The Echo Man by Sam Holland
Rating 4.8/5
Wow, what a rollercoaster of a plot and the characters just leap from the book. Definitely not for the faint hearted but if you are in the mood for a riveting, horrific, unbelievably chilling read, this is for you.
DI Cara Elliot is investigating a double murder then her word turns upside down, there is a serial killer loose. The body count starts to add up.
A fire breaks out in the home of Jess Ambrose, she escapes with her daughter but her husband dies. In hospital she is interviewed by a policeman, Noah Griffin. It turns out Griffin has been suspended but it is him who Jess turns to.
Is her husband’s death a murder?
Cara Elliot needs her brother Griffin onboard to help stop this serial killer who is copying historical serial killers before more lives are taken.
The characters are well developed throughout the novel with many unexpected and revealing facets. Damaged goods.
The Echo Man is a debut novel and Sam Holland is going to be listed with the top novelists. Highly recommended.
My sincere thanks to Sam Holland, HarperCollins and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this novel. In return I have given an unbiased and honest review.

Received ARC from Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for honest read and review.
This was an interesting premise and sounded great from the blurb.It did not disappoint.
Thoroughly enjoyable read and had me hooked from the beginning.
The main characters brother and sister were brilliant and I loved the interaction between them throughout the story. This was a great crime thriller and it had a very good serial killer ,who was penned the Echo Man as he likes to emulate past famous killers.
This was a fantastic story,quite gruesome in bits,but very well done and I am so glad of the chance to read this. The other main POV in this was Jess who seems to have had a torrid time in the past, but managed to with the help of Griffin to solve this mystery.
A thrilling book that had me hooked from first page and would definitely recommend.

Oh my goodness. I thought I was pretty hardened to the whole serial killer genre but this one almost made my toes curl.
It is undoubtedly brutal to the point of being a bit sick but strangely none of it was gratuitous and only added to the tension throughout.
The characters were solid and I really liked the SIO whilst somehow managing to understand her maverick brother enough to cheer him on.
The killer wasn't who I suspected which is also always a bonus.
I gather this is a debut novel so warmest congratulations go out to the author for such an excellent piece of work.

Quite simply astonishing, one of the best novels I’ve ever read. Taking the serial killer genre to a new level. The complexity of the plot adds to the tension which builds to a brilliant finish.
Cracking debut!

Brilliant book! Definitely a page turner, keeping me gripped to the end.
The characters are well developed and you can believe in their various relationships, which is key to this. It is not just a formulaic detective novel but a very intriguing story with a marvellous twist at the end.
In my mind, this book is up there with the best Alex Cross stories with its cleverly woven action.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.

First of all a huge thankyou to Harper Collins for the chance to read and review this fabulous novel. I could not put this book down even though the graphic explanations of the crimes sickened me I wanted to carry in reading to find out what happened next. From early on I actually guessed who the killer was but then kept convincing myself it was someone else. I have no idea how the author got inspiration and thought processes for the novel but OMG I hope they write more. This has to be one of the best books that I have read this year and I hope we see more of DCI Cara Elliott, Griffin and Jess 😊

Wow! What a ride. I struggled to put this book down, even at 2am! This is a perfect example of this genre and a great debut novel. I thought I had the ending sussed out but was completely wrong as another twist was thrown my way. The characters were well rounded and believable and the plot was exciting and fast paced. 5 stars from me!

Bone-chilling and fast-paced, the Echo Man will scare the pants off you. A copy-cat serial killer is on the loose and as the victims pile up, the police are in a race against time to find & stop the killer.

This is a great debut in the crime thriller genre and I'm really looking forward to reading more by the author. A novel premise and well developed characters with a couple of solid anti-heroes make this a page-turner that will keep you gripped well into the night.

This is a read that gets better with every chapter and brings readers to an astonishing conclusion. DCI Cara Elliott has a brother Griffin also in the police but he is on suspension. He has always had mental issues made worse by the murder of his wife. It turns out that her murder may be part of a much wider series of killings. One of the young detectives, Shelton, is an expert on serial killings and comes up with the theory that local deaths are part of a much wider campaign in which the perpetrator is copying historic serial killers. That makes the investigation much wider than guessed. There are many damaged but credible characters in the book all of whom make the ending harder to guess. Jessica Ambrose is an early suspect who remains a constant throughout the story. This is a very clever concept for a murder mystery and very well written. It would make an absorbing television series! I strongly recommend it.

Fabulous!!
This really lives up to the hype of ‘keeps you guessing’! I thought I knew the murderer several time and was wrong up to the last page! Plus a real cliff-hanger ending. Will there be a follow-up. I’ll be looking out for more by Sam.

A stunning horror tale of the hunt for a serial killer mimicking previous mass murders.. Nearly every character from the woman who feels no pain to the SIO and her brother also a detective is damaged by the gruesome events. The body count rises inexorably and the reader is spared very little detail in this haunting tale of violent death and mayhem until the shattering revelations at the end but the door has perhaps been left slightly ajar for a further episode!

So very dark and graphic, It captures you from the first page to the last! You are enticed with many thoughts only to find yet again that you are wrong. I couldn't put it down until the very end.

