I don’t read a lot of police procedural novels, but I tend to enjoy them when I do. They’re usually fast paced and have lots of tension – this one delivered on those regards.

DCI Adam Bishop arrives at a crime scene and the body has a spray-painted number on it. The numbers seem to indicate that the killer is counting down. Bishop has no idea where this is coming from until his ex-wife come knocking on his door – with details of a case from her past. Now things are personal, and everyone is in danger. Will Bishop be able to catch the killer before things turn fatal for him or someone he cares about?

This was my first book by this author, and I enjoyed it. This book was twisty-turny and the characters were well developed and structured. This one was right up my alley and I enjoyed how it kept me on the edge of my seat. It was a little slow at times, especially in the beginning, but then it picked up and it was worth the wait. If you’re a fan of police procedural novels, or fast paced action books then this one is probably for you.

This one is out May 2nd of next year. I want to thank @netgalley and the publisher, Cooked Lane Books, @crookedlanebooks, for my e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Twenty by Sam Holland is a tense and chilling story.

Synopsis: 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?

I enjoy a good, twisty book with well-developed characters. This book hit those marks.

I would recommend this book and will check out other books by this author.

#TheTwenty #NetGalley @crookedlanebks

This book follows DCI Adam Bishop as he’s called to a horrific crime scene in the middle of the night. In addition to the bodies that are found the killer is also left numbers spray painted in several areas indicating he’s counting down for something. Bishop must stop at nothing to figure out what this killer’s countdown means before things get worse.

This book was right up my alley, so I’m not surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did. I read this book very quickly, in only a couple of reading sessions because it was just so hard to put down. My one complaint is that it did start kind of slow, but it certainly ramped up after the first 25% or so of the book and then it just never let the reader out of its chokehold. There were a lot of great twists, and turns to the story and there was a lot of great character development. I found myself really rooting for DCI Bishop, but at the same time I was also really rooting for a couple of the other characters in the book because they went through some pretty heartbreaking events. If you’re a fan of the police procedural genre, definitely pick this book up because you will probably end up loving it. If police procedurals really aren’t your type of thing, you may end up enjoying this book anyway, as it reads more like a movie. It was definitely worth a read, and I’m super thankful to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy and exchange for my honest review.

Talk about spine-chilling!

Just like the author's debut The Echo Man (which I loved!), this book kept me on edge! It took me some time to get into the swing of things because the multiple timelines/POVs were a bit jarring on my Kindle (it would be easier to flip back and forth on a physical copy). But after a certain point, I couldn't put the book down!

The author delivers yet another grisly and thrilling ride in her sophomore novel. I loved how everyone was equal shades of suspicious and enjoyed being kept guessing the whole time. This book certainly never lets up - The red flags! The anxiety! The horrors!

While The Twenty didn't blow my mind as much as The Echo Man, it was still a propulsive read fraught with tension, surprises and reveals. It also brilliantly explore themes such as the whole issue of nature vs nurture. I was completely invested in the relationships between the characters and found my heartstrings being tugged on at times. The cameo was a real treat and delight!

No one does twisted and unpredictable better than Sam Holland. I love her signature style of punchlines, goosebumps and jaw-dropping moments. Can't wait to see what she comes up with next because I'll definitely be reading it!

Bravo, Holland does it again!

After loving The Echo Man earlier this year, I was dying to get my grubby little hands on The Twenty and it did not disappoint. Holland’s got a dark, dark mind and I am 1000% here for it. What I love the most about her books is her ability to keep the reader guessing because at any point in the book, everyone feels like a suspect. The reveals are always so satisfying, with excellent logic and reasoning for a character’s actions, no matter how sinister. Another skill to commend is her ability at ending the story with a banging epilogue. Epilogues are so hit or miss for me and Holland’s epilogues seriously make me yearn for like 100 more pages. I liked seeing returning character’s from The Echo Man from these interconnecting books but they can be enjoyed as standalones with nothing spoiled. If serial killers are a thriller sub-genre you enjoy, you will love this. Now the cruel wait for her next release.

This made for a great buddy read and it was a lot of fun playing the guessing game the entire book trying to pinpoint the culprit.

I read this book a couple of weeks ago and only just realised I hadn’t reviewed! So apologies in advance for the lack of details!

