Hannah has just split with her boyfriend and becomes obsessed with a serial killer awaiting trial in Georgia. When she is let go from her job, shes packs up and heads to Georgia for the trial..
A strange tale of obsession. and family dynamics.

Hannah’s life isn’t going the way she planned. She’s not doing well in her job, she doesn’t get on with her parents, and her love life is an abject failure. When a spate of murders happen a few states over, Hannah finds herself engrossed in the case, joining an online forum where people discuss the victims and possible suspects. Soon, Hannah’s interest morphs into an obsession, leading her to start writing to William Thompson, the accused, in jail as he awaits trial. She doesn’t expect William to write back. She certainly doesn’t expect William to get acquitted and turn up on her doorstep declaring his love.

This book was a real mixed bag for me, because Hannah is the absolute worst. She has virtually no redeeming qualities and I really didn’t enjoy her at all. Certain elements, like relating to the murder victims and getting absorbed in the case, were understandable, but Hannah took every single thing too far. But the mystery of who the killer is was very intriguing and Hannah’s irrational decision making certainly made the plot unpredictable. I didn’t like it much, but damn was I entertained.

"Of course he's dangerous, that's what makes him sexy "

"Boyfriends who were serial killers were still boyfriends."

"Yes, I'll be your girlfriend...but you have to promise not to kill me, I wrote."

Just a few quotes from Hannah so you understand why we can all agree from the start that she needs some serious therapy. I don't know if it was intentional, or what it says about me, but I laughed so much reading the light thriller, Love Letters To A Serial Killer, by hypnotic debut author Tasha Coryell.

Single, in her 30s, Hannah becomes obsessed with true crime forums looking for a serial killer responsible for the deaths of 4 women. It seems her comments and research are getting a lot of attention. It all comes to a head when wealthy William, who Hannah had passed over as a suspect, is arrested for the murders. She's so upset her true crime life is over she writes William telling him off for being a horrible human. But then he writes her back.

Soon she's rushing home for his letters, neglecting her job. When she gets fired she does what every sane person does when out of work; she maxes out her credit cards and drives almost cross country to attend the trial.

What follows is bizarrely hysterically funny. There's a twist, it's a bit obvious but entertaining nonetheless. I will say the last paragraph left me gasping, "Are you freaking kidding me?!" I then rushed to tell my family about this book that is so ready to be a @netflix movie.

I think it's very clever of this writer to make this about Hannah's psychological being rather than the killer's motives, though we get those answers too. Hannah is such a strange protagonist and though I never understood her actions I couldn't get enough of her. This debut is killer.

I received a free copy of this book from Orion Publishing via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

People have always been interested in murder, otherwise this genre wouldn’t exist, but some people can become addicted to “True Crime” stories and the internet provides the opportunity to discuss and try to solve murders with likeminded voyeurs. Serial killers, in particular, seem to attract what might be described as ‘groupies’. Hannah, on the cusp of 30, has a boring job, and a desultory love life based on dating apps. When a young woman’s body is found in a ravine not far from where she lives, she starts searching for details and soon becomes part of a forum researching the crime, tracing the victim’s movements, using social media to identify her friends and acquaintances, speculating on motives. Then a second body is found in the ravine, so crossmatching details provides further activity. A third body excites even more interest because that means Serial Killer, and a fourth leads to an arrest. William Thompson a local lawyer who Hannah had on list of possibles, is charged with all four murders. Hannah decides to write to him, initially from a position of “how could you” but, when he replies in a gentle, sociable way, she enters into a serial correspondence and, when the case come to court, she becomes a fixture in the balcony. Since the court is in Georgia and she lives in Minnesota, this is a serious commitment. Letters continue and they end up engaged.
We know from the start that Hannah is married to William, so we know that he was acquitted, but we don’t know if he is the killer, nor do we know why he was found to be Not Guilty. We do know that Hannah is currently tied up and the killer has said she has to die. The story is related by Hannah, with the large central section being mostly epistolatory, and it rolls along fairly smoothly. The resolution is fairly easy to predict. I didn’t like any of the characters, Hannah is annoyingly naïve, or just not very bright, William is a cipher, and the others are not very deep and rather stereotypical. In some respects it feels more like a rom-com than a mystery story. Perhaps I’m just not the right demographic. Overall I’m giving it 2.5 stars rounded to 3.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

This book was such an entertaining read, Hannah as far as characters went, wasn't my favourite, she frustrated me at times but I also get that she has a lot on her mind lol. William i thought was great because we really didn't know what to make of him, did he or didn't he? you just have to read it to find out.

