Truly Darkly Deeply by Victoria Selman is an unusual 'Did He Do It' style of a book and does a great job of keeping you guessing until the end.

Sophie's childhood was turbulent, moving to London as a young child, with her mother as an only parent after her father left the family home. When her mother meets Matty, a handsome, enigmatic and fun father figure for her, she begins to feel that the family is whole again.

However, is Matty all he seems? Sometimes absent without notice, and sometimes inappropriate in his dealings with Sophie, things begin to become more disturbing as Matty seems to know too much about the actions of a serial killer stalking young women, who bear an uncanny resemblance to Sophie's mother.

Matty can't be guilty of these Crimes can he?

Matty is ultimately convicted of the crimes but public opinion is divided as to whether the largely circumstantial evidence has led to an unsound conviction.

When Matty is diagnosed with terminal cancer whilst in prison he reaches out to Sophie one last time. Will hearing the truth from Matty save Sophie or sentence her to her own version of pergatory.

A very good ⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me, and an author I'll follow.

Could you cope with having a serial killer in the family? How do you question the possibility of innocence or guilt?

Sophie receives a letter stamped with Battlemouth Prison. The prison her 'stepfather' Matty has been residing in for the past 20 years. Matty was her mother Amelia-Rose' partner and the closest thing Sophie had to a father .

Matty has always protested his innocence, he's just a normal man, well educated, well dressed, pleasant ... how can he be a serial killer?

When the letter arrives Soohie is in two minds, can she finally confront him and get the answers she so desperately needs or does she ignore his request to visit him before he dies?

Told from Sophie's viewpoint from past and present, the questioning of innocence or guilt plays heavily throughout both narratives and really pulls the story together.

I really enjoyed the added blog pieces woven throughout. They somehow made it all feel more real as we all know kist how interested people are in the real world when it comes to true crime and their own theories.

The characters are expertly executed, you feel the characters personalities and emotions flow from the pages.

I loved reading the POV from 'past'Sophie, set in the 1980s, before the internet and mobile phones, when life seemed simpler and the news was only broadcast over the radio or minimal TV stations.

I'm trying to be as vague as possible so not to give any spoilers but this is a must read. A book that feels real with a brilliant ending that plays on emotions... what more could you want?

Massive thanks to netgalley and Quercus Books for the ARC.

I don´t know why it took me so long to get round to reading this, but I´m certainly glad I did. So dark, so compelling, so twisted, totally absorbing.

I will certainly be looking out for Victoria Selman in future.

Highly recommend.

My thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for giving me the opportunity to read a digital copy in return for an honest review.

I was drawn in by this captivating front cover and was not disappointed! A super dark and complex plot that was full of twists and chilling, eerie characters. Very unique and fun to read, and finished in just a few sittings. Recommend for a thriller lover looking for something a bit different!

Unpredictable and captivating, this thriller pulls you into a vortex of danger, where nothing is as it appears and trust is a rarity.

A gripping tale I couldn't put down. Also a fascinating tale on how someone's darkness can actually be shown in complex ways that attract us to them.

I went in blindly. I usually read the synopsis but this time I decided to just go in without any expectations.
This book is so dark. It fascinated me. So twisty and chilling. I have to admit, it is one unique read. I've not read anything similar

Super dark and interesting.
Also a fascinating riff on how someones darkness can actually be shown in complex ways that attract us to them.
Recommend! Also, gorgeous cover.

I went into this without refreshing myself on the synopsis.
But I was gripped from the beginning. I didnt want to put it down.
This had a good balance of past and having some multi media chapters. Giving another view on things.
The main question was is Matty innocent. But also we see Sophie battling with what she believes because of the relationship she had with him. How she viewed him a father figure even if she never admitted it.
The twist with her mother made sense when I thought back. There were small clues at times that I overlooked until the end.

Great read from Victoria, covering the serial killer story from a slightly different angle. what if someone you'd learned to love was incarcerated for these crimes...you'd be torn, of course between loyalty and cold, hard facts....or are they? Excellent storytelling with an explosive ending. Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this brilliant book!

