After Ernie Lipkiss is found dead in the abandoned office building where he worked the security night shift, his old partner Ali Davenport is called in. While police are ruling Ernie's death a suicide, his partner believes that he was murdered. She implores Ali to take on the night shift and prove that he didn't jump to his death, he was pushed, and not just by anyone, by the Knock-Knock man. This revelation throws Ali back fifteen months prior to the devastating events that ended her career in law enforcement and labelled her as a pariah. She takes the case because she is still haunted by the presence of the Knock-Knock man and is determined to uncover the truth once and for all. She knows that she saw him at the Deveraux Estate the night that a young man lost his life, and she intends to prove that he exists, whether man, ghost or other. She befriends a young ghost hunter by the name of Will who has video evidence of someone being in the building...but is it the someone that Ali is so desperately searching for?

I've been on quite a horror kick this year, so when I saw this one pop up on Netgalley I had to request it. The cover drew me in and I feel like it gives an unsettling vibe, which is what I've been searching for. I will admit though, this one really fell short for me, and I'm not sure if it's because I expected something totally different, or if I just got the wrong idea after reading the blurb.

There was some definite creep elements that popped up in this book, and I did have a couple of instances reading this before sleep that I thought maybe I should have picked something else. The first night that Ali is working the night shift in the building, I had chills and goosebumps from certain scenes which I feel shows that Mardell definitely has the ability to write a creepy and atmospheric story. I think what made this book rate lower for me is that it came across mostly as a police procedural than a horror, and that's just not what I was after. It felt like there was a whole lot of setup happening in the beginning, which I get, but it just seemed to drag on for so long before anything really happened, and I honestly really struggled with it. The pacing just wasn't there and it was a bit of a slog for me to get through.

The story, for a portion, is told through alternating chapters of present day and fifteen months ago, so we get the full picture of what happened to put the Knock-Knock man on Ali's radar and everything that went down at the Deveraux Estate which ended her career and turned her into a hot mess. I was really interested in the happenings at the Deveraux Estate and I kind of wish that the book had have been written about that instead of the events after. There was some great scenes in the Deveraux house that gave major creep vibes and I was pretty invested in them as it really drove home the question of - who or what is the Knock-Knock man? I spent a lot of the book not knowing whether he was a regular person, or a supernatural being, which I liked. And there was some touches on the possibility of occult involvement and secret societies. I kind of wish the whole secret societies thing was touched on a bit more because these people are mentioned a handful of times and we get a brief rundown of their organisation, but they don't really play a part except for one thing (IYKNK) and I felt like it was a thread that should have been followed a bit more to add a bit more excitement and mystery to the story. The legend of the Knock-Knock man was really well thought out and definitely terrifying, I was always afraid (and still am) of looking out a darkened window to fine a face peering back in at me, so that was a winner. I just wanted it to be more than what it was and I found that I was pretty disappointed when everything was revealed, all the steam kind of went out of the sails for me at that point.

The characters well written well enough, I didn't overly like Ali though, I know she was going through a lot and I love a flawed character but she had such a huge chip on her shoulder which just overshadowed everything else about her. I really enjoyed the character of Will and I'm sad that Ernie wasn't still around in the present part of the story because I really enjoyed him as well. The character of the Knock-Knock man was so well written, this really shows that Mardell has the great ability to write a truly unsettling, and scary antagonist which is no small feat. Being able to instill fear with a character that you only have glimpses of or are hearing about second hand is amazing, and I really applaud Mardell for that.

