At the start of this book, I honestly thought this would end up being a 4 star. I enjoyed the use of multiple perspectives, from children to adults, and the mysterious "HIM", and it felt fast paced and interesting. However, as I continued reading, it just kept falling flat.

The plot started out fairly interesting, and the different perspectives kept things going nicely and had me hooked. It felt creepy and dark, and I was enjoying it. As it went on, the plot felt very formulaic and obvious, nothing we haven't seen a million times before. I've read a lot of thrillers, and this one just didn't make my jaw drop at any point and the tropes were overused and clichéd. I still stuck with it and hoped it would shock me, and it just didn't. The ending was really lacklustre and while it clearly tried to be a jaw dropper on the final page, it just... wasn't? They tried to go for the vague and open ending, but I ended up feeling disappointed and with more loose ends than I could shake a stick at. The side characters of Max, Dane and Abbie were all left super open ended in a way that I didn't like, and I just had too many unanswered questions to find the ambiguity interesting or mysterious.

(*SPOILERS*)
Speaking of the ending, I absolutely hated the fact that I got 80% into a book, and all it takes for them to find Zoe is FIND MY IPHONE?!?!?! THAT'S IT?! Look maybe it's just me being picky but that felt so rubbish? Like they had to do the BARE MINIMUM. I don't know but I hated it. The whole plot of Thomas' father being in prison was just super unnecessary too, like it had absolutely no effect on the plot, and for a such a short book, I don't think it was needed if it's not going to be fleshed out.
(END OF SPOILERS)

Another thing I didn't like about the plot was the animal abuse sprinkled in, I understand it's a thriller and they're gory sometimes, but I'm just not here for the unnecessary animal abuse, I don't want that in my books. In terms of characters, I didn't really love or hate anyone, they were all just kind of meh? I didn't really get an attachment to anyone because each person's sections were really short, so I ended up not really caring. The child perspective bits were a bit weird, they didn't feel like they were 10 at ALL, so that was odd.

Overall, this was a massive letdown for me, it really took a nosedive at like 80% and that sucks. It was generally a massive trope-fest and not in a good way, incredibly obvious, and left a million and one loose ends that I was just annoyed were never addressed.

An edge-of-your-seat serial killer thriller that you won’t be able to put down!
There it is: fear. It’s crawling all over her face and in her eyes, like a swarm of insects, and it’s all because of him!

Thank You NetGalley & Publisher for this amazing ARC for an honest review!
I was so excited to receive this copy.

I love these types of books. murder, serial killers. My most favorite genre!

I loved the storyline, But it was kind of all over the place, for me.
Too much stuff going on, for my liking.
Maybe if it was just one main story...…

But over all not a bad book!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Though you know who the killer is from the beginning, it does not detract from the suspense of the book and keeps you turning the page until the very end.

What could be a better setting for the opening scene of a book about a serial killer? An abandoned insane asylum!! A teenager kidnapped, two young kids in the woods and a psychopath working undetected. This was a solid read. It kept me reading into the night. Very creepy, but not graphic.

Secrets of a Serial Killer

In Lancaster, a serial killer has been around for decades, but the police have yet to figure out who it is and how they have managed to kill for generations without being caught. 17-year-old Zoe is now the latest victim and her mother, Helen, is determined to find her daughter before it’s too late.

The book title drew me in but wasn’t as thrilling as I thought it was going to be. If you asked me what I thought about this one, I’d tell you...”meh”. There were some edge of my seat moments but otherwise it was just ok and I hated the ending. There’s an added twist at the end and I know it’s supposed to be an added wow, I can’t believe it moment, but I could have done without it.

Really enjoyed this book. It’s a dark and twisted novel about serial killer who appears to have inside knowledge of the methods and actions from a serial killer who died in a secure unit some years ago. As the old hospital is about to be demolished a young girl goes missing and no one is listening to her mother when she says she has fears her daughter has been taken by a serial killer. It’s a very dark and twisted book.

Secrets of a Serial Killer.. count me in! I was so excited to read this book, my love of murder and serial killer stories and all. And it started off great, I was hooked.

But around halfway through It lost me. There were too many stories happening all at once and I while I could keep track of them I feel that it spoilt my enjoyment of them story. It does have it all, a keeps Killer who has passed on his tips, a creepy old mental asylum, dark, creepy woods, dark web theories and a reporter who knows that she has a story.

In the end it was ok, but could have been so much more.

Thanks One More Chapter and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read.

First off let me say I adore the cover of the book. You would never imagine what the book is about, other then the title, but the cover image and design.

Next let's dig into the book. The story line and different plot points were amazing. My main problem is that antagonist needed a bit more back story. Once we find out the true antagonist, to me at least, leaves a bit to be desired but the way the book ends makes me think that there might be another one coming and if that is the case then I can see why it was left a bit disjointed. Otherwise the characters were well developed and you could really feel the emotions from them. I would like to know a bit more about Helen and Tony's failed marriage. Was it Mr. X case that broke their marriage or something else.

I also loved how Alfie played an important role in finding and protecting Zoe and the kids. It not a normal thing for an author to give a part in the book to the pets other then just as pets. It was refreshing to see a author do this.

The story kept you guessing until the very end and to my dismay it finished on a cliffhanger which means I really want to know what happens next. I will be looking for the next book from this author and hopefully it will be a continuing of the antagonist's story line.

Well, this was another sad case of "amazing cover, amazing synopsis, not so amazing book".
I didn't really get into this story at any point, it never grabbed my full attention. There is nothing new here and it honestly reminded me of watching an episode of Law and Order SVU. All the clichés are here. Sadly, this book just didn't do it for me.

