It’s been two years since Jim Hawkes’s fiance died, but he still hasn’t recovered. Believing all he needs is some time away from the world, he rents a cottage in the Devonshire countryside. But his new home is far from quiet. He may be living alone, but he hears something in the attic and catches the figure of a little girl in the corner of his vision. Emma and Jed, the new friends he has made, believe he was sent there by divine providence to solve the haunting and the mystery that surrounds it. This story is an interesting juxtaposition between a man’s grief and and his vulnerability to see what other’s cannot.

.Jim Hawkes is searching a bit peace and quiet after leaving his life in London behind. But in his new place he expriences strange unexplained things like noises. So Jim starts to go through the mysterys and look into the previous death of a young girl in his own attic.
I really liked the story it's written very well, I like the suspense and mysterious elements a lot and it's a fantastic and twisted story that keeps you reading.

This was an eARC from NetGalley and Alison & Busby in exchange for an honest review.
This is a sort of ghost story with a twist.
The main character Jim Hawkes was bereaved two years previously and decides to change his life and leaves his job and London and rents a cottage near the village of Slyford St James in Devon. There was an accident involving the family of the house he is renting which resulted in the death of their daughter. Jim moves to the cottage to relax and refocus but becomes involved in solving the death of the young girl. He wonders about his sanity when he hears noises from the attic, moving objects and voices in his head. He befriends two villagers Jed and Emma who tell Jim that they believe that he came to the village for a reason. They both have psychic powers. Fast paced, great characters and quite a lot of tension throughout. It kept me in suspense until the end. Will definitely be reading the sequel.

Top marks for the book cover. I really enjoyed the story. Different to those I normally read. It was well written and flowed well.

The Evil Within is a murder mystery wrapped into a ghost story.

Two years after the death of his fiancée, for which he feels guilt, Jim Hawkes has a sudden breakdown, leaves his job in the middle of a meeting, and moves from London to a cottage in the little village of Slyford St James, in the Devonshire.

Before he’s even finished unpacking, Jim Hawkes is witness to supernatural occurrences, the main one being the appearance of a little girl in red, Krystal, whom he learns died in the house he now occupies.

He meets Jed and Emma, two inhabitants who also possess « the sight », and is quickly convinced that he’s been brought there to solve the mystery of Krystal’s death, not everyone in the village believing it was an accident.

Of course, this would mean a murderer is still roaming free and Jim’s presence, along with his gift, doesn’t doesn’t please him/her much.

This is a clever book, masterfully written. It’s difficult to put down as, page after page, we learn more about the village, its inhabitants (and their nice and not-so-nice secrets), and the other villages around. S.M. Hardy (pseudonym of author Sue Tingey) manages to create a nice, and sometimes creepy atmosphere, compelling characters we quickly care about, words flowing in a slow rhythm fitting to the story.

This isn’t a « classic » ghost story. No cheap scares, turning heads or blood on the walls. The Evil Within reads as a mystery, some witnesses being ghosts, and some information being brough to our amateur sleuths by unconventional means. The mystery, itself, is quite engaging.

By the end of the book, we’ve learned to like Slyford St James and its citizens so much that it’s a pity having to put it down. Fortunately, it seems a little window has been left open for a potential sequel.

Thanks to Allison & Busby and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for this unbiased review.

A little slow to start, but I loved the way the supernatural elements are mixed in with the mainstream story in this book and I would like to read more. A genuinely different read

This was a well-crafted novel, with a surprising angle to the paranormal side. The "ends" were all tied up nicely by the ending, which then surprised me. I enjoyed the setting, the characters were all believable, and I'm looking forward to more Dark Devon Mysteries.

Part murder mystery, part ghost story the Evil Within is a tale of a grieving man whom suddenly quits his job in London and moves to the isolated village of Slyford St James in Devonshire. Odd things start happening and as Jim becomes friends with local villages Jed and Emma and they begin to attempt to unravel the unsolved murder of a little girl. Thanks so much to the publisher and to Netgalley for the ARC.

