I love thrillers about Serial Killers and OMG this one blew me away!!!!!

I was on the edge of my seat holding my breath as I frantically turned the pages.

Lancaster has been the setting for a serial killer for decades. Its been happening so long is there more than one person involved?

When Helen's daughter Zoe is taken all bets are off and she will do ANYTHING to save her from the infamous serial killer.

This is a very well written thriller with characters that are intense, complicated and striking.

I LOVED this book , every minute of it!!!!

Even if I found the blurb interesting I couldn't connect to the story and it didn't keep my attention.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

It’s no surprise that as soon as I got the notification about this book I was thrilled! If it’s about a secret...I’m IN. A serial killer, yep I’m here for that too!
🔪
This book started out so interesting, the atmosphere of a former asylum gave me all the creeps, add dark creepy woods, perfect!
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Character wise, a serial killer framing other people for crimes he’s committing-brilliant! We have an investigative reporter researching and discovering that the police are mishandling cases of missing girls in the area. Then we have a dark web reporter sharing How to Get Away with Murder...each one of these plot lines were great but all combined in one story, I felt it slightly bogged down the middle of the book.
In the end the book redeemed itself with a fast paced ending, plot twists, and all the things I enjoy in a thriller.
🔪
I rated this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 stars. I just felt like the stories fell flat because there was so much going on! It could just be me, I know other people absolutely loved this one. If the topics interest you, read it! Then we can discuss! This one is out now!
Thank you @onemorechapterhc for my digital copy of the book for my honest review.

When Tom and Maggie stumble upon an old abandoned caravan in the woods, it looks like the perfect den to hang out in, close to the Old Lune Asylum. Helen is a local architect employed to develop the Old Lune Asylum into modern day living a single parent to her college age teenager Zoe. The Old Asylum holds many secrets and with its previous inhabitant being a notorious serial killer the asylum is eerie especially in the evenings when darkness casts a shadow over the past. Helen becomes alarmed when her daughter goes missing, the police do not take it seriously but in her bones, Helen knows that Zoe has been taken. Meanwhile Thomas is struggling to cope with his missing father a secret his mother would rather keep from him.

The plot follows the lives of Tom his cousin Maggie and Helen and her daughter Zoe. I felt that the story lacked clues and mystery but made up for this as a good thriller with lots of suspense. Overall a good thriller that is not too heavy going.

This was a book that certainly surprised me a lot! I loved Rosie's writing that was effective, bluntly, and at the same time, with an ability to engage us from start to finish. The narrative transports us to the return of terror in Lancaster, a terror that emerges thanks to the legacy of the serial killer McVitie who is reborn to haunt poor Zoe. The evil returns, but will it disappear? Here's the question ...
Rosie, I want a second part, please!!

Thank you Netgalley, Harpers Collins UK, One More Chapter and Rosie Walker for free e-Arc in return of my honest review.

It stars with a letter to student, as a legacy of teacher, nothing less but famous murderer. It is like a true crime and mystery at the same time. All of a sudden, a teenager and a couple of neighbor kids are involved in something terrible. Lost in an abandoned asylum with a serial killer on their heels it becomes a struggle for survival.

Overall, it is a good engaging story, quite a page turner. However, I cannot say there is much depth to any character, even the serial killer. The twist is unpredictable and quite interesting. The flow is fine, a bit confused at times. Rosie Walker narrates from few different perspectives and tries to show the story from different angles. I think she succeeded.

A known serial killer, on his deathbed, sends a letter .. passing the torch to his apprentice.

A serial killer has been terrorizing citizens for decades. Police are puzzled how anyone can keep killing for generation after generation. Speculation runs rampant through true crime forums ... is someone passing on their gruesome trade?

A mother's nightmare .... Helen Summerton's daughter, Zoe, is missing. She knows that the killer took her ...but how long does her daughter have before she is murdered?

The plot is intricately woven amid dark web articles and blog posts giving information on how to be an effective killer and getting away with it. There are also anonymous entries to Urban Dark Reporter,, an online site. The story is told from several points of view. Suspense is non-stop and intense. Twists and turns lead to an unexpected conclusion.

