Billed as being "original" and "hilarious", I was really looking forward to this debut novel. And, it definitely was both of those things. The writing style and main character narrative of Hannah is funny. For example, she quips: "If I'd known that I was going to find myself in a kidnapping situation I would have used the bathroom." It's relatable humour too like fights between siblings being particularly vicious but also weirdly accepted or overlooked. And it's also refreshingly original, like nothing I have ever read before. On the downside, that also means it's the type of book where afterwards you think "what the hell just happened".

I totally brought into how Hannah could start writing to an accused serial killer and even how they could then fall in love through those letters. But what I couldn't get on board with was her wanting him to be guilty and seeking the buzz of wondering if he'd let her "live long enough to become his wife". Despite (Hannah) being kind of messed up it's definitely a fun read and one you should try yourself.

🔪 Book Review 🔪

Title : Love letters to a serial killer
Author : Tasha Coryell
Genre : Thriller
Rate : 🌟🌟🌟.5

Thanks to @netgalley for an arc copy of this book. It was published on the 4th July 2024.

“I didn’t plan to fall in love with an accused serial killer … “ and who would really, except for Hannah Wilson.

Hannah has been unlucky in love and life. Her comfort place is on true crime forums, desperately searching for news on serial murder cases she is obsessed with.
She believes she can figure out who the killer is and save any other woman from losing their lives.

Then a lawyer, William Thompson is arrested. She is so full of rage, from what he has done and what she’s going through, she decides to write him a letter. What she doesn’t think of is that he would respond.

And the journey begins from here.

Hannah is a character I still can’t figure out whether I like or not. She knows what she is doing isn’t normal or wise, but she still does it anyway.
She puts herself in dangerous situations but she can’t seem to help herself and getting close to people to discover the truth.

As annoying as Hannah can be at times, she still pulled me into her story and I couldn’t put it down.

The ending, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. I felt like I wanted more and it felt a bit any climactic.
It’s a page turner and a different like of thriller but worth a read.

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3.5 🌟
This was a WILD ride, let me tell you!

I literally couldn't think after I'd finished this. I just kinda sat staring at my Kindle because, WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!

I did enjoy Love letters to a serial killer, and you will too If you take it with a pinch of salt.
It was chaotic and silly and isn't your 'typical' thriller atall.
Tbh, I was actually relieved to see humorous down as one of the tropes of this book because you best believe I laughed out loud at some of the outrageous, far fetched things that happened!
I wasn't sure if I was meant to laugh as much as I did, but Tasha had me with the madness of it all!

I think if you're willing to look outside of the box with this one, you'll like it, but if you're into more serious thrillers, this won't be for you.

I really enjoyed this book. The idea that someone would commit their life to solving a crime to the detriment of their job and their friendship completely baffled me. However, Tasha Coryell manages to hold the reader with the little snippets of future occurrences. I found myself believing that Mark was going to be outed as a serial killer but how wrong I was! The ending did leave me with questions which I'm sure was the intention of the author.

I actually purchased this back in June prior to being given an ecopy - sadly I have read a lot of books since then so cannot recall the specifics but according to Goodreads gave it 3 stars!

It was the title that first attracted me to this novel and it was a really interesting look at the obsession with true crime and the lengths some people go to to try to see if they can be the ones to solve a crime. Hannah the main character is in need of a lot of help, I found her quite unlikeable and though I didn’t warm to her I had to keep reading to find out what happened in the end. A mixed bag for me, it was ok but I didn’t love it. Will be keen to see what the author does next.

Love Letters to a Serial Killer - Tasha Coryell

As a fan of serial killers and an intrigue into those who support them, this book was right up my street. I remember watching The Nightstalker and seeing his fans, thinking, “how can you be that person?” but this book gave me insight into the type of people that admire those who commit heinous crimes and why.

Both hilarious and disturbing, Hannah’s story is one that is both relatable and sad. She lacks self-confidence and motivation as she struggles with adulthood.

