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Major Crimes #1
The Echo Man
Sam Holland’s chilling debut draws inspiration from infamous serial killer cases, culminating in the ultimate, heart-pounding copycat tale.
Detectives Cara Elliott and Noah Deakin are on the case of a series of seemingly unconnected murders, each different in method, but each shocking and brutal. As the body count increases, they can’t ignore the details that echo famous cases of the past—Manson, Kemper, Dahmer, and more. As Elliott and Deakin get closer to unmasking the killer, the murders are moving closer to home.
Meanwhile, Jessica Ambrose is on the run. She’s been implicated as the arsonist who killed her neglectful husband and injured her young daughter. With the help of disgraced and suspended detective Nate Griffin, Jess discovers a shocking link between her case and that of the ultimate copycat killer working on his horrifying masterpiece.
Detectives Cara Elliott and Noah Deakin are on the case of a series of seemingly unconnected murders, each different in method, but each shocking and brutal. As the body count increases, they can’t ignore the details that echo famous cases of the past—Manson, Kemper, Dahmer, and more. As Elliott and Deakin get closer to unmasking the killer, the murders are moving closer to home.
Meanwhile, Jessica Ambrose is on the run. She’s been implicated as the arsonist who killed her neglectful husband and injured her young daughter. With the help of disgraced and suspended detective Nate Griffin, Jess discovers a shocking link between her case and that of the ultimate copycat killer working on his horrifying masterpiece.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 5, 2022
About the author
Sam Holland
4 books559 followersSam Holland is the award-winning author of the Major Crimes series, following detectives as they investigate murders committed by brutal serial killers in the south of England. Her debut, The Echo Man, shocked and enthralled readers and reviewers alike with its sinister depiction of a serial killer copying notorious real-life murderers of the past.
Her books have been published in 14 countries worldwide, including the US, Germany and the Netherlands, where she became the first author to win the Bronze Bat for her debut and the Silver Bat for best thriller in consecutive years at the Nederlands Thrillerfestival.
The Puppet Master is her third novel and is out now. It will be followed by The Countdown Killer in June 25.
She also writes as Louisa Scarr and is the author of the Butler and West crime series, beginning with Last Place You Look and ending with Out of the Ashes. A new series, about a police dog handler, launched in July 2024 with Gallows Wood. The second in the series, Memorial Park, is out in Feb 2025.
Sam can be found on social media at @samhollandbooks or online at www.samhollandbooks.com.
Her books have been published in 14 countries worldwide, including the US, Germany and the Netherlands, where she became the first author to win the Bronze Bat for her debut and the Silver Bat for best thriller in consecutive years at the Nederlands Thrillerfestival.
The Puppet Master is her third novel and is out now. It will be followed by The Countdown Killer in June 25.
She also writes as Louisa Scarr and is the author of the Butler and West crime series, beginning with Last Place You Look and ending with Out of the Ashes. A new series, about a police dog handler, launched in July 2024 with Gallows Wood. The second in the series, Memorial Park, is out in Feb 2025.
Sam can be found on social media at @samhollandbooks or online at www.samhollandbooks.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,661 reviews
April 10, 2022
Whoa! This is gruesome, graphic, intense, dark, disturbing, eerie! I’m sold! As darker and smarter the story gets, faster I jump in!
The plot line was calling me and of course there would be digital reviewer copy that my name on it to devour and share my opinions!
A vicious serial killer lurking around by creating crime scenes based on the most notorious serial killers’ works including Mason, Dahmer, Kemper. The copy cat killer has a really twisted and sick way to show his tribute to past murders. And now detectives Elliott and Deakin try to connect the dots between these brutal killings which are pure echoes of the murders of the past!
I mostly hooked by suspended detective Nate Griffin’s storyline. He’s determined, obsessed, unconventional, smart, edgy: a troubled, complex character makes you drawn into the story a little more and keep your focus intact.
His path crosses with Jessica Ambrose who is on the run because she’s presumed to kill her husband, hurt her young daughter and burn the place down. She teams up with the detective to connect the links between her case and brutal serial murders.
Was intimacy between Jessica and Nate necessary? I’m not so sure. It was a little far fetched just like jaw dropping and surprising conclusion of the story. Of course not so foreseeable revelations were well executed but some events were a little exaggerated.
It was still riveting, interesting, breathtaking reading experience for me. I truly got so nervous, disturbed, agitated. I carried all side effects of mind bending thriller reading journey!
This is really impressive start for Sam Holland! Im looking forward to read his future works!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
The plot line was calling me and of course there would be digital reviewer copy that my name on it to devour and share my opinions!
A vicious serial killer lurking around by creating crime scenes based on the most notorious serial killers’ works including Mason, Dahmer, Kemper. The copy cat killer has a really twisted and sick way to show his tribute to past murders. And now detectives Elliott and Deakin try to connect the dots between these brutal killings which are pure echoes of the murders of the past!
I mostly hooked by suspended detective Nate Griffin’s storyline. He’s determined, obsessed, unconventional, smart, edgy: a troubled, complex character makes you drawn into the story a little more and keep your focus intact.
His path crosses with Jessica Ambrose who is on the run because she’s presumed to kill her husband, hurt her young daughter and burn the place down. She teams up with the detective to connect the links between her case and brutal serial murders.
Was intimacy between Jessica and Nate necessary? I’m not so sure. It was a little far fetched just like jaw dropping and surprising conclusion of the story. Of course not so foreseeable revelations were well executed but some events were a little exaggerated.
It was still riveting, interesting, breathtaking reading experience for me. I truly got so nervous, disturbed, agitated. I carried all side effects of mind bending thriller reading journey!
This is really impressive start for Sam Holland! Im looking forward to read his future works!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
March 13, 2022
Sam Holland's debut is a blend of horror and crime fiction featuring a unidentified serial killer without an iota of humanity as a unheard of bodycount builds to chilling levels and he is far from finished. It begins with DCI Cara Elliot and her right hand man, DS Noah Deakin finding themselves at the scene of a car with macabre contents, the bodies of 2 young women with their decapitated heads, and so begins a nightmare investigation by Elliot's Major Crimes Team that includes DC Toby Shenton. Jess Ambrose is woken up in the middle of night with her home on fire, unable to help her husband, Philip, Jess is forced to jump with her daughter, Alice, injuring both of them. In hospital, Jess overhears a conversation that tells her that she is the chief suspect for the arson, with DS Taylor wanting to arrest her.
This leads to Jess escaping and finding herself connecting with suspended police officer, Nate Griffins, who is certain that she is innocent. What gels their relationship with each other is that both are deeply damaged and broken people with traumatic personal histories. It is Jess who makes a major breakthrough that has the police shocked as to what they are up against as other horrifying murder scenes across the country are linked as the work of a deranged murderer set on estabishing himself as the ultimate serial killer as he copies the horrors of well known serial killers from the past, including Peter Sutcliffe, Dahmer, the Zodiac Killer, Bundy, and the Golden State Killer (GSK). This leads to the media and the police referring to him as The Echo Man, as he steps up his gory and gruesome activities. The volatile Nate is Cara's brother and returns to work despite the animosity between him and Deakin. Under unrelenting pressure, Cara and her team find themselves working all the hours struggling to find a single lead whilst the killer gets closer and closer to them.
What is turning out to be my least favourite type of crime fiction is the omniscient serial killer who is so super 'intelligent' that they easily run rings around the police who have no hope of getting anywhere close to them, whilst they create maximum mayhem, chaos and terror amongst the public. Such crime fiction often requires weaknesses within the plotlines and the characters that investigate to ensure the serial killer rules supreme, and this is the case in Holland's debut, which for me includes twists that beggar belief. Don't get me wrong, this is a readable novel with its short chapters, and I have no doubt that many readers do and will love it, but for me the storylines failed to grip and on occasions left me indifferent for the reasons I have outlined. Additionally, it felt as if everything, including the kitchen sink was thrown in, and I noted that this was indeed correct as at the end the author relates that this is the advice they are given by their agent. I would suggest readers look at other more positive reviews of this book prior to making the decision to read this. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
This leads to Jess escaping and finding herself connecting with suspended police officer, Nate Griffins, who is certain that she is innocent. What gels their relationship with each other is that both are deeply damaged and broken people with traumatic personal histories. It is Jess who makes a major breakthrough that has the police shocked as to what they are up against as other horrifying murder scenes across the country are linked as the work of a deranged murderer set on estabishing himself as the ultimate serial killer as he copies the horrors of well known serial killers from the past, including Peter Sutcliffe, Dahmer, the Zodiac Killer, Bundy, and the Golden State Killer (GSK). This leads to the media and the police referring to him as The Echo Man, as he steps up his gory and gruesome activities. The volatile Nate is Cara's brother and returns to work despite the animosity between him and Deakin. Under unrelenting pressure, Cara and her team find themselves working all the hours struggling to find a single lead whilst the killer gets closer and closer to them.
