“ By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.” William Shakespeare, Macbeth, 1606.

This quote is the opening quote to Part 1.

📕 When DCI Adam Bishop arrives at the crime scene in the dead of night, the sight of the body is bad enough—but what Adam notices next chills him to his core. More bodies surface. And the spray-painted numbers daubed above the corpses reveal the horrific truth: the killer is counting down. But to what end?

Adam has no idea—until Dr. Romilly Cole knocks on his door with damning evidence pointing to a series of murders twenty five years earlier—a case she knows intimately from her past. Now, it’s personal—and the next knock on his door could be fatal.

🤩 The Echo Man was one of my top ten reads last year, and The Twenty will be on my top ten this year. If possible, I think Sam holland has outdone herself with this new instalment. Sorry to fangirl you @samholland I was so gobsmacked by the end!

Straight up, this is dark, gruesome and macabre. If I still have your attention, read on. It’s full of red herrings, and twists and turns that will have you scratching your head. So clever are all the plot twists, I had no idea where this was going.

Though not necessary to read The Echo Man (although I highly recommend you do) this can easily be read as a stand alone. If serial killers, facing your (worst) fears and a cleverly crafted police procedural are your jam, then read this! You won't be disappointed.

Outstanding, brilliant 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to @crookedlanebook @netgalley for a complimentary review copy ❤️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARc.
Great murder mystery. I’ll definitely be checking out the other books in the series. I didn’t realize at first it was part of a series. It does work as a stand alone novel as well.

I really like Holland's writing. This is a great, dark murder mystery and although its part of a series with Echo Man, it completely stands alone. One of my patrons said Holland was "twisted" after reading The Echo Man - and he loved it. I know he'll feel the same after this book.

DCI Adam Bishop is racing the clock to stop a copy cat killer that seems to be trying to finish the business of a notorious serial killer who was counting down his victims from twenty. It just so happens that Adam's ex-wife, Romilly, is that serial killer's daughter. They work together to catch a killer before twenty lives are lost.

The Twenty is a fast-paced serial killer crime thriller with high stakes. I was really worried for the characters and it was fun to route for them to catch the killer. This book shows the amount of influence people can have on the vulnerable and how bad that influence can turn in the wrong hands. Sam Holland's first book, The Echo Man, was also a serial killer novel about a killer recreating famous crimes. In this second installment we fallow different characters, but the Echo Man case is mentioned so it is in the same universe. So this series can definitely be read in any order.

If you enjoy crime fiction, police procedural fiction, and serial killer fiction Sam Holland's Major Crime series are fantastic fast-paced thrill rides to check out.

Best book I read this year. It had a great story to it!! I really enjoyed reading this one. I didn’t want this book to end

This book was a decent thriller. I was sucked into the story and the crime and I needed to know what happened. It was well done.
I enjoyed reading this novel and didn't realize that it was a second in a series. I'm off to go read the first one now.

Major Crimes book 2.


When DCI Adam Bishop arrives at the crime scene in the dead of night, he faces a scene he could not imagine in his worst nightmare. When numbers are discovered near the scene he realises there is a dangerous maniac on the loose.

And then a connection is found from a case 15 years previously. It can't be happening again. Can it?

This book is dark, twisted and gruesome. The plot is fast paced and kept me reading late into the night.

I love this series and can't wait to read more

The Twenty is the second book in Sam Holland's intense Crime Fiction series, Major Crimes. I very recently read the first book in the series, The Echo Man, and was blown away by it. Gritty, gruesome and gripping, the taut mystery really did it for me.

I wasn't quite sure going in how exactly this one would be related to the first and it did take me a wee bit to figure out the connection. These novels are set in the UK and I'm not super familiar with their criminal justice system, so please forgive me if I get the terminology wrong.

I think essentially, this involves the same large police department, but it just follows investigators at what in the U.S. would be called, a different precinct, than the first. We aren't following any of the same main characters as the first book, but The Echo Man crimes are alluded to and one of the investigators from the first book is mentioned a few times, as well as getting her own cameo.

Our two mains here are DCI Adam Bishop and Dr. Romilly Cole. The crimes involved are numerous, brutal and perplexing. They also connect, in a way, to Romilly's past.

The case at the heart of the book involves bodies being found, in varying states of decomp, that have roman numerals marked above them. It quickly becomes evident that the killer is counting down and there's a way to go. If they can't find this sadist and stop them in time, a lot more bodies are bound to fall.

This is another solidly-brutal and compelling story from Holland. It did take me a bit longer to get into this one; to connect, but it did pick up speed and intrigue in the second half. The end left my jaw on the floor.