Good entertaining read!

3.5-4. If you have ever wondered what on earth possesses some women to correspond with serial killers and even ‘go out with’ (stay in with?), or even, marry them, then this one is for you.

Our protagonist, Hannah, is lonely. Although an only child she has a distant relationship with her parents and when her best - seemingly only - friend gets a steady boyfriend Hannah becomes increasingly isolated. Like many, she turns to the internet for company.

I would have loved the author to delve a bit deeper into the psychology of what happens to people once they get sucked into living through internet forums and why so many women are huge fans of true crime, particularly when so much of it focuses on women as victims. What we get instead is the gradual unveiling of Hannah’s own inner demons.

This is an interesting inversion of the traditional gothic horror where the endangered damsel needs rescuing by a thoroughly decent hero. Ultimately, Hannah is hard to like or sympathise with in any way. She has a vampiric attitude to others and it’s not hard to see why people turn away from her.

So, not many plot twists that will take most readers by surprise but an interesting perspective that would lead to lots of interesting book grou discussions.

With thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The title and cover of this book caught my attention, but ultimately, I found the characters unlikable and the plot overly predictable. While I did finish the book, it never fully captured my interest.

★★
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I want to thank NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for allowing me to review this book.

I did not see the end coming, I absolutely ate this book up. I loved it. I liked having Hannah being so unsure about her own feelings and thoughts throughout the whole book. It did seem like she was a bit bipolar in the way she was thinking but really how the book played out was how, in my mind, people think about & digest True Crime podcasts in general.
When 2020 rolled around was when I really saw how many people loved those types of podcasts and reading things online, giving their own theories, talking to groups of friends about it, etc. it was fascinating to me. Have a book where so many thoughts are written and an ending you do not really see coming, I will be thinking about this book for a while.

Thank you Netgalley, Orion Publishing Group and Tasha Coryell for the eARC of this book.

This was a brilliant read! Fresh in terms of the premise, the story, the honesty of Hannah, the protagonist. Really interesting and incredibly engaging.
Really loved the way the book cleverly and ironically explores the true crime fandom industry. Really liked Hannah, although she isn't actually that likable. Maybe more relatable in the way she really doesn't like or value herself and need some excitement and thrill to make her feel worthy and alive.
Wasn't sure about the book to begin with, funnily enough, I didn't actually judge the book by its cover, which I didn't like and put me off.
Very glad I started to read.

Love Letters to a Serial Killer is a quirky take on a murder mystery. Our main lead, Hannah, bored from her dead-end job, comes across a true-crime forum investigating the murder of four women in Atlanta. When William, a lawyer, is arrested for the murders, Hannah finds herself writing a letter to him. She never expected to get a reply from William. Soon they start writing to each other back and forth, and Hannah becomes more embroiled in the case. She starts neglecting her work, friends, and family. Her obsession with the murders leads to her losing her job, and with nothing to hold her back, she decides to attend William's trial. When the trial ends and William is acquitted, Hannah moves in with him and falls into a domestic routine, but she is not convinced that William is innocent and tries to search for clues about his guilt.

I knew I had to read this when I saw the cover for Love Letters to a Serial Killer. This was very unusual and quirky, and I had so much fun reading it! The beginning was slow, and it took me a while to adjust to Hannah's character. I loved the plot, but I wish there were more details about the murders and how the investigation progressed. I had guessed the plot twist halfway through the book, but it didn't hinder my reading experience.

Let's talk about Hannah. SHE IS THE MOST UNRELIABLE AND UNHINGED CHARACTER I HAVE READ TO DATE. I mean, who writes letters to a serial killer? And then leave everything to go to a different state to attend the murder trial? She had me questioning her choices from the very beginning. Every three to five pages had me saying, 'Why are you doing this, Hannah?' or 'Hannah, this is so wrong'. I will be honest; it was only because of her questionable choices that I flipped the pages at a high speed. It was a train wreck you couldn't stop.

