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!

The Clearing is the first book I’ve read by Simon Toyne. I loved it, the main character Laughton Rees is fantastic. Very well written with a storyline that keeps your attention throughout and makes you feel like you’re in those dark places with the characters.

Thankyou Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for this eCopy to review

This is Toyne's second Dr Laughton Rees and DCI Tannahill Khan novel. Laughton is investigating crimes and how they connect to folk law. Following her daughter going away on a school trip Laughton decides to head off to Cinderfield where an unusually high number of missing people cases occur and a new one has just occurred and true to form does not seem to be being investigated.

It is the night after the summer solstice and Adele's sister is missing. Laughton arrives and starts investigating the case with Adele. Queue lots of sinister threats as the powerful local triumvirate will stop at nothing to protect their deals.

I felt the characters were well described and a sense of unease in the forest was created. There was lots of twists and turns and some spectacular rescues. All in all a good thriller, just a little slow in places

I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for an advance copy of The Clearing, the second novel to feature NCA criminologist and academic Dr Laughton Rees and DCI Tannahill Khan of The Met.

The disappearance of Maddie Friar sends Laughton to Cinderfield as Maddie is only the latest in a long list of missing young women in Cinderfield. Meanwhile Maddie’s sister, Adele, is trying to get the local police to take an interest in the case and ends up in jail. The two women team up to find Maddie and discover a lot more.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Clearing, which has an interesting tale to tell with some good twists to keep the reader occupied. What I really like, however, is the author’s writing style as it is crisp and clear and any ambiguity lies in the plot rather than the writing. It’s very impressive.

The teaming up between Laughton and Adele takes time (around the 30% mark) as the author takes him time to set the scene and introduce his characters, or should I say the main players? Each gets their say, so the voices change frequently, which could be confusing but isn’t as it makes the reader curious about their role, what they’re hiding and how it all comes together. There is some misdirection in this as well, but it’s not obvious until more events make it clear.

The novel has a way of making the reader want to know more so I devoured it in a morning, but it’s not just the itch to know as it is quite tense with some creepy stalking during the investigation and some real danger at the end. I like the concept of two strong, tenacious protagonists in the form of Laughton and Adele pursuing an investigation that others try to discourage, while DCI Tannahill Khan is relegated to a supporting role, where his protective instincts are ineffective. It makes a nice change.

The Clearing is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

I demolished this book in a day and a half, the writing is stunning. I've not read the first book in the series but I was instantly taken in by the story and the characters. I love the depth of the writing, it's done in a way that is both captivating and thrilling.

Very impressive.

#TheClearing #NetGalley
Best of 2023.
Adele Friar knows better than most that something dangerous lurks in the forest. So when her sister Maddie goes missing, she fears that the woods may hold the answers. After all, Maddie isn’t the only one who has disappeared recently.
Locals put the unusually high number of missing persons in the area down to inexperienced hikers getting lost in the forest’s depths, or girls abandoning their sleepy rural town for the excitement of city life. Some even blame the Cinderman, a legend who haunts the woods looking for unsuspecting victims.
Forensic specialist Laughton Rees doesn’t believe in legends, she believes in facts. With help from Adele and DCI Tannahill Khan back in London, she is determined to find Maddie and dispel the dangerous ghost stories once and for all. LBut something strange is going on in the forest—the police seem reluctant to investigate the disappearances, and the locals aren’t talking. What if the monster in the woods isn’t a myth after all, and a cold-blooded killer is stalking his victims from the shadowy safety of the trees?
As Laughton and Adele question everyone, from the gruff leader of an off-grid commune to the mysterious Earl who presides over the crumbling abbey in the heart of the forest, they slowly begin to unravel the legend of the Cinderman—and discover the truth is far uglier, and far more dangerous, than any mythical monster.
Adored it
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction for giving me an advance copy.

This is the second book in the Dr Laughton Rees and Detective Inspector Tannahill Khan series and if you thought the first book was good that I have to say in my opinion this one is even better I absolutely loved it.
The story begins with Adele Friar finding her sister Maddie has gone missing in or around a forest supposedly inhabited by a very creepy character called the Cinderman but is he real or just a local myth and what secrets do these sisters also have. Meanwhile Laughton Rees gets an alert informing her of the missing girl as she is investigating some historic cases of other missing girls in the same area and from then on the story becomes a completely addictive and gripping one.
This is a fabulous read I love the characters of Laughton and Tannahill and I really do hope that the series will continue as I think there is so much more to come in their relationship. The writing is as you would expect from the wonderful Simon Toyne both clever and thrilling …it’s one of those books that you never want to finish but are desperate to know the ending so you can’t stop reading. So I have no hesitation in giving this read 5 stars and one not to be missed.
My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Simon Toyne follows Dark Objects with this atmospherically dark, tense and nailbiting sequel to a series featuring the London based OCD professor of criminology, Dr Laughton Rees, single mother to teenage Gracie, now living in her deceased father's home, yet to acknowledge and name the personal relationship that has developed between her and DCI Tannahill Khan. Struggling to handle Gracie leaving on a school trip, Laughton is grateful to be distracted by a missing person case in a place, Cinderfield, where an unusually high number of women have disappeared, yet not one of the missing women cases has been investigated by the police. A worried Adele has to utilise strong tactics to get the uninterested police to even document her beloved 24 year old older sister Maddie's disappearance after the Midsummer parties.

