Member Review

Title & Author: The Killer In Room Five by Sam Holland.
Rating: 4.5 stars.
Genre: Psychological Thriller Mystery
Release: 21st May
Publisher: HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | Hemlock Press

Locked-room mystery meets psychological nightmare.
I went into The Killer in Room Five by Sam Holland expecting something dark, annd I got intense, menacing, and unsettling. Set inside the eerie Hollow Pines Psychiatric Hospital, the atmosphere is instantly claustrophobic.
We follow DC Abby Fox, newly returned from suspension, as she’s drawn into a case where a patient called Joe is confessing to a brutal murder he couldn’t possibly have committed, yet somehow knows every horrific detail. The tension never lets up, Holland masterfully layers misdirection, reveals, and twists that kept me second guessing.
I loved the introduction of new characters Abby and her boss Mac (who also happens to be her ex), and the way the story explores manipulation, mental health, and the chilling dynamics inside the unit. It’s dark and graphic in places but that’s exactly what gives Holland’s thrillers their edge.
I’d recommend this to readers who love gritty, psychological crime. I’ve now read all of Sam Holland’s books, and this one absolutely holds its own.
Huge thanks to the publisher and author for the ARC.