What is turning out to be my least favourite type of crime fiction is the omniscient serial killer who is so super 'intelligent' that they easily run rings around the police who have no hope of getting anywhere close to them, whilst they create maximum mayhem, chaos and terror amongst the public. Such crime fiction often requires weaknesses within the plotlines and the characters that investigate to ensure the serial killer rules supreme, and this is the case in Holland's debut, which for me includes twists that beggar belief. Don't get me wrong, this is a readable novel with its short chapters, and I have no doubt that many readers do and will love it, but for me the storylines failed to grip and on occasions left me indifferent for the reasons I have outlined. Additionally, it felt as if everything, including the kitchen sink was thrown in, and I noted that this was indeed correct as at the end the author relates that this is the advice they are given by their agent. I would suggest readers look at other more positive reviews of this book prior to making the decision to read this. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
August 30, 2022
Please go into this book with caution, as it contains trigger warnings for just about anything you could imagine. Violence and gore abound, and there are mentions of child abuse, rape, infidelity, etc. that may cause distress to some readers.
I think I'll keep this review short, because you should go into the story as blind as possible to get the full effect. There are three timelines that weave together over the course of the book, filled with short chapters and a fast paced plot. Even while figuring out a good bit of the whodunnit prior to the reveal, it didn't take away from my eagerness to remain glued to the pages. Fair warning, there is a bit of a romance tangent here, which some readers are not a fan of in their thrillers but tickled me to see it included. A few inconsistencies here and there, but over all a solid read.
Unsure if there is a sequel planned, or if the ending was intended to stand alone as it does?
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy via NetGalley.
I think I'll keep this review short, because you should go into the story as blind as possible to get the full effect. There are three timelines that weave together over the course of the book, filled with short chapters and a fast paced plot. Even while figuring out a good bit of the whodunnit prior to the reveal, it didn't take away from my eagerness to remain glued to the pages. Fair warning, there is a bit of a romance tangent here, which some readers are not a fan of in their thrillers but tickled me to see it included. A few inconsistencies here and there, but over all a solid read.
Unsure if there is a sequel planned, or if the ending was intended to stand alone as it does?
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy via NetGalley.
April 5, 2022
My thanks to Crooked Lane books, Sam Holland and Netgalley. This book was a fantastic read. The murders are somewhat copy catted. There are way too many of them. Which I will never complain about! What was most striking for me were the characters. Sometimes just saying "The character's" really doesn't explain the feelings. I had the feels for some of these people. Stupid, pitiful me. This is a fantastic book. I was shocked 😲 and saddened by the reveal. Recommended.
December 3, 2021
4.5 rounded up
A killer who sets horrific tableaux as a perverted homage and DCI Cara Elliott and DS Noah Deakin investigate. An arson attack in which a man dies, his wife Jess Ambrose on the run as police believe she is responsible. She teams up with suspended detective Nate Griffin who doesn’t believe she committed the crime and she makes a mind blowing link between the cases and thus is born ‘The Echo Man’.
Wow. Some debut authors enter the fiction ring with a whimper, Sam Holland enters with one heck of a bang. Follow that! This is one of those jaw dropping, eye popping, spine tingling, hair raising reads that grips me from beginning to end. It’s jet black dark and not for the faint hearted that’s for sure as there’s brutality that shocks to the core as the investigators are on the hunt for someone who is so cruel and barbaric but so clever your heart sinks at the seeming impossibility of the task. The characterisation is excellent, there’s a good mixture from Cara torn between the needs of family and the demands of her job to some damaged souls bent on self destruction some of which is so tragically heartbreaking it takes your breath away. The dynamics are very good and you see the push and pulls, likes and dislikes all too clearly. It’s well written, the pace is excellent, speeding up and down appropriately. There’s so much tension and suspense you might need oxygen supplies and the twists, yes, the twists. Talk about fool me once, fool me twice with clever red herrings. The end is similarly twisty but do I like it? I’m not sure ... but overall this is an incredible read. I’d say this is a sure fire best seller and kudos to Sam Holland.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins, HarperFiction for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
A killer who sets horrific tableaux as a perverted homage and DCI Cara Elliott and DS Noah Deakin investigate. An arson attack in which a man dies, his wife Jess Ambrose on the run as police believe she is responsible. She teams up with suspended detective Nate Griffin who doesn’t believe she committed the crime and she makes a mind blowing link between the cases and thus is born ‘The Echo Man’.
Wow. Some debut authors enter the fiction ring with a whimper, Sam Holland enters with one heck of a bang. Follow that! This is one of those jaw dropping, eye popping, spine tingling, hair raising reads that grips me from beginning to end. It’s jet black dark and not for the faint hearted that’s for sure as there’s brutality that shocks to the core as the investigators are on the hunt for someone who is so cruel and barbaric but so clever your heart sinks at the seeming impossibility of the task. The characterisation is excellent, there’s a good mixture from Cara torn between the needs of family and the demands of her job to some damaged souls bent on self destruction some of which is so tragically heartbreaking it takes your breath away. The dynamics are very good and you see the push and pulls, likes and dislikes all too clearly. It’s well written, the pace is excellent, speeding up and down appropriately. There’s so much tension and suspense you might need oxygen supplies and the twists, yes, the twists. Talk about fool me once, fool me twice with clever red herrings. The end is similarly twisty but do I like it? I’m not sure ... but overall this is an incredible read. I’d say this is a sure fire best seller and kudos to Sam Holland.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins, HarperFiction for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
August 31, 2024
**4.5-stars rounded up**
The Echo Man is a debut Adult Thriller from Sam Holland. This novel released in 2022 and the follow-up, The Twenty, just released in early-May.
In anticipation of the release of The Twenty, which I was kindly gifted a copy by Crooked Lane Books, I wanted to be sure to pick this one up first.
I don't know if, or how they're related, or if you need to read them in order, but when I can, I do like to pick up an author's work in order of release.
I decided on the audio for this one and loved that format. It was so addictive and cringey, hearing it out loud. It was exactly the reading experience I needed at the moment.
This is one of those stories that is hard to explain, but it was expertly woven together, so when you're reading it, everything fits; everything makes sense.
There's a woman named Jessica, married, living with her husband and their daughter. We start following her just before her house is set on fire. She narrowly escapes with her injured daughter in her arms. Her husband, sleeping in a different room, wasn't lucky enough to make it out.
The police suspect Jessica is guilty of setting the fire, but she didn't do it. Because of a shady history though, she's afraid of not being believed and she flees from the hospital where she was being treated for minor injuries.
She befriends a disgraced detective, Nate Griffin, who knows Jessica isn't guilty. In fact, he suspects the crime against Jessica and her family may have been committed by a criminal who has gotten away from him in the past.
There's also a detective duo, Cara Elliott and Noah Deakin, who are simultaneously working a series of seemingly unrelated murders. As the bodies begin to add up, Cara can't help but notice how the crimes seem to match those of famous serial killers.
You're following these two separate duos, watching as their stories begin to blend and ultimately thread together into one nail-biting, pulse-pounding conclusion.
I found it very compelling. I was so into what was going on with Jessica, but also loved following along with Cara, on the more police procedural side of things. I felt it was the perfect blend of their two storylines; and I liked having one civilian perspective in addition to the investigators.
Both sides were equally interesting and the pace at which it alternated was perfection.
Let me be clear, this isn't a story for the faint of heart. It's not your average Thriller and it definitely took me by surprise. This gets DARK. Honestly, it contains some of the most brutal depictions of violence that I have ever read and I read dark shit for fun, like that's my comfort zone.
I'm talking toe-curling, grimacing, exclaiming expletives whilst listening to it, dark. Not only that though, what a solid mystery; so good!
Overall, I am beyond happy that I finally made time for this one. What a way to enter the scene, Sam Holland.
I will remember this one for a long time to come and am looking forward to beginning The Twenty soon!
The Echo Man is a debut Adult Thriller from Sam Holland. This novel released in 2022 and the follow-up, The Twenty, just released in early-May.
In anticipation of the release of The Twenty, which I was kindly gifted a copy by Crooked Lane Books, I wanted to be sure to pick this one up first.
I don't know if, or how they're related, or if you need to read them in order, but when I can, I do like to pick up an author's work in order of release.
I decided on the audio for this one and loved that format. It was so addictive and cringey, hearing it out loud. It was exactly the reading experience I needed at the moment.
This is one of those stories that is hard to explain, but it was expertly woven together, so when you're reading it, everything fits; everything makes sense.
There's a woman named Jessica, married, living with her husband and their daughter. We start following her just before her house is set on fire. She narrowly escapes with her injured daughter in her arms. Her husband, sleeping in a different room, wasn't lucky enough to make it out.
The police suspect Jessica is guilty of setting the fire, but she didn't do it. Because of a shady history though, she's afraid of not being believed and she flees from the hospital where she was being treated for minor injuries.
She befriends a disgraced detective, Nate Griffin, who knows Jessica isn't guilty. In fact, he suspects the crime against Jessica and her family may have been committed by a criminal who has gotten away from him in the past.
There's also a detective duo, Cara Elliott and Noah Deakin, who are simultaneously working a series of seemingly unrelated murders. As the bodies begin to add up, Cara can't help but notice how the crimes seem to match those of famous serial killers.
You're following these two separate duos, watching as their stories begin to blend and ultimately thread together into one nail-biting, pulse-pounding conclusion.
I found it very compelling. I was so into what was going on with Jessica, but also loved following along with Cara, on the more police procedural side of things. I felt it was the perfect blend of their two storylines; and I liked having one civilian perspective in addition to the investigators.
