A perfectly readable (listenable?) thriller. Both narrators were great, and I breezed through the whole audiobook in just two sittings.

The book is told in two POVs: the serial attacker/killer/rapist and the book written by one of his victims. Most of the fictional book parts reminded me too much of a real true crime novel I'll Be Gone In the Dark. It's very clear that it was intentionally similar but sometimes it felt too much like rereading that book.

While it was a quick, easy, and rather creepy read, I didn't find anything special in it and didn't have any strong emotions towards the characters. I would still recommend reading (or listening to) it if you are in the mood for a twist on a true crime novel with a view into a serial killer's mind.

The Nothing Man. What a well done and well-narrated story from Catherine Ryan Howard. It reminded me true crime podcasts I love and Michelle MacNamara's  "I'll Be Gone in the Dark." And while we always know the "whodunit" aspect of the mystery behind the Nothing Man,  The author puts a spin on the story and it'll still surprise you in the end!

Review on my blog August 1st at http://booksmoviesreviewsohmy.com 

This is a new to me author and so I went into her  book not knowing if I would like it but knowing it sounded really good. I am happy to say that I really enjoyed it.

It’s about Eve who when she was young survived an attack on her family from a serial killer. She is also the only one to ever survive the killer. Now she is all grown up and has written a book about The Nothing Man.

This book sparks rage in the man who is the killer because he is afraid that she might be close to discovering the truth about him and he can’t let that happen. It’s sort of a cat and mouse game between Eve and the killer and very well put together.

I don’t want to say anything more about the plot because I think it’s best to just jump into it! Now because I listened to the audio I will admit to being a bit  confused at first because it’s told in the POV of Eve and the killer, but it is also a book within a book type so you have parts of the book she wrote about the killer. Once I figured out what was going on it became easier for me to distinguish between what was book and what wasn’t.

Eve is a very driven character who is determined to figure out who the killer is and she has enlisted some help in that. She is pretty much purposely rattling the killers cage with the book, book signing, interviews and I thought it was pretty clever way to do things. You know who the killer is pretty quickly on but I will still let you discover who he was, but it was interesting getting his perspective on things, his home life, thoughts about Eve, etc.

Even knowing who it was there still plenty of surprises to be had throughout the book book and I very much enjoyed it! I would totally recommend it to mystery/thriller lovers.

For two years, a serial rapist/killer preyed on the residents of Cork, Ireland, but after his most brutal killing, which took the life of Eve Black's family the violence suddenly comes to a halt. The Nothing Man is an excellent, unique and beautifully written thriller, told in the format of a book within a book from perspective of two characters, Jim Doyle, the Killer, and Eve Black one of his surviving victims. Yet despite the fact that the reader know all of the actors involved in these heinous crimes, one will soon realize it is not the who but the why that keeps them riveted. What's scarier than the portrait of a serial killer, the portrait of both his faces, that of a mad man and that of a family man. Reading Eve's true crime memoir through the eyes of a killer and being privvy to his inner thoughts was absolutely terrifying. The audiobook was brought the characters of Eve and Jim life by the use of two fantastic Irish narrators Alana Kerr-Collins and John Keating, which made the story more authentic.
Now there are parts of the book that can read a bit like a police procedural so how much one enjoys those parts will depend on one's interest in the forensic of a crime. In other parts, the book reads like a memoir so how much those sections are enjoyed will depend on ones interest in the examination of psychological trauma. I found myself vested in Eve's story, so I enjoyed all aspects of its unfolding, whether it was the examination of previous evidence and interviews with other people involved, particularly detective Ed Healy as well as the exploration of Eve's own psyche. The Nothing Man is a fantastic thriller where astonishing revelations constantly unfolds up until the book's gratifying conclusion.

The Nothing Man is the story of Eve Black,  whose family was attacked and murdered one night by a man who will go on to be known as The Nothing Man, a rapist and  killer. Twenty years later, Eve writes a book about this killer, 

I reviewed the audiobook version. This audiobook has  two narrators.  Alana Kerr-Collins is the voice of Eve and John Keating is the voice of The Nothing Man.. Both do a fantastic job. Kerr-Collins has a suspenseful note to her voice that keeps you on the edge of your seat and Keating’s  eerie Nothing Man is spellbinding. 

