Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary advance reader copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This was the first book I’ve read by this author. It was an okay book, the storyline was good and I liked the characters I just felt that this story needed more development.

This book started off with great promise but just failed to deliver. There were no twists, no mystery and too many blogs and overall, disappointing. I failed to connect with the characters or the plot and gave up halfway through. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

I am a true crime fanatic, serial killers are a monstrosity we all want to figure out. Thus i was very excited to get the opportunity to read this. And I did really like it as it drew in the idea of internet sleuths. It started out great but after all the stories, past and present come at you the character count adds up and keeping track of who is who gets tangled at times. For this reason I am holding back on the 5 start review. But it really was worth the read and figuring out if there was one serial killer, or many was a mystery to get through. Murder should never be called 'wonderful' but man it sure is twisted and entertaining. Author wrote great characters that you feel for and root for to solve a decade worth of crime.

Wow was this story creepy!! You have to love creepy serial killers! I wasn't sure how I would feel about this book, but I'm so glad I read it. With the lights on of course!!

When the blurb said this is an edge of your seat thriller, they weren't lying.

I loved this thriller and I am a person who reads a LOT of thrillers. The story was so full of surprising elements that I really didn't see the twists and turns coming. The characters drew me in so much that I read this in one sitting. It was such an enjoyable new thriller.

Highly recommended

This is the chilling, creepy and unnerving story of a serial killer, his victim, her mother and 2 young children out for a bit of an adventure amongst the ruins of an old mental hospital in the north west UK city of Lancaster.

Told from multiple points of view, this is a pretty fast moving book, once the usual introductions to the various characters has been completed, and what a great cast of characters the author has created here. The author is also clearly adept at describing the eerie setting and at creating atmosphere ... I was transported to the old hospital, the derelict caravan and the woods surrounding them. The tension and fear in each of the characters is really well told and builds and builds throughout until the gripping and nail-biting conclusion.

Although I enjoyed this book, I do have a few issues that prevent this from being a 5 star read - there was next to nothing regarding the Police input or investigation and they came across as being inept and pretty useless, particularly at the end but I won't go into it here as it would be a spoiler but you will see what I mean when you read it. Also, the blog posts inserted at various points didn't really do anything for me or add to the story that much and I wonder if they were put there as a red-herring?

Despite the niggling issues, this is a creditable and decent debut and even though there are a few unanswered questions, in addition to the cliff-hanger, they are either left to the imagination of the reader or are going to be resolved in another instalment? If so, I would definitely read it.

My thanks go to HarperCollinsUK and One More Chapter via NetGalley for my advance copy in return for an unbiased and unedited review.

This novel was just ok for me, likely because I didn’t feel a connection to the characters or the plot. The start of this book had me excited and invested but about halfway I got lost. At times I found the plot quite confusing, with all the varying points of view and wish the author limited this to couple characters. Finally, the ending left me with remaining questions which I never like.

When Helen Summerton's daughter, Zoe, is kidnapped, can the mystery be solved before its too late? Told from multiple perspectives, this was a fast-paced, page-turning thriller that had me racing through it. The author absolutely has a flair for getting tension off the page and into your head. I found myself actively stressed out at multiple points.

Unfortunately, the actual details fell a lil flat for me. I enjoyed the multiple POVs but realistically there was probably a few too many. I enjoyed the majority of the facets of the story, but wanted much more detail from most of them. I feel this could have been two completely separate books, where the details get to be explored rather than just touched upon.

I will say, I think is an impressive debut and is absolutely worth a read if you fancy stressing yourself out for a couple of hours. Rosie Walker writes atmospherically and manufactures suspense excellently, I can't wait to see what she does next.

Big thanks to the author, NetGalley, and One More Chapter for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Due to be released on kindle 17/07/20.

An accurate rating of this book would be 2.5 stars.

It was engaging, and I just needed to get to the end and figure out what happened.

However, I did not care for the way it was written. If the word “apex predator” was used one more time, I was going to chuck my Kindle across the room. The story is told in an omniscient perspective, from four different POVs. I don’t think that helped the story. Finally, this is a book about serial killers, but reading parts of this just made me feel dirty. So much about blood and waiting for your prey and sucking the life out of things... Something just wasn’t right there.

Man, I wanted to LOVE this book, but I only just enjoyed it. The alternating character perspectives tripped me up a bit at first, but then I started to really grasp the story. The beginning was super slow for me, but the ending was gripping, fast-paced, and I couldn’t put it down until I finished it!

Wow, this was a surprise! I did struggle at first with the focus changing from one character's story to another, but once I got into it, it was fine. It starts out slow & gradually builds - the last 20-30% was gripping! The ending was a little abrupt & unsatisfactory, but otherwise, I really enjoyed it.

