I liked the premise of this book - 12 year old Sophie, an American brought to live in London by her mother Amelia Rose, where they become aware of a potential serial killer who appears to be stalking women around the area they live. Mattie comes into their lives, an Irishman with a a big character, who Sophie becomes to think of as a second father. Then doubts set in, is Mattie really who they think he is.

The plot is good, a serial killer, targeting women of a certain type and age, in the area where the two main characters live, but for me it all felt a bit jumbled up, as though it wasn’t sure which way it was going. It did make me read to the end as I couldn’t work out how it would end. It seemed to take a while to get to the point. It was a nicely twisted ending though. just not the book for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I haven’t doubted myself when reading a crime thriller in a long time. This had my head spinning from beginning to end. I felt one thing the duration only for it to be turned on it’s head right at the end. I literally inhaled this book, reading it in under 24 hours while working 9-5. It was so gripping and easy to read. I loved the perspective of childhood Sophie, it kept me wanting me throughout. My only slight disappointment was that I felt the ending was slightly rushed and could of been explained better, but maybe that’s me selfishly wanting more!

I really enjoyed the main part of this book and thought was a good idea for a novel, as in different POV on the serial killer story.
The timeline jumps about quite a lot but the author managed to hold it all together very well and I found it very easy to read.
The MO of the killer was good, quite different and there was some great detailing, as well as some elements of doubt so we could keep guessing.
However, the ending absolutely ruined it for me, the two big reveals were not handled well and certainly not as clever as the author probably thought. When there had been no clue about either to suddenly change everything we had read completely around didn’t feel real or authentic. Both surprises were unnecessary and actually detracted from Matty’s rather more intriguing story.
Also there were a couple of red herrings that I thought were quite interesting that were either forgotten about or dismissed lightly.
So overall I enjoyed the first 90% but felt the ending was quite unsatisfactory.

For a young child, not having a father can be terrible in more than one way. Missing a father figure is one, being bullied in school because other children seem to think there is something wrong with you is two. Sophie is glad to move from the US to the UK with her mother and make a fresh start. We’re talking the seventies here when divorce was still a scandal. And Amelia-Rose, Sophie’s mother, is not even divorced. Sophie’s father just left them.
Sophie tries to adapt to her new life but it isn’t easy. There are many cultural differences between the US and the UK, including the spelling so Sophie has a hard time at school. Luckily, there is Matty, her mothers’ new boyfriend. He becomes the father Sophie never had and she realizes now how she missed a father.
It will take twenty years after Matty’s arrest and conviction before Sophie finally learns the truth. Not only about Amelia-Rose and Matty, but partly also about herself.
Although the story sometimes moves a little too slow for my taste, it was very difficult not to keep reading. The characters are very well drawn out and the writing style is very engaging. I could picture Sophie, trying to fit in a community that essentially is completely different from where she grew up, except for the language. I could picture Amelia-Rose, struggling with many secrets – although we only later learn how many secrets exactly. And I could even picture Matty, the man with many faces.
I would love to read more books by Victoria Selman and I can highly recommend this book.

Thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for this review copy.

This book tells the story of Sophie who has received a request to visit her step-father in prison after he receives a terminal cancer diagnosis. When she was a young child Matty came into her and her mothers life and was a hero to her and the father she never had. Despite his protest of innocence Matty was convicted as a serial killer killing young women in an apparent homage to her mother. Sophie’s life has been shaped by the guilt of should she have guessed, could she have prevented the deaths with an underlying thought of what if Matty has been innocent all along. The book was a real page turner and had a surprising twist at the end. I would definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Sophie has known her mum's boyfriend since she was quite small and she adored him.
He was everything she wanted in a father figure -kind ,caring generous and fun. Unfortunately he is now in prison serving a life sentence for murdering multiple young woman -a serial killer .
He has always protested his innocence and part of her would love to believe him . Now after 15 years she has agreed to visit him in prison . Maybe she will get the answers she craves . Maybe she will get more than she bargained for .....

