This book starts with the discovery of the mutilated body of a young woman in the desert outside of LA. From there we begin on an intricate tale that is part detective mystery, thriller, and horror. I’m impressed with how Ronald Malfi took three very different and seemingly not connected POVs/sub plots and made them into a complex, yet easy to follow story. I love having multiple POVs because I think it opens stories by allowing for different angles. However, Maureen’s story was unfortunately significantly less interesting to me than the other two (Detective Renney and Toby, the house fly) and I felt it took a bit too long for the stories to begin connecting. This book touches on topics that surround us all: secrets, lies, complex families, mental health, and grief. As a psychiatrist who specializes in severe mental illness, I am definitely biased towards Toby’s POV. In my opinion it is the most haunting and devastating of the three. Ultimately, I enjoyed this book but found a couple of issues. I wasn’t fully satisfied with the ending but still enjoyed the read overall.

This was my first Ronald Malfi novel, and now I can see what everyone loves about him.
The author wasted no time getting to the story. I was instantly drawn in by the premise. This was a much slower burn than I had prepared myself for, so I got a little tired around the middle and needed things to kick back up. The end comes together fabulously and I cannot wait to read more from him!

There are three vastly different stories here, and it’s not until right at the very end do the puzzle pieces fall into place. Not every question is answered, you are definitely left wondering about a few things. The bow isn’t tidy; it’s tight enough to wrap things up and loose enough to have you thinking about it long after you’re finished. And that’s what a great book should do.

The full review is on Horror DNA: https://www.horrordna.com/books/senseless-ronald-malfi-book-review-2

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Ronald Malfi’s "Senseless" is a darkly hypnotic thriller that lures readers into the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles, where reality and delusion blur in unsettling ways. This is not just a murder mystery—it’s a psychological labyrinth, a descent into obsession, grief, and the eerie spaces between perception and truth.

"Senseless" follows three seemingly disconnected characters: Detective Bill Renney, haunted by a gruesome case that echoes a past failure; Maureen Park, a novelist entangled in the unsettling secrets of her fiancé’s family; and Toby Kampen, a young man convinced he is something other than human. Malfi masterfully weaves their narratives together, each thread tightening until the reader is caught in a web of eerie coincidences and creeping dread.

What makes "Senseless" so compelling is its ability to keep the reader questioning everything. Malfi plays with unreliable perspectives, forcing us to second-guess what we think we know. The novel’s atmosphere is thick with unease—whether in the glittering mansions of Hollywood or the grimy back alleys of downtown L.A., there’s a sense that something sinister lurks just beneath the surface.

Malfi’s prose is sharp and evocative, balancing the grotesque with the poetic. He doesn’t rely on cheap thrills; instead, he builds tension through psychological depth, making every revelation feel like a gut punch. The horror here is not just in the violence—it’s in the slow unraveling of sanity, the creeping realization that the world is not as stable as we believe.

For fans of thrillers that challenge perception and embrace the uncanny, "Senseless" is a must-read. It’s a novel that lingers, unsettling in its implications, refusing to offer easy answers. Malfi has crafted a story that is as disturbing as it is mesmerizing—a true testament to his ability to blend crime, horror, and psychological suspense into something unforgettable.

A very good and spooky horror book with thriller elements. Seriously I couldn’t put it down. Love Malfi!!

**Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the eARC of this title!**

Ended up listening to Senseless via audio from Macmillan. Full review to come on GR and IG soon!

It’s that time again! A new Malfi novel to sink your teeth into, and this one packs a punch. A mutilated body found in the high desert of Los Angeles, this is a detective mystery novel with more than a few twists.

Malfi is so good at writing about people’s dark lest secrets and how they gnaw away, slowly and readily tearing people apart from within. Senseless manages exactly that through the grief and regret that permeates throughout the story.

This is a story of converging stories and timelines that ultimately sticks the landing. This is an ambitious story for its scope alone, and one that you should definitely pick up, particularly if you are a fan of monkeys

Ronald Malfi has expertise at weaving seemingly separate timelines into an intriguing package. His writing is dark and deep. You couldn't help but dislike all the seemingly narcissistic characters. Maureen's story was quite intriguing and alone kept me reading to find out how things would turn out.

