I had a great time flying through this one. The chapters are short and right from the beginning full of intrigue, plottwists and tension. I found myself invested from page 1. It was a really fun reading experience, the book being filled with some great action and a million plottwists that left my jaw open.
We follow a huge cast of characters so it could get a little confusing at times, but I think J. H. Markert did a great job at writing it in a way where you still managed to keep up and grasp the connections. I loved how somehow everyone ended up connected, even if it was a little unrealistic.

My biggest complaint is that I'm left with some questions. I didn't like that the book simply ended with catching the killer instead of exploring the motives and explaining the exact outcome some more. We were given enough explanations for it to make sense, but I just wished we had explored it a little more since the final reveal is pretty aprubt.
Additionally, I wish we had gotten a deeper dive into that farm and what exactly had happened to those children. It's such an interesting concept and so important to the story that I felt it should have been explored more.

It's a great thriller that will keep you in your toes guessing the entire time.

Spider to the Fly by J.H. Markert

A farm appears as the dust devil plumes effortlessly through an open dirt patch, its vortex speeding, trapping everything within reach. This “farm” is unlike a traditional patch of land used for agriculture—a steady hunting ground for those to be consumed by the alpha. The soil is sodden with echoes of experimentation, human study, and analysis. J.H. Market spins a meticulous web of treachery, where everything isn’t quite what it seems, and the reader is rendered hopeless in spider silk until we are allowed to slowly inch closer to the web's core.

Ellie Isles, orphan, mother, and survivor, is obsessed with a serial killer named the Spider. Bodies placed along a path of I-64 have a distinct calling card: death by arachnid bites. One victim hits close to home, sharing an eerily physical resemblance to Ellie herself. Ellie laments a past existence of her life, although pieces are fragmented and escape her memory. Ian, Ellie’s therapist, has worked through some of Ellie’s painful memories as more truths come to the surface. Ian receives a phone call during one of Ellie’s therapy sessions; this unforeseen interruption will uncover all the connections and deceptions within her life as she knows it.

Twins. Amazingly, two individuals share a similar appearance, and yet their personalities yield no likeness whatsoever. The confusion to an onlooker: With whom am I speaking? The Spider or the Fly, perhaps? That is to say, the killer or the victims. Hunt or be hunted. What if human experimentation were to enhance behavior negatively? For example, forced torture on a human being to inflict schizophrenia? Then, wiping the slate free of any wrongdoing on the subjects through hypnosis. Sheer blasphemy. Welcome to Spider to the Fly!

The novel maintained a mind-boggling trajectory throughout. Fast-paced, yet quite introspective. Flowing steadily, like the story, the blood ran through my veins at the next reveal. The mental anguish is quite alarming. Generational genes are passed down like heirlooms to the next generation; the only savior is not being taught by those with malicious intent. All were caught within a web spun with its intent to harm, inside of the spider’s mind.

A fabulously crafted horror novel. However, be aware of potential triggers such as rape and torture, which may negatively provoke some. Not often do I meet a horror title that I feel challenges my wit, but in this instance, I had met my match. Twists and turns, like a sidewinder slithering along a hot dune. I was kept out of the loop until the final conclusion, where all the stories meet in the central hub. A brilliant cat-and-mouse game, invoking heartache for all the victims involved, alive or dead. I am giving this 4.25 out of 5 stars and would highly recommend it!

Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books for the ARC through NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion.

So you have a serial killer....not only that, they havent been caught yet....and there are so many spiders. As someone who absolutely is not a fan of spiders, getting through this book was something else. The true crime atmosphere, the dark spooky vies, the suspense, the feeling of anxiety, this book had everything you could want. I loved it....except for all the damn spiders. :)
It was flippin fantastic@@

LOVED THIS BOOK! IT WAS BOTH TWISTED (WILD AND DISTURBING) AND HAD LOTS OF TWISTS. THE STORY WAS UNIQUE AND KEPT ME GUESSING FROM ONE PAGE TO THE NEXT. TRIGGER WARNING: SPIDERS. LOTS OF SPIDERS. FOR ANYONE WHO LIKES FAST-PACED THRILLERS, THIS IS FOR YOU!

well done, well written thriller with some strong writing styles. the style is quite cool. 5 stars. tysm for the arc, would recommend.

This book is gripping, addictive, dark, tense, twisted, and hard to put down page turner! The tension, dread, suspense, and danger intensified as the book progressed. This book has many layers and readers slowly get to learn more about the characters and their pasts/younger days. was engrossed from page one, and I rarely diverged from that feeling throughout. The premise of this book was so unique and the entire plot was so well and thoroughly developed. He threw in twist after twist and I still never saw the biggest one coming. It was jaw dropping for sure. This was a really amazing book.