Thankyou NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review

Truly, darkly deeply was a good idea, but it jumped around so much the novel lost something along the way, although I did like the way it was ended

A great story giving you lots to ponder on through out the story as to what really happened and was it different then what has played out

Truly Deeply Darkly

Sophie was 8 when she and her mother, Amelia Rose, moved to the UK from the US. She is an outsider at school due to her accent and her US spelling of certain words and is bullied. ‘The barcode lines around a teacher’s mouth’ as Sophie is told off for attempting to deal with a bully. But when her mother meets the handsome, charming, Matty Melgren, life begins to improve. She soon begins to see him as the father figure that she never had.
He soon becomes an important part of their lives as Sophie grows up. But he will not commit or marry Amelia Rose which is a source of continual friction between them.
It’s the 1980’s and a serial killer, dubbed by the press as The Shadow, is killing young women in the area of North London in which they live. The descriptions of the victims bear a striking resemble to Amelia Rose which puts Sophie on her guard. The grip of fear in North London due to the Shadow reminded me of the Yorkshire Ripper in the 1970’s. Matty breezes in and out of their lives, often citing late night working or seeing his parents in Ireland at short notice.
Sophie watches her mother’s decline as the relationship becomes toxic. Then, when Sophie is 12, Matty is arrested and convicted of the murders and given 3 life sentences. For the last 20 years he has protested his innocence but now he is dying. Matty wants to see Sophie one last time.
Does he have a confession to make?
But Sophie has one to make of her own…..
The stage is set for a confrontation with a man she once loved and adored and who destroyed so many lives including hers and her mothers.
This was an unputdownable book that explored the feelings of a family who unwittingly harboured a serial killer in their midst. ‘They must have known’ is the obvious, and often spoken comment, and this mother and daughter have had a life sentence of notoriety by association.
The novel is told through an older Sophie’s eyes as, now aged 32, she struggles to make sense of it all and where she is now. Amelia Rose cannot help and Sophie finds it difficult to reconcile Matty as a supportive father figure against the shifting sands of his relationship with Amelia Rose. The reader soon senses the quiet malice, the menace beginning to loom over them once the murders start and the suspicions soon begin. As Sophie says, ‘But the things started to change; gradually, the way the tide came in, inching closer so you don’t notice it, until your shorts are wet and your sandcastle’s a shrinking mound.’
The narrative is interspersed with excerpts from true crime websites, blogs and podcasts in which respondents still find it difficult to reconcile a handsome, charming man becoming a serial killer. There are distinct shades of Ted Bundy in Matty. The ‘80’s background is convincingly portrayed with key references such as Rubik’s Cube and the Royal Wedding.
I wasn’t expecting the final revelation and Sophie ends up wondering if her entire life was a lie and yet the signs were always there. It is a very believable plot which does not have easy answers.
This was a brilliant novel that explored a serial killer from another angle and the conflicted lives they leave behind.
Sophie was portrayed well as she grows up. She is the observer of a toxic relationship which she cannot change. It’s only as she grows older that she begins to understand what’s going on. It’s a sadder, wiser and older Sophie that narrates.
Recommended.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

I am one very happy reader. A story that incorporates true crime and and serial killers. Creepy, intense, dark and chilling. The story of a serial killer and his life.. Meeting Amelia Rose and her daughter Sophie. When it began Sophie was twelve years old and both her and her mother had no idea how much their lives would change after meeting the charismatic and intriguing stranger. Told in two time periods Sophie then and Sophie now. We have a chilling insight into a twisted mind and the girl who just wanted to be loved. I loved this book and am now searching for more of this authors work Now!!!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

12 year old Sophie and her mother Amelia-Rose move to London, expecting a fresh start. When Amelia meets Matty, Sophie finally feels completely happy. Then murders start to appear, local to where they live. And they all look like Sophie's mother. When Matty is arrested for the murders, Sophie doesn't know what to believe. Now an adult, she still feels guilt and devastation for that time. Then she receives a request from Matty, wanting her to visit him in prison, as he is dying. This starts a spiral for Sophie, as she knows this could be her chance for the truth. But is she really ready to hear the truth?

An incredible thriller that had me hooked from the first page! Woo what a rollercoaster of a story, from start to finish. That twist at the end - unexpected doesn't even begin to cover it!

This story is dark and disturbing, but so incredibly gripping and entrancing. I didn't want to stop reading, the way this author writes I could just keep on reading.

I'm so looking forward to reading more by this author!

NetGalley book - lucky enough to be chosen to read this early!

A story focussed on whether a convicted killer is guilty.
The reflections of a 12 year old girl are revealing but the story moves slowly in the first part of the book. The constant reviewing of things that happened in the past feels repetitive at times. The story moves more quickly as the focus moves to more a recent time and a prison visit to try to assess guilt.
There is a twist towards the end, but it’s not unexpected.
A slightly different take on a murder story.

Truly, Darkly, Deeply isn’t like anything I have read before, and I loved it! The tale is told from Sophie's point of view in relation to her experience of living with a serial killer from the age of 12. The characters are very well developed and believable (Matty was so smooth he made my skin crawl at times). I found the writing flowed easily, the story kept me hooked, and the ending, well, I didn’t see the twist coming!