“I always appreciate when I feel the emotions I’m expected to feel in any given situation, like when I bake a cake and it looks like the picture from the recipe when I pull it out of the oven”

Stuck in a job with no chance of promotion, experiencing a string of disappointing relationships which always seem to be one-sided, Hannah finds light in hyper fixating on a recent string of murders of young women in a different state.

“All the moments in which I have loved myself most have been through someone else’s gaze”

This intrigue escalates, as it does for many, as Hannah becomes an ‘armchair detective’, determined to figure out who is the cause of these crimes. However, is it with the intention of justice for the women who have lost their life, or something darker?

An unassuming man is eventually accused of being the infamous serial killer, and in Hannah’s state of boredom, she begins a series of correspondence. This fixation eventually causes the important factors of Hannah’s life to break down, she decides to up and leave her life and travel to Georgia to attend his trial, and ultimately, fall in love with the only man that has given her the love that she so desperately needed.

“It was hard, even for those of use that hadn;t been accused of killing anyone, to love ourselves”

Love Letters to a Serial Killer was a page turner to say the least. It’s full of plot twists and deep insights into feelings Hannah experiences as the story unfolds. With the perfect amount of humour to keep things light, as well as a couple of sentences I never expected to come across in my lifetime…

“That was how I found myself kissing the brother of the serial killer that I was dating”
… the book manages to put you straight into the shoes of Hannah, in a way that helps you understand her process, fixation and has you attempting to solve the mysteries yourself.

A great, fast-paced read that had me laughing, crying and extremely confused. Highly recommend!

“Almost being murdered in an office building is the closest I’ve ever come to a six-figure salary”

Thank you NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for the ARC in return for an honest review!

Hannah, our main character, becomes obsessed with solving the murders of four women, only to find herself falling in love with the very man on trial for those crimes after exchanging letters with him. Desperate for love, Hannah’s vulnerability and obsession lead her down a dark path, and you can’t help but sympathise with her.

The book brilliantly captures the intensity of Hannah's fixation, blending the chilling aspects of a serial killer mystery with her spiraling obsession. Watching her life unravel is like witnessing a slow-motion train wreck, as she ignores one red flag after another. It’s a tense, frustrating journey that resonates, because let’s be honest—we’ve all ignored red flags before.

The ending, however, is what truly sets this book apart. It’s one of the most shocking, unexpected conclusions I’ve ever read

I received the ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t sure about the subject, but I’ve been trying to read books outside of my comfort zone. Though I like thrillers, I don’t generally read romance, So I felt this one might be a little bit of both while I wasn’t expecting much from the book, it kind of left me flat. The premise of the book is there, and the unreliable narrator, goes well with the messiness of the writting style, if we can call that a style.
There aren’t many pages on this book, and perhaps there we could’ve edited even more, as we don’t really learn much about any of them to stay engaged. Same reason why we don’t really care to what happens to the main character.
As the story is told in first person, we spend a long time in Hannah’s head, which felt some how too long for such a short book.
I perhaps would’ve like a stronger lead and more rounded characters. There wasn’t much of a “plot twist” as most thrillers/ crime novels have, The ending felt rushed, and I was actually happy to finish the book.

I wasn’t the target audience of this book so its a little hard to recommend something I didn’t particularly like, but i can tell the writing wasn’t polished enough, this might come with more experience as the ideas are there, just need to work a little more on the delivery.

If you like dark romance you might like this, the kind of book you might read on one seating on holiday leave book behind and move on. A book to entertain and distract you when you don't want to think too much about anything
2.5/5

What a read. I absolutely adored this novel, from the content explored, to the way in which the narrative twisted and turned.


Imagine this:
A young woman follows a forum about a serial killer, and soon is determined to find out his identity. Curiousity takes over, of course it does, and she finds herself writing to the man on trial for the murder, learning more about him, what led him to this point in his life, and soon finds herself swooning over him and falling deeply in love with him.