Thank to the publisher and NetGalley.

I loved this book! Could not put it down. Will definitely be looking out for more from this author. Thank you!

I enjoyed this and felt very invested in the characters. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This book had me hooked. A serial killer on a spree that’s lasted years. Multiple families with multiple secrets. This book gave The Institution vibes by Steven King!
This book took twists and turns, featured true crime and came to a conclusion I did not see coming. It was anxiety inducing and I was implored to keep reading. I really enjoyed the multi POV! Easy 5 star thriller!

Cult vibes and twists that kept me surprised are a recipe for a fun time in my opinion. This was a quickly paced thriller and I was intrigued from the beginning. I will read more from this author!

Spider to the Fly is a gripping, un-put-downable serial killer thriller that hooks you from the very beginning.
The protagonist, a true crime buff, finds that she is identical to a victim of the killer 'the spider' who hasn't been caught and writes about the case - she then finds herself right in the mystery and the thick of it working to solve the case with the detectives.
It's a dark, tense and incredibly written thriller.

While this book had an interesting premise, and I’m always up for a good serial killer thriller, this just missed the mark for me. The whole multiple twins and mistaken identities was such a plot killer to me and felt utterly ridiculous. Most of the characters just felt flat or reduced to one main personality trait from their trauma. I definitely didn’t get the supposed horror vibes, just a run of the mill thriller mystery. Unfortunately the whole book was a miss for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Spider to the Fly by J.H. Markert is SO ADDICTING. Right from the first few pages, you just know this story is going to get your skin crawling.

Content Warnings: Child abuse, mental illness, suicide, torture & more.

Let’s dive in!

My Thoughts on Spider to the Fly by J.H. Markert –
From the chilling moment Ellie Isles sees her own face mirrored on one of the Spider’s victims, she’s pulled into a murder case that feels disturbingly personal. What begins as fascination quickly spirals into obsession as she works to uncover the truth behind a string of unsolved killings. With each new victim she helps identify, the stakes climb higher—until her own therapist is arrested, and the investigation takes a deeper, dark and unexpected turn.

I HATE SPIDERS AND OH MY GOD. This tale had my skin crawling. The atmosphere is so creepy and intense!

The tension and suspense was truly something else! The way the author paces the storylines, jumping between Ellie’s investigation and the task force, makes you wait for answers, and it’s absolute torture. I wanted to scream at the characters to hurry, but in the best, edge-of-your-seat kind of way.

My Favorite Passages from Spider to the Fly –
“Do you know what’s worse than hating your monsters.”
“No,” Amber said.
“Learning the truth about how your monsters were made,” he said, lowering the gun slightly.

Ever since he’d stuck the needle in her neck out on Cochee Road, and whatever was in the syringe went into her bloodstream, she’d felt loopy, her thoughts scattered and jumbled and crawling over one another for air.
Like spiders in his jar.

My Final Thoughts on Spider to the Fly –
Spider to the Fly by J.H. Markert is a book that I highly recommend if you’re into twisty true crime fiction with serious chills!

Preorder your copy today! Spider to the Fly by J.H. Markert is expected to be released on September 2nd, 2025!

Spider to the Fly by J.H. Markert is an atmospheric and unsettling horror story with flashes of excellence. While not exactly the book I was expecting, the book delivers on the chilling premise.

Ellie Isles first became obsessed with the I-64 murders when she saw her own face on one of the victims. Identical to every detail, the woman wasn’t her, but she could have been. Compelled to discover the story of her dopplegänger’s death, Ellie wrote a bestselling true crime book about the serial killer, dubbed “the Spider.”

Four years later, the Spider still hasn't been caught, and his victim count is climbing. Many of the bodies remain unidentified, but with Ellie’s online network of true crime followers, that’s slowly changing. Together they’ve pooled information to create a massive database that tracks people at risk of becoming Jane and John Does–the homeless, the drug addicted, and the downtrodden–with the hopes that if they become victims, they might at least be identified.

Now that Ellie has successfully identified multiple victims, the law enforcement task force tracking down the Spider pulls her in to help–and after Ellie’s therapist is arrested for the murders, she is more determined than ever to help catch the Spider.

