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jessicamap's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to Dutton Books for the free advanced copy in exchange for my honest review
This is book two in the Frankie Sheehan series and I would say you could read this as a standalone book without issue. We start the book out with Frankie meeting up with her sister-in-law to talk with a client of hers that she is trying to overturn a guilty conviction for – and it’s sure to be a high profile deal. To Frankie’s shock, she finds herself face-to-face with Seán Hennessey. Seán was a convicted murderer; he had killed his parents and attempted to kill his sister. Now that he has served his time, he is determined to get his conviction overturned and is adamant that he is innocent.
Meanwhile, Frankie is faced with a double homicide case. A married couple found murdered in the nearby church and a gruesome but calculated crime scene leads Frankie to believe that these murders aren’t over. Could this be the work of Hennessey? Kiernan does a fantastic job weaving together these two cases. As Frankie is consulting on Hennessey’s case and trying to solve the current murders, Kiernan expertly feeds us the details we need as the story progresses.
I really enjoy seeing Frankie continue to grow as a character and I think that she got some more development from book one. However, that being said, you can still pick up in this book and not feel lost without having read TOO CLOSE TO BREATHE. I think those that like the documentaries such as Making a Murderer will enjoy the case involving Seán Hennessey as they try to determine if he is actually innocent. This has the elements we all love in a who-dun-it read and it’s not too heavy in the procedural portion of the crime fiction genre.
Overall, if you’re looking for a new crime series, then I would highly recommend getting acquainted with DCSI Frankie Sheehan. I can’t wait to see where this series will go next.
This is book two in the Frankie Sheehan series and I would say you could read this as a standalone book without issue. We start the book out with Frankie meeting up with her sister-in-law to talk with a client of hers that she is trying to overturn a guilty conviction for – and it’s sure to be a high profile deal. To Frankie’s shock, she finds herself face-to-face with Seán Hennessey. Seán was a convicted murderer; he had killed his parents and attempted to kill his sister. Now that he has served his time, he is determined to get his conviction overturned and is adamant that he is innocent.
Meanwhile, Frankie is faced with a double homicide case. A married couple found murdered in the nearby church and a gruesome but calculated crime scene leads Frankie to believe that these murders aren’t over. Could this be the work of Hennessey? Kiernan does a fantastic job weaving together these two cases. As Frankie is consulting on Hennessey’s case and trying to solve the current murders, Kiernan expertly feeds us the details we need as the story progresses.
I really enjoy seeing Frankie continue to grow as a character and I think that she got some more development from book one. However, that being said, you can still pick up in this book and not feel lost without having read TOO CLOSE TO BREATHE. I think those that like the documentaries such as Making a Murderer will enjoy the case involving Seán Hennessey as they try to determine if he is actually innocent. This has the elements we all love in a who-dun-it read and it’s not too heavy in the procedural portion of the crime fiction genre.
Overall, if you’re looking for a new crime series, then I would highly recommend getting acquainted with DCSI Frankie Sheehan. I can’t wait to see where this series will go next.
paceamorelibri's review against another edition
4.0
Every time I've read a thriller recently I've been left with the thought 'do I actually like thrillers or am I just reading these out of habit.' Well, it turns out I do still like them! I just wish they were all on Olivia Kiernan's level - her Frankie Sheehan series is shaping up to be one of my favorites... which is odd as I really dislike police procedurals most of the time. So more power to Kiernan for being able to hook me on a formula that I'm not wild about.
