Review of The Echo Man by Sam Holland

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow. This one blew my mind. Hands down the best book I’ve read this month and possibly so far this year. It was a totally engrossing, intense thriller and police procedural that has it all. The plot was so unique and it grabs you from the beginning and doesn’t let go until the very end. I cannot believe this is a debut and can’t wait to see what comes next from the author.

Quick synopsis: There is a serial killer that is copying all of the famous serial killers with various murders. Hot on the trail or the killer is a detective named Cara and her partner Noah. Jess is a young mother with major baggage from her past who is accused is setting a fire in her home which ultimately kill’s her husband. No one believes her innocence except Cara’s brother Griffin (Nate). He is also a
police officer but on a forced break from the job. All of these characters rush to find the killer and the big reveal is worth it.

Thanks so much to @netgalley and @crookedlanebooks for the advanced listening copy. I cannot wait discuss it with my -#theyearofnetgalley crew.

I really enjoyed this one. I was pretty sure I had figured out the ending.. until the actual ending. Being a true crime fan the ode to all the most prolific serial killers was surprisingly enjoyable. Will continue to pick up Sam Holland, specifically in audiobook because I really enjoyed everything about this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Sam Holland for an ARC audiobook copy to review. As always, an honest review from me.

Trigger warning: the book mentions self harm, animal abuse, murder, rape

Like:
- Mentions of self harm amongst adults - not that self harm is good, but it’s a good representation of mental health struggles beyond the stereotypical
- The murder mystery and detective work overall. It was easy to be intrigued by the premise of the mystery and want to keep reading to find out what happens.
- When the main characters actions and motivations finally make sense (about 1/3 of the way through) then I finally connect with them and enjoy the book even more. I’m the type of reader that needs to connect with the main characters to enjoy the book.
- Definitely has that got to keep reading so I can find out what happens type of vibe


Love:
- Really descriptions of the settings really like paint a realistic picture for the reader and makes it easy to feel as if you are really there
- The character of Nav - Really feel for him and he seems very relatable and likeable.

Wish that:
- There was less confusion in the beginning about the unlikely partnership of these two characters investigating murders- why? It literally makes no sense why Jessica joined Nate and that strange behavior really bothers me. Eventually it makes sense, but in my opinion it takes too long to clue the reader in.


Dislike:
- The sex scenes and random hookups amongst the murder mystery - makes Jessica seem very unlikeable. As the main character, she’s quite unrelatable in the beginning.
- The descriptions of murder and torture are to be expected in this type of book, but are more graphic than I would like. Very horror and crime fiction to the max.
- Seems a bit unrealistic of a storyline overall - don’t want to go into specifics as to not spoil anything but it definitely seems like it’s trying to hard to make it all connect together


Overall, a good page turning crime mystery that has unique flawed characters. However, some aspects seemed a little unrealistic to me. If you’re really into this genre of books, I’d say give it a go.

This book was such a thriller! Loved every second of the roller-coaster ride that it was. Frightening and so real. Intensely graphic in detail that I had to take a few breaks, but then dive right back in.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of the audiobook of Sam Holland’s “The Echo Man”. I really enjoyed the narration and thought Jodie Harris did a great job!
The book itself, however, wasn’t really my cup of tea. I would say the first third of it I found intriguing and enjoyable, but then somewhere along the way it lost me. At some point it felt like it was morphing from a police procedural, which is my favorite type of thriller in general, to more of a psychological thriller, which I do not in general enjoy as much. Alas, that was only part of why this debut novel didn’t work for me.
There was just too much of everything. The body count was obviously high, as we are dealing with a serial killer, so that wasn’t the issue, really… but I couldn’t help feeling like there was some kind of “everything plus the kitchen sink” approach to it, wherein we just throw all the various well known serial murder tropes together, stir it around and see if this works. It didn't work for me. I just couldn’t suspend my disbelief enough to buy into the premise. I also wasn’t a fan of the graphic violence and explicit language that seemed to become more frequent and colorful as the book went on. Now mind you, I don’t necessarily have a problem with either of those components if they serve a purpose, but here I just found they were used for nothing but shock value and I was quite repulsed on multiple occasions.
Overall, this book unfortunately didn't quite work for me, but if you are looking for a serial killer book with high body count and very graphic violence, this could be for you.

I went into this expecting a thriller, this was not a thriller to me. The gruesome murders and writing style lean way more toward horror to me. I really enjoyed the story and the premise was so creative and interesting. It did take me probably twice as long to listen to as a typical audiobook because the gruesomeness gave me anxiety 😅 I think for a horror genre, this is one of the best I’ve read (although I’m limited on this - I don’t usually like horror).

I really think if horror is your thing or you’re looking for a read that’ll make you a little uncomfortable (in the way horror books do) - you’ll really like this one. This would be a great Halloween-time read. I wavered on who I thought was the killer so many times that I was genuinely surprised at the ending.

