I’m annoyed I’ve left this book so late to read!
It was enjoyable (if you can say that about a dark book!)
I really liked the main characters, found the plot and motive of the killer really intriguing!
Would definitely read more by the author.
Thank you

Absolutely adored this book!
Such a talented author keeps you hooked throughout - Cant believe it took me so long to get round to this one. IT well and truly got me out of my reading slump!

Thanks as always to net galley , the publisher and Sam Holland for the proof

Loved this book (echo man is still my favourite of the series). Well written, loved the plot & characters I’d highly recommend this author.

Ah geez this was scary 😂 The book was perfect, built tension with every chapter. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, the shocking finale hits like a bolt of lightning. This book will stay with me for a while yet and can’t wait for more!

I chose to read a free eARC of The Puppet Master but that has in no way influenced my review.

The Puppet Master by Sam Holland is the third book in the Major Crimes series. I've read, and thoroughly enjoyed, the first two books with the second book, The Twenty, featuring on my top books of 2023 list. The Puppet Master was one of my most eagerly anticipated reads of 2024 and oh boy, it did not disappoint. The first thing you need to know about this series is that it is not for the feint of heart. It's gruesome, it's gritty and it doesn't hold back like many others in the genre do. You need a strong stomach to read these books (thinking about one aspect of The Twenty still makes me a little queasy!). I think that is why this is one of my favourite crime series out there at the moment. The Puppet Master is a brilliant addition to what is proving to be a must read series for crime fans. DCI Cara Elliot is back and joined by DS Jamie Hoxton. Something you quite often find in crime fiction is that the core investigating team always stay the same. That is not the case in this series. The first book featured Elliot, the second book moved away from Elliot and focussed on DS Jamie Hoxton and his DCI. Now Elliot and Hoxton are teaming up to catch a sadistic, manipulative killer. I loved the character development. I love how unusual and different this series feels to everything else out there. And I love how twisted and dark Holland's plots are. I'm excited to see where the author takes book four which is out later this year. Would I recommend this book? You bet I would! If you love a serial killer thriller then what are you waiting for? Dark, disturbing and utterly thrilling from start to finish. Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Puppet Master. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

[Review will be published on Tuesday 7th January 2025]

He watches your every move, He controls you, He will make you pay.

When Cara is sent to an apparent suicide it doesn’t take her long to realise there is far more to the case than it seems. As she investigates more questions than answers appear and it’s clear this is part of something way bigger than she anticipated.

Great read that I was drawn straight into. I really enjoy books by this author and I am already looking forward to the next one. Thanks to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This is book 3 in the Major Crimes series and, again, it's a brilliantly twisted, dark and engrossing thriller. I received a review copy from Harper Collins UK via Netgalley.

Again, we follow DCI Cara Elliot who gets a case which looks to be a suicide. However, it all just doesn't add up somehow. When the investigation continues more apparent suicides come up but all remain with many questions. And this horrifying story has only just started...

Just like the previous book, this one is an incredible rollercoaster of tension and horrifying details. I absolutely enjoyed the characters which have been well developed as this is book 3 in the series. The story is just brilliantly and gruesomely written - a story you can't put down. I can't wait for the next book!

5/5⭐️

Anyone who knows me knows I love Sam Holland I am a massive cheer leader of her work and this was no exception ! Glorious , gory murdery fab. Just what I love proper page turner ! Go read !!!!

Oh I loved this!!! First book I’ve read by Sam Holland - annoyingly I didn’t realise this was part of a series but still really great as a stand alone - there was enough background to work out what had happened and to get to know the characters so I don’t feel like I missed out but I’ll definitely be reading the others & checking out more of his books.
Didn’t expect the twist but loved how this wrapped up PROPERLY with all the details rather than a quick summary. Fantastic storyline throughout and really lovable characters.
4.5 stars!

First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.

Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for my ARC of this book.

It was ok, not fabulous., but not bad either

3/5

*4.5 stars rounded up.

I absolutely loved The Echo Man and The Twenty, so of course jumped at the chance to read The Puppet Master. Was wonderful to be reunited with DCI Cara Hunter and her team again.

What starts off as a violent suicide, soon becomes apparent that there are more questions than answers. As Cara and her team investigate they seem to see a serial pattern emerging.

Sam Holland has a way of writing serial killer books with twist and turns you won’t see coming. While this isn’t as gruesome (imo) as the previous two, it’s just as compulsive with Holland’s signature ability to make a messed up situation emotional and affecting with brilliant character development.

