The premise of this book was excellent but unfortunately I guessed the twist in the first few chapters. I hoped I’d be proved wrong, that it was a red herring but I was right.

Victoria Selman’s Truly, Darkly, Deeply is a rare beast; an original fresh and compelling novel that drove me on from the very start. It’s immersive, propuls ive and absolutely gripping.

The story is straightforward enough. Would you know if you were living with a serial killer? Sophie is a young child just 12 years old, when her mother American Amelia-Rose meets Matty Melgren. Irish, charming and attentive, Matty is a bereavement Counsellor who also works in a local London Crisis Centre.

Sophie is struggling with all the changes her life has been going through. Her father left her and her mother without so much as a goodbye. Her mother moves to London for a fresh start but Sophie, already feeling so much loss is a fish out of water in her new school where everything is different, even the spelling at which she used to excel.

So when the charming Matty moves into their lives, Sophie is a little captivated.

When several women are murdered near Amelia-Rose and Sophie’s home in North London – and those women bear a striking resemblance to Amelia-Rose, it takes a long time for the police to track down the perpetrator. Matty is arrested and charged, all the while protesting his innocence.

Truly, Darkly, Deeply is told by Sophie as she waits to meet Matty, now a convicted serial killer, in Battlemouth Prison. As she prepares to see Matty, who has pancreatic cancer, for the first time since his incarceration, she thinks back to all the events that lead to this moment.

Were there signs? Interpreting events after the fact is a nightmare game and it’s a rabbit hole both Sophie and her mother go down with terrible frequency. Everyone thinks it must have been obvious; of course they know. How could they not?

But the truth is that, 20 years later, Sophie is still not 100% sure Matty is guilty. And that’s why she’s here, waiting to see him. Because she has to know.

What she does know is that serial killer or not, he has destroyed their lives. Not in the same way that the women and the child he killed were slain, but Sophie and Amelia–Rose were destroyed just the same.

Victoria Selman spins a fascinating web of lies, deceit and chilling, deathly dread mixed with warmth, charm and flattery to create a vivid portrait of a family that combusts after Matty is arrested and charged with multiple murders.

Verdict: Truly, Darkly, Deeply is a terrifically vivid and genuinely chilling read that held me fast all the while I was reading it. It has empathy, chills and a few really unexpected moments that all add up to an engrossing, exceptional and wholly captivating read. Highly recommended.

So to begin with I found this story slow, but I still couldn’t stop reading! It’s a creepy thriller and it’s one of those you think you know the ending… but you don’t!

I really enjoyed this one and would love to read more of Victoria Selmans work!

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Quercus for my advance copy of #TrulyDarklyDeeply by #VictoriaSelman
I love books about serial killers and was looking forward to reading this one but I just couldn’t get into it. I read about a third and flicked to the end. The main character just didn’t hold my attention.
⭐️⭐️⭐️

A dark, disquieting and compelling story told by Sophie. Sophie moved to London with her mother as a child where they meet Matty Melgren. Matty is serving a life sentence for a series of murders. Much of the book is Sophie's attempt to make sense of her childhood and her feelings towards Matty who fulfilled the father figure role in her life. The pace is at times a little slow, but it's necessary in order to really understand the tensions in the relationships between Sophie and Matty, Sophie and her mother, Amelia, and Amelia and Matty. The ending was satisfying. An excellent thriller read.

Well I wasn't expecting that ending!! At first I thought this book was the same as others, until I started getting nearer the ending. It was a bit of a slow starter but the further you read into Amelia Rose, Sophie and Matty's lives the more intriguing the book became.

Halfway through I was totally enthralled, I was willing the meeting between Sophie and her mother's boyfriend who became the convicted serial killer. Matty wanted to clear his conscience by telling Sophie the truth behind his killing spree. Sophie wasn't the only one who wanted answers, I did to, as so many details I thought were just irrelevant actually became very important and relevant to the storyline. The final few chapters were jaw dropping and lead to a fantastic twist to the story in the end.

I found myself completely engrossed in this and could see how someone could be taken in by Matty Melgren. Initially I thought it was going to take a sinister turn towards Sophie, but Matty is very kind towards her, he’s just like a father to her!

It was fascinating seeing how the relationship between Amelia Rose and Matty developed and how this had an effect on the relationship with Sophie – mother and daughter, Matty and Sophie, the three of them together. All so interesting. The writer did so very cleverly.

I was not expecting the ending and I will be looking out for more by this author. I would rate this book 4 stars.

I read and reviewed Truly Darkly Deeply on Netgalley and received a digital ARC copy in exchange of an honest review. This thriller was a serial killer novel with a twist; it was a story told by the serial killer’s daughter. It was chilling in places, thrilling too and right from the start I willed the main character to remain strong.
I liked the author’s writing style, the plot and the main characters and their relationships, and I liked the action packed novel.
I’m giving this novel 5 stars as it held my attention throughout, and while it is my first novel that I’ve read by the author, I know I want to read more.

