“Books must be finished long before they get stacked on the shelf and, perhaps, by the time this one is finally in print, the Nothing Man’s name will already be known. Perhaps you, dear reader, even know what he looks like.”

Every word of every page in this journey of a book was compelling, heart wrenching, and deeply interesting. I will try my best to explain the masterpiece that is The Nothing Man. Thank you THANK YOU to Catherine Ryan Howard, Blackstone Publishing, and Netgalley for this absolute gem of a book.

This book is written like if The Golden State Killer read the book I’ll Be Gone in the Dark right after it was published. The premise alone is genius and so well done. A serial killer reading a book from one of his escaped victims. A book within a book. Brilliantly throughout and masterfully written, this book follows The Nothing Man years after he finished killing. A surviving victim from his last and worst attack writes a book about her experience, and he see it on the shelf. This book follows him reading the book and basically switches between the actual book the victim wrote and the killer’s current experience.

Thoughts: I loved the plot of this book. It was written in a way that completely sucks you in from the first page and is perfect for lovers of true crime. The book within the book read just like Michelle Mcmanara’s I’ll Be Gone in the Dark. The bigger story does an amazing job of describing how a serial killer would feel if they were reading about themselves. It was everything I could ask for in a book- fast-paced, well-written, and completely one of a kind. I loved the main character of Eve and hated Jim, just like a reader should. There were so many suspenseful moments that led to a fantastic ending. I LOVED this book- highly recommend it to anyone who likes thrillers, true crime, mysteries, or crime fiction! 5-stars!

The Nothing Man is a true crime book about a serial killer encased in a captivating thriller. A book within a book, Eve Black was twelve years old when a serial killer came into her home and killed her whole family. Fast-forward almost twenty years later, Eve is writing a book about The Nothing Man's killing spree and to hopefully draw him out of hiding.

The author did a wonderful job in telling the story through the perspectives of the survivor and the killer. She takes us inside the mind of a killer who reads an account of his own crimes.

Everyone knows the name of the serial killers, but it's the names of the victims we need to remember.

Thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing and Catherine Ryan Howard for a copy of "The Nothing Man" in exchange of an honest review.

When she was just 12 years of age, Eve Black was the only member of her family who survived a serial killer's attack. It's been 20 or so years and she is still obsessed with the man tho stole her family and has never been caught.

Teaming up with Ed Healy, one of the police officers who investigated her family's deaths, she writes a true crime novel, putting it all out there... hoping it will incite the killer to try again....

The Nothing Man .. that's what the newspapers called him. There were never any clues to his identity ... no motive that anyone could detect .... and he is reading her book. The Nothing Man knows she will never give up looking for him ...

This utterly compelling story is expertly crafted. It's like reading a book within a book ... uniquely original. The reader knows who the killer is as eve relates her story of past events merging into today's actions. It's also the story of the killer ... his reactions to Eve's telling ... as he secretly reads her book... his coming to understand that Eve knows much more than he ever suspected... his sorrow at leaving her alive.

All I can really say is .. WOW! I read this one practically in one sitting. It's a real nail-biting page turner. Highly recommend this one!

Many thanks to the author / Blackstone Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this riveting, suspenseful crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I cannot stop talking about this book! It is such a fantastic, all consuming, addictive read.

Quick Synopsis: Eve Black’s Family was murdered 18 years ago by a serial killer dubbed The Nothing Man because he leaves nothing behind- no evidence, DNA, nothing. Eve was just a kid when The Nothing Man broke into her house in the middle of the night and murdered her parents and sister. Eve survived and went on to write a true crime memoir detailing the events of that night in hopes of catching the killer.

Meanwhile, we are introduced to Jim, aka The Nothing Man. Jim is an ex cop turned security guard. He is also the serial killer, The Nothing Man. Jim picks up Eve’s book and we get to read his point of view as he reads her book.

The chapters alternate between Eve’s perspective and Jim’s perspective as he reads the book.

This was such a cool format and is what made this such a unique, fun read, full of suspense and tension. I liked that we knew who the killer was right off the bat, but this doesn’t mean we know everything- there were still twists and turns throughout the book.

If you have found yourself bored by the thriller genre and are looking for a refreshing read, look no further! Even the most avid thriller readers will enjoy this one!

I also recommend the author’s previous book, Rewind.

