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You’d Look Better as a Ghost – Joanna Wallace

I have a gift. I see people as ghosts before they die.
Of course, it helps that I’m the one killing them.

The night after her father’s funeral, Claire meets Lucas in a bar. Lucas doesn’t know it, but it’s not a chance meeting. One thoughtless mistyped email has put him in the crosshairs of an extremely put-out serial killer. But even before they make eye contact, before Claire lets him buy her a drink, before she takes him home and carves him up into little pieces, something about that night is very wrong. Because someone is watching Claire. Someone who is about to discover her murderous little hobby.

The thing is, it’s not sensible to tangle with a part-time serial killer, even one who is distracted by attending a weekly bereavement support group and trying to get her art career off the ground. Claire will do anything to keep her secret hidden – not to mention the bodies buried in her garden. Let the games begin…

I received a review copy from the publishers via Netgalley. My thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to join the blog tour for You’d Look Better as a Ghost.

It doesn’t seem quite right to have a serial killer novel which also makes you laugh out loud. Yet here we are. You’d Look Better as a Ghost definitely had me laughing but there are also scenes which give you pause for thought, how we treat other people and how they treat us runs through the heart of this story and Joanna Wallace uses this to extremely efficient effect.

We meet Claire. She’s recently lost her father and is attending grief counselling but her group brings together a rather odd assortment of people. There’s an extremely angry Welshman, a furious note-taker, a “nice” lady who will be deeply offended by bad language (which is unfortunate given the presence of the Welshman) and there is Claire too – she’s a serial killer and the star of this book.

Claire sees the world as a slightly better place when some people who have done bad things are no longer in the world. So Claire may take mattes into her own hands an murder those bad people. Her garden is a busy old spot and inside her house there are some very unusual decorations.

Feeling slightly out of sorts while she grieves Claire decides she is going to murder someone who emailed her by mistake, apologised, but Claire didn’t think he looked sorry enough when she tracked him down.

Unfortunately for Claire she’s not as careful as normal and inadvertently kills a man who had his own criminal endeavours on the go and his partner in crime is going to find out what Claire knows about his disappearance.

In her grief therapy group Claire realises one of their number may not be quite what they appear but can she work out who’s keeping secrets before her own secrets are revealed?

I know we shouldn’t really be rooting for the killer in a crime novel but Joanna Wallace puts the reader on Claire’s side. We see young Claire, a young child, and how she thinks and behaves differently from the other kids around her. Then we get an insight into her home life and some insight into some of what may have shaped Claire’s formative years.

What I found most compelling was Joanna Wallace’s portrayal of vulnerability and how she plays on our perceptions of those vulnerabilities. I couldn’t possibly elaborate on that (spoilers) but when some plot threads were unraveled I was applauding the slick way I had been played.

I really enjoyed You’d Look Better as a Ghost, it’s clever, funny and unpredictable. I’d certainly welcome more stories like this and I’m crossing my fingers I’ll get my wish.

You’d Look Better as a Ghost is published by Viper Books and is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BPN1KP22/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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February 21

The Turning of Our Bones – Ed James (audiobook)

The serial killer he couldn’t catch is dead….

Can DI Rob Marshall save his last victim before she dies too?

Met cop DI Rob Marshall is hot on the trail of the serial killer known as the Chameleon, who has abducted, tortured, and killed a series of young women in Northwest London. As they close in, the Chameleon—who switches identity to get close to his victims—shoots Marshall’s partner and escapes.

But when the Chameleon’s body is found two years later, Marshall must return to his home town of Melrose in the Scottish Borders and face the tragedy that’s haunted him for 20 years and made him leave in the first place.

The Chameleon’s final victim is still missing–can Marshall unpick the Chameleon’s latest identity in time to save her from a lonely death?

I am grateful to Ed James for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook of The Turning of our Bones.

