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A review by thephdivabooks
The Killer in Me by Olivia Kiernan
4.0
The Killer in Me is the perfect blend of crime fiction, captivating narrative, and modern.
The documentary aspect brings a certain relevance that makes the novel feel current, and yet the historical crime that weaves with the ongoing case has a sense of days past. Truly a fantastic crime thriller!
In some ways this feels like it could have gone the police procedural route, but truly it didn’t. I actually think the European writers capture crime fiction better than the US do for my tastes, because the detectives feel like people, and there is less of the drama about being a detective in their books.
Frankie Sheehan is a fascinating detective for a crime thriller. We learn quite a bit about her life in it’s current state, but not too much about her past. I loved this. Frankie felt like a person who happened to be an excellent detective. I loved the connections with her family—Frankie felt like someone I’d be friends with.
The novel centers around two main cases. The first is an old case. A man, Sean, was put away for murdering his parents and attempting to murder his sister. He was under 18 at the time, and he is now out.
A documentary covering the potential wrongful conviction and the errors of the police department pepper the novel. I loved the first person interviews with Sean from the documentary. It was hard not to feel for Sean. He had a solid alibi that fell through, and once he became the prime suspect, the police discounted everyone else.
Then we also have the murders of two people found in a church. And coincidentally they occur not long after Sean’s release, making Sean the prime suspect. The police do not want his conviction overturned. It would be costly for them, both financially as well as in terms of their credibility. And though this is the central case, it doesn’t overshadow Sean’s case. Frankie finds herself linked to both, as the lead detective on the two murders, but also a consultant on the case for justice for Sean being led by her own sister.
The ending to this one was so perfect—I was shocked! I won’t say more, but I think readers will be beyond satisfied with the last sequence of this book. I loved the atmospheric feel to the story. The old pub that has been redone, but lost a bit of the hometown feel. The dark streets. The local church. All of the settings felt very vivid to me. Truly, a novel that fans of Tana French and Gytha Lodge will love!
Thank you to Dutton Books for my copy. Opinions are my own.
The documentary aspect brings a certain relevance that makes the novel feel current, and yet the historical crime that weaves with the ongoing case has a sense of days past. Truly a fantastic crime thriller!
In some ways this feels like it could have gone the police procedural route, but truly it didn’t. I actually think the European writers capture crime fiction better than the US do for my tastes, because the detectives feel like people, and there is less of the drama about being a detective in their books.
Frankie Sheehan is a fascinating detective for a crime thriller. We learn quite a bit about her life in it’s current state, but not too much about her past. I loved this. Frankie felt like a person who happened to be an excellent detective. I loved the connections with her family—Frankie felt like someone I’d be friends with.
The novel centers around two main cases. The first is an old case. A man, Sean, was put away for murdering his parents and attempting to murder his sister. He was under 18 at the time, and he is now out.
A documentary covering the potential wrongful conviction and the errors of the police department pepper the novel. I loved the first person interviews with Sean from the documentary. It was hard not to feel for Sean. He had a solid alibi that fell through, and once he became the prime suspect, the police discounted everyone else.
Then we also have the murders of two people found in a church. And coincidentally they occur not long after Sean’s release, making Sean the prime suspect. The police do not want his conviction overturned. It would be costly for them, both financially as well as in terms of their credibility. And though this is the central case, it doesn’t overshadow Sean’s case. Frankie finds herself linked to both, as the lead detective on the two murders, but also a consultant on the case for justice for Sean being led by her own sister.
The ending to this one was so perfect—I was shocked! I won’t say more, but I think readers will be beyond satisfied with the last sequence of this book. I loved the atmospheric feel to the story. The old pub that has been redone, but lost a bit of the hometown feel. The dark streets. The local church. All of the settings felt very vivid to me. Truly, a novel that fans of Tana French and Gytha Lodge will love!
Thank you to Dutton Books for my copy. Opinions are my own.