The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard is one of the best thrillers I've read this year. It is a captivating game of cat and mouse between a serial killer who has been dormant for 20 years and the daughter, now grown up, who managed to escape the brutal fate of her family who fell victim to his crimes.

As an adult, Eve Black is a writer, and she doesn't want to write about the tragedy of her youth, but when she's convinced that writing about her story may help catch a killer she writes The Nothing Man. This taunts Jim Doyle, who had settled into family life and sets him on a path to kill Eve before she can expose him.

I had the chance to listen to this as an audiobook, which enhanced the experience with Alana Kerr Collins and John Keating as narrators. Run time is 9 hours and 57 minutes.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Sometimes when I’m deciding which book to read next I go to Goodreads and check what my friends have thought about a book. I don’t read much of the reviews because I want to go in mostly blind but I look at star ratings and the first sentence or two just to get a sense. Here’s what I found when I looked up The Nothing Man:

“5+ outstanding stars!” - Lindsay - Traveling Sisters Book Reviews
“WOW what a thriller!” - Berit
“This book completely caught me off guard in the best way.” - Dennis
“Honestly, THIS is what a thriller should be!” - Chelsea

That was certainly enough testimony to get me excited to pick up this book next and I’m so glad I did!! The book starts with Jim, a security guard at a grocery store, seeing a customer with a new book called The Nothing Man.

The book is written by Eve who was the only survivor twenty years ago when her family was murdered by the serial killer known as The Nothing Man. He earned that name because the police had nothing on him. She’s written this book in an attempt to find him. Why is Jim so thrown off to see the book? Because he was The Nothing Man. Does Eve know? Is there a chance they are on to him?

Told in alternating perspectives between Jim and Eve (through her book) this was a great twist on the typical thriller. We know who the killer is right from the start - but will he get caught?

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook and audiobook copies to review.

Eve Black was the only member of her family to survive a serial killer when she was 12. Now years later she is writing a book hoping to bring “The Nothing Man”, the serial killer to justice. It is a well-written, a book within a book. Some chapters are from Eve’s book some from the Nothing Man himself. The book doesn’t keep it a secret that Eve knows who the Nothing Man is, it is more about the cat and mouse game as she and a police detective work to bring the Nothing Man back into action after so many years of silence. The audio book narrated by Alana Kerr Collins and John Keating, do an excellent job of bringing this Irish story to life. The Irish accents are there, but not broad enough to make it difficult to understand. The voices bring tension and suspense to the forefront.

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: An addictively dark and multifaceted serial killer novel that will grab you from page one.

If I am being honest, THE NOTHING MAN has it all. Howard has given us a story told by the victim and the serial killer with equal weight. However, for me, it was the book within the book that brought it to the next level. The melding together of the narrators and the Eve Black’s true-crime memoir is such perfection. It allows the story to flow all the while adding to the suspense and emotion.

What I loved about this book was that it is a compulsive read with a smartly constructed story. The way the author builds the tension through her characters is so well done. There is such depth to Eve Black and Jim Doyle. Each of the characters come alive on the page. Jim Doyle’s reactions to Eve’s book bring him back to who he was when he killed her family. The way he obsesses over each word is brilliant and also adds to the creepy factor he brings to the book.

THE NOTHING MAN was hands down a fresh, compelling, and positively thrilling crime novel. I binge read this book in one day. The author expertly weaves together the best of what a true-crime novel can be with the disturbing attributes of a flawless thriller. Brilliantly dark and oh so good.

The audiobook was excellent. The narrators were initially hard to understand as I hadn't expected the accents, but once I got used to it, they just filled the story even more with their voices. Great narration of an amazing thriller/mystery book. This is the kind of book I've been wanting to read (or listen to in this case) for a long time.

"The Nothing Man" by Catherine Ryan Howard is available to purchase today, August 4, 2020.

I loved the premise of this book. When Jim, a former police officer turned security guard at a store, sees a woman reading a book titled "The Nothing Man" he gets chills. This book is a true crime story of an unsolved serial killer case, written by a survivor. The problem is, Jim is the nothing man. He buys the book and obsessively reads it then starts stalking the author. This story is partly following JIm and partly excerpts from the true crime book itself.

I struggle to rate this book. I loved the ending but felt the middle part was lacking a bit. I think that I grew tired of the true crime book sections. They were a bit too long and I didn't love the narrator's voice. I did really enjoy the sections that followed Jim, the killer and I loved the ending. Because of this I am giving the book a average rating of 3 stars. I do think a lot of people will enjoy this as well.