I think the flow from each perspective was seamless and the way each character’s story wove into the others was fantastic. Even with me being uncomfortable with the gore - I was hooked and never once considered stopping, I HAD to know what happened and who the killer was. The narrator was really good throughout, which is always important for an audiobook.

Huge thank you to @NetGalley, @dreamscape_media, and the author for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Jessica is an entirely unlikable character and nearly turned me off the book in the early pages.

Nate is a mess, but seems to have some redeemable characteristics.

Cara might be a good cop, but the story really doesn’t feel like it is about her so much as Nate, her brother, and Jessica – Nate’s new girlfriend and wanted fugitive for murder, and of course, the Echo Man.

Holland has a brilliant writing style. He weaves the stories together well, creating a believable tale, despite the fallback to serial killer copycat. The story does not feel at all like a replay of another copycat story. It is believable and creepy. The end presents a twist of sorts, although there were plenty of hints early in the story. The story is a bit gruesome, as are the serial killers the antagonist strives to imitate.

If you don’t like gore, violence, specific crime scene descriptions, avoid this book. Bottom line. Because the book is filled with it. But if you enjoy reading the gritty, ugly side of crime, it is a good read.

Read this if…you aren’t bothered by gratuitous violence and gore and have an interest in serial killers.

Detectives Cara Elliot and Noah Deakin are investigating a series of gruesome murders. At first, the crimes appear to be unconnected, but it soon becomes clear that a sadistic murderer is replicating crimes of the most famous serial killers. Because of this, the public nickname the elusive criminal “The Echo Man.” As the body count rises, the Echo Man starts targeting those close to Cara. Can the detectives catch the ultimate serial killer before it’s too late?

I picked this up because it sounded like an interesting thriller about serial killers and had great reviews on bookstagram and Goodreads. Unfortunately, this was not at all the right book for me. I realize this is an unpopular opinion, but I think it’s a valid one.

I went into this expecting a thriller, but this book should definitely be in the horror genre. It is the most obscenely graphic and gruesome novel I’ve ever read. Honestly, the murders were so descriptive that I could hardly stomach listening to them. This book includes pretty much every trigger you could think of. Had I done more research before requesting this one, I would have passed on this for sure as gory, macabre descriptions just aren’t my cup of tea.

I also didn’t love the ending. It was unsatisfying and a complete let down. While the writing was good and the characters were well-developed, those high points were overshadowed by the extreme violence found in every other chapter. I am honestly surprised I finished this one, but there’s clearly an audience for this book based on all the raving reviews it’s received. If you’re okay with excessive violence and gore, you might love this, but it was not for me!

A big thanks to Netgalley, the author, and Dreamscape Media for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

My rating: 2.5//5

Whoa! This was a very brilliant and cleverly written book! It’s very evident that Sam Holland did some great research on former serial killers!
I will warn you that this book is not for the feint of heart. This book is macabre, gruesome, creepy, graphic and much more.
I really enjoyed the guesswork after a murder was committed and telling myself which serial killer was being imitated. I love this author and this new debut book! I’m not fond of the ending, so I’m really hoping that it only means that there is going to be a book 2.
If you’re into books like this, then I would highly recommend you read this.
Trigger warnings are mental health issues, bullying in foster care, suicide attempts, cutting, very graphic depictions of death and probably more that I’m forgetting about.
I’d like to thank Netgalley, Dream Media & the author for an advanced readers copy for my honest and voluntary review!

I had to DNF this book at 60%. This book was classified as a thriller. It’s more of a murder mystery with way too much graphic imagery.

TW: self harm, graphic imagery of mutilated bodies, graphic descriptions of murders being carried out.

The Echo Man by Sam Holland is a disturbingly great read! A copycat killer is on the lose. Detectives Cara Elliott and Noah Deakin have been tasked to hunt the killer down in this fast-paced thriller. While on suspension, Cara's brother, Nate Griffin, aides in the investigation. It's personal for him. Nate is also helping fugitive, Jessica Ambrose, clear her name after being suspected in one of the murders that her husband was a victim of.
I did the audiobook version, and in the beginning it was hard to keep up with which character was speaking. The pace was fast -- which I love, but it was a bit confusing. However, it slowed down just a tad bit, and then I was able to clearly keep up with the book.
Despite the confusion at the beginning, it sucked me in from the start. Great storytelling! What I loved the most was the fact that I couldn't figure who the killer was. Right when I thought I had it -- plot twist! It kept me on the edge of my seat! I give this book 4 stars.

