“Flowers for the Dead” is a powerful novel. This serial killer thriller is breathtakingly gripping and tragically unsettling. It’s also beautifully and hauntingly written, making it an affecting must-read.

Whilst visiting a friend in a different constabulary, DS Mike Bishop observes a horrific crime scene where a young woman has been brutally murdered and had her lips removed. Adam is a shy and quiet boy, who suffers unspeakably at the hands of his mother. His only refuge is his Gran’s house, where he spends time reading fairy tales and understanding the language of flowers with her. Growing up, Adam retreats further into himself, fostering a love of taking things apart and putting them back together, plus old fashioned virtues courtesy of his Gran. However, as he enters adulthood, Adam’s pursuit of love is rooted in old fashioned, fairytale romance, but with a lack of social skills causing crippling anxiety, his grand gestures are enacted without introducing himself to the woman of his affection. As his pursuits for love become closer to stalking, the women Adam falls in love are terrorised by his actions and may just pay the ultimate price if they reject him... Laura lost her parents and younger brother four years ago and has shrunk away from life in grief. With encouragement from her Aunt, she pushes herself to start living life again. Adam spots her in the crowd during a trip to London and with her, he’s found his next obsession... Can Laura convince the police that someone is breaking into her home to leave flowers, do the laundry and make her dinner? Will Bishop connect the cases and discover Adam is a serial killer?

This is the first novel I’ve read by Barbara Copperthwaite and I was blown away - it won’t be my last! Whilst this is a thoroughly unputdownable and suspenseful thriller, there is so much more to “Flowers for the Dead” that it caught me in unexpected ways and will stay with me for a long time. This is very much Adam’s story - Adam the serial killer. To all intents and purposes, he is the villain, but Copperthwaite expertly blends repulsion and sympathy to create a complex and thought provoking character.  I haven’t read a novel that has left me so conflicted for a very long time. There are notes of Robert Bloch’s Norman Bates (although, more so the character Hitchcock brought to life in his 1960 film version of “Psycho”) in Adam - a young man who has suffered horrifically at the hands of somebody who should have loved and protected him. Adam’s childhood goes a long way to explain his psychosis and sociopathic tendencies, helping to portray him as a vulnerable and very human character, rather than a faceless monster. It generates sympathy for him and as a reader, his unsuccessful search for love is practically heartbreaking. However, just as our sympathy builds for Adam, Copperthwaite expertly thrusts us back into the depths of his depravity and reminds us just how sick he is. This ebb and flow of sympathy and disgust makes “Flowers for the Dead” completely gripping and a real page turner.

I also enjoyed the tension generated by the perils of modern day living - Copperthwaite perfectly depicts just how much of our information is available online and how dangerous this can be in the wrong hands. Everything from our Facebook statuses to the floor plans of our homes is potentially accessible and Adam’s pursuit of Laura is created with such eerie plausibility that it stands as a stark warning. Laura’s experience is truly terrifying and the atmosphere is thick with paranoia and unsettled emotions. The feeling of being unsafe in our home, plus the worry of being observed in our sleep, plays on our most fundamental fears. I couldn’t read this fast enough, because I wanted to know what happened to Laura and was on the edge of my seat as I found out.

The exploration of loss and finding your way in the aftermath is also explored through each of the characters. There is plenty of poignancy intertwined with the action and suspense, which worked really well together. All three lead characters have lost close loved ones and each has responded and set foot on the road to recovery in different ways. Whilst Adam’s path leads to destruction, there is still an element of retribution. However, for both Laura and Bishop the case is their permission to step back into life and to leave behind any guilt that they feel. Whilst the sense of loss will always remain with them, they both find that life is very much worth living and that they should enjoy every moment. This added a strong message to the narrative that isn’t always found in crime fiction and will make this a memorable read for me for a long time.

I highly recommend “Flowers for the Dead” and will be seeking out Barbara Copperthwaite’s other novels!

