3.5 stars, rounded up

This is a very disturbing mystery thriller. Definitely not for the squeamish or the easily horrified.

It's about a serial killer who copies other serial killers. Most of the book is very captivating and gripping, I was invested in finding out who was committing all of these crimes and staying off of the police radar. The ending though, caused me to drop this down a half star because it both went too far with the twists and yet didn't have a clear cut resolution.

I liked the characters, I related to them and they all felt real and believable. I suspected everyone at some point or another, which is a good thing for a book of this sort because it kept me turning pages to see what would happen.

I listened to some of this book as an audiobook and the narrator, Jodie Harris, does a fantastic job of conveying both Cara and Jessica and their points of view.

This is a fast-paced debut novel and I will keep my eyes out for further books by this author. I can see these characters featured in future books as there's always fodder for mysteries with police procedurals.

This story follows detectives as they try to catch a copycat serial killer who is recreating scenes from many notorious serial killers. This was a brutal thriller with a high body count. Sections written from the perspective of the serial killer were very hard to read. The story moves along at a quick pace with some surprises. This novel led me into a dark rabbit hole of serial killer true crime documentaries. The content was right at the edge of what I can handle reading. As you may know some of the serial killer's crimes in the past have been very violent and horrible. So if you can't handle reading graphic violence and sexual assault this book will be one to skip. But there is also some great characters, including a couple survivors, finding solace in each other. This is a very effective debut thriller that does not hold back.

This book does a great job of weaving fact and fiction and true crime buffs will enjoy the references to famous serial killer cases. With a strong focus on the psychological thriller aspects, this book offers a level of analysis which will impress fans of such classics as Silence of the Lambs and The Hypnotist.

This was a fantastic book, I loved every page. At times I just couldn’t read it fast enough. What a brilliant debut novel. More please. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I have read some fantastic, dark thrillers by seasoned authors and this debut novel can stand on its own up against them! From the first chapter, I was hooked! The attention to detail, (vividly graphic, detail) pulled me right into this horrifying tale of a copycat serial killer as he toyed with the police. One invested man was onto the connection of these crimes long before the investigators were and with determination, he launched his own rogue fact finding hunt. The killer is on a spree and is always one step ahead of the chase. I’ve been following true crime & serial killer stories for as long as I can remember, so I found this book fascinating weaving true crime with crime fiction. This book is terrifying, exhilarating and utterly shocking all the way to the end (especially the end) and I want more!

A jackpot for serial killer fans- this book is full of references of them. The Echo Man is besting them all. Very dark and intriguing, definitely a creepy mystery destined to have you leave the lights on!

If a thriller has “man” in its title, I for sure will read it. Because I know its going to be a disturbing story with a serial killer doing some unnerving things!! Thank you @crookedlanebooks vis Netgalley for the gifted arc..

Reading the title, the synopsis and with my obsession with crime thrillers I went into this book with expectations, but to my surprise this debut thriller was so great, I’m still watching my back while I’m alone even though it has been a week since I finished reading this.

THE ECHO MAN has the usual plot - a notorious serial killer copying the ways of other infamous killers, detectives who try to figure out this disturbed being and dead bodies piling up that are bound to give nightmares to anyone who sees them! But what I liked about the story is, its not only about this killer and his victims. Its also about a woman who was framed for stuff she didn’t do. When life lines of these two people collide, some fun and fast paced stuff happens 😉

This is definitely my type of crime thriller! I enjoyed reading through this and so will you if you like dark subject matters. I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of this serial killer thriller sub genre!!

“𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣, 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙠 𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠. 𝙄𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙪𝙩, 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙨, 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙜𝙚, 𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙫𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙨.”

First, I want to say thank you to @crookedlanebooks and @samhollandbooks for providing me with a copy of the book for this tour!

First of all WOW!!! That was my reaction this entire book. This book is told in 3rd person from alternating POVs of Jess, Cara, Griffin and The Echo Man. It also gives us some snippets into The Echo Man’s childhood and upbringing.

This book literally had me hooked from the very first page and has now made its way to my “favorite thrillers of all time” list. This book is so well written and Holland’s writing is descriptive, atmospheric and everything I love in a book. This book is dark and intense. I absolutely loved the mentioning of famous serial killers and how the killer was echoing their crimes. Just genius. This book was a completely wild ride with unexpected twists and then more twists on those twists 🤯 The book ends with a cliffhanger and I absolutely loved the ending. I’m not so secretly hoping that we are getting a book 2 but even if there isn’t one, I think it ended great. This is an amazing debut novel and a thriller that I will be recommending to everyone I know. AKA go get this book now because I guarantee it will make it on your top 10 reads of the year!!

⚠️TW: self harm (specifically cutting), graphic, rape, murder, violence, gore⚠️

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Echo Man by Sam Holland.

