Helen is involved in the development of a run down historical asylum and at home struggling with her 17 year old daughter, who thinks she is an adult and knows better than her mum! When Zoe doesn’t come home has she fallen foul to the urban legend of a serial killer that the police won’t investigate but the internet believes in?
This book grabbed me straight away and when you sit up way past your bedtime to finish it then that ticks my boxes! Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.
When girls begin to go missing in Lancaster, people begin to wonder if a long, quiet serial killer has begun to kill again. Or does he have an apprentice? With an abandoned insane asylum, missing teenage girls and a distraught mother searching for her daughter, you have the ingredients for an interesting thriller. But, this was more than interesting to me. I ended up sitting up all night to complete it and find the truth and it was well worth the lost sleep! Make sure you pick this one up as soon as you can!

This was an excellent mystery/thriller novel that I enjoyed reading. The storyline literally kept me glued to the pages. I can’t recommend the book enough!

Secrets of a Serial Killer was a slow burn suspense for me. I probably reread the first chapter two or three times because I just wasn't following what was happening. Once I got through the first couple of chapters I was captivated by Helen's determination to outsmart the killer who kidnapped her child. Walker's ability to describe a setting of a story is a gift that not many author's possess. This book's description sometimes felt too detailed, but in the end I found a great appreciation for Walker's ability to create a setting that went so well with each character and tone of those chapters. I enjoyed the addition to people not wanting to believe that something terrible had happened to Zoe as Zoe is a teenager who might possiblity be acting out.

It was a little slow to start and at first there was too many characters and it confused me, but once it got going it was easier to follow and I got into it.
Quite a good story, not the most gripping but I still enjoyed it.

Once the action started, I had to keep going to find out what the next page would bring. This is definitely gripping, scary, and fairly realistic. This was a very different spin on the "usual" serial killer thrillers (if there is such a thing) which I appreciated. I ended up getting really angry with a couple of parents! Overall, a decent read--I do recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley for the preview of this book.. it was my first time reading a book from Walker and I wasn't let down. It was a great read with a fast moving and thrilling plot. It will certainly grab your attention during lockdown!

My thoughts
Would I recommended it?Yes
Would I read more by this author?Yes
Wow what a story and just what I needed to read, for these gloomy days that we've been having.Right from the start it had me hooked and wouldn't let go. It was dark, and twisted as well as some right creepy and I loved how the author wrote it which made it so much more enjoyable to read.And other thing I loved was the author's writing style, and how she wrote her characters and how they seemed to flow and come together as well as come to life right off the pages. With that said I want to thank One more Chapter , as well as the their Facebook group and NetGalley for letting me read and review it .

Helen’s ex-husband has definitely moved on – new wife, new family, new job, and tonight their 17 year old daughter is supposed to be staying with them and her mother, Helen is looking forward to a peaceful evening. So Zoe is meeting up with her friends in a local pub but in reality her friend Abbie is being a pain, ignoring her boyfriend she sets out to flirt with Zoe’s boyfriend and then homes in on a much older guy standing at the bar, and she puts on a show, flirting and posing. Then everything goes wrong and Zoe fails to arrive home to her father’s house or to her mother’s house.

What do we need for a recipe to make a thriller,
A derelict asylum close by that is rumoured to be haunted – perfect!.
Two children in search of excitement and adventure – check.
Articles posted on the dark web relating to a mysterious serial killer – check.
Theories in abundance regarding missing girls over many years – check.
Segments from the ‘villian’s pov – check.
Obnoxious friend – check.
Mistrust of everybody involved – check.
A cute dog – check.

Now all you have to do is mix it all together, it takes a few hours and you will have a really good read. A very satisfying thriller, a bit heavy on the cruelty and blood – but just about OK for those with a weak stomach. Mind you, must add, could have skipped the creepy mother – but then you can’t just skip ingredients you don’t like, can you?

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

A serial killer is stalking young women. Who will be next? I liked the premise of this book, the feeling of history. The author is definitely talented and does a great job with dialogue in particular. I liked the portions in the serial killer's voice the most - since that's mostly what I expected from a book entitled "Secrets of a Serial Killer." I also liked some of the historical nods and references to Jack the Ripper and other serial killers of the past and I found the portions on the dark web especially creepy. Ultimately though as a thriller adrenaline junkie, I found the other narrators (aside from the killer) somewhat less interesting and their portions made the story slower moving with a few too many characters until later in the book when a new victim is taken by the killer - at that point the pace picks up and I got more involved. I also did not love the twist of who the killer was and some of the motivation for the killings, especially in the historical context. Having said that, there was potential here and definitely stuff to like, especially for fans of serial killer history. I will give this author another look as I would love to see what she could do with a book totally narrated by a villain or a book that focuses more on the more crucial characters like the killer and the victim - she definitely has strength in that area of those character voices. I would give this book 3.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollinsUK and Rosie Walker for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

Lancaster has been terrorized by a serial killer for decades and now Helen Summerton’s worst fears have come to pass when her daughter Zoe is taken. Helen will do anything to get her daughter back, but how can she succeed and find a killer the police have been unable to catch for years?https://cayocosta72.wordpress.com/2020/05/15/secrets-of-a-serial-killer-by-rosie-walker-published-by-harpercollins-uk/

A great read well written suspense.Keeps you guessing from start to finish.Leaves you feeling there must be something to follow.Would recommend to anyone who likes crime thrillers.