Both sides were equally interesting and the pace at which it alternated was perfection.
Let me be clear, this isn't a story for the faint of heart. It's not your average Thriller and it definitely took me by surprise. This gets DARK. Honestly, it contains some of the most brutal depictions of violence that I have ever read and I read dark shit for fun, like that's my comfort zone.
I'm talking toe-curling, grimacing, exclaiming expletives whilst listening to it, dark. Not only that though, what a solid mystery; so good!
Overall, I am beyond happy that I finally made time for this one. What a way to enter the scene, Sam Holland.
I will remember this one for a long time to come and am looking forward to beginning The Twenty soon!
August 25, 2023
Phat ass trigger warning: legit everything you can think of | 2.5 rounded up to a 3
SYNOPSIS
A serial killer is boppin around emulating famous murders.
MY OPINION
Before I get into it, I just want to say: don't listen to me and read this book 😂 This is very formulaic and has all the ingredients of a commercial success. It's no surprise to me that it's rated a 4.13. If you like 'mass marketed' thrillers (no shade! they're popular for a reason!) but you want something darker (as I said, this book has every TW imaginable), give this a whirl. I would say 8/10 people will think this is a banger.
I can confidently say I am Team Louisa Scarr now that I have read both backlists. And I stand by my statement that Sam Holland—who is signed to Harper Collins, a mac daddy publisher—writes popular thrillers to pay the mortgage, while Louisa Scarr—who is signed to Canelo, an independent British publisher (one of my faves tbh)—writes for herself.
I have two major gripes with this book: Jess and the epilogue. Respectfully, Sam Holland needs to stop writing epilogues. The epilogues of The Echo Man and The Twenty should receive jail time. I thought Sharon Bolton's blasphemous endings couldn't be topped, but Sam Holland said 'challenge accepted.' I really can't get into it without spoilies so you know what time it is...
SPOILERS ALERT. SCROLL TO BOTTOM.
Okay, let's get into how Jess quickly ascended my power ranking of most annoying characters. I truly do not understand why she was included as a major character. If she became background noise after her house was burnt to a crispy crisp, the story would've been stronger. Jess brought nothing except horniness and bad parenting to the pages.
Did we need the romance subplot between Jess and Nate? About as much as I need to buy more books (NOT AT ALL. SOMEONE TAKE MY DEBIT CARD AWAY.) Especially not the day after her husband died and she abandoned her daughter in the hospital to avoid being arrested. Jess claims she dipped on Alice because she didn't want to be arrested and needed time to find evidence that would get her off the hook. Instead, Jess finds herself in the bed of an unstable random wearing a wedding ring. I'm really not sure WHY she was given a daughter because she thought about dick more than Alice throughout the book. I think if she hadn't been a mom, her whole storyline would've been significantly less annoying. Also it was hella embarrassing that miss hot mess express connected all the dots on Nate's murder board before the other mega minds in this story. No wonder Deakin and Shenton were running circles around everyone. Anyways. Jess, I vote you off the island.
Before the epilogue, I just want to know why we needed the scene that graphically describes Robbie defiling his dad's corpse at nine years old. I know Holland said her agent told her to write darker, but this is the shit that gets a tap put on your devices by the NSA. There's not enough lobotomies or ECT in the world to rid my mind of this particular scene.
Okay, now onto the epilogue. WHAT IN THE FRESH HELL?????? One crooked cop is bad enough—especially one that was so central to the investigations and also lusting over his boss—but... TOBY????? NAHHH!!! I sent 10 consecutive Whatsapp to Karly after reading this, I just couldn't believe it. The author tried to demonstrate why Noah, a cop with the skills to go undercover, would get so lost in Toby's sauce, but I just wasn't buying it. Maybe because she crammed it into 5 pages? I'm sorry but when Toby made Noah apologize with a BJ I actually laughed because what are we actually doing here???? Noah my mans, you've had 20 years to stab Toby in the back while he was distracted committing heinous crimes but instead y. I guess love really doesn't concur all 😂
SPOILERS DONE
Again, I think most people will like this, so go read the positive reviews and see if their praises align with your tastes. I can see this working for a lot of people, but the things that annoyed me really irked tf outta me and I couldn't look past them.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: good prose
Cons: gross, one particular scene almost made me check into a psych ward LOL, epilogue was so unnecessary, JESS!!!!!!!!!!, corny and unnecessary romance subplot
____________________________
For some sick reason, do you want to hear more of my nonsense? Check out my podcast: Novels & Nonsense streaming everywhere.
SYNOPSIS
A serial killer is boppin around emulating famous murders.
MY OPINION
Before I get into it, I just want to say: don't listen to me and read this book 😂 This is very formulaic and has all the ingredients of a commercial success. It's no surprise to me that it's rated a 4.13. If you like 'mass marketed' thrillers (no shade! they're popular for a reason!) but you want something darker (as I said, this book has every TW imaginable), give this a whirl. I would say 8/10 people will think this is a banger.
I can confidently say I am Team Louisa Scarr now that I have read both backlists. And I stand by my statement that Sam Holland—who is signed to Harper Collins, a mac daddy publisher—writes popular thrillers to pay the mortgage, while Louisa Scarr—who is signed to Canelo, an independent British publisher (one of my faves tbh)—writes for herself.
I have two major gripes with this book: Jess and the epilogue. Respectfully, Sam Holland needs to stop writing epilogues. The epilogues of The Echo Man and The Twenty should receive jail time. I thought Sharon Bolton's blasphemous endings couldn't be topped, but Sam Holland said 'challenge accepted.' I really can't get into it without spoilies so you know what time it is...
SPOILERS ALERT. SCROLL TO BOTTOM.
Okay, let's get into how Jess quickly ascended my power ranking of most annoying characters. I truly do not understand why she was included as a major character. If she became background noise after her house was burnt to a crispy crisp, the story would've been stronger. Jess brought nothing except horniness and bad parenting to the pages.
Did we need the romance subplot between Jess and Nate? About as much as I need to buy more books (NOT AT ALL. SOMEONE TAKE MY DEBIT CARD AWAY.) Especially not the day after her husband died and she abandoned her daughter in the hospital to avoid being arrested. Jess claims she dipped on Alice because she didn't want to be arrested and needed time to find evidence that would get her off the hook. Instead, Jess finds herself in the bed of an unstable random wearing a wedding ring. I'm really not sure WHY she was given a daughter because she thought about dick more than Alice throughout the book. I think if she hadn't been a mom, her whole storyline would've been significantly less annoying. Also it was hella embarrassing that miss hot mess express connected all the dots on Nate's murder board before the other mega minds in this story. No wonder Deakin and Shenton were running circles around everyone. Anyways. Jess, I vote you off the island.
Before the epilogue, I just want to know why we needed the scene that graphically describes Robbie defiling his dad's corpse at nine years old. I know Holland said her agent told her to write darker, but this is the shit that gets a tap put on your devices by the NSA. There's not enough lobotomies or ECT in the world to rid my mind of this particular scene.
Okay, now onto the epilogue. WHAT IN THE FRESH HELL?????? One crooked cop is bad enough—especially one that was so central to the investigations and also lusting over his boss—but... TOBY????? NAHHH!!! I sent 10 consecutive Whatsapp to Karly after reading this, I just couldn't believe it. The author tried to demonstrate why Noah, a cop with the skills to go undercover, would get so lost in Toby's sauce, but I just wasn't buying it. Maybe because she crammed it into 5 pages? I'm sorry but when Toby made Noah apologize with a BJ I actually laughed because what are we actually doing here???? Noah my mans, you've had 20 years to stab Toby in the back while he was distracted committing heinous crimes but instead y. I guess love really doesn't concur all 😂
SPOILERS DONE
Again, I think most people will like this, so go read the positive reviews and see if their praises align with your tastes. I can see this working for a lot of people, but the things that annoyed me really irked tf outta me and I couldn't look past them.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: good prose
Cons: gross, one particular scene almost made me check into a psych ward LOL, epilogue was so unnecessary, JESS!!!!!!!!!!, corny and unnecessary romance subplot
____________________________
For some sick reason, do you want to hear more of my nonsense? Check out my podcast: Novels & Nonsense streaming everywhere.
October 21, 2021
There Will be Blood.
A while back I grumbled about a serial killer book with minimal body counts.
No so this one.
In fact, there were twenty murders prior to the fifty percent mark so if corpses are your thing, look no further. In addition, you’ll be served well if you have a steely stomach because of explicit descriptions.
Several seemingly unconnected homicides have DCI Cara Elliot leading a team of detectives attempting to solve the cases. She, along with right hand man Noah Deakin and several others in the department had me pulling for them. I was really taken with the entire team.
The book stayed with me when I had to put it down. I’m always impressed when a writer draws me in so that I think about the story when separated from it. I was so invested, I’d hoped this would be the first in a series with these unique characters.
I loved ninety percent of the book, however I didn't care much for the conclusion. Beginning as an excellent police procedural, it morphed into a psychological thriller during the twilight stages and went over a cliff. Similiar to adding glitter to a a watercolor painting, it didn't seem cohesive.
I would recommend this to those liking police procedure, serial killers, and tough intriguing characters.
A specific trigger warning for animal lovers depicting pet murders in a brief newspaper article.
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, the author Sam Holland, and NetGalley for my electronic copy.
