The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard
Thanks @netgalley @cathryanhoward and @atlanticbooks for my arc
Publication date 20th August 2020
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Another incredible story from one of my favourite authors. As always this book is intense and suspenseful and very unique in the way it is written. I literally couldn’t put it down and at times I was terrified reading at night. The book alternates between past and present and we also hear the killer’s side of the story which is fascinating, frightening and insightful. Fantastic story. Highly recommended xxx

This is a slow burner. Written from the point of view of Jim, it tellsthe story of the family of Eve being killed 18 years earlier. She is now grown up and has written a book about being the surviver of this tragedy .
Jim seems to think he is invincible, he is now working as a security man in a shopping centre and is destainful about practically everyone he is involved with. The reader knows from early on in the book that he is the killer, the book is more about him believing that he will never be found out and thinking that he has the upper hand in the situation.
The story built up slowly and cuminated in a believable and suspensful situation towards the end though I found the slow build up too drawn out at times.
I did not feel any sympathy for any of the characters, may be because these were portrayed from Jim's point of view (and he is not a nice man) . I am not sure whether it was intentional, but my copy had a lot of blankpages which were presumably from the book written by Eve. I found this distracting and it didn't add anything to the story as far as I was concerned . Particularly irritating at the end because I`ve finished the book thinking that there is more to the story ?!
I did like the writing style and would read more by this author,


Thanks to Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for a free copy of this book

Eve Black is a survivor. As a young girl she hid in the bathroom as her family were murdered by a killer known as "The Nothing Man". Almost 20 years later she has written a book about this man who carried out a series of home invasions, rapes and murders in Ireland's County Cork.
After the deaths of her mother, father and 7 year old sister Anna, Eve was taken by her grandmother to live in an isolated cottage on the West Coast of Ireland. She never used her real name and was safe from danger - until now.
With the publication of her book, Eve has become "The Girl Who" survived the killing spree of "The Nothing Man" and her parents' killer is reading it. He is Jim Doyle, a 63 year old security guard working in a shopping mall Doyle is married with a teenage daughter.
Eve's book not only includes details of her family's ordeal but those of the other victims. As the plot unfolds, the chapters move back and forth from Eve's story to the thoughts of Jim Doyle and his reasons for carrying out those shocking crimes.
Unlike many fictional and true crime stories of serial killers, Eve Black's book concentrates on the victims, telling their stories as well as detailing The Nothing Man's crimes. At times, I was reminded of the late Michelle McNamara's book "I'll Be Gone In The Dark" which documented her all-consuming search for the identity of the Golden State Killer.
As Jim Doyle reads Eve's book, he realises that she's getting dangerously close to discovering his identity. His only option is to stop her before she reveals the truth.

My thanks to the publisher Atlantic Books and to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.

I am devastated that I will never have the experience of reading this book for the first time again.

I’ve been completely torn between wanting to know how this one ends and wanting to relish the moments of enjoyment that this book has brought.

This is a book which I have devoured in just one sitting, I cannot wait this to be published to recommend to everyone.

This is a superb read with a fantastic plot.

When she was twelve years old Eve was the only survivor on a man breaking into her house and killing her mother, father and younger sister. This man was never caught.
Years later Eve writes a book about her experience stating that she will never stop looking for the man who killed her family.
A thriller that kept me entertained and had some memorable characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atlantic Books for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

You know that feeling when you are enjoying a book so much that you are torn between desperation to know how it ends but slowing down in order to relish the last few precious minutes?? That is this book. One mind numbingly dull day store department security guard Jim Doyle is rocked to his core. What has led to such a reaction? A newly published book by Eve Black displayed in the shop seems to be the root cause. Eve is the sole survivor of the last murderous action of a rapist killer who has not struck for eighteen years and who has never been caught. He has been dubbed The Nothing Man for a number of reasons and this is also Eve’s book’s title. She is now 30 and the idea behind writing the book is to try to move on from the stultifying effects of the murder of her family but also to try to draw out the killer and bring him to justice. The story is told in alternate storylines by Jim and extracts from Eve’s book.