The Turning of Our Bones is the first book in a new series for Ed James. A perfect time to discover an author you may not have read in the past and for returning fans it is a chance to get to know some new characters and know this is an author who will put these characters through the emotional turmoil we seem to love to read about.

The story starts in London, a woman returning home late at night after a long shift finds her path is bloked by a large van. As she navigates her way around it she is attacked and becomes the next victim of a serial killer who has, thus far, managed to elude the police.

One of the key investigators is DI Rob Marshall. He has been working on a profile of the killer and believes he may have made a breakthrough but while a surveillance operation is underway the killer confronts Marshall and his partner. He draws a gun on the pair and opens fire. Faced with the choice of saving his partner’s life or chasing down the gunman Marshall has no real time to weigh up the options he makes his choice and has to live with the consequences of his actions.

Spin forward two years and Marshall is no longer working on apprehending killers for the Met Police. He has been moved to a role in traffic collisions and is counting down the days until he leaves the force. But an unexpected development sees Marshall leaving London to head to the Scottish Borders – the killer has been found. Despite escaping capture in London the man who haunted Marshall’s dreams has turned up in Scotland. Dead.

Marshall is heading to the Borders, he is heading home to confirm the body the police recovered is indeed that of the killer he had been hunting. When he arrives Marshall finds himself drawn into the world he thought he had left behind years ago. Old friends and family are all around him and new colleagues, challenging new colleagues, need to be won over if Marshall is to have any involvement in wrapping up the loose ends of his long-running investigation before he heads back to London.

I’d been enjoying the story while it was a London tale but when the action shifted to the Scottish Borders (a much overlooked location in crime fiction) I loved this book even more. Places I have visited but don’t really know came to life as Ed James thrust Marshall into the land of his childhood. Towns I’d considered to be part of a sleepy, rugby country suddenly took on life and a dynamic feel that I’d not associated with the area. Even better there was a frantic race against time predicament for the police to solve and a hidden enemy for the readers to puzzle over.

The crimes which are committed in The Turning of Our Bones are firmly in the dark and gritty side of crime fiction – this is the type of story I enjoy the most so it absolutely ticked all my boxes and I’ve already been recommending it to other readers.

I can’t wrap up the review without first giving the audiobook narrator, Angus King, the plaudits he deserves for his role in my enjoyment of The Turning of Our Bones. I’ve heard a fair few books which Mr King has worked on and he always delivers an enagaging performance. One of the most trusted names in my Audible Library, seeing Angus’s name on an audiobook will help sway me towards buying it. In the case of The Turning of Our Bones he has already shaped the characters for me and given them the life outwith the page, he is a joy to listen to when the action ramps up. And it ramped up to great effect in this book.

As I said at the outset of this review – a great opportunity to get into a brand new series. You can read The Turning of Our Bones and you’ll be ready for more DI Marshall stories as soon as they become available. Fabulous listening and a cracking read.

The Turning of Our Bones is available as an audiobook and also in digital and physical book versions. You can order a copy on your format of choice here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BKR181C3/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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January 25

The Echo Man – Sam Holland

The murders have begun…
Across England, a string of murders is taking place. Each different in method, but each horrifying and brutal.

But the killer is just getting started…
Jess Ambrose is plunged into the investigation when her house is set ablaze. With her husband dead and the police pointing at her, she runs. Her only hope is disgraced detective Nate Griffin, who is convinced Jess is innocent.

And he’s going to shock the world…
Soon, Jess and Griffin discover the unthinkable; this murderer is copying the world’s most notorious serial killers. And now, imitation isn’t enough. The killer dubbed The Echo Man is ready to create his own masterpiece, and it will be more terrifying than anything that has come before…

I received a review copy of The Echo Man through Netgalley.

Do you like stories about serial killers? You do? Then I would suggest The Echo Man is the book for you as the killer in this story is paying homage to all the most infamous murderers from history and the body count is high. Really high. And Sam Holland isn’t messing around as The Echo Man is one of the darker crime thrillers I have read lately.

