The Schoolyard Secrets Saga: The Serial-Killer School-Mum series combined into one novel

by Danielle Fear

I’m just another school mum, doing the school run, I’m certainly not a serial killer, well not in their eyes anyway.

Follow the first hand account of Chrissie, your average school mum, the person who you could be seeing in the school playground day to day as she becomes the local village serial killer. Will you be rooting for her?

Previously completed as a three part Novella series, all parts have now been compiled into one novel for easier access to those who are new to the series.

Genres: Thriller

294 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 9, 2024

Reviews

[Tracy Hinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh My 😳 ✅ The absolute BEST thing you can do for authors is to shout about their books! I really liked this book. Didn’t see that coming.

[Carol Gulliford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follow the first hand account of Chrissie, your average school mum, the person who you could be seeing in the school playground day to day as she becomes the local village serial killer. Will you be rooting for her?

How could you not want to read this book with a blurb like this? I found Chrissie's fun, flawed character thoroughly entertaining, and I loved the twists. A great read!

[Billie Wiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this author a recommendation in a Thriller FB group! A reader was asking authors to share their books and recs and I found a bunch of new authors. Danni was one of them and I jumped on this one first! I liked the description as it sounded just up my alley, playground mom serial killer? Heck yeah! It did not disappoint! I was stuck to it all day, couldn’t put it down, read it in about 5 hours! It’s not gruesome, but kept me glued. I had to know what happened next. And the freaking twists just kept coming! This is not a book that will be leaving my mind anytime soon. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Kelsi Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a crazy, fun ride this was! I was pleasantly surprised as to how this book turned out. What started as one somewhat off-kilter plot, twisted and turned into something totally different and much more deep. Very entertaining read!

[Tanya Kolb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this after reading The Cure for Breathing. I really wish that I had read this one first. I think that I would have loved it more. I believe that I figured out what was going on easier because of having read the other book first. It spoiled it a little bit.
Having said that, this was still a good book. There were plenty of things left to figure out! The twists made this a fun read. It's kinda crazy.
I don't want to give any spoilers. I recommend reading this book first!

[Mrs T J Giles · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Schoolyard secret safe by Danielle Fear, book1 Poison playground, book 2 Schoolard secrets, book 3 Devastating decisions. Book 1 meets Chrissie and her regular life and then events take a nasty turn, leading to book 2 where school playground politics involving secrets have a bigger impact on life, book 3 the outcome of Chrissie's action, gripping fast paced read, read all 3 books in one sitting, loved the final book, totally unexpected. 4* kindle.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow this book was amazing! Going in you know that the protagonist is crazy but you just don't know how crazy. The discussion of mental health is very important in this novel and the flip between stories is done very well. Highly recommend!

[LeaAnne Grissom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! This one was a wild ride!! And very exciting!!

[Keeley Webb Author · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a journey! I started this book thinking it was a psychological thriller, which it is. Let me explain; it's like nothing else I've ever read. It's relatable as much as one can relate to a housewife, school mum, or serial killer rolled into one! I found myself cheering Chrissie on. I'm not sure what this says about me! At times, part dark comedy. The story flows well, and although you're unsure where it's going, you feel compelled to read on. 

I certainly didn't expect the ending, and it's a very, very clever and unique idea. I always read a book for the story, and I'm not ever looking for errors. Just as helpful critique, there are a few instances that stopped the flow of the story, for example, repeated paragraphs, sentences, or incorrect words. I still thoroughly enjoyed the story and would recommend it. 

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, that was a turn!

Those school moms are something!!! Reading this at first, I thought “where the heck is this going, and why?!” I absolutely did not see the turn this book would take! It’s a fascinating, unfortunate story, but makes sense when you reach the conclusion. The mind is much more fragile than we imagine. Be sure to put this one on your list!

[Katie Eldridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing!!!

I saw this book being recommended on a Facebook post in a book group I am in. Looked it up and thought I’d give it a go.
WELL!!!! Absolutely brilliant, gripping, thrilling, exciting and more..

The twist I certainly was not expecting at all!

Really really enjoyed this book. :)

[Joy Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was recommended on a FB group I follow. Great read! Finished it in 1.5 days! (I’m not a fast reader 🤪) I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Well worth your time to give it a chance! Don’t be confused or turned off by the name or book cover…. Forgive me for that comment Danielle Fear 😬.