After a devastating fire takes over her house, Jessica finds herself under suspicion of murdering her husband. But disgraced cop Nate Griffin helps her stay on the run while chasing his own demons. He also struggles to stay out of police business, even though he is under strict instruction to do so.

Cara and Noah are partners and detectives working exhaustively to find a string of killers in their area, committing crimes even more horrendous than the last. But with each crime comes a terrifying fact, these crimes are mimicking the work of serial killers in the past. Dahmer, BTK, Manson and other monsters. How are all of these crimes linked, and why would someone do this?

First off, crime junkies, this is definitely for you! If you know your true crime, now is your time to shine. This book references some of the greatest hits, and the familiarity of these cases may make you feel more immersed in the novel.

This was a fun thriller. Very intricate, high stakes, and fast paced. It keeps you guessing until the very end. The plot is intricate, and the characters are complex. It's my type of novel!

Wow, so I am always on the lookout for a new author and Sam Holland has knocked it to of the park with The Echo Man. It’s a very dark thriller/crime story with a touch of horror aspects with a serial killer that likes to reenact true crimes. Emulating Mason, The Hillside Strangler and Dahmer, just to name a few, this killer leaves a gruesome trail of bodies in their wake. Cara and Noah are detectives trying to hunt down the killer, we also have Jessica who is in hiding, suspected of killing her husband, and Nate, the broken and suspended detective who is trying to help her. Does Jessica’s case have anything to do with the ring of true crime copycats?

Serial Killer thrillers and horror stories have always been in my top favorite reads (yeah I know..twisted but what can I say). Holland will now join some of my favorite detective/serial killer/crime authors like Vargus & McBain and Andrew Barrett for must-buys.

I recommend this book to anyone who is a reader of true crime or serial killers and give it 4/5 stars. This isn’t for the sensitive reader, there are some pretty gruesome kills so just be forewarned. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the review copy of this book.

EXCERPT: She remembers the inside of the car. Two bodies, crumpled, broken. Two bloody necks: white bone, flesh, tendons visible. And two heads lying alongside. Casually discarded, wet hair trailing in blood, glassy eyes wide open.

'Yes,' she says. 'Decapitated.'

ABOUT 'THE ECHO MAN': Detectives Cara Elliott and Noah Deakin are on the case of a series of seemingly unconnected murders, each different in method, but each shocking and brutal. As the body count increases, they can’t ignore the details that echo famous cases of the past—Manson, Kemper, Dahmer, and more. As Elliott and Deakin get closer to unmasking the killer, the murders are moving closer to home.

Meanwhile, Jessica Ambrose is on the run. She’s been implicated as the arsonist who killed her neglectful husband and injured her young daughter. With the help of disgraced and suspended detective Nate Griffin, Jess discovers a shocking link between her case and that of the ultimate copycat killer working on his horrifying masterpiece.

MY THOUGHTS: As much as I wanted to like The Echo Man, I didn't. It was simply too much. The idea was great and at time did I consider abandoning this read, but . . . I have been trying to write this review for two days, since I finished reading, struggling to write what I think without giving anything away.

I had great difficulty in believing that what occurred could be orchestrated over such a short period of time. It would have been hard enough for a person who had nothing else to do other than concentrate on killing, but for someone leading a double life I think it would have been near impossible.

I felt that a lot of what is in the book was written for shock factor, something that doesn't sit well with me.

'Overkill' is the word that comes to mind.

There will be a lot of people who love this book. Personally I prefer more suspense and more subtlety. The Echo Man is Sam Holland's debut novel.

⭐⭐.5

#TheEchoMan #NetGalley

I: @samhollandbooks @crookedlanebooks

T: @samhollandbooks @crookedlanebks


#contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #policeprocedural #serialkillerthriller

THE AUTHOR: Having always been fascinated with the dark and macabre, Sam Holland’s love of reading was forged in the library through Stephen King, Dean Koontz and James Herbert. A self-confessed serial killer nerd, Holland studied psychology at university then spent the next few years working in HR, before quitting for a full-time career in writing. The Echo Man is the result.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Crooked Lane Books via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Echo Man by Sam Holland for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon,Instagram and my webpage

An amazing debut serial killer mystery, The Echo Man by Sam Holland is a riveting and most engrossing adventure. Detective Cara Elliot and her team are on the trail of a serial killer who emulates previous serial killers and their gruesome murders. Yet, each murder has a different methodology, equally shocking and brutal but seemingly unconnected. Always a step behind, with no forensic clues left, the team struggles to move the investigation forward. Whilst a very dark tale, it has enjoyable characters, a credible plot and a shrewd intermix of police procedural and personal lives. Overall, a must read for crime thriller fans with a five-star rating. With thanks to Crooked Lane Books and the author, for an uncorrected advanced copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

The Echo Man has a great premise for anyone who enjoys reading true crime. There is a serial killer echoing the crimes of other serial killers. As you read each about each crime, you get to test yourself. Can you match the crime to the original killer? When it came to that, this book was great.

