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Dark Peak

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Thirty years ago, nine-year-old Mitch Walker was left for dead in the woods while his five-year-old sister Sarah was abducted.

Now, circumstances pull him back to the place where Sarah vanished. He finds evidence linking his sister to a number of girls whose disappearances remain a mystery and has to face the fact that she may have been a victim of a serial killer known as the Blackden Edge Murderer.

Elly Cooper, ex-journalist and bestselling author, has been tasked by her agent to investigate the disappearances for a new book. She needs to find out if the rumoured Blackden Edge Murderer is more than just a local legend. This is Elly's last chance to get her failing career back on track and face her personal demons.

But uncovering the secrets of the past can have dangerous consequences. Mitch and Elly are about to be drawn into a web of deceit, lies, and murder. A web that stretches back forty years but is still snaring its victims today.

422 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 17, 2017

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Adam J. Wright

25 books274 followers

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5 stars
1,125 (48%)
4 stars
798 (34%)
3 stars
332 (14%)
2 stars
67 (2%)
1 star
18 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
Profile Image for Lisa.
931 reviews
February 3, 2018
Elly Cooper ex journalist now author is asked to look into the cases of missing woman in the Dark Peak area, she met her publisher Glenister at Bellanger restaurant the sales of her book Heart Of A Killer was waining released 6 years earlier Glenister gives her an article on 7 year old sarah Walker who disappeared with her brother Mitch 30 years earlier.


Now Mitch Walker returns to Dark Peak with his daughter Leah & is now divorced from his wife Jess learning that his father Michael has died & is left his estate & also wants to know what happened to his sister Sarah that fateful day, he goes to his father solicitors & vehemently doesn't want anything to do with Edge House as he hadn't had anything to do with his father since he was 9 his mother left Dark Peak after Sarah disappearance & left Michael devastated.


So Mitch enlists the help of detective Stewart Battles to help look into Sarah's disappearance what they find out as they look deeper is that Michael kept a journal & what they find is a lock of hair!!
COULD IT BE SARAHS WHY WOULD HE KEEP IT??

Meanwhile Elly is looking deeper into the murders of the 3 woman she discovers the dates don't add up the last victim Josie Grofeld was found with her throat cut COULD IT BE THE BLACKDEN MURDERER IS BACK!! or could it be a copycat.


Its Not until Mitch's Aunt Olivia disappeared in 1975 that questions start to add up Could Michael Walker have been involved ? detective Battles has Michael as a suspect< but how could he be when he is dead?

As the plot thickens the Walker Family has a lot of secrets to hide & as Elly Mitch & Battles look even deeper into the family not everything is as it seems.


MY THOUGHTS
Dark Peak by Adam J Wright is a dark psychological thriller that is a fast paced novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat there is a lot of mystery in the town which is creepy as what went on there I found the characterisation to be good & believe me a lot of twists & turns along the way so if you like dark twisty reads then this is for you.
4 solid stars
Profile Image for ☕️Kimberly  (Caffeinated Reviewer).
3,592 reviews784 followers
January 9, 2019
Caffeinated Reasons to grab Dark Peak

