As a narrative of a girl and woman affected by being unknowingly close to a serial killer this works. The book's most powerful writing is in the thought processes and emotions in feeling let down by a loved one and the residual guilt .

I felt the two main revelations were obvious from early on and a little clunky in the execution of revealing them. Discovering something about another character felt rather rushed, unbelievable, and without enough background.

This all said, it's a well-written novel. The author definitely has great writing skills.

**Slight spoilers ahead**

This was...not my favorite read. The premise, the synopsis, sounded amazing but the execution was lacking for me. This story is told from the POV of Sophie who is a sort of daughter to Matty who is in jail for murder. Her mom dated Matty for years and the two never suspected a thing. A lot of the story is told from the view of her looking back on the past and what happened pre-arrest, with some in the present time. In the present Matty is dying in jail and requested Sophie to visit him, which she struggles with. Her life was turned upside down when he was arrested and she is not sure she really wants to see him again. But she also needs answers.

Sophie has a lot of guilt for the past, guilt over things she did or didn't do. She goes over the events in her mind again and again and there is still a bit of her that wonders if Matty is innocent. If they did get the wrong man like he keeps claiming. Though when you get to the end and all the evidence is revealed it really feels like Sophie is still sticking her head in the sand and still doesn't want to acknowledge that he could be a killer.

Now I do love the idea of reading about this girl who loved a potential serial killer like a father and everything that would go along with that, but like I said the execution of this story was kind of boring. I kept reading because it keeps alluding to some big horrible thing Sophie did, and that was pretty easy to guess right from the start. There was another big reveal at the end that...made me roll my eyes so hard. Like it didn't work. In another story it would have been great, but the writing of this didn't back it up. Didn't make me care so it didn't work. Overall not a great read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

This sounded good, but at 1/3 of the way in I've decided not to finish it. It's perfectly readable, but there's not a lot I like about it and I really don't care what happens. Perhaps if the story had been structured in a different way, or told from a different perspective, it might have been more engaging.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Set in London in the 1980’s,
experience the palpable tension as a a serial killer is on the prowl. He targets woman who look just like Sophie’s mother Amelia-Rose, but Matty, Amelia boyfriend, and the closest thing Sophie has ever had to a father figure, assures them that they are in no danger. How does he know this? Could he be the serial killer?
Unfolding in dual timelines, this is a gripping read, delivering just the right amount of tension. I’ll be looking out for this author.

This mystery follows Sophie who with her mother moved to London when she was young.

Her mother starts seeing a man called (Matty) Matthew Melgren, and he soon becomes an important part of their lives.

Suddenly women start to go missing in the area, and bodies are being discovered; they realise they have a serial killer. After a long killing spree for the serial killer Matty is suspected and is charged and sentenced for these murders.

Twenty years later Sophie receives a letter from the prison asking her to visit Matty. It brings many memories back and she tries to work out what signs she may have missed.

Will she accept the request? Will she receive the answers she has been waiting for?

This book was an interesting read, seeing the lives of the family behind a possible serial killer and if there are clues that may have been missed at the time.

Even after reading I’m still not sure I quite know whether Matthew can be believed. His character is one that although charming, also seems quite arrogant.

I liked that you were taken into the past to go through all the moments that they shared as a family and the possible clues, so you could try and work out yourself what you believed.

Overall, an interesting Crime Mystery sharing the lives of the family behind a serial killer.

I received an E-ARC with a request for my honest review.

This is a very cleverly written story. It pulled me in and maintained a looming sense of threat without ever feeling exploitative of the experiences of the real family and friends of people who turned out to be killers. Sophie is an easy to empathise with character. From the child who doesn't see that her feelings are being manipulated by her mother's at best controlling boyfriend, to the adult who lives with guilt mixed with confusion borne from the uncertainty about whether Matty, who has always protested his innocence, is guilty or not.

It feels very realistic. Written between memories of childhood and Sophie's reflections as an adult, if this has been a sold as a memoir I would have easily believed it.

If you like good psychological crime fiction and true crime stories you'll love this.

A deeply disturbing story of a woman looking back on memories of a dark time in her life from childhood until her teenage years. Only by reliving the long unhappy memories of the saga that fatally damaged every part of her life can she begin to see what becomes obvious to us the readers. A journey from America to London to embark on a new life in an alien environment leaves this young child and her mother, a single parent isolated, with no friends, family or safety net. It seems like a gift from the gods when a charismatic, good looking, and charming individual slowly , methodically and manipulatively ingratiates himself into every aspect of their lives. bringing love, laughter and happiness into an empty house. A haunting story of love, loss, fear and tragedy is ruthlessly exposed in relentless horror as the noose tightens on everyone involved in what in hindsight, is methodical grooming by a corrupt individual. A five star read that delivers a clarity and awareness of how true evil operates under the radar of normality for broken families struggling to survive when adversity strikes. Many thanks to author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC .

When Sophie is 12 she and her Mother, Amelia-Rose, move to London from Massachusetts. Sophie’s father is no longer in their lives so despite Sophie’s misgivings about leaving America Amelia-Rose convinces Sophie that it’s a great move. Her Mother soon meets Matty who quickly becomes part of their lives. However a serial killer suddenly starts targeting women who look like Sophie’s mother. This scares Sophie but Matty keeps telling her that they are safe and not to worry.

Matty is then convicted for the murders but several people believe he’s actually not guilty and when years later Matty sends Sophie a letter asking her to visit him in prison will she finally get the full truth?

This had me intrigued from the off. One minute I felt that Matty was guilty, the next not so sure. All through the book Sophie hints at something that she has done and is she to blame. This kept me intrigued throughout and I didn’t expect the twist at the end. Brilliant thriller.

I never repeat the blurb. It took a while to get into this. Frankly it chipped and changed the time of narration that it really needed some temporal signposting. It improved as it went along but the "reveal" was a little too obvious.

I absolutely loved this book. It kept me intrigued and enthralled all the way through. I completed it in three nights. Every time I thought I should go to sleep I had to just read one more chapter. Written through the eyes of the step daughter of a convicted serial killer it keeps you guessing throughout. Is Matty guilty or not? I loved the Authors style of writing and I just got so engrossed. I particularly loved the twist.
Please give this a read if you like serial killer or crime fiction. Very well done!

I’m afraid I found this book a bit predictable and not enough suspense. It did the usual back in time then to the present to tell the story and had the typical twist at the end . It wasn’t all bad but I wouldn’t recommend it to anybody. Only 3 stars from me

I liked the premise of this book - 12 year old Sophie, an American brought to live in London by her mother Amelia Rose, where they become aware of a potential serial killer who appears to be stalking women around the area they live. Mattie comes into their lives, an Irishman with a a big character, who Sophie becomes to think of as a second father. Then doubts set in, is Mattie really who they think he is.

The plot is good, a serial killer, targeting women of a certain type and age, in the area where the two main characters live, but for me it all felt a bit jumbled up, as though it wasn’t sure which way it was going. It did make me read to the end as I couldn’t work out how it would end. It seemed to take a while to get to the point. It was a nicely twisted ending though. just not the book for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I haven’t doubted myself when reading a crime thriller in a long time. This had my head spinning from beginning to end. I felt one thing the duration only for it to be turned on it’s head right at the end. I literally inhaled this book, reading it in under 24 hours while working 9-5. It was so gripping and easy to read. I loved the perspective of childhood Sophie, it kept me wanting me throughout. My only slight disappointment was that I felt the ending was slightly rushed and could of been explained better, but maybe that’s me selfishly wanting more!

I really enjoyed the main part of this book and thought was a good idea for a novel, as in different POV on the serial killer story.
The timeline jumps about quite a lot but the author managed to hold it all together very well and I found it very easy to read.
The MO of the killer was good, quite different and there was some great detailing, as well as some elements of doubt so we could keep guessing.
However, the ending absolutely ruined it for me, the two big reveals were not handled well and certainly not as clever as the author probably thought. When there had been no clue about either to suddenly change everything we had read completely around didn’t feel real or authentic. Both surprises were unnecessary and actually detracted from Matty’s rather more intriguing story.
Also there were a couple of red herrings that I thought were quite interesting that were either forgotten about or dismissed lightly.
So overall I enjoyed the first 90% but felt the ending was quite unsatisfactory.

For a young child, not having a father can be terrible in more than one way. Missing a father figure is one, being bullied in school because other children seem to think there is something wrong with you is two. Sophie is glad to move from the US to the UK with her mother and make a fresh start. We’re talking the seventies here when divorce was still a scandal. And Amelia-Rose, Sophie’s mother, is not even divorced. Sophie’s father just left them.
Sophie tries to adapt to her new life but it isn’t easy. There are many cultural differences between the US and the UK, including the spelling so Sophie has a hard time at school. Luckily, there is Matty, her mothers’ new boyfriend. He becomes the father Sophie never had and she realizes now how she missed a father.
It will take twenty years after Matty’s arrest and conviction before Sophie finally learns the truth. Not only about Amelia-Rose and Matty, but partly also about herself.
Although the story sometimes moves a little too slow for my taste, it was very difficult not to keep reading. The characters are very well drawn out and the writing style is very engaging. I could picture Sophie, trying to fit in a community that essentially is completely different from where she grew up, except for the language. I could picture Amelia-Rose, struggling with many secrets – although we only later learn how many secrets exactly. And I could even picture Matty, the man with many faces.
I would love to read more books by Victoria Selman and I can highly recommend this book.

Thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for this review copy.

This book tells the story of Sophie who has received a request to visit her step-father in prison after he receives a terminal cancer diagnosis. When she was a young child Matty came into her and her mothers life and was a hero to her and the father she never had. Despite his protest of innocence Matty was convicted as a serial killer killing young women in an apparent homage to her mother. Sophie’s life has been shaped by the guilt of should she have guessed, could she have prevented the deaths with an underlying thought of what if Matty has been innocent all along. The book was a real page turner and had a surprising twist at the end. I would definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Sophie has known her mum's boyfriend since she was quite small and she adored him.
He was everything she wanted in a father figure -kind ,caring generous and fun. Unfortunately he is now in prison serving a life sentence for murdering multiple young woman -a serial killer .
He has always protested his innocence and part of her would love to believe him . Now after 15 years she has agreed to visit him in prison . Maybe she will get the answers she craves . Maybe she will get more than she bargained for .....

Thankyou NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review

Truly, darkly deeply was a good idea, but it jumped around so much the novel lost something along the way, although I did like the way it was ended

A great story giving you lots to ponder on through out the story as to what really happened and was it different then what has played out

Truly Deeply Darkly

Sophie was 8 when she and her mother, Amelia Rose, moved to the UK from the US. She is an outsider at school due to her accent and her US spelling of certain words and is bullied. ‘The barcode lines around a teacher’s mouth’ as Sophie is told off for attempting to deal with a bully. But when her mother meets the handsome, charming, Matty Melgren, life begins to improve. She soon begins to see him as the father figure that she never had.
He soon becomes an important part of their lives as Sophie grows up. But he will not commit or marry Amelia Rose which is a source of continual friction between them.
It’s the 1980’s and a serial killer, dubbed by the press as The Shadow, is killing young women in the area of North London in which they live. The descriptions of the victims bear a striking resemble to Amelia Rose which puts Sophie on her guard. The grip of fear in North London due to the Shadow reminded me of the Yorkshire Ripper in the 1970’s. Matty breezes in and out of their lives, often citing late night working or seeing his parents in Ireland at short notice.
Sophie watches her mother’s decline as the relationship becomes toxic. Then, when Sophie is 12, Matty is arrested and convicted of the murders and given 3 life sentences. For the last 20 years he has protested his innocence but now he is dying. Matty wants to see Sophie one last time.
Does he have a confession to make?
But Sophie has one to make of her own…..
The stage is set for a confrontation with a man she once loved and adored and who destroyed so many lives including hers and her mothers.
This was an unputdownable book that explored the feelings of a family who unwittingly harboured a serial killer in their midst. ‘They must have known’ is the obvious, and often spoken comment, and this mother and daughter have had a life sentence of notoriety by association.
The novel is told through an older Sophie’s eyes as, now aged 32, she struggles to make sense of it all and where she is now. Amelia Rose cannot help and Sophie finds it difficult to reconcile Matty as a supportive father figure against the shifting sands of his relationship with Amelia Rose. The reader soon senses the quiet malice, the menace beginning to loom over them once the murders start and the suspicions soon begin. As Sophie says, ‘But the things started to change; gradually, the way the tide came in, inching closer so you don’t notice it, until your shorts are wet and your sandcastle’s a shrinking mound.’
The narrative is interspersed with excerpts from true crime websites, blogs and podcasts in which respondents still find it difficult to reconcile a handsome, charming man becoming a serial killer. There are distinct shades of Ted Bundy in Matty. The ‘80’s background is convincingly portrayed with key references such as Rubik’s Cube and the Royal Wedding.
I wasn’t expecting the final revelation and Sophie ends up wondering if her entire life was a lie and yet the signs were always there. It is a very believable plot which does not have easy answers.
This was a brilliant novel that explored a serial killer from another angle and the conflicted lives they leave behind.
Sophie was portrayed well as she grows up. She is the observer of a toxic relationship which she cannot change. It’s only as she grows older that she begins to understand what’s going on. It’s a sadder, wiser and older Sophie that narrates.
Recommended.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.