Review: Secrets of a Serial Killer by Rosie Walker

My go-to books are edge-of-your-seat thrillers. There are so many books published every day that promise to scare me, keep me up at night, etc. They very rarely live up to their hype, so I was skeptical when the tagline for my latest read promised to "make your skin crawl." My obsession with the thriller genre began by reading R.L. Stine's Fear Street books way back in middle school. Even then I could tell the writing was subpar, but they were quick reads and I loved trying to figure out the bad guy. Later on, I graduated to reading adult thrillers and I can still remember Dean Koontz's Intensity in vivid detail all these years later. I enjoyed that story so much and it's been quite awhile since I've found a book that scared me in such an effortless way. And then I read Secrets of a Serial Killer by Rosie Walker.

Holy cow! This book is phenomenal! I could not put it down. The writing is superb and the plot is creepy and full of suspense. There is some violence and gore, but none of it feels like it's there for shock and awe. It serves a purpose in creating suspense and fear, but it doesn't get out of control. This could be easily turned into a terrifying horror movie. I know it may be hard to believe, but I don't have a single complaint about this book. Not one!

When I began reading, I was worried that I would have difficulty keeping track of all of the narrators. There is Zoe, a 17 year-old girl dating an older man, much to her parents' chagrin. She thinks she has all the answers and is fiercely independent, as you'd expect of a teenager. Helen is Zoe's mother and she works as an architect, specializing in repurposing historical buildings into modern living spaces. Her current project involves an old insane asylum. She is divorced from Zoe's father and tends to put all her energy into micromanaging her daughter's life. We also have Thomas, a prepubescent boy who lives next door with his journalist mother. He's consumed with finding out what happened to his father who left suddenly without explanation. He spends his time with his cousin, Maggie, who loves to explore and pretend she's a detective. And then we have HIM, the elusive serial killer the police claim doesn't exist. He's determined to make Zoe his next victim and has twisted things in store for her. Despite the numerous narrators, I needn't have worried. The points of view are masterfully woven together into a seamless story line that had my heart pounding from start to finish. The characters feel very real and authentic in their roles.

Great characters aside, the setting of this novel is also spot on. The time is set in the present in Lancaster, UK, but there's a lot of talk about the history of the lunatic asylum Helen is developing. A famed serial killer was kept there for some time in the 1980s and there seems to be quite a few coincidences between his crimes and several girls who have recently gone missing. The cops chalk it up to a bunch of runaways, but Thomas's mother causes problems for the authorities when she claims there's a serial killer on the loose in her articles. The abandoned asylum and its surrounding woods create the perfect ambiance for such a terrifying story. I could actually smell the mildew from the old caravan in the woods. The writing was that descriptive. I was able to visualize every single scene in this book without any problems and it really was a total creep fest. There's no way this story would have been half as engrossing as it was without such a dynamic setting.

After doing some research on the author, it appears this is her debut novel, but I will definitely be reading whatever Rosie Walker comes up with next. If you're a fan of thrillers and are looking for a truly scary reading experience, you've really got to check this one out. You won't be disappointed!

My Rating: ★★★★★
At the time of this post, this title is set to be released on July 17, 2020.

*Thanks to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!