Hands down, this is one of the most lushly described, detailed, creepy, and hauntingly beautiful serial killer stories I have ever read. And those are words I never thought I would put together into a sentence. The author even manages to make the reader (well, at least this one!) sympathetic to the killer. Adam obviously has some deep-seated issues but tracing his journey from sweet boy on his grandmother’s knee reading fairy tales to psychopathic killer who (for all intents and purposes) stalks his victims is fascinating. I particularly liked how the author used flowers and their “language” (i.e. Wood sorrel: Maternal tenderness) as each chapter heading. I highly recommend this book. But be warned: it is not one that you can just rush through. You are going to want to savor it, as odd as that sounds. For a full review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital copy of the book.

If you’ve ever read a Barbara Copperthwaite book before then you’ll know how they tend to get under your skin, well be warned because this one will not only get under your skin but it will stay there for a long time after. It’s a cracker. If you’ve not read one before then go buy this, you won’t be disappointed.

Ive never read a book like this before, it’s chilling and actually quite terrifying but never in my wildest dreams would I ever have thought that I would feel a little bit sorry for a serial killer. I know you are probably rolling your eyes and thinking what the …. but when you read this book you will understand. Adam is quite terrifying but throughout the story we’re taken back in time and we find out why maybe Adam is the way he is.

I really don’t want to go into the plot and spoil the story for you, this is one you need to just get stuck into but I will say that it gave me the creeps. You know when you get the shiver, the someone’s walking over your grave shiver? Well that happened on more than one occasion for me, I had actual goose bumps.

Flowers for the Dead is quite a disturbing story but it had me totally engrossed, if I could have covered my eyes while reading I think I probably would have. I liked how we got Adams point of view, it’s not often you get the serial killers thinking and it’s broken up nicely with Laura and Mikes story as well as going back in time to Adams upbringing.

If you’re looking for a story that will grip you from beginning to end then Flowers for the Dead is the one. The tension builds throughout, its edge of your seat, breath holding stuff until the emotional climax. Definitely one I will be highly recommending.

I’m sorry that this one wasn’t for me. Thank you for the opportunity to take part in the tour with content instead.

Flowers For The Dead by Barbara Copperthwaite is a Psychogical thriller that had me on pins while reading it. A gripping story that allows us into both the victims lives and the killers too. Laura is a sole survivor of a crash in which her family died and Adam is the only child of a terrifingly abusive mother and a father who wasn't even bothered.Luckily for Adam his gran loved him and read him fairy tales and even taught him the language of flowers.
He sets his sights on Laura, after he has experienced a few lost loves. He does all he can to prove to her he is 'The One'. Makes sure her house is clean, fills the fridge and even puts money in her purse. Laura has no clue he even exists and starts to think she is going mad when she notices anything Adam has done. She rings the police and they just don't take it as a serious issue. How can they? Her flat hasn't been broken in for anyone to gain entry?!
A sometimes dark, disturbing and gruesome story in some ways. Adam is as sick and twisted as we could find for a serial killer and   the story does slip back and forth to show us how is life has been and even though it was not normal, I still can't really get my mind round JUST how sick and twistes he actually ends up! Laura is a woman just dealing with grief and attempting to find her way through the fog. Then she is faced with all that Adam does, without her knowledge, the poor woman. The emotions she felt poured off the page, the disbelief, the shock and that awful feeling of feeling like you are being stalked and then the terror, I felt every single one. 
Flowers For The Dead is an intense, creepy and interesting read too.Towards the end I had my heart in my mouth as the pace picked up. A proper edge of my seat moment.
Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the copy of the book for todays blog tour.

OMG what a book! 

It broke my heart and horrified me. My feelings have never been so conflicted. I really was not expecting that.

The story is told from 3 different people's perspective who each have their own tragedies to bear.

I was utterly hooked and flew through the chapters. The plot was dark, twisted and very, very chilling.

This is the first book I've read from this author but it certainly won't be the last.

Just brilliant!