A while back I grumbled about a serial killer book with minimal body counts.
No so this one.
In fact, there were twenty murders prior to the fifty percent mark so if corpses are your thing, look no further. In addition, you’ll be served well if you have a steely stomach because of explicit descriptions.
Several seemingly unconnected homicides have DCI Cara Elliot leading a team of detectives attempting to solve the cases. She, along with right hand man Noah Deakin and several others in the department had me pulling for them. I was really taken with the entire team.
The book stayed with me when I had to put it down. I’m always impressed when a writer draws me in so that I think about the story when separated from it. I was so invested, I’d hoped this would be the first in a series with these unique characters.
I loved ninety percent of the book, however I didn't care much for the conclusion. Beginning as an excellent police procedural, it morphed into a psychological thriller during the twilight stages and went over a cliff. Similiar to adding glitter to a a watercolor painting, it didn't seem cohesive.
I would recommend this to those liking police procedure, serial killers, and tough intriguing characters.
A specific trigger warning for animal lovers depicting pet murders in a brief newspaper article.
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, the author Sam Holland, and NetGalley for my electronic copy.
April 15, 2022
3.5 stars, rounded up
This is a very disturbing mystery thriller. Definitely not for the squeamish or the easily horrified.
It's about a serial killer who copies other serial killers. Most of the book is very captivating and gripping, I was invested in finding out who was committing all of these crimes and staying off of the police radar. The ending though, caused me to drop this down a half star because it both went too far with the twists and yet didn't have a clear cut resolution.
I liked the characters, I related to them and they all felt real and believable. I suspected everyone at some point or another, which is a good thing for a book of this sort because it kept me turning pages to see what would happen.
I listened to some of this book as an audiobook and the narrator, Jodie Harris, does a fantastic job of conveying both Cara and Jessica and their points of view.
This is a fast-paced debut novel and I will keep my eyes out for further books by this author. I can see these characters featured in future books as there's always fodder for mysteries with police procedurals.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
This is a very disturbing mystery thriller. Definitely not for the squeamish or the easily horrified.
It's about a serial killer who copies other serial killers. Most of the book is very captivating and gripping, I was invested in finding out who was committing all of these crimes and staying off of the police radar. The ending though, caused me to drop this down a half star because it both went too far with the twists and yet didn't have a clear cut resolution.
I liked the characters, I related to them and they all felt real and believable. I suspected everyone at some point or another, which is a good thing for a book of this sort because it kept me turning pages to see what would happen.
I listened to some of this book as an audiobook and the narrator, Jodie Harris, does a fantastic job of conveying both Cara and Jessica and their points of view.
This is a fast-paced debut novel and I will keep my eyes out for further books by this author. I can see these characters featured in future books as there's always fodder for mysteries with police procedurals.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
April 14, 2022
EXCERPT: She remembers the inside of the car. Two bodies, crumpled, broken. Two bloody necks: white bone, flesh, tendons visible. And two heads lying alongside. Casually discarded, wet hair trailing in blood, glassy eyes wide open.
'Yes,' she says. 'Decapitated.'
ABOUT 'THE ECHO MAN': Detectives Cara Elliott and Noah Deakin are on the case of a series of seemingly unconnected murders, each different in method, but each shocking and brutal. As the body count increases, they can’t ignore the details that echo famous cases of the past—Manson, Kemper, Dahmer, and more. As Elliott and Deakin get closer to unmasking the killer, the murders are moving closer to home.
Meanwhile, Jessica Ambrose is on the run. She’s been implicated as the arsonist who killed her neglectful husband and injured her young daughter. With the help of disgraced and suspended detective Nate Griffin, Jess discovers a shocking link between her case and that of the ultimate copycat killer working on his horrifying masterpiece.
MY THOUGHTS: As much as I wanted to like The Echo Man, I didn't. It was simply too much. The idea was great and at time did I consider abandoning this read, but . . . I have been trying to write this review for two days, since I finished reading, struggling to write what I think without giving anything away.
I had great difficulty in believing that what occurred could be orchestrated over such a short period of time. It would have been hard enough for a person who had nothing else to do other than concentrate on killing, but for someone leading a double life I think it would have been near impossible.
I felt that a lot of what is in the book was written for shock factor, something that doesn't sit well with me.
'Overkill' is the word that comes to mind.
There will be a lot of people who love this book. Personally I prefer more suspense and more subtlety. The Echo Man is Sam Holland's debut novel.
⭐⭐.5
#TheEchoMan #NetGalley
I: @samhollandbooks @crookedlanebooks
T: @samhollandbooks @crookedlanebks
#contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #policeprocedural #serialkillerthriller
THE AUTHOR: Having always been fascinated with the dark and macabre, Sam Holland’s love of reading was forged in the library through Stephen King, Dean Koontz and James Herbert. A self-confessed serial killer nerd, Holland studied psychology at university then spent the next few years working in HR, before quitting for a full-time career in writing. The Echo Man is the result.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Crooked Lane Books via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Echo Man by Sam Holland for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon,Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
'Yes,' she says. 'Decapitated.'
ABOUT 'THE ECHO MAN': Detectives Cara Elliott and Noah Deakin are on the case of a series of seemingly unconnected murders, each different in method, but each shocking and brutal. As the body count increases, they can’t ignore the details that echo famous cases of the past—Manson, Kemper, Dahmer, and more. As Elliott and Deakin get closer to unmasking the killer, the murders are moving closer to home.
Meanwhile, Jessica Ambrose is on the run. She’s been implicated as the arsonist who killed her neglectful husband and injured her young daughter. With the help of disgraced and suspended detective Nate Griffin, Jess discovers a shocking link between her case and that of the ultimate copycat killer working on his horrifying masterpiece.
MY THOUGHTS: As much as I wanted to like The Echo Man, I didn't. It was simply too much. The idea was great and at time did I consider abandoning this read, but . . . I have been trying to write this review for two days, since I finished reading, struggling to write what I think without giving anything away.
I had great difficulty in believing that what occurred could be orchestrated over such a short period of time. It would have been hard enough for a person who had nothing else to do other than concentrate on killing, but for someone leading a double life I think it would have been near impossible.
I felt that a lot of what is in the book was written for shock factor, something that doesn't sit well with me.
'Overkill' is the word that comes to mind.
There will be a lot of people who love this book. Personally I prefer more suspense and more subtlety. The Echo Man is Sam Holland's debut novel.
⭐⭐.5
#TheEchoMan #NetGalley
I: @samhollandbooks @crookedlanebooks
T: @samhollandbooks @crookedlanebks
#contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #policeprocedural #serialkillerthriller
THE AUTHOR: Having always been fascinated with the dark and macabre, Sam Holland’s love of reading was forged in the library through Stephen King, Dean Koontz and James Herbert. A self-confessed serial killer nerd, Holland studied psychology at university then spent the next few years working in HR, before quitting for a full-time career in writing. The Echo Man is the result.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Crooked Lane Books via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Echo Man by Sam Holland for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon,Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
February 10, 2023
4.5 bloody ⛧⛧⛧⛧
What a great debut thriller!
I've always been fascinated by serial killers, so needless to say, this book was right up my dark alley. A gruesome, graphic, fast-paced read with a lot of gore, definitely not for the faint-hearted.
I really enjoyed the style of writing and the characters' development, the high tension, and twists, all of which kept me guessing right up until the very end.
What a great debut thriller!
I've always been fascinated by serial killers, so needless to say, this book was right up my dark alley. A gruesome, graphic, fast-paced read with a lot of gore, definitely not for the faint-hearted.
I really enjoyed the style of writing and the characters' development, the high tension, and twists, all of which kept me guessing right up until the very end.
April 5, 2022
Sam Holland’s debut thriller grabs the reader by the throat from the outset and doesn’t let go. The novel opens with a man in a forest staging a horrific murder scene. He is arranging two bodies in a car boot in a very specific tableau for the police to find.
Further murders follow in quick succession with different methods of killing. At first the police are baffled at so many murders are suddenly occurring on their patch. All meticulously carried out with no forensic traces left at the scene. DCI Cara Elliott, her partner DS Noah Deakin and their team are soon overstretched investigating so many murder scenes all at once. Eventually they realise they are dealing with a single serial killer, one who is paying homage to other infamous serial killers causing the press to label him the ‘Echo Man’.
As well as trying to juggle her burgeoning caseload with her family life, Cara is also worried about her brother Nate. A year ago he was badly injured during a home incursion in which his wife Mia was raped, tortured and killed. Also a police officer he is not coping well with his injuries or his guilt in failing to protect Mia and is currently on suspension for punching another officer. After a suspicious house fire in which a man died while his wife Jessica and daughter Alice barely escaped, Nate believes he had found evidence that linked the fire to Mia’s death. When the police accuse Jessica of starting the fire, Nate is the only one who believes she is innocent and she turns to him for his help in finding the killer.
This dark and chilling novel is perfect for those who love thrillers featuring serial killers. It is definitely not for the squeamish, as the killer is relentless in copying well known murder scenes making for some very graphic and gruesome depictions of macabre murders. At times it almost felt like overload, with a total of twenty eight murders over the course of the novel and just about every way of killing or mutilating a body featured.