Catherine Ryan Howard has written a thriller that is full of suspense and will keep you guessing. The ending is surprising and well thought out.

Fans of crime novels will enjoy this one.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Blackstone Publishing via Netgalley  My review is voluntary.

Eve has written a book about the most traumatic time of her life; when her sister and parents were killed in their home by "the nothing man" a serial killer that stalked and killed families two decades ago. Eve is one of the only survivors of the nothing man and she is ready to tell her story...and find the man who took her family away. Eve's book becomes a best seller-everyone is reading it, everyone including Jim, the nothing man.

I listened to the audio of this and it really brought the story to life. There are two narrators, Eve's side and the chapters of the book she has written, and then Jim, the nothing man. It was interesting to see the side of the murderer and his thinking while he is focused on not getting caught. I sometimes do not enjoy the "book within a book" idea but this was done very well. The author did a great job of separating the book within and the story. Also the use of two different narrators helped with this as well. 

This definitely gave me I'll Be Gone in the Dark vibes. If you are a fan of true crime, you will love this. It is such a unique way to tell this story. As the reader, we know it all and we are just waiting for everything to fall into place.

There is an essay in Lindy West’s The Witches Are Coming (highly recommend) titled Ted Bundy Was Not Charming–Are You High? and this novel feels like the fictional equivalent to that. Which is to say mediocre white men who murder enough people to qualify as serial killers get grossly obsessed about and elevated as being more than mediocre awful white men by our problematic society’s gross obsession with real life serial killers (and mediocre white men). Howard takes aim at this with this cat-and-mouse thriller that starts with a hell of a hook.

Eve Black was a little girl when she survived the night her family was murdered by a serial killer. No one knows this or who she is. Until now. She’s written a book, which we read, along with the serial killer who is just now discovering who Eve is and that she’s decided to come find him…

Alternating between reading Eve’s chapters in her book and the now “retired” serial killer’s reading of the book–including him going to her book signing!–we get front row seats to a cat-and-mouse game where Eve is determined to figure out his identity, and he’ll stop at nothing to keep that from happening… If you like Irish and dual narrators go with the audiobook! 
(TW rape/ domestic abuse/ mentions suicide, detail)

The Nothing Man presents a unique twist in the mystery genre. The book is written from the perspective of The Nothing Man, a retired serial killer and rapist. He discovers a book written about him authored by a survivor of his crimes. I think the premise of this book lends itself really well to the audiobook format. The book would shift and you’re able to hear the book being read as the killer is reading it. It was creepy in the way that I felt right there with the killer as the story was unfolding. It was interesting hearing the thoughts of the bad guy himself. Normally in a mystery, you don’t learn who the killer is until the end of the book. I wondered if I would get bored already knowing who did it. I did not! I wanted to know if they’d catch him, if he’d commit any more crimes. How would it end? 

I did give this four stars, simply because the beginning of the book was a bit slow. It did take me a little ways to get into the story, but once I did, I was hooked! I would recommend you listening/reading this right away!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an ARC! I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this one!

4.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.  

The Nothing Man is an excellent book inside a book thriller.  18 years ago Eve Black survives a serial killer who killed her mother, father and 7 year old sister.  She writes a book about her experiences and her search to find the killer.  Jim Doyle, a 63 year old security guard, is very interested in Eve’s book as he is the killer. The book is told in alternating chapters between Eve and Jim.

I highly recommend reading the book which was a fun game of cat and mouse between a survivor and the killer. The only knock on the book is that with the two points of view, and a book inside a book, sometime points were repeated too often. I liked that you knew who the killer was vs. normally trying to figure out the identity of the bad guy before it was revealed.  

I enjoyed listening to both Alana Kerr-Collins and John Keating narrate and I liked listening to their Irish accents.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you Blackstone Publishing for the ARC and Netgalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

When this book showed up in my mailbox, I was immediately intrigued by the cover. Between the color and the fact that it looks like both a book with a ripped dust jacket and an overstuffed dossier, I was mesmerized. Yeah, yeah, don’t judge a book by its cover, but I can’t help but be drawn to the good ones.

I was even more excited to see the audio available from Netgalley and requested it immediately. I finally got to finish it this morning.

