Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Echo Man by Sam Holland

11 reviews

clotalksbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

What. A. Book. It is not for the faint-hearted, and I must admit to it being darker than I expected it to be. But there is so much depth to this story and the characters, the darkness isn't just for shock factor - everything serves a purpose. 

I loved the characters, flaws and all. They had so many layers. In terms of the Echo Man I also had multiple suspects, until I think I was accusing everyone. Kept guessing and being surprised til the end. Love that in a book. 

If you have knowledge of true crime, I think you will get even more from it. It is just so creepy, and part of me hates how much I loved this book considering how disturbing it is. But hey, it is so well crafted, the writing perfect. It deserves all of the stars!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Rape, Murder, Sexual violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Moderate: Pedophilia and Child abuse

Minor: Suicide attempt and Vomit

micasreads's review against another edition

4.0

Detective Cara Elliot is investigating a rash of murders that seem to have nothing in common. Jessica Ambrose is a woman on the run after she is believed to have killed her husband via arson. When Jessica, a true crime addict, recognizes the ongoing murders, she tells her new hero and Detective Elliot's brother, Nate. It becomes apparent that this killer is copying well-known serial killers such as Bundy, Kemper, and Dahmer. Due to this, the media dubs him The Echo Man. As the murders become more depraved, Det. Elliot knows she is running out of time. When the women discover that they have been in contact with the killer their words are upended. 

 

This book was fantastic. While it started off a bit slow the action picked up. I've not read a book with copycat murders so clearly defined. The back and forth between the killer's thoughts and those of the detectives was fascinating. The weaving of so many details and storylines was seamless which made my reading time fly by. As a true crime fan, this novel was right up my alley. The serial killers in this novel are amongst the most infamous therefore easy to identify. If you are a lover of true crime and want to read a good thriller then this would be perfect. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Torture, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Child abuse

ryan_mjm's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Murder, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Death, Rape, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Body horror, Sexual harassment, Torture, and Sexual assault

soobooksalot's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Torture, Death of parent, Drug use, Murder, Drug abuse, Mental illness, and Sexual assault

bookbug_97's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Well SHIT. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Sexual violence, Addiction, and Child abuse

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Animal death, Torture, Stalking, Self harm, Rape, and Physical abuse

saartjeinwonderbookland's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Dementia, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Gun violence, Grief, Hate crime, Incest, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence

teacupsandbookshelves's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Stalking, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Cursing, Child abuse, Murder, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Rape, Torture, Blood, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, and Death

estherb's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It’s been a while since I’ve read such a bloodthirsty police procedural - not since my last Chris Carter novel!

The echo man is killing people in the style of notorious serial killers and DCI Cara Elliott is the woman who’s trying to catch him, along with her DS brother - Nate Griffin- who’s suspended from duty and has demons of his own.

This was a great debut with some real gusty characters and some gruesome murders - certainly not for the faint hearted.

Each murder was linked and it was so addictive trying to put all the pieces of the macabre puzzle together. Real crime fans will certainly have a field day with the references (the Charles Manson and Ted Bundy were really good and so clever!)

The twists and turns just left me wanting more and the ending had me on tenterhooks- can’t wait for the next instalment (there HAS to be one!)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Addiction, Child abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, and Torture

readbydanni's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow, this book is not for the faint hearted!
The Echo Man is brilliantly written with a plot that will shock you from start to finish. The development of the plot is really clever and quick-paced. The writing is brilliant and Sam Holland was not afraid of writing in horrific sometimes graphic detail of abuse and assault.
There is a small group of main characters, each of which have their own personal struggles as they try to work together to find the culprit and bring to an end the horrific attacks and murders of The Echo Man.
While it's not for the faint hearted, it's such a good book that kept me guessing all the way through. It's one of those books where the reader will find themselves questioning nearly every character they meet!
I really enjoyed The Echo Man and definitely would recommend with the advice for potential readers to check the CW's first.
---
Thank you to NetGalley, Sam Holland and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Violence

abookwormwithwine's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Holy MOLY, I knew The Echo Man by Sam Holland was going to be violent and gory, but I didn't realize the full extent of this until I actually got going. I read Karin Slaughter, so I am no stranger to this in my books, but Holland definitely took things to a whole new level. This isn't a book you are going to want to read while eating, but it was completely fantastic, and I am in both shock and awe that this is Holland's debut novel. The author describes herself as a serial killer nerd and that definitely comes through in the story. I also appreciated that she explained a bit about the serial killers mentioned by working it into the plot, so the reader doesn't have to Google anything. There are about a million triggers in the book, and if you shy away from any type of violence or gore you should NOT read The Echo Man since it is very graphic.

I loved the different viewpoints, and this is a straight-up police procedural but at the same time a whole lot more than that. I really liked having Jessica's viewpoint and the fact that she ends up doing a bit of sleuthing herself. The pacing is very fast which made the book feel way shorter than over 300 pages, and it also helped that the chapters were super short and engaging. The aspect of the copycat killer really got my attention, but I was also completely drawn to the characters. Cara is such a great detective and is the strong and fierce kind of woman I like to have as the lead in the books I read, and I couldn't help but adore Griffin (AKA Nate). I did think it was a little odd that Holland kept interchanging Deakin and Griffin’s first names with their last and do prefer when authors stick to using one or the other, but it was a very small thing in the grand scheme and didn't take away from the story. If you love police procedurals, true crime, serial killers, and crazy twists I HIGHLY recommend you read The Echo Man immediately. I also can't help but hope this isn't the last we have seen of Detective Cara Elliott.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Sexual violence, Violence, Gore, and Rape