Ths was an enthralling and very different book to read. It was a lovely premise to base the book on the fact that the step daughter of a convicted serial killer wants answers to many questions over why he did what he did and what it was he finally wants to tell her as he is dying. The lead up in the final chapters leads to a really great ending.

This is different. A story of one woman trying to come to terms with the fact that the closest man she ever had to a father is in prison for a string of murders. She leads us through her tale, all the time unsure as to his guilt. Wondering if she had a part to play in what happened.
Kept me interested and involved in her story, Recommended.

This is one brilliant read, from beginning to end. Sophie Brennan and her mum Amelia Rose moved to London from America when Sophie was quite young. Amelia met and started dating the handsome, charismatic Matthew (Matty) Melgren. He was the closest thing that Sophie had to a father, and she loved him. The relationship between Amelia and Matty wasn’t always plain sailing, she would have liked to have got married but Matty wasn’t up for that. Sophie would constantly listen when the two had arguments, she always took Marty’s side feeling her mum was always pushing him away.

When Matty is arrested, charged and found guilty of murdering several women, Sophie’s life falls apart, Amelia takes to drinking and pills, she had stood by Matty as he pleaded his innocence. Twenty years have gone by when a letter lands through Sophie’s letterbox from. Battlemouth prison, it’s from Matty and he is asking her to visit him, he is dying. Can Sophie drum up the courage to visit?

The story is told from the point of view of Sophie, with blog posts, and forum posts interspersed, posts from people who believe Matty is innocent. How could he be guilty he is a good looking, well groomed, intelligent man, he looks nothing like the profilers had said the killer would look like. But then what does a killer look like? Think of Ted Bundy. The timeline is in mostly in the past, as the crimes were taking part, along with Sophie and Amelia’s relationship with Matty, and as Sophie struggles with her life, living with guilt, she had quit school and has done nothing with her life in the 20 years.

I love how this story is told it’s not like a police procedural or crime fiction where the police are trying to catch the killer. It’s clear from the start that Matty is in prison for killing a number of women and a young girl. It’s more on the relationship between the three main character’s and when Sophie and Amelia start to wonder if Matty is the killer that has many people scared to go out at night. I had so much empathy for Sophie as she loved Matty who ended up in prison and she loved her mum who turned to drink and pills when Matty went away, instead of focusing on her daughter and the impact it had all had on her. I loved the ending.

If you love a serial killer read then grab a copy of this, you will not regret it. I would like to thank #netgalley and #Quercis for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

“Matty was more of a dad to me than Jame Brennan ever was. Jame, no ‘s’. An affectation to make him sound special. I laughed when I watched Silence of the Lambs. My father had the same name as Buffalo Bill. Jame Gumb. What is it about me and serial killers?”

My thanks to Quercus Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Truly, Darkly, Deeply’ by Victoria Selman.

This was the kind of thriller perfect for fans, like myself, of true crime and the sub-genre of crime fiction that focuses on serial killers. Once started, I couldn’t put it down.

The plot centres on Sophie Brennan, now thirty-two, as she seeks to come to terms with the traumatic events of her childhood when her mother’s boyfriend was arrested for a series of brutal murders in North London.

In 1983 Matthew (Matty) Melgren was convicted and imprisoned for life with no chance of parole. Twenty years has passed and Matty has continued to maintain his innocence, claiming that he was set up.

Sophie was only twelve when she and her mother, Amelia-Rose, moved from Massachusetts to London. Amelia-Rose began dating the charismatic Matty Melgren and soon he had become an integral part of their lives. For Sophie, who was having difficulty fitting in with her British peers, he became a substitute father.

When a number of young women are found murdered, it becomes clear that a dangerous serial killer is at large in London. Sophie is especially concerned about her mother’s safety given that the victims bear a striking resemblance to Amelia-Rose. The police seem baffled and the press dub him the Shadow. As further bodies are found a few odd incidents leads Sophie to become suspicious of Matty though she remains conflicted.

When Matty is sent down Sophie and Amelia-Rose were vilified and retreated from society. Now twenty years later Sophie has received a letter from Battlemouth Prison informing her Matty is dying and wants to meet her. This is her last opportunity to get the answers that she craves. Yet will the truth set her free or bury her deeper?

I found this a very clever novel. Victoria Selman divides her narrative between events in the early 1980s and Sophie’s present, circa 2003.

I felt that Selman included enough period detail, such as historical events, mentions of people and pop culture references to ground her narrative. Having lived through the periods covered I certainly didn’t find myself tripping over any obvious anachronisms. In addition, there are a number of true crime case references contained in the story.

Overall, I was impressed with ‘Truly, Darkly, Deeply’. I found it a mature serial killer thriller that was strongly character-led and unfolded at a measured pace. While the crimes were shocking with the story being told by Sophie any gratuitous elements were kept to a minimum and only referenced.