Do you love watching BBC Mysteries set in rural towns? Then Dark Peak might just be for you.
When Mitch Walker was nine-years-old he and his sister left the yard and wondered into the marsh while chasing a fox. He never saw again his sister Sarah. His mother took Mitch and moved away leaving their father at Blackden Edge. Mitch's father has passed away and after being contacted by a solicitor he and his young daughter head to Dark Peak. His return brings back the questions of what happened to Sarah.
Elly Cooper, a former journalist known for her novel, Heart Of A Killer is struggling after sales have dropped in the sixth year since its release. Her publicist recommends that she investigates the Blackden Edge murders and see if there is a serial killer. Elly wonders if Mitch's father was responsible for the murders.
Old towns hold dark secrets and where everyone knows all of your secrets. Both Mitch and Elly want answers and the old manor may just hold the key.
Atmospheric with twists, red herrings, and disturbing truths Wright will quickly pull you into this macabre tale.
While, her narration could feel dull and her accents difficult to interpret, Henrietta Meire became the voices of the characters and enhanced the suspenseful tones and colorful suspects.
When a body is discovered in the moors, things heat-up and I looked for any excuse to listen.
Wright kept me guessing with several plausible suspects.
The story came to a thrilling and believable end.
This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
Profile Image for Ami.
6,242 reviews489 followers
April 11, 2020
Mitch Walker lost his sister in the woods when he was nine years old. It fractured his family since his mother decided to pack a bag and took Mitch away from his father. Thirty years later, Mitch's father dies and he inherits the big house that apparently keeps a secret. At the same time, Elly Cooper, an ex-journalist, is tasked to investigate a possible involvement of Michael Walker (Mitch's father) with the missing girls from the area for the past several decades.

I am familiar with Adam J. Wright's urban fantasy series, Harbinger P.I., so I know his writing. I decided to check out this book, which is in completely different genre. Plus, I have quite an interest with cold case mystery.

I found the book to move fast and nicely. It involves a very fucked up family *lol*. I liked the way Mitch and Elly worked -- at first individually, and then together. And the detectives are helpful this time, not being douche about the whole thing.

So yeah, loved it. A nice mystery thriller :)
25 reviews
March 25, 2018
Don’t waste your time

What a terrible book! And not in a good way! Where to start? First of all, this was clearly written over the weekend to make some quick cash. The characters are stock and wooden. Their thoughtless arrogance makes you want to scream. At no point do you care about what happens to them or anyone associated with them. The murderer is suddenly sprung on you in the last 25 or so pages leaving you saying, “huh?” The plot never engages. The writing is one step above Dick, Jane and Spot. There are thousands of good mysteries out there. Don’t waste your time on this trash.
17 reviews
April 18, 2018
Good read! Very fun to try to figure out, it was an ah-ha moment when I found out I was right, which rarely happens. But it was still a fast-paced mystery.
Profile Image for Pat.
2,310 reviews501 followers
October 15, 2017
I really enjoyed this book, it had a dark and brooding feel to it.

Ella Cooper has come to the Peak District to kick start her flagging career as a true crime writer. She is to look into a series of disappearances of young girls spanning 40 years and see if there is a story to be told.

Mitch Walker has returned after 30 years to settle the estate of his recently deceased father. Mitch hasn't been home since his mother took him away 30 years ago following the disappearance of his younger sister, Sarah, aged seven. Mitch decides to try and find out what happened to Sarah. He finds an old journal in his father's safe deposit box at the bank which raises a lot of very scary questions. There are suspicions that Mitch's father may have had something to do with the disappearances.

Then the body of another young woman is found on the moors. Clearly Mitch's father did not kill this one. Ella and Mitch join forces (eventually, this was NOT love at first sight) to decipher the clues in the journal. The closer they get to the truth, the more the past reaches out to touch them and danger dogs their footsteps.

Beautifully atmospheric with a creeping sense of menace, this was a well crafted mystery.
Profile Image for Amy Webster-Bo.
2,027 reviews16 followers
January 24, 2023
really like this book, i knew who done it early, but i did not know the ending, was an easy read.
Profile Image for pamela leser.
4 reviews
September 23, 2022
Great page turner !!!

I really liked this book , it was well written moved along fast , and the characters seemed real . the dialog between characters was good , as well . too often in novels it seems forced or hokey , in this book it was done right . the story line was good , with enough twists to keep you turning the pages , but not too many to make it confusing . I really like finding new authors and I will be reading more from this author ! I highly recommend this book !
5 reviews1 follower
September 18, 2022
Riveting....

