Serial Damage

Murders are being committed across the globe. Sadly, that’s nothing new, but these murders are all being committed by the same person. The killer appears to pick his victims at random. leaving few clues as he cuts a swathe through people he feels have treated him inappropriately. To catch a killer this cagey, police will need an expert in human behavior, someone like police psychologist Alice Diamond. I really liked this boo, it put me in mind of Nicci French’s Freda Klein novels

I would like to thank Netgalley and Urbane Publications for a review copy of Serial Damage which follows the police investigation into a possible serial killer.

The novel opens with a man driving up to 84 year old Helen Mitchell's house in rural Cornwall on a vintage motorbike, shooting her and leaving unnoticed. It then switches to the reactions of Alice Diamond, Helen's goddaughter. It takes a few murders in different jurisdictions for the police to cotton on that they are all linked and they are hunting a serial killer.

Serial Damage has a very unusual format, some of which works and some doesn't. The narrative does not concentrate on the police investigation, instead there is a chapter on each murder then a couple of chapters on the effect the murder has on some victims' families (others aren't mentioned). This is interspersed with the ongoing saga of Alice's love life. The police only come to the fore when they decide that they are hunting a serial killer.

I found this novel to be quite a good read and it held my attention as I liked the unusual format and the attention paid to the victims' families - too often they are ignored and the factual writing style. The plot, however, is a bit simplistic. I found it easy to guess the perpetrator early on and it is overly reliant on coincidence, both at the end (I can't elaborate without spoilers) and that Alice has links to two of the victims who were unknown to each other.

Drama, intrigue, suspense and a wonderful
twisting plot ending in an amazing climax. An exiciting riviting read

Serial Damage By Liz Cowley And Donough O'brien is a mystery and thriller and general fiction read.
IT NEVER STOPS AT MURDER...

A merciless killer with no apparent motive. A series of murders with no discernible pattern. How can he be stopped? In disconnected locations all over the world a killer plies his terrible trade, seemingly selecting victims at random and killing without remorse. The crimes are the result of one man's obsessive mind, a man warped by a litany of slights and disappointments since childhood for which he seeks methodical and terrible revenge. 
An absolutely fantastic read with brilliant characters. This one had me baffled as to why and who it was? I had my suspicions. Full of twists and plots. It really did have me guessing. Wow what an ending. highly recommended. 5*. Thanks to netgalley for the arc.

A series of unexplained and unrelated murders occurs in various different parts of the world and only through the efforts of our heroine, Alice Diamond, do the police finally connect the dots that lead to revealing the identity of the killer.
This story follows the currently fashionable device of exploring the narrative from a few different perspectives and it depends on your own preference if you find this style engaging. Whilst not my favourite it is done with
competence and there are interesting passages in the narrative. I must admit that I found the story a little disjointed in places and a couple of times a chapter or two appeared to have been imported from a Mills & Boon story.
Not a book that I particularly warmed to, but I'm sure that opinion will not be in accordance with the majority.

I loved the intricacies of this book. A police investigation into a serial killer which does not just concentrate on the police investigation. Plenty characters, between victims and their families, as well as the police characters. It kept me interested throughout and I liked the format of the writing, which was a bit unusual. A good plot and a good central character in Alice.. Thank you Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Goodreads and Amazon.

A gripping thriller. Murders committed all over the world by a disappointments starting from childhood. This was a fantastic read. sometimes I found this book had to many characters but I guess that is because of all the twist in the story. But the ending did wow me. Recommended read.

This book is 3.5 stars, rounded down to 3-ish. AKA: I liked it: but there were some issues.

Basically, the plot revolves around a series of seemingly random murders committed all over the world. The killer uses a small gauge pistol to shoot the victim then seems to disappear into thin air. The book happens in “episodes” which follow the victims as the crime happens, then their families afterward. If there would be a “main” character, it would be Alice Diamond, goddaughter of the first victim, who ends up heavily involved in finding the killer.

It was actually a really interesting approach and story. I really did want to figure out who was doing this and why. It’s obvious from the beginning that it’s some sort of revenge plot, but you really don’t know much else.

But the problem is there are so many characters and stories, it’s hard to get invested in them. Plus, the novel seems to go on forever with all the stories, some of which don’t really get resolved.

And the ending was “meh.” Not great, not “shocking” or even exciting. It just was.

I hate to give this a bad review because it really did have so much potential. But it really failed to deliver.

Probably a skipper.