In Flowers for the Dead, Laura Weir is struggling to cope after a devastating car crash that killed her family. Adam Bourne is besotted with Laura even though he has never met her, buying her flowers, and cooking for her, but he doesn't know that she is watching him, too...

Written with finesse and flair, Barbara Copperthwaite stunned me with this classy psychological thriller. The plot execution was tip-top, as was the characterisation, and pacing. There were no disappointments and I was completely gripped from the first chapter, loving the shock factor and twists.

Told in alternating chapters, the reader learned of Adam's childhood as the story moved from the past, to the present, and back again. Adam was such a curious character; somebody with whom I found myself empathising at regular intervals despite the fact that that he was a serial killer. He was the highlight of the novel for me, although Barbara Copperthwaite's portrayal of the vulnerable and terrified, yet strong willed Laura was pretty good, too.

As occurrences manifested, the author certainly kept me on my toes in this immensely creepy and intense read, and towards the end, the story really picked up pace. Flowers for the Dead was everything I wanted in what was a gritty, tip-top psychological thriller, and I enjoyed how things played out in the dramatic and unexpected finale. This was my first read by Barbara Copperthwaite and it won't be my last.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Barbara Copperthwaite's chilling thriller FLOWERS FOR THE DEAD.

I first read FLOWERS FOR THE DEAD two years ago and I loved it then. When the new and re-edited edition came up I knew I just had to rad it again. It is the first book I've read by this author (I still haven't read any others yet) and it won't be my last. It's different, it's dark, very twisted, and in some ways quite sad.

Very early on in the book we are introduced to a very young Adam Bourne, beginning in his early childhood some 27 years prior and - in alternating chapters - slowly working up to the present tense where he has become a serial killer. We learn of his horrific childhood at the hands of his mother who sexually abused him, his absent father - both emotionally and often physically - and the constant putdowns from his mother that he is nothing, "a dirty boy". The only person who loved and cared for him was his grandmother Ada, who lived 3 hours away in Birmingham. Ada taught Adam about Floriography - the language of flowers - and together they formed a secret language between them as Adam shared how he was feeling and Ada returned by sending him encouragement - in the form of pressed flowers. He learnt to appreciate every flower and its meaning. It was where he bloomed (sorry, pun intended).

So Adam becomes a hunter, choosing his victims so carefully in the search for true love. He stalks them, watches them, breaking into their homes to watch them as they sleep - comparing the act to that of the more romantic notion of Edward Cullen watching over the sleeping Bella in "Twilight". He sends them flowers, with each one sending a special message that ironically only he can understand - and yet he fails to see that. In his mind, they know he is sending them, that he is watching them, looking after them and protecting them. He even breaks in to make them a freshly cooked meal for when they return from work. He is scarily perverse and somewhat disturbing.

When Adam sees Laura at Covent Garden, he knows she is is the one. In her he believes he has found his soul mate, his one true love - and he sets about the task of "taking care" of her.

Laura is a vulnerable young woman after losing her entire family - mother, father and brother - in a tragic car accident on Guy Fawkes night four years before. Blaming herself entirely as they would not have been there had it not been for her wish to see the fireworks, she is the perfect "victim" for Adam, who sees her as a kindred spirit needing rescuing from her obvious despair. Through Laura's eyes we can feel her terror as she notices things beginning to happen - dishes being done, fridge being restocked, food being bought, money left in her purse, flowers being left - and while at first dismissing them as her unconsciously doing them, she soon realises that there is something more creepy going on. She tries to take her concerns to the local police who simply dismiss her as a bit of a "head case". The stalking makes for an uncomfortable read at times, particularly the things Laura isn't even aware of - like the cameras in her house, spyware on her phone - it is seriously creepy. It is easy to see how such behaviour can escalate, terrifying their victims until they feel completely helpless with nowhere to go and no one to believe them.