Really enjoyed this, very gripping and an interesting concept. I enjoyed the storytelling in both present day and the past which helped keep the suspense going and you wanted to keep on reading

This was a unique take on a serial killer novel, told exclusively from the perspective of Sophie, as a child and Adult. Sophie is the daughter of Amelia-Rose, who both move from America to London. Sophie finds it hard to settle, however she's helped by the appearance of Matty when he enters into a relationship with her mum and becomes the father she never had in the US. However there is a serial killer attacking in London and gradually both Sophie and Amelia-Rose start to get suspicious of Matty's behavior.
I liked the believability of how sometimes people can be blind to the truth despite the obvious staring you in the face as you can't comprehend how someone you love would be capable of such acts. The book only focuses on 3 main characters, and a few other and it's well written to cover how Sophie feels about them through time. There are a couple of curves in the story and one big twist that was hard to accept at the end.

Books about serial killers have always been top of my list - not sure what that says about me?! - and this one did not disappoint.
Took me forever to get to it in my NetGalley list and now I’ve read it, I’m mad at myself for neglecting it.
Deffo one to recommend

A gripping story about how people you know are not always who you think they are, I was hooked right from the start. I will admit that I guessed the plot twist at the end, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it all the same, and will be keeping my eye out for more books from this author in the future

A superb thriller that will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat of life with a serial killer.

This has been in my NetGalley list for so long, and I am mad at myself for it. This book had such an incredible build up to the explosive conclusion that it had me gasping. For the whole book, I was unsure if Matty was guilty or innocent, I was leaning to the guilty but there was always that little bit of lingering doubt. Sophie was a very likeable character and I am glad she got the answers that she had been searching for. The intermittent news articles and bonus material was sometimes repetitive but did add an extra layer to the narrative.

We’ve all read books concerning serial killers, their wives, their daughters, their next door neighbours, their first cousin twice removed pet goldfish but Truly, Darkly, Deeply is a fresh and original look at a serial killer through the eyes of a young girl, Sophie. Set in the 1980’s in London, Sophie aged 8 and her mother Amelia Rose have moved from the USA to settle in North London.

Amelia Rose meets Matthew (Matty) Melgren and they start a 4 year romance. Young and impressionable Sophie looks up to her mother’s boyfriend and soon a strong bond is established. When several local young woman go missing and later turn up murdered, the neighbourhood begins to panic. Women no longer feel safe walking home alone, the police have absolutely no clues and the term “serial killer” hadn’t even been invented then. Young Sophie becomes obsessed with the press coverage especially as the victims all share an uncanny likeness to her mum Amelia Rose, but luckily Matty is there to reassure her and make her feel safe.

Fast forward 20 years and Matty is now in prison serving Life for murdering all those women and children, nicknamed The Shadow by the press, he contacts Sophie, now 32 as he is dying and wants to see her.

The book is narrated by Sophie and with the dual time lines of the 1980s and present, the chapters slowly peel back the full story behind the serial killer, his girlfriend and her young daughter.

Sophie was such a wonderful character, first as a young girl desperate for attention and love, missing a father figure and truly loving and trusting Matty to protect her and her mother and give them the stable family she craved. The readers will spot a few warning signs in the early days, but Sophie’s youth and innocence allows her to dismiss these incidents at the time and only when she is relaying her story in the present does she start to question things more deeply.

Grown up Sophie who is slowly retelling her story leading up to her visiting Matty in prison is as much a victim as the women he killed. Although she is still alive, she is not really living a life. She’s damaged, has trust issues, feels guilty and ashamed, is vilified for being associated with a serial killer and has struggled ever since he was arrested and charged. Now she needs to find the inner strength to face up to him in prison and hopefully lay some ghosts to rest and get the peace she so deserves.

I absolutely love reading books set in places I know well and being a North Londoner myself, it was fun to read about Hampstead, Camden and the surrounding areas which actually brought more realism to the story for me personally.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Truly, Darkly, Deeply and would definitely recommend it to any thriller fans out there.

I know this isn't a very original way for me to start this but I'm not sure what to make of this book.

I had been looking forward to this for a while, and it started off so well. However, it got quite drawn out and repetitive. I was keen to continue reading it and the ending kind of made up for some of it, but I was finding myself a bit bored in the middle. Could definitely have been improved by being shorter.

Thank you Quercus books and Netgalley and sorry I took so long to read this, but am so glad I have now.
Absolutely brilliant. Well written, it grabs your attention and is one of those books where you say to yourself just one more chapter and then do more. Definitely recommended

Absolutely amazing. So well written, it really grabs your attention and keeps you grinned throughout. The choice of narrator is brilliant too. Definitely one I’d recommend