I recently read an incredible book that I absolutely loved, despite some mixed reviews. It's a thrilling combination of true crime and fiction that kept me on the edge of my seat. The story explores a complicated inheritance, a chilling dark website, and an old asylum, all tied together by a mysterious murderer. I was captivated from the first page and couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. The ending was a complete surprise, and I couldn't stop thinking about it for days. If you enjoy exciting thrillers and fascinating true crime stories, this book is a must-read!

The premise of this book was so good but the execution wasn’t as good as it could have been
The middle section of the book lacked something.

Didn't care for the book or the characters. The book was written well just too much going on and not enough character development. It was just weird to me and to many things going on. The weirdest part was the RV in the woods just couldn't get that out of my head and those two little kids and how they help. It was just weird to me. Thank you NetGalley for the book

Secrets of a Serial Killer is a chilling, edge-of-your-seat thriller that readers won’t be able to put down. Following Helen Summerton as she races to discover the secrets of the serial killer that has taken her daughter, Zoe, the suspense never waivers and readers will be left breathless until the very end.

Rosie Walker’s atmospheric and captivating writing draws you in and keeps you enthralled until the end. With themes of mystery and intrigue, along with edge-of-your-seat suspense and unexpected twists, Secrets of a Serial Killer is a gripping read. Perfect for fans of true crime novels and thrilling suspense, this book is one not to be missed!

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

Secrets of a Serial Killer was a great, unputdownable thriller that really had me on the edge of my seat! I enjoyed reading it and really was captivated the whole time.

In her debut novel Rosie Walker reveals the secrets that so many want to know:

There has been a serial killer terrorizing Lancaster for decades, something completely unusual for a serial killer, never has there been one that that lasted this long. The police are completely baffled and there are no new clues to go on, therefore, true crime forums and armchair detectives all have their own theories. When another girl goes missing, her mother Helen will do anything she can to find her daughter but will she be able to unlock the secret of this serial killer before it is too late.

I'm a big fan of reading debut authors, I love finding the next great author that is up and coming. I had really high hopes for this book as the title is one to sure to bring you to the book stand and pick up just even to read the back of it but this is my first DNF book that I am going to review this year.

I tried to read this book multiple times and just could not get into it. I think that Walker suffered from trying to do too much with too many characters / plot line that I could not really follow the story as well as I wanted to. With all the POVs I never really came to care about the characters, really get to know them, or feel invested in them, so it was time to put the book down.

Now here is the thing, I think at Walker has a great ability to write and tell a story as the elements are all there, I just think that there was a lack of a critical eye some where along the way that would allow for Walker to tone it down a bit. Someone needed to say there is too much going on here and to simplify things a bit. This does not mean make the plot less twisty but maybe loose a POV or two to ground the story more.

All that said I think that I would try another book by Walker, but i would read the reviews first beforehand.

Cheers!!!

Although a little slow to start, I eventually found this to be a page turner. Inevitably, a book where anyone is kidnapped will always hold my attention. It was dark, it was twisted and just the right amount of creepy with the location of an ancient asylum. With four main protagonists, I enjoyed following Him (the kidnapper) and his thoughts and mindset.

I also enjoyed both the cast of characters and writing style. Everything came together and flowed well throughout the book. The snippets of information and blog comments relating to the terror of a previous serial killer, McVitie, added extra mystery to it too.

I haven't seen much about Secrets of a Serial Killer on bookstagram and it has been on my approved Netgalley list for a while, so thought I'd best get reading.

Although a little slow to start, I eventually found this to be a page turner. Inevitably, a book where anyone is kidnapped will always hold my attention. It was dark, it was twisted and just the right amount of creepy with the location of an ancient asylum. With four main protagonists, I enjoyed following Him (the kidnapper) and his thoughts and mindset.

I also enjoyed both the cast of characters and writing style. Everything came together and flowed well throughout the book. The snippets of information and blog comments relating to the terror of a previous serial killer, McVitie, added extra mystery to it too.

