Reviews tagging 'Violence'

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!

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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

fizzy_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Body horror, Child abuse, Violence, Blood, Physical abuse, Gun violence, and Rape

Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, and Vomit

romireads's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Rape, Violence, and Murder

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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Torture, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Child abuse

romonko's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

0.5

I thought I knew what to expect with this book after I read some of the reviews, but, believe me, they did not prepare me for this bloodbath of a book.  After I had read about 1/4 of it, I would have put it away, but it was given to me, so I felt compelled to finish.  At that point I would have probably given it 3 stars because it had captured my interest, and I hadn't yet read the 100's of pages of blood, gore and depravity.  As I continued the star rating kept going down and when I finally finished it, it was actually barely 1/2 star, but since there is no way to enter that rating,, I left it at one.  For those of you who like your thrillers graphic and full of blood and killing, this is the book for you.  To me it felt like the author threw everything but the kitchen sink into this mess.  I really don't know if he missed any possible depravities, but to me it felt like he didn't.  After reading the afterward, I realize that this is a first novel for Mr. Holland, and he followed the advice of his publisher to not stop at anything.  The book is about 450 pages long, and with all the repetitiveness, and with the cliffhanger of the ending, I think it could have ended at 150 pages.  I think I should have stopped at that point anyway.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Death, Murder, Violence, Blood, Sexual content, and Incest

This is a very graphic, depraved and violent book. There is no respite from the violence.

arielr's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Rape

Moderate: Self harm, Drug abuse, Child abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Vomit

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

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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

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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

outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Jess Ambrose is bored in her marriage to Patrick, & they are both cheating on each other, Jess via mindless sex with strangers. So their marriage is rocky & has been plagued with troubles so when their house is burned down & Patrick killed in an arson attack, the police immediately seize upon Jess as someone with a motive for wanting her husband dead. Only one person seems to think she may be innocent, Nate Griffin, a cop who is on leave following the death of his wife in a traumatic home invasion. Nate's sister, DCI Cara Elliott, is investigating a series of grisly murders which seem unrelated, but Jess realises that they are copies of murders committed by infamous murders such as the Yorkshire Ripper, & the Zodiac Killer. The media soon nickname the killer 'The Echo Man'.

First of all, warning to anyone who is of a sensitive disposition - this book is extremely graphic in respect of death, gore, & sexual violence. The plot itself is rather good & the fast pace & body count is maintained throughout. I really liked Cara & Griffin, but Jess was just an annoying plot device. I was hoping she would be killed off but no such luck. There are some clichés, especially that the killer that is always a couple of steps ahead of the police etc, but it maintained my interest well enough. The ending made me go "WTH?!" or something every similar. 3.5 stars 

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, HarperCollins UK, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Sexual content, Animal death, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts

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.
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Thank you to NetGalley, Sam Holland and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. 

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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