And while I enjoyed Kiernan's debut, [b:Too Close to Breathe|34948442|Too Close to Breathe (Frankie Sheehan, #1)|Olivia Kiernan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1516806728s/34948442.jpg|56220247], I think its sequel [b:The Killer in Me|41802885|The Killer in Me (Frankie Sheehan, #2)|Olivia Kiernan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1538726798s/41802885.jpg|56933048] is superior in just about every way. More intricate plotting, more sophisticated writing, and more of that 'can't put it down' factor. So while it's always fun to go into a sequel being familiar with the characters, you could easily read [b:The Killer in Me|41802885|The Killer in Me (Frankie Sheehan, #2)|Olivia Kiernan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1538726798s/41802885.jpg|56933048] as a standalone. There are five murders at the heart of this novel, though two took place 17 years ago, as Seán Hennessey has just been released from prison where he served a sentence for murdering his parents, though he continues to profess his innocence. But when a series of eerily similar murders begins to occur, naturally Seán is the number one suspect. It's a great premise, and Kiernan manages to expertly balance her various subplots so that it's difficult to predict exactly what it's all building up to.
Incidentally, I did have the exact same complaint about [b:The Killer in Me|41802885|The Killer in Me (Frankie Sheehan, #2)|Olivia Kiernan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1538726798s/41802885.jpg|56933048] as I did about [b:Too Close to Breathe|34948442|Too Close to Breathe (Frankie Sheehan, #1)|Olivia Kiernan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1516806728s/34948442.jpg|56220247], which is that Frankie tends to make leaps the size of the Grand Canyon while doing a psychological profile on the killer(s), which invariably turn out to be accurate. So that's a bit annoying, but you can't have everything. All things considered, I think Olivia Kiernan is a brilliant new voice in the Irish crime genre, and if you like your thrillers on the dark and psychologically distressing side, you won't want to miss this series.
Thanks so much to Dutton for the advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review.
And while I enjoyed Kiernan's debut, [b:Too Close to Breathe|34948442|Too Close to Breathe (Frankie Sheehan, #1)|Olivia Kiernan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1516806728s/34948442.jpg|56220247], I think its sequel [b:The Killer in Me|41802885|The Killer in Me (Frankie Sheehan, #2)|Olivia Kiernan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1538726798s/41802885.jpg|56933048] is superior in just about every way. More intricate plotting, more sophisticated writing, and more of that 'can't put it down' factor. So while it's always fun to go into a sequel being familiar with the characters, you could easily read [b:The Killer in Me|41802885|The Killer in Me (Frankie Sheehan, #2)|Olivia Kiernan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1538726798s/41802885.jpg|56933048] as a standalone. There are five murders at the heart of this novel, though two took place 17 years ago, as Seán Hennessey has just been released from prison where he served a sentence for murdering his parents, though he continues to profess his innocence. But when a series of eerily similar murders begins to occur, naturally Seán is the number one suspect. It's a great premise, and Kiernan manages to expertly balance her various subplots so that it's difficult to predict exactly what it's all building up to.
Incidentally, I did have the exact same complaint about [b:The Killer in Me|41802885|The Killer in Me (Frankie Sheehan, #2)|Olivia Kiernan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1538726798s/41802885.jpg|56933048] as I did about [b:Too Close to Breathe|34948442|Too Close to Breathe (Frankie Sheehan, #1)|Olivia Kiernan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1516806728s/34948442.jpg|56220247], which is that Frankie tends to make leaps the size of the Grand Canyon while doing a psychological profile on the killer(s), which invariably turn out to be accurate. So that's a bit annoying, but you can't have everything. All things considered, I think Olivia Kiernan is a brilliant new voice in the Irish crime genre, and if you like your thrillers on the dark and psychologically distressing side, you won't want to miss this series.
Thanks so much to Dutton for the advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review.
linsaysread's review against another edition
3.0
I didn’t read the first book that follows Frankie so while I may have been missing some background information, it was still possible to read without feeling completely lost.
This book follows Frankie as she investigates a new set of murders while also looking into murders from the past. For all the action that happens I did find that the beginning was slow, it was also difficult to follow at times as the writing tended to jump from one place to another a few times. I found the characters we were following didn’t have a lot of personality, were difficult to connect with and weren’t really memorable.