What a ride that started right at the beginning. The book has a really unusual plot with more twists than any other that I have ever read I just could not put it down. I do have to say that the descriptions throughout are very graphic but it adds so well to the deviousness of the murders. A new author and one that I cannot wait to see what follows and this ends ready for an equally horrific gripping sequel
They say the best writing comes from the writers own experience and Sam Holland must have done lots of research into his work.
This is the most amazing but disturbing book that I have read for eons and all I can say again is keep them coming. I always thought that James Patterson was the creepiest thriller writer and this book surpasses anything that he has written. We have a new top author of thriller to take on the world.
I don’t think that I will get this book the characters and the descriptions out of my mind for a long while.
All I can say to anyone is buy the book and settle down for a thoroughly disturbing fantastic read with this unputdownable book.

Sam Holland creates a world that drags you in and spits you out and makes you wonder why you didn’t see that coming, in this psychological thriller.
For those who have a fascination with serial killers, this book not only ticks those boxes but is so much more.
The depth and strength of these characters leaves you championing them to solve the murders, you feel their struggles, their angst and their pain. There are clues and exceptional writing where you think you have cracked the case and yet will you?

I hate to compare to other authors but if you like Chris Carter you will love this book.
I love that I have found a new author who I will definitely follow with much interest in the future.
5 very easy page turning stars.

When you're reading a thriller by a new author you wonder whether you're going to have a rehash of things that have come before or something unique. This is the latter: a taut, chilling thriller that kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat. Coincidentally enough, considering this is a fresh voice in crime fiction, the killer in this thriller (wordplay extraordinaire there) is one who replicates other killers. The killings are intense in their description, the following of police procedures well written and, finally, the characters themselves - complex and nuanced. All in all, a fresh take on a well seasoned genre from an exciting new author.

I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for an advance copy of The Echo Man, a debut thriller set in an unnamed English location.

Jess Ambrose runs from the police when she becomes the prime suspect after her house is burned down and her husband dies. She runs to suspended police officer DS Nate Griffin, who suspects that the house fire is part of a countrywide series of murders. It doesn’t take them long to realise that the killer is echoing the methods of other notorious serial killers, hence the name Echo Killer, and that he is ramping up.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Echo Man which is a dark, violent and utterly compelling read. I was glued to the pages and read it in one sitting and that alone makes it worth 5*, because I currently have concentration problems and this is unprecedented in my troubled times.

The novel spends time at the beginning introducing the characters and setting the scene, so the reader gets to know the detectives, Jessica, Griffin and the Echo Man. This latter is mostly seen through reports from his childhood and the odd description of his thoughts and actions. It is a good approach as his voice is not pervasive and the full horror of his actions is seen through the reactions of the detectives. Somehow this has a greater impact than seeing it through his eyes.

The novel mainly follows the investigative team, led by DCI Cara Griffin, in full reactive mode. There are a lot of bodies so they barely have time to investigate each crime before being called to another scene. This nonstop action keeps the reader fully engrossed. Then there’s the ending. OMG, the twists in that are amazing and come like a bolt from the blue. I’m in awe of the author’s skill to keep it all hidden and then spring it on the reader. It’s hard to believe that this is a debut and I’m already anticipating the next one.

The characters, as in all good fiction, are troubled. Cara Griffin seems to be the most untroubled, but that doesn’t mean trouble doesn’t find her along the way. I like the way the author teases out their problems over the course of the novel.

The Echo Man is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

OMG if you like your serial killers to be relentless, devious and twisted then you’re in for a great read. I’ve read many books of this genre but this one blew me away. The seemingly unconnected first few chapter coalesce into a tightly plotted, well written story with flawed characters and evil intent. One that will keep you up at night - but lock your doors and keep the lights on!

OMG! This book should come with a warning **not for those of a nervous disposition**, but if like me you love a crime thriller, that’s dark, gristly, and twisted in equal measures then you are going to LOVE The Echo Man. This is Sam Holland’s debut novel and what an exciting debut it turned out to be. I picked it up and thought I would read the first chapter to get a feel for the book, and yet two hours later I was still reading! The author captures the reader’s attention from the off with a gristly crime scene that’s not for the squeamish.

I love a well depicted serial killer, and the author has created The Echo Man who I found horrifying, a killer who carries out the most heinous crimes. He copies the MOs of notorious serial killers from the past. His motive is slowly but surely revealed, heightening the suspense tenfold. Every crime thriller has to have a memorable detective. I liked the fact that Griffin isn’t a conventional, he’s obsessive, unpredictable, rough around the edges, complex and determined. This case is personal, and he’s more than happy to break the rules to catch The Echo Man. There are occasional, fascinating snippets that relate to the childhood of the serial killer, shedding light on the events and circumstances that can shape someone into a killer. As the killer becomes more confident and the killings escalate, you feel a genuine sense of urgency. 

I found the pacing perfect, a constant shifting of tension which reaches fever pitch as the book reaches a satisfying conclusion. One thing sure to keep my attention is when the author can write a story that not only keeps you gripped but one that also keeps you constantly guessing, never revealing too much in one go, which can often spoil a read. This book has everything I look for in a crime thriller, well-developed characters, exceptional writing, a twisted plot, gory crime scenes, a shocking story line with a depraved serial killer. The echo Man made for a chilling, addictive and deliciously dark read that I raced through. Sam Holland has a very disturbing and vivid imagination. I’m not sure how she sleeps at night! I will be following the author’s career with a keen interest, as I have a feeling The Echo Man is going to be a HUGE hit when it’s published next year. Would I recommend The Echo Man? You bet I would, it’s one of the best crime thrillers I’ve read in a long while.