[Eva Edge · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Schoolyard Secrets Saga by Danielle Fear is a gripping, fast-paced, crazy, and fun thriller featuring a female serial killer. This book started like a dark comedy where a housewife, school mum, and serial kiIIer is one person. Even though it was a bit mad, I absolutely loved the speed and reasons she was kiIIing. But then things turn around, and we are introduced to the dark, deep truth behind what we thought were unpredictable and chaotic murders. This turns the book onto the serious path, and it was nice to explore how everything was unfolding. I didn't expect the ending and loved it. It wrapped up the story super nicely.

Nothing special, housewife and school mum Chrissie turns become a serial kiIIer to deal with situations where things don't go how she wants. Chrissie is not wasting time with planning and calculating, she is just out and acts. When things slip out of her hands, she must learn the harsh reality behind the madness.

This is a super easy read, I could not turn them pages fast enough.

[Tanya Langkau · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 🌟 I'm typically a pretty generous rater, so I rounded this to 4.

This one fell a little flat for me. I probably would have given it 3 stars for the amount of times I rolled my eyes at the main character and asked myself, "Seriously?". However, in the end, the turn it takes, 1. Is not what I was expecting, by any means, and 2. Kind of made me go, "okay, it makes a little more sense now why her decisions made no sense to me," hence the little boost in rating.

This was a quick read for me, so if you like murder, suspense, and a little bit of crazy, I think you'd enjoy it!

[Jessica Crome · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s nice to see a book featuring a female serial killer. I also liked how all three books were in once so I could just keep reading through the story. It felt very relatable with being triggered and wondering how it would be if these things happened to these people but then to get to the third book and see a whole different side of the story was very unexpected but made the story interesting to see it from a different view.

[Kristina Blose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this author through a Facebook group I follow and was gifted this audio book by the author. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It was a very interesting and captive read. It was my first ever audio book, and though I wasn't a fan of the audio book, I thought the story was very well written and had a surprising ending. Very good read!

[Jenny Coyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so grateful that I got to read this complete version instead of reading it in installments. It definitely improved the flow of the book and each part had me excited to read the next one. (I'm not good at waiting.) At times I felt that the suspense level fell a little. It always picked back up though. I didn't see the end coming until just prior to that part!

[Kiwi1331 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off so slow, I felt I wasn’t really getting into it. It all seemed a bit wishy washy with the murders and felt unrealistic. However as the story develops it all starts to make sense with the twists I didn’t expect. I enjoyed this book and it was worth finishing.

[Brenna Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I flew through The Schoolyard Secrets Saga and found it h.i.g.h.l.y entertaining. During the first part of the book, I was telling my friend, "This mum is out of her everlovin' mind!" 😂 And then, things really turned dark. I couldn't put it down. 

[Brittany Scheid · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series had me under a hold that I couldn’t believe. The twists and turns kept me wanting to keep reading, yet not wanting to find out the truth. Part 3 was just as devastating as the title insists. I wish I could read this for the first time again! Highly recommend!!!!!! Another great read from Danielle Fear!

[Paula Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A read that will suck you in

What something that you can't put down? Check out this book! It had me on the edge of my seat for well over half the book. Found myself talking to the character like it was a movie!

[Jo Crouchman · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful

I never review, ever however this book will stay with me.
Wonderful rounded characters, couldn’t put it down, bereft that it’s over, I love the author’s style of writing and can’t wait to try something else of Danielle’s.
Fantastic book 👏

[Kat Schwartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous fabulous read! I am incredibly impressed by this story that lured me from page 1! Great writing, great twist that I NEVER saw coming. Highly recommend!

[Jon Naumchik · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow what a great book. good twists. can't wait to read more by Danielle Fear.

[Hayley Bernard-Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re reading these reviews wondering “Should I get this book?” I can answer that question for you- “Yes you absolutely should!” First of all, I love how original the story is. It’s a psychological thriller, but not like any I had ever read before. From the beginning of the book I was thinking it was a clever idea- the story seemed to be a well balanced mix of thriller and dark comedy. Each scene was constructed so well that I kept coming back for more! Some parts were so insane I had to turn the page back “Did I just read what I think I read…oh ok, yes I did. That actually happened.” And I really liked Chrissie as a character, the writer clearly took a lot of time to craft her layered and complex personality. Excellent book!