This book is extremely atmospheric. It really helps to keep up the creep factor. All of the ominous trees and dark spooky corners. You are literally hooked from the first page, as it drips with rot and decay. You can just tell there is evil in the area. The added essence of the folklore and the “Cinderman” was done so well

The Clearing is one of those crime novels that are on a middle ground for me. Not bad, but not good enough that I find myself engrossed with the book. Don't take me wrong, the book isn't bad, I had the same feeling with the first book. I wanted to like it more than I did because the story in both this one and the first one, Dark Objects, is not bad. Stowrywise I do want to learn what's going on. In the end, I think it's that I find the main character, Laughton Rees, and those around her not especially interested. Her past trauma etc, and her problems aren't rocking my boat. Will I read more in this series if there are more books? Perhaps, but it will not be high on my agenda.

I loved the atmosphere of this and it was such a wild ride! The setting was so creepy and it almost scared the living daylights out of me! The ending might be the most shocking end I’ve ever read. I loved the protagonist and I enjoyed following along with her investigation and finding out the truth behind the Cinderman legend. This is the second book in the Laughton Rees series and I haven’t read the first book, however, I didn’t feel like I needed to to understand the plot. Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for a chance to read and review this book.

Having just finished reading Dark Objects, the first in this series, I decided to dive straight in to The Clearing. I had enjoyed Laughton and Tannahill’s characters, and was looking forward to learning more about their stories.

The Clearing sees Dr Laughton Rees, an academic member of the NCA, being drawn in to a case of a missing young woman. This is the latest in a long line of similar cases spanning 20 years, all of which have appeared to be insufficiently investigated by local police. Maddie’s disappearance, reported by her sister Adele, is grudgingly logged by the local station, it is quite literally, a box ticking exercise.
A lack of investigations over the years, has left the local community to fill the void, with the old folklore character of The Cinderman.

It is always interesting to read a book set in a familiar area. I know the town Cinderfield was based on fairly well, so I had a real sense of being able to see particular scenes in my mind.
The Forest does have a certain feel to it. Sightings of the wild boar and the deer always feel magical, and have an impression of glimpsing back in time, to when it was a wild place. There is an annual family friendly Green Man gathering held, though not in the Forest, so celebrations of this nature are genuine.

I really enjoy Laughton’s character. Her diminutive stature belying her tenacity and dogged determination. I particularly enjoyed her first encounter with local Chief Constable Russell Beech. Tannahill is away at a policing conference in Glasgow, so only makes small cameo appearances on the end of the phone line. It was lovely to have a glimpse of Gracie, following what had been a challenging time for her in the previous book.

When I saw Simon Toyne talking about these two books earlier this year, I believed there would be a third book to follow. If that is the case, I would love to see Laughton and Tannahill working a case together again; and seeing where their ongoing back story leads them.

The book has plenty of tension, a sense of urgency to find Maddie, and growing unease due to the odds stacked against Adele and Laughton in their search. The claustrophobic feel of The Forest of Dean heightens the dark, atmospheric nature of the story. The pages held my attention, as I was eager to find Maddie, and see certain characters get their comeuppance.

There was a moment in the book when I had to stop reading. I needed to check back through my memory, re-evaluate what I had read. To try to make sense of what I had previously thought, and to move around the pieces, to fit the new narrative. As the story played out it’s conclusion, those pieces fell neatly into place.
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me.

A brilliantly creepy and haunting thriller. A girl has disappeared during the Midsummer night's celebrations in a Gloucestershire forest. But forensic specialist Laughton Rees notes women have been vanishing for some time. Is this the work of local legend 'The Cinderman'? Laughton makes it her mission to find the missing girl who may not even be alive...

Heartbreaking, dark, twisty, and gripping. A complex story, disturbing at times, that kept me on the edge and guessing.
It's atmospheric and there's a hint of folk horror at times
Liked it. A very good book
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A definite page turner! Adele's sister goes missing and Adele just knows she wouldn't just leave her. Laughton Rees' interest is peeked when she notices no action has been taken after the report of Maddie's disappearance. Laughton is doing a research paper on the intersection between real crimes and folklore and where she has disappeared has folklore about a 'Cinderman'.
From a simple investigation Laughton becomes involved in a huge cover-up and dangerous people who think nothing of murdering people who get in their way.
The second in a series, but works well as a stand alone.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Simon Toyne/HarperCollins UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for the ARC. IYKYK my reviews are always honest. I really enjoyed Dark Objects, the first book in this series. Simon Toyne is a fantastic author. This is quite slower than Dark Objects, so settle in for the long ride.