Not that I found any of those qualities to be a negative factor. I like the darker edgier stories and this book very much ticked all the boxes for me. But if you’re not a fan of the more descriptive crime scenes then I feel it only fair to warn you that this story may bring some uncomfortable reading moments.

Still with me? Good stuff. The Echo Man is tagged as being Major Crimes Book 1. Very pleasing to know as I liked the team of investigating officers and the author has done a great job of balancing their development and spinning a great murder mystery around them (while also throwing lots of dilemmas, murders and moments of terror into the paths of her principle cast).

Early in the story we meet Jess. She isn’t one of the investigative team but her life is about to radically change when a fire rips through her home and leaves her husband dead. Jess is the police’s primary suspect and when she sees the opportunity to take herself away from possible arrest she runs. But Jess doesn’t run too far and she finds a safe port in her personal storm when she meets Nate Griffin. Nate was a police officer but a year ago he had his own personal trauma and now he can’t be part of the Major Crimes Team – in fact Nate can hardly function such was the impact of his traumatic experience.

Nate does still have connections in the Major Crimes Team (family connections at that) so when events start ramping up and the body count rises he finds himself drawn back to the station and back to face his demons. As the pressure builds so too does Nate’s inability to deal with the investigation in a lucid and rational manner. Tension builds and builds under the careful moderation of Sam Holland and you’ll want to keep reading – I certainly did! It got to the point in the night I knew I could not put the book down until I had reached the end, I just had to know how things were to be resolved.

Great introduction to a new series and I’m very much looking forward to seeing where this may go next.

The Echo Man is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-echo-man/sam-holland/9780008461638

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July 30

Truly, Darkly, Deeply – Victoria Selman

Twelve-year-old Sophie and her mother, Amelia-Rose, move to London from Massachusetts where they meet the charismatic Matty Melgren, who quickly becomes an intrinsic part of their lives. But as the relationship between the two adults fractures, a serial killer begins targeting young women with a striking resemblance to Amelia-Rose.

When Matty is eventually sent down for multiple murder, questions remain as to his guilt – questions which ultimately destroy both women. Nearly twenty years later, Sophie receives a letter from Battlemouth Prison informing her Matty is dying and wants to meet. It looks like Sophie might finally get the answers she craves. But will the truth set her free – or bury her deeper?

I recieved a review copy from the publisher via Netgalley

There’s been a lot of buzz around Truly, Darkly, Deeply over the last few weeks. It isn’t often I see a book get so much love from so many readers but having devoured this gripping story I can see why it has been praised by the great and good of crime fiction. It was a brilliant read.

Sophie is the focus of the story, she is brought from Massachusetts to England by her mother (Amelia-Rose) and they are starting a new life together in a new country. Ameila-Rose meets Matty, he is a larger than life figure and the couple slowly start to grow their relationship. Sophie and Matty get on well and as the story unfolds we see a family unit forming.

As we get to know Sophie, Ameila-Rose and Matty we see them spending time together and Victoria Selman has seeded their lives into the early 80’s when these formative months of their relationships were founded. It was fun to see how this new “family” viewed the Royal Wedding of Charles and Diana some 40 years after the event took place. Obviously the reader knows how many of these real world events turn out over time but seeing the trio discussing them as they unfold was enchanting and entracing too.

But the homely domesticity also has a shadow hanging over it. A serial killer is operating in the city near where Ameila-Rose and Sophie live. As the number of victims grow, Sophie cannot help but notice that each of the dead women share similar characteristics in their appearance and those characteristics are also shared by her mother.

When we are not reading about life in the 1980s we are in present day. In present day Matty is in prison as he was convicted for the murder of the women. He is dying and he wants to see Sophie. Why does he want to see Sophie? Does she want to see Matty? Well she doesn’t, not really, but there is an inevitability of them having a conversation and as that draws closer the reader is wholly invested in Sophie’s life and also wants to know what Matty plans to say. Is he going to finally confess to the murders? Has he information to share or will he try to undo Sophie’s life? His conviction pretty much changed Sophie once already, could he somehow do more damage?