Sam Holland's debut is a blend of horror and crime fiction featuring a unidentified serial killer without an iota of humanity as a unheard of bodycount builds to chilling levels and he is far from finished. It begins with DCI Cara Elliot and her right hand man, DS Noah Deakin finding themselves at the scene of a car with macabre contents, the bodies of 2 young women with their decapitated heads, and so begins a nightmare investigation by Elliot's Major Crimes Team that includes DC Toby Shenton. Jess Ambrose is woken up in the middle of night with her home on fire, unable to help her husband, Philip, Jess is forced to jump with her daughter, Alice, injuring both of them. In hospital, Jess overhears a conversation that tells her that she is the chief suspect for the arson, with DS Taylor wanting to arrest her.

This leads to Jess escaping and finding herself connecting with suspended police officer, Nate Griffins, who is certain that she is innocent. What gels their relationship with each other is that both are deeply damaged and broken people with traumatic personal histories. It is Jess who makes a major breakthrough that has the police shocked as to what they are up against as other horrifying murder scenes across the country are linked as the work of a deranged murderer set on estabishing himself as the ultimate serial killer as he copies the horrors of well known serial killers from the past, including Peter Sutcliffe, Dahmer, the Zodiac Killer, Bundy, and the Golden State Killer (GSK). This leads to the media and the police referring to him as The Echo Man, as he steps up his gory and gruesome activities. The volatile Nate is Cara's brother and returns to work despite the animosity between him and Deakin. Under unrelenting pressure, Cara and her team find themselves working all the hours struggling to find a single lead whilst the killer gets closer and closer to them.

What is turning out to be my least favourite type of crime fiction is the omniscient serial killer who is so super 'intelligent' that they easily run rings around the police who have no hope of getting anywhere close to them, whilst they create maximum mayhem, chaos and terror amongst the public. Such crime fiction often requires weaknesses within the plotlines and the characters that investigate to ensure the serial killer rules supreme, and this is the case in Holland's debut, which for me includes twists that beggar belief. Don't get me wrong, this is a readable novel with its short chapters, and I have no doubt that many readers do and will love it, but for me the storylines failed to grip and on occasions left me indifferent for the reasons I have outlined. Additionally, it felt as if everything, including the kitchen sink was thrown in, and I noted that this was indeed correct as at the end the author relates that this is the advice they are given by their agent. I would suggest readers look at other more positive reviews of this book prior to making the decision to read this.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of The Echo Man by Sam Holland. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for providing an ARC to review.

Someone is copying the most infamous serial killers in history. And his body count is swiftly rising. Can the police figure out who this new killer is before "The Echo Man" kills again?

The Echo Man is Sam Holland's debut novel which I found extremely bingable! I began by listening to the audiobook. I loved the book so much (the narration was brilliant) that I went and bought a physical copy so I could finish it quicker. Every little detail from the moment you meet the various characters connects together in one huge twisty plot. It was dark, intense, and all I looked for in a murder mystery. I highly recommend it to those that enjoy True Crime or murder mystery genres. I can't wait to see what Sam Holland does with his next book. I will be following his career.

🩸 A U D I O • R E V I E W 🩸
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Title: The Echo Man
Author: Sam Holland
Rating: 5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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What did I just read? Seriously, what kind of twisted person could even think of this?! I LOVED IT! Sam Holland, I want to be you best friend, this book was literally EVERYTHING I have been searching for in a thriller for quite some time now. My heart was racing, and I couldn’t put this down reading into all hours of the night. This was hands down one of the easiest 5 star ratings I gave this year. Not to mention this is a DEBUT! Excuse me while I can myself for a minute here.
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First off, I have been so disappointed in thrillers recently for not having enough thrill. If your in the same boat, look no further because this one has it all. This one is so intense and thrilling. It’s so graphic and descriptive. And the gore, ohhhh the gore - each murder scene was so descriptive I felt like I was transported there, a part of the crime scene team. This story is told in an 11 day span through the views of Jess and Cara with a little bit of the past of The Echo Man sprinkled in throughout. You’re given just enough info to keep you guessing the entire time. I was hooked from page one.
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Second, I am absolutely obsessed with the serial killer aspect of this book. So many details were studied about famous serial killers in order to perfect this book and I was absolutely blown away by it. There are points in this story that just by the description of the murder that I was able to figure out which serial killer The Echo Man was echoing. It was absolutely genius from start to finish.
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Last but not least (because I could ramble on and on about this without a doubt), the twists in this one were absolutely mind blowing and wild. Just when you think you know what is going on - Holland throws in another twist to make your head spin. There was no stone left unturned in this one. Details from the very beginning of the book that seemed to be so minor, are brought back full force in the end. The ending of this one was one of the best endings to a book I have ever read. I cannot wait to read more by this author!
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This one will be haunting me for a while, I can be sure of that. I listened to this on audio, had no issues with following along, loved the narrator, and felt as if I was watching this one. Everyone needs to check this one out - it was just released, the hype is real - READ THIS BOOK.
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Huge thank you to @netgalley and @dreamscape for this audio in exchange for my honest review.
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#netgally #netgalleyreview #netgalleyaudiobookreview #dreamscapeaudio #serialkiller #hauntingthriller #whatdidijustread #handsdownfivestarread #fivestarreview #thehypeisreal #theechoman #samholland

The echo man by Sam Holland
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Holy mother, ferkin, shirt balls ... this book was absolutely fantastic .