I absolutely ADORED the evil within. I love a good jumpy book and the evil within was just that, there was plenty of jumpy moments that would send goosebumps up my arms, I could also picture the cottage down to the country style kitchen and the countryside of Devonshire. I don’t want to give too much away- but please give this book a read it is gripping, spooky and thrilling!
Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this creepy ghost story/murder mystery. I found it well written, and the characters are skilfully drawn. It was a real page turner, and I couldn't put it down.

I will be eagerly looking out for a sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Tense, Suspenseful Read....
Book one in the Dark Devon Mysteries. When Jim, still grieving a personal loss, moves to the countryside in search of peace he cannot possibly foresee the nightmarish catalogue of events which will follow. A tense, suspenseful read with a supernatural bent. Keep those lights on!

Wow, what a debut, some really powerful writing here, a compelling storyline and a great cast of characters, I would gladly read another book by this author. The mystery here is intriguing and as it unfolds it shows that a village community with half remembered facts and suspicions can direct and misdirect. The final 50 pages of this book are breathless in their pace and the toing and froing of the story leave you with smoke coming off the pages as your eyes can't read fast enough to keep up. This will make a successful series and I wouldn't be surprised to see a TV spin-off.

#TheEvilWithin #NetGalley

The evil within is S.M Hardy's introductory paranormal publication, and oh, how I hope that it is not the last.

We begin with being presented to Jim Hawkes, who, for two years after the death of his fiancee Kat, has been clinging on to his city slicker job whilst on the verge of a mental breakdown, where reoccurring violent dreams keep him awake at night. His life is basically going down the drain and on Dr's orders to de-stress, he decides to take a vacation to an idyllic country cottage retreat in the Devonshire village of Slyford St.James. However, all is not as tranquil as it seems, and the rage inside him doesn't subside. There are voices in his head tormenting him, and there are things he sees that can't be real. Is Jim really losing the plot? or are supernatural forces at play? To survive, Jim must invoke the help of his new found friends to solve the mystery.

There are a lot of strong characters in this read, and they all play a significant role.

My first impressions of Jim was that I didn't like this big city guy, drowning in his sorrows, feeling sorry for himself. But then we get to see the real Jim, and I could really feel myself warming to his personality.

From the very start this book was cleverly penned and the author really keeps you intrigued in solving the mystery. The internal dialogue is spot on, creepy, cringey but necessary, and a good, solid plot ending.

This isn't your typically ghost story, albeit plenty of reasons to make you check every room before going to bed for a while, but connections of friendship, trust and love. However, don't be fooled, I found this to have a psychological element that is dark and harrowing. There's an evil within that's dying to get out.

Thankyou to Allison and Busby and Netgalley for my copy of The Evil Within, in exchange for an honest review.

https://wordery.com/the-evil-within-s-m-hardy-9780749025557

https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Evil_Within.html?id=RX8dyAEACAAJ

https://twitter.com/842Bookworm/status/1224851400980647936?s=20

Am I stressed, losing my mind or is a small blond girl wearing a school uniform running through my garden with her dog and disappearing into the mist? These are the questions facing Jim Hawkes, a London banker trying to recover from the tragic death of his fiancee two years earlier. After a semi-breakdown at work, he retires with a substantial bonus and rents a picturesque cottage in the country town of Slyford St James, looking for peace and quiet. But soon the locals are giving him sideways glances and asking if he is living in the “Morgan Cottage?” Before he is warned not to let his handyman Jed “play with his head,” Jim has been told that he has second sight and, more importantly, that six year old Krystal Morgan died in the cottage. She fell from the attic door. The same door that keeps coming open. The attic where he hears small steps running across the floor.

You have the picture. This is a ghost story and a very good one. However, it is also a mystery as Jim tries to solve Krystal’s murder. He begins to have terrifying visions of the killer and sees people around him who may or not be dead. He also meets Lucy, a local girl, and their new relationship helps him move on from his longstanding grief.

This is a difficult review to write. If you like ghost stories, you will love The Evil Within. If you don’t, or are not sure, read this for the mystery alone. It’s that good. Even if you skip through anything you think is over the top ghosty (and there isn’t much) the identity of the killer and the surprise ending will be a total shock. 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, Allison & Busby and S.M. Hardy for this ARC.