Ironically though, Adam doesn't want to scare Laura - or any of his victims. It's the last thing he wants. In his twisted mind, he is trying to look after them, care for them and do all the things a loving boyfriend would do. After all, his gran always told him a woman likes a gentleman who can take care of her and is the strong one to protect her. It is so sad to see that Adam's only reference for love he can call upon is those conversations with his gran and the things she taught him. But sadly, her world was a different one to the one Adam is now an adult in, and times have changed. But even so, Adam's view of love is entwined with aspects of the abuse he received from his mother, resulting in a twisted perspective he genuinely feels is right.

Adam is such a complicated character that I felt such sadness for him and at other times I loathed what he had become. However, having formed no proper attachment in his early years and his only experience with sex was both disgusting and frightening, is it any wonder he grew up into a sick and twisted sociopath? In his mind, his love for these women was such that he was showering them with gifts and love and was looking after them as any man should. He believes he is a saviour.

We also meet Mike Bishop, a detective sergeant with the Colchester Constabulary in Essex, dealing with his own grief of losing his wife to an aneurysm and now having to raise his 7 year old daughter on his own. His friend DCI Simon Phillips has been trying to tempt him to transfer to Reading for a fresh start and whilst visiting, he is drawn into the murder of Julie Clayton found with her lips cut off and surrounded by flowers. Back home in Essex he can't get the image out of his mind and searches for other unsolved murders with the same signature.

When I first read this book two years ago I gave it 5 stars then. And if I could give it more, I would. It is compelling, it is chilling and it is creepy. Told in such a different vein to any other thriller I have come across, FLOWERS FOR THE DEAD gives you a perspective you would never think to consider. The killer's. His backstory, his sad childhood, his pain, his loneliness, his desperation to be loved, his warped sense of love are all on display for the reader to devour. And it gives you pause to consider his role in the bigger picture. I don't know about you, but quite often I found myself silently rooting for Adam that he would evade capture...that is, until Laura. Because we are privy to her world and her pain also. But FLOWERS FOR THE DEAD is a book that is so complex it has you conflicted about how you want it to end.

Told in three separate 'points of view' - Adam's, Laura's and DS Mike Bishop - FLOWERS FOR THE DEAD is an utterly compelling read that will keep you up long into the night.

Perfectly horrific and twisted, if you are a fan of tense, creepy psychological thrillers then this book is a must!

Another solid 5 stars - and counting the first 5 I gave it two years ago, does that now make it 10 stars??

I would like to thank #BarbaraCopperthwaite, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #FlowersForTheDead in exchange for an honest review.

I've read and enjoyed various of Barbara Copperthwaite's psychological thrillers in the past, but somehow this earlier title had slipped between the cracks of mount TBR until now. Thanks to Bookouture republishing Flowers For The Dead and putting it on my radar again, I've now finally had the chance to meet Adam! And boy, he must be one of the most interesting serial killers I've gotten the chance to meet to this date, and probably the first that won over my heart and I felt really sorry for. Wait, feeling sorry for a serial killer?! Trust me, once you read Flowers For The Dead and get to know Adam, you will know exactly what I'm talking about.

Flowers For The Dead uses a multiple POV structure, although the two main POVs can be seen as Adam and Laura. Detective Sergeant Michael Bishop plays a smaller, but still important role too, but his perspective isn't as developed and pales next to the other two. Adam's POV is further divided into the present and flashbacks to his past and childhood where we get to know him better and the flashbacks also help to understand how he became the person he is today. Reading about his childhood is both shocking and heartbreaking; like I said before, this might just be the very first time my heart went out to a serial killer character. Laura's POV is an interesting contrast to Adam, and we also get some glimpses to the past as she relives the car crash that killed the rest of her family. The main focus is on the present though, with what is happening to her. It was fascinating to see the two POVs collide and complement each other; slowly working toward that big finale.

This story incorporates quite a few difficult topics, including (child)abuse, stalking, grief, mental health issues and of course the crimes themselves. Each element is well incorporated into the plot, and plays its role perfectly. An element that also really stands out in Flowers For The Dead is the use of flowers as symbols and messages. I really liked how it was incorporated into the plot throughout and not only had a special meaning for the main character, but also had a mention at the start of each chapter. This element really made this story stand out for me.

