in the murder.

The plot is dark, suspenseful and full of twists. There are legends of haunted woods and ghosts, an Halloween party in the woods that ends with the school’s popular girl found murdered and covered in symbols the next morning, a complex murder investigation that turns personal for the detective in charge, two parents worried about their daughter, and teenagers keeping secrets. Also, I loved the dark atmosphere, the vivid descriptions, and the sense of dread that fills every page. I couldn’t put it down! 

One Dark Night is my first novel by Hannah Richell, but she is definitely an author I will keep following. I loved her writing style and her complex characters and how she develops the story and keeps me on edge as I am reading. Highly recommended!

A huge thank you to Simon & Schuster UK and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of this gripping novel.

Hannah Richell was born in Kent and spent her childhood years in Buckinghamshire and Canada. After graduating from the University of Nottingham, she worked in the book publishing and film industries in both London and Sydney. She is a dual citizen of Great Britain and Australia, and currently lives in the South West of England with her family. Richell is the author of international bestsellers Secrets of the Tides (2012), The Shadow Year (2014), The Peacock Summer (2019) and The River Home (2020). Her work has been translated into twenty-one languages.