As someone who reads and listens to a lot of true crime stories and thrillers, I thought this novel would be right up my alley. Overall, I was a little disappointed. It didn't keep me as entranced as I thought it would. I think I had set too high of expectations for it. That said, it's not a bad novel. It's well-written and an interesting story and style. It has some elements you would expect, but overall it did keep me guessing. I would recommend it for the story and style, but it is a slower read than I anticipated because the pacing was slightly off. There were some scenes that were insanely chilling, and I had to set down the book for the night as to not end up with nightmares from the reality of it all. It's a good book just not as good as I expected.

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

DNF @ 25%. I tried, but the writing style simply wasn't for me and the story wasn't moving at the pace I prefer. Will work for others.

Great book. A very out of the box idea that came together beautifully. I will definitely keep reading this authors work.

The Nothing Man is another.4 star read from Catherine Ryan Howard! I love a good story within a story plot, especially because this had the true crime element along with the killer’s perspective. Gripping and compelling, I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy.

I liked this book, but it wasn't as stellar as I had hoped. The believability wasn't there for me. I don't want to spoil anything, but the fact that no one had figured it out was unbelievable. And the things that happened that no one got caught doing or got in trouble for by the police was too far of a reach for me. I am still glad to have read the book, but I feel like some tweaks would have made it much better.

I'm disappointed in myself for waiting so long to get to this book. It was so good! I don't have words - it was solid and well-written and just everything a book should be!

The concept for this book is interesting: a survivor is looking for the serial killer who killed everyone in her family. The story alternates between the survivor and the offender and the setting is Cork in Ireland. Whilst well-written, the story was a little slow in the beginning and middle, but in the end the story picked up pace and I really enjoyed the book. I will definitely read more books by Catherine Ryan Howard.

Four stars.

I started reading the book, but was not drawn in & decided not to continue reading. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book, but it unfortunately just didn't work for me to continue with it.

This was a five star read for me. This is what a thriller should be! I loved the premise , the book within a book just absorbs you as a serial killer reading a book by one of his escaped victims. Just so good!!

The Nothing Man is a creepy and addictive thriller. Catherine Ryan Howard wrote a thriller and gave it a twist. This cat and mouse game that the characters played will leave readers on the edge of their seats.

Eve is a survivor of an attack with a serial killer, The Nothing Man. She is the only person to survive the attack and years later is determined to catch the man who changed her life. After writing a memoir, she is getting closer than she thinks. The Nothing Man has read her book and is not going to let her catch him.

The story is so intriguing because it is like two stories wrapped into one. On one hand, you are following a survivor of a serial killer and on the other hand, you are seeing inside the mind of a serial killer. I experienced the chills so many times when I was reading this but it only fueled my need to finish the ending.

I give The Nothing Man 5 stars. It is unlike any thriller I have previously read. It's disturbing, intriguing, and suspenseful. The author's balance of these three elements is perfection.

When Eve was just twelve years old, her family was brutally murdered by a man the media had dubbed "The Nothing Man."

They called him that because he never left behind any evidence. And his crimes had escalated from serial attacks to murder by the time he targeted Eve's family.

Years later, Eve has resurfaced as the author of a true crime book about The Nothing Man.

Jim Doyle knew he shouldn't have let Eve live. And as he reads about his own exploits, he becomes determined to fix his mistake.

For anyone who's read The Nothing Man, it's no surprise to find that Catherine Ryan Howard was heavily influenced by Michelle McNamara's I'll Be Gone in the Dark. This was a book that, although I don't read much true crime, captivated me. McNamara's mission to finally bring the Golden State Killer to justice was a passion that even she said was an obsession. Sadly she passed away before the book was published and the killer was finally caught. And I wonder to this day what else she could have accomplished had she not died at such a tragically early age.

But anyway!

In The Nothing Man Catherine Ryan Howard imagines a scenario in which the survivor of a serial killer pens a book about her experience. And the murderer is reading the book as the story unfolds.

The structure is interesting because it alternates between Jim's narrative and the book within the book. So Eve's story is just that, the fictional true crime book that spurs Jim on. This approach controls the pacing of the book, forcing the reader to read alongside the killer. And just as you're starting to sink into one or the other parts of the tale, you're ripped out of it and dropped into the other.

I don't mean it to sound violent :) In actuality, I found that this worked quite well for the story. We know Jim is the killer all along. And in his narrative we see him start to deteriorate as he reads more and more of Eve's book.

I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. I'd meant to read it last year when it came out, but...life. And so when a buddy read opportunity popped up over on Instagram, I decided it was past time! In fact, I ended up reading it back to back with the author's latest release 56 Days and now can't wait to go back and read the rest of her backlist!

With all the talk about supply chain issues (yay for even more Covid fallout), there's a push for shopping early and suggestions for shopping backlist. With that in mind, this is a perfect book for anyone who was also drawn into the Golden State Killer news, I'll Be Gone In the Dark, and (another one I read but still need to review) Savage Appetites by Rachel Monroe.

So I was put off alittle bit by this book at first. But I am so glad I pushed through it and finished. This was such a different book that it was amazing. I love that we were reading a book with in a book.
Catherine Ryan Howard is amazing.

Turns the whole notion of the 'smart', 'suave' serial killer and our media obsession with such people on its head. Not only well written and compulsive reading, but also with a serious message.

Perfect for fans of true crime, THE NOTHING MAN is a unique spin on the serial killer trope. Told in dual POV--narrative shared between a serial killer and his escaped victim--Catherine Ryan Howard's latest novel has everything the eager reader wants in an unputdownable read: a heart wrenching mystery, compelling writing, brilliant plotting, and a heroine you can't help but cheer on. The "book within a book" concept is not new, but the author does an excellent job keeping the reader interested until the very end. I highly recommend this one!

Eve Black was only twelve years old and the sole survivor when the Nothing Man murdered her family. Now twenty years later, she decides to write a book about not only her family's murders but also the other crimes that were linked to the Nothing Man. Her goal is to see this serial killer identified and brought to justice, however as the Nothing Man reads her book to find out how much she knows, he's determined to finish what he started twenty years ago. The original, clever way this thriller was written had me intrigued from the very beginning making me feel a part of this chilling tale. For those of you who want to be reading until late at night, questioning every shadow and noise in your home, this book is perfect for you!

Having read all of Catherine’s books up until now, I can safely say in my opinion, The Nothing Man is her best and most accomplished book to date. Gripping, taut and compelling, I found that I couldn’t put it down. I really enjoyed the idea of the book within a book, and thought it was really clever how she managed to blend them seamlessly. Highly recommended for sure.

The Nothing Man was amazing!! One of my favorite reads as of recent. Would highlly recommend and can't wait to read more from this author.

A chilling and atmospheric read. I liked how it was a book inside a book...very original. It wasn't overly graphic which was awesome! It was a great ride!! A bit anti-climatic at the end, but overall a well done suspenseful novel! I will be looking to see what else this author has written!

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review..

This was an interesting take on a thriller/mystery. I like that the one point of view was from the witness and the other point of view was from the killer reading the witness’ account. There was at least one unexpected event in the book that surprised me. There were a couple things I guessed though. Lots of details to keep track of, lots of characters too.