Truly, Darkly, Deeply isn't the first novel by Victoria Selman, and I doubt it will be the last. This crime thriller takes us on a dark and twisted journey through the eyes of a child, piecing together the puzzle of a childhood that leaves an endless cycle of questions long into adulthood.

Sophie is eight years old when she moves with her mother, Amelia-Rose, from the US to the UK for a fresh start, and not long afterwards Matty enters their lives and changes everything forever. But what we first are lead to believe slowly begins to be thrown into question until the very end where even that isn't quite what it seemed to be, either. The questions that were the most important, the little bits and pieces of information learnt that should stand out are pushed out of mind while we're left to consider others, things that never lead to answers, misdirection on the part of Matty, or so it seems, until we later come to learn the truth.

Written in first-person, present tense, this narrative style is far from unique, but simple and easy to read, and at times long-winded and repetitive, which is one of the reasons I dislike first-person in general. However, considering how the story starts on a letter inviting Sophie to visit Matty in prison and the whole plot builds around that, going backwards and forwards until we finally see her make that visit right at the very end of the novel once we've heard much of their story through the memories of a child, the likelihood of it having the same effect in any other style is slim. There were times throughout where I lost focus due to the rambled narrative, the build-up to the inevitable prison visit seeming to take far too long to reach, and, unfortunately, by the time the twist ending arrived, I had already long-since figured out how it would end. But, overall, the writing wasn't awful, the story wasn't terrible, and it was easy to get gripped by it once I got into the swing of the rambling; it could just as easily have been impossible for me to get into at all from the start, though, but I'm glad I gave it a chance.

Speaking of the ending, it's a shame that to me it seemed predictable in a lot of ways, but it wasn't all disappointing. By the time the end came around, I was relieved for it, as it does go on far longer than the story itself seems to require, much of what's being said has already been said, etc. I took in all of the details we were given, and unlike the direction we were supposed to be lead in, I kept hold of the details that were thrown away, the things the characters never seemed to dwell on, like the passing comment about how the serial killer known as the Shadow could have been a woman, a joke put out there by conspiracy theorists to be sniffed at, a comment that came a few chapters after I first started to wonder if perhaps Amelia-Rose might be the killer rather than Matty who is put into question, or how the neighbour, Des, started to be made too obvious to be a suspect, casting him in a bad light because he dared not to be like everyone else, the fact Sophie let slip where Matty had gone to in Ireland and Des then disappeared, leaving us to think he had followed him only for the body of a child to turn up - if I'm forced to believe something too strongly, then I automatically assume I'm being manipulated - Des wasn't particularly a nice or sympathetic character, he hit his dog and that's enough for me to dislike him, but he did get the short end of the stick. The box Amelia-Rose kept with animal bones in from her childhood, which would be strange regardless of the circumstances - if they had once belonged to a pet, why keep them rather than bury them? It's an odd and highly questionable thing to do, and a detail that I couldn't let go of. I also fail to believe the masks worn with religion on them, people who preach the loudest often have the most to hide, and perhaps we were supposed to think like that, or maybe I'm merely cynical of all things religion, but either way - it automatically made me suspect that she was guilty in one form or another. Come the end, I, like Sophie, came to doubt whether or not Matty was guilty, as I'm sure that was the point, is he or isn't he, but I had no doubt who shopped him in to the police, Sophie's endless guilt with vagueness surrounding it and no answer as to why a child should feel guilt became more and more obvious, too.

But as predictable as the ending started to become, something I think a little less rambling in circles might have prevented from showing through quite so much, there were some things I hadn't been sure of. The fact Amelia-Rose and Matty were playing a game together, killing together at different ends of the scale - one planning, one acting - and all the little details between, the looks and how easily they could have been wrongly perceived, even from the two sides we were lead to wonder between, the games Matty played with Sophie and how she seemed angered by them, not as a mother who was wary of the familiarity between her daughter and boyfriend, but as jealousy, something she liked to think of as theirs, not wanting to share that darkness between them with her daughter as well. The dynamic between them was intriguing to discover as the end unfolded, the final pieces slotting together where they had been pushed into the wrong places beforehand, but the rest I had already figured out for the most part, and I had hoped there might be a few more surprises after the journey it took us to get there.