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

I am sorry but I couldn't get into this story at all. I tried reading and listening but it just didn't grab me.

This was the first book I have ever read by this author. I enjoyed reading it. I felt immersed in the story. Will be looking out to other books by this author in the future. Definitely recommend.

I really enjoyed this book. It was thrilling and was suspenseful. I couldn't put it down. I can't wait to read more from this author!

The story is gripping and keeps you wanting to read on to see what happens. There were a few little things that bugged me - such as the 10 year olds not really acting/sounding their age, and the characters somewhat lacking depth - but overall this was a great read. The ending left me with more questions than answers and I really hope there will be a second book. Would recommend to you thriller lovers!

O.M.G!! What an edge-of-your-seat thrill-ride! When I first perused the reviews for this book, I was wondering if it was going to be another average read. But now that I've finished I have to wonder...did I read the same book? Maybe the idea of such a fascinating concept married with the dark and disturbing in such an original and unique way is what drew me in and kept me there throughout. Because seriously, SECRETS OF A SERIAL KILLER is so well thought out and cleverly written that the suspense just keeps on building and a steady pace until...BOOM! The story unravels in a mass of psychological twists and thrills and nail-biting suspense that will have you turning the pages and guessing until the very end! Honestly, this is such an addictive and exciting it is hard to believe that this is the author's debut.

The first piece of expertise is the setting. Everyone loves an old gothic Victorian building bereft of life but for the ghosts that lurk its now empty halls. It's looming structure a sinister silhouette against a blackened sky in the half light, a face in the window, a light in the shadows...an atmospheric eeriness that is both creepy and exciting.

The author expertly set the scene within the first chapters as Helen Summerton takes her morning stroll with her dog Alfie in the grounds of the now abandoned Lancaster Lune Asylum. Alfie runs off in search of squirrels or something else that grabbed his attention with Helen hot on his heels as she soon finds herself within the skeletal remains of the building. Alfie returns present her with a gift. A ballet slipper, blue speckled with a brown rusted colour. A fleeting thought as to whose it could be before the looming figure of a security guard reminds her that she is trespassing. His presence alerts Alfie whose hackles are instantly raised and the dog gives a low growl at the unwelcome intruder who then ushers them from the building and its grounds.

Helen is an architect who is part of the team re-designing and re-structuring the old mental hospital into "luxury living spaces" - not flats! And she has no idea how this very building is going to haunt her nightmares to come...and not in the way she thinks with endless conference calls with the council and developers about the re-designing of the space. No, Lancaster Lune Asylum is going to factor into her nightmares in a whole other aspect.

Seventeen year old ZoeLeonard McVitie, who died three decades ago in the old Asylum overlooking the city. As the boys talk, Zoe goes off in search of Abbie who appears to be languishing herself over an older guy at the jukebox. A bit rich, considering her boyfriend Max is just a few feet away. But Abbie is three sheets to the wind and encouraging Zoe to come and meet Paul. Torn between not wanting to be a part of Abbie's self-destructive behaviour and an instinct to keep her friend safe, Zoe tells Dane they'll catch them up as the boys move off to another pub. That's the last time they see her.

Waking up in what she perceives a box that jostles around, Zoe has no idea what happened or where she is. She vaguely recalls Abbie encouraging her to pick up this guy but then after that...it gets a bit fuzzy. Surely she didn't have that much to drink. Her head hurts and her eyes close as she drifts off to sleep once again.

Eleven year old Thomas is not a happy camper. His mother has just told him that his 10 year old cousin Maggie is coming to stay and he must share his room with her. He used to like Maggie staying but she's a bit bossy these days. Still she can be fun sometimes...and today she has an idea. To find a caravan that's nestled in the depths of the woods that they can use as their den, a hideout from the grown-ups. Thomas thinks this is a pretty good idea. But the caravan, when thy find it, turns out to be old, dank and smelly and Thomas isn't sure he likes it much there. But Maggie is on a mission. And when they leave there to return home, Thomas isn't sure he wants to return there with the silhouette of the old asylum looming over them. It's distinctly creepy. But return they must because Maggie left something behind and they must find it before her older brother discovers it missing. It's their return that turns into a whole other adventure neither child had anticipated.