I listened to this on audio and I think in this case I may have enjoyed the physical book more. Jim's voice was fine but the woman's voice was not my favorite. No fault to the author at all, the NetGalley app was skipping a lot and I feel I may have missed parts of the story. I can't be sure because I couldn't seem to go back to them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

This is the first book I've read by Catherine Ryan Howard but it certainly will not be the last. And thanks to Netgalley offering audiobooks, I jumped when I saw that this one was available as an audiobook galley.

I absolutely loved this book. It is so cleverly crafted and kept me hooked from start to finish. There were so many little twists here and there that I wasn't expecting and the tension really builds all the way through so that you are kept on the edge of your seat. There are some really chilling parts to this book, especially the parts where we find out about all the victims of the serial killer, but I always think being in mind of a serial killer can be haunting in it's own way.

I am obsessed with the whole book-within-a-book format and I loved how it was done here. Reading parts of the chapters along with the killer was just sheer brilliance, getting his reaction as he goes through the book. But even having Eve's point of view as she works on the book gives such insight to what she went through and why she ultimately wrote the book in the first place.

This was one of the best cat and mouse games I've ever read. This book isn't about finding out who the killer is - we know that right from the start. Rather, it is about the killer getting caught. And being in the mindset of the killer is so haunting and chilling. I've read other books where we are privy to a killer's thoughts and stream of consciousness, but never have I been as freaked out as I was while reading this book. It was pure brilliance.

I loved the way this book came together. It totally gets under your skin, but I wouldn't have it any other way. It's definitely an addictive, binge-worthy thriller that I won't be forgetting anytime soon.


Audio thoughts: I loved this audiobook. I thought the narrators, Alana Kerr Collins and John Keating did a fantastic job with this audio, bringing their individual parts to life. Both narrators have Irish accents and with the book taking place in Ireland, the accents seemed natural. They really brought this book to life, and their pacing and intonations were spot on. I felt they infused just the right amount of tension and suspense into their voices as needed and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audiobook.

𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝗻.
𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝗶𝗺...

Wow! Catherine Ryan Howard's 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘔𝘢𝘯 is a bit of a book within a book. Eve Black has written this memoir about the murder of her family two decades ago. When grocery store security guard Jim Doyle, gets his hands on it, his anger grows out of control. Jim Doyle was, is, The Nothing Man. Will Eve's book lead to justice for her family, or will The Nothing Man finish what he started? This 🌴🌴🌴🌴 four star read threw me for a loop at the very end! Check this one out tomorrow 8/4 from @blackstonepublishing, thank you @netgalley for my audio copy!

The Nothing Man. What a well done and well-narrated story from Catherine Ryan Howard. It reminded me true crime podcasts I love and Michelle MacNamara's "I'll Be Gone in the Dark." And while we always know the "whodunit" aspect of the mystery behind the Nothing Man, The author puts a spin on the story and it'll still surprise you in the end!

Review on my blog August 1st at http://booksmoviesreviewsohmy.com

This is a new to me author and so I went into her book not knowing if I would like it but knowing it sounded really good. I am happy to say that I really enjoyed it.

It’s about Eve who when she was young survived an attack on her family from a serial killer. She is also the only one to ever survive the killer. Now she is all grown up and has written a book about The Nothing Man.

This book sparks rage in the man who is the killer because he is afraid that she might be close to discovering the truth about him and he can’t let that happen. It’s sort of a cat and mouse game between Eve and the killer and very well put together.

I don’t want to say anything more about the plot because I think it’s best to just jump into it! Now because I listened to the audio I will admit to being a bit confused at first because it’s told in the POV of Eve and the killer, but it is also a book within a book type so you have parts of the book she wrote about the killer. Once I figured out what was going on it became easier for me to distinguish between what was book and what wasn’t.

Eve is a very driven character who is determined to figure out who the killer is and she has enlisted some help in that. She is pretty much purposely rattling the killers cage with the book, book signing, interviews and I thought it was pretty clever way to do things. You know who the killer is pretty quickly on but I will still let you discover who he was, but it was interesting getting his perspective on things, his home life, thoughts about Eve, etc.

Even knowing who it was there still plenty of surprises to be had throughout the book book and I very much enjoyed it! I would totally recommend it to mystery/thriller lovers.