Once again a novel with strong lead characters whose story is as Interesting as the crimes they are solving. This is the second in a series featuring Laughton Rees a criminologist. Although I didn’t read the previous book featuring her (Dark Objects) it didn’t matter as far as following her storyline.
Rees is doing an academic study on folklore and its connections to crimes. She has alerts set up on her computer to notify her when something happens that could tie in with her studies. That is how she comes to be looking into the disappearance of Maddie Friar, a young girl who has gone missing on midsummers eve. The woods near where she vanished are rumoured to be the haunt of the Cinderman, a forest phantom who supposedly preys on young women during the solstice. When Rees looks further into missing people she finds nearly 60 women have gone missing from here during the solstice in the past 20 years and not much has been done to look for them.
This certainly was a page turner and even though the plot and twist were very similar to a book I recently read I still didn’t pick up on the outcome until it was revealed.
Good read.

#TheClearing. #NetGalley

My thanks to HarperCollins U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Clearing’ by Simon Toyne.

Last year I read Toyne’s ‘Dark Objects’ featuring forensic analyst, Dr Laughton Rees, an expert on reading crime scenes. On that case she had teamed up with DCI Tannahill Khan. I had hoped that it was going to be the start of an ongoing series, and so was pleased to find that in ‘The Clearing’ both characters appeared again, though Tannahill is away in Scotland for most of the novel.

Dr. Laughton Rees is currently working on a research paper on the intersection between real crimes and folklore. With Tannahill away at a police conference and her daughter, Gracie, about to go on a school trip, she decides to head for Cinderfield in the Forest of Dean.

There’s a local legend of the Cinderman, a forest phantom believed to prey on young women, particularly around certain dates like the summer solstice. Laughton has been aware that a number of women have disappeared in the area so had put an alert on the U.K. Missing Persons database to flag any new cases.

Now she has received a notice that a young woman, Maddie Friar, went missing on Midsummer’s Eve. Laughton is especially concerned because while Adele, Maddie’s sister, has filed a missing persons report, it appears that the local police have not undertaken any investigation.

Maddie is the kind of person who falls through the cracks, having grown up in care. Still, Adele is determined to find her and Laughton wants to help.
Yet there are dark forces in the forest. No further details to avoid spoilers.

The narrative moves between a number of characters’ perspectives including Maddie, Adele, various baddies, and of course Laughton. So as readers we have more information about what is going on than the investigators.

I am always drawn to crime fiction that includes trees and woods as well as elements of folklore and folk horror, so the premise of ‘The Clearing’ was right up my alley.

Overall, ‘The Clearing’ proved an excellent crime thriller and I am hoping that there will be more cases for Dr Laughton Rees and DCI Tannahill Khan in the future.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

I enjoyed Dark Objects, the first in the Dr Laughton.Rees series and was delighted to receive an arc of The Clearing. In this follow up Dr Rees sets off to the Forest of Dean to investigate the disappearance of a young woman on Midsummers Eve. Some of the narrative was a little patchy but I enjoyed the mystical elements and in Dr Rees Simon Toyne has written a fine protagonist.

This is the 2nd book in the series, I think it could be read as a stand alone, but I’m glad I read Dark Objects first and got a feel for the characters. In a nut shell its about Laughton Rees, a forensic specialist who links a missing girl to a file she has been investigating with unsolved women who have disappeared in the region over a twenty year period.

Toyne does what I love in thrillers - Full of atmospheric, clever writing that gave me chills! A twisty, creepy, sinister plot, great (unique) character development and an ending that left me speechless!

Both resounding 4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 rounded up.

The Clearing is the second book featuring Laughton Rees after the outstanding Dark Objects, one of my favourite thrillers of last year. And to say that I was disappointed by The Clearing would be something of an understatement. It’s something that I’ve noticed recently – the second book in a series syndrome. Dark Objects was as much about Laughton as it was about the case, as her personal life was intertwined with it. Here, she’s “just” the investigator, and the author seems more concerned with Adele than with Laughton, who seemed to me to be almost dropped into the plot.
This is a very atmospheric novel, a dark, almost-supernatural thriller, and people who enjoy that sort of book will love this. But it wasn’t what I was expecting and hence my disappointment.

This is the second in the Dr Laughton Rees series and after really enjoying Dark Objects I was looking forward to it!

When Maddie becomes the latest in a pretty long list of girls who have gone missing around the Cinderfield her sister Adele finds herself up against it in her quest to find her and the local policee are not being particularly helpful. The case pops onto Rees' radar and at a bit of a loose end while her daughter is away, she heads off to help out and uncovers much more than expected.

A great revisit to the Rees story with this dark and twisty story. Enjoyed seeing more of the relationship development between Laughton and Tannahill, looking forward to more!