*** 3.5 - 4 Stars ***
Expected Publication: August 7th, 2020

This was so creepy and almost scary, I thought for sure I'd have nightmares.
Helen's daughter Zoe has been taken by the local serial killer, a serial killer that has spanned decades without being found. The scenes while she is captured are so detailed and creepy you feel like you're there witnessing this horrific act. Will Zoe survive? Will the serial killer be caught?
I found the beginning of this a little confusing. A lot of characters introduced in a short time span. However once I had everyone straight things flowed and made sense to me.
I really don't know how to review this because I was just so creeped out by it. I did like the alternating point of views as the story unfolded but one point of criticism I have was the paper articles regarding the serial killer sprinkled throughout the story I found confusing and just didn't add to the story well for me.

Special thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for allowing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for approving my request to read on netgalley.

What a phenomal book,not only that but a debut! This is amazing and puts the thrill into psychological thrillers. Scary,tense,chilling and terrifying.

We get real insight into the mind of the dark and disturbed and on that level reminded me of fiona cummins books. Hugely creepy and disturbing but you cant stop reading.

It had everything for me,fast paced,creepy location, alternative narratives and great charactars.This will get right under your skin…
Highly recommend and i cant wait to read more from Rosie!

Published in ebook 17th july and paperback 15th October

Where do I even begin with this book? I LOVED IT! Rosie Walker does a fantastic job of setting up the creepiest setting ever, an abandoned insane asylum with a shady past, and gives you multiple different character points of view that take this novel to another level. I found it perfectly creepy and dark without being overly gory and throughout the book there are clues that are dropped at just the perfect time to lead the reader on the hunt for the serial killer. This is one book I couldn't put down!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

I enjoyed this book. The beginning was attention grabbing, a mystery about an insane asylum, with enough hints dropped it would get dark by the end. The main character was strong, with plenty of agency, and someone I wouldn't want to meddle with -- she made a great contender throughout the book. My main complaint was that it started incredibly strong, but petered out quickly, and felt uneven. I wasn't as into other POVs as I was the main character's.

There was just too much going on in this book for me to follow it. I thought there were lots of great ideas, but quality always wins for me. I thought the plot points had a lot of potential, particularly on the Urban Dark Reporter. I thought the plot was going to come together at one point, but there were too many loose strings. I may check out this author again.

A huge thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ecopy. This certainly was a thrill ride from start to finish. I really did not want to put this down yet it was creepy and sometimes I just had to~! Right off from the very start you realize how wonderfully meticulous the author is about details. Everything is pointed out at just the right moment. We as readers learned a lot of things as it was happening to the characters! I enjoyed this one, and wow that ending! you have to read it to believe it. I can't wait to check out more by the author!

High-octane suspense from beginning to end is just the beginning of what to expect from this dark and twisty path of two days in the life of a serial killer.

What I Liked

The novel is a rapid read that I didn’t want to put down while at the same time wanting to look away for fear of what was going to happen next. It has elements of horror that left me unsettled long after I closed the book.

It was interesting how focused the plot is on what turns out to be just around forty-eight hours. It is incredible how much can happen in only a short period. The setting is perfect for the tale – an ornate and sprawling former insane asylum deep in the woods. A very creepy setting for a terrifying story. The old trashed camper in the woods near the asylum is an excellent little touch, too.

I loved the touch of the dark web and the online newspaper full of articles about mysteries. It provided an unusual conduit for information on the antagonist and how that killer came to be.

What I Wish

I wish that the characters had been developed more, even if just the main characters. Though the suspense is nonstop, I didn’t know enough about any of the characters to feel a connection that would have served to deepen that suspense.

To Read or Not to Read

If you enjoy light horror and stories about serial killers, this is the perfect read for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐

PUBLICATION DAY: July 17, 2020!!!!!

There’s a serial killer on the loose!

PLOT SUMMARY:
Helen’s worst fears are realized when her teenage daughter Zoe doesn’t return to her ex’s house after a night out with friends at the bar. Where is she? Is she proving her independence? Or has something happened to her? Helen knows her daughter and she’s sure she’s in danger. With little help from the police and a sense of urgency she can’t deny, Helen digs deeply into the disappearance and evidence of a serial killer terrorizing their community becomes clear...can Helen sort through the clues in time to find her daughter?

PROS and CONS:
In Secrets of a Serial Killer, there is one of the spookiest scenes I have read in a very long time. Reading it at night was not a good idea as I was seriously creeped out! The setting of the decrepit asylum was sinister and unnerving and the depiction of one character in particular was very well done.

However, there were many confusing elements to this one...the history of the previous serial killer who had been committed to the asylum. The articles from an unknown author from the dark web. The backstory of Thomas and his family situation. I wasn’t sure what exactly was going on.

I did like the bravery of the two children, and there was a creepy vibe to the entire book. I think it has a lot of potential, but perhaps wasn’t perfect in its execution. However I saw a great deal of promise and I’m excited to see what this author comes out with next!

YES or NO:
It’s a MAYBE - there were some great elements but I think having a little less going on would have worked a bit better.

3 Stars

ps I did try to review on Amazon.ca but received the following error message: "This item is not eligible to be reviewed."