Overall, this was a very entertaining read!
3.5⭐

Thank you, Netgalley and Orion Publishing, for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Darkly Compelling..
A uniquely original and darkly compelling tale with a deftly drawn cast of characters and a protagonist that the reader may be unable to help rooting for. Laced heavily with a dark and wry humour and astute observations of the world of today, this is at once compelling and repelling - the reader will be unable to look away.

Thank you Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for giving me this opportunity and ARC to review.

A book that filled with twists and turns will keep you gripped until the very end.

Love Letters to a Serial Killer follows Hannah, a unique character whose obsession with connected murders close to her home overshadows her lack of luck in success, dating and life. More so, when suspected serial killer is William Thompson and her off the cuff letter shaming him comes with an unexpected response. As their letters turn into something more and become equally important to Hannah as they are to William, Hannah starts to wonder if William is innocent in the crimes he has suspected to have committed, or if innocence will disrupt the pull she has towards him? Taking matters in to her own hands, Hannah is determined to investigate more.

I was at first unsure of this book and the discomfort it gave me, but once I wondered whether this was the books intentions I was hooked. Love Letters to a Serial Killer is a mirror to the perhaps darker sides of our humanity and Hannah perhaps resembles how society grows so obsessed with murders that we often forget that innocent people met their unfortunate end in the first place. This book is a stark reminder, a tough pill to swallow as you sit and reflect but also a suspense thriller that you will have you holding all characters at an arms length as you figure out their true intentions.

A thrilling, enticing, bizarre but funny and sassy debut novel that I could not put down!

We follow Hannah, a normal woman who does not like her job, her love life is nonexistent after being ghosted and pushed aside, her best friend is getting married so she has forgotten all about her and she has no friends. When Hannah discovers that a murder has occurred she decides to join a forum where other women are also talking and investigating it. One murder turns into, two, then tree, then four and a pattern arises, all the victims are women, naked, strangled and pushed into a ravine. It's not until the suspect, William, is caught that Hannah makes the link that he knew all those women before they died.
On an angry rampage, Hannah decides to send a letter to William telling him exactly what she thinks. She never thought he would actually respond and ask to know more about her. That is how she started sending love letters to a serial killer, but is that really the truth? Can she really trust him? A convicted serial killer? Is that what she wants for her future? To be the wife of a murderer?

Hannah is what we could call "one of those girls" who is obsessed with gorgeous serial killers and who wants justice for the victims but also just wants say to the world " I was with a serial killer and I survived". I would definitely consider her to be fully delusional as she believes that she is in her right to basically take ownership of William, that is the only part that I disliked from this book, and it happens a lot. Other than that, I just could not put it down, you just want to uncover the truth, as much as Hannah to be honest, just without the seducing a serial killer part.

This could have been a potential good novel but then I found it OK--not really good but not really bad either.

Hannah is a thirty something year old woman who doesn't really seem to be having directions in her life. She starts getting obsessed with a man named William who is a suspected serial killer in Georgia. While he was in jail and awaiting trials for his murders, Hannah starts writing letters to William and start exchanging letters with him. When William asks her to be his girlfriend, Hannah then flies over to Atlanta to see him in trial and also meet his family. Does Hannah really believe William is innocent or guilty?

The first fifty percent of the book was slightly boring. The letters exchanged between Hannah and William was interesting but there is no direction as to where the story is leading and all I can think is Hannah being a William's fan girl. However, it was towards the middle of the book where things started getting interesting, with the discovery of another body while William is in jail. Then things kind of got interested in the middle and towards the end. The end was OK in my opinion and writing was also great. Hannah seem to be a naive yet innocent kind of girl but I didn't really care much towards the other characters. This book was OK in my opinion and overall, I did like the premise of the overall story as a whole. Worth three stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Was not expecting to like this book as much as I did! Darkly humorous, really entertaining, with a fun twist at the end. Though Hannah, the main character, is quite pathetic she is unapologetically so - and this makes you want to root for her despite her sometimes unfathomable actions. The story line is very original and really well executed.

Thank you to the publishers for an advanced copy. I really enjoyed this book and managed to read it in two sittings. I was completely absorbed in this book. I loved the writing and style and the chaotic thoughts of the main character Hannah. When women's bodies start being discovered in a ravine a serial killer is quickly declared and thanks to the internet and a particular forum Hannah quickly becomes slightly obsessed with the arrested man William. She decides to start writing to him and when he writes her back she quickly falls for him. This was an interesting read with a different female main lead and I couldn't stop turning the pages to find out what really happened, although I did guess early on one of the main parts it didn't ruin it for me at all. This was a fun quick read and I will definitely be looking out for more books from Tasha. 4.5 stars rounded down. I will be recommending to others.

