I really wanted to be invested in this story, but it got a little too weird for me. Loved Renney’s sections the most. Disliked Toby’s the most. It was getting a bit too convoluted and long winded by the end and I just wanted to wrap things up. Interesting, but it’s definitely a puzzling long haul of a book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Titan Books for a copy!

A Malfi Maui Monday!
Maui definitely wants to go get the monkey, but I said he has to say happy birthday to @ronaldmalfi instead.
Senseless was, unsurprisingly, fan-fucking-tastic. I knew it would be, but after hearing Ron talk to @claymcleod it jumped up my priority list. This book is SMART.
I was riveted from the start. I knew the three character stories were going to cross, but I had no idea how. I couldn't have guessed what was going to go down. It's nuts-in the best way. I mean, one character fully believes he's a fly.
And that's not the craziest thing.
Senseless is dark and mean and complicated, but you won't want to get off this ride.
Sometimes books like this make you want to take a break. No luck here, just barrel on through. It is so worth the time.
Go pick this up if you haven't, and wish the man himself a happy birthday!

Senseless had an interesting concept, but it didn’t really land for me. The story dragged in parts, and even though the characters were well-developed, I never felt fully invested. It had some good moments, but overall, it just didn’t click. The audio quality was also really bad. Why was this so awkward?

[ ] Malfi is a master of horror, and I'm always excited to get my greedy little hands on new words from him. Unfortunately, Senseless didn't work for me. Certain elements of the story were compelling, like the police detective and his ever-evolving relationship with the spouse of one of his victims. Other elements seemed to only exist to cause confusion. In consequence, the entire story feels disjointed and not cohesive. 2.5 stars rounded up. Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for the gifted copy.

April 26 update: Posted to TikTok. Due to a connectivity glitch, I posted the slideshow twicw, so the views are divided in two posts.

A crime thriller with great suspense, some brolliantly disturbing characters, and intense squelchiness. Many scenes ride psychosexual undertows. This was my first book by Malfi.

After the powerful crime-scene opening, the changing points of view frustrated me at first. I ended up liking the odd, kaleidoscopic nature of the storytelling. It was a fascinating read and parts of it were mesmerizing.

I'm a bit unsettled with the ending.

Favorite Things:
The unusual premise, crime scene depictions, and a horpillilating chapter
Stories within stories
Male grief
Palpable sense of menace
Edges of supernatural horror and dread
A realistic woman in a difficult situation–she’s not a common thriller stock female
Malfi’s use of language is appetizingly crunchy
At times hallucinogenic

Thank you, Titan Books, for the e-ARC for consideration. These are solely my own opinions.

Thank you to Titan Books for my copy of SENSELESS.

This book is a creepy, paranormal mess and I'm here for it. I really enjoyed this one. I loved how the threads of this story intertwined to smack me over the head. I definitely recommend this one.

This was my first read by this author & it was definitely an interesting story. Kept me on my toes & wanting to know what happened next.

A detective is horrified at the discovery of a female corpse mutilated in a very similar way to one that was found a year earlier – as he was absolutely certain the original killer had been dealt with. A writer engaged to a Hollywood producer gets increasingly unsettled after meeting her adult stepson. A disturbed young man who considers himself a Human Fly thinks he has met a female vampire and becomes obsessed with her.

This was just an OK read for me. The mood feels like a 90’s crime thriller movie with a bit of Los Angeles noir. We follow the narration from the 3 perspectives of the above-mentioned characters as we wait for the plots to inevitably converge. My gripe with them is that whilst they start off exciting, they don’t really end in the spectacular climax(es) I was led to expect. The detective and the writer subplots in particular seem to meander aimlessly without bringing much to the case. The writer-and-her-stepson part is definitely the weakest one that made me repeatedly wonder why it was even in the novel. It felt unnecessary and distracting.

The best subplot was definitely the Human Fly one – super interesting, kept you guessing and wondering, especially when the chapel sequence started. I think the book would have been so much better if it focused mainly on this plot, as it was very unique and captivating. It also brought the most horror out of the three.

Another let down for me was being left with too many questions at the end, especially relating to the killer. I would still recommend Senseless for the Human Fly subplot, as it is fantastically written and the descriptions of his “Spider” will stay with me for a long time.

Really enjoyed this one! Another Malfi book that kept me extremely invested all the way through. Excited to see what Malfi has coming in the future

I really enjoyed how the multi timelines all interconnected in the end. Senseless was engaging and compelling trying to figure out the crime. Malfi is so skilled at developing well-fleshed out, complex characters. This dragged a little bit in the beginning but otherwise was a really interesting and crafty psychological thriller/horror read!

Senseless by Ronald Malfi is a thriller that mixes crime, suspense, and the supernatural in a way that only Malfi can.

When a woman's body is found brutally mutilated in the California desert, Detective Bill Renney sees disturbing parallels to a past case that still haunts him.

Meanwhile, Maureen Parker, a writer recently engaged to a powerful Hollywood producer, starts to feel uneasy around her fiancé’s son, Landon. There's something off about him—something dark she can't quite name.

And then there's Toby Kampen, a quiet, isolated man known as "The Human Fly." After meeting a mysterious woman with a monstrous grin, he becomes consumed by a dangerous obsession.

Three strangers, each carrying secrets and scars, find their paths slowly converging. What follows is a haunting and unforgettable story of fear, fate, and the monsters we can't escape.

"We've all got dark secrets."

oooooh! This one was so so good. It sucked me in, right from the start and it was so hard to put the story down. There are a lot of threads and storylines to start. It will be a bit jarring in the beginning but it's neatly broken out into sections that make it easy to keep everything straight.