The writing itself is engaging, and makes it really hard to stop reading before you reach that final page. In combination with the building suspense and escalation of events, you will have a hard time letting go of this story! And I most definitely didn't see those final developments coming. Flowers For The Dead is an excellent serial killer thriller where the focus is on the serial killer and the victim rather than the detective angle for once. Perfect for fans of darker thrillers with an excellent character development!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

The story centres around Adam Bourne, who is deeply disturbed, and had an horrific upbringing, and Laura Weir, who has a tragic past. Laura knows something strange is going on, when her ironing is done for her, her shopping completed and put away, a meal waiting for her after work, and flowers turning up every Saturday. But Laura lives alone, and doesn’t have a boyfriend. So, who is doing these strange things?
The story is set in two different time periods - Adam growing up and Adam in his current state of mind. We also read from the perspective of Detective Mike Bishop, who has suffered his own tragic circumstances.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. The story weaves together nicely, I really enjoyed the character of Mike Bishop, if only all police officers were as genuine and dedicated as him. Adam was an awful character, but that made the story more genuine and believable. The descriptives used to describe Adam’s alter ego were gruesome but also completely perfect for the plot line. I would recommend this book.

This is a very dark and at times disturbing story about three characters who had each suffered their own personal tragedies in their pasts and who's paths were destined to collide in the breath taking conclusion of a terrifying game of cat and mouse.Although other characters were given a opportunity to voice their thoughts,the main narrators were Laura (The Victim) Adam (The Stalker) and Mike (The Detective) I really liked Laura and how her character grew in strength as the story unfolded and Adam's campaign of terror intensified and her pleas for help were ridiculed and dismissed by this police. This is unfortunately reflective of real life stalking cases where a victim has been seriously injured or murdered by their stalker after the victims pleas for help had been ignored. We are now living in the 21st century and like to believe that we are living in enlightened times but unfortunately the truth is that there are still people who live by outdated laws and attitudes. Well, Laura wasn't just going to have a break down and be a victim, she was determined to turn the tables on her stalker and beat him at his own game something which as you can imagine was not what Adam was expecting to happen. Adam had some serious mental health issues and his thoughts on love and women were rather skewed and that's putting it mildly. It wasn't difficult to understand why he thought the way he did when you took into consideration his shocking upbringing which was revealed in segments that were set in the past. Adam's past was heart breaking and very difficult to read at times but the scenes when he was with his gran and she read to him and taught him about flowers were heart warming. Young Adam's story really pulled at the reader's heart strings and caused you to feel so much sympathy for the poor boy. But as he got older, the reader faced a moral dilemma, was it fair to judge Adam's thoughts, behaviour and actions when he was obviously a very disturbed man? Yes, his actions were shocking and twisted but was it wrong if the reader felt a tiny little bit of sympathy for a lonely man who only wanted to be loved? I think the author's portrayal of Adam had a equal balance between his human side and his disturbed side and left the reader to make up their own mind about how they felt about him. My favourite character was Detective Sergeant Michael Bishop, a big cuddly bear of a character who wore a slightly lived in mac because his work nickname was Columbo. He might have looked crumpled and symbolic but just like Peter Falk's beloved detective,he used his appearance to his advantage. He was a wonderful character and I loved the interactions between him and his friend Detective Chief Inspector Simon Phillips.

As with all of Barbara Copperthwaites thrillers this is a very well written, intense, dark, chilling and thought provoking read. The story was quite disturbing at times and the plot covered some hard hitting but realistic issues and I think that it would raise some interesting and controversial discussions if it was read by a book group.

Flowers for the Dead 
I found this to be an unusual plot. It doesn’t follow the traditional layout of a serial Killer thriller.  The serial killer takes the lead and the detectives are almost an afterthought. Of course the killer is creepy and disturbing but I found the plot a little repetitive and slow. Great concept just needs a bit more suspense.