I wish I could connect more with the characters. Many seemed to be written just like every other crime novel. There are boxes being checked all over the place. It made it difficult to connect with them in any meaningful way. Also, from the little we do know about them, they weren’t that likable.

There were a lot of coincidences that made this story work. There would have to be. Sometimes it seems like a trope. How often are the cops really this personally connected to the crimes? And if they are, would they be investigating? I see why some of it was necessary. You have to suspend belief to read all kinds of fiction. It just sometimes crossed a line that made me roll my eyes.

Aside from being slightly predictable and formulaic, I really enjoyed reading this book. Suspend belief and just go along for the ride.

The echo man by Sam Holland.
Jess Ambrose is plunged into the investigation when her house is set ablaze. With her husband dead and the police pointing at her, she runs. Her only hope is disgraced detective Nate Griffin, who is convinced Jess is innocent
I really enjoyed this book. Couldn't put it down. Loved it. 5*.

If you are a True Crime fan this is a definite must-read! It is also not for the faint-hearted with some really gory descriptions!

I've always been a fan of true crime stories and reading about all the notorious serial killers. When I saw the premises of this book I jumped at the opportunity to read it and I can definitely say I was not disappointed. What a terrifying thought, a copycat serial killer who re-enacts real murders to the tiniest of details like a fish tank! We have the who's who of serial killers in the book from the Hillside Strangler to Jeffrey Dahmer, the Yorkshire Ripper, Charles Manson, and the Golden State Killer.
A link to the true nature of the crimes is made by chance but will the police be able to find this person dubbed the Echo man before the grand finale? Why does it seem like the killer is always 1 step ahead of the police?

We meet the messed-up Jess who does not trust the police and goes on the run after her husband is killed in a house fire. There is the equally messed up Griffen who lost his wife in a brutal attack that nearly cost him his life as well. He is obsessed with finding the killer and is convinced that a lot of the recent murders are linked. Finally, we meet DCI Cara Elliott who must make sense of everything while trying to keep Griffen; her brother; on the straight and narrow.

There are fascinating facts in this book about the true crimes that were committed and it is expertly woven into the story. There's a lot of depth to the characters and I would love to see them back in a sequel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

4.5/5

Holy MOLY, I knew The Echo Man by Sam Holland was going to be violent and gory, but I didn't realize the full extent of this until I actually got going. I read Karin Slaughter, so I am no stranger to this in my books, but Holland definitely took things to a whole new level. This isn't a book you are going to want to read while eating, but it was completely fantastic, and I am in both shock and awe that this is Holland's debut novel. The author describes herself as a serial killer nerd and that definitely comes through in the story. I also appreciated that she explained a bit about the serial killers mentioned by working it into the plot, so the reader doesn't have to Google anything. There are about a million triggers in the book, and if you shy away from any type of violence or gore you should NOT read The Echo Man since it is very graphic.

I loved the different viewpoints, and this is a straight-up police procedural but at the same time a whole lot more than that. I really liked having Jessica's viewpoint and the fact that she ends up doing a bit of sleuthing herself. The pacing is very fast which made the book feel way shorter than over 300 pages, and it also helped that the chapters were super short and engaging. The aspect of the copycat killer really got my attention, but I was also completely drawn to the characters. Cara is such a great detective and is the strong and fierce kind of woman I like to have as the lead in the books I read, and I couldn't help but adore Griffin (AKA Nate). I did think it was a little odd that Holland kept interchanging Deakin and Griffin’s first names with their last and do prefer when authors stick to using one or the other, but it was a very small thing in the grand scheme and didn't take away from the story. If you love police procedurals, true crime, serial killers, and crazy twists I HIGHLY recommend you read The Echo Man immediately. I also can't help but hope this isn't the last we have seen of Detective Cara Elliott.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This amazing debut by author Sam Holland is not to be missed! I've never read a better debut book!

I remember how dazed, horrified and shocked I was when I first watched the movie 'Seven' with Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt years ago. It was one of my favorite Thriller movies for a long time.

The Echo Man is, dare I say, an even better Thriller than 'Seven'. Someone needs to buy the movie rights and make this movie immediately!

I'm still reeling from this one!

A killer, murdering people by copying previous serial killers' exact kills. It was graphically horrific and this story is not for the faint at heart. I think I've been pretty jaded by crime thrillers, having read so many of them and described crime scenes rarely even raise my eyebrows any more. But the way Holland wrote this story, it was like I was a newcomer to this genre. I felt every victim's fear and pain. I was completely submersed. The writing is superb! Characters jump off the page and the MC's are so messed up that I must see what happens to them next. Please, please, please make this a Book 1 in a series!