J.H. Markert gives us another solid thriller with Spider to the Fly. With nods to Silence of the Lambs, one of my favorite horror films, Markert crafts a story that's both captivating and chilling. I was pulled in to atmospheric and eerie story from the start and really didn't let up. Markert's writing is smooth and easy to read, offering just the right amount of detail on each page to set the scene without bogging down the pace. A quick read, that's for sure.

Spider to the Fly is a fascinating, gory, and wonderfully layered tale. I found myself piecing the story together with clues, constantly second-guessing the twists that came at me. Markert does a good job constructing a mystery that kept me engaged and builds tension throughout. What starts off as an intriguing story becomes a pulse-pounding tale that by the final page I couldn't read fast enough. When a triller makes you hold your breath, the writer has done their job.

This all said, while the ending was well-executed in a way, I couldn't help but feel it fell just short. There were some lingering thoughts that stuck with me and this stayed with me after closing the book. These gaps left me wanting a bit more insight into to fully bring these threads together in the end.

Spider to the Fly is an exhilarating read and a solid outing for J.H. Markert. Fans of Markert's will enjoy his storytelling and those fans of the genre should enjoy reading this novel. I was guessing throughout and that's all you can really ask for in a great thriller.

First thoughts - probably be back to shine this up a bit!

This was dark, twisted, and unbelievably grim! So, yeah, I couldn’t put it down!

The Spider, known for his gruesome murders along I-64, has long fascinated Ellie Isles. Once upon a time she saw her exact face splayed across every TV screen and newspaper as one of his many victims. She wrote a bestseller and soon became the number one authority on The Spider, working alongside the police to help catch this serial killer.

Her dedication along with her online network, dubbed ‘The Web’, they’ve amassed an enormous database that helps identify past victims and potential victims. This leads us to the present when Ellie’s therapist, an orphan adopted by the wealthiest family in town, is arrested for the murders. Ellie, an orphan herself, digs deeper into the spiders’ web of deception, making herself and those around her, an even bigger target.

To say the atmosphere in this one is dark and eerie would be an understatement! I love J.H.’s way of setting the tone in his stories and the creep just gets creepier from there. The sense of dread, the impending doom, be still my heart! And, yes, everyone is a suspect. Everyone!

Horror/thriller fans, don’t miss out on this one!

Thank you Crooked Lane Books for this copy and to J.H. Markert for writing it!

Like the delicate threads of a spider’s web, Markert has woven this tale so thoroughly that I was hooked. Layer upon layer of mystery and suspense. This may be his most intricate novel yet.

Ellie has been obsessed with the I-64 murders since she saw a victim on the news with her very face. Never being able to shake the dreaded feeling, she wrote a book about the killer, “the spider,” who still has not been caught. Immersing herself in investigative work is how she has amassed her own kind of web, one dedicated to tracking down the spider. Having successfully identified many of the spider’s victims, she has proved a valuable resource to the police, albeit begrudgingly to them.

The top blows on all of her hard work when Ellie’s own trusted therapist is arrested and believed to be the spider. Not believing that to be true, she knows it is now or never. She needs to find this killer before the next target is even closer to home.

Aaaand, that only scratches the surface. There is SO MUCH to this book. This is a cat and mouse story that had been gripping the book until the end. Absolutely recommend!

Having read Sleep Tight, I had high hopes for Spider to the Fly, and it definitely delivered. J.H. Markert once again crafts a gripping, dark, and twisted thriller that pulls you in immediately. The story follows Ellie Isles, a true crime author obsessed with the unsolved "Spider" murders, and her involvement in a desperate race to stop the killer before he strikes again.

The pacing is excellent, and the blend of true crime obsession with real-time investigation made this book hard to put down. Markert’s prose is sharp, atmospheric, and just unsettling enough to keep you on edge. While there were a few moments where the plot leaned into familiar thriller tropes, the story’s intensity and clever twists more than made up for it.

If you love cat-and-mouse serial killer thrillers with a horror edge, Spider to the Fly is a must-read. Tense, chilling, and wildly addictive!

It's actually so nice and engaging love the twist and vibes it's make me hooked love the scenes going all along

J H Markert is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Super to the Fly is my second read from him and I was as addicted to this book as much as I was the first one I read. I loved every second of this book and couldn't put it down. You didn't know who to trust it what to believe the whole way though the book and I was genuinely shocked at who the actual bad guy was. He is so great with keeping you guessing and he adds just the right amount of stuff into the book to make you squirm without going overboard. I was really excited for this book and was not disappointed at all!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane for the arc! This was really entertaining and kept me seated for pretty much the whole thing. The fmc was really interesting and I enjoyed picking her and the serial killer’s brains. Felt like watching a detective show.