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The Puppet Master by Sam Holland

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byo_books's review

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adventurous challenging dark 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? It's complicated

4.5

libraryoflolabelle's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

5.0

alittlemixofvix's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

Book 3 in the Major Crimes series, and whilst it can be read as a standalone, be warned there are spoilers for The Echo Man.

This is a great, fast paced, twisted read - I love that the perpetrator is so convinced in their motive yet for most people it's madness. The emotions are so raw and I enjoyed the fact that the relationships (including the rough and ready sex scenes) felt realistic, there's no flowery nonsense here.

I felt for the team, with what each of them was going through in their personal lives. Also, I appreciated that fact that each crime was done differently to give maximum impact to the victim. One was particularly horrific and it chilled me to the bone.

I'd have liked a bit more time with the perpetrator to learn more. There were also similar vibes to The Good Samaritan, but rest assured, they are different.

Overall, really gritty and enjoyable - and that teaser at the end! Can't wait for the next book as I just want to know more about the team and what could be in store for them...

*I received a complementary copy of the book from InstaBookTours and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

crazyforbooksandcoffee's review

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4.5

This is the 3rd installment in the major crime series. (The Echo Man and The 20) We are back with DCI Elliott and her brother Griffin. DCI Elliott is called to a suicide on a train track but she is not convinced that it was suicide. Soon they are on the hunt for a dangerous serial killer.

Sam Holland does it again another solid thriller that had me on the edge of my seat. This was fast paced and kept me guessing till the end I could not put this down. Each book gives us a bit more of these characters and I love them all more. Can't wait to see where this series goes next ! Definitely recommend reading these books in order even though they could be read as standalones there are spoilers for the other books.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK and Sam Holland for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

chaptersofvicki's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-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

4.5

This is the third book in the Major Crimes series, this can be read as a standalone but you would have a much better understanding having read the previous books as there is some references to the earlier cases in this book.

It was great to be back with DCI Cara Elliot and Griffin working on this case. It all starts off with what appears to be a suicide but Cara has a bad feeling it is more than that when her team are called out to more suicides.

I was hooked from the start with this book, I flew through it in a day! It is one that is not for the faint hearted, the murders are graphic and gory. If you are familiar with the author you will be aware of the dark and disturbing themes of the books.

The twist was unexpected, I didn’t see it coming at all. I’m eagerly awaiting book four now.

Thank you to the publisher for my gifted copy of the book and to Instabooktours for having me on the tour.

_onemorechapter_'s review

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.75

𝑻.𝑾: PTSD, depression, bereavement, self-harm, and suicide, Sexual Assault, Murder, Childhood Trauma, and Abusive Childhood.

💭Addictive and Fast-Paced Thriller
"The Puppet Master" is the third book in Sam Holland's intense Crime Fiction series, Major Crimes, which presents a dark and compelling police procedural narrative set in Hampshire, England. This is the highly anticipated follow-up to The Echo Man and The Twenty and although it doesn’t blow my mind in quite the same way as Echo Man which still lives in my head, it is still a good read and a great addition to this gritty and dark series. Great book but not the best in the series.

We're back in the capable hands of Cara Elliot and Nate Griffin. Jaimie from the previous book(The Twenty) is now in the same team as Elliot and Griffin which creates a really strong set of characters and detectives.
When numerous suicides happen on Elliot's watch in a number of days she starts getting that feeling that everything isn't quite as it seems, surely this must just be a coincidence and they can't be experiencing another serial killer out there. Alas, the investigations into the suicides begin and you quickly get swept up in the fast-paced nature of Holland's writing, some sub-stories reveal themselves as we go but you feel like you're uncovering more secrets and clues at every turn.
I'm not going to give any details about anything in the plot but will say that the epilogue made me even MORE excited for the next book because there are SOME BIG THINGS TO BE RESOLVED OMG.

I’m not going to lie, this is a tough one in the chilling nature of the plot and at times it’s so horrifying that it freezes the blood. The perpetrator is sadistic and evil, tapping into vulnerabilities, and you need a strong stomach on occasion, so it’s not for the faint of heart. There are numerous moments of tension and on occasions, it is off the scale.
Sam Holland is a superb storyteller; as soon as I started the book I could not put it down. It was fast-paced, the writing was gripping, the case was very sinister and fascinating and just kept me guessing and all of these things combined made it a great read. I loved the characters and the characterisation is top-notch. In this, we get to see the three MCs in a bit more detail, their emotions, backstories and what drives them as detectives, especially as Elliot and Griffin work closely together again.
I enjoyed reading about them and their personal life and equations with each other. It's the serial killing aspect which was a bit disappointing.

Overall, this is another fabulous episode in the series. I found it a bit tamer. Not as gritty and dark, more of a Police procedural than the previous two but I enjoyed it all the same. I will 100% be continuing to read every book that Sam Holland writes!

𝐏.𝐒 Can't wait for the last book in the series!!

𝐏.𝐒.𝐒 Although this novel is part of a series, it stands reasonably well on its own, providing enough background for newcomers while possibly benefiting from prior knowledge of the series for enhanced context.
But my advice will be to read the series from book 1 for a better experience!

🔸𝑴𝒚 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: ⭐⭐⭐.75
🔸𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒔 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: 4.43 (263)
🔸𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, and Police Procedural
🔸𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔: Major Crimes (Book 3)
🔸𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: Yes, Yes, and Yes!!