Honestly, this novel was an absolute mammoth breath of fresh air, and Hannah's pure determination for finding out exactly what happened really drove me to continue reading. Not only is the narrative quite unique, but the way in which William is portrayed really intrigued me and it made me want to really get to the bottom of exactly what happened to those poor women. It was insightful to see how the family of William's responded to him being on trial and how it impacted society, something that I find is not often covered in courtroom fiction. Tasha Coryell wrote in such a convincing way that I really warmed to Hannah as a character and wanted, like her, to figure out exactly what had happened.

Hannah becomes obsessed with William Thompson, a man standing trial for multiple murders of young women.
She writes to him and is surprised to receive a reply. They start to write on a regular basis, and once the trial starts, Hannah mkes the long journey to Georgia so that she can see the trial, and william IRL.
She befriends a couple of other women who are 'fans' of William too, and they attend the trial together.
Hannah soon finds herself deep into William's family, and is trying to find out all Williams little secrets. Little does she realise that she is putting herself in harms way.
As excellent storyline, that leaves the reader wondering if William will be found guilty or innocent, and more imprtantly, is he ACTUALLY guilty or innocent!
I absolutely loved this book - it was right 'up my street'.

I’m not sure quite what I expected from this debut novelist, but I was drawn in by her character, Hannah. Written as a first person narrative, this is the story of Hannah a young woman with low self esteem whose home life is uneasy, while her work life for a non-profit is dull and her love life pretty non -existent.

She did have a boyfriend, Max, but he dumped her and she’s bored herself stalking him and his new girlfriend on social media. Hannah lives in a boxy studio apartment and finds that her best and only friend is now focussing on her wedding and has less and less time for Hannah.

So when she gets interested in a series of murders and finds a true crime forum dedicated to discussing them, Hannah does what she does best; she gets researching and finds out everything she can. Soon she is spending all her free time (and a lot of her working time) on the forum discussing the victims and the potential suspects.

For Hannah it is an obsession and when William Thompson, a lawyer from a well to do family, is arrested and charged with the crimes. Hannah decides to write to him. She tells herself its because she’s angry about what he has done, but the truth is that Hannah is enjoying being part of something that is more interesting than she is, not that she’d admit it. She also enjoys having more knowledge than others in the forum – which she does because William writes back to her!

Love Letters to a Serial Killer is written with pace and verve and not a little touch of dark humour. Hannah is not particularly likeable – for one thing she’s far too sorry for herself, but she is tenacious. As her letter writing gets more intense and William’s responses seem both well written and quietly personal, Hannah finds herself developing empathy with William.

When events free her up she decides to attend the trial. In doing so she discovers that William is a good looking man, from a well to do family. He is everything she imagines in a partner. Somehow her obsession with the murders becomes wrapped up in her fantasies over William and those fantasies become violent and disturbed.

Stalking William’s family from the court, she finds out more about his father and brother and when she has the chance to be happy, she blows it all by continuing her obsession with who killed the young women.

If you’re looking for a mystery, this probably isn’t the book for you, as that part is pretty easy to work out, but Tasha Coryell does a good job of presenting Hannah as an oddball – an unlikeable character with obsessional tendencies who can’t help but let her obsession lead her into trouble.

Verdict: Hannah’s voice is distinct and unusual and Tasha Coryell does an excellent job of portraying her warts and all character. In telling Hannah’s story the writing is dry and often very dark and funny, though Hannah herself is a sad character. Coryell takes a healthy swipe at the true crime obsessives and those who think they can make a difference to a serial killer’s proclivities if they can just get him to love them. (No, really!)
Love Letters to a Serial Killer is often witty and certainly it is an entertaining page turner. This is, however, a one dimensional story and if you love Hannah then you’ll love the book.

