This book was not for me. Even from the beginning I wasn't as in to it as I thought I might based off the premise. About half way through it got even worse and I really didn't want to finish it, the story line fell flat and it was hard for me to keep reading. It was not well written at all and like many others I felt that there was no editing whatsoever. It could have been a good book but really fell flat. This is not one that I would recommend to someone who likes this style of book

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

I was so excited for this one. The premise, the cover and the title really sounded like it was going to be amazing.

The weirdest thing for me with this book is that the first 30% was a 4 almost 5 star read. The setup was done well, the characters were intriguing and there were lots of little plot points and hints that had me excited and eager to keep reading. Unfortunately, once we hit that %30 mark, things went downhill.

For starters the editing became non existent. There were multiple run on sentences and frequently used words. The repetition became hard to look past and I found myself constantly rewriting sentences in my mind which pulled me out of the story entirely.

The main character made so many absolutely ridiculous choices and decisions that had me continually scratching my head. SPOILERS, but if you are worried that some random unknown person is going to kill you and your child, maybe don't leave said child with random people you don't know.

Also, I'm not sure how much experience this author has with children but the two year old in this book reads like a six year old. I know that all children are different and that some can speak full sentences at that age but literally all this child does is cuddle random people and act cute. Two year old's do not to this. Especially two year old's who have been ripped from their home and taken somewhere completely random. They don't call them terrible twos for nothing.

With regards to the plot. Well, what plot? With how it was all being set up I really thought we were going to get some awesome twist or reveal. I thought I figured out who was doing it and honestly, I think it would have been better if it was my initial pick.

Having it be who it was just didn't sit right. Like why would she go to the trouble of taking the foster mother to the hospital and sit-up with the two year old in a chair all night to then just bring them home? The pacing was way off for this whole part.

We also got no explanation about why she killed the foster mother. Super random and I think done to have an emotional impact but it fell flat.

My main problem with this one is that it did not provide what was promised on the blurb. It literally says "Lexi would do anything to save her daughter... she is the serial killers girl after all." We got none of this. None. I wanted to see her go wild and actually fight to protect her child and instead she let the killer just, take her away. multiple times.

I really wanted to like this book but it had far too many issues for me to get passed. Such a shame because the first third was really good. 1.5 stars rounded up.

So…this one was definitely not for me.

The premise of the novel was cool. Lexi, the daughter of a serial killer, has tried to move on with her life after her father was caught and put in prison. Then a copycat killer murders her biological mom and is probably going after Lexi next. And so it goes.

Right from the beginning, I was not a big fan of the writing but I wanted to give it a fair chance before I made any solid judgments. Unfortunately, it didn’t take me long to know that this was not a good fit for me.

I feel like the most important scenes of the book were skipped entirely and then described quickly at a later time. Lexi goes back to prison to talk to her dad for the first time since she was a kid…and that whole encounter was skipped?? Such a loss.

The characters had strange reactions to things. Constantly “rolling eyes” but not sarcastically, just…looking in certain directions. Lots of waving their arms around. Lots of pauses in their speech. Nate, Lexi’s boyfriend, is supposed to be this calm and loving guy, yet he flies off the handle countless times without letting Lexi even open her mouth to try and explain.

I also felt that most of the book had nothing to do with the original plot. A lot of Lexi being scared and then randomly reminiscing about her childhood and fondly smiling at things (meanwhile, she was just terrified 5 seconds ago). The very end of the book had the reveal (which was not at all surprising) and it was so rushed and glossed over, leaving me to feel extremely underwhelmed.

I don’t say any of this to be mean and I try to be very mindful of my lower star reviews. If the plot sounds like something you’d like, I definitely think you should check it out because you might love it! But these were my issues with the book and unfortunately, I couldn’t find any redeeming qualities.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my digital ARC. I’ve posted this review on Goodreads and on my Bookstagram account (@janinesbookcorner).

This synopsis intrigued me right away. The “serial killer’s daughter” aspect is appealing and I was curious to see how the author would handle this theme. But in the end it wasn’t what I expected.

Lexi is the daughter of a serial killer who was arrested. As a child, she was taken in by an orphanage with no contact with her biological mother. Since then, she has changed her name, married and had a child, away from the whole story. When a copy-cat kills her biological mother, Lexi understands that she is in danger. She decides to run away with her daughter, but nothing goes as planned.

I had a good time with the beginning of the novel, but then I had a hard time hanging on. The part about the relationship between Lexi and her husband takes up a lot of the story and I thought it was a shame. It’s not necessarily what I expected and the way he treats her annoyed me.