This is a strange book to review because it was so similar to I'll be Gone in the Dark that I almost felt like I was reading the same story retold in a different way. Had i not already read I'll Be gone, I might've liked this one. The writing and character development were good, the pace and premise were also engaging but the entire time I was reading I felt like I was reading a story I already knew. For this reason, I didn't have much enjoyment of this one.

I loved loved loved The Nothing Man. Catherine Ryan Howard delivers a unique entry into the genre of crime thrillers and mysteries. Perhaps the most clever thing about this book is that the reader knows from the beginning "who did it." Jim Doyle is a security guard in his sixties. He's going through the motions of his everyday life when he sees a book by Eva Black. It's a crime drama detailing the crimes of "The Nothing Man." Eva is trying to bring attention back to this serial killer and rapist whose final victims happened to be her parents and young sister. She was the sole survivor of the attack at age twelve. Now she is older, out of college and searching for her purpose in life. Jim Doyle is obsessed with reading Eva's accounts of the events. He wants to be sure she doesn't remember him.

This novel has a lot of emotional push and pull. The aftermath left behind after The Nothing Man's crimes is heartbreaking. He destroyed marriages and families with his attacks. Then one day he simply stopped and the authorities could never figure out why. Now it's twenty years later and Eva is determined to find answers and get closure on why her family was targeted.

Even though you know the murderer is Jim Doyle all along, there are still plenty of twists in the story. I actually liked knowing who the "bad guy" was as the story played out. You saw things from his perspective and witnessed him breaking down with fears that his carefully covered up crimes would be solved after all.

I highly recommend this book. It kept me hooked and turning pages until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for this early reader copy.

The writing of this thriller is fantastic, but the intensity of the story is a little more than I can handle at the present. I plan to revisit it down the road.

Eve has lost her entire family when a serial killer targets her family. The signs were there, but she did not know what they meant. When she gets into college, she decides to write a book about her experience and those of the other people that were targeted. She has a plan to draw the serial killer out of hiding. At the same time, the serial killer has discovered that a book has been written and becomes obsessed with meeting her and decides that he wants to make her go away for good. I liked that this book went back and forth between Eve and the killer. I loved the ending and really ended up liking this book. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

Sometimes when I’m deciding which book to read next I go to Goodreads and check what my friends have thought about a book. I don’t read much of the reviews because I want to go in mostly blind but I look at star ratings and the first sentence or two just to get a sense. Here’s what I found when I looked up The Nothing Man:

“5+ outstanding stars!” - Lindsay - Traveling Sisters Book Reviews
“WOW what a thriller!” - Berit
“This book completely caught me off guard in the best way.” - Dennis
“Honestly, THIS is what a thriller should be!” - Chelsea

That was certainly enough testimony to get me excited to pick up this book next and I’m so glad I did!! The book starts with Jim, a security guard at a grocery store, seeing a customer with a new book called The Nothing Man.

The book is written by Eve who was the only survivor twenty years ago when her family was murdered by the serial killer known as The Nothing Man. He earned that name because the police had nothing on him. She’s written this book in an attempt to find him. Why is Jim so thrown off to see the book? Because he was The Nothing Man. Does Eve know? Is there a chance they are on to him?

Told in alternating perspectives between Jim and Eve (through her book) this was a great twist on the typical thriller. We know who the killer is right from the start - but will he get caught?

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook and audiobook copies to review.

After a string of mediocre “thrillers” I had high hopes for this one and it did not disappoint. I’ve had a long fascination with serial killers so the description immediately pulled me in and I also was intrigued by the survivor angle as well. And then the fact that you already know who the killer is made for a tense game of cat and mouse, so basically what I’m saying is I was SOLD!

I’m a big fan of a book within a book, especially if it’s done well and fortunately for me this one was done incredibly well. Jim is reading Eve’s book about his own killings and it unfolded in such a wickedly delicious way, it felt like you were reading a true crime book and a thriller which was pretty damn cool. I don’t wanna discuss the plot anymore but this is a good one y’all, if you like a true page turner that’s clever and fresh don’t miss this!

I really enjoyed this book within a book. I really like that plot. This was an enjoyable read. I was intrigued throughout the book.

So I really didn't expect much from this book but was pleasantly surprised. This one actually has some suspense and it's cleverly written as well. I couldn't seem to put it down, I just had to see what was going to happen next. I hope fans of thriller/suspense will give this one a try!