The action is well paced and packed with suspense. Despite all the violence, we do come to care for the characters, even though many of them are troubled or in flawed relationships. Damaged Nate hasn’t yet got over his anger at Mia’s death and is self-medicating his physical and mental pain with opiates. Jessica self-harms and has trouble forgiving herself for not having saved her husband and Cara, dealing with murders coming thick and fast is struggling to spend enough time at home with her kids and her husband who may be having an affair. Interspersed between chapters are reports from decades earlier about a disturbed child, which give some insight into why the ‘Echo Man’ became who he is. For me, there were a few suspects as to the identity of the killer who is not revealed until late in the book. A huge twist at the end of the novel, perhaps stretching plausibility too far, does leave the reader wondering if there is to be a sequel, although it’s hard to imagine how Ms Holland could top this impressive debut.
With thanks to Crooked Lane Books via Netgalley for a copy to read. Original review first published at Mystery & Suspense magazine https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/th...
Further murders follow in quick succession with different methods of killing. At first the police are baffled at so many murders are suddenly occurring on their patch. All meticulously carried out with no forensic traces left at the scene. DCI Cara Elliott, her partner DS Noah Deakin and their team are soon overstretched investigating so many murder scenes all at once. Eventually they realise they are dealing with a single serial killer, one who is paying homage to other infamous serial killers causing the press to label him the ‘Echo Man’.
As well as trying to juggle her burgeoning caseload with her family life, Cara is also worried about her brother Nate. A year ago he was badly injured during a home incursion in which his wife Mia was raped, tortured and killed. Also a police officer he is not coping well with his injuries or his guilt in failing to protect Mia and is currently on suspension for punching another officer. After a suspicious house fire in which a man died while his wife Jessica and daughter Alice barely escaped, Nate believes he had found evidence that linked the fire to Mia’s death. When the police accuse Jessica of starting the fire, Nate is the only one who believes she is innocent and she turns to him for his help in finding the killer.
This dark and chilling novel is perfect for those who love thrillers featuring serial killers. It is definitely not for the squeamish, as the killer is relentless in copying well known murder scenes making for some very graphic and gruesome depictions of macabre murders. At times it almost felt like overload, with a total of twenty eight murders over the course of the novel and just about every way of killing or mutilating a body featured.
The action is well paced and packed with suspense. Despite all the violence, we do come to care for the characters, even though many of them are troubled or in flawed relationships. Damaged Nate hasn’t yet got over his anger at Mia’s death and is self-medicating his physical and mental pain with opiates. Jessica self-harms and has trouble forgiving herself for not having saved her husband and Cara, dealing with murders coming thick and fast is struggling to spend enough time at home with her kids and her husband who may be having an affair. Interspersed between chapters are reports from decades earlier about a disturbed child, which give some insight into why the ‘Echo Man’ became who he is. For me, there were a few suspects as to the identity of the killer who is not revealed until late in the book. A huge twist at the end of the novel, perhaps stretching plausibility too far, does leave the reader wondering if there is to be a sequel, although it’s hard to imagine how Ms Holland could top this impressive debut.
With thanks to Crooked Lane Books via Netgalley for a copy to read. Original review first published at Mystery & Suspense magazine https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/th...
April 30, 2022
Warning: Ghastly, gory, gruesome, and Graphic.
Those labels would not deter me from reading an intense, suspenseful horror/murder story if it engaged my emotions. I thought at the start that this would be a 4-5 star read for me, but unfortunately, it did not live up to its clever premise. The book was about the pursuit of an unknown serial killer. At one point, thirty victims were mentioned in a rapidly escalating body count.
The idea was original, but I felt that its purpose was to describe as many varieties of graphic torture and gory murders as possible, with the intent to shock or sicken. There is a house fire proven to be arson. Jess escapes with her daughter, both are injured, but her husband dies in the flames. It was determined that he had been tied up and restrained, and Jess was suspected of his murder. Jess takes refuge with a disgraced and suspended detective, Nate. He has a volatile temper and is addicted to drugs. Two young women are discovered brutally beaten, stabbed, and decapitated. The body count escalates, and the murder scenes are shockingly different. With different MOs, no connection seems
to exist between the crimes. Jess makes a connection, and soon the police are looking for a serial killer who uses different, grotesque methods for his own warped and perverted pleasure.
DCI Cara Elliot and her working partner and best friend, DS Noah Deakin, are working night and day to solve the murder of the two girls, and they realize that a series of new murders implicate one perpetrator in all the horrific gory crimes. Her team includes DC Toby Shelton, who is assigned to computer searches. Cara is neglecting her husband and two young children because of her hectic work schedule and fears her husband is having an affair with their nanny. Nate Griffins, suspended due to his inability to control his temper, is protecting and hiding Jess from being arrested for her husband's murder. He is Cara's brother and is reassigned to work, with some worry on Cara's part that Noah and the volatile Nate despise one another. It becomes evident that the deranged killer, now known as The Echo Man, is replicating past crimes of the most notorious and evil serial killers, such as Jeffery Dahmer, Peter Sutcliffe, the Manson Murders, The Zodiac Killer, Ted Bundy, the Golden State Killer, etc.
The book is clearly written with short chapters but seems to go on too long to provide maximum shock value. Nate and Noah, the two main detectives, had similar names, which confused me at first. To add to my misidentifying them, sometimes they were referred to by only their last names. The doctor most mentioned was named Nav. There were some noticeable plot holes. Most of the characters were damaged, and very few of them I found likeable or engaging. I thought its unlikely love story to be boring and unnecessary.
The Echo Man draws nearer to targeting members of the police force and their families towards a blood-soaked conclusion. Several twists revealed the killer among many possible suspects. A final twist was thrown in that failed to work for me. I think the story would be more suspenseful if I had sympathized and related more with its flawed characters. I believe the content was written to induce disgust and nightmares in readers. Some will find the graphic horror offensive, but others will find the story fascinating and memorable.
Those labels would not deter me from reading an intense, suspenseful horror/murder story if it engaged my emotions. I thought at the start that this would be a 4-5 star read for me, but unfortunately, it did not live up to its clever premise. The book was about the pursuit of an unknown serial killer. At one point, thirty victims were mentioned in a rapidly escalating body count.
The idea was original, but I felt that its purpose was to describe as many varieties of graphic torture and gory murders as possible, with the intent to shock or sicken. There is a house fire proven to be arson. Jess escapes with her daughter, both are injured, but her husband dies in the flames. It was determined that he had been tied up and restrained, and Jess was suspected of his murder. Jess takes refuge with a disgraced and suspended detective, Nate. He has a volatile temper and is addicted to drugs. Two young women are discovered brutally beaten, stabbed, and decapitated. The body count escalates, and the murder scenes are shockingly different. With different MOs, no connection seems
to exist between the crimes. Jess makes a connection, and soon the police are looking for a serial killer who uses different, grotesque methods for his own warped and perverted pleasure.
DCI Cara Elliot and her working partner and best friend, DS Noah Deakin, are working night and day to solve the murder of the two girls, and they realize that a series of new murders implicate one perpetrator in all the horrific gory crimes. Her team includes DC Toby Shelton, who is assigned to computer searches. Cara is neglecting her husband and two young children because of her hectic work schedule and fears her husband is having an affair with their nanny. Nate Griffins, suspended due to his inability to control his temper, is protecting and hiding Jess from being arrested for her husband's murder. He is Cara's brother and is reassigned to work, with some worry on Cara's part that Noah and the volatile Nate despise one another. It becomes evident that the deranged killer, now known as The Echo Man, is replicating past crimes of the most notorious and evil serial killers, such as Jeffery Dahmer, Peter Sutcliffe, the Manson Murders, The Zodiac Killer, Ted Bundy, the Golden State Killer, etc.
The book is clearly written with short chapters but seems to go on too long to provide maximum shock value. Nate and Noah, the two main detectives, had similar names, which confused me at first. To add to my misidentifying them, sometimes they were referred to by only their last names. The doctor most mentioned was named Nav. There were some noticeable plot holes. Most of the characters were damaged, and very few of them I found likeable or engaging. I thought its unlikely love story to be boring and unnecessary.
The Echo Man draws nearer to targeting members of the police force and their families towards a blood-soaked conclusion. Several twists revealed the killer among many possible suspects. A final twist was thrown in that failed to work for me. I think the story would be more suspenseful if I had sympathized and related more with its flawed characters. I believe the content was written to induce disgust and nightmares in readers. Some will find the graphic horror offensive, but others will find the story fascinating and memorable.
May 5, 2022
Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for this audiobook ARC.
What do you get when a killer copies other serial killer murders from previous years?? The Echo Man. Sadistic, horrific, horrendous and unforgiving acts and murders.
Fast paced, full of action with some head scratching this has made for a great listen. Sam Holland has pulled off a really suspenseful read which will give you Goosebumps. Some really dark scenes and probably not for anybody prone to triggers. The character building was amazing, felt like you knew each main person and could relate to how they were feeling. I didn't feel like the ending was predictable at all.
The narration was really great and the dual narrators really gave great feeling to this audiobook.
Highly recommend if you like dark mystery thrillers!
What do you get when a killer copies other serial killer murders from previous years?? The Echo Man. Sadistic, horrific, horrendous and unforgiving acts and murders.
