Detective Margot Phalen was just trying to put her past behind her. She’s changed her name, moved to a different city, but sometimes your past just follows you - especially when your father is one of the most prolific serial killers of your generation.
Margot hadn’t spoken to her father for more than 20 years and suddenly her father’s lawyer reaches out to her to inform her that her father wants to see her. Naturally Margot is hesitant but when her father says he will tell her about an unknown victim, she can’t help but take him up on his request.
I couldn’t help but think of the show Prodigal Son while reading this book.
I was engaged with not only the story of victim #77 but also with the case that Margot was working as well.

Looking forward to the next book in the series to find out more.

This novel was intriguing, a serial killer on death row and at times had his baby daughter sitting in the back seat in the car, while on a kill. Now grown up and a name change she is now a homicide detective and very few people know of her past and who she really is.
One evening a phone call a lawyer asking her to visit her father as he has been transferred to a local prison, quite rightly she refused so he comes back with a temptation, her father will reveal No: 77 and where she is buried.
Just the start has he got her hooked? will this be more to come as the FBI always thought there were more bodies out there.
I did find this book intriguing but there is a No:2 novel a follow up, and my only fear is that it's a different but copy of the same story.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Storm Publishing for a ARC copy to read, the review is entirely my own thoughts.

This was a well written book that grabbed my attention from the first chapter and kept my attention through the end. I enjoyed the chapters looking at the past from when Ed Finch was a serial killer still in the loose, and the present day chapters when his daughter who changed her names to Margot Phalen is a hominids detective. I do wish the look back chapters have a little more detail, even if it was just a quick description on the actually crimes committed by Ed Finch.

Such an engaging and well-constructed book! Reflecting after I finished reading, I found the title exactly right for the tone and details of the story. Detective Margot Phelan of the San Francisco Police Department is the understandably long-estranged daughter of Ed Finch, a serial killer of over seventy young women. He was captured and convicted when Margot, then Megan Finch, was only 15. While there were certainly episodes of suspense, I viewed The Killer’s Daughter as an excellent police procedural, showcasing Margot’s adeptness as an investigator while offering a portrait of the emotional challenges she continues to face as she pursues justice for victims of violence. While author Kate Wiley concludes the novel with the possibility of a sequel, the story held its own admirably without tacking on an almost contradictory cliffhanger. 4.5 stars, rounded to 5 for excellence in plot and character development.

4.5/5 (rounded up)
I really enjoyed this book, but I was able to figure it out rather quickly. I enjoyed that it was told from dual perspectives and dual timelines. This is a quick story that gets going right away. This is really well written, and I look forward to the next book in the series! I didn’t expect it to end in a cliffhanger of sorts, but am excited to see where this story goes.

This is such a good, well written story, it tells the story of notorious serial killer Ed Finch known as the classified killer who killed seventy six young woman around the bay area of San Francisco during the 1980’s and 1990’s, it has been twenty two years since he was sent to jail and now his daughter is a homicide detective in San Francisco, she has worked hard to put her past behind her but her father is doing his best to change that.

Megan Finch is now Detective Margot Phalen, it has been twenty two years since the FBI arrived to arrest her father at the family home charged and him with the murder, her family moved changed their names and did their best to get on with life.

Now her father has been transferred to death row at San Quentin, close to Margot and he is determined to see his daughter, Margot has been doing her best to ignore his requests, she is busy investigating the murder of a family and two woman in a national park but when he is willing to open up about more of his secrets if she visits, she must go, there are families out there that need closure, he knows Margot cannot refuse to see him.

I did very much enjoy this story, yes it is gruesome at times as the story is told from both Margot and Ed’s POV back and forward from the 1980’s and now, Margot understandably has a lot of issues about her past but still does her job well and Ed he a killer who shows no remorse. I do highly recommend this one to any reader who loves a good thriller it is dark at times but compelling reading. I do look forward to book two in the series.

My thanks to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for my digital copy to read and review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC of ‘The Killer’s Daughter by Kate Wiley.

This was a great read! I think Margot is a fantastic detective. I can easily say if she handled a case for me I’d be happy. The detail given about Margot’s life and childhood made the story so much more realistic. 100% a must read in my opinion!

Kate Wiley has created a fascinating female detective, Margot. Margot’s father was a prolific serial killer when she was growing up. While investigating a horrific murder Margot’s dad has a lawyer contact her with just the right enticement to try to force her to visit him in prison.
The pacing of this story kept me rapidly reading. I appreciated the alternating points of view, especially those of her dad…which were so very chilling. This read could have gone in so many directions but I feel that Kate Wiley had the perfect balance of police procedural, who dunnit, and even a hint of romance thrown in. Wiley’s portrayal of Margot’s childhood and adulthood seemed so very realistic, evoking so much sympathy for what she has endured and explains the quirkiness of her personality and the strengths she possesses to exist in a male dominated detective investigating murders. The vivid setting of the Ramirez family will be stuck in my head for a long time, as will Mateo’s response to it.
I will definitely be eagerly awaiting another book sharing her dad’s continued attempts to reconnect with her and, hopefully, a healthy emotional connection with Wes.
Many thanks to Kate Wiley, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this recently published book. Three and a half stars.

This is my first Kate Wiley book, and I loved it.