And the ending... I think I was holding my breath as I was racing through the pages. It was jaw-dropping! This book will never leave my brain. Incredible.

If you love Crime Thrillers or Thrillers in general, The Echo Man needs to be on your list, at the top!

I would suggest a significant amount of TW on this book. If you'd like some advice on the TW, please DM and I can help you out.

Sam Holland’s debut thriller grabs the reader by the throat from the outset and doesn’t let go. The novel opens with a man in a forest staging a horrific murder scene. He is arranging two bodies in a car boot in a very specific tableau for the police to find.

Further murders follow in quick succession with different methods of killing. At first the police are baffled at so many murders are suddenly occurring on their patch. All meticulously carried out with no forensic traces left at the scene. DCI Cara Elliott, her partner DS Noah Deakin and their team are soon overstretched investigating so many murder scenes all at once. Eventually they realise they are dealing with a single serial killer, one who is paying homage to other infamous serial killers causing the press to label him the ‘Echo Man’.

As well as trying to juggle her burgeoning caseload with her family life, Cara is also worried about her brother Nate. A year ago he was badly injured during a home incursion in which his wife Mia was raped, tortured and killed. Also a police officer he is not coping well with his injuries or his guilt in failing to protect Mia and is currently on suspension for punching another officer. After a suspicious house fire in which a man died while his wife Jessica and daughter Alice barely escaped, Nate believes he had found evidence that linked the fire to Mia’s death. When the police accuse Jessica of starting the fire, Nate is the only one who believes she is innocent and she turns to him for his help in finding the killer.

This dark and chilling novel is perfect for those who love thrillers featuring serial killers. It is definitely not for the squeamish, as the killer is relentless in copying well known murder scenes making for some very graphic and gruesome depictions of macabre murders. At times it almost felt like overload, with a total of twenty eight murders over the course of the novel and just about every way of killing or mutilating a body featured.

The action is well paced and packed with suspense. Despite all the violence, we do come to care for the characters, even though many of them are troubled or in flawed relationships. Damaged Nate hasn’t yet got over his anger at Mia’s death and is self-medicating his physical and mental pain with opiates. Jessica self-harms and has trouble forgiving herself for not having saved her husband and Cara, dealing with murders coming thick and fast is struggling to spend enough time at home with her kids and her husband who may be having an affair. Interspersed between chapters are reports from decades earlier about a disturbed child, which give some insight into why the ‘Echo Man’ became who he is. For me, there were a few suspects as to the identity of the killer who is not revealed until late in the book. A huge twist at the end of the novel, perhaps stretching plausibility too far, does leave the reader wondering if there is to be a sequel, although it’s hard to imagine how Ms Holland could top this impressive debut.

4.5 out of 5 stars (4.5 / 5) Two detectives are investigating multiple murders that are shockingly brutal but seemingly have no connections. Then, a whammy of a detail is a smack to the face. Worst. Scenario. Possible. They scramble to find the killer as the killings get more intense, and closer to home.

I am stunned! I was on the edge of my seat for this entire book. I’ve never read anything like it and that’s probably a good thing! It’s sick and twisted. This serial killer is more intense than any fictional one I’ve read before (but not more so than real serial killers). The details were a lot. The intensity was a lot. My heart was tugged in so many ways that I felt stress and mourned right along with these characters.

The characters were well written and I felt like I was going through the experiences with them, living these horrific moments of realization and panic. Scrambling to connect the dot for any minute detail that might help.

I’ve always said serial killers fascinate me, but this was a whole new level. It was fascinating and horrible all at the same time. Like a car accident you can’t tear your eyes from even though you don’t want to see. I ate up all the details and watched this train wreck barrel towards these unsuspecting characters until the end. Oh that end! Even as it was playing out, I was thinking, “no way!” and more and more came. I was covering my mouth in shock as my eyes bugged out of my head. I could not read fast enough!

There are a few different types of crime thrillers; Finlay Donovan (Elle Cosimano) is entertainment without gory details, Patricia Cornwell has details but from a medical/forensic matter-of-fact point. This is gruesome because it’s the scenes as someone is seeing them for the first time or as he’s doing it. Many officers are puking and leaving the scene because of the nature of what has happened.

I am shocked this is Holland’s debut! All the applause, I will hesitantly pick up every book she writes as I expect the train to come barreling at me. However, I would greatly appreciate a book 2 because wow, my mind has not let go of that ending yet. For the love of all that’s good and holy, do not leave it at that! It’s cruel and shattering and brilliant.

The Echo Man is about a copy cat killer told from multiple perspectives. It was quite detailed in the killings and crime scenes and sometimes hard to stomach. I enjoyed the story, it was creepy and kept me guessing.