The forest that hides secrets. The protagonist who’s forced to return to the hometown from where she had to flee years before, and now the hidden secrets come back to haunt her. These seem to be the common tropes of many of today’s mystery/psychological novels, but Ashton Noone melds these into one heck of a story.

Ava had to leave Reachwood just after the body of one of her classmates was discovered in the mysterious forest that borders the town, the forest where children are told never to go into for fear they will disappear as many others have. Years later, in order to escape an abusive husband she’s divorcing, she returns to Reachwood with her daughter. Long buried secrets from her past start to surface, and the plot then barrels along to a shocking conclusion.

My thanks to Penzler Publishers and to Netgalley for providing an ARC of Vicious Creatures. ( )

I might try the author again some time, maybe ( )