by Leah Rowan

A Horror, 2026 by St Martin’s, 336 Pages

What I Didn’t Like:

• This one (obviously) borrows pretty heavily from Psycho. It doesn’t exactly try to hide that but it also is NOT a direct copy of Psycho. In fact, it changes lots of things. Be aware of that as you go into it.
• The story takes a bit too long to get through each twist. It feels like it’s dragging, losing your interest, and then something changes. The dragging is the tough part.
• The epilogue is unnecessary. Adds nothing to the story and puts a cheesy spin on it.

What I Did Like:

• Marion is a highly believable character. The author puts her into an impossible situation and when we imagine ourselves in that situation we can see why things turn out the way they do, in a way. It’s well written.
• I love a story that seems like it’s one thing and flips that all into something else. Always fun!
• Hannah’s storyline added a necessary bit of confidence in investigators that is often missing from this kind of story. At the end of the day, this story is about a killer and you like the idea that killers aren’t getting away every time.

Who Should Read This One:

• Readers who like a dark and bloody story where the good guy does something awful to end the bad guy. This one toes the line between thriller and horror. There’s no paranormal element in the horror, just some gore and (obviously) death.

My Rating: 3 Stars