Oh my goodness, this is one twisted read and I loved every second of it! Never has a book gotten under my skin quite like Flowers For The Dead has and it will be one book that will stay with me for a long time to come…in my nightmares! It is a terrifying story, but one that I can’t recommend highly enough!

Barbara Copperthwaite takes stalking to a whole new level with this story and it is not for the faint hearted. There were many times I had to put it down to get my heart rate back to normal and catch my breath. Every sound that my house made, had me jumping out of my skin and once when reading it in the middle of the night and my fur baby starting barking…I nearly you know what myself!!

If you are a fan of the TV show Friends and remember the episode when Joey was reading The Shining and when it became too much he would put the book in the freezer, this is what happened to me! Ok, well not exactly, as I read this on my Kindle and couldn’t put that in the freezer, so put it in a drawer instead, but if you have seen this, you get the gist of what I’m saying!

As a serial killer, Adam Bourne gives the likes of Ted Bundy a run for their money. He just chilled me to the bone. He has been perfectly created in this role as a monster, but on the flip side, did have me feeling sympathy for him which I struggled with. I mean how could I have these feelings after what he does, but as we are taken back into his past and learn all that he has been through, you can’t help but feel some empathy towards him.

Barbara Copperthwaite has really outdone herself with this book. I have read other books from her, but this one is on another level and just draws you in like no other. It is compelling, gripping, intense and at times so uncomfortable, but you just can’t tear yourself away from it! It is a real page turner in every sense of the word and if I could just give you one piece of advice… read it in the daytime!

Thank you to Barbara Copperthwaite, Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of Flowers For The Dead, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Oh wow, what an amazing read!

It has been quite a while since a book has kept me up late into the night. Flowers for the Dead did not let me sleep last night. It got under my skin and held me captive to the last page.

Adam lives in his mind where he constantly falls in love with women who don’t even know that he exists. Worse still, he goes ahead and starts dating them. Yeah, the women are still oblivious of this ‘boyfriend’.  His latest obsession is Laura, a young woman lost in grief after having lost her whole family. Adam sets his eyes on her convinced that she is ‘The One’. The events that follow almost had me sleeping with the nights on.

This story was super addictive. It had multiple narrators but still maintained an easy flow so I never got lost. I also like the fact that all the narrations were equally enthralling. Adam’s dark mind is a scary, twisted place to be. However, I was fascinated and repulsed in equal measure by him. The different timelines were also so cleverly brought together in an explosive, jaw -dropping ending.

What a creepy, dark, cracking read! Well-written, stellar character development, descriptive, everything worked out great in this one. I absolutely loved this book. I am also impressed by the amount of research on flowers and their meanings. I will never look at flowers the way same again. Next time I receive flowers, I’ll wonder what they mean.

I highly recommend this book to fans of serial killer /dark thrillers!

This was an enjoyable read and I liked the characters.  Laura is being stalked and no one takes her seriously.  Mike is the police officer who is trying to get over the death of his wife.
This was written from the POV of Laura, Mike and Laura’s stalker, Adam.  Adam’s story is told in present day and the past to explain how he has become who he is which was the best part of the book.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#FlowersfortheDead #NetGalley

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

All Adam Bourne wants to do is to find love and he is prepared to do anything to find it. He has endured a childhood of abuse from his mother.  The only person who showed him love was his grandma. She taught him all about flowers and read fairytales to him. We follow Adam as he searches for unhappy women, all he wants to do is make them happy. 

The story is told in the past and present day format. Each chapter is named after a flower and its meaning. This is a disturbing but cleverly crafted story. I actually felt sorry for Adam and the way he had been treated whilst growing up. There are some great characters in this creepy read. The symbolic connection with the flowers was cleverly done. Its told from the perpetrators (Adam) perspective which is quite unusual. Getting into the mind of a serial killer was fascinating. I was on tender hooks all the way through this tense psychological thriller. 