I had a lot of fun with this book! A great mix of horror and suspense elements. I have become a huge fan of Ronald Malfi in recent years and this book did not disappoint.

"There are places in the desert where things can be hidden and never found."

"What do you have?
There was a set of fingers-fingers for feeling, for touching, for probing into unseen places."

I finished this one last month and man... this book is fuckin awesome. I honestly haven't read a bad Malfi yet (that "shitty" book is still in his back pocket), and Senseless was among the best of them.

"What do you have?
A nose: for sniffing out injustice, corruption, dislocation."

This book was masterfully crafted. Malfi weaved three very unique and intricate storylines together seamlessly. I loved the "fly" sections - the writing throughout was amazing, but I feel like Malfi was really flexing in these parts and it moved the story along in a totally uncomfortable, awkward and just ridiculously compelling way.

"What do you have?
A pair of eyes: for skirting past the things that should have been seen to prevent all this from happening in the first place."

Clay McCleod Chapman said the ending of this book was what the readers needed, maybe not necessarily what they wanted. It worked so well, imo. I loved how REAL this book felt and ended. This book isn't a neatly wrapped gift under the tree with that perfect bow on top — it's horror noir (Noirror) at its finest. It's gnarly, it's gritty, it's brutal, it's dark, and it's just downright badass.

"What do you have?
A tongue: for speaking truth-yet what was truth, exactly?"

Overall, Senseless was incredible, man. Malfi, you knocked it out of the park. This book was an absolute blast to read and I couldn't put it down, especially the last third where things started converging and the tension went through the roof. Senseless is an easy 5/5 for me and in contention for one of Malfi's best — idk what will beat Come With Me, but Senseless is close.

"What do you have?
A duo of ears: for hearing what was being said."

"What do you have?
The answer came unbidden:
Nothing."

"Have you met the Monkey?"

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 3.5⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: thriller📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
Idk what it was but I feel like I just didn’t fully understand this one lol

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Psychological horror
Supernatural suspense
Unsettling storylines
Murder mysteries
Eerie atmospheric setting
Multiple POVs
Dark and haunting reads
Unreliable narrator
Slow unraveling of the truth
Fast paced crime stories

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
One of the storylines unraveled backwards
Emotionally heavy for a thriller added more depth

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
I’m not a fan of ambiguous endings
Confusing and hard to follow at first
Not all of the plot points were followed through

4 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2025/05/08/review-senseless-by-ronald-malfi/
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Beautifully written, atmospheric and unsettling

Senseless was a novel that I couldn’t wait to pick up. I’ve read three of Malfi’s novels already and loved them and, okay, this wasn’t my favourite of the four, but, the more I think about it, especially, whilst writing this review, the more impressed I become. I keep thinking of little nuances and subtle hints. It’s so clever to be honest, one of those stories where so many pieces are interconnected in a way that you can’t at first fathom. And I keep having other little lightbulb moments when things randomly pop into my head – and don’t you just adore a book that continues to make you think about it long after you’ve finished – maybe even enough to make you want to pick it back up and go through the final chapters just to make sure you understood everything? To be honest, I feel like I need to sit down with this author and have a long chat and he can give me the yay or nay to some of my final thoughts.

In a nutshell this is a story with murder at its core. Two murders to be precise. Murders that seem to have been undertaken by the same hand. It involves three key storylines that at first seem to have so very little in common, so much so that you really can’t see how they’re ever going to be relevant to each other.

Our three povs:

Detective Bill Renney. Was the original detective responsible for investigating the murder of a young woman whose body was found in the desert outside Los Angeles. A year later and another body is found in the same place and with the same traits. Surely this is the work of the serial killer. And yet, hard nosed detective Renney has doubts. He also has a new, eager and anxious to prove himself, partner helping him with this murder – and something is giving Renney pause for thought. It takes a little while to understand why so patience is a virtue.

Maureen Park is an author, recently, almost in a whirlwind romance, engaged to Greg Dawson, Hollywood producer whose career seems to be on a downward trajectory. As the story begins an engagement party is taking place, one that is very important to Greg. Maureen is anxiously arranging and rearranging things that have no need of arranging and slowly trying to consume as much alcohol as possible, and to an extent things are going smoothly until Greg’s unruly son arrives, supposedly he’d been sent to Europe to keep him ‘out of the way’ but he’s decided to crash the party and cause a stir. Landon is a rather (read very) unpleasant character who quickly insinuates himself under Maureen’s skin.

