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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
dark
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Secrets of a Serial Killer is a thriller with an interesting format. A serial killer has been killing in Lancaster for many years. There are many entries regarding this killer on online forums, but the police aren't so sure that all the victims are connected to one killer. Then, Zoe end up disappearing. Is she another victim? Who is the killer? This book was quite gruesome at times; and the characters lacked detail, so I wasn't interested in what was happening to them. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.
There is a serial killer who has been working in town for a long time.
A woman goes missing in the serial killers territory.
A mother discovers that her daughter is missing.
Two children attempt to embark on an adventure.
This is a multiple point of view story. I really enjoyed the narrative choices made for this book. When the story begins, the reader is unaware of how the narrators are connected, but that changes as the story progresses.
This is a thrilling novel! I think that a couple of the red-herrings could have been explored more, and the ending was a bit unsatisfying.
A woman goes missing in the serial killers territory.
A mother discovers that her daughter is missing.
Two children attempt to embark on an adventure.
This is a multiple point of view story. I really enjoyed the narrative choices made for this book. When the story begins, the reader is unaware of how the narrators are connected, but that changes as the story progresses.
This is a thrilling novel! I think that a couple of the red-herrings could have been explored more, and the ending was a bit unsatisfying.
Even if I found the blurb interesting I couldn't connect to the story and it didn't keep my attention.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
3.5 stars ✨
Many thanks to Hachette Audio UK for granting me access to this audiobook via Netgalley.
I was really excited to read this book/listen to the audiobook, because I was intrigued by the title, cover, and blurb. However, a few chapters in, the author really let things get too wild. I was still listening with the expectation that, as with a number of great thrillers I've read, the pieces will fit together at the end. This wasn't the case here, as there were a lot of plot holes and some abandoned plot lines. I felt lost a lot of the time.
It was also jarring listening to the voice of a grown man was used to narrate the parts of an 11 year old boy. The narrators did good jobs, but some things were off. There were some redeeming parts of the story, but the ending was also kind of predictable.
I enjoyed this, but it could have been a lot better.
Many thanks to Hachette Audio UK for granting me access to this audiobook via Netgalley.
I was really excited to read this book/listen to the audiobook, because I was intrigued by the title, cover, and blurb. However, a few chapters in, the author really let things get too wild. I was still listening with the expectation that, as with a number of great thrillers I've read, the pieces will fit together at the end. This wasn't the case here, as there were a lot of plot holes and some abandoned plot lines. I felt lost a lot of the time.
It was also jarring listening to the voice of a grown man was used to narrate the parts of an 11 year old boy. The narrators did good jobs, but some things were off. There were some redeeming parts of the story, but the ending was also kind of predictable.
I enjoyed this, but it could have been a lot better.
This was a fun read. Well written. Held my interest. Just an enjoyable read overall.
This book is so disappointing, the title and even opening chapter were really intriguing and great.
The characters are so weak, unlikable. The voice wasn't very strong. There are too many tangents and characters.
I received this book for review off Netgalley.
Ful Review.
The characters are so weak, unlikable. The voice wasn't very strong. There are too many tangents and characters.
I received this book for review off Netgalley.
Ful Review.
Regrettably this book is a bit of a mess. Ms. Walker is a capable writer but in the end the story of a serial killer so brilliant no one even knew people were being murdered trying to pass down his legacy to a new generation is one giant, confusing tangle of indistinguishable characters, a dismal, trite setting, and a hopelessly messy story that left this reader annoyed and perplexed rather than longing for what I assume is the next installment.
Secrets of a Serial Killer is Rosie Walker’s debut thriller and boy is it a chilling and ultimately fun and endlessly entertaining read if you can suspend your disbelief. Several vicious serial killings have been occurring in the local area in and around Lancaster, one of them being seventeen year old Zoe who whilst out drinking at a bar with her boyfriend has her drink spiked and is abducted by an unknown male. Many more teenage girls start to troublingly disappear without a trace. Zoe's mother, Helen, an architect who is currently restoring the former insane asylum, Lancaster Lune Hospital, into luxurious flats having been abandoned for so long doesn't have a clue where to begin in locating her daughter. As the police fail to take the vanishing seriously Helen is left to pursue evidence by herself and she can't help but feel the hospital is somehow connected. It is known that a serial killer the police called Mr X was roaming the area for prey in the '80s and was possibly groomed by another serial killer around at the time, Leonard McVitie, to be able to kill and get away with it successfully. Can Helen discover where Zoe has been taken before it's too late?
The primary aspect that stands out about this story is the use of multiple perspectives (4 to be exact) and subplots with each intersecting in some way and this made it all the more interesting; the parts talking about the dark web were most fascinating as I am totally intrigued by it all. It is a fast-paced read and one that barely gives you a moment to breathe as there is so much happening throughout. I found it captivating, addictive once it got going and the distinct creepy, gothic atmosphere is deeply unnerving. I always enjoy the serial killer’s point of view if it is executed well and it was certainly done with aplomb here. There were chilling points in the novel and times when a reveal or twist caught me off guard. Set during a three day period this short thriller packs a powerful punch despite its length and has you feverishly flipping the pages to discover the outcome for the people involved. This is pure adrenaline pumping, tense and terrifying read and is tightly plotted and meticulously thought through by the author. Many thanks to One More Chapter for an ARC.
The primary aspect that stands out about this story is the use of multiple perspectives (4 to be exact) and subplots with each intersecting in some way and this made it all the more interesting; the parts talking about the dark web were most fascinating as I am totally intrigued by it all. It is a fast-paced read and one that barely gives you a moment to breathe as there is so much happening throughout. I found it captivating, addictive once it got going and the distinct creepy, gothic atmosphere is deeply unnerving. I always enjoy the serial killer’s point of view if it is executed well and it was certainly done with aplomb here. There were chilling points in the novel and times when a reveal or twist caught me off guard. Set during a three day period this short thriller packs a powerful punch despite its length and has you feverishly flipping the pages to discover the outcome for the people involved. This is pure adrenaline pumping, tense and terrifying read and is tightly plotted and meticulously thought through by the author. Many thanks to One More Chapter for an ARC.