A review by bookishvicky
Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing Group for an advanced copy of this book for a fair and honest review!

Love Letters to a Serial Killer threw me for a loop– like, ten loops until I was dizzy and too baffled to do anything but just read on. I want to start off by saying the format of this novel was done perfectly. Each letter from Hannah and William revealed so much about themselves and the plot, and felt selfish yet seductive at the same time. 

The part where Hannah was writing her letter to William like normal with striked out bits of truly sociopathic text was so cool. I’ve read a lot of reviews saying the novel was ruined by how nonsensical and cruel Hannah seemed, but honestly? She made it for me.

Hannah is a sociopath. She relies heavily on male validation, is envious of every woman, sees sex as a leverage and yet also a way to show love, she isn’t passionate about anything except that which lets her dangle over a dangerous edge. Obviously I don’t relate to or excuse her actions, but that’s what makes thrillers thrilling! To be given a narrator who’s just as if not more unhinged than the serial killer was so fun to read. 

Speaking of thrillers, this book was a touch predictable, but honestly Hannah was just doing the most (pardon my french) batshit things at every turn– I wouldn't have cared if we knew who the killer was on page one. She was what made this book so enjoyable for me. 

If anything, one can argue this book is a parody or mockery of true crime diehards, like with Lauren and Dotty. Again, I’m in no way supporting Hannah or the events of this book– just saying I think it’s good novel writing. An immoral, unreliable narrator is always an interesting read, especially with that sucker punch of a last paragraph. 


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