Once again Mr Dawson has knocked it out of the park. The book was very well written, and the way Atticus was made part of the story was done in an interesting and engaging manner. I enjoyed the book, will read more in future.

Featuring Atticas Priest,this is a story full of suspense The main character is full of quirks but that just adds to the story.

Such a good read! Great characters and plot. Atticus is a great lead. If this is part of a new series, I will definitely be on the hunt for the next one.

A great book
A brilliant new series
Plenty of twists and turns
You won’t want to put this book down
Thanks NetGalley

Twisty, tense and suspenseful this book had me on the edge of my seat and not knowing what to believe or who to trust

⭐️ 4 ⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

The House in the Woods is superbly written and well-plotted.
 
I thought the characterisation was excellent, with nicely rounded characters; I particularly liked the main character, Atticus Priest (warts and all). I’m not usually one for legal thrillers, but I really enjoyed the courtroom scenes.
 
A few twists, a soupçon of suspense and an intriguing plot made it a thoroughly entertaining read.

The problem with new series is the book takes longer for it to gel for me as I assume everything I read is important going forward. Not just to build the plot in the story I’m reading but the characters who will continue in the books.

Now Atticus Priest is an absorbing but complex character and the main protagonist in this series. His skill set isn’t unique but he is quite unique with the composite intelligence of many detectives who have passed before while having a quite individual back story. Black sheep of the family; high-end functioning person with Aspergers. Yet with poor social skills and unable to adequately demonstrate empathy.
Brilliant, creative, a natural problem solver with an inability to let matters rest without solutions. Unfortunately, he has lost his job with the police and is now down on his luck. Low on money, desperate to find something to satisfy his natural talents he opens a detective agency.
Like in an American PI novel a beautiful woman enters his office/home with a job offering money he could only dream of and a challenge he could use his skills to bring hope.
Her husband is on trial and the case against was brought by his former team and led by his previous boss / “lover”.
The court case is just about to start and the evidence seems to point to his guilt. Can he find anything to raise reasonable doubt?

A good premise to read on but just too much like hard work when I wanted to be carried away into escapism rather than pore over every word and intellectually relate to a compelling series where the author was working so hard to set the scene in character, back story and locations.

So I set the book aside and read other things, less demanding.

Trouble is I love the author from his many action thrillers; love his pacing, craft in setting out stories and ability to write 3D characters with real language and fresh ideas.

So once my mindset was less escapism I devoured this book.

It was worth it and rewarded me with what I anticipated it could be. It’s potential was realised and the series is well set to read on and explore the world of Atticus Prime.

So please pick up this book when you have the time to read it; it isn’t a dipper. It is intense at time with high-octane action and covers many dark aspects of family life and the desires that provide motives for murder.

Well worth reading. Additive, absorbing and introducing us to the wonderful Atticus Prime.

The title - The House In The Woods sounds sinister and sends shivers down my spine. It turns out the atmosphere that and the cover creates is in good cause! It starts, pretty much action-packed on Christmas Eve and Ralph sees his dad is dead and he can’t get in, but suspects the rest of his family may be lying dead somewhere too. The book, whilst reading these parts is quite suspenseful at times. To the police, it initially looks like a suicide pact. Then things start to reveal a bit more and unravels, including Ralph’s life. He finds himself being a prime suspect and next thing he knows, he’s on trial, in the dock. Private investigator Atticus Priest is soon on the case.

The House In The Woods is told from the point of view of the investigators of the case, which gives the book an interesting angle in how it propels the story along well in what is a mix of police procedural and legal thriller.

*Thanks to Welbeck Publishing for the proof to review from.

A good thriller to pass the time with. I found it rather superficial and obvious having worked out the culprit early on but I needed to keep on reading to see if I was right.

It’s a bit of candy floss, lovely while it’s being eaten but adds nothing overall.

On Christmas Eve, DCI Mackenzie Jones is called to a house after Ralph Mallender can see his dad lying dead and believes the rest of his family has suffered a similar fate. He can’t get in and soon the police gains access and confirms his fears. However, now facing trial for the killings, Ralph’s wife calls upon the services of Private Investigator Atticus Priest to evaluate the evidence and help get her husband off the charge.
A new character that brings lots of gusto into this police investigation. The background between Atticus and Mack is detailed and helps build up their connection and now face each other again in a professional capacity. A little slow in places, but still found this a refreshing read and any Mark Dawson fan will not be disappointed. I can see a great series ahead featuring Atticus.

This book gets straight into the action and draws you in with the short chapters making it so easy to keep turning the page. The story builds up slowly giving you twists and new information along the way leading up to a great ending!

This book was told from the point of view of detectives/investigators which was a really interesting view point. If you like a good detective/crime novel I would definitly recommend you give this well written book a try!

I enjoyed The House in the Woods. It had an interesting storyline and some great characters and I look forward to reading more in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Welbeck Publishing UK for my ARC.