There were a lot of complex relationship dynamics in this one and at times, I felt like those issues sort of overshadowed the overriding mystery. Or maybe, it would be more accurate for me to say that those relationship subplots distracted me from the overall mystery. Because of this, the balance was a little off for my taste.

With this being said, I still found this to be a super enjoyable read. In my opinion, it would be hard to follow up The Echo Man, as it was such a fantastic debut. I feel like Holland has succeeded with her sophomore effort. This delivered intrigue and action. It left me wanting more. Happily, it seems like with this ending, there will definitely be more books in this series.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I cannot wait for the next book!

Oh my goodness what a rollercoaster of a read. Tense, dark and very addictive. I couldn’t turn the pages quick enough, I couldn’t put this one down as it was so good. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Fasten your seatbelts folks, it’s about to get gruesome! Holland has followed up her belter of a debut, The Echo Man (Major Crimes #1) with The Twenty (Major Crimes #2) and it’s everything my cold black heart needs 🖤

If you like your thrills, kills, and chills, depraved, dark, and violently gritty, layered within a police procedural, you’re in the right place. It’s brutal and god help me but I loved it!!! Holland writes characters brilliantly!! She really gets into the psyche of a serial killer and not one character is unnecessary. Her characterisation is exemplary and the way she writes relationships is masterful. How a book which is so gruesome and brutally depraved can also have such beautiful delicate moments is a testament to Holland’s skill as a writer.

I suspected everyone in this book, and I mean EVERYONE!!! I liked the cameos of characters from The Echo Man and can see the foundations for a book series here (please, please, PLEASE 🙏🏻). Brilliantly paced, the bodies stack up quickly and it’s edge of your seat stuff until THE VERY LAST WORD!!!!

Holland is now solidified as one of my favourite crime fiction authors. Oh, and both would go down an absolute STORM on Netflix, just saying….

Sam Holland returns from her smashing debut, The Echo Man (Major Crimes #1), with THE TWENTY (Major Crimes #2)—a dark, disturbing, chilling spine-tingler crime thriller/cop procedural in a race-against-time.

DCI Adam Bishop (whom we met in the prior book) arrives at the crime scene to a brutal crime scene. Spray-painted Roman numerals inscribed above the corpses reveal a message: the killer is counting down. But to what end?

More bodies surface. What does this mean? A gruesome serial killer is on the loose. Who will be next?

Adam has no idea—until Dr. Romilly Cole (his ex-wife) says there is a connection to a series of murders 15 yrs earlier. A case she knows intimately from her past. But that person is in prison. Can they be responsible for these new deaths or a copycat? Or is he controlling this from prison?

Cara Elliott from The Echo Man makes a cameo appearance, but she's not a main character and can be read as a standalone. Holland skillfully gets into the head of the killer and of DCI Bishop.

Compulsive, complex, intense, and emotional. Nature vs. nurture. Jamie and Adam's personalities provide a nice contrast to one another.

THE TWENTY is a gritty, dark, violent, horrifying, graphic, and twisty crime novel—a blend of crime thriller, cop procedural, serial killer, and psychosocial thriller. You are in the right place if you like your crime thrillers dark and gruesome.

Thank you to #CrookedLaneBooks for a gifted e-ARC via #NetGalley for review purposes.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: May 2, 2023
My Rating: 4 Stars
May 2023 Must-Read Books

If you haven't read "The Echo Man" by Sam Holland then you are missing out. It's a dark, gritty, police procedural. This book is technically a sequel but the main characters are changed up so you can read it as a standalone.

This book stars DCI Adam Bishop who when arrives at what he thinks is a standard murder scene finds roman numerals by the bodies. We have a serial killer! And he (or she) is counting down. But why??

It's hard to review this book without comparing it to "The Echo Man" and they have many similarities. Both not only take you to a dark place but they keep you submerged in it for a long time. This one is gruesome and everyone is in constant danger. This one could have been shortened a tad, in my opinion. Sometimes I feel like crying out, "Uncle!" Or any other safe word you have to make the pain go away. lol.

Anyway this one is highly recommended. I think I like "The Echo Man' more but it's still a excellent book. Maybe not a beach read? Maybe a read by yourself in a dark room kinda read?

I really appreciate Crooked Lane books for giving me a advance reader copy to read for free for my honest review. It is out now.

Dark, depraved and gritty in all the best ways. After absolutely loving The Echo Man by this author earlier this year I knew I had to read The Twenty, and I loved it just as much as Holland’s first book.