After a while, things also started to drag on and I preferred to give up…

(Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for a honest review)

Publication date: 27 April 2022
Publisher: Boldwood Books

Plot

Lexi Jakes believed she could escape the past. Lexie's biggest nightmare comes true when her biological mother is discovered dead, strangled with a red silk scarf and grasping a chess piece. The murder bears the MO of her father, infamous Peter Graves who was a serial killer then imprisoned. Now that her own precious daughter's life is in jeopardy, what would Lexi do?

Thoughts

I was so intrigued by the plot, especially as someone who spends a lot of time watching serial killer documentaries on Netflix.

The beginning was good but it reached a point where it was not fulfilling the thriller/suspense aspect of the book because it was predictable. I couldn't keep the interest in the book as the chapters were too long and slow. I also found some scenes unrelated to the plot and emphasis on the side characters is not needed such as the romance aspect.

Though, I did appreciate the serial killer's POV as it did help to at least know the killer's thoughts.

There are also scenes of some animal abuse in the book so please be aware before reading

The Serial Killer Girl pulls you in slowly.

Can you ever escape your past. Lexi is about to find out.

A past like Lexi's would be very hard to escape.

Her father is a serial killer and now her mother is murdered.

Lexi delves into the murder of her mother and wonders is she her father's daughter.

Perhaps.

She will do anything to keep her daughter safe.

I would have liked more background on her dad but I will admit the ending took me by surprise.

The Serial Killer's Girl is atmospheric and well worth the read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read The Serial Killer's Girl.

Lexi is running from her past while worrying about her future. And then, she must reconcile with her serial killer father. What do you do when you don’t know who to trust? You go home…. Thanks to NetGalley For the early read.

Lexi Jakes thought she could run from her past…she was wrong.

Because when her biological mother is found dead, with all the same hallmarks of her own serial killer father, Lexi knows someone is out for revenge, and that she and her small daughter, Isla, could be next.

Determined to protect Isla, Lexi travels back to Lindisfarne, the small remote island where she grew up. There, cut off from the mainland, Lexi hopes they'll both be safe.

I went into this book with an open mind and high hopes for the story as the premise was intriguing to say the least. And the setting...Holy Island, cut off from the mainland by a causeway that is only open twice a day when the tide recedes - atmospheric. I found myself googling Holy Island just to check it out via street view! Very definitely the perfect place for a chilling, sinister and atmospheric thriller. It had all the promise of one but, in the end, it failed to deliver. But having said that, I still enjoyed it...I just wasn't WOWed.

The main character, Lexi Jakes, is a journalist who really doesn't do much in that she could have had any occupation and ended up in the same predicament. The only tangible link between her and her occupation was that she got news of her biological mother's murder before it hit the press. And it was this news that sent her world into a complete tailspin and lead her to make some idiotic decisions. But that wasn't all...her mother was murdered in the same way her father had committed his crimes, with a red silk scarf and leaving a chess piece behind as a calling card. But her father, Peter Graves, has been serving a life sentence in prison for the past twenty years. So who could have committed this latest murder using his MO? Could it be someone known to him? Or a copycat?

Lexi is so disturbed by the news she rushes home where she processes it all via a bottle of wine...which is where Nate finds her when he gets in. Lexi's first thought is "Where's Isla?" (their two year old daughter) but is relieved when Nate informs her that she's at his mother's. Her first instinct as a mother is to protect Isla at all costs which is why she insists they bring her back home.

But the following morning, Isla is troubled when "Agafa" doesn't respond to her shaking the treat box before breakfast. And so Lexi begins the hunt for the kitten to appease her distraught daughter while Nate heads off to work. But Agatha is nowhere to be found. And then the doorbell rings with a delivery which Lexi assumes is for Nate. But it's the banging and mewling coming from her wheelie bin that Lexi rushing to free her distressed kitten...but she's shocked to discover the sight that greets her. A rather perturbed Agatha with a red silk scarf tied in a bow around her neck. Lexi drops the package she'd been holding which opens to reveal chess pieces. What the...?

Without a second thought, she hurriedly packs her, Isla and an unamused Agatha in her crate in the car and flees the home she had thought she was safe in. Under a new name, a new life...she thought no one could tie her to Peter Graves, the serial killer. But someone has...and has left a warning. So where does she go? To the only other place she felt safest - Lindisfarne, or Holy Island, a tidal island off the coast of Northumberland, and the foster home where she grew up. She and Isla will be safe there.

But...didn't she think that if the killer could find your new identity and where you now live, then surely they can figure out the first place you'd run to. And then there were the other decisions Lexi made, or non-decisions in some cases where she'd say one thing and do another. The only thing Lexi was consistent in was being inconsistent.