3.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2024/08/08/review-love-letters-to-a-serial-killer-by-tasha-cornell/
My Five Word TL:DR Review: What Did I Just Read

Well, I can safely say this is one unusual story. I don’t know what I was expecting when I requested a review copy of this one. I think though that I was expecting something twisted and genuinely messed up and although this wasn’t quite the twisted, messed up horror that I thought it might be it was still both of those things in abundance. And I was hooked. Line and sinker hooked.

To be honest, I struggled with the main character, I couldn’t decide if she needed a hug, a slap or a therapist (probably all three – although, for the record, I don’t go around slapping people). I guess I felt sorry for her at certain points. She was definitely floundering and she lacked any sort of self respect. Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Things are not going well for Hannah. After being a standout student, and the world presumably being her oyster, she’s been coasting in a job that she doesn’t enjoy for some time, she desperately wants to find that certain ‘someone’ yet her eagerness to please and over needy behaviour usually lead to rejection and she has a constant struggle with food and exercise. Things go from bad to worse when Hannah becomes obsessed with a spate of murders that have now been linked together indicating that a serial killer is at large. She finds herself addicted to a true crime forum which seems to give her the validation she seeks. Unfortunately this latest craze leads to the loss of her job thereby giving her more time to obsess about the murders. When a handsome lawyer is detained her sights immediately hone in on him and she writes to him in prison venting her frustration and anger. Imagine the surprise when he replies and is sympathetic. Hannah immediately becomes fixated on William, eagerly awaiting his next letter and writing back to him with all kinds of random thoughts and feelings about her daily life. It’s like Hannah finally has the validation she seeks. Even if it is being notice from a man suspected of killing multiple women. To a certain extent she believes he will be convicted and remain in prison and this gives her a certain confidence regarding her safety. Imagine then when he is eventually released and seeks her out.

This certainly kept me glued to the page. I’m not totally convinced about the final outcome, it felt a little rushed somehow. But, regardless this was a riveting read. Reading about Hannah was like watching a trainwreck, you go from cringing to despair. She turned me into a one woman pantomime audience because I wanted to shout at her. I couldn’t help turning the pages to see what predicament she’d walk into next. And believe me when I say she does walk into some predicaments.

In conclusion, this is entertaining and engrossing. It didn’t give me a MC that I could really connect with but it was a fast and compulsive read.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the author, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

Unfortunately I didn’t finish this book, in fact I didn’t get very far with it all!

I’ll be honest I’m a romance reader, I’ve got a pretty broad interest within that genre though but still feel I was trying something different with this not knowing how heavily the ‘romance’ would feature.

I still don’t know how heavily the romance featured as I really couldn’t get on with the FMC or the writing style. Definitely a miss for me, sorry to say.

I loved the blurb of Love Letters to a Serial Killer, it sounded new and exciting and something rather different.

I think author Tasha Coryell has done a great job on this novel and I read it within a few days, which is good for me.

We follow main character, Hannah who is a thirty something female and she has had enough of watching her nearest and dearest fade away and become "mundane" if you will.

She starts to write to serial killer, William, and he actually writes back and so the story really kicks off.

This novel is fun and really well written and will have any reader hooked from page 1.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for allowing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

✨My Thoughts✨
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This takes a really hard look at the true crime phenomenon and how anyone can become easily obsessed when consuming all the information that’s readily available.

I found Hannah so funny and relatable, she’s really just one of us.

I was desperate to find out what the conclusion was because I was hopelessly gripped by this story, I had to stop myself from peaking at the last few pages.

I had a feeling what would happen at the end and I was kind of right.

It’s a hard read in some places that I think some people will find uncomfortable but not me, every word I read made me eager for more.

This will be one of the best books I’ve read this year it’s incredible.

A book with a very good plot but characters that make me question my sanity, Love Letters To A Serial Killer is definitely one of those books that maybe is perfect for a beach read or a cosy autumn night in the future that from page one really does try and grab you.

