I had to put this one down and I haven’t picked it back up yet but maybe I will I just couldn’t get into it myself but thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an arc of this book.

As a fan of true crime, I was really excited to get an advance copy to review (thanks to NetGalley and the author/publisher). Whilst this isn’t a true story, I really felt like I was experiencing what the protagonist was going through. A really interesting point of view from the story, as a child and an adult with links to a potential serial killer. I honestly couldn’t put the book down! Made me think about how difficult it must be for the families/relations of those who have been labelled “serial killers” cope.

Absolutely gripping and spine chilling, right from the start. Following Sophie and her mum, who move from Massachusetts to London in the late 70s, the story centres around a North London serial killer targettingvwomen who look just like Sophie's mum. The book is so compelling because you never know which character is telling the truth, what the secret is about them that we don't know, and what 'it' is that they've done. Horrifically genius. 5 stars.

I enjoyed this novel very much. I connected to the characters, and felt invested in their stories. I would recommend to others!

After her father has left them Sophie Brennan's mother meets Matty Melgren and he becomes part of her life just as a serial killer begins to dominate the news. The women killed all bear a resemblance to Sophie's mother. But who is Matty really and is he the killer? The story is told from Sophie's point of view jumping from her childhood in the 1980s to twenty years later after Matty has been jailed for the murders when he writes asking her to visit him.

Truly, Darkly, Deeply has an unusual theme and is an enjoyable read for fans of psychological thrillers. There was repetition in Sophie's agonising that an editor should have picked up as well as date headers for the past and present. Many thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for the opportunity to read and review this book. 3.5* rounded up.

An intriguing read, with a very interesting point of view. You can tell that Victoria Selman has done plenty of research into serial killers and their motives. I couldn't stop reading this brilliant book.

Truly, Darkly, Deeply Victoria Selman


5 stars

A Brilliant Read

I absolutely loved this book and read it in a couple of days. Right from the beginning I was caught up in the unanswered question. Is Matty Melgren a serial killer or not? Throughout the book I veered from one decision to another much like the main protagonist in the book.

Sophie Brennan moved to London from America with her mother, Amelia Rose when she was 8 years old. She suffered the usual upheaval of setting into a new country and rising above the taunting of her schoolmates but her life is made invariably better when her mother meets Matty, a handsome and charming man whom she soon comes to love as the father that she has never known.

However shortly after Matty comes into her life a succession of vicious murders start happening in and around the area of North London where Sophie and her mother live. It is also disturbing that most of the victims are young women who bear a striking resemblance to Amelia Rose.

The story jumps backwards and forwards between Sophie’s childhood and the current day which is 20 years later. We learn that Matty had been arrested and imprisoned for life when Sophie was 13 but all these years later Sophie still cannot believe that the man she had come to know and love is guilty. Has justice been done or has a terrible mistake been made?

When Sophie receives a request from Matty to visit him in prison where he is dying of cancer she realises that finally she may find out the truth and begin to rebuild her life.

I loved the way the author builds up the story of Sophie and her mother’s life with Matty. Although occasionally it was unsure in which timescale we were I found it easy to follow and had to keep reading to find out what was really the truth.

At the end there was a really unexpected twist which I did not see coming and made this book even better for me. I am now going to read the other books by this author as I enjoyed her writing style so much.


Karen Deborah
Reviewer for Net galley

The title really does sum up this book. Told in the first person by Sophie, it moves forwards & backwards through time & also attempts to rationalise why people, particularly women, are fascinated by serial killers.

Sophie moved to London, from America, with her mother as a young girl. Her father had walked out on them & her mother’s family were very uncomfortable about the whole situation. They meet Matty Melgren & he becomes the partner of Amelia-Rose, Sophie’s mum. This is just what Sophie needs, a father figure, but then he is found guilty of multiple murders.
Over 20 years later, Sophie receives a letter from the prison informing her that Matty is dying & wants to meet. What should she do….?

The story, & in particular the characterisation, is great. Although a little slow in places, it was difficult to put down. The is he, isn’t he guilty question dangles tantalisingly in front of you - I had to know the answer (how we got there was a little convoluted at times). Recommended.

⭐⭐⭐-- Gorgeous cover on this book!

This is one of those books that is just insanely readable and hard to put down. I flew through it all in one go, and I enjoyed it. That said, it had a few issues that lowered my rating a tad. The first being that it was quite repetitive. Especially with Sophie's inner thoughts. The jumping back and forth between timelines could have been made more clear by adding a simple date header. The third issue was that I felt the ending got a little convoluted. There were revelations (most of which I had already figured out) but they came across a little jumbled and vague. Overall, though, it was still an enjoyable read!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

A really intriguing novel told across two time periods. I found some of it a little repetitive but all in all a really enjoyable read.

Gripping psychological thriller with a dark, chilling, creepy twist I didn’t see coming.
I honestly couldn’t put this book down.
The opening lines made me grip the book tighter. Absolutely brilliant read.
Such a shame I can only give five stars when it deserves so much more.

Twelve-year-old Sophie moves with her mother, Amelia-Rose, from Massachusetts to London where they meet Matty Melgren. He soon becomes a big part of their lives but the adult's relationship sours. At the same time, a serial killer begins targeting women who look like Amelia-Rose. Matty is convicted of the multiple murders but there are questions as to his guilt. Twenty years later Sophie is summoned to his prison as he is dying. Will her questions finally be answered?