Pros:
the writing does keep you guessing throughout the book
The writer doesn’t shy away from the uglier aspects
Cons:
Slow to start
Characters lack personality
Overall The Killer In Me is a solid read and what you would expect from a detective mystery.
This book follows Frankie as she investigates a new set of murders while also looking into murders from the past. For all the action that happens I did find that the beginning was slow, it was also difficult to follow at times as the writing tended to jump from one place to another a few times. I found the characters we were following didn’t have a lot of personality, were difficult to connect with and weren’t really memorable.
Pros:
the writing does keep you guessing throughout the book
The writer doesn’t shy away from the uglier aspects
Cons:
Slow to start
Characters lack personality
Overall The Killer In Me is a solid read and what you would expect from a detective mystery.
kellysreads's review against another edition
3.0
Probably more like 2.5.
Liked:
- Fast-paced and lots of action
- Lots of possible suspects to wade through
Disliked:
- Frankie had the psychological profile down in all of two seconds; didn’t feel fleshed out properly
- Lots of leaps from one theory to the next, without much time spent considering if the theory held much merit
- The ending felt very rushed after lots of jumping around, trying to throw the reader off the real killer’s trail
- The ending also felt really weak. I didn’t believe the killer’s motives or feel like all the dots had been connected properly.
Liked:
- Fast-paced and lots of action
- Lots of possible suspects to wade through
Disliked:
- Frankie had the psychological profile down in all of two seconds; didn’t feel fleshed out properly
- Lots of leaps from one theory to the next, without much time spent considering if the theory held much merit
- The ending felt very rushed after lots of jumping around, trying to throw the reader off the real killer’s trail
- The ending also felt really weak. I didn’t believe the killer’s motives or feel like all the dots had been connected properly.
claudianeureads's review against another edition
4.0
I received an Advanced Readers Copy of “The Killer in Me” from Dutton Publishing and this is my first of Olivia Kiernan’s books I have read. This is definitely a thorough crime mystery that spares no details of the murders of differing people in a community. I have never been to Ireland but Kiernan wrote with great detail that helped readers picture the surroundings of this mysterious novel. I really enjoyed this book because I often read psychological thrillers, and reading a crime mystery was a good change of pace. I liked the book but thought the amount of characters introduced could be confusing, as well as, an unclear ending.
annarella's review
5.0
I could use a lot of words to describe this book and how much I liked it, a lot of blah blah, but I want to summarize it in few words: it's amazing and gripping.
You will appreciate it if you like police procedural or psychological thriller. Or if you are not a fan of a specific genre but you want to read a book that is well written and keeps you reading as fast as you can.
It's atmospheric, dark, enthralling and emotionally charged. You never know what's going to happen and you're in for some great surprises.
The characters are fleshed out, they're not likable but I couldn't help being attracted to them. They will make you feel a lot of different emotions: from pity to rage.
The plot is complex, fascinating, and gripping; once you get involved in the book you cannot stop reading till the final climax.
The mystery is solid and complex, with a lot of twists and turns, and it keeps you guessing but you never know if you're right or wrong.
There're some important social issues in this book and I appreciated how the writer empathy for the victims.
I can say this book is highly recommended.
Many thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
You will appreciate it if you like police procedural or psychological thriller. Or if you are not a fan of a specific genre but you want to read a book that is well written and keeps you reading as fast as you can.
It's atmospheric, dark, enthralling and emotionally charged. You never know what's going to happen and you're in for some great surprises.
The characters are fleshed out, they're not likable but I couldn't help being attracted to them. They will make you feel a lot of different emotions: from pity to rage.
The plot is complex, fascinating, and gripping; once you get involved in the book you cannot stop reading till the final climax.
The mystery is solid and complex, with a lot of twists and turns, and it keeps you guessing but you never know if you're right or wrong.
There're some important social issues in this book and I appreciated how the writer empathy for the victims.
I can say this book is highly recommended.