For two years, a serial rapist/killer preyed on the residents of Cork, Ireland, but after his most brutal killing, which took the life of Eve Black's family the violence suddenly comes to a halt. The Nothing Man is an excellent, unique and beautifully written thriller, told in the format of a book within a book from perspective of two characters, Jim Doyle, the Killer, and Eve Black one of his surviving victims. Yet despite the fact that the reader know all of the actors involved in these heinous crimes, one will soon realize it is not the who but the why that keeps them riveted. What's scarier than the portrait of a serial killer, the portrait of both his faces, that of a mad man and that of a family man. Reading Eve's true crime memoir through the eyes of a killer and being privvy to his inner thoughts was absolutely terrifying. The audiobook was brought the characters of Eve and Jim life by the use of two fantastic Irish narrators Alana Kerr-Collins and John Keating, which made the story more authentic.
Now there are parts of the book that can read a bit like a police procedural so how much one enjoys those parts will depend on one's interest in the forensic of a crime. In other parts, the book reads like a memoir so how much those sections are enjoyed will depend on ones interest in the examination of psychological trauma. I found myself vested in Eve's story, so I enjoyed all aspects of its unfolding, whether it was the examination of previous evidence and interviews with other people involved, particularly detective Ed Healy as well as the exploration of Eve's own psyche. The Nothing Man is a fantastic thriller where astonishing revelations constantly unfolds up until the book's gratifying conclusion.

The Nothing Man is the story of Eve Black, whose family was attacked and murdered one night by a man who will go on to be known as The Nothing Man, a rapist and killer. Twenty years later, Eve writes a book about this killer,

I reviewed the audiobook version. This audiobook has two narrators. Alana Kerr-Collins is the voice of Eve and John Keating is the voice of The Nothing Man.. Both do a fantastic job. Kerr-Collins has a suspenseful note to her voice that keeps you on the edge of your seat and Keating’s eerie Nothing Man is spellbinding.

Catherine Ryan Howard has written a thriller that is full of suspense and will keep you guessing. The ending is surprising and well thought out.

Fans of crime novels will enjoy this one.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Blackstone Publishing via Netgalley My review is voluntary.

Eve has written a book about the most traumatic time of her life; when her sister and parents were killed in their home by "the nothing man" a serial killer that stalked and killed families two decades ago. Eve is one of the only survivors of the nothing man and she is ready to tell her story...and find the man who took her family away. Eve's book becomes a best seller-everyone is reading it, everyone including Jim, the nothing man.

I listened to the audio of this and it really brought the story to life. There are two narrators, Eve's side and the chapters of the book she has written, and then Jim, the nothing man. It was interesting to see the side of the murderer and his thinking while he is focused on not getting caught. I sometimes do not enjoy the "book within a book" idea but this was done very well. The author did a great job of separating the book within and the story. Also the use of two different narrators helped with this as well. 

This definitely gave me I'll Be Gone in the Dark vibes. If you are a fan of true crime, you will love this. It is such a unique way to tell this story. As the reader, we know it all and we are just waiting for everything to fall into place.

There is an essay in Lindy West’s The Witches Are Coming (highly recommend) titled Ted Bundy Was Not Charming–Are You High? and this novel feels like the fictional equivalent to that. Which is to say mediocre white men who murder enough people to qualify as serial killers get grossly obsessed about and elevated as being more than mediocre awful white men by our problematic society’s gross obsession with real life serial killers (and mediocre white men). Howard takes aim at this with this cat-and-mouse thriller that starts with a hell of a hook.

Eve Black was a little girl when she survived the night her family was murdered by a serial killer. No one knows this or who she is. Until now. She’s written a book, which we read, along with the serial killer who is just now discovering who Eve is and that she’s decided to come find him…

Alternating between reading Eve’s chapters in her book and the now “retired” serial killer’s reading of the book–including him going to her book signing!–we get front row seats to a cat-and-mouse game where Eve is determined to figure out his identity, and he’ll stop at nothing to keep that from happening… If you like Irish and dual narrators go with the audiobook!
(TW rape/ domestic abuse/ mentions suicide, detail)

The Nothing Man presents a unique twist in the mystery genre. The book is written from the perspective of The Nothing Man, a retired serial killer and rapist. He discovers a book written about him authored by a survivor of his crimes. I think the premise of this book lends itself really well to the audiobook format. The book would shift and you’re able to hear the book being read as the killer is reading it. It was creepy in the way that I felt right there with the killer as the story was unfolding. It was interesting hearing the thoughts of the bad guy himself. Normally in a mystery, you don’t learn who the killer is until the end of the book. I wondered if I would get bored already knowing who did it. I did not! I wanted to know if they’d catch him, if he’d commit any more crimes. How would it end?

I did give this four stars, simply because the beginning of the book was a bit slow. It did take me a little ways to get into the story, but once I did, I was hooked! I would recommend you listening/reading this right away!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an ARC! I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this one!

4.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.

The Nothing Man is an excellent book inside a book thriller. 18 years ago Eve Black survives a serial killer who killed her mother, father and 7 year old sister. She writes a book about her experiences and her search to find the killer. Jim Doyle, a 63 year old security guard, is very interested in Eve’s book as he is the killer. The book is told in alternating chapters between Eve and Jim.