Fast paced, full of action with some head scratching this has made for a great listen. Sam Holland has pulled off a really suspenseful read which will give you Goosebumps. Some really dark scenes and probably not for anybody prone to triggers. The character building was amazing, felt like you knew each main person and could relate to how they were feeling. I didn't feel like the ending was predictable at all.
The narration was really great and the dual narrators really gave great feeling to this audiobook.
Highly recommend if you like dark mystery thrillers!
May 30, 2024
4.5
This book was macabre, twisty, perverted and graphic. If you have read Chris Carter’s gruesome books, you’ll know what I mean.
A serial killer is in town, seemingly killing indiscriminately, painting the town read with blood and gore.
And he is going to carry on killing until the police stop him.
This book was macabre, twisty, perverted and graphic. If you have read Chris Carter’s gruesome books, you’ll know what I mean.
A serial killer is in town, seemingly killing indiscriminately, painting the town read with blood and gore.
And he is going to carry on killing until the police stop him.
March 9, 2022
After reading a few friend reviews I was really looking forward to this one and boy, did it deliver! If you are at all squeamish - do not read this book! It is very violent, raw and brutal.
The book opens with the brutal murder of two women who are left in the boot (trunk) of a car after being decapitated. Next we meet Jess. Let’s face it Jess has serious issues but she loves her daughter, Alice, fiercely. Her husband, Patrick is sleeping in the guest room downstairs as he has an early start in the morning. Jess wakes up smelling smoke. She races to Alice’s room but there is no saving Patrick - downstairs is fully ablaze. With no alternative Jess gathers Alice in her arms and jumps out of the upper floor window, saving their lives.
DS Taylor who catches this case thinks Jess is good for the murder as her fingerprints are found on a watering can that had contained the paraffin that started the fire. But she is an idiot so I always felt that Jess would be easily cleared. DCI Cara Elliott and her offsider DS Noah Deakin are working the other murders which keep on coming. Jess realises she is a suspect and ‘escapes from the hospital. She finds refuge with suspended police officer, DS Nate Griffin (actually Cara’s brother) who is still getting over the brutal murder of his wife a year ago in a home invasion that left him for dead. Jess has a stunning insight when she looks through Griffin’s files on a whole bunch of murders. Yes, they are all different, but the link is that the killer is copying famous serial killers from the past - Manson, Kemper, the zodiac killer and so on.
That is all well and good but the police are no closer to catching this elusive and brutal killer and he is escalating. Make no mistake, this book is very dark and brutal. The killer has absolutely no compassion, he is relentless. Cara and Deakin are run ragged trying to keep up. Forensics gives them nothing. What they do find is only what the killer, by now dubbed the Echo Killer, wants them to find and it’s generally misdirection. The pace is relentless, the characters are really well portrayed and they are nearly destroyed by this awful case.
Interestingly I had a suspicion at about the 60% mark and it did turn out to be right but there were still jaw dropping twists to come. The final scenes were gut wrenching and awful. It even made me a little queasy at times. Because the shocking thing is that these sort of killings did actually occur, which is what the Echo Killer was copying. Lock your doors before you go bed after reading this. If this is Holland’s debut, I can’t wait to see what is next! Many thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.
The book opens with the brutal murder of two women who are left in the boot (trunk) of a car after being decapitated. Next we meet Jess. Let’s face it Jess has serious issues but she loves her daughter, Alice, fiercely. Her husband, Patrick is sleeping in the guest room downstairs as he has an early start in the morning. Jess wakes up smelling smoke. She races to Alice’s room but there is no saving Patrick - downstairs is fully ablaze. With no alternative Jess gathers Alice in her arms and jumps out of the upper floor window, saving their lives.
DS Taylor who catches this case thinks Jess is good for the murder as her fingerprints are found on a watering can that had contained the paraffin that started the fire. But she is an idiot so I always felt that Jess would be easily cleared. DCI Cara Elliott and her offsider DS Noah Deakin are working the other murders which keep on coming. Jess realises she is a suspect and ‘escapes from the hospital. She finds refuge with suspended police officer, DS Nate Griffin (actually Cara’s brother) who is still getting over the brutal murder of his wife a year ago in a home invasion that left him for dead. Jess has a stunning insight when she looks through Griffin’s files on a whole bunch of murders. Yes, they are all different, but the link is that the killer is copying famous serial killers from the past - Manson, Kemper, the zodiac killer and so on.
That is all well and good but the police are no closer to catching this elusive and brutal killer and he is escalating. Make no mistake, this book is very dark and brutal. The killer has absolutely no compassion, he is relentless. Cara and Deakin are run ragged trying to keep up. Forensics gives them nothing. What they do find is only what the killer, by now dubbed the Echo Killer, wants them to find and it’s generally misdirection. The pace is relentless, the characters are really well portrayed and they are nearly destroyed by this awful case.
Interestingly I had a suspicion at about the 60% mark and it did turn out to be right but there were still jaw dropping twists to come. The final scenes were gut wrenching and awful. It even made me a little queasy at times. Because the shocking thing is that these sort of killings did actually occur, which is what the Echo Killer was copying. Lock your doors before you go bed after reading this. If this is Holland’s debut, I can’t wait to see what is next! Many thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.
Shelved as 'dnf'
April 2, 2022Dnf at 20%
The graphic violence, the unlikable MC with TMI of her adventuresome sex life was not for me. Plus, I was bored.
* I received a digital audio via NetGalley
The graphic violence, the unlikable MC with TMI of her adventuresome sex life was not for me. Plus, I was bored.
* I received a digital audio via NetGalley
March 20, 2022
The Echo Man.. wow! This is a debut novel from Sam Holland and he had put himself firmly on my radar. This book was so clever and addictive. When my friend Alyssa kept raving about it, I knew that ai had to bump it up my list. And she was absolutely right. This book is dark, and brutal. I love a good serial killer story and definitely got that with The Echo Man. I could see this being made into a BBC police drama in the near future.
This is a serial killer with a very sick and twisted mind.. ai mean they all are but this one just goes that extra mile. The murders are disturbing and gruesome, and this is not a book for those with a weak stomach. If you like Chris Carter, you are going to love it. A murderer who is replaying the murder scenes of the most prolific serial killers in history. The police certainly have their work cut out for them here.
Published on April 14th, this book needs to be on your TBR. Crime readers, you are going to love it. Thanks to Harper Collins Uk and NetGalley for my advanced copy to read.
This is a serial killer with a very sick and twisted mind.. ai mean they all are but this one just goes that extra mile. The murders are disturbing and gruesome, and this is not a book for those with a weak stomach. If you like Chris Carter, you are going to love it. A murderer who is replaying the murder scenes of the most prolific serial killers in history. The police certainly have their work cut out for them here.
Published on April 14th, this book needs to be on your TBR. Crime readers, you are going to love it. Thanks to Harper Collins Uk and NetGalley for my advanced copy to read.
July 7, 2024
Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! This checked off all the boxes of my dark thriller seeking mind. With an added bonus of being true crime inspired and owning it. Why aren't more people talking about this?? And Sam Holland, you depraved lil genius, please write more 👉🏽👈🏽. 2 books ain't enough for me. Chop-chop now, Sam Holland.
Still holds all its 5⭐ gory **glory after a reread 🖤🖤
Still holds all its 5⭐ gory **glory after a reread 🖤🖤
April 20, 2024
Wild, wild, wild.........if you like Motley Crue think of their song Wild Side and the extreme pace of that song because that song mirrors this book. Man oh man, what a read. Coming off of the Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum I would usually take a break from a horror thriller but I am so glad that whatever possessed me led me to The Echo Man by Samantha Holland. It is my first read of hers and she does have other books published under Louisa Scarr and I have not read any of those.
The premise here is quite cool. Many of you know how I so dislike true crime stories. I have nothing against those who read them and completely understand the fascination but I just don't want to give such heinous crimes the time of day so to speak. Yet fictionalize their craziness and I am ok with it. I kind of have to be as I basically read so many of them and I term them horror thrillers. If you took offence to my true crime stand please read on, promise its good......
So here Holland starts off aggressively and very aggressively with our serial killer decapitating and killing two lovely girls. The writing is great throughout the book and the kills are very graphic and detailed and violent. They are such as the killer here is mimicking serial killers from all over the world. He is basically paying hommage to them and outdoing them as he is a master of all. Quite a cool premise and yes likely done before.
The police are stymied of course but I want to say that as a police procedural this book is very very good. This book is just so good on so many levels, what can I say. We meet Jess early on having sex in a toilet with someone she just met. She is quite the screw up and has a condition where she cannot feel pain and if you think about it that is not a good thing.
She likes to test herself and cuts herself regularly. Her husband catches her doing just that and a fight naturally ensues with her husband sleeping in a spare room downstairs. That very night her house is set on fire. Jess saves her daughter by jumping out the second floor window with her daughter on top of her - think of the no pain thing here, she shields the fall for her daughter and feels no pain doing it. Fire and police come and Jess is brought to the hospital as no pain does not equate to no injuries. Yet she is the main suspect and police have enough to arrest her.
