THE HUNTER'S DAUGHTER by Author Nicola Solvinic is a chilling, highly addictive debut that gave me serious goose bumps. There's a supernatural element with an air of malice lurking that saturates the pages of this story, leaving readers jumping at night sounds. I burned through this book with trepidation over what would happen next, afraid to continue but unable to stop. You'll want to settle in with the lights on to read this one!

As a young child, Elena loves nothing more than spending long days meandering through the forest with her beloved father Steven Theron, listening to him speak of spirits, fairies and the Forest God. Despite her mother's disapproval, her days are idyllic until the day she ventures out alone and stumbles across a horrific discovery. Severely traumatized, Elena’s memories are repressed, and she grows up to be Anna Koray, a respected police officer where no one knows she's the daughter of the notorious Forest Strangler.

Lt. Anna Koray is off duty when she arrives at the scene of a domestic dispute. Things quickly go south when she inadvertently comes in contact with PCP and is forced to shoot the domestic perpetrator in the line of duty. Awakening in the hospital, Anna is disoriented and suffering hallucinations. She's assured it's her exposure to the PCP, but as more of her dark memories surface, Anna's left fearing the unknown. When a young woman's body is discovered in the same manner as her father's victims, rumors of a copycat serial killer arise. Anna panics when she starts getting cryptic notes claiming to "know who she really is", leaving her to wonder what she does during periods of blackouts. One thing is clear. Someone is killing young, blonde women again. Is it a copycat serial killer? Did her father somehow escape execution? Or has the darkness brewing inside her surfaced? Anna needs answers and to get them, she must unmask a killer. Even if it destroys her world.

Author Nicola Solvinic has rendered a mesmerizing tale that's impossible to put down in THE HUNTER'S DAUGHTER. Anna is a unique, conflicted character that struggles to separate fact from myth. As a respected police officer, she strives to do the right thing, but as the traumatized daughter with the genes of a serial killer father in her veins, she's lost in a world of smoke and mirrors. Slovinic does an amazing job of drawing attention to the long-term psychological effects of trauma on fragile minds as she explores the issue of nature vs. nurture. She flawlessly weaves the supernatural aspects of this story with forensic science. The imagery is brilliant creating a highly visual, tingle all the senses setting. Characters are as real as they are illusive, charging readers with sifting through all the hidden clues and red herrings to follow the breadcrumbs through twists and turns before arriving at the epic climax. While I had an inkling about what was happening that proved to be true in the end, it in no way lessened the dramatic impact of experiencing this stunning story.

THE HUNTER'S DAUGHTER is a raw, gritty, all-consuming psychological thriller that is masterfully rendered - a unique jewel in the genre. Author Nicola Slovinic's skill is evident as she expertly manipulates characters and readers and monsters through a tunnel of darkness to emerge at the end. Themes of good vs. evil, nature vs. nurture and the aftereffects of trauma are managed with skill and grace. Highly recommended to fans of mysteries, suspense and thrillers.

Anna Koray is a well respected cop. When a domestic dispute call puts her life in jeopardy, it's just the start of a downhill fall. Anna is the daughter of infamous serial killer the Forest Strangler. Only, she doesn't remember that until recently. During her childhood a therapist locked away her past and now it's slowly seeping out into her life. When women turn up murdered in a similar manner as her father, doubt begins to weave into her present. Who could be doing this and how is it connected. Anna questions her actions, maybe she could be involved, maybe her father wasn't executed all those years ago, or finally maybe Veles, the forest God is responsible.
Anna intertwines herself into the new investigation putting herself and the case at risk. One wrong move and her house of cards will come tumbling down. She's desperate for answers, what if she's a monster just like her father.

This was a breakout debut novel. Nicola created a damaged character her felt on edge. Anna was unreliable and just on the brink of crazy. Her story is well defined and evolves. There were a few side stories that didn't seem super important and the ending could have been stretched a little longer. There was a sense of urgency and everything was tied up in the end. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.

The story's premise was intriguing, exploring whether evil traits can be inherited. The plot was well-crafted, with many small twists, though I wish it had been a little darker. I appreciated the psychological aspects of the story, particularly the ongoing trauma of being the daughter of a serial killer, the psyche of one’s mind, and the ethical implications of a psychiatrist using memory manipulation

This was an intricate and fast paced read that had it's hooks in me from the first chapter.

Locked away memories resurface when Anna shoots a man in the line of duty. She has come a very long way from the childhood she experienced. Parsing through the wonderful and terrible memories of her father, Anna becomes aware that she is the daughter of an infamous serial killer, but all of that information was suppressed when she was adopted.

When her team begins investigating a new string of murders that are eerily similar to the crimes of her father, Anna is fearful that everything will come crashing down around her. There is a copycat on the loose because her father was put to death for the murders he committed, and Anna is in a unique position to uncover the identity of the new killer, while hopefully staying under the radar.

I thought this was really unique. The mystery and thrilling aspects of this book held up from beginning to end. I got invested in the characters and the paranormal levels to the story. So well done!