I highly recommend reading the book which was a fun game of cat and mouse between a survivor and the killer. The only knock on the book is that with the two points of view, and a book inside a book, sometime points were repeated too often. I liked that you knew who the killer was vs. normally trying to figure out the identity of the bad guy before it was revealed.

I enjoyed listening to both Alana Kerr-Collins and John Keating narrate and I liked listening to their Irish accents.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you Blackstone Publishing for the ARC and Netgalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

When this book showed up in my mailbox, I was immediately intrigued by the cover. Between the color and the fact that it looks like both a book with a ripped dust jacket and an overstuffed dossier, I was mesmerized. Yeah, yeah, don’t judge a book by its cover, but I can’t help but be drawn to the good ones.

I was even more excited to see the audio available from Netgalley and requested it immediately. I finally got to finish it this morning.

If you know me at all, you know I love the book-within-a-book trend, so that aspect scored major points from me. It also has an incredibly captivating opening chapter; the reader gets a look inside the mind of a serial killer that finds a book about himself while at work. There’s no sampling the first chapter with this one. You’ll need to keep reading with that kind of intro.

But I will admit, when I got a little ways into the book-within-a-book portion, I felt like I was reading I’ll Be Gone in the Dark all over again. I was concerned there wasn’t going to be anything original about it. I realized my apprehension was was unwarranted when I found that I was completely absorbed by the insight into the killer’s thoughts and reactions to a book written about him and his crimes. Suddenly you can imagine Joseph James DeAngelo reading I’ll Be Gone in the Dark and wondering if he had the same thoughts before his arrest. This was such a fun and original approach to, what I like to call, “true crime fiction.” (Did I make that up?)

And if all of these other aspects I love weren’t enough, there was also an extremely unexpected twist at the end. It was just the icing on the cake.

It’s difficult to comment on the audio itself, as the quality didn’t seem to be as smooth as I’ve come to expect. It almost felt a bit grainy, or like the voices had a mechanical quality to them. I wondered if it was because it was an advance audio copy and maybe it was still being touched up. It was pointed out to me that this seems to be due to current limitations of the Netgalley app when listening at high speeds (and I almost always listen at 2x). I took a (very) quick listen at 1x and it no longer had the tinny sound to it, but I went back and listened to a random section after I had finished so I won’t comment on the narrators this time.

The ending dragged a bit, but apart from that, this was an absolutely stellar read. Told like a fictionalization of I'LL BE GONE IN THE DARK, but: a little more personal, a lot more organized, streamlined, set in Ireland, and with the really awesome added perspective of the serial killer reading and reacting to the scenes in real time. Things that really speak for how well Howard handled this story: the book never felt uneven, even as it was told between two perspectives that did not go back and forth chapter by chapter (indeed, sometimes Jim's sections seem almost to interrupt the book between sentences, which felt so authentic).

Personally, I always love books set in Ireland, particularly crime books. It's a place that has a deep and bitter history of oppression, poverty, and silence, not to mention crime (though nothing like the violent serial and spree killings of America - more crimes of desperation and corruption). Setting this story in Ireland gave Howard a lot more freedom with how the press and public would handle a serial killer.

It was true to its true crime inspiration with the level of detail given to the various crimes and their victims, as well as the bits of self-insert by the writer as both victim and investigator. In all, it was a very successful use of the book-within-a-book style and, by utilizing two different narrators (a stiff-sounding female narrator reading the book and a more engaging male narrator telling the killer's side), the audiobook really maintained that illusion well.

If you’re sick of thrillers and all the similar tropes, this is for you. If you hate the books where women are weak, this is for you. If you love true crime, this is for you. Basically if you really love thrillers and want a different type of thriller, THIS IS FOR YOU. ⁣
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The Nothing Man is a fictional thriller, but since it reads like a true crime. It tells two sides: Eve Black’s take as she details the crimes that There Nothing Man committed in her memoir, including the night he killed her family while she was locked in the bathroom and Jim Doyle’s side as he reads her memoir and is afraid of getting caught. So basically this book was like if Joseph James DeAngelo had read I’ll Be Gone in the Dark. ⁣
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I listened to the audio for this one and the narrators did a great job. Specifically the female narrator who read Eve’s memoir. Her voice was similar to that of true crime shows like Snapped. It worked perfectly for this book. ⁣

An exciting new thriller that had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Catherine Ryan Howard is a new author to me, but I will certainly be checking out more of her work after reading this one. The back and forth narration was well-done, and wasn't confusing like it can sometimes be. A perfect creepy read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a much appreciated audiobook download, in exchange for an honest review.