Ed Finch was San Francisco’s most notorious serial later. Twenty years after his capture his daughter Margot, a homicide detective with the San Francisco Police Department and desperate to separate herself from her past, receives a phone call from his lawyer telling her that her father has been transferred to death row at San Quentin and he wants to see her. He has been holding back information about his victims whose bodies have yet to be discovered and he will only reveal the information to her if she visits him. She has no desire to ever see him again but if the information he is going to reveal will help families who have yet to locate their missing loved ones, she must go to visit him. Her instincts tell her to avoid seeing him again but how can she keep the truth buried forever?
This book had me captivated on page one and it was one that I couldn’t put down. It is packed with the unexpected – twists and turns that were hard to imagine. I am thrilled that it is the start of the new series and I have subscribed to Kate Wiley’s newsletter, so I won’t miss the announcement of her second book in this series.

This mystery/crime novel has been skillfully written and has a perfect balance of grittiness, character driven narrative and puzzle solving. The two main characters bounce off each other with humour and sexiness without the reader waiting for the usual expected conclusion.

There is more than one crime to be solved, one which is unusual, one which is personal and one which is a side story. This gives the reader plenty to ponder and focus on, as well as being invested in the main character's journey.

There is a lot of competition in this genre and many which almost reach these heights, but the author has gone the extra mile to make this one just that bit more.

I will definitely be looking out for the next book in this series.

I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Detective Margot Phalen, is called to a family home where the residents have all seemingly been murdered. The murders aren’t as straightforward as they appear. During the visit to the crime scene Margot receives a call from her father’s lawyer, the notorious serial killer who killed 76 women. He wants to tell her about 77.

It’s a well written book, from an author I’m not familiar with. Although most of the story is set in the present there are flashbacks to the serial killer murders of the 80s, where we get an insight into Ed. It ends setting up the next in the series, with unsolved murders and more of the serial killers victims to be found. This I wasn’t so keen on, I prefer a standalone story, no loose ends, but that’s my preference.

The daughter of a serial killer has become a homicide detective in San Francisco. She has changed her name, but suffers anxiety attacks from the horrible experience of finding out at age 15 that her dad was a cold-blooded serial killer of young women.
The story alternates tales of her father’s killings with her cases as a detective. She is called to the scene of a horrific murder. A family is killed, except for a young boy found hiding in the basement. Something seems off and as she and her partner dig deeper, the story becomes darker.
I was completely drawn into the story. The characters are well-done and the story woven together seamlessly. I can’t wait for the next in this new series!
Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

I was hooked! I never wanted to put this book down! Trust me - if I didn't have to act as a functioning human, I would've devoured this book even quicker. As a true crime girly - I loved the multiple povs of Margot and Ed! I loved seeing both sides of the crimes, the killer himself & the daughter whose life was turned upside down but she lives every day helping others by being a homicide detective but suffering from the ptsd of her childhood, aka finding out her father was a serial killer. I know lots of people can't get into true crime because of the realism of it but I am so drawn by the WHY behind the monster, in this case, Ed. I think the author, Kate Willey did a great job with Ed's chapters. They were the perfect mix of disgusting and intriguing.
I LOVED Margot's relationship with her partner Wes. I love how he understood her and never pitied her, he joked around, flirted, and treated her as a highly capable woman. GO WES! I hope they continue to be partners in the future books in this series, I could not get enough of them.

Apart from Margot's storyline, I was very intrigued by the Ramirez family murder that was covered in this book. I've watched a ton of CSI & law and order but I didn't see this coming. I am very excited that this is only the first book in the Decetive Margot Phalen series. I will be not so patiently waiting for book 2 (and all that follows).

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Thank you, NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t read a lot of thrillers but I do when I know the author is a pseudonym for an author I like that writes other genres. The whole premise is very familiar to me as I live not to far from where the BTK killer lived. I have to admit it is very interesting to think about someone who grows up not realizing their dad is in fact a serial killer. The author got pretty descriptive (unless the cozy mysteries that I normally read) but not over the top where I have to close to the book. I have to admit I laughed at a couple of the creepy parts. Not sure what that says about me. I think fans of her other books will enjoy this and at the same time I think it will draw in new fans.