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #Bookouture and the author #BarbaraCopperthwaite for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Laura lost her family in a tragic accident and is still engulfed in grief. Adam is drawn to Laura when he first sees her and he knows that Laura is the one for him. Laura doesn't know Adam, in fact they have never met, but that won't stop him being the perfect boyfriend. 

The synopsis to this book looked intriguing but I found it quite heavy going to read. The story line moves slowly and none of the characters held any appeal. Judging by other reviews though, I am in the minority as many people seemed to enjoy it. 

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Bookouture, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

This is a gripping crime thriller that well and truly had me hooked right from the beginning. 
We learn about Adam’s childhood from some flashback chapters and whilst his gran cared for him, his mother damaged him and his father wasn’t really there much. 
It’s interesting how the experiences he has change him gradually from a sensitive boy into a killer. 
Adam targets women who he sees out alone and the starts to follow them and let himself into their homes. 
He sends them flowers and leaves other presents for them before showing his love by killing them. 
Flowers play a big part in his life so he honours the women by leaving flowers next to them after he’s killed them. 
Laura knows something is not right as she’s been receiving flowers and food is being left in her fridge with no explanation. She even came home to a cooked meal laid out on the table for her. 
She goes to the Police but at first they laugh it off and don’t take it seriously but Laura is determined to make them listen. After the final straw of the camera she installs to catch the stalker is stolen, she asks for someone senior and won’t take no for an answer. 
There are other women that Adam has killed and Mike pieces it all together and realises that Laura is in danger. 
This book has a nail biting conclusion that I got totally drawn into and I’m not sure I took a breath throughout it!
This is a great crime thriller that I can highly recommend. 
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

A serial killer love story?

So many mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, Copperthwaite is really talented. She does a good job getting into the heads of her characters and building suspense, and her dialogue is tight.

But at its core, this book just didn’t work for me, largely because of its theme and tone. Adam is a serial killer who is in love with his victims and thinks he’s taking care of them when he kills them. Nothing new in this theme...right down to his evil mother, it’s all stuff I’ve read before, and enjoyed on some occasions. The difference here is that everything from Adam’s perspective is written like a romance novel. I understand that’s how he thinks of his victims but the tone of the book, to me, really sought to make you “understand” his perspective as this lovelorn, misunderstood serial killer with the terrible mother and sexual dysfunctions. This was not a character I particularly wanted to empathize with or emote with and there was not too much psychologically interesting about this or him. As the book got closer to the end, we saw more of the victim perspective, but I’d already had too much creepy incel romanticization by that point. I was mostly sticking around to see him hopefully get knocked off by his victim but has developed a lot of frustration with the perspective on him by that point. (And ultimately didn’t find the ending all that satisfying.)

I much prefer books with tone and themes like Catherine Ryan Howard’s Nothing Man to this one. In that book, Howard makes the point about how much our society romanticizes male serial killers when in actuality they are pretty weak, damaged individuals who are primarily seeking power in their own sad lives.  

Don’t get me wrong, I think the theme the author used here can work, but it needed a different tone. In this instance I felt the writer was a little too into the romantic perspective of the lonely serial killer who just wanted to be loved, and that turned me way off.

Four stars for the writing quality, two stars for the theme and tone, so three stars overall from me.

Thanks very much to Bookouture and NetGalley for the advance copy.

There are clearly influences here from some of the great gothic romance writers of the past: Daphne du Maurier and Victoria Holt to name but two. I also felt the ghost of the late, great Ruth Rendell (particularly when she was wearing her Barbara Vine disguise) reading alongside me. Barbara Copperthwaite combines the talent of all the above into her own stylish skill.
As the story in the present day progresses, so we are given glimpses of the story in the past unfolding. Adam could be quite a catch but sadly he is a sociopath, combining a love of flowers with a skill for human mutilation. He could be one of Patricia Highsmith's deliciously evil anti-heroes. 
Dark, dramatic, incredible and utterly believable. I loved it.