This one is a little tough to read at times with the dark subject matter, but with its fast pace and clever plotting it’s a book you won’t be able to put down. Highly recommended and can not wait for book 4!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for an advanced e-arc 🙏

The story in emojis: 😱🚓

My Top 3 things from this book:
•The concept of The Puppet Master
•Characters from The Echo Man & The 20
•Dark and Twisty story

This is the third book in the ‘Major Crimes’ series and is yet another 5 ⭐️ read from Sam Holland.

I really liked the references to The Echo Man (as this is one of my all time favourite books) and also The 20.

The book continues with the incredibly gory/ gruesome detail, which I really like (even though it turns my stomach) and like the other 2, the story is dripping with suspense and twists to keep you captivated.

I love how it ended and am soooo hopeful for another instalment.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another strong book in this series, i loved the characters, story and the writing style. Looking forward to more bu this author

A page turner: disturbing, twisty, and gripping. It brought me to very dark places and kept me on the edge.
It's an excellent novel but unfortunately it comes after the Echo Man which was mind-blowing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book is everything I hoped it would be. I’ll note early on that it’s pitched as a standalone and while you could pick it up as such I really wouldn’t recommend it - to get the absolute most out of this one I’d make sure you’ve already read The Echo Man and The Twenty because there are plenty of open references made to the plots and results of those stories. Not just that, but with these returning characters we see so much development in them through this book, that to really appreciate how far they’ve come it would be good to have experienced the prior stories. In fact that was one of my favourite elements of this new instalment.

Holland is an absolute master at a dark and twisty crime thriller - this plot like the others had me on the edge of my seat, wanting more and feeling very reluctant to put it down. The serial killer premise for this one was clever, the story still came with the dark themes and graphic descriptions that Sam is a pro at putting together.

An easy five stars and a massive amount of need for the fourth instalment.

What a heart thumping, gut churning, jaw dropper of a read! Dark, gritty and gruesome, this, the third instalment in Sam Holland’s Major Crimes series had me at its mercy from start to finish.

Already with just two books under her belt, Holland had established a reputation for a shocking premise. And here she consolidates her standing with the twistiest yet. A serial killer who hides in plain sight and kills not by wielding the knife or firing the gun but by manipulating their vulnerable victims into taking their OWN lives.

With precision plotting and a perfectly paced narrative, this is another brilliant crime procedural, following on from The Echo Man and The Twenty. It can be read as a standalone, but to get the most out of it, you really should read the first two books. For, above and beyond the crime aspect, what makes this series stand out are the characters and how they cope with the scars they carry from these previous investigations.

Although this felt less graphic than the previous books — possibly making it more accessible to the squeamish reader — the shock factor was still very much in evidence. Holland knows how to spin the most gripping of tales. There’s also a great subplot involving sibling detectives Cara and Nate, which added a brilliant layer to their character arcs.

I am now wholly invested in this compelling series and the Major Crimes team and can’t wait for book four.

Thanks to #netgalley and #harpercollinsuk for my ADC!

This, my friends, is the third instalment of the DCI Cara Elliot series, and although it was maybe not as gripping as the first two it’s definitely as blood curdling.

I read somewhere that Sam Holland forged her love of reading through Stephen King and Dean Koontz, and boy oh boy can you tell by this book. It’s dark, it’s gritty, it’s terrifying and I loved every bit of it.

In the midst of a new serial killer investigation (this town certainly doesn’t lack them) we get a glance of the impact the events of the first and second book had on our protagonists. Some of them have suffered great losses and are still struggling to cope with the grief and it was heartbreaking seeing them trying to come to terms with their struggles.

I buddy read this with some friends and we were all hoping for the big conclusion that left us hanging in book 1. But Holland is diabolical and is going to make us wait for the final instalment in the series! Let the countdown begin…

But back to this book: my brain wasn’t braining with this one and I didn’t have a clue to who the killer could be! I missed all the signs and didn’t see the link! So kudos to Holland for pulling the wool over my eyes.

Oh and that epilogue! (Iykyk 😋🤞) Can’t wait for the last book now!

If you loved The Good Samaritan by John Marrs, you need to read this.

Having read the two previous books in the series I was looking forward to this one. I was not disappointed. After a sudden dramatic increase in apparent suicides DI Cara Elliott and her team start thinking the unimaginable, that all the cases are linked somehow and a race against time begins to solve the cases. I love Sam Holland’s style of writing and every book I’ve read has had me gripped from beginning to end. This one was also full of suspense and led to many late nights as I didn’t want to put it down. Look forward to many more books by this author.

I really enjoyed this book. It wasnt as graphic as the previous books in the series and the storyline in the first half was quite simple but then the second half was really tense and twisty and I didnt predict the ending. It was good and I would recommend this series.