Firstly this is a very readable book written from the point of view of a now adult woman whose mother’s boyfriend of many years was convicted of multiple murders but who is now dying and wants to see her. The narrative swings between her as a child and her now a grown woman who questions what she saw, thought and believed all those years ago. There is a huge question mark over his conviction as it was based on circumstantial evidence so throughout the book the reader isn’t sure whether he is guilty or innocent. There are quite a lot of repetition in chapters relating to news/blogs/tv programmes but this didn’t detract too much from the pace.

I found this story very intriguing, the more I read - the more I wasn't sure was he guilty or not? I honestly was not expecting the last part and I also hadn't realised one of the other twists until it was upon me! Really well written and had me gripped.

A great thriller of a read featuring murder and intrigue. Set between last and present it kept me entertained throughout and eager to see how it concluded. Thank you to NetGalley, Quercus Books and the author for the chance to review.

This was a really good crime book. Easy to get into, I found this an absorbing novel, exploring what those close to killers, in this case a serial killer, knew or didn't pick up on. Told from the POV of an adult looking back at her child self and trying to come to terms with her love and experiences at the time, with what she discovered later. It's well done and both the reader and Sophie consider particular incidents, conversations etc. and ask if this were the person you loved, would you have picked up on it? There are no massive shocks, it is more of an exploration of character, and as such the twist at the end wasn't perhaps as hard hitting as it might have been. I did enjoy it, however, and will probably look out for more by this author.

Twenty four years ago, Matty Melgrew became Sophie’s mother’s boyfriend. Twenty years ago he was convicted as a serial killer and imprisoned for life. Matty was a handsome, charismatic, Irish guy, who charmed everyone he met, especially young women. Sophie’s mother, Amelia-Rose, was madly in love and Sophie was besotted. Her father had walked out on them some years earlier, when they lived in Massachusetts, and mother and daughter had emigrated to England to start a new life. When Matty entered their lives they were living in Camden, North London where, shortly afterwards, a young woman is found murdered. Over the next four years, at least ten other murders take place, all with the signature features of the killer nicknamed “The Shadow” by the press. Matty’s appearances are erratic but even though the evidence of his possible guilt is piling up Amelia continues to deny the possibility, blinded by love, while Sophie becomes ever more infatuated. When he is convicted their world falls apart. Now, twenty years later and with her mother long dead, Sophie has received a request to visit Matty in prison, because he is dying. This will be the opportunity to find out if he really was “The Shadow”; the evidence had all been circumstantial and many people, especially young women, continued to believe he was stitched up. Opening up her files of mementoes, newspaper articles, documentaries, and web stuff, Sophie relives the four years between her aged eight and twelve, trying to get her mind and memories straight. Was he really guilty and, if so, how did they manage to blind themselves to the fact? And did their silence mean there were murders they could have prevented?
The story is told from Sophie’s point of view, as she goes through the exercise of exhuming the files, building a time line. So, when she finally faces Matty we are as secure in the back history as she is. If anything new is revealed it will be as shocking to us as it will be to her. This technique is almost epistolary and is very useful for submerging the reader in the character. I found identifying with Sophie to be quite easy, despite being her antithesis in every respect. One problem with the format is that there is a lot of repetition of the details – an item in a newspaper clipping, echoed in a TV documentary, a blog post, a book. In most cases this is for nuance, for hinting at the final resolution, for character emphasis, but I can see it could be annoying to some readers. On the other hand it helps to make it a fast read. Overall, it has some imperfections, but it is quite original in its approach and will not disappoint any reader of this genre.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was thought provoking - usually I can move seamlessly from one book to another regardless of genre - but this one has remained with me for a while. The characters were all relatable and the huge question of whether one of them had or hadn't committed the crimes was handled well and remained a question to keep us guessing. Even bigger twists followed. Would highly recommend.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. It was almost like reading a book about a serial killer posed as a documentary which made it feel like I was reading a true story. The main characters are a young girl and her mum and how their lives change as a result of the mums relationship with Marty. Marty is the closest thing the young girl has ever had to a father figure and over the years they form an unbreakable bond. This story encompasses what it means when you find out the truth about the person you are sharing a home with and how others treat you as a result. Gripping and intense.

This is a good read.
The story is told from the point of view of Sophie who moves with her mother from America to London.
Sophie's mother then meets Matty Melgren and they fall in love and he's also great with Sophie.
Young women in London then start being killed and they all seem to resemble Sophie's mother.
Matty is charged with the murders but maintains that he's innocent.
Present day, Sophie then gets a letter from him asking her to visit him as he's dying. Her dilemma is what to do.
The book goes between the past and the present and it's hard to know who to believe.
Thanks to Quercus Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Compulsive, twisty, fascinating thriller that I absolutely loved. Sophie is daughter to a single mother who moves to London and then finds a boyfriend in Matty. . Sophie adores Matty , he is everything she dreamed of in a father even when her mother seems to be not so sure. But when young women with a definite resemblance to her mother start being murdered, things get very dark. So readable and totally scary.

True to its title a very dark story of a serial killer
Sophie and her mother leave America to make their home in London. Sophie’s mother is single but soon is in a relationship with the charismatic Matty. Sophie idolises him and wishes he really was her father.
It is about this time that a series of murders start. All are women and they bear a remarkable resemblance to Sophie’s mother. The police are stumped and can only wait for the murderer to make a mistake.
This kept me hooked from the start, nothing is what it seems and I certainly didn’t see the final twist.

This is a different take on the usual, serial killer, novel. It is told from the point of view of Sophie, a young girl, whose mother moves them from the US to London in the early 1980's. Once there, Sophie has all the usual struggles of fitting in at school and making friends. However, life improves once Sophie's mother meets Matty Melgren. He not only loves her mother, but befriends Sophie. He brings her favourite ice cream, tells stories, plays games and makes her feel special.