If you know me at all, you know I love the book-within-a-book trend, so that aspect scored major points from me. It also has an incredibly captivating opening chapter; the reader gets a look inside the mind of a serial killer that finds a book about himself while at work. There’s no sampling the first chapter with this one. You’ll need to keep reading with that kind of intro.

But I will admit, when I got a little ways into the book-within-a-book portion, I felt like I was reading I’ll Be Gone in the Dark all over again. I was concerned there wasn’t going to be anything original about it. I realized my apprehension was was unwarranted when I found that I was completely absorbed by the insight into the killer’s thoughts and reactions to a book written about him and his crimes. Suddenly you can imagine Joseph James DeAngelo reading I’ll Be Gone in the Dark and wondering if he had the same thoughts before his arrest. This was such a fun and original approach to, what I like to call, “true crime fiction.” (Did I make that up?)

And if all of these other aspects I love weren’t enough, there was also an extremely unexpected twist at the end. It was just the icing on the cake.

It’s difficult to comment on the audio itself, as the quality didn’t seem to be as smooth as I’ve come to expect. It almost felt a bit grainy, or like the voices had a mechanical quality to them. I wondered if it was because it was an advance audio copy and maybe it was still being touched up. It was pointed out to me that this seems to be due to current limitations of the Netgalley app when listening at high speeds (and I almost always listen at 2x). I took a (very) quick listen at 1x and it no longer had the tinny sound to it, but I went back and listened to a random section after I had finished so I won’t comment on the narrators this time.

Thrillers are a more recent like for me.  I always thought that I wouldn't enjoy them so I never read them.  I loved this book.  I did guess the twist before it was revealed, but I really did like it.  And isn't that the point?  Guessing the twist?  I loved how the book went between narrators.  It really made the story in my opinion.

The ending dragged a bit, but apart from that, this was an absolutely stellar read. Told like a fictionalization of I'LL BE GONE IN THE DARK, but: a little more personal, a lot more organized, streamlined, set in Ireland, and with the really awesome added perspective of the serial killer reading and reacting to the scenes in real time. Things that really speak for how well Howard handled this story: the book never felt uneven, even as it was told between two perspectives that did not go back and forth chapter by chapter (indeed, sometimes Jim's sections seem almost to interrupt the book between sentences, which felt so authentic).

Personally, I always love books set in Ireland, particularly crime books. It's a place that has a deep and bitter history of oppression, poverty, and silence, not to mention crime (though nothing like the violent serial and spree killings of America - more crimes of desperation and corruption). Setting this story in Ireland gave Howard a lot more freedom with how the press and public would handle a serial killer.

It was true to its true crime inspiration with the level of detail given to the various crimes and their victims, as well as the bits of self-insert by the writer as both victim and investigator. In all, it was a very successful use of the book-within-a-book style and, by utilizing two different narrators (a stiff-sounding female narrator reading the book and a more engaging male narrator telling the killer's side), the audiobook really maintained that illusion well.

If you’re sick of thrillers and all the similar tropes, this is for you. If you hate the books where women are weak, this is for you. If you love true crime, this is for you. Basically if you really love thrillers and want a different type of thriller, THIS IS FOR YOU. ⁣
⁣
The Nothing Man is a fictional thriller, but since it reads like a true crime. It tells two sides: Eve Black’s take as she details the crimes that There Nothing Man committed in her memoir, including the night he killed her family while she was locked in the bathroom and Jim Doyle’s side as he reads her memoir and is afraid of getting caught. So basically this book was like if Joseph James DeAngelo had read I’ll Be Gone in the Dark. ⁣
⁣
I listened to the audio for this one and the narrators did a great job. Specifically the female narrator who read Eve’s memoir. Her voice was similar to that of true crime shows like Snapped. It worked perfectly for this book. ⁣

An exciting new thriller that had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Catherine Ryan Howard is a new author to me, but I will certainly be checking out more of her work after reading this one. The back and forth narration was well-done, and wasn't confusing like it can sometimes be. A perfect creepy read! 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a much appreciated audiobook download, in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced audiobook edition and egalley for THE NOTHING MAN by Catherine Ryan Howard in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley for the chance to read and review! I really enjoyed the author’s 2019 release REWIND, so was very excited to read this one!

