Interesting premise. The characters were a little predictable, as was the "twist" but it was a fun and quick read.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Tension filled and original debut!

Cyra Griffin is looking for answers after her sister is murdered. The police suspect a serial killer but they have no leads. Cyra takes things into her own hands when she stumbles upon a support group for serial killers. Could her sister’s murderer be in that group? Of course she decides to infiltrate that group. But as Cyra dives deep into the serial killers’ world, she may discover that revenge comes at too high of a cost.

This story is written well, it is dark and darkly funny at times. It is also twisty, thought provoking and a little bit campy. If you can suspend belief and just enjoy the ride, then put this one on your TBR. This is definitely an author to watch!

Thank you Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 18, 2025

This book is so unique with the content!

Cyra wants to know who murdered her sister, Mira. It’s been 2 months since Mira was found murdered and the police are saying Mira may have been murdered by a serial killer. Cyra’s friend, Eli, works at a job where he can possible access files related to past murders. Eli informs Cyra about a Serial Killer Support group that allegedly meets in New York to discuss their murders and techniques. What better way to possibly crack the code police can’t seem to crack? Cyra decides she’s going to infiltrate this Serial Killer Support group to hopefully solve her sisters murder.

After Cyras “initiation process”, she disguises herself and attends her first meeting. All of the members are named after parasites, Whipworm, Lamprey, Cockoo, Sandra Fly, Pea Crab, Mockingbird and she is now known as Mistletoe. Python is the mediator of the group, just to watch over things and ensure the safety of the meeting. Lamprey discuss’ with Cyra that he thinks there’s a rat in the group. He also ensures he knows a lot of information about the members, but he wants Cyras help to discover the rat. But can she REALLY trust Lamprey? How far will she risk her own life to help a serial killer, and will he actually give her any information?!

This is definitely a unique twist on a thriller/mystery. Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a different approach! The story is told mostly revolving around Cyra, but there are 7 additional chapters throughout the book for each serial killer. It’s a wild concept and an even wilder ride with some twists. Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I love a good final girl story, and this was a fun little twist on that.

Mina was murdered in cold blood, and her sister, Cyra wants to know who did it. The police are useless and it feels like no one else cares. So what does one do? Hop on the dark web and join a support group for serial killers. She's convinced her sister's killer is among them, and while skirting the rules, she's determined to figure out who it is and make them pay. Even if it means forming an allegiance with some unscrupulous people.

If you require your characters to be likable--this book is not for you. I didn't like a single character, but I was SO invested in seeing how everything played out. I do think the plot meandered a bit--we get the backstories of the killers in the group randomly interspersed throughout, and while SUPER interesting, I don't think it really added anything to the overarching plot in the way they were included. While it would have gone against group rules to share those stories in group, I think that would have made a lot more sense and would have been a helpful driver of the plot vs. the reader getting "fun" information that Cyra herself didn't have.

Cyra isn't a final girl in the traditional sense, but she sure does act like one would post horror. She's blinded with thoughts of revenge, consumed by her rage, and also determined to hide who she really is from the world. Including herself.

This was a fast read that I think true crime fans and horror fans alike would enjoy--it's dark without being overly gory, and the themes hold true to a lot of horror film conventions. While I don't think this held up perfectly in execution, I still had a good time and really enjoyed this.

I always love murder/thriller books that are not told from the detective side/have a murderer POV. This one fell almost in the middle of that, but was still entertaining. Realistic? I feel like it was absolutely not. Did I enjoy the book? It was a fun read. Would i recommend it? Sure! To people who like the murderous details and don’t get hung up on plot holes. There are a few things in this book that are like oh come on, there is no way this is realistic (how this small girl is able to overpower large serial killer men or the main character jumps straight to murdering the person she believes killed her sister,) Also why is she SO sure the murder is in this support group? It’s NYC, serial killers are notoriously 1 wolf pack types. If you don’t let the little things catch you up, the book is overall entertaining!

