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Sunday, June 12, 2022

Review: The Echo Man by Sam Holland

Author: Sam Holland
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: April 2022

Sam Holland’s chilling debut draws inspiration from infamous serial killer cases, culminating in the ultimate, heart-pounding copycat tale.

Detectives Cara Elliott and Noah Deakin are on the case of a series of seemingly unconnected murders, each different in method, but each shocking and brutal. As the body count increases, they can’t ignore the details that echo famous cases of the past—Manson, Kemper, Dahmer, and more. As Elliott and Deakin get closer to unmasking the killer, the murders are moving closer to home.

Meanwhile, Jessica Ambrose is on the run. She’s been implicated as the arsonist who killed her neglectful husband and injured her young daughter. With the help of disgraced and suspended detective Nate Griffin, Jess discovers a shocking link between her case and that of the ultimate copycat killer working on his horrifying masterpiece.

I have such mixed feelings about this book.  On the one hand, I loved the twists (and there are a few) and was genuinely surprised.  I was going in a completely different direction.  I also like the concept of a serial killer who is copying famous serial killersAlthough, why the author chose to use mostly American serial killers was odd to me as the book takes place in England.   I also wasn't annoyed with most of the characters.  I also liked that it was more on the horror side than the thriller side.  It's pretty graphic at times

What I didn't like was the pacing of the book.  The first half of the book was so slow.  I almost DNF's it. I also wasn't a fan of the epilogue. While it had a twist,  It was kind of an info dump and didn't leave me satisfied.  I wanted more on what came next for a couple of the characters.  It was too open ended for me.  I would recommend giving this one a try.  



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