I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Dark Lies by Nick Hollin Also by this author: The Goodnight Song
Series: Detective Rhodes and Radley #1
Also in this series: The Goodnight Song
Published by Bookouture on 26th March 2018
Genres: Crime, Suspense, Thriller
Pages: 275
Format: eARC
Source: from Netgalley
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Don’t trust your friends. Don’t trust your family. Don’t trust yourself…
The people of London fear for their lives when a twisted serial killer called The Cartoonist starts targeting young mothers, leaving their bodies on display in their homes with speech bubbles drawn from their lips. He has a terrifying story to tell, but first, the right people need to be listening…
Nathan Radley has a brilliant and dangerous talent. Formerly one of the best criminal psychologists on the police force he’s renowned for getting deep into the minds of the murderers he hunts. But for the past year he has lived in isolation, haunted by this gift and his own dark desires.
DI Katie Rhodes’ career is spinning out of control. She’d sworn never to knock on her old partner Nathan’s door again, but when she sees his distinctive birthmark drawn in chocolate on one of the victims, she knows she doesn’t have a choice. As the body count rises and the clues become more and more personal, Katie and Nathan join forces for one final case together.
Why is The Cartoonist using Katie and Nathan’s own dark secrets as calling cards on his victims? What does he want, and how many more innocent lives will be taken before they can crack his disturbing riddle?
To find a murderer, first you need to think like a murderer. The Cartoonist doesn’t just know this, he’s counting on it…
An absolutely nail-biting serial killer thriller perfect for anyone who loved the twisted mind games in Hannibal. Fans of M.J. Arlidge, Helen Fields and Rachel Abbott will not want to miss this page-turning debut!
Thank you to Bookouture for letting me take part in this tour. As you may know crime thrillers have become a recent favourite of mine so when I saw this one I jut had to read it.
This story is about DI Katie Rhodes and her old partner Nathan Radley. Katie and Nathan haven’t seen each other in almost a year but when 2 recent murders look to be personal to Katie and Nathan she knows she needs his help to solve them.
Katie’s life has been spiralling in the last year. She’s not the same person she was when Nathan last saw her. Katie has been doubting her instinct. Her work has slipped and she’s on the verge of being fired. Katie is a likeable character and it’s easy to feel for her when you start to learn about her past.
Nathan has spent the last year alone and following a routine that he thinks will help stave off his desires. Nathan is petrified of his own mind and what might happen if he gives into his own desires. Nathan is extremely clever and has a high attention to detail. I suspect he has a photographic memory but this wasn’t specifically mentioned. I actually just felt really sorry for Nathan. I can’t imagine feeling like you couldn’t trust your own mind.
There is a lovely little prologue and then you are thrown right into the action. As the story unfolds you start to get more of a back story on the characters and their relationships.
This book is dark and twisty. There were many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. At some points I was covering my eyes because the tension was so high and I couldn’t cope. Nick had me right on the edge of my seat in the final moments. I really felt like I was there watching all the action.
I thought this book was very clever and I look forward to seeing where the series goes.
About Nick Hollin
From bookbinder to gardener to forensic analyst, Nick has enjoyed an extremely varied working life. At home his interests are equally diverse, but nothing beats books. Collecting, reading, writing, they have always been a passion in one form or another. A graduate of Royal Holloway’s Creative Writing Masters, he’s fulfilling a long-held dream of being published and hopes to be at this for a good while yet. He lives in Cambridgeshire with his partner, young son and cat.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
@vonmaraus Thanks, Emma!
@bookouture Thanks Emma!