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A review by _onemorechapter_
The Puppet Master by Sam Holland
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
๐ป.๐พ: PTSD, depression, bereavement, self-harm, and suicide, Sexual Assault, Murder, Childhood Trauma, and Abusive Childhood.
๐ญAddictive 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 doesnโt 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.
Iโm not going to lie, this is a tough one in the chilling nature of the plot and at times itโs 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 itโs 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!
๐.๐ Can't wait for the last book in the series!!
๐.๐.๐ 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!
๐ธ๐ด๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: โญโญโญ.75
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: 4.43 (263)
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, and Police Procedural
๐ธ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐: Major Crimes (Book 3)
๐ธ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐: Yes, Yes, and Yes!!
๐ญAddictive 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 doesnโt 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.
Iโm not going to lie, this is a tough one in the chilling nature of the plot and at times itโs 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 itโs 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!
๐.๐ Can't wait for the last book in the series!!
๐.๐.๐ 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!
๐ธ๐ด๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: โญโญโญ.75
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: 4.43 (263)
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, and Police Procedural
๐ธ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐: Major Crimes (Book 3)
๐ธ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐: Yes, Yes, and Yes!!