This was a change from books I usually read. It made me wonder if he was guilty of the murders or completely innocent. There was another character who I suspected had something to do with them but I won't spoil it by saying if I was wrong or not. You learn more background about the main characters from the letters they sent each other. The book seemed slow at times, but the plot got faster towards the end. I thought it was a good read

This book was really incredibly weird, but I can’t stop thinking about it. It really gives a unique insight into those women you see hanging around murder trials and is a very good example of the unreliable narrator. I don’t think I liked a single character in this book, but yet couldn’t stop reading it. Definitely one for the strange girls out there, it’s as readable as contemporary chick lit, but has a bite,

Wowsers. And I thought I had problems. My sometimes off behaviour and psychological issues are nothing next to those of Hannah Wilson, the protagonist, and narrator, of Tash Coryell's novel, Love Letters To A Serial Killer. I mean, I guess you have to be a certain type of person to strike up a correspondence with a person who stands accused of serial murder, but still, Hannah ... well she takes the biscuit. Although she might justify her actions as having an altruistic intention, at the end of the day she's probably just more than a little bit ... well nuts. Then again aren't we all. Not quite this much, perhaps, but still.

And yet ... I actually liked her, in a strange kind of way. I mean, she is obsessive, perhaps a touch work shy, easily distracted and never, ever, satisfied. She also has an unhealthy fascination with and addiction to the true crime community, especially the forum set up to discuss the alleged crimes of William Thompson. Nothing major. Just multiple murders. As you do. But, despite being overwhelmingly irritating at times, and exactly the kind of person that, should we meet in real life, I'd probably slap or at the very least roll my eyes at, repeatedly, until I got eye strain, she kind of grew on me. I don't know how Tasha Coryell did that as at the start of the book I really did think she was going to drive me away from the story, but I ended up completely fascinated with her.

Maybe it was just because I was intrigued to see how much of a car crash she could make of her life - and let me tell you, it couldn't have been much more of a mess if you had just taken her car and placed it straight in a crusher. She obsession costs her her cosy if dull life working for a charity and sees her heading across country to witness the trial of the man she has been writing to in prison and who she has perhaps, maybe, possibly, just a little bit, fallen in love with. Or ... maybe not. Hannah is a complicated wee gal that way.

This is, under all the window dressing, neuroses and dark humour of Hannah's observations, a bit of a murder mystery. Who did kill the four women whose bodies were disposed of as if they were trash. Was it William, a man with links to all victims, or someone else and William, Hannah's obsession du jour, is just a convenient patsy. Well, this is the crux of the novel really and amateur detective of no particular skill, Hannah, sets out to find the truth, even if it does put her in harm's way. The author's clever way of framing the story allows readers a glimpse of just how harmful that might be, but it takes us quite some time to get to the full picture. With the finger of suspicion pointing various members of the Thompson family as the story progresses, this really is a whodunnit, and quite a clever one at that, as Hannah's musings both serve up plausible suspects and distract from a rather obvious truth at the same time.

This is a book that is infused with a great amount of humour. Perhaps not always laugh out loud moments, it is about serial killing and the lack of regard for the female victims after all. But it is a dark and twisted observation of importance of public image, the pain of failing to meet the very high expectations of one's parents, and, when all is said and done, the very warped mind of a woman who thrives on drama and living on the edge. I mean why have a nice, safe, (dull) relationship when you could be taking things right to the wire, wondering if (obsessing that) every moment might just be your last. If you like a witty, dry, cannily observed and written tale, where character flaws are most definitely under the spotlight, then this could be the book for you. Hannah may well need help, who doesn't, but she definitely grows on you. Recommended.

What a mixed bag for reading this month. Some books amazing , some not so much and sadly this didn’t make it to the top of my list.
The ending was bizarre and just didn’t work. The way that the main character is portrayed doesn’t exactly have anyone rooting for her and felt incomplete as a character!
I need to love my narrator or at least understand their point of view and this was just … meh. It felt like the author was trying to put in lots of shocking twists but they just didn’t work for me. I don’t want shocks just for the sake of it.