Overall, I feel like there were a lot of little details in the story that could have done with some more exploration and deeper diving to really round the story out a bit more. Small things like the repeated mention of the cat at the office building, I thought would lead to something or have more of a point, but it just sort of dead ended, the same with the church and the priest, which I found confusing as they were made significant in the story itself (to me anyway) yet lead nowhere and I still don't understand the point of placing so much significance on them. The same goes for the constant throwback to Ali's father and the beach house and the dress he bought her, it was just sort of there and didn't add anything to the story for me. I wanted more from the occult angle and the secret society and feel that they could have really added something extra to the story. It read more like a crime novel than a horror so it fell a bit short for me because that's not what I was looking for. All in all, it's not a bad story it just didn't live up to my expectations. If you don't mind a solid mystery that keeps you guessing and a spiky protagonist with a lot of unresolved issues, and some threads not being tied up or into anything, give it a crack.

I was super excited about this book! There is nothing scarier than something you cannot see terrorizing you! I was a little disappointed as it didn't fulfill all of my expectations. The characters were lacking a little depth.

The Knock-Knock Man by Russell Mardell is a very in-your-face story about a legend about a man or ghost showing up at a person's window and knocking twice and, if the person sees this man/ghost's face, they end up dead. But is it a ghost or a man? Former police officer Ali Davenport goes through so much just to find out what happened to her friend and former partner Ernie and if his death was really a suicide and to find out who and what this Knock-Knock Man is.

This book really had me from the beginning. It was so good, when I put it down, I always wanted to pick it up again and continue reading it. I always wanted to know what happened next. It is definitely worth the read. It's full of twists and turns and excitement. I would recommend it to all my fellow reader friends, for sure. I love this book. Thank you to Netgalley and RedDoor Press for allowing me the opportunity to read this.

thank you @netgalley and @reddoorbooks for my advanced reader’s copy of this book!

Ali Davenport is a police officer who is forever haunted by one night that changed everything: the night she encountered the Knock-Knock Man. after working a horrifying case involving the death of a young boy alongside an older couple’s suicides, Ali and her colleague Ernie both swear that they spotted the Knock-Knock Man that night, a man that the young boy warned them about prior to his death.

while the case has continued to impact Ali’s mental state & professional credibility, she faces even more trauma after learning that Ernie was found dead at the building where he worked as nighttime security. though his death was ruled a suicide, Ali is more inclined to believe that this is all somehow related to the Knock-Knock Man. and she is not alone, as others suspect that the building has paranormal activity, and that the Knock-Knock Man may be the supernatural force himself.

Ali pledges to find answers on behalf of her friend Ernie after agreeing to take on his remaining overnight shifts. with the help of a young and curious ghost hunter named Will, she untangles a deep-rooted history about the Knock-Knock Man; though not without putting a huge target on all of their backs first.

i’m gonna be honest, this one didn’t do it for me at all. i thought it was incredibly slow and hard to follow along at times. it took me a long time to read because I just really wasn’t excited about finishing it. I didn’t find any of it scary or spooky, and the twists did nothing for me; in my opinion, they were far-fetched and didn’t resolve a lot of the plot. the title and cover had me stoked for a spooky thriller, but I was pretty disappointed despite my high hopes.

on a positive note, I have still seen some great reviews for it on Goodreads, so I encourage you to do more research on the book & check it out yourself if it sounds like something up your alley! published on May 19 and available to you now.

Who is The Knock-Knock Man? A ghost, a killer, or the figment of a frightened boy’s imagination?
It is a question that continues to haunt disgraced New Salstone police officer, Ali Davenport, fifteen months after the devastating case that changed the course of her life. Now, after the death of her former colleague, Ernie, Ali has returned home to face a past that won’t stay buried.
Found in the disused office building where he worked as night security, Ernie’s death has been ruled as a suicide. But not everyone is convinced. Wild stories are circulating about a supernatural presence in the building, an entity that might have attacked Ernie that fateful night. With the sale of the building about to go through, Ali is hired by its owner to work Ernie’s remaining night shifts and debunk the potentially damaging story. An easy enough job, if you don’t believe in ghosts. But then Ali meets Will, a teenage ghost hunter who claims to have evidence on film…
Forming an unlikely partnership, Ali and Will soon fall headlong into a mystery that takes them through New Salstone’s macabre history and into Ali’s own dark past. As the pieces of the puzzle come together, Ali is forced to face the question of The Knock-Knock Man one last time. But what Ali doesn’t know is The Knock-Knock Man has already been watching her for a very long time…

This is a very gripping read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.