But she wasn't the only one that was inconsistent - the author was as well. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed THE SERIAL KILLER'S GIRL but the story as a whole was a tad convoluted with of lot of filler-fluff that didn't need to be there. It didn't even provide readers with red herrings to lead us astray. It just didn't go anywhere. The killer's chapters were too long, for a start, and too wordy and didn't need that amount of description. It is a case of less is more, in that respect. Just a few well placed sentences and nuances to keep readers guessing and the tension palpable.

And then there are the scenes which have no real bearing on the plot at all. Didn't even drop a little hint or a fabricated clue...they just didn't seem to have a place in the story and went nowhere. Again, less is more. On the whole, the book seemed to be too long and sluggish in parts with parts that could been editted down to keep the pace moving along and the reader engaged. Need I say it again? Less is more.

The concept was definitely intriguing but it has been done before a little more successfully. I did figure out the killer around 30% so it wasn't entirely a mystery but even after working it out, there was nothing happening to put me off the track or give me cause to question myself. A few well-placed red herrings would have kept things interesting. As it was, the killer was a tad obvious.

That aside, I did generally enjoy THE SERIAL KILLER'S GIRL but would have probably enjoyed it more had it been shorter and pacier. But I really did love the whole isolated setting of Holy Island which was incredibly atmospheric and really is the perfect place for a thriller.

Overall, the book had a lot of promise but was poorly executed. So much could have been editted out for a seamless, tense and chilling thriller. But I did enjoy it somewhat. It was a good read but not a great one.

I would like to thank #LyndaStacey, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TheSerialKillersGirl in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

Hallmarks Of A Killer…
Does killing run in the blood? Lexi Jakes is worried. With a serial killer father and now with her own mother dead - a death bearing the hallmarks of her serial killer father - she has good reason to be. Someone may well be looking for revenge. Lexi needs to do everything she can to protect her own daughter. However far that may take her. Slow burn suspense with well drawn characters and an intriguing premise.

The description of The Serial Killer's Girl sounded great but unfortunately the book failed to deliver. It was to drawn out and slow for my liking. I did finish it but I did struggle with it and unfortunately it just was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my ARC.

Does a killer’s blood run in the family? Lexi Jakes thought she could leave her past behind her. But when her biological mother is found dead, strangled with a red silk scarf and a chess piece tucked into the folds of the scarf – Lexi knows that her worst nightmare has come true. Because the murder has all of the hallmarks of her own serial killer father, renowned stranger Peter Graves. Now her own life and the life of her two-year-old daughter are in danger, Lexi will have to act before it’s too late – but will she act in time to avoid the same fate as her mother and her fathers’ victims from all of those years ago?

Lexi was just six years old when her father’s crimes came to light and her father was arrested and labelled a serial killer. She is now a journalist with a family of her own. Having changed her name and moved away to be raised by a loving foster family on a secluded island – (after the tide has come in, that is) – Lexi has spent most of her years following her father’s arrest trying to put the past firmly behind her and trying to give her two-year-old daughter the start in life that she never had. Lexi knows that it can’t be a coincidence that her biological mother has been killed in the same way as the other women, and nearing the anniversary of her fathers’ last victim and his subsequent arrest… Someone is out for revenge – and they’ve waited almost twenty years to get it!!

I found this story gripping from the beginning and the first half of the book flew by. I loved the premise and thought the book had the potential to be a favourite, but… the author seemed to lose steam just after the halfway point and I felt the writing started to take a nose-dive and became more armature. With such a promising storyline – it could have been done a lot better. There was way too much dialogue and not enough story progression in the second half and there was a lot of repetition that felt like filler.

Unfortunately, some of the decisions Lexi made towards the end were eye-roll worthy and frustrating. It was also pretty obvious who the killer was with such a small group of suspects. Having said that, I did enjoy the book, I just think with a bit of fine-tuning and further editing, it could have been so much better.

I will keep an eye out for the author’s future work and will be interested to see her progression as a writer.

My thanks to the author and Boldwood Books for my advance copy to review via Netgalley. Due to be released 27th April 2022!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Serial Killer's Girl by L. H. Stacey is an unputdownable thriller about the daughter of a serial killer. The story revolves around Lexi, whose father Peter Graves is known as a serial strangler. When her mother dies in her father's signature way, Lexi becomes scared What will she have to do to protect herself and her daughter?

Here is a chilling excerpt from Chapter 1, which is from an unknown person's perspective:

"I’d always promised myself that revenge would be sweet, that it would give me closure and that once I’d taken someone from him, someone he loved, I’d consider myself his equal.
Yet tonight I stand here, knowing how close my moment is. It’s a feeling that makes me both excited and anxious with a trepidation that’s almost too much – my whole body feels as though it’s turned into a huge mixing pot of emotions, all whirling around together, as a million questions form in my mind. Questions I’ll never be able to answer."

