My God, what a book. I predominantly read mystery/thrillers and I can honestly say this is one of the great ones. The one that keeps you up all night even though you have an early 6appointment in the morning .

The writing is strong as are the characters and the interweaving of the characters.

Damn, I hated it ending. Highly, highly recommend. Do not let this one get by you.

Thank you, thank you #BlackstonePublishing and #Netgalley

12 year old Eve Black was the only survivor of her families brutal murder by a criminal known as the Nothing Man. Almost 20 years later, Eve publishes a true crime memoir detailing her efforts in tracking down the man who killed her family. Jim Doyle, an aging supermarket security guard, begins reading Eve's book; each page rekindling memories of the crimes and igniting his rage towards Eve. Nobody knows the crimes better than Jim because he is the Nothing Man. Jim knows that Eve won't stop until she finds him, new clues are bringing her closer to uncovering the truth about his identity, and Jim will be left with no choice but to finish what he started.

The Nothing Man is an exciting new thriller by author Catherine Ryan Howard. I had previously read her novel Rewind and although I enjoyed it, I connected more with this novel and felt that it was it was a much better fit for me as a reader. The novel is written partially as a book within a book, detailing the events surrounding the crimes committed by The Nothing Man. Jim Doyle, an aging security guard who happens to be the Nothing Man, begins reading the book in order to find out if Eve has enough information to uncover his identity. This unique novel allows the reader to get both a perspective of a true crime novel paired with the insight into the criminal mind. I really enjoyed this novel and had a hard time putting it down. Although there is no surprise in the identity of the killer, there are some surprise twists along the way. Compelling and engaging, this is a must read thriller for 2020!

This thriller is by far the best thriller I've ever read and I've read a lot! Inventive and absorbing! A must read.

Add this one to your list! Eve Black is the last victim and sole survivor after a serial killer known as The Nothing Man kills her parents and younger sister when she is only 12 years old. She goes into seclusion until a creative writing class in college prompts her to start sharing her story. Her story, turns into a popular article as Ireland is obsessed with whatever happened to The Nothing Man. So a publisher approaches her about turning it into a book. Her sole reason for writing the book is the hope that it will lead to his capture. She teams up with the detective obsessed with the case and they begin combing through all the 20 year old data, meeting with the few other remaining victims, and begin piecing it together. Her book hits the shelves and The Nothing Man can not believe what he is reading after all this time. Something must be done.

I could not put this book down. It shifts back and forth between Eve and the man known as The Nothing Man. It is a collision course that had me flying through the pages. This book will be released in August and I highly recommend you put it on your radar. I, in the meantime, am excited to learn this is not the author's first book and I will be looking into her early works.

Thank you #Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. #TheNothingMan

4.5 stars for this riveting thriller!

I loved the book-within-a-book format and the fact that you're essentially getting a a true crime memoir and a serial killer thriller rolled into one. I found myself totally engrossed in both elements of the story and could not stop reading! My only gripe is that the ending was a little too anti-climactic, but overall I would for sure recommend for any thriller fans.

Side note: The formatting was really off in my arc, so I'm interested to see how the transitions between Jim's story and Eve's book will look in the print version. Once it's available at my library, I'll be grabbing it to take a look.

Thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Jim was a serial killer about 20 years ago but he is now retired from that and working security at a grocery store. Eve, a woman whose family was killed by Jim when she was 12, writes a book about the killings called The Nothing Man. Jim sees it and becomes obsessed with reading it every chance he gets. This novel is basically Eve’s true crime book along with Jim’s thoughts and actions as he is reading the book.

I liked this book. It is certainly a unique way of telling the story and it is well done. I felt the same about this author’s previous novel, Rewind, on both counts. She is a talented writer. I thought this got a little slow, going through all of the different families that were murdered by Jim, so it wasn’t a 5 star for me but I will definitely read her next novel.

First things first: I highly and wholeheartedly recommend you read this book. It's well written and clever in a way that sort of puts it in a very rare category of fiction. But I can't tell you why because it would spoil the whole thing for you.

I will say that it's creepy without being a horror story, and it takes its time drawing you in, painting a picture and then kind of mixing and mashing reality and fiction together into a beautifully crafted, suspenseful and sometimes sad and painful story.

Just read it. You'll be glad you did.

A very solid thriller from Catherin Ryan Howard. A recommended first purchase title for collections where the genre is popular.

Wow. Wow. Wow! Another hit by Catherine Ryan Howard! Absolutely chilling, thrilling, twisty and turny, and shocking! I’m a huge fan of Howard’s and this book has only made me be a bigger fan! She knows how to use those twisted stories to chill you to the bone, gasping in shock, and flipping pages like a crazy person! Absolutely a must read! Highly, highly recommend! You will not be disappointed!
Will make sure to buzz it up on the different platforms and use low amazon reviewer number on release date!