That is a good description... I enjoyed this book very much. It was interesting and kept me guessing until the end. I found myself getting up in the middle of the night to read
"just a few more pages". No foul language, (which I feel is totally unnecessary in a good book) and very few typos. Looking forward to reading more by this author. Thumbs up for this one!
189 reviews3 followers
September 13, 2022
Received an ARC this novel and am voluntarily leaving a review.
What a wonderfully dark, twisted tale centred around poor Mitch, who as a young child lost sight of his sister whilst in the woods and she was never seen again. Just, however, one more young female to go missing in the wilds of the Derbyshire moors.Many years later, the death of his estranged father brings Mitch back to the house to face long suppressed memories which slowly reveal the true horror of the identity of The Blackden Edge Murderer.
A real fast paced story with as many twists and turns as pathways through the moors, it will have you hooked from the very beginning until you reach the unexpected ending. Brilliant!!!
Profile Image for Tanya Stewart.
175 reviews7 followers
October 3, 2017
Really excellent British thriller!

I must admit it didn't take me very long to accurately guess who the real protagonist in this story was. However, that didn't detract from the excitement, lack of conviction about my suspected serial killer, or the intensity of the story and trying to understand what motivates such crimes! It was a unique and well executed storyline with great characters that you loved and loved to hate and a few somewhere in between!! The ending is somewhat unexpected but a suitable and satisfying close for such a twisted, evil tale of old secrets and evil deeds and the driving force behind them. Enjoyed it very much! Read straight through without putting it down!
Profile Image for Paul.
Author 1 book4 followers
September 3, 2017
Adam J. Wright put together a fantastic mystery/thriller. Protagonist, Mitch Walker is cast into the plot reluctantly and Wright naturally takes him further into the story. Elly is a good supporting character with her own flaws and the need to overcome the curve ball life has thrown her way.

A great set of suspects with a number of possible conclusions. Yes, I had my suspicion about the "killer" but was never totally sure until the end. Wright has a knack for keeping the reader off balance and does a great job filling in enough clues to keep you moving toward a satisfying conclusion. Well worth the read.
Profile Image for Linda.
202 reviews1 follower
September 14, 2017
A page turner

This is the first book I've read by Adam Wright. The story was full of twists and turns and the plot unfolded to reveal one mystery after another. I gave it a four because there were a few editing errors and I would like to see more character development. It was an excellent book, though, I highly recommend it. I'm looking forward to similar novels from Adam Wright.
921 reviews11 followers
August 31, 2017
Wow! Just a great thriller!

This has to be one of my favorite thrillers of all time! I don't remember reading anything by this writer before, but I will be looking forward to more of his incredible books. A murder on the loose for over thirty years, and a woman out to investigate because she's a true crime writer.....all leads to a MUST-READ BOOK!
Profile Image for Kay H. Johnson.
72 reviews5 followers
October 17, 2017
Lost and Found

Adam J. Wright has written a thriller that does not disappoint. Dark Peak is filled with intrigue, sinister murders and two people who are seeking the truth for different reasons. This is a book that you will not want to put down until you have read every word and every mystery has been solved.
Profile Image for Steve H.
16 reviews
October 25, 2017
I found this a very engaging read, a murder/mystery come thriller that keeps you guessing almost until the end. And what an ending! I could easily see this adapted to make an excellent piece of TV, just the sort of thing BBC Four shows of a Saturday evening. I’ll be looking out for more from Adam J Wright.
26 reviews1 follower
August 16, 2020
A Good Read

This book had a good story to it that held my interest from the first page to the last page. And it was a mystery that gradually unfolded but never disclosed the resolution till the end. The characters were solid and consistent in character. I enjoyed reading this book and looked forward to getting back to it between reading episodes.
82 reviews
August 10, 2022
Thrilling ride


I found this book to be a top notch thriller with a surprising twist at the ending. The cast of characters were well developed and the plot moved at a brisk pace. I found myself immersed in the plot from the first few pages and had a hard time putting it down. If you want an action packed thriller then this book for you..
Profile Image for linda myers.
1 review
August 25, 2017
Very good