What made this book shine for me was how deftly Victoria Selman nails the pace, the subtle and dramatic reveals and the utter heights of tension. Despite knowing Matty has been convicted for the murders you don’t know if he actually committed the crimes. After some time Sophie has suspicions but Matty is charming and personable and she really can’t bring herself to believe he could be a killer, at times I had my doubts too.

An immediate favourite. It’s a book you need to read – I loved it.

Truly, Darkly, Deeply is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format and you can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Truly-Darkly-Deeply-gripping-thriller/dp/1529420687/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=ST6ka&pf_rd_p=4894e669-125c-4a90-a2cc-9002e7df2d59&pf_rd_r=4RGQC1JBM2P0TJQYJ328&pd_rd_wg=hMaPa&pd_rd_r=7b67566e-a6f7-44a5-83a9-fc137e783e5b&content-id=amzn1.sym.4894e669-125c-4a90-a2cc-9002e7df2d59&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk

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July 21

Mimic (Audiobook) – Daniel Cole

1989: DS Benjamin Chambers and DC Adam Winter are on the trail of a twisted serial killer with a passion for recreating the world’s greatest works of art through the bodies of his victims. But after Chambers almost loses his life, the case goes cold – their killer lying dormant, his collection unfinished.

1996: Jordan Marshall has excelled within the Metropolitan Police Service, fuelled by a loss that defined her teenage years. Obsessed, she manages to obtain new evidence, convincing both Chambers and Winter to revisit the case. However, their resurrected investigation brings about a fresh reign of terror, the team treading a fine line between police officers and vigilantes in their pursuit of a monster far more dangerous and intelligent than any of them had anticipated….

My thanks to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for the opportunity to join this audiobook blog tour. I received a review copy of Mimic from the publishers through Netgalley.

Mimic is one of the dark ones. A serial killer story with an intense and relentless murderer who is replicating classic sculptures using the bodies of his victims. It was also a fab audiobook listen!

The story begins in 1989 as DS Chambers and a young Winters find a body mounted high on a statue in a London Park. The body had been left in plain sight for anyone to find but due to the off-path location and the inclement weather it actually takes some time for the body to be discovered. It’s a confusing and complicated crime scene which initially looks like an obscure suicide but Chambers has suspicions.

Almost immediately the pair are at a second crime scene in a house where a mother and her son are found posed in the style of a classic sculpture. Although both men are convinced both events are connected their boss is less confident and tells them to treat each death as an isolated incident. There is NO connection and Chambers and Winters are over-reaching to make something from random events.

The good news for readers (listeners) is that Chambers is adamant he is correct and continues to follow his instincts and look for connections between the two deaths. Winters and Chambers identify two potential suspects but lacking official authority they find their investigations cannot proceed unless they are prepared to act beyond their authority.

The pair decide they owe it to the victims to take on both their suspects and try to find the evidence they need to bring a murderer to justice. It doesn’t go well and both men face life changing consequences.

The aftermath of their actions is picked up seven years later. There have been mo more murders but Jordan Marshall has been looking into the cold case which Chambers and Winters had initially worked. The sculpture murderer was never caught and Marshall believes she can help move things forward. She seeks out Chambers and Winters and the three begin to dig deeper. It alerts their target who resumes his murderous mission.

Mimic is a brilliantly plotted and pacy thriller. If serial killer stories are your thing then you absolutely need to read this. The killer feels they have a purpose and a goal they need to fulfill and the police are chasing but cannot get the breaks they need to stop the carnage. It’s the kind of book I love to read and I couldn’t get enough of this one.

As advertised above, this was an audiobook listen for me. Narration duties for this audiobook sit with Jude Owusu and he was a new voice to add to my audio experiences. The most important factor is can the narrator hold my attention – yes, absolutely. Does he give characters distinctive voice? And then some! Listeners get to excperience a terrific range of voices and accents for what was quite a large cast. It gave the extra depth I hope for when I listen to a book and, crucially, Owusu is very listenable.