I do remember however, that at the beginning it took me a little while to get into. I found there was a lot of characters and I was trying to figure out if it was part of a series with the echo man (probably should have found out first) but once the story got into the swing of things I was hooked 🙂

I loved the echo man (5 star) and really enjoyed this one so I’ll 100% be reading more by this author in the future

This book was very dark and twisted. It really took me a long time to get into it and finish it.
There are a lot of major triggers, rape, murder, kidnapping. This one was a hard one for me to read and I don’t know that I would recommend it. Not that it wasn’t well written, just not my cup of tea.
Thank you net galley for allowing me to read and review this selection.

I wanted to like this, I really did, but it was not what I was expecting.

For starters, it's essentially a police procedural, not a thriller. I'm not a fan of police procedural and this one fit the mold of the very reasons why. This also had a lot of sex which is something else I'm not a fan of. I'm sure there are many readers who will enjoy this but I'm not one of them. It just wasn't my cup of tea.

'The Echo Man' - the first book by Sam Holland - was one of the books I absolutely couldn't put down earlier this year, so I was delighted to be granted a copy of this latest book by NetGalley. As always, opinions are my own.

This story opens with an intriguing crime scene - a body is discovered on waste land with a spray-painted number next to the corpse. When more bodies and numbers appear, DCI Adam Bishop realises that this is only part of a much bigger - and much more horrifying - picture. When Dr Romilly Cole turns up in his office with evidence that links the latest crimes to previous murders, Adam is reluctant to believe her for multiple reasons. However, the numbered corpses keep turning up, leaving both Adam and Romilly facing up to their pasts while trying to change the future. Can the countdown be stopped before the killer hits the magic twenty?

I read 'The Echo Man' in one sitting...and did the same with 'The Twenty'. Holland has a way of keeping you reading with every twisty turn and gruesome revelation. I felt that my heart was in my mouth, my stomach was churning with nerves...this isn't one to read at night or alone in the house - I actually had to get up to check my doors were locked!

The plotting is clever and there are so many false leads that I genuinely didn't know what to believe at times. I suspected just about everyone, meaning that I did identify the killer about halfway through but I couldn't work out how or why. Holland did = once again - keep me guessing.

The main characters are well-written and have interesting or believable flaws. Adam likes a walk on the wild side with his visits to seedy clubs and Romilly - well, gosh, Romilly has serious problems of her own. There were also credible tensions and engaging characters within the police team, such as the caustic pathologist and the sweet DS Jamie Hoxton.

It's worth mentioning that this is another dark book from Sam Holland. Fans of 'The Echo Man' - which featured a true crime copycat killer - will know what to expect, but please be warned if you cannot read gruesome forensic detail or examples of abuse. It's all well=written, but dark, dark, dark.

I'd recommend this to fans of clever, tense and twisted police procedurals - think along the lines of the brilliant series by M W Craven, Nadine Matheson or David Fennell for a taste of what is in store. This is one book that you won't forget in a while, especially as you obsessively check your home security!

This isn't a sequel to 'The Echo Man' - it is a standalone, although Holland suggests there will soon be a sequel to 'The Echo Man' featuring Nate Griffin - sign me up to read it now!

I usually don't read police procedurals but this one seemed so intriguing and man, am I glad I gave it a try. It was brutal, gory, heartbreaking, sexual and intense. Everything I could of asked for in a book. This one didn't care about my investment in any of the characters, anyone was up for grabs and I love it when authors do that. Now, I have to backtrack and read The Echo Man because if this is any indication of how good it will be, I can't resist. Five Stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC.

This book was a very slow start for me. I put it down 4 times as it wasn’t the right time, I knew it wasn’t a dnf it was a not right now. When I picked it up again something clicked and it had my attention. I love this type of book, I loved Adam and Jamie and wanted to love Romilly too although wasn’t sure.
After 25% it held my attention and I was surprised at the twists this book took. Not as good as the first book by this author but a very close second!