Publication Date: 8/18/2020
Rating: 4.5 / 5
THE NOTHING MAN begins with the release of a new true crime book written by Eve Black, the only survivor when her family is killed by a man known as The Nothing Man. Now an adult, Eve is taking a hard look at what happened to her family when she was just twelve years old and to the killer’s other victims. The Nothing Man moniker came about because it was said the police had nothing on him, but Eve is determined to identify him and bring him down.

Jim Doyle is a security guard who spots Eve’s memoir on the shelf and is instantly drawn to it because he is the unknown man at the center of the book. The more he reads of Eve’s take on his story, the more he fears that she’s closing in on him. With the publication of her book, the case is getting new attention and Jim must protect himself at all costs.

This book was so unique and so well written and I was incredibly hooked. The book is written in two POVs. For Eve’s part we are reading her actual published work along with Jim. Interspersed with Eve’s case reports and personal recollections, we get inside Jim’s head to see how he is feeling about what he’s writing, his own memories of the killings so many years before, and his life now. Each perspective uncovers secrets that bring twists that I didn’t see coming.

The author does a great job of distinguishing these two voices. From Eve we get personal accounts, but in a way that makes sense for an edited, published memoir for public consumption. From Jim we follow along with his thought tangents and paranoia as his worry gets more and more intense. The audio did this very well also in using two different narrators for the two different POVs.

I highly recommend you add THE NOTHING MAN to your TBR and I’d encourage you check out the audio as well!

This book was so good!  The story was so intense and I’d call it a pageTurner, except I listened to it. 😉
The bad guy was disturbing in so many ways.  The way this story was told, back and forth between Jim and Eve, the past and present, kept this story flowing at such a great pace.  I really loved the book and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good thriller or mystery novel.
With two narrators were the perfect idea for telling this through audio.  Jim’s narrator was incredible.  He portrayed him in the best way possible and I looked forward to his chapters.  I had such a hard time with the female narrator, though.  Had she been the sole reader, I wouldn’t have listened.  Every sentence had the same inflection and it just did not work for me..
4.5 stars for the book.  It was incredible writing,

The only member of her family to survive a massacre by the serial killer known as the Nothing Man when she was a child, Eve Black now lives for one thing. She’s written a book about the killer, hoping to jog memories of other survivors, eke out new information that will enable the police to capture the monster. Jin Doyle, a seemingly normal man, is reading Eve’s book, and he’s getting more excited and more angry as he reads, because Jim is the Whisper Man and he doesn’t intend to let Eve walk away this time. Kerr-Collins and Keating mesmerized and terrified me in equal measure, making this frightening story come to life

3.5 stars

The premise of this book was absolutely fascinating to me. The chapters alternate between a book (within the book) where the author's writing about a serial killer who's murdered all of her family and others. The serial killer himself finds the book at a store and starts reading it so the alternating chapters are told by him as he reads this book and reacts to what he's reading.

This book was great at first and great at the end with a bit of a slump in the middle, for me. As the details of the serial killer and the ways in which he killed all of his victims kept coming, I was pretty ready to put the book down but, of course, I kept wanting to see what was going to happen.

And I am glad I stuck with it. There were some twists I didn't see coming and other twists I did see coming. The whole book came together really well in the end.

I read an audio version of this book narrated by Alana Kerr-Collins and John Keating and the two different voices really helped make the story more real.

with gratitude to netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

"The Nothing Man" was an addictive, cat-and-mouse-style psychological suspense thriller following the alternating story of serial killer Jim Doyle, and the one victim that survived, Eve Black. You will not be able to put this down! 

The audio narration was great, and the narrators brought life to the characters of Jim and Eve.

I’ve read all of Catherine Ryan Howard’s thrillers and 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧 is hands down her best yet! And that’s saying a lot because I’ve loved them all... This one is clearly inspired by I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara and the Golden State Killer. However, Howard’s book is set in Ireland and our killer is known as The Nowhere Man. There are 3 POV’s : Eve Black (the author of the true crime book & survivor of The Nowhere Man), 63 year-old Jim Doyle (The Nowhere Man), and the final POV is the book (recounting his crimes, etc). So you get a book within a book & that’s always fun! It’s like Howard took our fantasy of wondering what could’ve happened if McNamara never died & she became entangled in a cat-n-mouse with Joesph DeAngelo...IT’S BRILLIANT 💎 hands down the best 2020 thriller so far...