Mimic is a tension packed listen packed with twists, shocks and red herrings which kept me guessing right to the end of the story. Daniel Cole knows how to spin a captivating tale, this was a highly enjoyable treat.

Mimic is published by Trapeze and is available in digital and audiobook format at present – the Hardback is due to release on August 19th. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mimic/dp/B0916D7WXD/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=Daniel+Cole&qid=1626817991&s=audible&sr=1-4

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June 20

20/20 – Carl Goodman

Can you see a killer before it’s too late?

On the first day of her new job, D.I. Eva Harris is called to the scene of a brutal murder at the heart of Surrey society. A shocking crime by a meticulous killer – who escaped with the victim’s eyes.

With the body drained of blood and no forensic evidence left at the scene, Harris’ efforts to find the killer becomes desperate. But as her investigation is complicated by corruption at the heart of the police, she doesn’t know who to trust on her own team.

As the pressure mounts, Eva realises the murder is even more horrific than it seems, and her own dreadful history threatens to be drawn out with it…

My thanks to Sarah Hardy at Book on the Bright Side Publicity for the opportunity to join the blog tour.

I received a review copy from the publisher through Netagalley.

DI Eva Harris is starting her new job. It’s the first day in her promoted role and before she can even get to her desk she is called out to a murder scene. A nasty murder scene and one which Eva’s background has not really prepared her for as she had spent much of her formative time in her career working with computers and cyber crime, dead bodies are not quite the same when they are pixels and binary constructs.

Eva more than holds her own and with her dependable sargeant by her side she navigates the crime scene, befriends the medical examiner and manages to find a significant clue which puts her face to face with the killer – a balaclava obscures their face and a fight ensues to make sure capture is avoided.

It’s a terrific opening to the book and the grim manner in which the victim has been killed makes for a fascninating read. I always think there is always something more primal and disturbing whena victim’s eyes are attacked (or in this case, removed). Back at the police station Eva finally meets her team, she is shaken from the start to her day and the encounter with the killer but the reader cannot help but note that Eva seems to know quite a lot about her team before she even meets them. All soon becomes clear, however, as it emerges Eva has been placed into her new role to help identify a bent copper who operates out of her new station.

Carl Goodman is treating readers to a thriller which is focused on several angles. The police corruption, a cracking police investigative story, Eva’s own backstory is extremely enjoyable and her relationship with the officer who is controlling the corruption investigation is not one of mutual respect and there is a cold case from a few years previous which shares similar traits to the current murders. With many elements to focus on I was a very happy reader and found myself enjoying 20/20 immensly.

I found 20/20 to be an intelligent and engaging read, the motive behind the killer’s actions was perfectly in keeping with the story which I had been enjoying and I loved the progression of Eva’s investigation and the hurdles she had to overcome during the course of the book. Pacing and tone of 20/20 were spot on for me, there was always something which kept me reading and when the book came to a close I knew I wanted more books featuring DI Eva Harris – that’s a sure sign of a good book.

20/20 is published by Hera and is available in digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0936GWTHN/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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May 26

Where Crows Land – Paul McCracken

This gripping thriller is set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and chronicles the dramatic events when a former detective, Joseph Carter, sets out to gain redemption from the consequences of an old case that cost him everything.

Carter is still haunted by the murders of his niece and brother-in-law at the hands of a serial killer he was trying to track down. One year on, the killer has returned and Carter, now a disgraced detective gone private, launches a personal vendetta to catch him this time around.

My thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to join the blog tour for Where Crows Land. I recieved a review copy ahead of joining the tour.

Joseph Carter has been in the police and was working on a particularly horrific case when his life turned upside-down. A killer had been snatching victims and setting their bodies alight, their burning remains found around Belfast almost like a taunt to the authorities.