An intriguing investigatorsfor this new mystery series. A well plotted and gripping story, a solid mystery, and Atticus, a bit cantankerous and fleshed out character.
The mystery is solved but we are left wondering if something will happen on the sentimental side.
I had fun, recommended.
One note: I read in a very critical review that there's no USB on Mac Book, this review was written on a Mac Book Pro and there's two USB ports.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

A very good start to a new series and one I am very much looking forward to getting my teeth into.

A gruesome murder has occurred in an isolated farmhouse and DCI Mackenzie 'Mack' Jones and her team are sent in to investigate. Their initial thought is that it's a tragic murder-suicide however, fingers soon point to the person who discovered the bodies of his family, Ralph Mallender and he is quickly arrested, charged and brought to court.

Ralph's wife is convinced of her husband's innocence and employs the services of disgraced ex-police officer and now private detective, Atticus Priest to try and find any evidence missed by the police which will help her husband's case.

Not being tied by the constraints of the police, i.e., the law! Atticus sets about the task at hand and quickly discovers things are not quite what they seem much to the annoyance of 'Mack' who just happens to be his former boss and with whom he has had a previous relationship.

The book is told from both Mack and Atticus' points of view and takes place during the court case which mixes police procedural, Atticus' unconventional methods of investigation and court room thriller. The pace is initially a slow burner as there is a wealth of detail that, at times, seems a little unnecessary but once you get past that, it soon ramps up into a thrilling read with plenty of twists and turns.

Overall, a really enjoyable start to a new series and one I am very much looking forward to following and I must give a thank you to Welbeck Publishing Group and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The House in the Woods.

Atticus Priest is a great character. He has his flaws, he's not perfect but he has a set of values that he adheres to. He may not be a cop anymore and he may have left under a cloud but he still needs to feel useful.

DCI Mackenzie 'Mack' Jones is a woman with a lot on her plate. Family, job politics, murders to solve. And a murder at court that may just blow up in her face!

There's red herrings, complicated family scheming and some allies may not be what they appear. You will need to pay attention to keep track of the story.

Mack and Atticus's relationship is a complicated one but they bounce well off each other and I hope to see their friendship/working relationship grow in further books.

Another brilliant Atticus Priest book from Mark Dawson. When a family is found murdered in their remote farmhouse, the remaining family member comes under suspicion of committing the murders. Especially when a family argument is revealed to have taken place earlier that day. Atticus is employed by the accused’s wife to investigate other avenues, including the murdered family members. Complications arise from it being Mac who is the officer in charge of the case.

Private investigator Atticus Priest is hired the day before the court case. His client's wife, Allegra Mallender, knows her husband is innocent and needs Atticus to prove it.

This is a slow burn, court case read with things being discredited along the way until the truth is revealed. I'm not normally a fan of slow burn thrillers, but I did enjoy this one.

I liked Atticus and the way his mind works. I also enjoyed the chemistry between him and his old boss Mack. I'm looking forward to their next book together.

I haven't read any books by Mark Dawson but this sounded intriguing and I wanted to give it a go. My first thought though is, as with so many authors, a very long read.

A murder at Christmas, a family blown apart and the big question. Who Did It!?

This is a book that although long it is interesting, intriguing and a story that kept me enthralled and wanting to read more. It isn't just a crime read but one that gets you involved in the legal side, you get the whole story through different eyes and that is what made it interesting to me.

It is compelling, complex, mysterious and even a bit dark. It reels you in and gets you involved and makes you work to figure out what the outcome will be. A great read and one I highly recommend and so glad I read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Welbeck Publishing UK for the opportunity to read and review this book.

As a lover of crime thrillers - I really thought I would love this. Unfortunately for me the writing was stiff, it didn’t start getting interesting until around 50% through and the suspect was predictable. I didn’t love any of the characters and didn’t find myself rooting for them. It ended up being mostly in part a courtroom drama which I found very boring with a lot of “he did this, and then he did that” - in places I found it over padded which slowed down the pace.

Ex-cop turned PI, Atticus Priest is approached by the wife of the only survuving member of what has become to be known as the Christmas Eve Massacre. His job, to clear the defendants name, before he's found guilty and sent down for life.

What's the last thing you need as a DCI, your case in court, your suspect banged to rights (albeit on somewhat circumstantial evidence).

Atticus Priest, just the man you don't need. Somewhere on the spectrum, and won't let things lie until he is happy that he can go no further to find the truth.

Priest, is ex-homiside, and knows the team behind the prosecution evidence, intimately in some cases. And, they know just what he is capable of.

As an introduction to a new chaaracter, and what makes them tick, this is up there with the best.

The characters are strong, the plotline holds the attention and the pages keep turning.

This series, could well be up there with Rebus and Hole. If the following (and `I'm assuming that it will continue) books that follow are of the same quality as this one.

Status: Completed.