Thank you Netgallery for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. All opinions are my own. I went into this book so excited I thought it would be great but I was disappointed greatly.

Secrets of a Serial Killer is a rather creepy thriller that draws you in and keeps you hooked with it's skilfully written plot. It's one you will not put down once you start it.

A very easy read that I read in one day, It held my interest enough that I wanted to find out what happened but read my like a teen fiction or light reading rather than a “serial killer” book. A nice book but unfortunately not really for me.

I want to thank NetGalley, HarperCollins UK/One More Chapter, and author Rosie Walker for providing me with an ARC of Secrets of a Serial Killer!

This novel will have you on the edge of your seat and flipping through the pages as fast as you can! A serial killer has been terrorizing Lancaster for decades and has been eluding arrest for longer than should be possible. The kills span generations and speculation is high among true crime lovers on the internet. A mother’s worst nightmare comes to pass when her daughter is taken by the killer. As the clock runs down, you start to wonder… Will they save her in time?

I loved the inclusion of elements like a cast of believable and fully developed characters, an abandoned mental asylum, and an unexpected ending. This will make your skin crawl and keep you up as you hear things go bump in the night. I only wish the ending would have been wrapped up and finished a bit more nicely. What a chilling, thrilling, and creepy read, though! Definitely recommend this one!

Thank you to those named above for the chance to read and review this ARC!

This is the type of book which grabs you by the throat and refuses to let go until you turn the final page. I stayed up way too late reading it and then got up early to finish - it's that good.

It tells the story of a serial killer who took on the identity of others to conceal his crimes, most of which are still undiscovered as a result. So skilled is he that many deaths are written off as mere missing persons and having chosen his victims carefully, they're not investigated.

It's not perfect. I hated that the ending was left unresolved. Just one extra chapter would have tied things up neatly one way or another. And there's an anonymous author of blog posts who is never identified, which I found frustrating.

Nevertheless, I loved this so much I want to read it all over again straight away!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

#SecretsOfASerialKiller #NetGalley
A good read.
A serial killer has been terrorising Lancaster for decades, longer than should ever have been possible. The police are baffled, eluded at every turn by the killer whose victims span generations. Speculation is rife among the true crime forums; is someone passing on their gruesome trade?Every local mother's worst nightmare has become Helen Summerton's reality; he’s taken her daughter, Zoe. As the clock runs down so do her chances of survival. Can Helen unearth the secrets of the killer before it’s too late?
Its antagonist is awesome but plot is a bit slow in middle and in end.
Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for giving me an advance copy.

This book was a wild ride from start to finish. With echoes of Cropsey and other such legends from the UK relating to old sanatoriums, it had an eerie feel from start to finish and had me glancing into corners of my bedroom as I read through the night. I kept saying to myself ‘Just one more chapter’ but didn’t get to stop before I finished because it was just a twist at every turn.

The characters are a bit hit and miss- I really liked some of them but found others irritating. With that said, that was kind of the point of them. There are some people who we’re just not going to like, and I suppose that’s what happened here with a few of the characters. However, the children were wonderful, and I found their POV possibly the best out of the whole of them.

The ending of the book is a cracker as well, with a lot left in the air but in a good way, the kind of heart-stopper that you wish had a follow-up but know that’s part of the charm. I do think it should have had maybe another title, but besides that, it’s a great thriller that will keep you turning pages on and on into the night. I really enjoyed this one- it’s a fun read and it gives just the right amount of spook.

I could NOT put this book down!

When I found out that this is Walker’s first book I couldn’t believe it. Walker writes such an incredible, fast-paced, and thrilling story of a county plagued by a mystery serial killer. Police can’t seem to figure it out or even admit that crimes are taking place. “No body, no murder, no crime.” Right?

The relationship between Zoe and her mother, Helen, is very typical teenage daughter to mother relationship but adds to the story that much more. The entangling of the characters story lines adds substance to the story that doesn’t make it seem too far fetched (as I find a lot of thrillers/ crime novels do).

The incorporation of the online blog posts feed into the story so well and really enhance the format. After every post, you learn more about the suspected killer and their history and it just makes this book impossible to put down.

The ending found me jaw dropped!

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter HC for allowing me access to this book before its publish date (July 17th, 2020) for honest review!