Murderabilia is a dark mystery of a son who cannot escape the fact that his father was a serial killer.

Older now, William has built a life as a family man and banker for the wealthy. However, when his wife's colleague is murdered and carved up in the same way his father used to do it everything comes to light.

Now with no choice, he must speak with his father again if she wants to prove his innocence.

A riveting story where the stakes are high and nothing is at it seems.

William MacNary is a private banker for the wealthy, he is married to Jill and together they have two young children, Garth 7 and Frieda 5. They are your typical family.

But William has a secret. When he was 8 years old, his father went to prison for the murder of 13 women, his name is Harvey Dean Kogan and he was called 'The Preying Hands' killer.

He's tried to distance himself from that and focus on his family and his career until a colleague of Jill's is found murdered, the same way his father murdered and displayed his victims.

And so the race to find out who the killer is begins.

Well written and plotted story with rounded characters and details that pull you into the story more and more, the relationships between the main players is good and the pacing moves you along well.

Will look for more by this author, I really enjoy his writing.

*Huge thanks to Carl Vonderau, Midnight Ink and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

“When you’re the son of a serial killer, you can never escape your past”

Main character, William McNary, was eight years old when his father went to prison for committing heinous crimes as a serial killer. In spite of his father, William was able to create a new life for himself with a successful career in banking and a loving family of his own. Life is good for William. Until one day, a teacher (one of his wife’s colleagues) is found murdered in the same method William’s father would kill his victims. With his father in jail, that means a copycat killer is on the loose.

The title alone caught my attention and the plot description made me want to get my hands on a copy asap! This book held my attention from start to finish, the flashbacks were done perfectly and were easy to follow with the storyline. Each character was described and written about so well that you can’t help but empathize and grow a little attached to each one (my fav being Polly). Great ending and zero fluff. I love suspense books and this one lived up to the hype!

Just a Few Words:  A slow start but it definitely got interesting.  Didn't want to put it down.   So....imagine being the son or daughter of a serial killer,  and you managed to live with the secret for over 30 years.....but now someone is about to blow your secret wide open.



Murderabilia by Carl Vonderau is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Midnight Ink, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

 

My Synopsis:  (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

Harvey Dean Kogan is a serial killer.  He has been in prison for over 30 years for the murder of thirteen women.  He became even more famous for the pictures he took of his victims, and the press ended up calling him The Preying Hands for the way he arranged their bodies.  His photos started the “murderabilia” market as fans bought up his pictures.

Kogan's wife changed their names and took her 8-year old son and 13-year old daughter to live in California.  But they have always lived in fear that someone will realize who they were.  That day has come.  William McNary is now a private banker, and his sister Polly owns a restaurant.  They have done well for themselves.  William has a wife and two children, but the past is coming back to haunt him and his family.

Someone has discovered his secret, and is now framing him for a murder which is very similar to those committed by his father.  To clear his name, and keep his family safe, William is going to have to ask for help from the very man he has avoided almost all of his life.

 

My Opinions:  

I admit to struggling with the first few chapters of this book, but am unsure why.   I think I was overly excited about the premise, and it didn't seem to live up to the hype initially.  So while I anticipated a book about a serial killer's son, the beginning  just felt like a book about a wrongly accused man.

However,  once I got into the book, the plot and characters sucked me in, and the more I read, the more I wanted to.   I loved the characters of Polly and William, whose attributes sounded right for children of a killer.  I really loved hot-headed Polly.  As well, the writing was so clear that I felt I was there in the room with the characters.  I could see this becoming a movie.

This book explored the mind of a serial killer, and the impact on the remaining family.  I think this was done really well.  It felt very real.   Beware, there is a bit of gore in this one, and it's fairly dark, but those of course are the reasons I wanted to read it.  Go figure!

For a debut novel, this author is definitely one to watch!

On another matter....I hope they give it a better cover....don't like this one.

Murderabilia is the debut crime thriller of Mr Vonderau. They always say write what you know and that is exactly what the author has done as like our protagonist he is a private banker from a religious family. What I loved was the originality in a genre saturated with identikit thrillers and because of this, I read it in a single nail-biting sitting. The pace is sound; just quick enough to ensure excitement and shocks around every corner but not so fast that it gives rise to poor characterisation. This is an all-round gripping and fascinating read. Many thanks to Midnight Ink for an ARC.