This is the third book that I have read by Victoria Selman and they have all proved excellent reads. I hope to explore more of her back catalogue as well as look forward to her future projects.

Highly recommended.

Such a great book! Absolutely loved the story, very "true crime" like, and the characters, specially Sophie.
Highly recommend to anyone looking for a twisty well written and engaging thriller, just make sure you have some free time when you start because it will be very hard to stop reading.
Thanks for the opportunity to read this ARC.

12-year-old Sophie and her mother, Amelia-Rose, move to London from Massachusetts where they meet the charismatic Matty Melgren, who quickly becomes an intrinsic part of their lives. But as the relationship between the two adults fractures, a serial killer begins targeting young women with a striking resemblance to Amelia-Rose.
When Matty is eventually sent down for multiple murders, questions remain as to his guilt -- questions which ultimately destroy both women. Nearly twenty years later, Sophie receives a letter from Battlemouth Prison informing her Matty is dying and wants to meet. It looks like Sophie might finally get the answers she craves. But will the truth set her free -- or bury her deeper?

This is a thrilling read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.

Truly Darkly Brilliant!

What a phenomenal book. It reads more like a True Crime Memoir than a book of fiction.
If you love true crime, you’ll love this and will even recognise elements of real serial killers shining through in the many descriptions of Matty and his behaviour.
I was enthralled from the very beginning until the last perfect word.

Brilliantly addictive and gripping, so much so that it is bound to send chills down your spine and even give your goosebumps goosebumps.
If it wasn’t for the declaration, I would have a hard time believing this was just a work of fiction. The reactions of those involved, the heartbreaking twists and turns, everything just feels as if these murders did take place in the 1980s. And that the newspapers were brimming with articles that you could look up and find today.
Amazing! I truly darkly deeply love this book!

Another book I cannot wait to own a physical copy of.

Thank you so much, NetGalley & Quercus Books for the arc. This is my honest review.

This novel reminded me of "the stranger beside me" , and, even though told with a fresh voice from a different point of view , did not bring much more to the table. It is still a well written tense novel but it did not blow me away as not really original. There are a few twists but unfortunately they are not enough to redeem the story. A missed opportunity which is still worth a read.

What an aptly titled book!! This book truly drew me in to it’s deep, dark story and had me hooked quite early on.

The book is written in the voice of Sophie who lives with her mother Amelia and features her mother’s boyfriend Matty who flits in and out of their lives during a period of time when there is a serial killer loose in London, whose victims all bear a resemblance to Sophie’s Mum. The book tells the story through Sophie’s memories and reflections as she prepares to visit Matty in prison because he’s dying. He’s already served 20 years for the serial murders and she still isn’t sure if he was guilty or not.

It definitely takes you on a psychological, suspense-filled journey of ‘did he, didn’t he?’ And I definitely didn’t see the twist at the end coming! It’s well written and definitely kept me page-turning more than I originally thought it would.

As someone with a strong interest in psychology it certainly made me think. Could you live with someone and not see their dark side, can there be so two deeply contrasting sides to a killer?

I’ve given four stars and not five simply because I found it a sad book and I would be lying if I said I ‘enjoyed’ it but having said that it definitely gripped me and it’s well written and I felt as if I was reading a non-fiction book.

My thanks go to the author, to NetGalley and to the publishers for an advanced reader copy of this book. This review however is entirely voluntary and entirely my honest feelings about the book.

This story was such a fascinating read.

We get to know the 12 years Sophie that moved with her mother from the US to London.

Their lives changed when her mother falls in love with Matty and he moves in. He’s the exact father figure that she's missing in her life.

But there's much more going on around them. A serial killer is getting closer to her house while the victims have an astonishing resemblance to Sophie.

Twenty years later, the adult Sophie is living a very different life than she was dreaming about.

The fatherly figure was convicted to murder and years ago and she's receiving a summoning letter from him. She will find some answers to her long time questions in the end.

This is one of those stories that you just can't stop reading, even if it gives you goosebumps and chills throughout the chapters.

It's really addictive and suspenseful x with so many unexpected turns and one that I will highly recommend for any true crime or psychological thrillers lovers.

I really enjoyed the Ziba Mackenzie series by Victoria Selman so jumped at the chance to read this. Truly, Darkly, Deeply was very different from the Ziba Mackenzie books but equally compelling. Sophie and her mother move to London from the US. Her mother meets the charming Matty, who moves in with them. A serial killer is targeting and brutally murdering women in their area. Matty is convicted and years he is dying in prison and wants Sophie to visit him. Will she find out the truth? This was such a compelling read and quite chilling. Good ending too.
Thanks to NetGallley and @quercusbooks for the review access

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc ebook.
An easy to read dark tale, I just wanted a little more from the ending.