This is such a powerful book. What emerges of the killers modus operandi is breathtakingly audacious, sick, vicious and at time so creepy it makes the hairs on the back of your head stand up. It’s riveting reading, very twisty and full of tension. By contrast, there are sections of Eve’s story and other victims memories that are sad and poignant and you appreciate how many lives have been destroyed and it makes you want to remember them and not him. As the story develops you realise how the killer gets away with it for so long and that’s partly because he’s so bland and beige you might not notice him. He’s remarkable because he’s unremarkable, he’s boring, not well liked, not very good at his job and so therefore he’s nothing. The ending is really powerful and I had to remind myself to breathe! There’s a kind of symmetry to the ending too which I think is really good.

Overall, I think this is an outstanding book which I fully expect to see listed in my top reads of 2020. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and particular thanks to Atlantic Books for the ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc. I loved Rewind, a gripping, pacy read, so was excited to read Howard’s latest.
This opens from the POV of Jim Doyle, a security guard working in a shopping centre in his 60s. One morning he spots a shelf full of a newly released true crime book called The Nothing Man. This book is written by Eve Black, whose family were killed by the serial killer The Nothing Man. She’s the sole survivor and is telling her story hoping that her book will lead to the truth: the identity of the killer. Unknown to everyone but Jim is the Nothing Man and as he reads the book he realises he has no choice but to stop before she discovers the truth.
Most of the book has the reader reading the book-within-the-book (one of my favourite thriller trophe) alongside with Jim. The book within traces the story of the Nothing Man by focusing on the victims in a chronological order before catching up to Eve’s narrative. If you’ve read I’ll be Gone in the Dark you’ll realise Howard has been inspired by that case, nonetheless The Nothing Man makes for a gripping read shining the light on the victims’ stories and the ending puts a different spin on the true story. I highly enjoyed this one. Jim Doyle is an unlikeable figure yet still the story is compelling I couldn’t stop turning the pages and I loved the Irish setting of this. What I absolutely loved was how the victims’ backstories were fleshed and in a brilliant scene a lecturer of psychology makes a point that people remember the names of heinous serial killers but forget the names of victims. Here Howard reverses that, and this makes for an emotionally resonant read. It’s 5/5 from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Exellent, gripping read, brillilantly combining the current fascination with true crime with a well written and pacy thriller. Highly recommended. Love the Cork setting too!

‘The Nothing Man’ is certainly set to be one of the best reads of 2020, it’s phenomenal. With an interesting plot and an intriguing writing style I absolutely adored this book. I am now quickly adding all the other novels by Catherine to my ‘To Read’ list.
I was hooked from the moment I started ‘The Nothing Man’ and struggled to put it down until I’d finished. Written from two points of view, one of ‘The Nothing Man’ and the other via the writings of one of his survivors, something I’ve never come across before and absolutely loved. I cannot recommend enough!

** spoiler alert ** This weaves a nice path between dull,and disturbing.
Dull,because that's what Jims life is like now. He's bored. He doesn't like his wife,his job,his life...
Disturbing,because there are some scenes,mainly of the plotting,that actually made me want to double check my doors were locked and look under my bed.

I enjoyed the format of current timeline,and the past coming from the book.
I wondered at how easily fooled Jim actually was.

Solid page turner.

While it's only a few months into the year, I can easily say this is one of my favourite books of 2020.

I'm an avid fan of thrillers and mysteries, and I can honestly say that The Nothing Man is one of my favourite ones ever.

It focuses on Eve Black, who has written a true crime memoir about her search to uncover the identity of The Nothing Man, who brutally murdered her family 20 years ago.

More of a whydunnit than a whodunnit, the book tells you who the killer is - or at least, was: Jim Doyle, now a supermarket security guard. He picks her book up one day and, the more he starts to read, the more he realises that Eve is close to finding out the truth of that night - and he's got to stop her.

The Nothing Man is the kind of book that will draw readers in from the very first words, and keep them on the edge of their seat throughout.

Primarily set in Cork,, the book is told largely from two perspectives - Jim's point of view and the pages of Eve''s book. - and there's a cat-and-mouse dynamic throughout, although it's not always clear which one of them falls into which category.

Through Eve's chapters, the reader gets her backstory - from the night her family was killed through every step of the next 20 years, including her mission to find out the identity of The Nothing Man. But as she explores The Nothing Man's crimes, each one of his victims are also given a voice - which, in turn, adds a terrifying layer to Jim's characterisation.

And while Jim's chapters give a lot more insight into the 'why' he committed the brutal crimes back then, it also introduces the reader to his family now - and gives the sense that there's more to the members of the Doyle household than meets the eye.

All in all, it's definitely a book to add to the 'must read' pile this summer - especially for fans of the genre.