The Nothing Man is a book within a book featuring two points of view. The first point of view is Jim Doyle, a security guard at a department store, who is also a serial rapist and murderer in secret. Although he has not committed a crime in many years, the satisfaction of his deeds creep into his everyday life. Jim notices that a new true crime book has made its way on to the shelves of his store. A book called The Nothing Man, written by a survivor of Jim’s dark past. Eve Black was the sole survivor of her family’s attack, now older, and determined to catch the person who brutally destroyed her family. Jim is both intrigued and rightfully horrified that his crimes have made their way back into the limelight.

What makes this book so gripping is the format of the story. We read about Eve through the perspective of Jim, who is reading Eve’s book about himself. Like writing in the margins of a book, which Jim even does on occasion, we hear the reader’s perspective of his crimes. Eve is a strong character, which I appreciate in a thriller. I can only imagine the difficulty of being a survivor, knowing your family is gone, and it could have been you. Her determination is refreshing, and her intelligence is unmatched. Jim, on the other hand, is what I would expect him to be. The book touches on the topic of serial killers and how mainstream media can glamorize them. Even as a true crime fan, this has always gotten under my skin. The way it was presented in the novel is to be applauded.

At first, I was unsure of the ending of this book, which is why I determined my rating. It seemed anticlimactic to me and a bit expected. I was so shocked for most of the book that this was a letdown. I did think the time jump at the end was great, and it earned the book back half a star.

I am a reader of thrillers almost strictly, and I have never read a thriller quite like this. It takes quite a bit of shock for my stomach to knot and my hands to sweat, but this book took me right there. The last quarter of the book had my heart pounding so hard; I thought it was going to rip itself right out of my chest. I knew at some point that there was going to be a twist and that everything could not work out so perfectly for Jim, much to his dismay. Despite my best effort to come up with probable scenarios, I was surprised in the end with a significant twist. From the book signing on, be prepared for the book to grab you with force and whip you around a little! I was left scratching my head and searching back through the book to make sure I didn’t miss something. When it hits you, watch out! This book is WILD, and I loved every second.

I’m not going to sugar coat this. This book is brutal to read. It describes horrific crimes in great detail, and it was even too much for me at times. Please read with caution!

The book within a book is a unique take on the genre. A crime novel where the villain is reading a true crime story by his only survivor is one I think will stick with readers long after the last page. It was an intense and suspenseful story with gripping characters. I will definitely be reading this author again.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this thrilling suspense novel and couldn’t put it down! The book-within-a-book format was clever, and the author pulled it off well. A serial attacker who murdered a family years ago is still living as a free man...until a book comes out to rave reviews, written by the sole survivor of the Nothing Man. Loved this, and any lover of suspense will too! 4.5 stars

This is a really hard book to review, and I'll do my best to explain why.

First, a bit of background. I love thrillers and read tons of them, but I tend to steer clear of the goriest or most brutally violent thrillers. I don't read true crime at all (and rarely read horror), because they terrify me, and I (primarily) read for enjoyment.

So... this book has been categorized as a thriller, but in it there's a (faux) "true crime" storyline. The premise is truly brilliant -- serial rapist and killer who was never caught reads about himself in a survivor's true crime accounting of the events, published decades after the events.

The first half is a mix of pages from a (fictional) true crime book and the POV of the serial killer. I'm don't enjoy reading true crime... and the distanced narrative voice combined with the horrific details of the "true crime" were hard to swallow. I skimmed a lot of the crime details because they were just so horrific to read. As for the serial killer's POV, while I don't mind unlikable characters, they have to be interesting, clever, and/or intelligent to keep my interest. He's none of those things. He's just straight up disgusting and monstrous. So, this is probably just a case of "not my taste", but the first half was hard for me to get through.

Halfway through, things change somewhat. The "true crime" novel moves from crime to investigation. And that, my dear friends, is something I LOVE reading. Additionally, the two storylines start to converge more, and the tension increases a LOT. I was caught in suspense for pretty much the entire second half, and even having clues as to what's coming (nicely foreshadowed in the book), I still found myself eager to read on. After that first half, it was a pretty pleasant surprised to find that (most of) the second half had me riveted.

There was one big scene at the end that felt a somewhat stilted. But that aside, I appreciated the way the story wrapped up and really liked the epilogue. Plus, the book is just so clever that I have to applaud the author for that too. The characters in the book make some pretty interesting points about our societal fascination with true crime and serial killers, and then the author makes sure to reinforce those points by the way she wraps up the story. I loved that. It's... meta, I guess? A bit like The Starless Sea in that sense. A book within a book, plus a whole lot of self-awareness.

