x_miss_mcrae_x's review
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
They call him the "Family Man". A killer who preys on single mothers and their children. He's hunting for a family to call his own but when they don't meet his unrealistic expectations, he kills them. CSI Holly Jenkins is on the case. With her being a single mother herself, this case is personal to her and she is determined to track this twisted killer down. Will this be a hunt that costs her gravely?
Review: ☆☆☆☆
I must admit, as a single mum myself, i was a bit wary of this book. However I couldn't put it down! I loved the different POV and being able to actually get inside the killers head to fully figure him out. It's rare that a book allows you to be fully involved in both the investigation and killers process. It is quite a graphic read and it contains a lot of trigger warnings, so please check these out beforehand if your sensitive to some topics. The only reason I knocked 1 star off is due to the ending feeling slightly rushed compared to the build up and the issue with the psychic 🔮
Review: ☆☆☆☆
I must admit, as a single mum myself, i was a bit wary of this book. However I couldn't put it down! I loved the different POV and being able to actually get inside the killers head to fully figure him out. It's rare that a book allows you to be fully involved in both the investigation and killers process. It is quite a graphic read and it contains a lot of trigger warnings, so please check these out beforehand if your sensitive to some topics. The only reason I knocked 1 star off is due to the ending feeling slightly rushed compared to the build up and the issue with the psychic 🔮
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Murder, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Blood, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual harassment, Stalking, and Toxic relationship
onceuponabookreview's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Murder
annaelliot's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
chaptersofvicki's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
The premise of this book drew me in. I love a thriller and this one sounded different. Once I started reading it had me hooked, it was hard to stop reading at the set point each day as I was engrossed in the story.
I loved the short chapters and the multiple POV’s especially that of the killer. I always like an insight from the antagonist, the way they think and how they see things.
Holly is a great character, I really felt for her with what happened to her husband. I’m looking forward to reading the next book to see how things progress for Holly.
If you like dark thrillers with some romance then I recommend adding to your tbr. Just be prepared to be totally freaked out by the thoughts of the killer. 🤣🤣
sarahinreaderland's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I finished this book last night and like some other people I have spoken to, I had to take a bit of time out before writing my review. I didn’t hate this book but I didn’t love it either. In retrospect, there was something that kept me picking it up and reading the day’s pages, so I was obviously engaged and interested, however I didn’t feel like I was invested in the characters which has left me with a bit of an empty feeling. I would like to give Holly Jennings and this author more time so I’ll be adding the second book in the series to my TBR and seeing how I get on with it.
happilyeveramy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
3.0
thearieslibrary's review
3.5
Crime scene investigator Holly Jennings is on the trail of a twisted and sadistic serial killer who seeks out single mothers, marries them, then slaughters his new family when they fail to measure up to his "perfect family" fantasy.
This was a fast paced thriller, which was quite enjoyable. The writing made the book very easy to get through. There were some parts (particularly the ending) where I found it hard to put the book down. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes Criminal Minds or Mindhunter, as well as Chris Carter's books!
I absolutely loved the multiple POVs in this book, especially the unsub as it was so interesting to see their character develop and to have a glimpse into their mind, as well as how they would prepare/commit crimes. I also quite liked Holly to a degree - on one hand, she was a fantastic strong female lead but on the other hand, she did not work well with others and would purposely not follow guidelines.
I quite liked the build up to the ending, however it fell flat, which was unfortunate. This book also uses a lot of outdated terms so these should definitely be updated. I would have also loved more background information on some of the characters, since they seem to be such an important part to the plot, as well as other characters who definitely faded into the background.
Thank you to Tandem Collective UK for letting me a part of this readalong and gifting me a copy of this book!
⚠️ TW: derogatory language, gun use, murder, profanity, sexism, absent parent, rape (and attempted), animal abuse, alcohol use, domestic abuse, sexual assault, incest, fire, discrimination, sexual situations; mentions blood, S&M, alcoholism, body shaming, male and female body parts, death and child pornography ⚠️
This was a fast paced thriller, which was quite enjoyable. The writing made the book very easy to get through. There were some parts (particularly the ending) where I found it hard to put the book down. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes Criminal Minds or Mindhunter, as well as Chris Carter's books!
I absolutely loved the multiple POVs in this book, especially the unsub as it was so interesting to see their character develop and to have a glimpse into their mind, as well as how they would prepare/commit crimes. I also quite liked Holly to a degree - on one hand, she was a fantastic strong female lead but on the other hand, she did not work well with others and would purposely not follow guidelines.
I quite liked the build up to the ending, however it fell flat, which was unfortunate. This book also uses a lot of outdated terms so these should definitely be updated. I would have also loved more background information on some of the characters, since they seem to be such an important part to the plot, as well as other characters who definitely faded into the background.
Thank you to Tandem Collective UK for letting me a part of this readalong and gifting me a copy of this book!
⚠️ TW: derogatory language, gun use, murder, profanity, sexism, absent parent, rape (and attempted), animal abuse, alcohol use, domestic abuse, sexual assault, incest, fire, discrimination, sexual situations; mentions blood, S&M, alcoholism, body shaming, male and female body parts, death and child pornography ⚠️