WARNING: Language / Violence / Date Rape Drugs / Graphic Details

Many thanks to the author / HarperCollins UK / One More Chapter / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Secrets of a Serial Killer is a thriller with an interesting format. A serial killer has been killing in Lancaster for many years. There are many entries regarding this killer on online forums, but the police aren't so sure that all the victims are connected to one killer. Then, Zoe end up disappearing. Is she another victim? Who is the killer? This book was quite gruesome at times; and the characters lacked detail, so I wasn't interested in what was happening to them. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc, which I enjoyed reading. This is a debut book written by the author, Rosie Walker and secrets of a Serial Killer is a mesmerising read, the storyline is riveting and absolutely fascinating and interesting. It is a very clever storyline and the ending has a fabulous twist, which I didn’t see coming.
I look forward to reading more books by this new author.
Highly recommended.

A good read written from an interesting perspective. I would have liked to have known more about the characters. I would also have liked it to be a more compelling read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

3 stars

I wanted to love this book after reading the summary. I wanted to be able to shout it from the rooftops and tell every single person I pass in the grocery store to read it. Unfortunately it fell short but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. I was a decent story with great elements but for me it felt like there was too much being crammed in so nothing was really fleshed out the way it should have been.

This was a good, enjoyable read with characters you root for so don’t hesitate to pick it up, just don’t expect it to blow you away.

An abandoned asylum, serial killer, mystery and unsolved murders? Oh sign me up please!


What It's About: Lancaster has been the hunting ground for an elusive serial killer for decades. How is this even possible? One of the speculations is that the original serial killer is dead but someone else is committing these crimes in the exact manner. But why? Caught in the middle of this, is Helen (the architect for the redevelopment of the asylum) when her daughter, Zoe goes missing. Helen is now in desperate search for her daughter and it may be connected to this elusive serial killer.

My thoughts: First of all, this story has all the elements I love in a mystery/thriller. I love the setting of the creepy asylum, a serial killer in a small town, and a kick ass mother who will stop at nothing to look for her daughter. Secondly, I absolutely enjoyed reading the crime articles written by the Urban Dark Reporter. With title like, "How To Get Away With Murder: Inspired by Leonard McVitie's Lesson Plan" is sure one disturbing read. Lastly, I love a multiple POVs story! This story is told from four perspectives - Helen, Zoe, Thomas and Him. The "Him" chapter is super creepy! So all these elements kept me interested in the story.

With all the suspense and mystery in the beginning, the story did fall flat and feels somewhat draggy in the middle. It did pick up after that. I also felt that there were a lot going on at the same and the main plot begins to fade into obscurity. But I really want to find out what happens next, so I kept reading.

In a nutshell, it is a pretty good mystery/thriller for a debut novel as the plot is interesting, the characters are believable, the writing is suspenseful and I enjoyed the descriptions on the asylum. It is creepy for sure. I felt that the storytelling part needs to be more engaging without losing the focus on the main plot.

Pub. Date: Jul 17, 2020

***Thank you HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for this gifted review copy in exchange for an honest review.***

Secrets of a Serial Killer by Rosie Walker is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Harper Collins/One More Chapter  and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

Leonard McVitie is a serial killer who died in 1985 in the Lancashire Lunatic Asylum.  He passed his know-how on to others.

Zoe is 17, her boyfriend Dane 24.   They attend a bar with Zoe's friends Abbie and Max.  Zoe disappears from the bar.

Helen, Zoe's mother, is an architect, who is re-designing the old mental hospital into luxury apartments. 

Thomas and Maggie are 11-year old cousins, forced to spend some time together.  Maggie is a bit of a daredevil, and often gets the two of them in trouble.  They discover a trailer near the asylum to use as their spy headquarters.  Maggie wants to investigate the asylum.


My Opinions:   

Sometimes titles and covers can be deceiving.  I was hyped to read this book.  Perhaps a little over-hyped.

The story is told from different perspectives, including that of the killer, and a website interested in true crime.  It started out with a creepy old mental hospital,  a serial killer who passed on his methods to others, the recipient of that know-how, and a missing girl.  

The premise is great, the different perspectives a good way to tell the story, enough creepiness and suspense, but something was missing, and I'm at a loss to know what.  It may have been the pacing.  I felt the first half was quite slow introducing all the characters, and then it picked up, but the the end seemed rushed.

It's a good book, especially for a debut novel...I honestly don't know why it isn't great.

Secrets of a Serial Killer is a suspenseful thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what will happen next. This is a fictional book about a serial killer that goes unnoticed for years until a teenage girl goes missing and her friends and family find articles about the suspected serial killer. The story is from four character's perspectives, one is the serial killer and one is the last girl he kidnapped.