I loved Renney. He's our detective that is working a case of a murdered and mutilated woman. It's not pretty. It's been a year and he never did solve that one. He's been pulled out to a second murder - and this one is eerily similar to that first one, all the way down to the mutilation.

From there, the story unfolds. There a cast of characters but they are so unique that it was easy to keep them all straight. I loved the mystery, the perfect pacing, the want to know what was coming next. This one kept me guessing to the very very end. And I loved every minute of it! Gory, twisty and so so good! Don't miss this one!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

This book was not for me, this is my first book by this author the writing was very good but did not realize it was a police procedural which always seem to be a miss for me. This book follows three different storylines that eventually come together to tell a pretty gruesome tale. The writing in this book was well done, it was gritty and unnerving and an uncomfortable read. For me police procedurals always leave me feeling like I cannot connect with any of the characters and this one was no different with the different povs it felt in the beginning a bit disjointed but I did like how it came together eventually. I hope to read more from this author in the future. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

I absolutely loved Malfi’s “Come with me” so I was looking forward to reading this one. I must admit it took me a while to get into, and a couple of times I stopped and had to come back to it. There’s three different storylines being followed here and I wasn’t overly keen on any of the characters at the start. However that changed as I learned more and there was just enough time spent on each storyline to give you what you needed. Most of the characters were made to not be liked, and there was a very heavy grief storyline with Bill and “the dead wives club”.
There are some really horrible scenes in this book, and the fly sections really freaked me out, along with when we meet “The Monkey”. I absolutely loved how it all tied together though.

Fans of Malfi will not be disappointed with Senseless - in fact, I think it will solidify him in their top author rankings.

With an atmosphere that started uncomfortable, Malfi's book is tense, leaving you feeling dreadful and shifty. He has managed to craft a book that felt like it had no direction, but the blended into a perfect, horrific story. With three storylines that don't seem like they have anything to do with one another, Malfi creates characters who are worth getting invested in. He manages character depth so well we find ourselves rooting for them, hating them, sympathizing with them.

Senseless comes together as a perfectly eerie read for horror fans. I enjoyed this book and the time I spent reading it. I will be thinking of it for weeks to come and I cannot wait to see what Ronald Malfi does next!

Big thank you to Netgalley and Titan books for the early copy!

This is my first Ronald Malfi book, and now I know I need his backlist. There were times in Senseless that I was baffled how Malfi would bring the three different threads of the book together, but, when he did, it was perfect. I admit to being more invested in one of the storylines than others, but they were all necessary to advance the narrative. I loved the creepy vibes with a touch of the paranormal.

this is my third ronald malfi book, and i really love his writing style. he uses a lot of gritty similes & metaphors that flesh out his stories and make you feel like you’re actually in the story. senseless is no different, but i just wasn’t a huge fan of the story line. i felt confused for the majority of the story. there was a supernatural element that i just wasn’t a fan of, but i really loved malfi’s descriptions of delusion and grief. i also was genuinely so scared sometimes & really impressed with how well he writes horror. though this wasn’t the biggest hit for me, i will keep working my way through his catalog.

thank you netgalley and titan books for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

3.5/5 stars

"Senseless" by Ronald Malfi is a creepy thriller infused with horror and supernatural elements—a solid 5-star read!

The story is told from three distinct points of view. First, we meet Detective Bill Renney, who’s called out to the desert after a mutilated body is discovered. Bill quickly notices eerie similarities to another body found a year earlier. As the investigation unfolds, he grapples with personal struggles while trying to remain objective.

Next, we’re introduced to Maureen Park during her engagement party to Hollywood producer Greg Dawson. Greg and his son Landon from a previous marriage share a complicated and tense relationship, one that Maureen finds herself increasingly entangled in, all while navigating the complexities of Hollywood life.

Lastly, we meet Toby Kampen, a deeply troubled man who refers to himself as a "Human Fly." He faces a number of psychological challenges while attempting to maintain a relationship with a woman he meets at a club.

These three characters come from vastly different worlds, each haunted by personal demons and harboring their own secrets. Ronald Malfi skillfully weaves their storylines together into a shocking and satisfying conclusion.

If you’re a fan of Malfi’s work, Senseless is a must-read. I can’t wait to see what he writes next!

Thanks to Titan Books, Ronald Malfi, and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.

My 2nd Ronald Malfi book and this might be my favorite so far by him. This book was dark and left your head spinning until the very last page.

We are following three different POVs that slowly start to connect throughout the book.

This seems like a dark murder thriller with a sprinkle of vampires mixed in. It was easy to read through the 400+ pages in 3 days. None of it felt boring. All the characters were unique.


Genre: Horror
APK: Ebook
Pages: 432
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Series or Standalone: Stand-alone

I find Ronald Malfi to be oddly hit or miss for me - but when he hits, he really does spin a great yarn! I'm glad to say that this one is a winner.

Devoured over the course of a weekend, this kept me gripped. I was initially worried that the three very diverse narrators would be difficult to jump between without losing the plot, but this wasn't the case at all. As with any multi-narrated tale, just when you're getting really into one strand of the story, we jump to another! A little frustrating, albeit great for maintaining tension in what is already a fairly convoluted mystery.

I was amazed to hear on a podcast that the author wasn't a native Los Angelino, as he captures the spirit of that city so beautifully here in all its fame-spattered mess. Egos, money, madness and blood, this was a David Lynch-style drive through the deserts and boulevards, rich and poor, and I was entirely caught up in every moment.

I don't want to give anything away, and would advise that going in as blind as possible is helpful to a potential reader. Suffice to say that you won't be able to predict what happens from one chapter to the next, and the evocative writing paints an atmosphere that will stay with you in all its bizarre glory.