Detective Inspector Lyla Rondell is on the hunt for a prolific, wolf mask-wearing serial killer on the loose in the New Forest – dubbed the Grimm Ripper, on account of the killings referencing Brothers Grimm fables. Rondell has a backstory that involves the disappearance of a childhood friend, and it soon becomes apparent that the dark deeds going on in the woodland are closer to Rondell’s past than she was prepared for. Who exactly is playing who – and what happens when the fine line between reality and fiction is blurred?

Little Red Death has the foreboding tension of Stephen King’s Misery, with captives and readers alike made to jump through hoops – combined with a sprinkling of cat-and-mouse-chase menace. If this plot took place onscreen, it would probably be close to David Fincher’s Se7en, but on the page this novel has its own deadly, quirky uniqueness. Witchy magic – and mushrooms – abound, with writer A.K. Benedict’s unpredictable twists and turns piled on in equal measure.

As Little Red Death reaches its conclusion, Benedict delivers a knockout punch that will make readers want to immerse themselves in this nightmarish, blood-soaked murder mystery for a second sitting, to see what they might have missed.