While at the hospital she meets Griffen a police officer who is off the force and he is messed up by our serial killer who raped and killed his wife and beat and pulverized Griffen using a log to inches within his life. Griffen lives with the guilt of not being able to save his wife and is a person destroyed by what happened to him and his wife. Yet while at the hospital Jess overhears him talking to his ex comrades about the fact that he is not sold on Jess being responsible for the fire/murder. Jess ends up escaping the hospital and hooking up with Griffen. She learns what happened to Griffen and learns that he thinks the fire may be related to the same serial killer. Griffen has been following all kinds of murders and whereas the pollce think the murders are unrelated Griffen does not. It is Jess who discovers by looking at Griffens home whiteboard that the serial killer is mimicking all kinds of other serial killers. She is able to deduce it as you guessed it she is quite the true crime fan so that shows you the need for true crime fans, lol.
So now the police have their first lead as Griffen's sister Cara Elliott is the detective in charge of the investigation. She starts to see things Griffen's way but is not to enthralled with Griffen harboring a person wanted for murder. As Griffen knows so much about all the killings he is invited back to assist with this investigation and his sister Cara is basically in charge of his behaviour.
More and more kills pile up and again they are very graphic and violent. A room is filled with 11 bodies which were all dismembered mimicking the crimes of Ted Bundy - with acid barrel and all. Like our serial killer is bang on in what he does. He is very clean in what he does too in that he leaves no DNA or fibers or anything the police can use and when such things are indeed left it is to set up a patsy so to speak. Think of Jess here.
Holland does a great job in feeding you clues though. They are not obvious nor are they impossible. I had an inkling as to who was responsible and yet felt that there had to be more than one person involved. Yet when the end comes Holland herself sets up a patsy as the serial killer and yet you kind of know "hey this isn't our guy" because there are about another 30 pages of book left, lol.
The ending was fantastic and actually leaves the door open for all this to continue because after all our serial killer is one messed up dude. Holland shows why he is messed up in dealing with his account of what happened to him in chapters throughout the book that go back in time and are from a perspective relating to him. It is really nicely done and brings in a totally buyable picture as to why the killer is the way he is.
The next in Holland series is also based on real crimes and yet has a different detective at the helm with appearances from Cara Elliott. I have already bought it and it sitting in my shelf. I am so glad to have acquainted myself with this author. Just a fantastic author who can really write and is not afraid to pull any punches. Wild, wild, wild read and an easy five star rating which so many of my friends concur with :)
The premise here is quite cool. Many of you know how I so dislike true crime stories. I have nothing against those who read them and completely understand the fascination but I just don't want to give such heinous crimes the time of day so to speak. Yet fictionalize their craziness and I am ok with it. I kind of have to be as I basically read so many of them and I term them horror thrillers. If you took offence to my true crime stand please read on, promise its good......
So here Holland starts off aggressively and very aggressively with our serial killer decapitating and killing two lovely girls. The writing is great throughout the book and the kills are very graphic and detailed and violent. They are such as the killer here is mimicking serial killers from all over the world. He is basically paying hommage to them and outdoing them as he is a master of all. Quite a cool premise and yes likely done before.
The police are stymied of course but I want to say that as a police procedural this book is very very good. This book is just so good on so many levels, what can I say. We meet Jess early on having sex in a toilet with someone she just met. She is quite the screw up and has a condition where she cannot feel pain and if you think about it that is not a good thing.
She likes to test herself and cuts herself regularly. Her husband catches her doing just that and a fight naturally ensues with her husband sleeping in a spare room downstairs. That very night her house is set on fire. Jess saves her daughter by jumping out the second floor window with her daughter on top of her - think of the no pain thing here, she shields the fall for her daughter and feels no pain doing it. Fire and police come and Jess is brought to the hospital as no pain does not equate to no injuries. Yet she is the main suspect and police have enough to arrest her.
While at the hospital she meets Griffen a police officer who is off the force and he is messed up by our serial killer who raped and killed his wife and beat and pulverized Griffen using a log to inches within his life. Griffen lives with the guilt of not being able to save his wife and is a person destroyed by what happened to him and his wife. Yet while at the hospital Jess overhears him talking to his ex comrades about the fact that he is not sold on Jess being responsible for the fire/murder. Jess ends up escaping the hospital and hooking up with Griffen. She learns what happened to Griffen and learns that he thinks the fire may be related to the same serial killer. Griffen has been following all kinds of murders and whereas the pollce think the murders are unrelated Griffen does not. It is Jess who discovers by looking at Griffens home whiteboard that the serial killer is mimicking all kinds of other serial killers. She is able to deduce it as you guessed it she is quite the true crime fan so that shows you the need for true crime fans, lol.
So now the police have their first lead as Griffen's sister Cara Elliott is the detective in charge of the investigation. She starts to see things Griffen's way but is not to enthralled with Griffen harboring a person wanted for murder. As Griffen knows so much about all the killings he is invited back to assist with this investigation and his sister Cara is basically in charge of his behaviour.
More and more kills pile up and again they are very graphic and violent. A room is filled with 11 bodies which were all dismembered mimicking the crimes of Ted Bundy - with acid barrel and all. Like our serial killer is bang on in what he does. He is very clean in what he does too in that he leaves no DNA or fibers or anything the police can use and when such things are indeed left it is to set up a patsy so to speak. Think of Jess here.
Holland does a great job in feeding you clues though. They are not obvious nor are they impossible. I had an inkling as to who was responsible and yet felt that there had to be more than one person involved. Yet when the end comes Holland herself sets up a patsy as the serial killer and yet you kind of know "hey this isn't our guy" because there are about another 30 pages of book left, lol.
The ending was fantastic and actually leaves the door open for all this to continue because after all our serial killer is one messed up dude. Holland shows why he is messed up in dealing with his account of what happened to him in chapters throughout the book that go back in time and are from a perspective relating to him. It is really nicely done and brings in a totally buyable picture as to why the killer is the way he is.
The next in Holland series is also based on real crimes and yet has a different detective at the helm with appearances from Cara Elliott. I have already bought it and it sitting in my shelf. I am so glad to have acquainted myself with this author. Just a fantastic author who can really write and is not afraid to pull any punches. Wild, wild, wild read and an easy five star rating which so many of my friends concur with :)
June 20, 2024
Everything you could possibly want in a thriller book!
Please please please go in with caution. There is probably every trigger warning possible in this book…
Aside from that, it was absolutely brilliant! Amazing detective plot line alongside our FMCs jess’ account. Great romantic subplot. Incredible plot twist ending.
Highly recommend!!!
Please please please go in with caution. There is probably every trigger warning possible in this book…
Aside from that, it was absolutely brilliant! Amazing detective plot line alongside our FMCs jess’ account. Great romantic subplot. Incredible plot twist ending.
Highly recommend!!!
March 27, 2024
Wow. This book was incredible, there were smaller twists and turns at the beginning that I didn’t see coming and completely changed the game in terms of pace and character development……. And then that ending 😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮 second book purchased and third book on preorder!
March 28, 2022
The Echo Man by Sam Holland is a British police procedural. Detectives Cara Elliott and Noah Deakin are stymied by the investigations of several vicious murders. What makes these murders puzzling is the fact that the crimes are all committed what different modi operandi. Who could be doing this? Who will be next? How are the victims selected? What is the reason for all this viciousness? The detectives soon discover that the murders are copycat killings: the perpetrator is mimicking the killings of famous serial killers, which explained why each murder was different. I found The Echo Man to be tense and suspenseful and the characters flawed and varied. What kept me from rating this novel with five stars was the brutal, excessively violent plot and the sometimes unrealistic storyline. What started out as a mystery soon devolved into the horror genre. This is Sam Holland’s debut novel and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 16, 2022
This is the best book I've read so far in 2022!
Really loved this and looking forward to more books of Sam Holland!
https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2022...
Really loved this and looking forward to more books of Sam Holland!
https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2022...
February 22, 2024
Piles of bodies, lakes of blood.
This book is extremely dark and there is so much blood, but because I listened to it till the end in one day, I was planning to rate it with 3 stars. And after this, there was an EPILOGUE that made me think that even 2 stars are way too high a rate for the book.
I like good mystery or police procedural books and I think that a book should teach us something or bring pleasure to the reader. This book is written only with the purpose of shocking and scaring the reader to the maximum and attracting the attention of horror filmmakers.
Don't read this book if you care for your sanity and night's sleep.
This book is extremely dark and there is so much blood, but because I listened to it till the end in one day, I was planning to rate it with 3 stars. And after this, there was an EPILOGUE that made me think that even 2 stars are way too high a rate for the book.
I like good mystery or police procedural books and I think that a book should teach us something or bring pleasure to the reader. This book is written only with the purpose of shocking and scaring the reader to the maximum and attracting the attention of horror filmmakers.
Don't read this book if you care for your sanity and night's sleep.
November 20, 2022
In brief - I was caught up in this tense pacey read but wasn't convinced by parts of it.
In full
I did find the murder at the start somewhat graphic but it gives you a taste of what is to come! After that we meet Jess and I was intrigued. After an argument with her husband she is sleeping in a different room to him and wakes to find the house on fire. This is not one of those books that starts slowly. The police who are investigating the murder are led by DCI Cara Elliott. Her brother, Nate Griffin, and also a policeman albeit suspended, plays an important part in this story too.
