Reviews with content warning for Murder - None Shall Sleep

This was so good! Book hangover worthy!

I loved the concept - two teens brought in to interview serial killers to catch an active serial killer. Bell was the son of a murdered officer, and Lewis was held captive by a serial killer. I thought all of the characters were interesting and well written in their traumas including the killers. It felt very Criminal Minds meets Hannibal meets Split. I also felt like the book was wrapped up nicely which is hard to do sometimes in a standalone novel. It was very Satanic panic era vibe which I always appreciate. Would read again!

Criminal Minds S6E10

Content Warnings

libertyreads789's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

October is going so well that I kind of don’t want to jinx it by saying October is going well. I’ve finished 6 books in the first 12 days of the month with just 4 left to read for the month. It was definitely helped along by the fact that this book is so readable. I would have finished this in 24 hours if I didn’t have work getting in the way. We follow two teenagers who are picked by the FBI due to their traumatic pasts to work on a special project that includes interviewing teenage serial killers. But their project gets derailed as a new serial killer pops up in Virginia. Can their teenage knowledge and wisdom stop such a careful and precise killer?

This was well on the way to being a 4 star (possibly more?) for me up until the last 75 pages or so. I found the ending to be rushed and sloppy. I especially didn’t love the writing for the action sequences. It was messy and needed more and better description. But I did really enjoy the setting of the FBI (specifically the Behavior Science division) and all of the little behind the scene glimpses we got there. I was a big Criminal Minds girly--I might still be a Criminal Minds girly--but I do feel like this book did a better job of displaying what a fledgling division like that might have looked like in the early days. I also felt like they did a good job exploring what specifically makes these serial killers serial killers. It didn’t last very long but that was a fun part of the book for me. I wish we had gotten more of that. I also wish we had gotten more of them taking the classes on the FBI campus so it would feel more realistic. They have to get the basics down before they can go out there interviewing prisoners. Am I basically saying my usual refrain of “I wish the book was longer”? Maybe. What are you, a cop?

Overall, it was a quick, easy, and enjoyable read. I’m just not sure I’m invested enough to keep going with the series when the new book comes out next year. It was a satisfying enough ending that I could probably leave it there if I wanted.

Content Warnings

theunfinishedbookshelf's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

Content Warnings

miak2's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

"You don't try to tame the lightning, son. You just give it the respect it deserves." p. 204

This book brings me back to the time in my life when I was watching Criminal Minds obsessively, envisioning my own future in the FBI. Obviously that didn't pan out (lol), but it was a ton of fun to live vicariously through Emma and Travis.

I thought that Marney handled both of their traumas respectfully, and I could see clearly how it shaped both of them into the people they were in this book. I really liked how their friendship grew throughout the book - especially in the small things they noticed about each other and the little ways they comforted each other.

What I think I enjoyed most was that Marney didn't rely on nonsensical twists to give the reader shock value, something that I cannot stand in thriller books. There were a few low-hanging fruit twist options that I was expecting, but the strength of the book came from creating suspense in situations where the reader knew more than the characters.

I did find the hunt more interesting than the climax, however. I can't put my finger on why, but the stakes didn't feel particularly high once we got to the final confrontation. I wasn't particularly scared for any of the characters, despite the intense situation. And I couldn't believe how some of the events unfolded to let two teenagers be in the thick of the action like that. That said, this book was still very very much worth the read, both for the developing Emma/Travis relationship, and for the fascinating psychological component of the serial killer hunt.

Content Warnings

allie_schick's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

clairebonney's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark fast-paced

Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

More...