When the violent offenders against a group of women all in the same domestic abuse survivor group begin getting picked off one by one, the vigilante known as “The Caretaker” becomes the center of both media and police attention. TSKSG explores violence against women and what happens when the failure of law enforcement necessitates we take justice into our own hands. It begs us to wonder if murder is always bad or if sometimes “an eye for an eye” is the call we need take up.

I absolutely loved the women in this book, their fragility and their resiliency, and their sisterhood with one another. I was absolutely pleased to learn this is just the start of a series. I cannot wait for more. This book gripped me and kept me on the edge the whole way through. Even when I thought I had the plot twist figured out, I was so off the mark.

The Serial Killer Support Group by D B Stephens started out very strong, but then got to the middle and just did not enjoy it as much. I would still recommend it to anyone who likes a good thriller.

I absolutely loved this books. It was so well written so so much twist and turns. I didn't want the story to end. I would give the book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

This book had a very interesting concept but I kept seeing inconsistencies and overall the ending was entirely too predictable early on in the book.

Rounded up to 3.75⭐

The Serial Killer Support Group had my jaw on the floor.

Jess Pendle accepts an invitation to join a support group of other women who are dealing with the same domestic issues as she is. After spending years being abused at the hand of her partner, she is about to meet a group of women who will help completely change the course of her life.

I can honestly say, I have never read anything like this before. It will have your thoughts all over the place.

I loved it. I loved the strong characters; the idea of protection and justice being served. I enjoyed the quick chapters and the chapters that were told from a different perspective. This was a suspenseful, dark, gripping, page turning, jaw dropping read.

In all honesty, you may question yourself and your morals while you are reading this. Thankfully, this particular book is fiction, but the subject of the book is not. The Caretaker will take you on an emotional ride. I didn't know if I should feel relieved, excited, disgusted or immoral but none of these feelings made me enjoy the book less!

I would recommend this book to most readers. Please be cautious of the subject of domestic violence/abuse.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A little on the fence about this book. I thought from the description the book was about something different, but it went in a direction I wouldn't have expected. I was vested for about half the book then not so much. I didn't find it realistic nor plausible. Thank you to One More Chapter and D B Stephens for the opportunity to read this ARC for an honest review.

The Serial Killer Support Group by D.B. Stephens is a darkly compelling thriller with a unique and twisted premise. The idea of a secretive support group for serial killers immediately grabs attention, and Stephens delivers a story filled with tension, dark humor, and psychological intrigue. From the very first chapter, the novel sets a gripping pace, balancing suspense with sharp, unsettling character dynamics.

The characters are what make this book stand out—each one harboring their own secrets and motivations, making it impossible to know who to trust. The protagonist’s journey through this dangerous world is both thrilling and unpredictable, with Stephens masterfully crafting moments of both horror and dark wit. While some plot twists are more effective than others, the overall execution keeps the story engaging and fresh.

There are moments where the pacing slows slightly, and a few side characters could have been explored more deeply, but the novel’s tension and originality more than make up for it. The Serial Killer Support Group is a clever, gripping read with an edge of dark humor that sets it apart from traditional thrillers. A solid 4-star novel—perfect for fans of psychological suspense with a wickedly original twist.

An effortless ride through a complicated subject.

This book deftly balances the care with which its themes demand, and the impellent pacing of a one-sitting thriller. It held my interest throughout, and never felt contrived or perfunctory.

I found myself rooting for the group at its core with an unashamed ease. It also managed to make me stop and think about my role in stopping these recursive cycles, so it was successful at conveying its central message.

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for the advanced copy and the chance to provide an honest review. I think you have a winner with this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and to One More Chapter for providing me with this ARC.
The title alone had me itching to start reading.