Laughton travels to meet Adele at a place where fear and local folklore whisper of the terrifying mythic Cinderfield Man, amidst a background of the menacing, creepy, shadowy woods thrumming with the evil perpetrated there. To her surprise she finds the police have arrested Adele, and she goes to the police station in the middle of the night to ensure she is freed. Adele and Maddie experienced the most traumatic of childhoods, culminating in the sisters vowing never to revisit the woods and the clearing, a past that resonates with Laughton, cementing her bond with Adele. The Chief Constable is strangely refusing to look into Maddie's disappearance which has Laughton insisting on leading the challenging investigation herself with Adele. They are to face powerful obstacles and the gravest of dangers, all too grisly and grimly real rather than of supernatural origin.

Laughton is helped by DCI Khan, who is away at a conference, worrying about what she has got herself caught up in. Toyne is creating and developing a terrific central protagonist in Laughton, a character you cannot help but root for the more we get to know her. She is working through her past traumas, inching her way to openly letting Khan into her life, she has a electrifying energy, verve and a determination that is shaping her into a formidable force of nature to be reckoned with. This is a disturbing fast paced thriller that I could not let go of as I raced through, desperate to find out how it all ends. This is for all those who love the crime and mystery genre, although I do recommend starting at the beginning to truly understand Laughton Rees. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

I haven’t read the first book in this series however I still enjoyed this book, intriguing plot and characters. I’m definitely going to go back and read the first in the series

Thank you Netgalley, HarperCollins and Simon for allowing me to have an ARC.
I really enjoyed this book it was well paced and different. I love Laughton’s character and the way she really gets into things - a bit too deeply at times. I really hope this series continues as I just want more please.

I'm not saying that I enjoyed this book, but it did disappear in just one single afternoon and evening .... That's what you want from a book really, isn't it. Something that holds your attention from the very beginning and doesn't let go. And that is what Simon Toyne has once again delivered with The Clearing, the second book in his Laughton Rees/Tannahill Khan series. With an undulating tension, an eeriness which cannot be attributed wholly to the setting (ominous woods, tight knit community ...), and a whole series of characters who you know, instinctively, you cannot trust even as far as you could throw the book (which you should not do - never throw books), this was another absolute winner and, the more I read, the more I find I am loving this series and, especially, Laughton Rees.

Now Laughton is a character with a few, how should I put this ... quirks. She's not the most naturally and demonstrably loving character, aside from the tenderness and concern she has by the bucket load for her daughter, and she suffers OCD, although that is more pronounced when under undue stress. But she is fiercely determined, focused and, when all is said and done, exactly the kind of person you'd want on your side. All good news for Adele, who is trying to track down her missing sister, Maddie, with little to no help from the police. Thankfully, Laughton is on the case as she is researching strange disappearances around Cinderfield, and especially their connection to local lore and legend. Is there an innocent explanation, or is something far more sinister, and perhaps even supernatural going on?

I really liked the way in which the author opened the book, even from those very early pages showing us some of his hand and the trickery that is going to pass over the course of the rest of the book. Moving between the points of view of the central characters, we are both present in the action as Adele and Laughton, and their antagonists, try to uncover/cover up the truth, as well as with another person whose perspective adds a real skin crawling and heart thumping edge to the narrative. That's not to say that the rest of the book doesn't contain moments which really set you on edge - it does and it will - but those moments when we follow the point of view of the missing young woman really do paint a very stark and disturbing picture. Each moment is played perfectly, the tension building slowly but surely, and yet when the full truth is exposed it still had the capacity to catch me unawares, leaving me wondering just how I missed it. Well played Mr Toyne.

This is a real story of hunter and prey, with so many untrustworthy characters trying to derail Laughton's investigation, it's hard to know which of them is the ultimate antagonist. Even those not caught up in the subterfuge directly, work against her, the victim dismissed in the local community as being a troubled soul and her disappearance nothing to worry about. But the further we move into the story, the darker it becomes, and I did find that in the latter stages of the book my reading pace picked up and I was powering through the final scenes, my attention rapt. There are some tender moments in the book too, as well as many that will make you smile. But it is the emotional toll on Adele due to Maddie's disappearance, and the realisation of the young women's past that really made it's mark with me, expressed with care by the author, providing just enough detail to explain without taking readers too far into the darkness.

If you loved Dark Objects, this is filled with as much mystery and suspense, supported by characters who I am growing to love more with each book. Another absolutely brilliant thriller and most definitely recommended.