I really enjoyed how the story started out as four different stories and merged to one story during the course of the book. It is unusual to get to hear the perspective of the serial killer which I found interesting. All of the characters had very different stories. Secrets of a Serial Killer keeps you at the edge of your seat. Many chapters end with a small cliffhanger, so it is impossible to only read one chapter.

I recommend this book to anyone that likes creepy thrillers from different characters perspectives. It is also character focused which is something I enjoy in books.

Thank you Net Galley and One More Chapter for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book sounded like it was going to be right up my alley. Serial killers, an asylum, mystery, thriller. I was intrigued for the first half, then just couldn't wait to get through it. Too many intersecting plots and not done clearly, I did enjoy the serial killer "tips" passed on, the creepy asylum aspects, and the children. Other than that it was just a little too scattered for me to thoroughly enjoy.

I started off loving this but quickly got too much to handle. It felt like there were a lot of different stories and it was a little confusing.

Apart from this the book had everything you want from a book of its kind, and would recommend anyone who likes this genre to give it a go.

There is a lot going on in this book, and I felt things were brought up once and never touched on again. For instance the mom, Helen, was studying the outside of an abandoned hospital building for the insane when her dog went inside the building and found a shoe. A shoe that had a dark red stain on it. There was suspicion on the news that there was a serial killer terrorizing surrounding towns. So why would she not turn the shoe into the police if she thought the stain was blood? That's the end of the mystery shoe. There are more little parts like this that are not fully developed that bothered me.

The story does pick up when Helen's daughter Zoe disappears after a night out with friends. To the police Zoe is seen as a teenager who wants time away with her much older boyfriend. Since they are going to be no help Helen takes matters into her own hands. Little does she know she has the help of two little kids, Thomas and Maggie. While playing in the woods they stumble upon an abandoned vehicle. Thomas and Maggie have no idea what they have discovered in the woods is the serial killer's lair.

Alternating between Helen, Zoe, HIM, and Maggie and Thomas this is a pretty fast paced read. There are also anonymous entries to an online site called Urban Dark Reporter about how to get away with murder that I assumed are wrote by HIM.

For the most part I did enjoy this book, I just wanted more information and I felt the ending was rushed.

Thank you HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the advanced copy of this book.

Book Rating: 3.5

Pretty good thriller at the beginning but after a while it got quite confusing. The author did a great job at creating a spooky atmosphere with an old asylum in need of restoration, it was quite believable and well-written; I liked the background it set. But the fact that there are so many different points of views ruined it a bit for me and made it hard to follow and a bit slow. Overall though it was entertaining and pretty well-written.

Secrets of a Serial Killer is Rosie Walker’s debut thriller and boy is it a chilling and ultimately fun and endlessly entertaining read if you can suspend your disbelief. Several vicious serial killings have been occurring in the local area in and around Lancaster, one of them being seventeen year old Zoe who whilst out drinking at a bar with her boyfriend has her drink spiked and is abducted by an unknown male. Many more teenage girls start to troublingly disappear without a trace. Zoe's mother, Helen, an architect who is currently restoring the former insane asylum, Lancaster Lune Hospital, into luxurious flats having been abandoned for so long doesn't have a clue where to begin in locating her daughter. As the police fail to take the vanishing seriously Helen is left to pursue evidence by herself and she can't help but feel the hospital is somehow connected. It is known that a serial killer the police called Mr X was roaming the area for prey in the '80s and was possibly groomed by another serial killer around at the time, Leonard McVitie, to be able to kill and get away with it successfully. Can Helen discover where Zoe has been taken before it's too late?

The primary aspect that stands out about this story is the use of multiple perspectives (4 to be exact) and subplots with each intersecting in some way and this made it all the more interesting; the parts talking about the dark web were most fascinating as I am totally intrigued by it all. It is a fast-paced read and one that barely gives you a moment to breathe as there is so much happening throughout. I found it captivating, addictive once it got going and the distinct creepy, gothic atmosphere is deeply unnerving. I always enjoy the serial killer’s point of view if it is executed well and it was certainly done with aplomb here. There were chilling points in the novel and times when a reveal or twist caught me off guard. Set during a three day period this short thriller packs a powerful punch despite its length and has you feverishly flipping the pages to discover the outcome for the people involved. This is pure adrenaline pumping, tense and terrifying read and is tightly plotted and meticulously thought through by the author. Many thanks to One More Chapter for an ARC.

This was a fun read. Well written. Held my interest. Just an enjoyable read overall. Definitely would recommend this one!