Serial Killer Support Group by Saratoga Schaefer is a dark, funny thriller about Cyra, who fakes being a serial killer to infiltrate a support group and hunt down her sister’s murderer. But keeping up the act gets tricky—especially when real killers are involved.

🔪 M U R D E R O U S M O N D A Y review 🔪 featuring “Serial Killer Support Group” by Saratoga Schaefer!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤/5

Cyra Griffins’s younger sister Mira is murdered by a serial killer while out on a run. There is a stand still in the investigation where the police don’t have any further information for Cyra. She decides to take the matter into her own hands … even if it costs her own life.

Insider information tells her about a top secret support group for serial killers. Cyra figures that if she can get herself a spot in the group then she can possibly come face to face with her sister’s killer. But in order to get accepted into the group, Cyra needs them to believe that she is one of them. What better way is there to find Mira’s killer than inserting herself into a setting of dangerous killers??

Thank you kindly to @saratogaishere @crookedlanebooks @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. This book releases on March 18, 2025!

This book was nit what I expected. It was better in some ways like character development but that left the plot lacking just a bit. Overall, a solid 3.

Well, this read was okay. Not great, not horrible. The whole idea of a support group for serial killers just was odd for me.

I think I expected more about the individual characters than what we did get. And, Cyra... Just didn't do it for me. I wanted to like her but I didn't from the very start. Honestly, I was more interested in the other characters than her. The only thing that really kept me going was the question of who killed Mira.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane books for providing this ARC for my honest review.

#NetGalley #SaratogaSchaefer #SreialKillerSupportGroup

this.... sure was a book.

it's right what it says in the description. there's a support group for serial killers, there are snacks, and you really have to rely on suspension of disbelief to get through it. the dialogues feel unnatural, veering too much into meta comments about how we consume true crime irl and view serial killers; while it CAN be done well, it felt forced and clunky to me in this case

jumping to conclusions about mira's killer being part of the group made no sense to me. i understand we see what we want to see, but cyra was too convinced of this and didn't even have a backup plan. the twists were predictable, imo, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but i wanted to be surprised. every character but cyra felt flat and underdeveloped.

overall, this was just fine. not glaringly bad or anything, but underwhelming.

After Cyra’s younger sister is murdered, presumably by a serial killer, she takes the investigation into her own hands. She feels like the NYPD isn’t doing enough or fast enough. She goes to the dark web and finds herself breaking into a serial killer support group in hopes of finding the one who took her sister. As she attends these meetings and gets to know these killers, she starts to worry that the character she is playing for them isn’t really a character, but instead worries she might be one of the monsters.

The idea of this book was interesting and different, I just struggled with the execution. The writing feels choppy and the pacing is off.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane for this ARC.

Tired of waiting for the police to investigate, Cyra Griffin infiltrates a support group for serial killers in order to find the person responsible for her younger sister's murder.

I was so intrigued by the premise for this book, and it definitely was an entertaining read. It was a little infuriating at times, and I found it to be quite predictable, but it still kept engaged all the way through, and there was some interesting commentary all throughout. I enjoyed the way background information on every character was sprinkled in, and the fact that it was not meant to make you like any of them. The writing is great, witty and sharp, overall perfect for the kind of book this is. While I don't think it's anything absolutely mind-blowing, it remains a solid, enjoyable read, with a very unique concept, and good writing.

Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books & NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

This is a great idea that never came to full fruition. I hate leaving bad reviews so I'll just say there is not much for me to compliment. I wish there had been more originality, better characters, and stronger editing.
#NetGalley

Obviously I didn't love this but I didn't quite hate it either, yet it was still just shy of mid. The serial killers were all pretty one-dimensional and stereotypical, though I did like one of them only because he was a bit cheeky (he was also the only one we'd see more of outside of the group). It started off a bit slow for my taste but began to pick up about a quarter of the way through, so that was a relief.