The Killer's Daughter sets the bar high for this new series. The book does a great job introducing the main characters and I enjoyed the different timelines that helped determine why Margot joined the police department and how her father became one of the most notorious serial killers in America. The murder investigation was suspenseful and intriguing, but the conclusion felt rushed. I felt that the author could have focused a little more on this investigation but understand that the events that occurred was needed to set up the next book. The ending left me with enough questions about Margot's other cases that I want to continue with the series and see what happens next.

The Killer's Daughter comes out on March 25th.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to review The Killer's Daughter. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was the first thriller I'd read in a while, after a long streak of romantasy reads. It was a great choice to cleanse my palate, and I was engaged from page 1. Well, technically from the dedication page, which felt like it was meant for me. :)

The characters were well-written, and the two investigations that the book focused on were quite compelling. I really wanted to know what happened next. Unlike a lot of thriller/suspense novels, I never got bored and I found the pace to be exactly right.

My only criticism is that the twist wasn't as twisty as I wanted (it's a shocking plot point, but I figured it out before it was revealed). Also the book kept mentioning the humidity of hot days in Northern California, which took me out the story every time. I was born and raised in the same towns the story was happening in, and the heat there is never humid, ever.

I'm eager to read future books in the series!

The Killer's Daughter is the first in it's series that follows Homicide Detective Magot Phalen as she investigates a brutal quadruple homicide, along side her partner Wes. As the case unfolds Margot is informed that her father Ed Finch aka: The Bay Area Killer has been relocated to the prison only an hour away from her and he want's to see her. Unable to focus on the investigation at hand, and struggling with the idea of seeing her father after over 20 years of no contact Margot decides to tag along with a co-worker and help on yet another homicide investigation as a distraction to her personal life.

The story is a dual plot and follows Margot's current investigations and struggles with reuniting with her serial killer father - and jumps back in time to before Ed was incardinated and had a dark secret he hid from his family.

As a true-crime fan I loved the dual plot and separate time lines. The writer was able to pull my attention and bring me into the darkest part of a serial killers mind, and then simply bring me back to a brutal murder investigation with out leaving any strings hanging. I did feel that having her pick up a second case was a little bit of a plot diversion and am hoping it will be brought back in future books as I have several theories of how that could (and should) play out.

The killers daughter is an absolutely gripping thriller that is told from the third person point of view which I found quite refreshing.

The story follows margot a detective with a chilling past that she would rather leave behind but as is life it comes back in an unexpected way

With both present and past tense used so creatively Kate Wiley has brought my love of reading back and I look forward to reading more books by this talented author.

Detective Margot Phalen has spent the last 20 years trying to distance herself from her father, serial killer Ed Finch who has 76 known victims.
Her brother, mother and herself moved away, changed their names and tried their best to avoid drawing attention to themselves. For Margot’s mother Kim, however, the public’s opinions became too much to handle and she committed suicide, wrongfully blaming herself for not knowing what Ed was doing and stopping it.
Margot knew then that she wanted to become a homicide detective to put people like her father in prison.

The book starts with Margot and her partner Wes being assigned the Ramirez family murder case. The Ramirez wife, husband, daughter and daughters friend were found murdered in the Ramirezes home. The crime scene was brutal, and their investigation gets even more devastating when they find the 9 year old son Mateo hiding in the basement. Mateo seems a little weird, though. His entire family is dead, he heard it all happen, yet he doesn’t act distraught, or even uncomfortable. But who’s to say how a kid in his position should react… Right?

Margot then gets involved in yet another case assigned to a colleague, a case of two women found murdered in a park under strange circumstances. The autopsies show that the bodies were moved, perhaps several times, as if the killer was annoyed that no one had found them yet. Just figuring out if it’s one or more killers seems to be impossible.

Margot’s evidently got a lot on her plate, so when her fathers attorney calls to let her know that her father has moved to a prison closer to her and now wants to meet her, Margot starts to spiral a little bit. She finds herself feeling paranoid, wondering what if anything she did to give away her whereabouts and contact information. She starts having panic attacks again, she can’t sleep or focus. She has spent 20 years escaping her father, building a successful career and life for herself, yet somehow he manages to find her. She naturally declines the invitation and ignores all of his calls, but one night the attorney sends her a text saying “he will tell you about seventy-seven.” Her father wants to tell her about another victim of his, but is he genuine or is it all just a messed up ploy to get her to visit him?