Many thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
literarybelleoftheball's review
5.0
Frankie Sheehan is a small town Chief Detective who has been thrown into the middle of another heinous crime. She is called in to discover two bodies that have been left in the middle of a church. Unfortunately, there are no clues as to why this happened or who did it. A few months before, Sean Hennessey is released from prison. Sean was arrested for murdering his parents and attempting to murder his little sister. While he still maintains his innocence, the rest of the town is not so sure. Frankie has to decide if she is pinning Sean for these new murders seventeen years later or helping clear his name altogether.
I really loved this novel. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. At the beginning of this book, it just seemed like another who dunnit mystery. Soon enough, I was filled with more emotion than I have been for a mystery novel in awhile. It's perfect for anyone who loves a good puzzle, and I highly recommend you check it out.
I really loved this novel. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. At the beginning of this book, it just seemed like another who dunnit mystery. Soon enough, I was filled with more emotion than I have been for a mystery novel in awhile. It's perfect for anyone who loves a good puzzle, and I highly recommend you check it out.
nietzschesghost's review
4.0
The Killer in Me is the second novel to feature Dublin based Detective Chief Superintendent Frankie Sheehan of An Garda Síochána’s Bureau for Serious Crime, and having enjoyed Ms Kiernan's debut novel I was excited to see what book two would bring; as it turns out this is even better. The writing flows beautifully from one page to the next, the plot is so, so gripping and twisty, and the topics explored thought-provoking. Instead of using the same exhausted tropes the author goes in her own direction, which makes this an original, intriguing and intensely thrilling novel. I was on the edge of my seat after the few chapters and steadfastly remained there until the conclusion.
Sheehan is a nose-to-the-grindstone type of protagonist who stubbornly investigates two cases during this novel. The first is a possible miscarriage of justice linked to Sean Hennessy, a convicted murderer who had already served out his sentence of 17 years; the second follows Frankie and crew as they investigate two bodies found in a local church. Although I admire Sheehan she is a bit of an enigma and the only thing I truly really know is that she's a workaholic. I'm hoping in future books we will learn more about her.
Overall, this is a taut, pacey, cleverly plotted and multilayered thriller. There is also a dark, tense atmosphere much like there was in book one and a strong feeling of authenticity throughout with realistic details that keep you completely immersed.
Many thanks to riverrun for an ARC.
Sheehan is a nose-to-the-grindstone type of protagonist who stubbornly investigates two cases during this novel. The first is a possible miscarriage of justice linked to Sean Hennessy, a convicted murderer who had already served out his sentence of 17 years; the second follows Frankie and crew as they investigate two bodies found in a local church. Although I admire Sheehan she is a bit of an enigma and the only thing I truly really know is that she's a workaholic. I'm hoping in future books we will learn more about her.
Overall, this is a taut, pacey, cleverly plotted and multilayered thriller. There is also a dark, tense atmosphere much like there was in book one and a strong feeling of authenticity throughout with realistic details that keep you completely immersed.
Many thanks to riverrun for an ARC.
gem_dyslexic_reader's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The Killer in Me is a crime thriller that questions arr Killer born or made?
Olivia has created a great dynamic team in Frankie and Baz. All the ream really. I liked how they work together and have each other back. It was also good to see that not all police officer do the right thing but the ones that are good are really good. Also, I like that Baz feeds Frankie as he knows she would forget.
The Killer in Me has two cases, a current case and an old closed case under investigation. It was interesting looking into the closed case and questioning the evidence, it had some surprising moments.
The main case is the standard mystery who done it with a twist as the bodies are staged. Olivia is great at building the evidence in an interesting way that ground the case in reality. As it's hard and time-consuming work.
The Killer in Me is an easy and quick read. The writing style is the type you can pick up and get lost in it straight away.
There are some political elements in The Killer in Me which could impact Frankie. It's will be interesting to see how this plays out in future books.
My Rating for The Killer in Me is 3.8 out of 5.