So... again, not really sure how to feel about this one, and I think it's because I'm only in one of the two venn diagram circles that constitute the perfect audience for this book. The Nothing Man's first half is (probably -- I'm assuming here) best enjoyed by someone who appreciates true crime and/or horror. The second half is best enjoyed by someone who enjoys thrillers and/or characters investigating crimes.

If you happen to fall into both categories, I think there's a good chance you'll love The Nothing Man!

Thank you Blackstone Publishing for providing a free advanced e-copy of The Nothing Man via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

P.S. For Netgalley readers, I do have to note that the e-galley formatting was pretty hard to read on Kindle. I assume this will be fixed for the final version, but just a heads up!

Thank you for an ARC. I did not find this book interesting. I don’t know if it was how it was laid out and told or what. It was so much back and forth that I lost interest quickly. I got 70% of the way through and skimmed to the end.

This was very so moving, I think if the story was a little shorter with less going back and forth it would have been better. I found it hard to get through.

This is the first book I’ve ever read by this author, but it will not be the last,
The premise is captivating and innovative.
A woman writes a novel about her experience being the only survivor of a killer that took her whole family.
To catch him. She writes the book in an attempt to lure him.
There is an entire book within a book and it’s brilliant.

I particularly love the way the first few pages are subtle. A scene in a department store, with the focus on the mundane, and in particular the store security guard.
Who happens to be the killer.
Fabulous. Can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this one as the digital was broken up in an almost dizzying way.

The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard is a book that I have been desperate to get my hands on, having seen it so unanimously praised on various social media sites. I am very sad to say that after numerous failed attempts to download this digital ARC, I have only succeeded in acquiring the first chapter, and it has certainly left me more determined than ever to access it in its entirety. I am awarding the novel 5 stars based solely on what I have read, and the rave reviews of trusted friends. To the publisher, thank you so much for granting my request, and I would love another opportunity to read this book in the very near future. It promises to be a must read of 2020.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this ARC.

Wow what a great book! Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC. If you like reading books about serial killers, this book is for you. Reading about the killings was a little disturbing, but the story is so good. The tension never lets up so be prepared fro not being able to put this book down!

THE NOTHING MAN
BY CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD

The reason for my requesting this newest novel by Catherine Ryan Howard called, "The Nothing Man," was due to the fact that her first book called, "DISTRESS SIGNALS," is one of my all time favorite reads. I loved it so much that I ordered the physical hard cover edition and it sits prominently in my book shelf in my living room where I can see it often and remember how clever and what a phenomenal reading experience it was. My review for "Distress Signals," can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... I think I loved it so much was because I learned something new about cruise ships that I never knew. I didn't consider it a psychological thriller but now after reading all of Catherine Ryan Howard's other books after reading "The Nothing Man," and my less than stellar reaction to it I wanted to give an explanation why it was less than a five star read. I have come to the conclusion that my reading taste in genres have changed. I don't recollect "Distress Signals" as being a thriller when I read it. I found that I admired the story and the sheer amount of research that went into crafting the story and how it forever changed my viewpoint of never wanting to ever go on a cruise no matter how much money I was offered I absolutely will never do it after reading "Distress Signals," and the link that the author provided at the end that chilled me to learn just how dangerous cruise ship vacations are.

I couldn't understand why I wasn't wowed by the book "The Nothing Man," even though the creep factor is definitely there for thriller fans. I think the reason why I rated "The Nothing Man" less than five stars is because I didn't learn something new. I was expecting to have the same reading experience as "Distress Signals," so I think the fault is with my taste of genres has changed. I don't like thrillers with murders unless I find the characterization's brilliantly compelling and expertly executed realistically. "The Nothing Man," is about a serial killer named Jim Doyle who works as a security guard at a store. He shares the narrative with the main character Eve Black who at age twelve she was the sole survivor when Jim murdered her younger sister Sarah and her mother and father. She is now a grown woman and writes the book within a book called "The Nothing Man," because most serial killers are ordinary people who live rather a dull life. They are not glorified geniuses with the exception of Ted Bundy.

Eve Black writes her book recounting all of the victim's that were killed or raped for that is how he starts out and then escalates to murder. She is writing the book with a seasoned member of the Gardai who worked in the investigations of all of the victims as a way of catching the man who slayed her family. The killer was never caught but by writing and publishing her and this member of the Gardai's access to the files of all of the victim's Eve Black has an agenda. That agenda is to catch this serial killer and bring him to justice and make him pay with rotting in jail for wiping out the lives of her entire family and his other victims. The setting takes place in Cork, Ireland.