Eve Black was the only member of her family to survive a serial killer when she was 12. Now years later she is writing a book hoping to bring “The Nothing Man”, the serial killer to justice. It is a well-written, a book within a book. Some chapters are from Eve’s book some from the Nothing Man himself. The book doesn’t keep it a secret that Eve knows who the Nothing Man is, it is more about the cat and mouse game as she and a police detective work to bring the Nothing Man back into action after so many years of silence. t.

What a great story. I was a little hesitant at the style, as it is sort of a book within a book, but it was well done.
Eve Black is the only survivor of a serial killer The Nothing Man. Ed Doyle is The Nothing Man. When he sees Eve’s new bestseller on a shelf, he can’t control his rage. How close is Eve to discovering his identity?

This book is what a good thriller/mystery should be. It has all the required twists and turns and at the edge of your seat thrill. I really loved this book, it's what I've been hungry for in a thriller/mystery book for a long time!

Howard takes a concept that I wondered about myself and explores it to the end. I have often wondered if the Golden State Killer read Michelle McNamara’s book and worried that it would lead to his capture. With The Nothing Man, readers are treated to a new take on the serial killer perspective.

There were a few twists that I definitely did not see coming, but even those that I did were satisfying to read.

I also really appreciated the focus that the story puts on victims and their families while also acknowledging the fascination that serial killers hold for the general public.

What I would like to change:

I don’t know if I was just anxious to keep reading or not, but the pacing for the first 50% of the book felt a little slow. This is one of those things that happens when a book starts with an ending and then works its way back, but I can also appreciate that Howard puts us deep into the mind of this serial killer.

Thank you to NetGalley and a Blackstone Publishing for an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a really interesting concept and I applaud the author for trying something new.

Eve Black, who was in the house when her parents and sister were murdered by the Nothing Man, is all grown up and has written a memoir / true crime novel about the murders .

The Nothing Man, who is now in his 60s starts to read the book and it brings up old memories and urges .

A great concept that just didn’t work for me, perhaps because a true crime memoir isn’t something I would really read and most of the book seems to be in that format, I just found myself skipping whole paragraphs and skimming thru the novel .

I really enjoyed how different this book was. Even though we find out who the serial killer is in the beginning of the book, the author still manages to make it a suspenseful read. 

The story is told alternating between Eve, the surviving victim, Jim, the serial killer, and Jim reading Eve's book about what happened to her and the other victims 18 years ago. The most intense and best parts of the book were when you get to see into Jim's dark and deranged mind! 

Now I'm not sure if it was the e-arc but the way it was formatted was kind of confusing because you didn't know when the perspective changed but once I got use to it, it was easier to follow along. Although predictable except one twist I didn't see coming, I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the gifted e-copy.

Thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5 stars. As a murderino and a huge fan of I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara, I had to have The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard the minute I read the synopsis. This book is perfect for fans of true crime, as well as fans of mysteries like The Whisper Man.

The Nothing Man is a book within a book, where the serial killer is reading memoir written by the lone survivor of his final crime. It is unlike any other mysteries I have read and I loved how creative the premise is (and how the actual book is set up - there is even dedications and acknowledgements for the memoir). Some of the scenes in the book truly creeped me out and, like with I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, I had to take breaks from it due to some of the more graphic scenes.

I wasn’t surprised to see the author reference I’ll Be Gone in the Dark in the acknowledgments. This book reminded me of it often and also put a highlight on the victims of the serial killer, who are too often overshadowed and forgotten in many true crime books/podcasts/documentaries.

Overall, this book was dark, chilling, and inventive. If you are a fan of true crime docs or of mysteries like The Whisper Man and The Chestnut Man, definitely check this one out 8/18/2020!

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! FIVE STARS! Blow away by this book! I was not surprised in the acknowledgments to see a shout out to M.McNamara & "I'll Be Gone in The Dark", because as I was reading this novel, I often found myself thinking of the Golden State Killer and his M.O., which was similar... even though this killers were operating in different times and half a world apart. Catherine Ryan Howard has written a riveting book in "The Nothing Man" and I couldn't put it down until the very end! A "book within a book" this thriller takes us into the search for the now long-gone "Nothing Man" who terrorized County Cork, Ireland at the turn of the 21st Century in his killing spree and the young survivor determined to find him and justice for the family she lost. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! I am grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.