Published by Serpent's Tail Limited on April 2, 2020
Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thrillers
Pages: 288
Format: eBook
Source: ARC
How well do you know your girlfriend?
How well do you know your lover?
How well do you know yourself?
Daniel and Victoria are together. They're trying for a baby. Ruby is in prison, convicted of assault on an abusive partner.
But when Daniel joins a pen pal program for prisoners, he and Ruby make contact. At first the messages are polite, neutral - but soon they find themselves revealing more and more about themselves. Their deepest fears, their darkest desires.
And then, one day, Ruby comes to find Daniel. And now he must decide who to choose - and who to trust.
Written as letters penned to a mysterious Lucy, This Little Dark Place, is a story being told by the main character Daniel. I didn’t have any big expectations for this tale beyond expecting it to be told in present tense. Instead, we are treated to Daniel’s version of past events. It was a clever approach on Hatch’s part and I enjoyed the style once I adjusted to the abrupt switches from present to past.
Honestly, I didn’t particularly like the main character, Daniel. Right from the beginning when he thanks Lucy for asking for his side of the story rather than the narrative from the trial and I knew we were in for an interesting ride. The mystery is carefully plotted and the story moves quickly as Daniel tries to catch him up on what he deems important background information before the main event.
I don’t read many books in epistolary format and I found it did work for this story. As the Daniel continued, I felt an increasing dread as the story went. It wasn’t due to caring about Daniel but rather the knowledge that this is his take on events. As I read, it was with a hefty dash of salt and a lot of skepticism. Even with a day or two to decompress after reading this book I still feel my lip curling in distaste. I think that is probably the most striking thing about this book by A.S. Hatch, that I am still feeling an intense reaction to a book even after picking up a new story. This is definitely an interesting, slow burn thriller that is worth your time!
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