After reading "The Nothing Man," and Comparing it to "Distress Signals," I did something that I have never before done before writing my review. I wanted to read Catherine Ryan Howard's two previous novels that I wasn't aware had been published much less written in between "Distress Signals," and "The Nothing Man," as an inquiry to discover why I hadn't loved "The Nothing Man," as much as "Distress Signals." I had to find out if it was my personal choice in genre's had changed or was this author's first book her best book? I now wonder if this assessment which is purely personal reading genres taste changing or is it that "Distress Signals," which was my favorite because it is her best book in my opinion or is it that I didn't learn something new or is it because thriller's aren't my favorite genre's anymore? I felt that I owed this self exploration to both myself and this author so I read her Edgar award nominee called, "The Liar's Girl," and then I read her book called, "Rewind."

I did not however go back and re-read "Distress Signals," her debut and one of my life's Favorite books ever. I remember why I loved it but would I still enjoy the whole reading experience as much? Perhaps this experiment is incomplete by my failing to re-read it? Do I still love thrillers every once in a while if they are well plotted and character driven and scare me?

The Edgar award is a prestigious award and "The Liar's Girl," was nominated for it but what did I think? I found that the reading experience was average but its brilliance is in the very last section or the build up to the ending and the ending itself. It is also about a serial killer this time in Dublin called the canal killings. The protagonist who is lovable gets called back to assist the Gardai in solving what appears to be a copycat ten years later. At university ten year's earlier her boyfriend was convicted of being the original "canal serial killer." He sits in a hospital for the criminally insane. He will only talk to his former girlfriend about information he may have in solving this copycat serial killer ten years later. She returns to Dublin after fleeing to New Zealand. The plot was average but not overly compelling to me. As I said the Stunning arc to the novel was in the clever ending.

I may just be in the minority but "The Liar's Girl," didn't have me riveted to my seat throughout the book. I wasn't frightened or chilled during any of the narrative. Lastly I read her third book called, "Rewind," which reminded me why I love thrillers. "Rewind," did grab my attention and held me in its gripping plot from the first page until I got to the ending. It was one of those that after being a book that had me drawn in and not wanting to put it down to having lost its grip by the ending which took a promising premise towards a too neat and tidy ending tied up with a pretty bow. By reading "Rewind," I discovered that I still enjoy thrillers that are unique and compelling if they are interesting and draw me in by a clever plot and the characterization is superb.

My final analysis is that there will be many thriller fans who are intrigued by murder and serial killer's that will love "The Nothing Man." I still thought all four of Catherine Ryan Howard's books were unique in their own way from each other. I will continue to look for her books in the future and I will want to read them. Without re-reading "Distress Signals," this still remains my favorite and I would highly recommend it to reader's of all genres for its realism and guarantee that you will never want to vacation on a luxury cruise after reading the link that the author provides at the end which I have included in my review. My own life circumstances have changed and I don't enjoy murders and serial killers anymore as my favorite genre for reading. I would rate "THE NOTHING MAN," 4 stars. "THE LIAR'S GIRL," 4 stars. "REWIND," 4.5 stars. "DISTRESS SIGNALS," 5 plus stars.

I would like to thank Net Galley, Catherine Ryan Howard and Blackstone Publishing for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Publication Date: August 18, 2020

#TheNothingMan #CatherineRyanHoward #BlackstonePublishing #NetGalley

There is no doubt that this will be a contender for 2020 BOOK OF THE YEAR from yours truly! Before you read further, just know it’s fiction (as my blurb sounds like it is a true story).

THE NOTHING MAN is told in two ways: 1) Eve Black was 12 years old when her mother, father, and younger sister were murdered by The Nothing Man (nickname due to the lack of evidence left after his crimes). She survived due to a stolen can of orange pop that she snuck before bedtime, and happened to be in the bathroom when she heard horrid noises in the middle of the night. She learns that he has raped and/or killed and or/brutally harmed others, and years later decides to write a book about her investigation into catching him. Us readers get to read the book through alternating sections. 2) Jim Doyle is a grocery store security guard, a miserable and unhappy man who happens to see the book sold in the store he’s working in. He’s not very happy with the publicity, given that he is the Nothing Man.

It is extremely rare that a novel scares me, but there are some moments that genuinely gave me goosebumps, caused me to look around and make sure lights were on, and made my deodorant fail. I was absolutely gripped from start to finish. This is the kind of book where you don’t want it to end because it is THAT good! It would also make an excellent movie! The book is taut, tightly plotted, and satisfying to the very last page. I binged all of the author’s previous books in a marathon last summer. This takes the cake!

P.S. For those who have read it, did you notice that Catherine Ryan Howard is listed in the acknowledgements in the book within a book? :-)

Thank Blackstone Publishing, Catherine Ryan Howard, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a candid review.