The Echo Man by Sam Holland

Author: Sam Holland

Title: The Echo Man 

Publisher: Harper Collins 

Published: 2022

Pages: 464

Genre: Crime Thriller 

     The murders have begun... Across England, a string of murders is taking place. Each different in method, but each horrifying and brutal. But the killer is just getting started...Jess Ambrose is plunged into the investigation when her house is set ablaze. With her husband dead and the police pointing at her, she runs. Her only hope is disgraced detective Nate Griffin, who is convinced Jess is innocent. And he's going to shock the world...Soon, Jess and Griffin discover the unthinkable; this murderer is copying the world's most notorious serial killers. And now, imitation isn't enough. The killer dubbed The Echo Man is ready to create his own masterpiece, and it will be more terrifying than anything that has come before...

      I have once again returned to my homeland for this week's book. And whilst I'm always keen to dive into the latest American or European work sometimes you just want something a little more familiar. Plus it's always great to be able to support new domestic talent. Now I think it is safe to say that I'm a great fan of the serial killer genre. It must be one of my most read genres from the big Hollywood style creations to the more dark and realistic. So coming across The Echo Man sounded like something I could really sink my teeth into.  After all, it seems to have all the great elements you would look for in such a book. So it was going to be great to spend some time with this author and see what new take she could come up with for a genre many others have tackled before. 

     This a book that bolts out of the stables from the get-go. We have no time for eerie snow-covered lands and brooding narratives. What Holland does is bring the big Hollywood bloody serial killer to my neck of the woods. I love that she paints her work with big bold splashes we are treated to some grand operatic tale of a killer oust to show the world his greatness. Along with those in pursuit we are whipped up into the coming storm as they battle it out. Her heroes are rich and well developed so we are never left questioning an action. giving us ample time to enjoy the narrative she has set out for us. I think what surprised me most was that intake the trope of a killer copying other killers she managed to breathe new life into it. Which I feel is a hard thing to do. But motives shift and maybe it is a little of the way they copy that brings a shift in this narrative. To me at least it never felt stale or that I was recovering ground I had seen others do. 

     As I said before this is not the broadening kind of narrative you might find in a European serial killer book. What the author brings to the table is the ability to shock and get under the reader's skin with her work. At times this book feels closer to horror than that of your usual crime fiction book. Blood is so easily splashed across the page that those who enjoy such work can gleefully relish in the dark and the macarbe. For me, this is a great work of entertainment I could get completely wrapped up in what was happening. We are never left to dwell too long at any point so much like our heroes we are always on the hotfoot chasing after the coat tales of this killer. Riding alongside this is a good solid thriller. You can have all the blood and guts you like but we need a good why? to go with it.  And for me, I think she found a great and plausible answer to this question. Each side finds harmony with the other. And what the author delivers is a book that is bound to make your skin crawl. 

     Overall this is one of those books that most crime lovers are going to want to get a copy of. It's some fun dark entertainment that you can escape into. For me, it was exactly what I had hoped for, and between trying to work out motives and the elusive identity of the killer I could not have asked for more from this author. Now I just have to wait for her next book to come out sometime in the future.