Book # 16 : The Echo Man by Sam Holland

Sam Holland's debut book is nothing short of twisted, suspenseful, and bone chilling. It has the same feel of a #criminalminds episode. This story follows the Jess and Nate Griffin, among the police force and a serial killer. When Jess is the main suspect in her husband's murder, Griffin, a suspended Detective, steps in to help. Griffin has been following up on crimes trying to solve a case that affected him personally.

Jess and Nate Griffin, both feel broken in ways that can't be fixed, but when they come together, they are able to work and help each other find some sense of peace. While together, Jess makes a break through on the case Griffin has been working on, and in a matter of days, the number of dead people increases as this copycat murders until the final stage of the plan.

Trigger warnings: this story deal with very descriptive/visual murder scenes, rape, and dismemberment.

I was not expecting the novel to be this graphic, but this thankfully didn't take away from the story for me. The only thing I did not like was the cliff hanger, leaving this book open to a sequel, at the end. I was expecting it to be a stand alone novel, and I'm nit sure how this will turn into another book. Nonetheless, I am looking forward to more from Sam Holland and the next book about Jess and Griffin.

I'd like to say a huge thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

#readingchallenge #reading2022 #springreading2022 #booklover #bookworm #bookwormlife #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #audiobook #netgalley #readinggoals #theechoman #SamHolland #SamHollandbooks

This was such a fantastic debut with such an intriguing concept!! It’s dark, disturbing, gruesome yet incredibly compelling. I relished in the idea of a copy cat mirroring multiple famous serial killers and was on the edge of my seat the entire time!

I applaud that this extremely detail oriented story did not read like a debut at all! With such impressive writing, I predict big things for her future! Anyone else hoping for a sequel/series?! 🤞

This book is extremely violent and graphic - trigger warnings beware! However, true crime fans and police procedural aficionados, this one’s definitely for you!

Quite literally I finish this one a couple days and I remember nothing. Which to tell you. I don’t know I just didn’t leave a huge impact for me.

This was an intriguing, fast-paced and suspenseful read. Right away I had a feeling I was going to be "tricked" (in the best possible way) while reading and was looking forward to the big reveal - which didn't really disappoint.

I thought it was a interesting how the MC so quickly connects with the on-leave cop and yet it worked. I liked their relationship and found it to be believable despite how quickly it happened (and after how things start off in the book).

I think I somewhat guessed the twist (as I mention above) and yet I wasn't disappointed by it. I think it ended a bit abruptly for my taste but that's a personal preference.

My only caveat here is that I felt like the book was unnecessary graphic in description. Like, I get it - we're talking about a sadistic serial killer - but I felt like there were times it slipped into gratuitous description that I could have done without. I got that he was a bad bad due and that he did bad things...no need to be quite so descriptive about it.

My rating: 3.8*

! Language and quite a bit of adult content mentioned. Readers 18+.

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Thanks to NetGalley for this gifted audio copy. All opinions are my own.

Brilliant novel. Thank you so much for sending me a copy of this one, well done. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, the pacing, and how atmospheric this novel was. Also the character development was phenomenal!

Thoroughly enjoyed this copycat serial killer thriller by Sam Holland. I am in awe this is a debut novel! Sam is definitely an author to watch.

This book is graphic, gruesome, and detailed and, if you know me, the darker the better!

Highly recommend picking this one up if you like graphic serial killer novels. I really think Sam hit it out of the park with this one. Very much looking forward to her next book.

I really enjoyed this thriller! There's a new serial killer in town, and his MO is to copy famous serial killers of the past. Ones you've heard of - Manson, Son of Sam. We follow two detectives as they get closer and closer to unmasking the killer. We also get the perspective of the very disturbed killer. I am a lover of all things dark, and this really filled that void that shows like Mindhunter used to fill. And to be absolutely clear, this is DARK. It is gruesome, and gory. There were times I felt nauseated listening to the story.

Thank you netgalley and Dreamscape Media for giving me an advanced review copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was soooo freakin good. If you like a detective book following a sadistic serial killer, who will stop at literally nothing.. this is for you. It’s graphic, gory, and hella good!

I couldn’t stop this one. I had to find out who was doing this! I loved the flashbacks to the killers “upbringing” and getting that little bit of insight into their world and what made them tick.