Can you ever escape your past when you’re the son of a serial killer? This is the dilemma that William MacNary has been trying to solve his entire life. When he was eight-years-old his father was sent to prison after being convicted of killing thirteen women. Not only did he abduct these women, he also brutally murdered them and then staged their bodies in tableaus he would photograph. Thirty-one years have passed since William last saw his father. Not a day has passed since he last thought about him or the photos he took.

William has built a new life for himself. He has a family and is making a successful living as a banker. When a colleague of his wife goes missing and then turns up dead, his world shifts. This woman’s body has been staged to look just like the work of William’s father and to make matters worse, the scene and body are littered with fingerprints and DNA that all point to William as the killer. William maintains his innocence and claims the murder is a result of a copycat killer. In order to prove his case he’ll need to rely on the one person who knows the original crimes best. He’ll need to contact his father.

MURDERABILIA is a front row seat into the world of William MacNary, who is desperately trying to live a normal life after being subject to shame and fear when his father was convicted of being a serial killer during William’s childhood. For thirty-one years William has kept the truth about his father close to his heart and only let a select few know about his past. The death of his wife’s colleague quickly shatters this fragile reality he has built, as William is swept up into a murder investigation.

Vonderau’s writing is paced at a speed that keeps the reader on their toes. Just as you’re getting to know William and the secrets he holds close, you’re thrown head first into a murder investigation. Can the reader believe what William is telling them? While the delicate balance of trust is brief, that flicker with the truth concerning William, opens the door for the reader to bond with him. Can you imagine being framed for a crime you never committed? Can you imagine looking to the outside world like you have picked up where your father’s crimes left off?

There are a lot of winning aspects to MURDERABILIA. There is the look into William’s childhood, how he grew up thinking of his father and his home life. There is William’s current threat with a copycat killer who potentially could be targeting William’s family. Then there is my favorite aspect: meeting William’s father. It’s always interesting to be face-to-face with a serial killer in any crime fiction novel, but when there is an actual relationship between that killer and the narrator, the level of intrigue greatly increases. I’ll keep the specifics limited to avoid spoilers, but I will say that the dynamic between William and his father is excellent!

MURDERABILIA is a great addition to the crime fiction, thriller, suspense reading worlds. This is a story that will keep you guessing and keep you wanting to know more! You will feel unsettled and yet fascinated by the events unfolding between the pages.

Disclosure: Thank you to JKS Communications and Midnight Ink for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

When a serial killer masquerades as a normal, functioning family man, you don't often think of his family in the same way as his victims. Murderabilia brings the children of a serial killer into the spotlight.

It's a shame the children were so boring. William (and he actually goes by William, not Will or Bill or anything) is a banker who caters to rich people. Polly is the most stereotypical lesbian ever (it's even implied that her mistrust of her father steered her away from men entirely). But Polly (and every other side character) ends up disappearing for a huge portion of the book so William can freak out about his stalker being repetitive. Seriously. The copycat killer does everything over and over again.

This book ticks the boxes for serial killers: mommy issues, religion, abuse, dominance, ridiculous staging of bodies, sexism, the taunting murderer interviewing someone on the outside... It felt like I had seen it all before and all that was changing was the fact that the character is a banker instead of a cop.

Now this sounds like all bad things, so you might wonder where the 3-star comes from. The book isn't bad. I personally seek uniqueness and creativity in everything I read; this didn't have that. The writing is fine, the characters are fine, the story is fine, but that's what made it so predictable. I did read it in one day, though, so that might speak well of the pacing.

As a child, William was torn from his world by his father's arrest as a serial killer. As an adult, he is living under another name and trying to forget everything about his father and his crimes. Some people are obsessed with his father and the photos he took of his victims, going so far as to offer money to anyone who can find his children. William and his family are hidden until a new murder brings it all back to the surface and William must figure out who has found him. And who is trying to frame him.

Now, that sounds exciting. I don't know what it was about the story that wasn't exciting. As I read, I never found myself lost in the story. You know, when you can't stop reading and when you do you look up and forget where you are for a second. It seemed like it should have been suspenseful and I should have gotten lost in the story. But I didn't. It lacked some smoothness that would have allowed me to transition into that. I never connected with the characters and I think that was part of it. It was OK but not as good as I expected or hoped.

When you're the son of a serial killer, you can never escape your past.