Then, young women in the area of North London (an area I know well, which made the novel more interesting for me) start being killed. They all look a little like Sophie's mother, making her worry that she might be the next victim. Then, as time passes, Sophie begins to worry that it is Matty who is the killer. Years later, Matty, now in prison for the murders, wants to meet and the novel builds up to her visiting him, now dying of pancreatic cancer, in prison, where there is a final twist to the story.

This is a very interesting novel. Sophie is a great character. She is alternately full of rage, jealousy and fear; still a child but interested in the adult world. She loves her mother and she loves Matty. She doesn't want him to be guilty and feels immense guilt, and distress, for what happened, both to the victims and to how those events affected her life. I think this would be an excellent choice for book groups as there is so much to discuss. I received a copy of the book from the publishers, via NetGalley, for review.

I had to put this one down and I haven’t picked it back up yet but maybe I will I just couldn’t get into it myself but thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an arc of this book.

As a fan of true crime, I was really excited to get an advance copy to review (thanks to NetGalley and the author/publisher). Whilst this isn’t a true story, I really felt like I was experiencing what the protagonist was going through. A really interesting point of view from the story, as a child and an adult with links to a potential serial killer. I honestly couldn’t put the book down! Made me think about how difficult it must be for the families/relations of those who have been labelled “serial killers” cope.

Absolutely gripping and spine chilling, right from the start. Following Sophie and her mum, who move from Massachusetts to London in the late 70s, the story centres around a North London serial killer targettingvwomen who look just like Sophie's mum. The book is so compelling because you never know which character is telling the truth, what the secret is about them that we don't know, and what 'it' is that they've done. Horrifically genius. 5 stars.

I enjoyed this novel very much. I connected to the characters, and felt invested in their stories. I would recommend to others!

After her father has left them Sophie Brennan's mother meets Matty Melgren and he becomes part of her life just as a serial killer begins to dominate the news. The women killed all bear a resemblance to Sophie's mother. But who is Matty really and is he the killer? The story is told from Sophie's point of view jumping from her childhood in the 1980s to twenty years later after Matty has been jailed for the murders when he writes asking her to visit him.

Truly, Darkly, Deeply has an unusual theme and is an enjoyable read for fans of psychological thrillers. There was repetition in Sophie's agonising that an editor should have picked up as well as date headers for the past and present. Many thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for the opportunity to read and review this book. 3.5* rounded up.

An intriguing read, with a very interesting point of view. You can tell that Victoria Selman has done plenty of research into serial killers and their motives. I couldn't stop reading this brilliant book.

Truly, Darkly, Deeply Victoria Selman


5 stars

A Brilliant Read

I absolutely loved this book and read it in a couple of days. Right from the beginning I was caught up in the unanswered question. Is Matty Melgren a serial killer or not? Throughout the book I veered from one decision to another much like the main protagonist in the book.

Sophie Brennan moved to London from America with her mother, Amelia Rose when she was 8 years old. She suffered the usual upheaval of setting into a new country and rising above the taunting of her schoolmates but her life is made invariably better when her mother meets Matty, a handsome and charming man whom she soon comes to love as the father that she has never known.

However shortly after Matty comes into her life a succession of vicious murders start happening in and around the area of North London where Sophie and her mother live. It is also disturbing that most of the victims are young women who bear a striking resemblance to Amelia Rose.

The story jumps backwards and forwards between Sophie’s childhood and the current day which is 20 years later. We learn that Matty had been arrested and imprisoned for life when Sophie was 13 but all these years later Sophie still cannot believe that the man she had come to know and love is guilty. Has justice been done or has a terrible mistake been made?

When Sophie receives a request from Matty to visit him in prison where he is dying of cancer she realises that finally she may find out the truth and begin to rebuild her life.

I loved the way the author builds up the story of Sophie and her mother’s life with Matty. Although occasionally it was unsure in which timescale we were I found it easy to follow and had to keep reading to find out what was really the truth.

At the end there was a really unexpected twist which I did not see coming and made this book even better for me. I am now going to read the other books by this author as I enjoyed her writing style so much.


Karen Deborah
Reviewer for Net galley

The title really does sum up this book. Told in the first person by Sophie, it moves forwards & backwards through time & also attempts to rationalise why people, particularly women, are fascinated by serial killers.

Sophie moved to London, from America, with her mother as a young girl. Her father had walked out on them & her mother’s family were very uncomfortable about the whole situation. They meet Matty Melgren & he becomes the partner of Amelia-Rose, Sophie’s mum. This is just what Sophie needs, a father figure, but then he is found guilty of multiple murders.
Over 20 years later, Sophie receives a letter from the prison informing her that Matty is dying & wants to meet. What should she do….?

The story, & in particular the characterisation, is great. Although a little slow in places, it was difficult to put down. The is he, isn’t he guilty question dangles tantalisingly in front of you - I had to know the answer (how we got there was a little convoluted at times). Recommended.

⭐⭐⭐-- Gorgeous cover on this book!

This is one of those books that is just insanely readable and hard to put down. I flew through it all in one go, and I enjoyed it. That said, it had a few issues that lowered my rating a tad. The first being that it was quite repetitive. Especially with Sophie's inner thoughts. The jumping back and forth between timelines could have been made more clear by adding a simple date header. The third issue was that I felt the ending got a little convoluted. There were revelations (most of which I had already figured out) but they came across a little jumbled and vague. Overall, though, it was still an enjoyable read!

**ARC Via NetGalley**