All in all, a brilliant read, worthy of all 5 stars.

As the title suggests a dark plot. It tells the story from Sophie's point of view, of living with a serial killer, from the age of 12 to her current age (about early 30's). It reveals the devastating effect on her life and relationships. A twist at the end that I did not see coming. An easy read but a slow burner. I would liked to have known a bit more about Sophie's life after his sentence and her mother's death.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus for the advance copy of this book.

The title intrigued me. It made the book sound like something up my alley.

The story itself…. Yes it was up my alley. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Truly, Darkly, Deeply is my first read by Victoria (The author) and something I went into blind. Having requested this book on NetGalley (Thank you to them for the ARC!) I'd forgotten about it until accepted. So I started it with fresh eyes and no idea what I was about to read. I'm sure if you are reading this review you will probably have read the books synopsis, but if you haven't, take a moment. Read this blind if you can.

Truly, Darkly, Deeply is a unique book and not like anything I've read before. Told from Sophie's point of view we hear about her thinking back on her life from before she moved to London from America and her time until she was around 12 years old living in London. We have Sophie's mother and of course her boyfriend Matty. There are few there characters and most of them fleeting. Which is why I really enjoyed the writing. Victoria has pulled off some great character builds here and made a story interesting and enticing (In a sick twisted way as murder usually is) with minimal characters. It's the story's flow and tempo that really set this book apart from others for me.

I literally consumed this book in a single day and even till near the end I questioned what I was told and whether I should believe it all. It's very clever and I loved the twists and turns the story took. Which is why I say, if you can go in blind, do so. A good mystery with a great voice. Truly, Darkly, Deeply was a solid 3.5 star read for me, maybe even a 4 star if I'm honest.

Thanks again to Netgalley for the ARC, this does not effect my opinion or review, these are all my own thoughts and ramblings.

The premises of the book is fab and as soon as I saw it on NetGalley I wanted to read it straight away, and did as soon as it downloaded but unfortunately, for me, this book was too slow and too long. I get like it dragged all the way until the end and then sort of just ended.

Whilst some may enjoy the style of writing, I found it jumped around too much and was slightly confusing on who was talking at times. I sometimes had to re-read bits to double check if I understood it correctly and got the right person.

The worst thing about it for me was that I feel it’s WAY too similar to the book ‘My Lovely Wife’ which is just told from a different character perspective. If you haven’t read My Lovely Wife the twist is probably exciting for you, but I just felt abit ‘meh’.

I did read this within a day but that’s only because I wanted to a) give them book a chance, and b) finish it quickly so I could start another. I hate not finishing books!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for sending an E-ARC, but unfortunately this just wasn’t for me.

Thankyou to Netgalley, Quercus Books and Victoria Selman for gifting me this digital copy.

Wow. This book is incredible and I gobbled it up in less than 24 hours. Firstly, I love the nod to famous serial killers within the book; the charm and charisma of Ted Bundy, the letters sent to the police like the Zodiac. The 1980s were a beacon for serial killers especially in the US so its interesting to see the adaptation set around North London and Ireland.

Matty is a horrid creature. His charm and wit had Sophie fooled (until the end) and I can just picture him trying to win her over. The twist at the end WAS Unbelievable, I could not have guessed it and I was sat shouting at my phone. I think this is a fantastic way of trying to let the reader see from the other side of true crime. Yes we see criminals on the TV and movies, but we're disconnected from them, looking from the outside. It's very rare we have insight into what it's like to know an actual serial killer. Like Sophie and Amelia, they 'loved' Matty and throughout the book their love for him fluctuated.

I cannot wait to talk to other people about this book and cannot recommend it enough.

Truly, Darkly, Deeply is quite different from what I expected. I think I thought it would be more of a police procedural type book but it's far more introspective and intimate than that. Sophie was 12 when her mother met Matty. The story is narrated by Sophie from the past and the present. I know with digital proofs that line breaks tend to disappear so it wasn't always easy to distinguish between the two time frames. However, the effect that Matty has on Sophie is clear to see. From perfect father figure to her as a child, to manipulative man for her as an adult. Sophie has a love/hate relationship with her mother, Amelia-Rose, and Matty plays them off against each other for his affection.

It's a claustrophobic read as we're pulled into Sophie's world, never escaping her thoughts. suspicions and fears. And it's a book that answers the one question always asked of a perpetrator's family - did you really not know? An excellent read.

Thankyou for giving me the chance to read this in advance. Full of plot twists and turns. Really recommend this.