The Clearing is the second book featuring Laughton Rees after the outstanding Dark Objects, one of my favourite thrillers of last year. And to say that I was disappointed by The Clearing would be something of an understatement. It’s something that I’ve noticed recently – the second book in a series syndrome. Dark Objects was as much about Laughton as it was about the case, as her personal life was intertwined with it. Here, she’s “just” the investigator, and the author seems more concerned with Adele than with Laughton, who seemed to me to be almost dropped into the plot.
This is a very atmospheric novel, a dark, almost-supernatural thriller, and people who enjoy that sort of book will love this. But it wasn’t what I was expecting and hence my disappointment.

WOW!!!! What a brilliant READ! Definitely one of my favourite reads of the year so far! One of my easiest five-star ratings.

I discovered Simon Toyne when I read Dark Objects, which was the first installment where we met Dr. Laughton
Rees and DCI Tannahill Khan,
and I was an instant fan.
This book was even better and it had me mesmerized from the first page to the last!
I had to will myself to read slower so that I can make the book last longer.
It is a high-paced thriller; eerie at times and it gave me vibes of The Memory Man.

Maddie and Adele had a tough life growing up. They had to look out for each other but then Maddie disappears and Adele is desperate to find out what happened. Nobody is interested in helping her, not even the police.
Are there more sinister things at play here or is it just a young girl going off having a good time?
Does it have anything to do with the Cinderman folklore because this is not the first young girl to disappear in this area; a total of 58 girls have gone missing in the last 20 years.
In steps dr Laughton Rees whose interest is piqued by the tale of the Cinderman but also the fact that nothing is being done about the woman who's gone missing. Will she be able to get to the truth, especially with so many people trying to stop her?

" Deep, deep in the forest where almost no one ever goes he stands in a shaft of sunlight, the smoke from the smoulder pile thickening the air and clinging to the branches..."
Absolutely brilliant! A definite must-read!

Thank you to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for this treat!

When Maddie goes missing, no one believes her sister Adele. They all think she’s sleeping off a hangover somewhere. Even the police show no interest and Adele has nowhere to turn, she knows there is more to this.

When a missing person flags up on Laughton Rees’s computer, she decides to go to Cinderfield which is in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire as there have been a large number of missing persons over the last 20 years from that area.

This story had me hooked straight away, it kept me guessing which is always good.

I enjoyed the twists in this creepy story and I found the ending to be quite shocking, I did not see that coming!

My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed Dark Objects very much so was looking forward to this follow up very much. And I wasn’t disappointed as Simon Toyne weaves a dark, atmospheric, sinister take so well.

Starting relatively slow paced as the story is drawn and built, this take full of folklore and superstition, set not far from where I live, was intriguing and complex, and i continued to enjoy the characters of Laughton Rees and Tannahill Khan.

The settings are drawn perfectly and set the scenes so creepily and almost leaves a supernatural feel.

With a macabre story, corruption, local legend and top rate storytelling, Simon Toyne and his new team are set for a great run of books I’m sure

This is a great crime thriller.
I really enjoyed the first book in this series and this one is even better.
A missing persons case flags up on Laughton’s radar and she heads to the countryside to look into it.
There’s rumour that the Cinderman has been abducting women over the years but Laughton works with facts and evidence, so knows there’s a person behind the disappearances.
Adele is desparate to find her sister Maddie and Laughton agrees to help find out what happened to her.
The Chief Constable is far from helpful but this makes Laughton more determined to continue.
There’s more than one character with secrets to hide, but which one knows the truth about Maddie?
This is a gripping crime thriller that I really enjoyed.
Thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

The second book of the Rees and Tannahill thriller series and although I have read the first book this can easily be read as a stand alone. Set in Cinderfield in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire this is a deeply dark and disturbing story. Despite a number of people disappearing the locals put it down to vagrants wandering in and out of the area. Some blame the mythical Cinderman. I’m really enjoying this series, it’s well written and well plotted with some great characters in Dr Laughton Rees, forensic scientist and DCI Tannahill Khan.

Briefly, news about the latest girl missing Maddie comes to Rees’s attention as her sister Adele blames the police on social media for not taking the girls absence seriously. Rees decides to investigate but as she does it becomes clear somebody has something to hide and will stoop to anything to keep their secrets. Why have 58 people gone missing over 20 years without any police follow up? Where is Maddie? We know she is alive but where and why and for how long? Why is the local chief Constable not willing to help? Lots of questions with few answers as the tension builds.

Another gripping read with Rees taking centre stage with support from Tannahill back in London. I lived in The Forest of Dean as a child and visit often and this is the perfect setting for this book, the descriptions are so spooky you wonder why anyone would go near the forest. Some really good twists and although there are reveals throughout the book the end is truly shocking, a shattering climax!