Carter discovered that his niece had been snatched and was almost certain to be the next victim. A meet was agreed to pay a ransom but rather than follow procedure and notify his colleagues Carter and his brother in law rushed off to try to secure his niece’s release. It ended badly and Carter was left a bloodied and bruised sole survivor. The killer was never found.

Spinning forward to current days and Carter has had to leave the force after he shouldered full blame for the (potentially) avoidable deaths of his brother in law and niece. He now works as a private investigator but still makes use of a couple of police contacts where he can.

Carter becomes embroiled in a new case but there appears a connection to the events which led to the death of his niece. Not prepared to be bested for a second time Carter throws himself fully into this new case and is adamant he will get justice or retribution for past events.

This felt a relentless read, it’s not a long book but the action comes thick and fast. Paul McCracken keeps Carter spinning from one incident to the next. It felt intense at times, no respite for a driven Investigator who will lose perspective, patience and his self control to get the information he needs from suspects.

The police are aware of Carter’s obsession and determination but there is only so much sympathetic former colleagues can do to keep Carter out of jail as he over-steps the mark I his pursuit of a truth which will give him closure.

Punchy, intense and with a pleasing endgame.

Where Crows Land is available in digital format and can be ordered here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08PFWTLV3/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

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May 2

The Family Tree – Steph Mullin and Nicole Mabry

The DNA results are back. And there’s a serial killer in her family tree…

Liz Catalano is shocked when an ancestry kit reveals she’s adopted. But she could never have imagined connecting with her unknown family would plunge her into an FBI investigation of a notorious serial killer…

The Tri-State Killer has been abducting pairs of women for forty years, leaving no clues behind – only bodies.

Can Liz figure out who the killer in her new family is? And can she save his newest victims before it’s too late?

I received a review copy of the book from the publisher through Netgalley.

Last year I read a book which had DNA testing as a central theme. A few months later I had been recounting the plot to my wife and we had a conversation about the increase of DNA testing and how the process was now accessible to so many people these days. Many commercial operations have the ability let people know more about their roots than has ever been possible in the past. This can lead to unexpected discoveries, people have been learning the people they believed to be their parents or their siblings are actually an adoptive family and not their natural birth family.

I had never considered the implications of this, however, through her work my wife had become aware of charities who provide support or counselling for people who find out accidentally that their families adopted them. It was literally the next day I began reading The Family Tree and met Liz Catalano – she and her cousin had completed an ancestry test only for Liz to discover she did not share any relatives in common with her cousin. Liz was understandably traumatized by this discovery and my conversations with my wife gave me deeper appreciation around how Liz’s world had been turned upside down.

Liz wants answers, she needs to understand where her roots lie and it puts a real strain upon the relationship she has with the people she believed to be her parents. This part of the story is beautifully represented by Steph Mullin and Nicole Mabry as the reader cannot help but feel empathy for the situation Liz finds herself experiencing and the horror and anguish of her parents who lost the ability to share this information with their daughter in the manner of their choosing. The fact they waited and never told Liz of her background is addressed and it’s easy to understand why families put off such a big conversation. Liz and her parents are a family and although Liz does understand this, there is a feeling of betrayal and curiosity of the unknown which will drive her actions through the story in The Family Tree.

Liz uploads her DNA to a national database in a bid to find more familial links and hoping to trace her natural parents. This act of sharing her DNA triggers a whole new problem for Liz. Her DNA is a close match for DNA which the police have been monitoring as it looks like Liz may be related to a killer – the notorious Tri-State Killer who has evaded authorities for over 20 years. The authorities will be knocking on Liz’s door, they want to know more about her but the information they need (Liz’s family history) is something she herself does not know.

The Tri-State Killer has been active for many years and is a notorious and dangerous predator. He abducts two women in one event every couple of years. The women remain missing for many months before, ulitmately, their bodies are discovered dumped and scrubbed clean.