Overall, it wasn't an awful ending, all of the lingering questions I had were either answered or alluded to, up to and including whether or not Matty was Sophie's biological father - I had wondered why so much secrecy surrounded Sophie's supposed father, why he left, why it was so easily dismissed, shrugged off, and with the repeated mention of how their eyes were the same shape and shade of green told me from the start he was her daughter, the endless protests that he wasn't her father merely a father-figure told me the opposite must be true (protesting too much is always for a reason), but I had imagined various reasons - Matty attacked Amelia-Rose in the US and followed after them when he realised Sophie existed, perhaps, or an affair with a similar outcome, so the fact there was even more to their relationship beforehand that Sophie hadn't been aware of and therefore neither were we until the very end was a surprise, and it's a shame there wasn't more there to go on, some new bit of information to fill us in on further before ending it, a snippet of evidence that was later published in Sophie's account of what happened in an epilogue or something, but with Amelia-Rose long-dead and Matty dying, there wasn't much space for it otherwise.

The only real disappointment with this novel is the way US/UK language is used at times. Sophie is young when she moves to the UK, but she uses more US phrases than Amelia-Rose who is older and more likely, realistically speaking, to hold onto US phrases. Considering how long both of them have been in the UK, even, it seemed unnecessary to have many US phrases left over except to reminds us that she wasn't originally from the UK. It niggled me that it wasn't her mother who used more of them, holding onto her roots, yet she said fish and chips where Sophie said cod and fries back-to-back, etc. It took away from the flow of the story at times with how forced the Americanisms were put in there and through the wrong character all things considered.

It was a decently written story with an intricate plot that starts at the end and ends at the beginning, with a little too much repetition in between, but overall an enjoyable read with enough elements to keep you guessing until the end, and the ending itself is satisfactory, which these days a lot of novels don't manage to pull off well. I'm not sure what the author's previous novels are about, but I'm almost certain I'll at least check them out, possibly even try them, because there's a lot of potential here for intrigue and a little something different from most things I've picked up in recent times. I recommend this to anyone looking for a crime thriller about a serial killer that's a little different to most, less of a two-dimensional detective story and more of a three-dimensional character-driven story with everything wrapped up and nothing really left unanswered. It's all there with a twist.

A gripping read! I loved this book, this contained all the hall marks of a fabulous thriller.. the story moves between past and resent and through Sophie we learn of her and her mothers turbulent relationship with Matty. What a complicated character this man is, from early on you wonder what makes up this mans personality and what is hidden deep below..

Excellent, very hard to put down I devoured this book in a few sittings. Its about a mother & daughter who relocate from US to the UK and the Mother has a relationship with a man who seems like the sweetest most thoughtful guy but then, things start to happen, like women going missing and women being murdered and Matty - who is apparently harmless and sweet - is a suspect in the murders. As the two women struggle to come to terms with the fact he may be involved the story flits between back then and now. It is so good, I really enjoyed it. Good for anyone who likes thrillers or true crime reads.

I enjoyed reading most of this book but found chapters that were a little far fetched and repetitive. Would this plot line truly happen in real life, I’m not sure.? I wonder if we, ourselves, would have picked up the signals that we were closely associating with a multiple murderer, do we really know everything about another person? . Sometimes the quiet ones turn out to be the most menacing, I’m just not sure. This was very well written but left me in two minds about the realism.

this started out with promise was very face paced and i was desperate to keep reading. but then it just slowed down and became incredibly repetitive. The plot itself was a bit underwhelming, and although was an interesting read in places it wasn't particularly thrilling.

Sophie moves with her Mother to London from the US, developing a close relationship with her Mother's boyfriend Matty as the only Father she has ever known. Sophie becomes very concerned when a serial killer starts targeting women who look like her Mother and eventually Matty is convicted for murder. 20 years later Matty asks Sophie to visit him in prison which will give her the chance to finally get to the truth of what happened.