Overall, The Serial Killer's Girl is a thriller that will appeal to fans of The Liar's Girl or The Family Tree. One highlight of this book is how creepy it was. The author imbued each chapter with enough tension to make me feel on edge. Also, the chapters from the killer's point of view were extremely creepy. Another highlight was how the author kept the action up from beginning to end. I sped through this book, because I had to know what would happen next. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of thrillers in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in April!

I'm sorry - this wasn't for me.

A young woman's biological mother is found dead holding a chess piece - this is the hallmark of her serial killer father. Fearing for her own daughter, Lexi, goes on the run. I'm afraid I found it a slow, boring read but am grateful for the opportunity to preview.

Lexi Jakes thought she could run from her past. When her biological mother is found dead, strangled with a red silk scarf and holding a chess piece, Lexi knows that her worst nightmare has come true. Because the murder has all the hallmarks of her own serial killer father, renown strangler Peter Graves.

This book had a lot of promise. The run-on sentences were too much for me. Wow. This book needed a lot of editing and needed to be scaled down. The plot could have been great but was very predictable. This one just was not for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC.

When I first finished The Serial Killer’s Girl, I immediately felt that it was a definite 4-star book which I was more than comfortable with. The writing is incredibly atmospheric, and I felt fully engaged with the mounting tension. My instinct with the star rating was based on having figured out the plot twist. However, I hadn’t expected the story to resonate with my quite so intensely so I’m throwing in a bonus half star.
The story sets off immediately as we are first introduced to the thoughts of the copycat as their desire for revenge is made clear. We then drop into Lexi’s world as the news of the copycat breaks and her life turns on its axis. The sinister signature of her father’s crimes becomes all to real as it’s announced that Lexi’s biological mother has been killed in the same way.
Lexi’s world is purposely small, made up of boyfriend Nate, daughter Isla and kitten Agatha. She feels a need to control what happens around her and that is clearly a throwback to discovering that her own father was a serial killer.
When the copycat strikes a little too close to home, Lexi feels that she has no alternative other than to flee to the one place where she feels safe. She heads to the Isle of Lindisfarne, the island community that is cut off from the mainland by tidal waters, twice daily.
I felt that Lexi is beautifully developed. I admit that I misinterpreted some of the writing as superfluous, but it was with hindsight that I realised that it painted the picture of how thoroughly she questioned every relationship in her life. Her repetitive thoughts made sense as I considered how I would process the very real danger of a copycat killer having me in their targets. Let alone, my daughter. That is the stuff of madness. Even writing this review I can feel the tension returning.
Successfully identifying the suspect was not the key to this thriller, it was feeling the abject terror related to the desperation of wondering when and where a killer may strike. If you read this book from Lexi’s point of view, worry less about identifying the perpetrator and feel Lexi’s fear, you may understand why this story has affected me so deeply.

Thank you to #NetGalley for my advance copy of #TheSerialKiller’sGirl by #LHStacey
Lexi Jakes has a new name and a new life but always fears the day that someone will find out who she is.
And now she is convinced the day has arrived, being to scared to think straight or make a plan she heads to Holy Island and the foster family that helped her rebuild her life.
A tense thriller.

3.5 rounded up to a 4.
Lexi's father is a convicted serial killer. He is in prison for life. Lexi has created a life for herself in which no one knows about her past. She is living peacefully until someone murders her biological mother in the same manner that her father killed his victims. She now must do everything to protect her daughter and herself.

Overall this was a light thriller that really got going the last 25% of the book. The first 75% started to get a bit boring because there was so much anticipation but no action. The twist wasn't really a twist and easy to figure out but that was totally OK. The chapters from the killer's perspective felt a bit repetitive . A solid read.

Lexi Jakes thought she could outrun her past. But when her biological mom turns up dead strangled with a red silk scarf holding a chess piece Lexi knows that her past has found a way back into her life. Who is it that wants Lexi dead? The killing mirrors that of her own serial killer father.

From the description, I wanted to love the boob, but it just did not hold the suspense that I enjoy in a book.

Thank you Netgallery and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my feedback.

Lexi Jakes is the daughter of a famous serial killer Peter Graves. On the 20th anniversary of his last kill, her biological mother is killed in his signature style, even though he is in prison. Lexi has been raised by foster parents and is now a journalist with a young daughter, and fears she is next to be targeted. Great premise, but execution was lacking. The "thrill" was weighed down with a lot of unnecessary detail and excessively wordy sentences. The main character made some moronic decisions. And there weren't a lot of twists and turns. Although I rarely guess the culprit, it didn't take me long in this novel.