The fire in Jess's house kills her husband and she is accused of killing him. Griffin, though disgraced, is less certain of that. He has been trying to find out more about a possible serial killer who has stayed under the radar so far. If you read the blurb about this book you will find out more about the nature of the serial killer. However I do prefer to give as little away as possible and find out about a book for myself. Suffice it to say there is no shortage of murders here.
This book is quite graphic and visceral at times and some readers might not like that. I can't say that bothered me greatly although there were more than enough murders for the police to get to grips with. The book is written in the present tense and that was OK too. The pace and tension are generally well worked.
However I do have some real issues with the storylines and their believability. I know we need to suspend our beliefs in reality when we read a lot of police stories (& thrillers generally). There were times when I thought the story here was just too incredible. I actually really liked Jess's character and thought that she was mostly very credible as a person. However her behaviour at times was simply not credible. I found this a rather frustrating book. I never wanted to put it down but I was often annoyed by it. I guess I'd call it 3.5/5
Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
In full
I did find the murder at the start somewhat graphic but it gives you a taste of what is to come! After that we meet Jess and I was intrigued. After an argument with her husband she is sleeping in a different room to him and wakes to find the house on fire. This is not one of those books that starts slowly. The police who are investigating the murder are led by DCI Cara Elliott. Her brother, Nate Griffin, and also a policeman albeit suspended, plays an important part in this story too.
The fire in Jess's house kills her husband and she is accused of killing him. Griffin, though disgraced, is less certain of that. He has been trying to find out more about a possible serial killer who has stayed under the radar so far. If you read the blurb about this book you will find out more about the nature of the serial killer. However I do prefer to give as little away as possible and find out about a book for myself. Suffice it to say there is no shortage of murders here.
This book is quite graphic and visceral at times and some readers might not like that. I can't say that bothered me greatly although there were more than enough murders for the police to get to grips with. The book is written in the present tense and that was OK too. The pace and tension are generally well worked.
However I do have some real issues with the storylines and their believability. I know we need to suspend our beliefs in reality when we read a lot of police stories (& thrillers generally). There were times when I thought the story here was just too incredible. I actually really liked Jess's character and thought that she was mostly very credible as a person. However her behaviour at times was simply not credible. I found this a rather frustrating book. I never wanted to put it down but I was often annoyed by it. I guess I'd call it 3.5/5
Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
June 7, 2022
4.5 stars, rounding down.
Got a weak stomach? Stay away from this one then! Only fans of gratuitous amounts of gore need apply.
But seriously... this is a really impressive debut. It is extremely graphic and violent. Every trigger warning out there is in here ten fold. But don't let that prevent you from reading this unless you really can't stomach it.
The Echo Man is a serial killer that is echoing/mimicking all the legends - Dahmer, Manson, Gein, Golden State Killer, Zodiac, Boston Strangler, and the list goes on and on. If you're a self-confessed true crime nerd, like our debut author Sam Holland, then you'll be captivated by the reenacted crime scenes and all the serial killer easter eggs.
The story was unputdownable. Short, crisp chapters made this a breeze to get through. For anyone who remembers the movie Seven with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, reading this gave me serious Seven vibes. Or, as I should say, echoes of Seven are present here. I could definitely see a dark, gritty version of this doing well on screen.
A plot of this magnitude with a rushed timeline and while balancing the complexities of nuanced characters, this really had no choice but to separate from reality. Some suspension of belief and acceptance of OTT situations are required.
Got a weak stomach? Stay away from this one then! Only fans of gratuitous amounts of gore need apply.
But seriously... this is a really impressive debut. It is extremely graphic and violent. Every trigger warning out there is in here ten fold. But don't let that prevent you from reading this unless you really can't stomach it.
The Echo Man is a serial killer that is echoing/mimicking all the legends - Dahmer, Manson, Gein, Golden State Killer, Zodiac, Boston Strangler, and the list goes on and on. If you're a self-confessed true crime nerd, like our debut author Sam Holland, then you'll be captivated by the reenacted crime scenes and all the serial killer easter eggs.
The story was unputdownable. Short, crisp chapters made this a breeze to get through. For anyone who remembers the movie Seven with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, reading this gave me serious Seven vibes. Or, as I should say, echoes of Seven are present here. I could definitely see a dark, gritty version of this doing well on screen.
A plot of this magnitude with a rushed timeline and while balancing the complexities of nuanced characters, this really had no choice but to separate from reality. Some suspension of belief and acceptance of OTT situations are required.
April 14, 2022
An amazing debut serial killer mystery, The Echo Man by Sam Holland is a riveting and most engrossing adventure. Detective Cara Elliot and her team are on the trail of a serial killer who emulates previous serial killers and their gruesome murders. Yet, each murder has a different methodology, equally shocking and brutal but seemingly unconnected. Always a step behind, with no forensic clues left, the team struggles to move the investigation forward. Whilst a very dark tale, it has enjoyable characters, a credible plot and a shrewd intermix of police procedural and personal lives. Overall, a must read for crime thriller fans with a five-star rating. With thanks to Crooked Lane Books and the author, for an uncorrected advanced copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.
January 8, 2024
I love it. I love it. I love every second of this book. Omg! So so good!
1. Serial killer? Check.
2. A serial killer who mimics famous serial killings. From Ted Bundy, The Greenriver Killer, Mason Murders, Shipman and many more? Check.
3. Police procedurals. Investigation of murders with likeable characters. Check.
4. A lot of body count? Check.
5. a sadistic serial killer with no remorse only the need to kill and destroy? Check.
6. Blood. Evisceration. Carnage? Check.
Everything I could ever want in a serial killer book is here. Period.
1. Serial killer? Check.
2. A serial killer who mimics famous serial killings. From Ted Bundy, The Greenriver Killer, Mason Murders, Shipman and many more? Check.
3. Police procedurals. Investigation of murders with likeable characters. Check.
4. A lot of body count? Check.
5. a sadistic serial killer with no remorse only the need to kill and destroy? Check.
6. Blood. Evisceration. Carnage? Check.
Everything I could ever want in a serial killer book is here. Period.
December 8, 2021
I’ve been sitting on this ARC for awhile, and now I’m kicking myself for not reading it sooner. This is a very entertaining read and quite a debut novel! I’m still reeling a bit from the ending as I write this…
Kemper, Dahmer and Bundy are all names we know for their infamy as some of the worst serial killers in history. In “The Echo Man”, we are given the story of a police department desperately searching for someone who is replicating their kills all over again. This copycat killer is crafty, brutal, and unfortunately for the police, meticulous. The old crimes and their scenes are recreated perfectly - but this time, the killer keeps getting away.
As the body count grows, Detective Cara Elliott is starting to feel overwhelmed. They have all hands on deck, but they are getting nowhere with finding out who the perpetrator is, and the public is getting restless. Out of desperation, she even allows her disgraced and suspended brother, Griffin, to rejoin the force. He has a personal connection to the crimes, and while he’s definitely a man with issues, his rage and passion could help.
The book is obviously about finding the killer, but there were also some side stories that were great. One victim-turned-suspect named Jessica is a large part of the book, and her story melds perfectly into the mix. She and Griffin were great characters, and I suppose you could say it was good to get to know them. There are also long and strong relationships between some of the officers, and some personal problems the main characters were having, which added even more layers to this already packed book.
Once I got to the ending, all I could say was “wow”. There was an ending, and I thought that was it (and it was great). Then, I kept going and there was ANOTHER ending (I called at 58% in, for the record!) that dropped a bomb and twisted everything around … I didn’t mind that I figured out the big twist though, because it was still much bigger than I thought it would be.
The writing in this was great, the characters were well-rounded and I liked the premise a lot. It’s very creative and almost gives the reader a history lesson on serial killers as well. I’m giving this 4.5 stars, and I’m hopeful we will see more from this debut author soon!
(Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, Sam Holland, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)
Kemper, Dahmer and Bundy are all names we know for their infamy as some of the worst serial killers in history. In “The Echo Man”, we are given the story of a police department desperately searching for someone who is replicating their kills all over again. This copycat killer is crafty, brutal, and unfortunately for the police, meticulous. The old crimes and their scenes are recreated perfectly - but this time, the killer keeps getting away.
As the body count grows, Detective Cara Elliott is starting to feel overwhelmed. They have all hands on deck, but they are getting nowhere with finding out who the perpetrator is, and the public is getting restless. Out of desperation, she even allows her disgraced and suspended brother, Griffin, to rejoin the force. He has a personal connection to the crimes, and while he’s definitely a man with issues, his rage and passion could help.
The book is obviously about finding the killer, but there were also some side stories that were great. One victim-turned-suspect named Jessica is a large part of the book, and her story melds perfectly into the mix. She and Griffin were great characters, and I suppose you could say it was good to get to know them. There are also long and strong relationships between some of the officers, and some personal problems the main characters were having, which added even more layers to this already packed book.
Once I got to the ending, all I could say was “wow”. There was an ending, and I thought that was it (and it was great). Then, I kept going and there was ANOTHER ending (I called at 58% in, for the record!) that dropped a bomb and twisted everything around … I didn’t mind that I figured out the big twist though, because it was still much bigger than I thought it would be.
The writing in this was great, the characters were well-rounded and I liked the premise a lot. It’s very creative and almost gives the reader a history lesson on serial killers as well. I’m giving this 4.5 stars, and I’m hopeful we will see more from this debut author soon!
(Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, Sam Holland, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)
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