I loved how the authors addressed the Tri-State Killer in the story. We take a jump back into the past to read about the first two women abducted, readers see how their killer managed to gain entrance to their apartment and how he was able to subdue them both. The story then returned to Liz and her endeavours to trace her family – it is progressing and she believes she may have found her grandparents. Then back to the Tri-State Killer and we pick up the narrative on what happens to the abducted girls after the killer has them at this mercy. But this time it isn’t the first two girls who were abducted but the third and fourth! A delightful twist which brought home the impact of the killer’s actions and a pattern which repeats through the book. Each time we return to the story of the killer it is viewed through the eyes of the women he has abducted, a different pair of women each time. The fifth and sixth women, then the seventh and eighth and so on. Each time we return to Liz and her discussions with the family she never knew only to return to two new abductees. We know their fate and we know more women will be abducted – it’s compelling and it’s grim but it makes for great reading.

I flew through The Family Tree in super quick time. The switching narrative between past and present made me want to keep reading. Liz may be related to a killer but she and the investigators cannot know who that killer may be. She continues to meet with members of her new family (despite warnings to be careful) and she puts herself at risk each time. But Liz wants to know the truth about her natural parents and she also wants to help identify a killer – but what if she destroys her new family in the process?

I never tire of finding wonderful gems like The Family Tree to read. I really enjoyed this one and it’s due for release in just a few weeks – highly recommend getting this ordered. It spins an emotive drama around a dark serial killer story and the writing just flows to keep those pages turning.

The Family Tree is published by Avon on 10 June 2021 and will be available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08R6QPT3F/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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February 17

The Nothing Man – Catherine Ryan Howard

I was the girl who survived the Nothing Man.
Now I am the woman who is going to catch him…

You’ve just read the opening pages of The Nothing Man, the true crime memoir Eve Black has written about her obsessive search for the man who killed her family nearly two decades ago.

Supermarket security guard Jim Doyle is reading it too, and with each turn of the page his rage grows. Because Jim was – is – the Nothing Man.

The more Jim reads, the more he realises how dangerously close Eve is getting to the truth. He knows she won’t give up until she finds him. He has no choice but to stop her first…

My thanks to the publishers for my review copy which I recieved through Netgalley

Eve Black is a survivor. When she was a young girl she was in the house when a killer broke into the family home and killed her parents and younger sister. Eve only survived as she had woken in the night and wasn’t in her bed when the killer looked into her room. Twenty years later Eve writes The Nothing Man. It is her memoir and a true crime book about serial killer The Nothing Man – the man responsible for the death of her family and numerous other murders in Ireland.

Jim Doyle is the security guard at a supermarket. His world is turned upside down when he spots a customer buying a copy of The Nothing Man. Years ago Jim was The Nothing Man. Technically he still is – The Nothing Man was never caught or held to account for the crimes he committed. Why is Eve Black publishing her story now? What could she have to say?

Eve is using her book to announce she is going to identify The Nothing Man. She believes the work she put in when researching his crimes has allowed her to work out the identity of the man that took her family from her. Jim realises that this cannot be allowed to happen. His life is far from ideal but there is no way he is going to allow Eve Black to make him pay for crimes he has managed to get away with for over two decades. The Nothing Man will need to be born again – one more victim is needed.

Rest assured that nothing in this review contains spoilers. The blurb and opening chapters introduce Jim and Eve and readers are made fully aware of their respective backgrounds. What I loved about this new thriller from Catherine Ryan Howard was that we know exactly who the killer is, we see the devastating legacy the killer’s crimes caused and you need to know how the killer reacts when he starts to feel a net closing in on him.

The Nothing Man (Eve’s book) covers the murder of her family. As the reader we don’t just get to read Eve’s written account of events but Catherine Ryan Howard takes us back in time to when the killer was active and committing his crimes. The narrative covers both timeframes (then and now) so we can have a comprehensive picture of the man Jim Doyle was and the man he has become. This is also the case for Eve Black who survived a home invasion and escaped the murderer to grow up in a remote cottage with her grandmother where she was sheltered from the potential of a second attack. Eve is determined to tell her story and she plans to find justice for her family and the other victims.