I enjoyed this book a lot. The multiple story lines kept me interested, and I already can’t wait for the next book in the series. The ‘Ed chapters’ were also very unnerving, in the best way possible.


Thank you to Storm Publishing for the ARC!

This is the way a murder mystery/crime procedural should be written!! The FMC is wonderfully written. Margot has some complex PTSD going on (and rightfully so given who her father is!). Her partner is such a wonderful male stereotype lol. And the parts about Ed are actually creepy but he’s written perfectly.
I honestly cannot wait to read the next book in this series!
I would say 4.5/5 for me rounded up to 5.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Title- The killers daughter
Rating- 4.5 ⭐️s

The novel, The Killer's Daughter follows Margot a detective as she investigates a gruesome murder of a whole family, all while struggling to come to terms with her own father's dark past as a serial killer. The storyline bounces between POVS from Margot present life to her dad past of killing 76 women before being arrested. I think the author did a great job with the Main character Margot, she was very likable.

I wouldn’t say that this book had a huge plot twist per se but this book had me hooked from the beginning to the end. I will say that I felt that the way the main murder investigation came to end was a little disappointing, I felt more could of been done with that portion of the story line, it felt a little rushed.

The author Kate did a wonderful job setting the first book to continue as a series and I can’t wait for the next book.

This book comes available for purchase and on kindle unlimited March 25,2024.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the advanced copy of this book.

Omg! Literally could t put this book down! I was hooked, I need the next one to be released yesterday! Hope it’s not too long!

Wow! I received an advance copy of The Killer’s Daughter, and I was hooked. Detective Margot and partner Wes are called into a brutal crime scene, and we follow the title character through their process to solve the crime while dealing with her past catching up to her.

I really like when books hop between different perspectives, so it piqued my interest to jump from the detective Margot to the killer’s point of view. It gives better insight into the characters and their reasoning for their actions.

The setting for this book is an area I’m pretty familiar with too and that’s always kind of exciting in a book.

I’m definitely looking forward to the next installment in this series and seeing how the story progresses.

this was chefs * kiss * perfect!

We follow Margot a homicide detective dealing with funny colleagues, gruesome murders and her Serial Killer dad.
She thought she heard the last of him, but oh no he wasn't finished with her.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED Ed's part ( don't judge! ) it was absolutely fantastically written and I was sad we didn't get more from him!

The main murder story was a little bit rushed, and we still even have an unsolved case which is why it doesn't get the full 5 stars.

But the author left us enough to wait for the next book!

I rate the book 4 stars. The characters were put together very nicely. I love that the book ended differently than i thought. I cannot wait to read more books by her in the future.

Detective Margot Phalen works homicide in San Francisco. But what very few people know is that she was raised as Megan Finch - the daughter of serial killer Edwin Finch. And when Finch is moved from a New York prison back to SF, he requests to see her. Knowing she has had no contact with him for many years, he offers a carrot: details of an unknown victim.

Phalen, of course, has a day job and is working the killing of four people from one family, with only a young boy, who remained hidden during the incident, surviving. There are no obvious suspects, or motive. And Phalen also helps another detective when two women's bodies are found in woods near the Golden Gate Bridge.

The set up is good in this novel and Margot/ Megan is an engaging character. The interactions with her father are well written, tense and emotional. But the cases she works don't seem to have the same quality of plot development, feeling rather unresolved at the end. Overall, The Killer's Daughter is an interesting opening to a new series, if a little underwhelming.

Margot Phalen is a homicide detective with the San Francisco Police Department. Her father, Ed Finch, was a serial killer in the Bay Area twenty years ago and has recently been transferred to San Quentin. He claims he will disclose information about more victims, but only if Margot will meet with him. Meanwhile she and her partner, Wes Fox are investigating the murders of the Ramirez family and a friend.

This is billed as book one in a series and I can definitely see Phalen, Fox, Finch and some additional characters as recurring in book after book, though the author will have to find something else to do with Finch after a while, probably a copycat? I enjoyed this. Phalen is a no-nonsense woman (except when it comes to the handsome Fox) and I quite liked Detective Telly with whom she works in another case. I would definitely read another Phalen book. Recommended.

The author does an excellent job of creating a constant feeling of darkness. The violence can be graphic at times, and was a little too much for me. With a bit of edition, some of the redundancy could be removed and make the story move a little more quickly.