As far as characters go, Cyra was very unlikeable and I liked that about her. There were moments where I felt incredibly bad for her because of how she was treated but she also put no effort into bettering herself and some things were definitely her fault. The most annoying thing about her was the amount of times she mentioned switching into her other persona. We also got short chapters of each killer's past so that was a fun inclusion. Some dealt with their "origin" and others their "downfall" so to speak. When it comes to Cyra's sister, Mira, you'll find she's just as bad as every other character in this story. Obviously, she didn't deserve to be murdered, but this story is full of unlikeable characters and I don't recommend it if you don't like reading about people you're supposed to hate.

This is about exactly what the premise promises; very quick and to the point. I was able to guess the killer so my mind wasn't blown or anything but there was one detail that surprised me so this ended up being somewhat thrilling.

I really loved the concept of this book and the read didn't disappoint, I'm not sure if I was supposed to like the characters, but they were well rounded and human, and had an engaging quality about them, that I was fascinated spending time with them and loved the dynamics of the relationships.

I will add more to the review once I've sat and processed the book more.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

I will be publishing on Amazon and social media on release day

What a debut by Saratoga Schaefer! Serial Killer Support Group is a gruesome horror novel in all the best ways. Cyra's sister has been murder, and after getting not a lot of help or hope from the local police department, she decides to take things into her own hands. She hears from a friend about a serial killer support group that can be found on the darknet, and decides to try and infiltrate it. Infiltrate it she does, as she becomes a bonafide member of the group. Next up, figuring out which of the group members is her sister's killer. This part is harder, especially as she is the only female of the group. Cyra must keep her wits to outsmart the serial killers as she delves further into the lives of these killers. 4 stars!

This book was so much fun. I loved the idea of Cyra infiltrating a group of serial killers. This had a wild cast of characters. So many of them seemed like they could have been guilty of her sister's murder. The ending of this had me absolutely shocked!

I really enjoyed The Serial Killer Support Group. You can be spoilt for choice in the serial killer genre but I found the book to have a really unique take.

If your sister has been murdered and the police investigation is going nowhere, you are bound to consider taking matters in to your own hands. When you get a tip off that your sister’s death has the hallmarks of a serial killer and that there is a serial killer support group operating nearby, what better place is there to get the answers you are craving, root out the killer and get your revenge?
I found this book got under my skin very quickly. I was consumed by the mystery of which person was responsible for the Cyra’s sister’s death. I dreamt about it and I grabbed every chance I could to read on. There’s a whole host of frightening yet fascinating characters and I especially enjoyed the vignettes where you found out the background on each killer. I loved how my opinion chopped and changed the further I went in to the book. The transformation in the main character is portrayed really effectively by the brilliant writing. There’s some elements of the book are left unfinished but in my experience, it’s not frustrating. Instead, it makes me hopeful for a sequel. If there is one, you’d better believe it’s going straight to the top of my TBR list.

Thanks for the author, publisher and NetGalley for a chance to read an advanced book in exchange for an honest review.

Cyra's sister is murdered, so like any rational person (maybe not) she joins a support group for serial killers to try and find her sister's killer.

Excellent story idea, very good execution.
It did take me a little while to get into this story, but soon enough I was hooked and just had to finish it.
I will admit that I did pick what was going to happen, but that didn't make the journey any less enjoyable!

4 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I struggled a bit with rating the Serial Killer Support Group. It started strong and I was really enjoying it, but I got a bit bored by the end, so I've settled on mid of the range, 3 stars.

As mentioned in the burb, Cyra infiltrates a suppor group for serial killers in the hope of finding out who killed her sister. She has to do some unthinkiable things to be accepted into the group and once she is in she needs to watch her back. As the story unfolds we see more of Cyra's dark personality as she becomes more like the other members of the group. I liked the chapters dedicated to each serial killer. I was a bit bored by the end so wasn't particulary surprised or even interested in who the killer was.

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advanced reader copy.