It was gory and dark. But not that unsolicited gore where thats what holds the story , and makes you keep turning the pages . The gore very much has everything to do with the plot . Its amazing .
The story revolves around a copy cat killer, dubbed the echo man . The echo man is a sadistic serial killer who plans his murders to resemble popular killers from the past ; Manson, Kemper and Dahmer to name a few.
Theres a perverse side to the murders . And the scenes get pretty graphic .

After a woman flees her burning home with her young daughter in tow , shes horrified to learn the fire team never retrieved her husband from the carnage . . Even worse- they wont let her see her daughter... they want to charge her with the murder, and the attempted murder of her own daughter. She flees the hospital, because she knows its the only way to clear her name . In hopes of reuniting with her daughter, who can't lose both parents to this tragedy. . But the story runs much deeper . Its much darker, and its more twisted than I ever could have imagined.

I mean. Even the acknowledgments were absolutely brilliant lol .

What an awesome crime thriller debut from Sam Holland! It was pretty dark, and fans of true crime will enjoy reading about the real-life serial killers being copied by this fictional killer. I listened to this one on audio and I flew through it. I wanted to listen to it at every opportunity.

Police procedural books can sometimes be a drag for me, but this was not at all. The pacing was consistent and moved right along with a lot of suspense. A lot of what makes a thriller good for me is the reveal of the twist, and let me just say I was shocked at this one. So shocked. 😯 I will definitely be looking for more of this author's work in the future!

If you like crime thrillers and/or true crime check this one out!

Thank you to @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition 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!

Whew! This book was exhausting, but I really liked it. It was absolutely horrifying!! As a debut novel, Sam Holland wrote a novel that had everything in it. If you want to read a truly frightening story, this is it. Thanks to Netgalley and to Crooked Land Books, publisher. I did listen to the audio of this book which was fabulous.

I received this audiobook from NetGalley as an advanced listening copy (ALC). Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Sam Holland for allowing me to listen in exchange for my honest review.

I plan to review this audiobook with soft spoilers, so read at your own risk. My review style for audiobooks is to rate the book and the narration separately with the average being the final rating (i.e. a 3 star book with a 5 star narration= 4 star overall rating).

Narration:
Jodie Harris was good but not overtly memorable or extravagant. Kind of one note in her style but overall was fair.

Narration: 3/5 stars

Story:
Fast moving chapters help really progress this along. The idea of a copy cat killer is something that has been used before but I honestly don’t think it’s been used enough to make this story seem redundant.
The body horror is great. Top notch details that really cause an unsettling visual. I love it. I could do without the sexual content but that’s just me. I don’t like erotica or romance and this is teetering the line of erotica sometimes, which makes me cringe (example: “his fingers still playing inside me”; I don’t need that much description 🥴). If you’re into reading that great; I’m just not.
THANK YOU FOR GETTING MEDICAL INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTATION CORRECT!!! 🙌🏼 As a nurse one way to turn me off to a book fast is getting medical information wrong. It’s not hard to simply consult someone or ask a friend in the medical field (everyone has one). As an author you have no excuse to not do proper research. That is part of your job. So thank you for doing yours Mr. Holland!

Story: 3/5 stars

Overall:
If you like Dean Koontz you’ll enjoy this book. Fast paced, high energy, and overall a quick read. I would have probably enjoyed this book in written format better than audio.

Overall rating: 3/5 stars

Jessica Ambrose is asleep when she realizes her house is on fire. She manages to save her daughter but her husband dies. She is suspected of starting the fire but Nate Griffin, a cop who is on leave doesn’t believe she is guilty and has been targeted by the same man who brutally raped and murdered his wife and left him for dead just a year ago. When Jessica overhears a detective planning her arrest, she flees the hospital and turns to Griffin for help.
Detective Cora Elliot ( Nates’ sister) has been placed in charge of the murder investigations that are plaguing London along with her partner Noah Deakin. Cara knows her brother accesses police files using her password and it is Jessica who spots the killers staging - he is copying well known serial killers and he is escalating his kills.
As the investigating team tries to predict which horrific murder will be the next he emulates, no one is safe- not even those in the police department
Wow! This is the best debut I have ever read but it is not for the squeamish or faint hearted! When I read the blurb about a killer who copied Manson, Kemp etc I knew this was one I had to read but it exceeded my expectations. This was released Tuesday and it is a must read! Thank you to #netgalley and #dreamscapemedia for the audio version. I can’t wait to see this authors next one!