Murderabilia follows the lives of William and Polly, the children of The Preying Hands serial killer, a man who has been in prison for 30+ years...for murdering 13 (or is it more?) women. The premise, almost Dexter-like, had so much potential. Unfortunately, the story just seemed disconnected and overly contrived.

With the exception of Polly, a gritty, fire-ball of a woman...all the characters seem like cardboard cut-outs. Even Harvey, the murderous psychopath, was disappointingly generic. Oddly, there was also a weird Scientology thread throughout the story. It was preachy, annoying, and caused me to dock the story half a star.

The conclusion? Meh. Underwhelming. 2.5 stars rounded down

Thanks to NetGalley, Midnight Ink, and Carl Vonderau for my advanced digital copy of this novel.

Publication date: July 8, 2019
Goodreads review published: July 4, 2019

An interesting twist on the serial killer thriller. William and Polly were children when their father was arrested and imprisoned for not only killing women but also dismembering them and posing their parts and then making "art." Not. Those women, btw, were child abusers but that's not an excuse or a positive but it does add some weight to the crime. Geez, what a legacy so it's totally logical that both of them would hide their history but now someone is preying on William and has set him up as a suspect in a crime which mirrors those of his father. He's got to confront the beast, as it were. No spoilers. The plot is just twisty enough and you will feel for William. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of the genre.

**I generously received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review**

Murderabilia by Carl Vonderau focuses on the son of a serial killer, whose murders were grotesque and horrific. William, the serial killer’s son, has tried his best to move on with his life after the shocking revelation that the man he and his sister knew as Pop lived a double life as a monster. William has changed his name and moved to a different city to escape the stigma of being such a madman’s son. He’s now a banker with a supportive and very compassionate wife, Jill, and two young children.

William’s life is rocked to its core when he is arrested for the murder of an acquaintance - a murder with many similarities to his father’s signature methods. Who is trying to paint him as a serial killer? Why is this person targeting William and his family? With not many people on his side, William knows the clock is ticking down, and he must protect his wife and children from a lunatic copycat. Lurking underneath it all is the horrible fear that he may, in some small part, be like his father.

This novel had tremendous potential. The premise of the story had me on board immediately. However, the execution left something to be desired. There were many jumps back to moments from William’s life - as a child, with an ultra religious upbringing, and his life after college where he first set out to become a successful photojournalist before he turned away to the world of finance. Although we learned a lot of facts about William, somehow his true character was never fully developed.

Many parts of this book drove me absolutely mad. At several points, I found myself feeling like I was watching a horror film where the main character has just run back up the stairs while the killer’s in her house rather than out the front door. Those helpless moments where you want to scream at the TV were easily invoked, but I’m not sure if that was deliberate on the author’s part.

I found the female characters in this novel - mainly Jill, the wife, and Polly, William’s sister - to be more likable and well drawn than William.

All in all, this was a solid novel, but it was missing a lot of the tension I expect from a thriller or mystery. I think some of this was due to all the time centered around William’s childhood upbringing; unfortunately it made the novel lose steam. His father was very well crafted and his crimes were chilling.

Overall, I’d give this novel a 3 out of 5.

Trying again to write a review. Yes, I clicked on the stars review so there should be a star review! I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Highly recommend this novel for fans of James Patterson's Alex Cross novels, Robin Cook and Stephen King.

Thank you to Midnight Ink and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A compelling and dark read, with well-drawn characterizations of the two siblings (Polly and William). Not all the other characters were as well-written, but the family history - and the agonizing consequences of having to live with their father's actions/crimes - drew me in. Some of the back story could have been more stringently edited, but it's tense and suspenseful, and culminates in a strong ending.

Excellent debut, and I look forward to reading more from this author!

Somewhere between 3-4 stars. I've no idea where though...

Murderabilia started off strong, capturing my attention with the sure-fire dangling carrot of a serial killer. Well, sure-fire for me. This particular serial killer seems to be harassing/stalking the son of an infamous serial killer.


actual footage of me discovering there were serial killers aplenty.

William is a mid-level banker happily married to a school teacher. They have two kids and live a quiet life in San Diego. Totally nondescript but I think he's deliberately built a life that's safe and ordinary to both escape and distance himself from his atypical childhood with a serial killer father and a religious fanatic mother.

Then a man claiming to be his brother throws his world into upheaval and he soon finds himself the prime suspect in a murder!