I absolutely love it when a book surprises you with how good it is. When I received this book from Netgalley I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it. The premise sounded good but I just wasn’t sure. Quickly into the book I was so glad I gave it a try. The book starts with Anna responding to a domestic assault call, even though she is off duty. She ends up killing the perpetrator and awakening memories she didn’t realize she had lost. The book evolves to show Anna (Elena’s) relationship with her parents, her discovery of her father’s horrible crimes, and how she ended up the adult she became. When bodies start being discovered with the same MO of her father Anna must figure out who is behind the deaths in order to protect her new identity.
Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for allowing me
To read this wonderfully enjoyable book.

The story's premise was intriguing, exploring whether evil traits can be inherited. The plot was well-crafted, with many small twists, though I wish it had been a little darker. I appreciated the psychological aspects of the story, particularly the ongoing trauma of being the daughter of a serial killer, the psyche of one’s mind, and the ethical implications of a psychiatrist using memory manipulation.

Think you to NetGallery and to Berkley Publishing for giving me a copy of the book.

Anna is the daughter of a serial killer, who’s childhood memories were sealed away via hypnosis. She’s now a detective lieutenant and has come a long way to overcome her father’s shadow.

When Anna kills a man in the line of duty, her suppressed memories return. To her horror, a serial killer emerges who is copying her father, and who knows her real identity which threatens everything she has built since.

Can Anna find the killer before she loses herself to the darkness?

This book! Oh, this book was so much fun!

Anna was a very well rounded, and complex character. We delved deep into the trauma that made her the way she was, and I appreciated it. I loved getting to know her from childhood to the detective lieutenant that she became. She really overcame a lot being the daughter of a serial killer and dealing with the fall out of that. I enjoyed it when her memories were coming back to her and getting to see flashes into her childhood.

While the twist at the end wasn’t entirely unpredictable, the why was what I was waiting for, and I was not disappointed with it. I also enjoyed the smaller reveals, and a few of them I didn’t see coming. I do wish that we would have gotten a little more backstory into why the big twist was the way it was, but for the sake of being a long book it did work.

This book was wonderfully well written and dives deep into what it takes to deal with trauma. There are some darker elements, as you can imagine being the daughter of a serial killer, but I would say there are also horror elements as well when the god of the forest was discussed.

I also particularly enjoyed the ethical limits explored with the memory erasing.

I can’t believe that this is a debut novel. It knocked my socks off and was a delicate balance of a thriller. If you are a darker themed thriller fan, then you’ll want to check this one out. I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next.

A Copy of this review will be featured on my blog during publication week.

This is a well written psychological thriller, dealing with the effects of severe trauma and how it shapes us. Anna, a police officer, is the daughter of a famous local serial killer. Her memory was tampered with and her name changed and adopted into a new family. When the killings start up again, it raises lots of questions, is he still aive, is it a copycat, is she a killer or is it someone close to her. There is a depth to this book, not usually found in this type of thriller which I appreciated.

This book is both haunting and equal parts thrilling! Anna Koray was jettisoned out of her family years ago when her father was arrested as a serial killer. Adopted, she moved through the world unscathed and became a police office. It is not until she suffers a trauma at work and a series of copycat-like murders occur that she is truly forced to deal with her past.

Solvinic has created a complex character in Anna -someone who is so desperate to return to her childhood and yet so strongly avoiding it. Add in a slew of great characters and you are in for a perfectly tempoed thriller of who is the killer now! Highly Recommend.
#thehuntersdaughter #nicolasolvinic #berkley

4 stars

This is an exciting and somewhat unique page turner. There’s so much going on but not too much that you can’t keep up. This is exactly what I want and expect out of a thriller.

First off, huge thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! I read this in a day so there is that… It’s a debut novel about a female police lieutenant who is secretly the daughter of a notorious serial killer. That’s not a spoiler FYI. After decades, bodies start turning up again with crime scenes frighteningly similar to her father’s MO. Copycat? Coincidence? Lots of intriguing characters and twists and turns. My biggest complaint would be a spoiler so I’ll leave it out but all and all this was an entertaining read.

The Hunter's Daughter has distinct, memorable characters with varying personalities. There are a few sub-plots happening throughout that help develop the main plotline, and kept my interest. This book will keep readers turning the pages, and will have them looking for the next Nicola Solvinic book.

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Random House for an early copy of The Hunter's Daughter by Nicola Solvinic

Elena Theron/Anna Koray has been overtaken by the forces of an Eastern European myth and struggles in both her personal and professional life. Has her father, a convicted serial killer, left his mark on her and caused her to carry on his horrendous legacy?

Elena/Anna shows profound weaknesses in her day-to-day attempt to live a normal life; she cannot be honest with the man in her life and comes to question his motives; she disobeys an order from her Chief that she take time off after she kills a civilian in self-defense, she breaks into her therapist's office with the purpose of removing her own files; she accepts a phone call from a car dealer at 3:00 in the morning. Does any of this make sense when she is a sworn servant of the public?

The characters fail to resonate, and the finale to the story is less than satisfactory.

Engaging and entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.