One Dark Night

Richell’s hair-raising latest (after The River Home) centers on the aftermath of a Halloween party thrown by posh teenagers in an eerie stretch of woods near Bath. The morning after the festivities, Folly View College student Sarah Lawson is found at the bottom of a building deep in the forest, clad in a white dress with her head bashed in and the words “PUNISH DESTROY REPENT” scrawled across her body. Sarah’s death recalls the local legend of a ghost called Sally in the Wood, who has supposedly haunted the area ever since she was killed by her fiancé on their wedding day. As police interrogate Sarah’s teachers and classmates, Richell weaves in the story of a deranged, nameless young man recently released from prison after serving time for murder, who lives in the caves near the spot where Sally died. Though few of the characters are truly three-dimensional, Richell delivers a well-executed whodunit that culminates in a darkly satisfying reveal. This solid suspense tale goes down smooth. Agent: David Forrer, InkWell Management. (Aug.)