This was an excellent thriller, the first standalone novel I have read by this author. It is written in the first person which brings you closer to Sophie and leads to a deeper development of the character. The book is very cleverly written, moving between Sophie's childhood and present day which enables the story to gradually unfold as the relationship between Sophie, her mother and Matty is explored. It is a very tense and compelling book and I really enjoyed reading it.

Thanks to the the publisher for the opportunity to read this book on exchange for an honest review.

Victoria Selman is an author I'll read anything by, so of course I was excited to pick up an advance copy of Truly Darkly Deeply! My mind was blown! Ms Selman's latest novel is absolutely not to be missed.!!! highly recommended. Thank you to the publisher and to Victoria Selman for the advanced copy.

Thoroughly absorbing and an engrossing read. Sophie’s story becomes deeper and darker over time. Very well written and entertaining. Off to read all the other Victoria Selman’s books now I’ve found her. Highly recommend.

Wow what a mind blowing read Victoria Selmans imagination.
Matty and Sophie bonds is amazing and they have a fantastic bond. When Matty is arrest for murder she's shocked but is he truly guilty. At bit slow at parts but enjoyedable.

Sophie and her mother Amelia-Rose move to London from America and soon meet the handsome and wonderful Matty Melgren, who treats Sophie like his own. Soon after the relationship starts, women that look very similar to Sophie's mother are being murdered all over North London; a serial killer is committing the crimes.

Told through both Sophie in the present and when Sophie was a child and the serial killer active, we learn how the murders affected the family, their relationships and suspicions of each other. In the present day, Matty is in prison having been found guilty of committing the crimes and sends a letter to Sophie asking for her to visit. Still unsure whether the wrong man has been found guilty all these years later, will Sophie finally get the truth she has been searching for?

Truly, Darkly, Deeply started off brilliantly for me. Some of the main aspects of a thriller novel that keeps me turning the pages is excellent writing, a fast pace and short snappy chapters which this book certainly had. In fact, I sped through the first 30% of the book desperate to know what had happened and how relationships had turned so sour.

Unfortunately though after I read through the first 30%, things really slowed down for me. The writing remained excellent but nothing really happened. The fast pace just stopped and what I was reading felt incredibly repetitive with Sophie asking herself the same questions multiple times and each chapter ending with a present day one liner from Sophie that gradually irritated me more and more. Things like "If only I knew what was coming" or "How wrong was I" sort of thing. Fair enough do this on a couple of chapters but it just happened too much for me.

Whilst I did enjoy that we visit Sophie in both the present day and when she is reflecting on her childhood, I sometimes found myself confused and unclear as to when it changed to either time period. Sometimes it would happen very quickly and to me not very obviously so I'd find myself reading back a couple of paragraphs to confirm what time period we were now in.

The ending, the ending! Without giving any spoilers, the ending was SO underwhelming! I was expecting some big twists and turns and I just didn't get any? I was also left with so many unanswered questions and throughout the book there is a sense that Sophie is blaming herself for something, but when it was revealed what this was, I thought really, is that it?

As already mentioned, I really liked Victoria Selman's writing style and the creepy, tense and cold atmosphere she created throughout the entire book was 10/10. Yet the plot itself was a bit underwhelming for me unfortunately. It was certainly interesting to read from the family perspective of someone found guilty of committing these crimes, but ultimately I was not fully invested in the story.

Wow what a mind blowing read Victoria Selmans imagination beggar’s belief a totally new twist on a serial killer.Don’t feel that I want to give any of the plot away,can only say read it for your self and enjoy,

Sophie would be able to tell if someone close to her was a serial killer! There would be ‘tells’; he would possibly be a loner or socially inadequate.

Matthew Melgren was very good looking, charming and intelligent. His warm eyes crinkled when he smiled, and he cared and loved Sophie and her mother so much.