This was very character driven and descriptive which set the scene perfectly. You really could feel the sinister vibes from the forest setting and it gave the story a really creepy atmosphere from the start. I hadn't read the previous book but felt this worked well as a standalone. The characters were well developed and I was immediately invested in the investigation and finding out what was going on. I also liked that it wasn't too over the top with the weird characters, some of them seemed a bit off or a bit suspicious but it was never overdone to the point of being ridiculous and it kept me guessing throughout.

When a young women goes missing on the summer solstice the only person who seems concerned is her sister. Local police show little interest in investigating. Dr Laughton Rees becomes involved when a missing person report is eventually filed and there are links to local folklore about The Cinderman.

From the opening chapter there is a creepy and sinister vibe to this novel. Thanks to Simon Toyne you'll be wary of wooded areas in the future. The storyline gives you an uneasy sense that you are constantly being watched, that there is something lurking just out of sight.

The Clearing is set in a small community in Gloucestershire, this setting makes it difficult to decide who is trustworthy and who is working against those searching for the missing girl. As the story progresses you begin to realise how much power and control those in authority wield in such small communities.

The other question raised is why are those in power so reluctant to believe a young woman has been abducted? The stakes are raised when Rees begins to dig deeper, aided from afar by DCI Tannahill Kahn, and discovers that almost 50 women have gone missing in the area over a twenty year period.

We see a much more dynamic Rees in this novel, she refuses to be fobbed off, misdirected or threatened in her quest to find the missing girl and discover why so many young women have gone missing. My one disappointment with the book is that we didn't see much of DC Kahn. Hopefully a third book in the series will have Rees and Kahn working side by side again.

I received an ARC for this one, not realising it was the second in the series. Although most reviews indicated that it could be read as a standalone, I decided to read Dark Objects first and I am glad I did.

Whilst I agree that most series like these can be read as standalones, I always feel more invested in the book and characters when I have followed them from the start.

In this book, we follow the blossoming relationship, both personal and professional, between Laughton Rees and Tannahill Khan as they seek to investigate the disappearance of a number of young women in an area 'haunted' by folklore legend 'The Cinderman'. Whilst the disappearance of these other women has hitherto gone unnoticed by most, Laughton, through the course of her academic research goes in search of Maddie who has recently gone missing.

Laughton pairs up with Maddie's sister, Adele, but soon uncovers secrets related to both the missing girl as well as some local individuals.

This was another solid outing for Rees and Khan. Toyne's sense of place and setting was excellent again and I was really impressed with his writing. I like the slow burn sense of the relationship between Rees and Khan and look forward to seeing how this develops in future novels.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

4+
Laughton Rees/DCI Tannahill Khan #2

Cinderfield, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
It’s Midsummer Day and Adele Friar is growing increasingly concerned about the whereabouts of her sister Maddie and so she reports her missing. Is Maddie one of the many females who have disappeared in this area which is blamed on the local legend of The Cinderman? He is said to lurk deep in the forest seeking the unwary. Maddie’s disappearance comes to the attention of Dr Laughton Rees of the National Crime Agency and currently seconded to the Met. She is researching the connections between real crime and folklore and decides she will make her way to Cinderfield. Will she be able to break down the wall of secrecy that surrounds the area? She will certainly need all the help she can get from Tannahill.

First of all, the setting is so well described that the atmosphere positively oozes from the pages and you feel the chill as soon as feet enter the forest which seems to be a living thing. There’s a real stink of rottenness in the area and it’s creepy, spooky, sinister and at times horrifying so shivers go up and down my spine. It seems there’s evil, corruption and ruthlessness which depends the mystery which is all wrapped up in fascinating supernatural folklore elements. The area and the timescale of Midsummer Eve and Day gives the author such scope which he utilises to the max. It’s totally immersive, exciting, fast paced and the tension is the scarcely breathe variety.

In addition to the very likeable character of Laughton there are some ‘colourful ‘ characters who have definitely strayed to the dark side and she is sure up against it. Tannahill is more peripheral in this though he does play an important role.

Overall. I thoroughly enjoy the second in this very good series with its great blend of a detective story with local superstition. It can easily be read as a stand-alone.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Much like many of the characters, I had no idea what was going on in this book, as in where the plot was going, not being confused.
But a few hints, a bit of creepiness, snd I started to put the clues together.
Not as quickly as Laughton though.
It was good to be back in her company, she's a character I think I'm going to grow very fond of.
Things really pick up speed towards the end, and it was quite tense.
An enjoyable read, if a little sinister at times.
Just how I like them.

When I read the Synopsis of this book I knew I needed to read it.
A new serial killer thriller featuring forensic specialist Dr Laughton Rees and Detective Inspector Tannahill Khan.

I love getting to know new characters in a book. Learning the strory that helps these characters grow. This really was a great story line. Twists and turns a plenty.
My bank holiday Sunday has been spent well reading this.
There are monsters but not in the form we think of monsters. These monsters are among us.
A creepy thriller that will keep your attention right up to the very end.