Thank you Netgalley for the digital ARC.

I really loved the idea of this book. However, I felt like once I started reading it that the main points of the story just fell short. There were so many different things happening that were not fully developed. I felt like maybe they should have each been developed separated and even been made into more of a “series” kind of thing. Because of this, I felt like the book itself just didn’t meet my expectations. It all just kind of fell apart half way through.

I really wanted to like this one. The premise had promise, but somewhere along the way I almost got bored. I agree with other reviews that stated that there were too many points of view, and a lot of what the respective characters did made no sense to me. You're telling me that no one thought to check "Find my iPhone" until 31 hours later? Seems unlikely. The serial killers that, according to police, didn't exist because there were no bodies? Where were the bodies? How did they dispose of them? It's possible that was addressed but admittedly I skimmed, so didn't see it if it was addressed. And that ending. I really don't know what to think, other than I have no idea what happened and then suddenly the book was over. I don't know, friends. I am intrigued enough by the other to give another book a shot, but I can't recommend this one, unfortunately.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy.

The premise of the book sounds amazing. A serial killer has passed on his legacy, a creepy abandoned asylum, and teenagers disappearing. However, there was way too much going on with this book. The story lines easily became confusing and discombobulated. I feel like there were like 4 different books slammed into one and the reader was left trying to figure out what was happening with who and when.

Well written story. Kept me engaged the entire time. A page turner for sure! Looking forward to reading more books by this author!

This is kind of a confusing one to describe, but a serial killer from decades earlier has presumably passed on his secrets to a sort of protege. Despite the what the description of the book claims, police are not baffled by this and in fact no one even suspects that there is a serial killer except a journalist who is just a secondary character in the book, not very essential to the plot. This was underwhelming. 2.5 stars rounded to 3.

This was a fast an fun read- I finished it in less than a day. It centers around a string of serial killings that has been happening in the area, with some tie-backs to a known serial killer who died decades ago in a local mental institution. Helen happens to be an architect working on the plans to turn that old building into new apartments, and when her teenage daughter disappears, she is driven to investigate that site. The story also has a couple kids who stumble into the situation, and references to people who are writing articles for a local publication about serial killers. It's a lot happening in a not-very-long book but it all comes together!

I loved the setting of the old "insane asylum"- even though I know this has been done before, it was what initially drew me to the boo,k, as I am fascinated by abandoned buildings. The author did a good job setting the stage so I felt like I could picture the space well. The book was extremely fast paced- jumping pretty quickly into the action and never falling back. There were some creepy and gory parts throughout, as well as a twist that I didn't see coming. The chapters told from the serial killer's POV and the overall structure to which that person worked was really fascinating to me.

You do have to suspend your disbelief a bit in some parts of this book, especially around the storyline surrounding the 2 young kids, but nothing really that far out there., and all the characters were relatable.

Overall, I recommend this book and think it's an engrossing and enjoyable read for those who like mysteries, horror, and serial killer stories. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Secrets abound in this book and not just about the killer. They all emerge in the end but not without a few gasps on the part of the reader. There was an “aha” moment that I didn’t see coming that made you sit back and reflect as to how you failed to connect those dots as you were reading.

I wanted to shake some of the characters to their senses as I read. The unemotional/lack of concern by parents, authorities who take a wait and see response, surly teenagers with their own agenda, children left to their own devices (a bit of a stretch with the two kids).

I felt I as if I was there in the descriptive and dark scenes which makes for a book that’s hard to put down and one that you HAVE to put down because the action on the pages has me so engaged.

And the ending………well, DID it end?

I am not quite sure what to report on this book. I chose it because I know Lancaster well and wanted to read a book set in that area for change from London!
It was a rather implausible story really. It sounded great on paper, but the reality did not quite gel with me as it was just too impossible for words.
A rather creepy old asylum, 2 children exploring.....and then it goes rather unlikely and I had to suspend disbelief a little too much.
Anyway I quite enjoyed it in a rather gory way.

I love the concept of serial killers and an abandoned mental asylum. This thriller had a good cast, realism, and four shifting POVs that kept the story interesting. I would definitely say it's a good read by the pool or on the beach this summer because you can plow through it quickly without a lot of investment.

Where the suspense lacked the creepy factor filled in and I did enjoy the speculative nature of people who are obsessed with crimes and crime forums because the social media nature of this genre is very relatable. For me, the story was a bit simplistic and predictable so it was hard to give more than three stars but the teenager, Zoe, was a great character worth the read and if you love to check-out for a bit for suspense, this is a good choice.

Secrets of a Serial Killer
by Rosie Walker
HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter
One More Chapter
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 17 Jul 2020 | Archive Date Not set

I liked this book and was drawn into it. I didn't want to quit reading. Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC. Good book!

I liked this book. It was well written and the first 70% sucked me in. Like I could not stop reading, I had to know what happened to Zoe. In the end of the book it felt a little rushed, and the wrap up wasn’t as wrapped up as I would have liked it. Maybe there is a second book?

The story is told from multiple points of view, which makes it a little jumbled. There is a little over lap in each story and I understand why she did it that way, I just hate re reading the same details. Then there is a strong character just thrown in out of no where, and I felt like that made it more confusing. That main character could have been listed in the book as just unknown or something so I could get more of that story.

It was a good book, I’d read a follow up. The writing is nice and easy to read. The flow is there and your doomed if you start, you won’t be able to put it down.