Should Sophie trust her instincts? Did the courts convict the wrong man or has Sophie made a mistake?

I loved this compelling psychological story; the characters real and interesting. The world of the psychopath creates questions to be addressed!

Such an original and intelligent novel. I'm in such admiration of the author to be able to dream this up and pull it off outstandingly. This is the kind of book that thoroughly absorbs you and almost gets under your skin, but in the best possible way. My first from this author and definitely won't be my last!

I LOVED this book! Highly unputdownable! Loved the characters, loved the story, loved the twist - everything. My only note that I hope someone with the power to change it sees: the town in Wicklow, Ireland is called Greystones with an S at the end, not Greystone as it says several times in the book. I'm sure this will get corrected before the book is published, but just in case. Other than that I really loved it!

I’m grateful to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and Quercus books.

I was gripped by this book from the first page. I found the writing style very easy to read and the characters were well developed. The story drew me in and was hard to put down.

However there are a couple of negatives. Sometimes it was hard to distinguish if the chapter was set in the past or the present from the beginning of it. I would have liked a header to make it clearer. There is also a lot of repetition and this slowed the pace making reading quite tedious at times. I skim read through parts that had been already covered. Despite this I did really enjoy the book and would recommend it.

This book grabbed me from just about the first page and I couldn't put it down. The idea turns the usual murder mystery on its head as it's about the family of a murderer (or is he?) and the effects on them. Sophie has known this man as her mum's boyfriend for years now and she adores him. He is charming and great fun to be around, but has a darker side that gradually becomes more evident as Sophie gets older and more perceptive. Murders happen close to the family and Sophie realises to her horror that he might be the person the police are looking for. Her choices then haunt her for years until she sees him again.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of Truly, Darkly, Deeply, a stand-alone psychological thriller set in London.

Twenty years ago, in 1983, Matty Melgren was convicted of serial murder, but is he guilty? It’s a question that has gnawed at Sophie Brennan and her mother, Amelia Rose, who was Matty’s girlfriend. Now Matty is dying will they get answers?

I don’t really know what to say about Truly, Darkly Deeply as it is such a mixed bag with some of it excellent and some of it tediously repetitive and not particularly believable. I think the premise is extremely good and quite unusual. Matty has long proclaimed his innocence, being convicted on circumstantial evidence. His good looks and charismatic personality mean that people believe him, whereas Sophie, who tells the story, wants to believe him, because he’s the father figure she longs for. The answer and the twist are unsurprising when they come, but getting there is where the novel falls down.

The narrative belongs to Sophie but it switches between the 80s and 00s with little warning and is seeping with guilt (to know why the reader needs to read until the end, although it’s guessable enough). Then there’s Sophie’s attachment to Matty, examples ad nauseum of her hero worship and excuses for his bad behaviour. It’s repetitive and circular in its emotion for most of the novel and means that the novel is very slow moving. And yet it is weirdly compulsive- I wanted to know what all the fuss was about and now that I know I’m not particularly convinced. It all seems a bit self indulgent, but perhaps that’s because I didn’t like Sophie, who still seems like a brat at 32.

Truly, Darkly, Deeply is an unusual book that I think will divide readers.

Very well written thriller and I found it very good, it was one of those books that I didn’t want it to end and one wasn’t quiet sure what was coming next ..

While I enjoyed this for the most part, it could have benefited from editing. And to be frank, the ending was unbelievable and undermined a lot of what had gone before. It didn't really make any sense and felt shoehorned in for the sake of a twist rather than being a carefully crafted conclusion.

Could have been better.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

It is long... way too long for what it is.
I found it extremely boring and repetitive. We're going over Sophie's emotions and feelings again and again and again and one more time...
By the time we got to the big reveal, I was so exhausted I was just happy this read was over. It didn't feel like a big reveal though.. 
I found that a lot of things, including relationships between characters didn't make much sense for one reason or another.
I wouldn't recommend it at all. The idea behind it could've made a good short story, but it was dragged too much, stretched over too many pages and repeated the same stuff way too many times..