For me the plot does drive this book really well, it's captivating and being told backwards you see where this book is heading but it really keeps a grip on you and makes you keep turning the page even if the twists seem to be inevitable - it doesn't stop being a good book, I'll definitely be recommending it to a few people.

For me though, the characters let it down especially for me our protagonist just makes the most questionable decision making skills throughout this story that makes me question my own mind and the characters. I think that bad decision making can be part of a plot, but this felt so unrealistically bad honestly.

I think it is a good book, it's entertaining, it's gripping, it's gonna be devoured in hours, but if you want a book that doesn't make you sometimes want to chuck it across a room (or in my case, screen) cos it can be quite frustrating then avoid.

3/5

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryelltells the story between Hannah, a young woman in a job which she is both bored with and offers no hope of promotion and young handsome lawyer William.

The only issue with the relationship is Hannah is into true crime and William is on remand for murder.

Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell is a light novel that examines a phenomenon when women fall in love with people who are accused or convicted of horrendous crimes. Which could have been written in a way that looks down on people like Hannah.

However Tash Coryell does this in a sensitive manner taking how the main character starts getting interested in the true crime community as a way to connect with people.

Taking it further by writing letters to william while he is waiting for the trial.

While Tasha Coyle’s novel is not an in depth examination into why people become engaged deeply with true crimes, it does show some of the people who get embroiled with the subject on a deep level.

While the story is mainly told through Hannah’s perspective all characters are played with sympathy including the victims families and other people who are into true crime.

Which would have been very easy fro the writer to show these people in a derogatory way, This was done by Hannah's narrative which was written full of respect for all people involved.

All in all a Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell is a fascinating and enjoyable novel examining the explosion of true crime podcasts as well as people falling in love with serial killers.

I enjoyed this. It kept my attention throughout. I did guess one of the big twists but I read a lot of thrillers so maybe I'm just used to spotting signs now!

If you've been searching for a book that deftly balances wit, drama, and a raw emotional journey, look no further than The Dead Friend Project by Joanna Wallace. This latest page-turner introduces us to Beth, a protagonist whose life is a whirlwind of chaos, grief, and relentless determination.

The story kicks off with the tragic and mysterious death of Charlotte, Beth's close friend, who is run over by a car on the night of a Halloween party. From that moment on, Beth's life spirals into a frantic and obsessive search for the truth. Her journey is fueled by an unconventional method: she uses alcohol to unlock her memories, piecing together clues while navigating her grief. This coping mechanism adds a layer of dark humour to the novel, blending comedy and tragedy in a way that reminded me of Desperate Housewives.

The interplay of loyalty, betrayal, and judgment among Beth and her fellow school mums is both relatable and engrossing. The dynamic is spiced up with screaming children, emergency room visits, and a particularly unforgettable scene involving an EpiPen and a hefty dose of dark humour. These elements inject a sense of realism and unpredictability into the story, keeping readers hooked from start to finish.

Beth herself is a hot mess, and that's putting it mildly. Her husband has left her for one of her friends, and she's constantly judged by other mums for her sweary outbursts and chaotic lifestyle. Yet, amidst the turmoil, Beth's spirit and sense of justice shine through. Her character is deeply flawed, but it's these imperfections that make her so relatable. Readers will find themselves rooting for her, even as she stumbles through her grief and the messiness of life.

However, The Dead Friend Project isn't without its shortcomings. As much as the book is a fun read, it does become somewhat repetitive. Beth's cycle of drinking, memory recovery, and clue finding can feel a bit formulaic after a while. Despite this, Wallace's sharp wit and the emotional depth she brings to the story help to mitigate this issue.

The Dead Friend Project is a delightful mix of drama and humour, offering a candid look at grief, friendship, and the pursuit of justice. While it may have its repetitive moments, the book's engaging plot and relatable characters make it a worthwhile read.