I also loved the characters and the bonds and relationships here. It was more than just a police procedural with different viewpoints of the victim, detective, accused, and the murderer.

The narrator was fantastic as well at sucking me completely in to this story.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll start by saying I really would’ve liked to rate this book 4.5 stars, the only deduction being from the diversity of the audiobook. I really enjoyed this story and the and the narrator was fantastic! I really feel like this story could’ve been a little less confusing at times if the the male parts were voiced according, but the story more than made up for it! If you’re in the mood for a criminal thriller (that can get disturbing at some points but I don’t have any triggers) with intense characters, this is a must read!

This book was great! I loved all the surprises and twists and turns to get to the end and who really did it! There were parts that were kind of graphic, which I am ok with, but if you are sensitive to that type of thing this book probably isn't for you. I really enjoyed the sibling relationship and how protective they were of each other. I want so much for Jess to have a happy ending for all that she went through including how her husband treated her and her mental illness issues. Screw that dude! And I need to know how this ends - so I want a sequel!!

#TheEchoMan
#NetGalley

When you realize this is a debut novel 😮 👏

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.

⚠️ Violence, murder, child abuse, sexual assault

💭 Police procedural, copycat killer, thriller, sprinkle of romance. This one had me HOOKED and at the edge of my seat. There were some moments I had to pause because some parts were kinda graphic. Not only was I dying to know who the killer was, I loved watching the characters develop throughout the story. There are so many different relationships involved in this one!

Perfect choice for a late summer night!!!!

This mystery thriller is very intense and graphic with explicit themes of violence and sexual assault. The story follows a serial killer that copies the murders of infamous murders. The book is extremely captivating and hard to put down. Each chapter has you guessing the killer's identity and losing confidence in your assumptions as more details pour in each step of the way. One of the best books I've ever read!

I wanted to love this book. It had great potential. While it wasn't bad, it wasn't great either. I'd put it in the great-effort-but-just-all-right-execution category. In other words, too ambitious.

It kind of lost me early in the book, when a gigantic leap toward understanding what's happening took place and I struggled to accept that I hadn't missed a chapter or three.

I'm not a fan of books where most of the characters are unlikeable or untrustworthy. Again, this detracted from my ability to get absorbed in the unfolding story.

And finally, the ending wasn't convincing. I kept hoping something would happen to wrap it all up into something believable and intriguing, but ehh. Again, it was a bit of a stretch, just like the multiple timelines, viewpoints and characters we'd been watching from the beginning.

Definitely some triggers - very dark, very well done plot, developed characters. Very dark.
Jess suffers from a medical condition - no recognition of pain. She cuts herself to watch her blood drip - counting on her longtime friend, now a prominent doctor at a local hospital, to provide stiches and care.
Jess wakes in the night to the sound of fire - grabbing her young daughter, they survive. But not her husband. Patrick is dead - and Jess is the primary suspect.
Cara and Noah are assigned to the case, as well as several other investigations; they seem unrelated until a major connection is revealed - someone is recreating famous serial killer's MO.
Jess escapes the hospital, working with Cara's brother Griffin to clear her name. Griffin has been recovering from his own personal tragedy - massive harm to his own body while listening to his wife being raped and murdered.
The murders continue; the leads are few; everyone is at risk.
Brutally written - excellent twists at the end that will keep you up at night, afraid of the dark.

The Echo Man
Sam Holland
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was warned this book was gruesome. I went in confident that I could handle it without a hitch. I was wrong. 💀

The Echo Man is a thriller for those who love Netflix specials about serial killers. The Echo Man is a thriller for those who enjoy books that chill you as much as they excite you. The Echo Man is a thriller for those with a strong stomach. The Echo Man is vicious, unrelenting, and twisted in ways I did not expect. Not to mention, this book has the highest body count of any thriller I have ever read.

I could keep talking about all that The Echo Man is, but just know that it is a fast-paced, gripping, horrifying, unpredictable novel with protagonists just as morally grey as the cover and antagonists that will disturb you to no end.

…..and THAT ENDING.

Thank you @netgalley for an early audio copy! The audiobook is well narrated and produced, and I greatly enjoyed it.