To me, Ed was terrifying and a true manipulative devil. His presence loomed throughout the pages. The chapters with his voice are eerie and scare you to turn the pages, making you wonder if he will ever get caught. Margot's character is not appealing. There's a rawness to her pain. It bleeds through the pages and makes you sit up and take notice. At the same time, you feel distant from her. The constant back and forth between Ed's narration and Margot's perspective keeps the story edgy and interesting at the same time.

The story is fascinating, and I was hooked from the first page to the last. The author creates a nail-biting atmosphere, and the pace never wavers. You can read it in one go if you have the time, but I needed to take a few gaps to take it all in.

There are so many victims - dead or missing? What happened to them? Who is the perpetrator? How are they eluding the cops? There is an active murder case, but there is also something that has crawled out of the past. What should Margot do?

I can't wait to pick up Margot's next adventure. Hopefully, a few more cases will be solved.

A good story with interesting characters. I enjoyed the 'present day' sections much more than those set in the past. For me they were a bit unnecessary and didn't add to the overall story.
I will be reading more by this author.

I really enjoyed The Killers Daughter by Kate Wiley, it had me hooked and I was really intrigued in the character.

We meet police lady Margot and she is called to a horrific scene involving a family, who have all been slaughtered apart from the son. Margot cant quite put her finger on it but she does not think that it is as straightforward as she first thought.

We then get to know who Margot really is, well who she was in her past, and we learn that she is the daughter of serial killer Ed Finch. Ed has recently come back to the prison where Margot lives and he is asking for her to come and visit with the exchange that he will tell her about number 77 - one of his victims that the police did not know about.

We are taken on a really good adventure but author Kate Wiley, Margot is a likeable character and there are dual storylines in the novel.

I am glad that this looks like it will be a series of books and I am looking forward to reading more about Margot.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley.

Honestly WOW. I don't know why I put off reading this book for so long. Just by the FIRST chapter I knew I was hooked. If you like a really gripping thriller that hooks you in and has you guessing the whole time, and are a lover of crime fiction this is the book for you!!! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Kate Wiley for letting me read this book. It was honestly so good and I would recommend it to others!! I can't wait to read the rest!!

Gah! Cliffhanger.

I did enjoy this book though. The protagonist was compelling and damaged and tenacious and human. The fact that you have three storylines interweaving kept me on my toes and I powered through in under a day.

I'm invested now. I'll definitely read the next installation.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC for this book. It kept me hooked with the dual timeline and the perspective of the child of a serial killer.

This book is a good start to a new Detective series. The characters were introduced well, and we learned a lot about Margot and those close to her. This story is told in dual timelines - Margot in the present, and her father in the past. I would have enjoyed more character development regarding Margot's dad instead of just hearing about his crimes. There seemed to be more focus on her dad's crimes vs the current murder case. The middle dragged on for me, and I felt there could've been more going on during the middle of the book. I will definitely read book 2 and continue the series to see what is next for Margot.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Killers Daughter is a thrilling novel about Detective Margot Phalen and how far she has gone to detach herself from her serial killer father Ed Finch. But when a lawyer calls and tells her a chilling message from her father, she has no choice but to face him again.

I can not wait to read more books featuring Detective Margot Phalen, her character is really what made the story for me. I really enjoyed her parter Wes and the banter they share while solving the murders. I had a hunch of who I though had done it and I was partly right! This was a really thrilling story, and was written in such a compelling way I did not want to put the book down at all!
Big thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC.

The Killer's Daughter
by Kate Wiley
Pub Date: 25 Mar 2024

Synopsis: Twenty years ago Ed Finch – America’s most notorious serial killer – used the Bay Area as his hunting ground. Now, his daughter Margot is a homicide detective with the San Francisco Police Department who has spent her whole life trying to forget who she is. But her daddy won’t let her forget.

My Thoughts: A great start to a new series! I was sucked in right from the first chapter. I feel this is a great book with well written characters. I would definitely recommend this 5 star book. I can't wait for the next book!

Many thanks to #TheKillersDaughter #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for providing me an E-ARC of this book.









The Killer's Daughter is Book 1 in the Detective Margot Phalen Series.

This book is a good start to a new Detective series. The characters were introduced well, and we learned a lot about Margot and those close to her. This story is told in dual timelines - Margot in the present, and her father in the past. I would have enjoyed more character development regarding Margot's dad instead of just hearing about his crimes. There seemed to be more focus on her dad's crimes vs the current murder case. The middle dragged on for me, and I felt there could've been more going on during the middle of the book. I will definitely read book 2 and continue the series to see what is next for Margot.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC of The Killer's Daughter by Kate Wiley in return for my honest review.
What a great start to a new series, this is a really well written police procedural with great characters. I really enjoyed that there was more than one case being investigated, this book certainly leaves you wanting more, my only critic was the conclusion of the main story line which did feel a little rushed and anticlimactic but that being said I would defiantly recommend reading. Can’t wait for the next instalment.

What a brilliant book! I couldn't stop reading it. It's so well-written. I loved the plot and execution. I wanted more! Hopefully there will be more Margot Phalen books soon.
I really like the main character, Margot. The way she's been written you can't help but like her and relate to her. I also really enjoyed her relationship with Wes. Those two are a great duo. Leon is another great cast member. Kate Wiley definitely has a gift for writing great characters.
The story overall is just great. Gripping and riveting The Kiler's Daughter is a brilliant example of how a good thriller should be written. Highly recommended.