A very good read. And I read a lot. It had a good surprise at the end. I figured out part of it but not all of it. And I am pretty good at guessing who did it and why. A very good read.
Profile Image for Laura Taylor.
4 reviews1 follower
August 26, 2017
Very good, keeps your interest

Very enjoyable book, good storyline and interesting characters. Suspenseful but not too intense, easy to follow and I didn't want to stop reading!
Profile Image for Dingus_dana.
92 reviews1 follower
July 2, 2025
Oh my gosh when Mitchell finds the necklace under the flowers I was like oh my goodness! And that creepy “guy” watching from the outside while the red hair book writer and Mitchell talk over the poem and the journal.

The “creepy guy” watching figures out the journal is out of the bank vault and that the heart shaped necklace has been dug up. He’s so rageful.

While leaving after spying on the two he picks up a hitch hiker but not any hitch hiker. She had a fight with her bf hiking, she went one way he went the other.

The “killer” that’s been silently watching there was a childhood flashback- him with the two sisters and he finds out that their father molests them as the rumors states were true. He’s like I need to do something but unsure of what yet… then his doggy gets hit by a truck walking home after learning about the two sisters father.

The boys father said they should kill the dog completely to put him out of pain that’s the best to do and Jenny the dog would appreciate that. So now, the boy thinks that killing the 2 Hatton girls will be the best thing because they are suffering just like his dog was and he wants to make them feel better.

The killer kills women who have endured lots of pain and suffering like abuse etc. not just any woman

A woman was found killed and slashed but the difference was the slash marks on her thighs were weaker. But when they flipped her over there was a red rose beneath her.

They go hiking and find one of the girls bodies the Elly calls the police and on the mean time Mitchell gets attacked with a knife and ends up at the hospital and has called his aunt Tilly.

The other body found wasn’t the same work of Lindsay that was buried 18 years ago found 1 day apart and similar markings.

Silas went to visit Mitchell in the hospital and when leaving (Silas’s son Jack) was limping, maybe indicating that he was the one that stabbed micthell

Jen (Elly’s sister) left to go back home and a car ended up tail gating her. She pulled over and the Range Rover pulled over to she rolled down her window to apologize and the guy had a knife !

The knife that stabbed Mitchell belonged to Jack, Jack stabbed Mitchell and killed the girl with the daisies!

Silas (jacks father) probably made Jack take over the killings when he became wheelchair bound because Jack listened to everything his father told him to do.

“He’s got drugs. Strong drugs for his back. He puts them in a syringe and sedates the girls. Then he kills them while they’re lying there helpless.” (How Silas killed his vi Tim’s in the wheelchair)
Jack confessed everything and then when he detective went over to tell the wife she took off and the cop followed her.

ALICE IS THE KILLER, SILA’s WIFE NOT SILAS OMG!!

Alice had life size dolls of the two hatton girls and then Silas went to investigate the moors and Alice hit Silas on the back of the head etc.

Silas had a secret relationship with Josie and then Josie died

Alice took off running and then gave herself 3 syringes of drugs and then slit her wrist (she’s not ashamed what she’s done. In her mine she saved these girls from abuse) but turns out she didn’t die and will most likely go to a mental hospital.

Jack buried Jen (Elly’s sister) alive but they got there in time to save her life.

Omg Silas told Olivia and Sarah they need to run before Alice kills them so Olivia took off and came back for Sarah.

Olivia abducted Sarah and they live together in Scotland.