Finally we have Toby Kampen. A very unusual character indeed. This storyline really does tap into the horror side of the novel so be aware of that. Toby thinks he’s a fly. He’s been living rough until his new found obsession with a young woman who has attracted his eye, means he needs to return home (to the spider) in order to have access to certain resources – such as money and wheels.

What I really enjoyed about this.

The writing is really good. It’s packed with tension and unease. The full novel is grimy and horrible and unsettling in a way that is simply a testament to Malfi’s writing. He explores the seedy underworld but at the same time takes us to some of the more exclusive homes and neighbourhoods. And, he just sinks his teeth into you and makes you read on – like you’ve been literally glamoured!

The characters are also a bit unsettling in totally different ways. Renney is a deeply unhappy character haunted by the loss of his wife. The original murder (the first woman in the desert) came at a difficult time for him and he clearly made mistakes that he regrets. This will eventually come out as things progress and from there there’s this nervous apprehension that everything in his life is going to come crashing down. He’s not a bad person and his story is easy to follow – at first I thought this would very much go down the route of ‘police procedural’ but that’s far from the truth. Maureen is also haunted by her past. There’s the whole issue of ‘why the whirlwind romance’ and really, her new found position, as the ‘latest’ love interest of Greg – seems to be a dodgy position to say the least. Finally, Toby. He’s one of the strangest characters. His story is definitely weird and, well, unsettling but also difficult to tear your eyes away from. Clearly, I’m anxious to not reveal spoilers so I don’t want to overdo my descriptions for any of these characters.

I will say that sections of this book become a bit psychedelic, at times I was almost like ‘what did I just read’. I also did experience a point in the read where I just felt confused, the storylines felt so random, and I started off deeply interested in the murder mystery element but then I felt like the plot went sideways. But, that being said I was hooked. I had to know what the heck was going on. DId I get all the answers. I’m not entirely sure. I feel like I could probably read this book all over and find a whole bunch of things that I completely missed. At the same time I keep thinking of little things that I really love. There are Dracula references here. We have a character known as the fly who definitely seems to be caught in a strange web of deceit by a young woman that ‘seems’ to be a vampire. He certainly becomes her general dogs body in a typically Renfield fashion. The detective is called Renny – is this also a Dracula reference or am I reading too much into things? He also caught in a web – maybe even of his own making. Finally Maureen – she definitely feels trapped, of the three I really wanted to just yell at her to run away.

Anyway, I think I’ve said enough. Well written, complex and thought provoking.

I came for the murder mystery and stayed for the deeply dark horror. A story that can be read with hints of the supernatural but that at the same time can be explained without reverting to the supernatural.

Also the title.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

Interesting thriller with multiple POV that came together well. I like a book that answers some but not all the questions. Enjoyed and will recommend.

Senseless. I didn't read the synopsis before starting this book. There's no need for me to do so. If I see Ronald Malfi's name on a cover, I am going to be reading it. It really makes no difference to me what it's actually about. I was delighted to discover this novel is a captivating blend of Crime Fiction, Horror and Suspense. This is a combination Malfi is so successful with, and brought to mind my favorite previous novel of his, Bone White.

This story is told via three perspectives: Detective Bill Renney, author Maureen Park, and the self-proclaimed human fly, Toby Kampen. My favorite of these was Detective Renney. He reminded me a lot of another of another one of my fictional favorites, Detective Bill Hodges. Renney is flawed, but also incredibly compelling and endearing.

At the start of this novel, the corpse of a heavily-mutilated woman is found in the desert outside of L.A. Called in on the case, Renney can't help but see glaring connections to a case he thought had been put to bed a year ago. Is this some sort of a copy-cat killing? But how could that be? This level of details, as far as the specifics of the woman's body, was never reported to the public.

Bill is disturbed by this and it ends up reopening some doors from the past he would rather have stayed closed.