As someone who is somewhat burnt out on police procedural thrillers, I absolutely devoured this book and was desperate to get back to it whenever I put it down. The depth of characters, depravity of the killers, and perseverance of our detectives was matched to what I found in The Echo Man and I HIGHLY recommend both books to anyone who loves dark and gory thrillers that really make you care about the characters.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for my ARC! ….even if I didn’t get to it before pub day🫠

Sam Holland is a rockstar of Psychological Thriller/Crime Fiction. The brutal, horrifying descriptions of the victims and the killer’s motive and technique are gritty and captivating. If it were a movie I’d not be able to look away. The fast paced plot grabs a hold of you, and keeps you locked in to the very end. The Twenty was just as good as The Echo Man, and I am so excited for more books in this series. Auto Buy author for sure!

⭐️ 4.5 ⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

After reading and loving The Echo Man I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of The Twenty. Even though The Twenty is the second book in the series it can easily be read as a standalone.

I was hooked from the beginning and enjoyed the whole ride, and what a ride. I really enjoyed the tense storyline in all its gruesome glory. Holland’s books are definitely not for the faint-hearted — they’re gory, dark and disturbing, proper gritty, nail-biting stuff.

Well-crafted and cleverly plotted. I loved the way the suspenseful atmosphere was cranked up gradually throughout the book and I turned the pages at speed to find out what was going to happen next.

An excellent crime thriller/police procedural to get your teeth stuck into. Can’t wait to read more from Holland in the future.

I honestly do not know where to begin with this book. I adored reading The Echo Man, and genuinely thought that it couldn’t be beaten. Then along came this absolute gem.

It follows DCI Adam Bishop, as he races to find the serial killer, before they count down and reach their final victim. Man did I suspect EVERYONE. It completely gripped me, and I couldn’t get enough of it. The characters where very well developed, and felt extremely realistic.

The twists and turns in this book where next level, and I couldn’t believe what I was reading. It had me on the edge of my god damn seat. It is an utterly addictive and gory read. Pure perfection from Sam Holland!

All I can say is, wow- Holland did not disappoint with this dark and disturbing tale. I love a good serial killer book and Holland is right up there with the best. Her writing style and ability to get into the head of the depraved psychopath is reminiscent of Thomas Harris. This is the second book in her Major Crime series but it can be read as a standalone. A few characters from The Echo Man make an appearance, but this book stands on its own with different main characters.

What draws me to Holland’s books are the characters. They are all damaged and broken and afraid and that makes for an interesting read. I also love that Holland isn’t afraid to totally immerse us in darkness- I get the same feeling reading her books as I get from reading true crime. And as with any good thriller there are twists and surprises and red herrings. Holland does a superb job of keeping the reader deliciously on edge with tension that never lets up and twists that you won’t see coming. If you love thrillers that go to dark places and explore the depths of evil, read this book and The Echo Man immediately. I have a new favorite thriller writer in Sam Holland. This is one of my few five star reads! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you to @netgalley @crookedlanebooks

This story had a very fast start, and an interesting premise of a count down of deaths by a serial killer.

⚠️Trigger Warnings: Rape, torture, abuse, domestic violence, and needles.

I found a new favorite author! Fans of Karin Slaughter and Lisa Gardener should check out Sam Holland. My black heart 🖤 will read anything she writes and I cannot wait for more!

This is the second book in the Major Crimes series but it can be read as a stand-alone. I read this one, then backtracked and read The Echo Man but now I want to reread The Twenty and look for similarities.

This book was a dark, graphic thriller and I had to take frequent breaks by throwing my Kindle down and talking out loud about the scenarios taking place. My husband was very concerned and kept asking if I was okay. 😊

DCI Adam Bishop and his partner DS Jamie Hoxton have walked into a crime scene that could make Adam’s career. Bodies are discovered in a homeless stomping ground; some are decomposed and others have been dead less than 24 hours. The discovery of spray painted roman numerals above each corpse seems like the killer is counting down, but counting down to what extent?

When bodies start piling up; Adam’s ex wife, Romily, notices a link between the evidence now and a series of murders that were found fifteen years earlier. The serial murderer from the past is currently in prison for life, so who’s continuing and copying his crimes?

Buckle up for this fast paced rollercoaster 🎢 that will keep you guessing until the very end!

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for sending me a copy of this one. THE TWENTY is out now!

This is the second in Sam Holland's Major Crimes series following THE ECHO MAN. I enjoyed this one and it definitely takes place kind of adjacent to the other characters but other than that I don't think its required to read in order. However, I think if I didn't read them in order I wouldn't have liked the second one as much. If you're into serial killer thrillers with police procedure then this series is for you!