This audiobook is a mystery/ thriller that follows Cara and Noah leafing a murder investigation of a cop cat serial killer. This was one heck of a ride and I enjoyed it immensely.

This was a solid police procedural that was predictable, but also left just enough doubt up until the reveal. The narration was okay - the narrators voice was annoying at times, but not enough to detract from the story. An enjoyable listen and I will definitely look for more from Sam Holland in the future!

Sam Holland wrote an enthralling, fast-paced debut thriller filled with twists and turns to the very end. This novel is perfect for fans of fast-paced thrillers, who enjoy the stories of infamous serial killers and can handle the details that come with.

After the most horrifying night of her life, Jessica Ambrose finds herself the prime suspect in the arson and subsequent murder of her husband. She is on the run, knowing she has to find the real killer. DCIs Cara Elliott and Noah Deakin are investigating a slew of seemingly unconnected homicides. When Jessica collides with suspended detective Nate Griffin, they make one bone chilling discovery; these cases are linked, by one truly horrifying copycat killer, using the M.O.'s from infamous serial killers with seemingly no limits to what he won't do.

As far as a thriller goes, this has everything. Short chapters and a fast-paced plot line make this unputdownable. The characters have issues that both add depth but also challenges to the plot line, as their personal lives interfere with the investigation. The level of research and detail needed to make this story close to real life is impressive, and Sam Holland did an excellent job of pulling it all together in a way that was utterly surprising. With each twist I thought I knew who it was, but found myself proven wrong yet again, which is the only time I enjoy that!

Multiple trigger warnings including: violence, gore, rape, child abuse, etc.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Sam Holland for an advanced listener copy in exchange for an honest review. The narrator was absolutely perfect for this book! This review will be posted to my Instagram: @manis.and.manuscripts later this week!

Huge thank you to #crookedlanebooks and @dreamscape_media for my arc of this book. It may remain my fave thriller of 2022! It was a bloody masterpiece.!
📚📚📚📚📚#thrillerobsessedbuddyread #thrillerthursday 📚📚📚

If you have not read #theechoman stop what you are reading ..get this book now.
🗡⌚ this book is addictive.. i found out mid morning I was approved the #advancedlisteningcopy and i am on chap 24
🗡⚔ Mesmerizing as binging Criminal Minds and Mindhunter.. there is a serial killer on the loose who has been killing ..and he is copying Dammer, Manson, and The Hillside Strangler and working his way through a forensic textbook.
🔎The author is precise, the gore is cinematic..and I had to stop listening a couple of times and take a breath..its been a long time that I thought I could smell death and blood from reading.
🔦Jess the female MC .. is a key to this investigation and only one suspended cop sees the big picture.

I found our cops to be seriously behind the times however with their ability to search IP addresses....and there was no trace of video at all , no dna evidence at all? The only other negative was the ending the very last pages when we found out who the Echo Man really was .. I would have had the female cop arrest him. I found his character to be so much like the serial killer from Criminal Minds who killed Hailey Hotch's wife, diabolical, sadistic and evil Perfection... for him to have the last word? No!..
Still 5stars...and I am telling everyone to read this!

who I cast as the killer of The Echo Man.... Jake Gyllenhaal

Detectives Cara Elliott and Noah Deakin investigate a series of shocking and brutal murders, none of which seem connected. As the body count rises, details start to show a pattern. Each murder represents a copycat of notorious serial killers. The race is on to catch the killer before the next copycat murder occurs.

This Book! The Echo Man is the true definition of a thriller novel. Whatever descriptive word or phrase for a thriller you can imagine, THIS IS IT! Fast-paced, edge of your seat, dark, grisly, twisty, riveting, jaw-dropping - I could go on and on!

Sam Holland expertly weaves the history of previous serial killers into the current crime spree. For most of these murders, I knew surface details but here we get a detailed account of the murders, which is not for the faint of heart. The crimes are horrifically graphic - a true crime lover's dream. I loved every minute of it!

Many of you know my disdain for epilogues. The Echo Man does have an epilogue. And....I love it! The ending of this book blew my mind! I even listened to the epilogue twice! Bravo to Jodie Harris, our narrator, for giving me chills up my spine as I listened to the final words. 🤯

Thriller lovers, get this book NOW!