Mitch meets his sister after 30 years. Silas knew of their location but kept it secret to protect them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Linda.
177 reviews8 followers
January 3, 2020
This had me hooked from page 1! It is a very well written book with each of the main characters being separated by chapters until their paths begin to cross. It starts with the disappearance of Sarah Walker then fast forwards 30 years to the present day. Sarah’s brother Mitch has always wondered what happened to his sister but his mother left with him shortly after her disappearance and he has never been back to the area she disappeared from, until now.
Elly Cooper wrote a book about a serial killer 6 years ago but is ready for something new. Her publisher gives her the germ of an idea and two weeks to see if it is viable. One of the disappearances she will be investigating is that of Sarah Walker.
While the premise of this story has been done before the intricacies chosen by this author are quite different and make for a very enjoyable read. While I really enjoy this genre of writing it is especially nice when I come across one that is that little bit different which makes it quite special. This is an author I look forward to reading more of.
Profile Image for Antonella Gramola-Sands.
522 reviews5 followers
June 16, 2024
"Dark Peak" by Adam J. Wright is a solid mystery novel with an intriguing premise and atmospheric setting. Set in the rugged landscapes of the Peak District, the story follows its protagonist as he unravels a series of secrets and confronts dark forces. Wright’s descriptive writing effectively brings the moody, isolated environment to life, adding a layer of tension and suspense.

However, the novel falls short in character development and pacing. Some characters feel one-dimensional, and their motivations can be unclear, which makes it harder to fully engage with their journeys. Additionally, the pacing is uneven, with certain sections dragging while others rush through critical plot points.

Overall, "Dark Peak" offers a decent read with a compelling mystery and strong sense of place, but it lacks the depth and consistency needed to elevate it beyond an average thriller. Three stars out of five.
Profile Image for Lisa.
267 reviews15 followers
July 13, 2024
This was a quick read but a nice murder mystery. Elly Cooper is in a bit of a rut - her boyfriend is moving out, her mother and sister are worried about her, and although she has one best-selling book under her belt (true crime, serial killer stuff), she is struggling to follow that up.

Mitch Walker hasn't seen his father since he was 9 years old, after his sister, Sarah, disappeared into the woods around their family home, Edge House. Now his father is dead and Mitch is inheriting his sizable estate, which includes money, property, and family secrets.

Elly's publisher is convinced that there is a story around the murders in Blackden Edge and the Walker family is in the middle of it all. Elly and Mitch team up to solve the mystery, perhaps find Sarah, and get Elly's career back on track, but their collaboration puts each of them and the people close to them in danger.
Profile Image for Kayte Jenks.
15 reviews
October 2, 2022
The writing was better than most books and I was immediately hooked, however it quickly became clear that this book had the same tired storyline. Halfway through the book it quickly fell into the same tropes and became predictable. The “twist” was not a twist at all and readers could see it coming. My biggest issue with the book was the TRIGGER WARNING


Sexual abuse. We know the statistics and how many of us have lived it- it doesn’t need to be a storyline in every book. It also created holes in the plot that weren’t answered.

While it was well written, the story itself was just old and played out. I would consider reading another book by the same author, but I have serious reservations about it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
888 reviews3 followers
October 27, 2023
Dark Peak

Mitch’s sister went missing while they were out walking and is presumed dead.
A serial murderer stalks the area. Mitch’s mother ran away with him after that and until the death of his father 30 years later never returned.
A journal his father left him might solve the murders but the killer wants the journal back.
Alas i didn’t find it riveting enough not to put it down. There was no real tension.
Profile Image for Cynthia A.
690 reviews
September 16, 2024
How messed up can a family be?

Elly was asked to investigate several cold case murders and disappearances since she had written a factual book about the killings of a serial murderer. Little did she know that the Walker family had quite a few secrets.
The author did a great job of presenting the facts in a believable manner. I like the two main characters, Mitch and Elly. Book flowed and I finished it in one reading session.
581 reviews4 followers
September 2, 2022
This book has a few twists and turns that should keep you wandering about who did it. Elly didn't do it, but she is a best selling author who gets caught up in the case. Mitch didn't either, but he was with Sarah when she "got lost." What about Silas and Michael and Jack?
Or was it someone else?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews

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