When retired detective Tony calls his ex-wife early the next morning to report that Zoe did not come home last night, Helen's world begins to crumble. She rings Zoe's friends, she calls the police...but no one seems to take her concerns seriously. Not even Tony. Except her neighbour Janet Mitchell, a journalist who has been working on highlighting the mysterious disappearances of teenage girls for the past few decades. And now it seems Zoe has joined their ranks. Between her reports and the links to theories about deceased serial killer McVitie, Helen begins to fear for her daughter's life. Can Helen save her daughter before it's too late? And it's not until Janet goes to wake her son Thomas and cousin Maggie the following morning, that she discovers their beds have not been slept in that her world, too, comes crashing down.

But how is Zoe's disappearance and that of two adventurous missing children who should have been tucked up in bed connected? And what has it to do with the old asylum and a dead serial killer?

The clever concept in SECRETS OF A SERIAL KILLER tells of one serial killer passing down his knowledge to another who thus passes their knowledge down also, therefore creating generations born from one sadistic serial killer. What makes them undetectable is that there is no trace of their victims ever and no trace of the perpetrator either. So the crimes can continue over the years undetected and no one is none the wiser. But someone has missed these teenage girls who disappeared in the 1980s and 1990s and yet they have disappeared without a trace. And then the disappearances stopped. Or did they?

The story unfolds through the narratives of Helen, Zoe, Thomas and "Him", weaving together a clever tale that is made more interesting by the imposing presence of the abandoned asylum that connects them. There was also the inclusion of snippets from the dark web and true crime fanatics' reports under the guise of "Dark Urban Reporter" theorising about deceased serial killer McVitie and the unexplained disappearances thenceforth outlining the possibility of a protege who continued the work of McVitie long after his death. And then there is the star of the story...ALFIE!!

A fast paced read that will have you hooked from the very beginning - well, it did me - SECRETS OF A SERIAL KILLER is captivating, addictive and unique in its concept as well as being dark, disturbing and distinctively creepy. The gothic atmosphere of the imposing abandoned asylum created a deeply unnerving eeriness that was chilling and yet completely absorbing. Set over a course of three days, this tightly drawn thriller that is a quick unputdownable read packs a powerful punch right up to its shocking end.

Pure adrenaline pumping, tense and terrifying, SECRETS OF A SERIAL KILLER is intense from beginning to end that is a twisted, ruthless and compelling read that gets you right in the mind of the monster and his victim. It is a nightmare from which you can escape...even if it haunts you thereafter.

Dark, disturbing and a brilliant debut! Perfect for fans of the more darker twisted type of psychological thriller.

I would like to thank #RosieWalker, #Netgalley and #OneMoreChapter for an ARC of #SecretsOfASerialKiller in exchange for an honest review.

A gripping page turner that kept me in suspense. Really like the concept however the characters seemed a little one dimensional. There also appeared to be too many clues throughout the book as to who the killer is. Nonetheless it kept me reading!

I believe this is a debut novel and therefore I’m giving the book 3.5 stars and look forward to Rosie’s next novel.

The writing style and twists in Secrets of a Serial Killer will make your skin crawl. Absolutely adored this book! Will be purchasing for the library's collection.

DNF - did not finish. I decided to not finish this title. It was not for me. Thank you, NetGalley and publisher for the early copy.

Such a great thriller with relatable characters and a chilling plot that keeps you guessing from beginning to end. The details are a little disturbing but the writing is so well done. I can't wait to read more by this author. This book was fast paced and leaves you with chills.

Loved this one! So easy to read and lots ofntwists and turns along the way. Decinitely a quick read and one I recommend.