Reading (partially) like a true crime novel, but with lots of extra content which firmly marks it as a gripping crime fiction read, The Nowhere Man is one of those wonderful bookish delights you always hope to pick up. The characters leap out the pages and are vividly realised, the story is so engaging that you will yourself to read one more chapter as you need to know what’s coming next. As a reader you want to be picking up a book which makes you glad you read it – that’s The Nothing Man. I loved it.

The Nothing Man is published by Corvus and is currently available in Hardback, digtial and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0855N98FH/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Category: From The Bookshelf | Comments Off

July 30

The Resident – David Jackson

THERE’S A SERIAL KILLER ON THE RUN
AND HE’S HIDING IN YOUR HOUSE

Thomas Brogan is a serial killer. With a trail of bodies in his wake and the police hot on his heels, it seems like Thomas has nowhere left to hide. That is until he breaks into an abandoned house at the end of a terrace on a quiet street. And when he climbs up into the loft, he realises that he can drop down into all the other houses through the shared attic space.

That’s when the real fun begins. Because the one thing that Thomas enjoys even more than killing is playing games with his victims – the lonely old woman, the bickering couple, the tempting young newlyweds. And his new neighbours have more than enough dark secrets to make this game his best one yet…

Do you fear The Resident? Soon you’ll be dying to meet him.

My thanks to Viper Books for my review copy and for the opportunity to join the blog tour.

Thomas Brogan. Serial Killer. Star of The Resident. This is his story, no detective being tormented by an elusive character leaving cryptic clues to taunt the police. No reporter chasing down a story and stumbling across a killer’s legacy. This is Brogan, a dangerous killer who from the opening pages is on the run as his latest murders have been discovered too soon. Brogan is on the run and the police are hot on his tail.

Fortunately for Brogan (and for the story) he eludes capture by hiding in an abandoned house at the end of a row of terraced properties. Seeking a safe place to lie low he makes his way to the attic space and makes a fascinating discovery – he can access all four houses in the terrace by moving along the loft space. Brogan’s first thought – he can find more victims to have fun with.

How do we know Brogan’s thoughts? Well author, David Jackson, shares Brogan’s inner dialogues – he talks to himself (argues frequently). We hear Brogan’s thought process, his internal debates over the next course of action and his common sense telling him what he should and should not consider to be his next move. This works well for driving forward the story. If nobody knows Brogan is in the loft and Brogan doesn’t have his conversations with himself then it would be difficult for the reader to understand why Brogan is acting the way he does because Brogan has a plan and he plans to have some fun while he waits for the coast to clear.

There is nothing of interest in the abandoned house which Brogan used to access the loft space. The other three houses in the terrace offer much more interesting fare. There is the elderly woman who only gets visited by her carer each day. The arguing couple who seem best ignored and the young professional couple in the last house. They have so much potential for Brogan and he plans to mess with their heads before he ends their lives.

Brogan is not a likeable character and his actions when he comes down from the attic space into the houses below re-enforce what a loathsome character he is. He purposefully stirs up disharmony in the young couple’s marriage. He digs into their secrets when they are out and moves items around their house. He steals food from all the houses where he can but soon finds an easier way to get the grub he needs. Being Brogan this involves upsetting another character in the book but this means little to him as the end result works to his advantage.

Following Brogan’s activities had a very real “one more chapter” dilemma, I just didn’t want to take a break from the book. I am very much a fan of serial killer stories and The Resident has a very different feel from the “normal” murder tales because the reader travels with the killer. I powered through The Resident in very short time and was nicely caught out by a few of the unexpected details which arose. It’s different, it zips along at a cracking pace and I loved it. Five star thrills once again from David Jackson.

The Resident is published by Viper and is available in physical and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B083ZL59H9/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Category: 5* Reviews, Blog Tours, From The Bookshelf | Comments Off