This was a good thriller/paranormal/detective book. It is a bit to keep track of in the story because of how many little stories are playing out. It is about a mystery that kills people and the story follows our main character Ali as she deals with the demons of her past and faces her demons in the present. It is a good boogeyman type of story.

2.5 out of 5, rounding down to 2.

It took me so long to finish The Knock Knock Man, and I mean SO long. I don't think I can count on one hand how many times I almost gave up on it.

Don't get me wrong – it's not a bad book by any means. The first few pages were good... but after that, I simply couldn't get into it. The pacing was way too slow for my liking, and it felt like nothing exciting was happening until around the 60% mark. It wasn't until the 65% mark that I started really enjoying it, though. It's a shame, really, since I had high hopes for this book.

Also, I was constantly lost, even during long reading sessions. I don't have a problem with books that jump from scene to scene, as long as the transitions are good... which they aren't in this book.

Plot-wise, it was alright, I guess. I didn't find this scary, not in the slightest, but I actually like the twist. The writing was also pretty decent. It's really just the pacing that ruined it for me.

I found this book to be a definite page turner, though maybe I shouldn't have stayed up half the night just because I didn't want to put it down. I was jumping at noises outside!! It was different than the normal thrillers I read, but an author I will be adding to my reading lists.

That s is a difficult one to rate. On one hand it was spooky and the characters were pretty all right. on the other, this story crawled so freaking slowly and the writing was bigger down with a lot of unnecessary purple prose. This is certainly a mixed bag.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

This book was so creepy - but that was what I was expecting it to be.
At times, I got 'The Chalk Man' vibes from it - in a good way.
My only complaint it, I felt the book was a tad bit slow for my taste, except the pace, everything else was so enjoyable.

My Review - ⭐⭐⭐.5

Definitely a creepy read and not one to miss if you like a spooky read. I loved Ali & Will, thought they were really well written characters. I liked the mix of paranormal experiences mixed into a mystery/detective type story.

All in all a good read, not my fave of the year but a solid book

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Ali is a British police officer who recently got off a case that affected her so deeply she had to leave the force. Called back to action after her partners death. She starts to investigate further the crime that ended her career. This book was a mix of supernatural and crime thriller. It was a pretty good book and parts of it were amazing. It was a bit slow to start and Some parts fell flat and left me wanting more. I gave this book a 3 because it was overall pretty good but I was hoping for more. I received a copy of this book as an ARC and am leaving a voluntary review. Thank you to #netgalley and the author for letting me review this book!

I think there's a lot of potential and good ideas but the pace was too slow and it didn't keep my attention
Not my cup of tea
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Unfortunately, this was not for me. I found it too slow and not scary enough. But as you can see, I'm an outlier, so it might work for you.

A sharp, chilling mystery with tremendously engaging characters, written in taut prose. This book is original, suspenseful, and with complex characters that spring irresistibly to life on the page! Wonderful…

Ali left the police force in disgrace 15 months earlier following a bloodbath of a murder scene. When her former partner dies by supposed suicide, questions are raised about murder or involvement by the Knock-Knock man, described the night of the earlier incident by a teenage boy as a ghost or...something. It's unclear for most of the story if this is a supernatural thing or an actual person. This was good in that I was interested to keep reading and find out more, but I didn't end up liking the resolution of it all that much. 3 stars.

not for me but I think other people's might really enjoy this I just didn't click with the writing style but the actual story was interesting

I love a good paranormal thiller so I jumped at the chance to read the Knock-Knock Man. While the story was great, the dualling time lines, dream sequences and erratic characters made for a difficult story to follow.

This was a gripping read that was well written with a riveting storyline and well developed characters. It was dark and twisty and I couldn't put it down.