Just okay. Not terrible, but nothing particularly noteworthy either. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sam Holland is a amazing writer and wow has she done it again with the twenty !!!! What a ride ! It kept me up all last night till 1am and I didn’t want to stop !!! Adam is such a great well developed character ! I wanted to shake him at times and say Omg what are you doing !!! But wow so well written - gore , lots of murders and some real heart felt moments too ! You can feel every emotion the characters are feeling ! But the last third of the book is so so fast paced you can’t stop !!! Clear a space in your diary to read this as you will not want to stop ! Highly recommended ! Right up there with Echo man ! Thanks so much for allowing me to read this arc can’t wait for more !!!!

Having precious rwad the echo mam, j had high hopes with this one and I was mot disappointed! I found it slow to start and it took me.a while to get into it for some reason but one I did, I literally stayed up all night reading an dust couldn't it it down! It's such a cleverly written book and you have absolutely no idea where its going next. Its not a quick read by any means which I loved since I normally fly through books in a cpl of hrs but this one took a few days and I loved every second of it! This is jist so creepy and the writing is so clear that you can picture it all playing out, almost as if you're literally watching a tv series! It's a must read for fans of the genre

Thank you so much to the publisher and the author for this review copy. I absolutely adored Sam's first book, the Echo Man so I was so beyond excited to get an early copy of this book.

I really love the fast paced style of this one. It doesn't feel like a stodgy police procedural and it keeps you wanting to read more and find out what's going on.

I liked the plot, the twists were well paced out, and while I knew a certain character was bound to pop up, I didn't link it to who it ended up being (purposefully vague to avoid spoilers )

It was cool to see how the two stories overlapped somewhat and I am itching tobsee what comes next.

A special thank you to @netgalley for the ebook of this novel. The Twenty is available for pre-order and set to release on May 2nd 2023. For those of you who use netgalley, it is also still up for requests (don’t walk, run!).

You GUYS, after reading and loving The Echo Man, Holland’s debut which released last year, I could not be more excited to get my hands on this beauty!

Holland is back, bringing us a new thriller called ‘The Twenty’ and honestly, it is up there for being one of my new favourites of the year so far!

I absolutely fell in LOVE with the characters in this one. There was so much depth and drama beyond the main plot line, which made the book incredibly gripping.

Holland writes in so much detail and is incredibly precise with regards to the investigation process, this results in me feeling like I’m truly escaping into a true crime investigation and unravelling the truth alongside the detectives.

Holland is your author to turn to for gory, fast paced, incredibly gripping and twisty thrillers which go into the specifics and leave you wanting so much more!

In addition to her gripping novels, Holland herself is such a kind and approachable author here on instagram. It was lovely to ramble about my thoughts and theories to her whilst I was reading this book. This platform has really added to my reading experience by allowing me to connect with the authors and thank them for their work and kindness.

I cannot recommend this one enough, no words would really explain just how much I loved it, you just need to trust me and get on it asap.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Damn, this book was brutal and gruesome! I loved trying to guess the killer til the end. It just kept going. I was able to sort of guess at least part of the twist from hints given, and I really loved that. I love when a twist can be figured out and is not far from left field. The beginning was somewhat hard to get into it, but it picked up for me about 50% in and then I flew through it, trying to pinpoint the killer and also pick up on any other twists. Definitely a dark and disturbing serial killer book that I think will be a big hit for 2023! If you like a fast-paced crime thriller, in the same regard as Karin Slaughter, then I think you would enjoy this read. Thank you for the ARC, NetGalley!!!

Another brilliant read from Sam Holland I found it impossible to put down.A must for fans of a chilling riveting read.
Plenty of surprises along the way and an ending.you won't see coming.Im looking forward to reading more by this author she just gets better and better
Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

Dark, twisty & grisly.

Covering the nexus between personal/professional, work/life, and life/death -- this well-written book will keep you guessing literally to the very end. This is my first book by Sam Holland, I had not read his previous, critically acclaimed novel The Echo Man, but I will now.

The other measure of this being a good book, my level of frustration as having to stop reading to eat dinner with a group of close friends: very high.

It's a page-turning journey along a very dark and graphic (fair warning) road with a lead detective and a serial killer. One determined to count down their kills and another determined to stop them.

Multiple shocking twists that I promise you won't see coming.

Well done. Recommended.

Would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good detective story that keeps you guessing till the end.
Thank you to Sam Holland, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the arc of this book