This is a great story, well-written which I dived into right from the beginning. The believable characters resonate with truth but there is always something going on just outside that is hard to pin down. The pace of the tale is good making it difficult to put down before reading ‘just one more chapter.’ The story does flit back and forth in time but is easy to follow. A definite for Whodunnit fans and those who like easy-to-read mysteries. Plus, it's got a great ending.

My thanks to #NetGalley, #QuercusBooks, and #VictoriaSelman for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am sorry this novel is just not my cup of tea. Slow burner which was too repetitive. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Truly, Darkly, Deeply, indeed a most apt title for this novel! Chilling and intriguing in equal measure. I was on tenterhooks wondering all the way through what the outcome would be and I was shocked and appalled by the conclusion, I just never saw that coming with all the second guessing I'd been doing!
My thanks to Netgalley.

Eight year old Sophie and her mother move from Massachusetts to London, far from family and friends, where just as her mum meets a new boyfriend, a serial killer begins to terrorize the city. This is a difficult one to rate, it's extremely compelling, yet too drawn out, I don't mind a slow burn but the pacing is off. Told by Sophie and set in two timelines, the 80s and some 20 years later, It was sometimes unclear which Sophie was speaking, date headers would have been a help. I didn't really get the feel of the 80s either, I felt the author was trying hard to set the scene - songs, TV shows, fashions etc - but it felt a bit forced. So much of the story consisted of Sophie endlessly agonizing over the same thing, the repetition became a little too much. However, I was really intrigued by the story, it kept me turning the pages, eager to find out the truth, the ending was unexpected and cleared up a few details I'd been scratching my head about. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for the ARC.

Such a compelling read. It had twists and turns that kept me interested. The characters were relatable and I felt like I was in the story with them. I've already read it twice and will read it again in the future

Totally absorbing.....within the first few lines the reader is drawn in to a world of twenty-something years ago when as a child Sophie emigrated from the US with her mother to start a new life in England. While navigating her new world, new school and friends (and of course, the kids who simply like to pick on anyone different), Sophie first encounters Mattie: a charming and handsome friend of her Mother. Mattie soon becomes a fixture in both their lives, and an almost Father-like figure to Sophie, who has never known a Father's love, playing jokes and games, and keeping their creepy neighbour at bay. But just how well can you get to know people; do you believe everything they tell you about themselves? And, when stories start to differ and seem odd, do you let it pass by or follow your gut instinct and ask questions? As Sophie's mother tries to guide and reassure her, local events have women in the area scared to be out alone and Sophie tries to ignore the little warning voice in her head and unease in her stomach. Very, very hard to put down.

An excellent read. Well written. Good story line with an interesting ending. I would throughly recommend this book.

Single mother Amelia-Rose and her daughter Sophie have started a new life in London. They meet Matty who soon becomes a father figure to Sophie. Their world is shattered when he is identified as the serial killer that has been targeting women who look like Amelia-Rose and charged with a string of murders. Twenty years later Matty is still in prison and protesting his innocence when he reaches out to Sophie to let her know he is dying.

This is a brilliant story told from Sophie's perspective as she looks back at what happened and tries to piece together the truth.

The characters are so well written, they feel believable. Victoria Selman does an excellent job at pulling you into the past and creating such a tense atmosphere.

We are obsessed with true crime and this is a fascinating side of it that we often don't consider. A compelling read.

When Sophie and her mother Amelia-Rose move from America to London for a new start it all seems to begin well. Amelia-Rose quickly meets Matty, a charismatic man, who not only sweeps her off her feet, but is just as caring and welcoming to her child. Sophie adores Matty. He quickly becomes part of their lives, and everything seems perfect. But their relationship is not all it seems. Then the killings begin.

A serial killer begins to strike in their neighbourhood, targeting young women out alone at night. The women are completely unconnected to one another, all different ages and from different walks of life. However a trend does emerge - all the women have striking physical similarities. These physical traits coincidentally happen to match those of Sophie's mother.

Matty and Amelia-Rose’s relationship begins to rapidly decline, and suspicions begin to rise. Sophie and her mother both begin to have doubts about Matty for varying reasons. Matty is eventually arrested and jailed for murder. He continually denies his guilt, and this denial eats away at Sophie. Twenty years later, her life still in pieces, Sophie receives a letter from the prison, informing her that Matty is dying and wants to see her before he does. When she does, the secrets he reveals are more than she bargained for.

This was a completely engrossing read, which I consumed in one sitting. It was clever, creepy, dark and thought provoking. Just what does happen to the lives of the families of serial killers. Do they really not know? When do they start to have suspicions? How many lives could have been saved really? Once the killer is convicted, life effectively ends for the family, too. The way in which this story was told, the jumping from the timeline, Sophie talking to her mother, telling stories from point of view, then realising what really happened, really built the tension and pulled you along. You were urging Sophie to reveal what she knew, what she was repressing. You were taking her by the hand to get her to the prison to find out more. You were just as shocked by the bombshell revelation at the end. Overall, an excellent read, something quite different, and one you won’t want to put down until finished - so make sure you don’t need an early night!

*I received this book from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.