‘The Echo Man’ – the first book by Sam Holland – was one of the books I absolutely couldn’t put down in 2022, so I was delighted to be granted a copy of this latest book by NetGalley. As always, opinions are my own.
This story opens with an intriguing crime scene – a body is discovered on waste land with a spray-painted number next to the corpse. When more bodies and numbers appear, DCI Adam Bishop realises that this is only part of a much bigger – and much more horrifying – picture. When Dr Romilly Cole turns up in his office with evidence that links the latest crimes to previous murders, Adam is reluctant to believe her for multiple reasons. However, the numbered corpses keep turning up, leaving both Adam and Romilly facing up to their pasts while trying to change the future. Can the countdown be stopped before the killer hits the magic twenty?
I read ‘The Echo Man’ in one sitting…and did the same with ‘The Twenty’. Holland has a way of keeping you reading with every twisty turn and gruesome revelation. I felt that my heart was in my mouth, my stomach was churning with nerves…this isn’t one to read at night or alone in the house – I actually had to get up to check my doors were locked!
The plotting is clever and there are so many false leads that I genuinely didn’t know what to believe at times. I suspected just about everyone, meaning that I did identify the killer about halfway through but I couldn’t work out how or why. Holland did = once again – keep me guessing.
The main characters are well-written and have interesting or believable flaws. Adam likes a walk on the wild side with his visits to seedy clubs and Romilly – well, gosh, Romilly has serious problems of her own. There were also credible tensions and engaging characters within the police team, such as the caustic pathologist and the sweet DS Jamie Hoxton.
It’s worth mentioning that this is another dark book from Sam Holland. Fans of ‘The Echo Man’ – which featured a true crime copycat killer – will know what to expect, but please be warned if you cannot read gruesome forensic detail or examples of abuse. It’s all well=written, but dark, dark, dark.
I’d recommend this to fans of clever, tense and twisted police procedurals – think along the lines of the brilliant series by M W Craven, Nadine Matheson or David Fennell for a taste of what is in store. This is one book that you won’t forget in a while, especially as you obsessively check your home security!
This isn’t a sequel to ‘The Echo Man’ – it is a standalone, although Holland suggests there will soon be a sequel to ‘The Echo Man’ featuring Nate Griffin – sign me up to read it now!
Header photo by Adrian Curiel on Unsplash
