A review by yvo_about_books
Truly, Darkly, Deeply by Victoria Selman

4.0

 Finished reading: June 13th 2023


"That's the problem with hindsight. It distorts memory, superimposes warning flags where before there were none. Makes you question yourself. Turns the past into a series of whys and recriminations."

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Union Square & Co. in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I've read and enjoyed the Ziba MacKenzie series back in 2019-2020, and I've been looking forward to read more of Victoria Selman's writing ever since. Add the fact that I have a weak spot for serial killer thrillers, and it's easy to understand why I was excited to finally have a copy of Truly Darkly Deeply hanging out on my kindle. I mean, have you read that blurb? This book doesn't only have a serial killer who *might* be innocent, but the story is also told from the POV of the stepdaughter who called the cops on him. There was no way that I was going to be able to resist this premise, and I'm glad I didn't because it turned out to be a fascinating read.

Truly Darkly Deeply has such a strong premise, and it is one that managed to draw me in immediately. The story is told from Sophie's POV, who is the stepdaughter of the convicted serial killer Matty Melgren. This kind of POV is always absolutely fascinating, and it comes with so many questions. How could they not have seen behind the mask? How do his actions affect the ones left behind? Dealing with the aftermath and public opinion is no easy feat, as this story will show us. The plot switches between the present, where Sophie is wondering whether to visit the dying Matty in prison, and the 1980s when the murders took place. Sophie is still a young child there, but the flashbacks sounded surprisingly mature.

I confess that I was surprised to find the pace to be a tad too slow to my liking... This might have had to do with the fact that some parts read more like a family drama than psychological thriller, and the serial killer angle was more in the background. There was also quite a lot of repetition of the guilt and suspicions both Sophie and her mother felt, and this started to get a bit annoying to be honest. Especially the mother's reactions and mental instability... But I guess it does show what being in a similar situation can do to someone.

The building up of suspense was again quite slow; since most of the book takes place in the past, the true urgency of it all is a bit lost because you already know how things are going to end. There is still power to be found in Sophie's thoughts and reactions to the events as they unfold though. We all like to think we would KNOW if someone close to us ended up being a serial killer, but would we really? I can imagine loving someone can make you blind to some of the signs, explaining them away instead of listening to your gut... Truly Darkly Deeply does a great job exploring and showing us those feelings.

The story itself is mostly slower going and focused on Sophie's experience spending time with Matty in the 1980s and how this has affected her in past and present. There is no doubt that the present POV packs a major punch at the end though, and it was one that I never saw coming despite spotting some of the red herrings. All in all it turned out to be a very successful psychological thriller that mixes a serial killer angle with family drama. 
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