Then we get Maureen's and Toby's perspectives. Besides living in and around the same area of the crime, how are these people connected? It's not immediately clear. You shouldn't concern yourself too much with all of that though. Just sit back and let the magic happen. Through Malfi's skill, all will become clear in the end.

Upon first completing Senseless, I was absolutely gobsmacked by how well-crafted it is. It gave me so many different themes to ponder, and reflect upon, both in the story, and just about life and human behavior in general. It's such a nuanced story, with many threads interwoven into a perfect blend of Crime Fiction, Thriller and Horror. The examination of grief and guilt is also expertly-explored, which is one of my favorite topics in Horror; just beautiful.

There were so many different threads of story here that had to be woven in and out, and placed at just the right time for the Reader to get maximum impact. I absolutely LOVED how Malfi pulled that off. Each character brought their own unique circumstances and personalities to the table, as we all do in life, and it was just so fascinating to see it all come together.

There were some deep moments of intensity, particularly for me surrounding Maureen's perspective, and some scenes in particular that horrified me and definitely got under my skin. I was so on edge for her. It was powerful. While I don't think this book will necessarily be for everyone, I think for the Readers who are able to connect with it, as I did, it's a memorable one indeed.

Thank you to the publisher, Titan Books and Tantor Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. Ronald Malfi is one of my absolute favorite authors, and I always look forward to his new releases. IMO, he's one of the most talented voices in Horror Fiction today. There's such a classic feel to his writing. I find them to have a nostalgic feel, even though they're brand new.

I really wanted to be invested in this story, but it got a little too weird for me. Loved Renney’s sections the most. Disliked Toby’s the most. It was getting a bit too convoluted and long winded by the end and I just wanted to wrap things up. Interesting, but it’s definitely a puzzling long haul of a book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Titan Books for a copy!

A Malfi Maui Monday!
Maui definitely wants to go get the monkey, but I said he has to say happy birthday to @ronaldmalfi instead.
Senseless was, unsurprisingly, fan-fucking-tastic. I knew it would be, but after hearing Ron talk to @claymcleod it jumped up my priority list. This book is SMART.
I was riveted from the start. I knew the three character stories were going to cross, but I had no idea how. I couldn't have guessed what was going to go down. It's nuts-in the best way. I mean, one character fully believes he's a fly.
And that's not the craziest thing.
Senseless is dark and mean and complicated, but you won't want to get off this ride.
Sometimes books like this make you want to take a break. No luck here, just barrel on through. It is so worth the time.
Go pick this up if you haven't, and wish the man himself a happy birthday!

Senseless had an interesting concept, but it didn’t really land for me. The story dragged in parts, and even though the characters were well-developed, I never felt fully invested. It had some good moments, but overall, it just didn’t click. The audio quality was also really bad. Why was this so awkward?

[ ] Malfi is a master of horror, and I'm always excited to get my greedy little hands on new words from him. Unfortunately, Senseless didn't work for me. Certain elements of the story were compelling, like the police detective and his ever-evolving relationship with the spouse of one of his victims. Other elements seemed to only exist to cause confusion. In consequence, the entire story feels disjointed and not cohesive. 2.5 stars rounded up. Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for the gifted copy.

April 26 update: Posted to TikTok. Due to a connectivity glitch, I posted the slideshow twicw, so the views are divided in two posts.

A crime thriller with great suspense, some brolliantly disturbing characters, and intense squelchiness. Many scenes ride psychosexual undertows. This was my first book by Malfi.

After the powerful crime-scene opening, the changing points of view frustrated me at first. I ended up liking the odd, kaleidoscopic nature of the storytelling. It was a fascinating read and parts of it were mesmerizing.

I'm a bit unsettled with the ending.

Favorite Things:
The unusual premise, crime scene depictions, and a horpillilating chapter
Stories within stories
Male grief
Palpable sense of menace
Edges of supernatural horror and dread
A realistic woman in a difficult situation–she’s not a common thriller stock female
Malfi’s use of language is appetizingly crunchy
At times hallucinogenic

Thank you, Titan Books, for the e-ARC for consideration. These are solely my own opinions.

Thank you to Titan Books for my copy of SENSELESS.

This book is a creepy, paranormal mess and I'm here for it. I really enjoyed this one. I loved how the threads of this story intertwined to smack me over the head. I definitely recommend this one.