#MuchExcite

So... in case you haven't figured it out yet. The beginning of Murderabilia was a win at Casa de Cupcake. Part psychological thriller and part police procedural, both of which sent me into some spontaneous jazz hands.

The middling bits I didn't think were as strong. The narrative shifts more into 'the making of a serial killer', examining the factors that can contribute to becoming a sociopath. This is much covered territory for me so my attention waned but I don't think others will necessarily have the same issue. Nevertheless, Murderabilia finished strong. I thoroughly enjoyed the cat and mouse shenanigans and The Preying Hands actually reminded me a little of...



Vonderau did a fine job with the characterizations of the main characters. Polly, the sister, was my favorite. She's ballsy, kind of a hot-head and thus amusing. But both Polly and William I thought were well constructed with regard to their feelings surrounding their father and how the ramifications of being raised by their parents have manifested themselves in their adult lives, respectively. The sick and twisted part of me really loved the photography and how that played a role for William, the self-proclaimed "son" of The Preying Hands as well as the man himself.

Overall, I enjoyed it but I do wish the pacing were more consistent and that it was a tad more... mind-fucky? stabby? bad wrong? *shrugs* Regardless, I would recommend it to fans of psychological thrillers, police procedurals and whodunits. Triggers for murder and violence (obvs), mentions of childhood abuse and animal cruelty.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Murderabilia by Carl Vonderau is deliciously twisted and dark. This serial killer conundrum will have you quaking in your boots and flinching at shadows. If you’re faint of heart or startle easily, this might not be the book for you. But if you’re steely enough,scare yourself silly with this one. I highly recommend it.

I read a lot of thrillers and they can get a little same-y at times but this one is nothing like the standard offerings.

I would recommend this book to fans of true crime who perhaps, would rather read about fictional serial killers every now and again and for fans of dark thrillers. The characters are so believable and well written that I actually googled Harvey because I thought he could be a real serial killer, the triple name is such a smart move. The murders are dark and twisted but not gory to the point that you'll want to put the book down. It's the perfect balance.

The book sadly lost my attention a little bit around the 20 to 30% mark but once I was past that point, it was captivating, fast paced and absolutely grabbed my attention right to the end.

Murders aside, I loved the element of family and memories and the conflict between what you know and believe as a kid to what you know to be true as an adult.

A very interesting read, I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for what this author releases next!

First, thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an e-galley of this book.

William is happily married, with 2 beautiful children. He is a personal banker and is very happy with his life. He gets along great with his sister, and all is well, until it's not.

Someone has found out his true identity, and they are framing him for his wife's co-workers murder. Why? Who could be doing this to him? Only one person could tell, and William hasn't spoken to him in over 30 years.

I couldn't put this book down!
#NetGalley #Murderabilia

I am such a fan of reading from the perspective of the main character; it really helps you to lose yourself in the story, as you get to experience everything at the same time. This is an especially good tool for this type of novel because we only know the same information as the lead character, making it even harder to guess who is guilty.

Although the story is primarily a crime / thriller / murder mystery type novel, it still explores a variety of themes, including family life, parental relationships, abusive relationships, the aftermath of conflict and the broad spectrum that types of love can cover.

The novel is really well written and kept me intrigued from the very beginning; the pace moves quickly enough that you don't get lost, and slow enough that the suspense often gets a chance to build. It was a thrilling read and some of those suspenseful moments truly made my heart race and the ending ties up all of the loose ends with really well thought out explanations, making this a five star read.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks NetGalley!

the title and cover definitely caught my eye.
this is a story about a serial killer's son who started a new life... 31 year s or so later, a copycat murder occurs that points all fingers to him. what happens next?

This is a chillingly story of a serial killer, told from his son’s perspective, who was a young child when his father was arrested and imprisoned, 31 years ago. After his father’s arrest, his mother, William, and his sister, moved from the mid-west to the west coast (and changed their names, to hide from the media and the ‘fans’ of the crimes. Now, someone is using his father’s M.O., killing again. Everything points to William, and the police arrest him under suspicion of murder. William hasn’t seen or spoken to his father since his arrest, but feels sure he must know something about these new murders.
The characters in this story are so believable, reading it gave me chills. It is a very dark story and the writing is so compelling, it was difficult to put down. I strongly recommend this book and this author. Excellent work!