Now, the story starts with Jess Pendle spending NYE in A&E, accompanied by her boyfriend Lewis. This time, he has gone too far in his abuse. It was good to see how many opportunities Jess had to ask the hospital staff for help, and to see how she was instantly believed and safeguarded.
Realising she can't hide behind her front door forever, she attends a support group. Though wary at first of sharing, she sees how the others benefit. This could be her chance to move on from Lewis.
But, sadly, Lewis doesn't stay away for long, and continues to haunt her by showing up on her doorstep, sending messages and generally freaking her out.
The support group is her reprieve, but when some of the women see their abusers being attacked or killed by 'The Caretaker', it's clear there's something more about the support group than Jess realised.
When the police make a similar connection, the group comes under suspicion. But who is The Caretaker? And why is he fighting back on their behalf?

I'll admit that I fell for the red herring, assuming I knew who The Caretaker was early on. Thankfully the author quickly dispelled that myth and restored my faith in good storytelling. I knew it couldn't be that easy ;)

This is a good mystery, contemporary and gritty in parts, with strong female characters and a killer whose actions could be seen as dispensing justice. (An interesting debate)
With plenty of twists, the story is well-paced, though I felt the ending wasn't as powerful. Clearly it leaves things open for another book, but I didn't think it closed this one of satisfactorily.

Girl power 😍

The story follows Jess, who finds herself in a support group for domestic violence survivors. The quick-paced chapters kept me hooked from beginning to end, and the plot was incredibly engaging. It was one of those books I couldn't put down, constantly wanting to know what would happen next and figure out what was going on. The suspense and twists definitely kept me on my toes.

That said, I did wish there was more depth to the characters. At times, they felt a bit one-dimensional, which made it harder to fully connect with them. Still, the story was strong enough to keep me invested. If you enjoy books with a gripping storyline and a fast pace, you’ll likely love this one. Freida fans will enjoy this one!

Overall, a solid read that I would definitely recommend, though a bit more character development would’ve made it even better. A huge thank you to the author and One More Chapter for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

From its gripping title to its powerful premise, The Serial Killer Support Group is a prolific thriller that not only delivers suspense but also carries a deeply thought-provoking message about domestic violence. The portrayal of this issue is both accurate and impactful, woven seamlessly into the narrative in a way that resonates and lingers long after the final page.

The short, fast-paced chapters create a thrilling momentum, and it was beautiful to witness a group of strong women—each broken by their own circumstances—come together, uplift one another, and fight back. While Jess and Sophie were well-developed, I do wish the women in the support group had received a bit more depth.

The pacing, though mostly engaging, became slightly jarring toward the end, with the resolution wrapped up at warp speed and culminating in a major cliffhanger. Thankfully, as Darren O'Sullivan confirms in the acknowledgements, this is the start of a series, so the unanswered questions won't be left hanging for long. I'm eagerly anticipating what's in store for the next installment!

I received a free complimentary advanced reader's copy (ARC) of this book from NetGalley and HarperCollins UK/One More Chapter. I am voluntarily leaving this review; all opinions and thoughts are my own.

The Serial Killer Support Group by D.B. Stephens is a fast-paced, gripping read that kept me hooked from start to finish. The story’s suspenseful twists and engaging writing made it hard to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more from D.B. Stephens.

Thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins/One More Chapter for the ARC of this book. The premise of this is great but it leaves a lot to be desired. I found some inconsistencies in the story and a ton of unanswered questions. I liked the main character Jess and how she interacted with Sophie but I wanted to know more about the other women.

I will start by saying that I am very much on board with the premise here. I have absolutely zero objection to a vigilante deciding to rain poetic justice down upon the heads of those who would victimize their intimate partners. I think if such actions were actually met with more significant consequences, the perpetrators would think twice before committing such acts. Unfortunately, the author’s portrayal of inaction and, often, disinterest, on the part of law enforcement is accurate, and it’s a global issue. So, I’ve no moral dilemma here. We’re all good with the gray.

I just can’t say that I can suspend disbelief enough to go along with the plot, unfortunately.

I don’t know that The Caretaker meets the criteria for a serial killer, for one. It cannot be denied that he fits at least part of the definition (‘the unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s), in separate events’). And I don’t want to give away any of the plot so I will simply say that a solid argument can be made that he meets the criteria for causality. But psychopathy is generally agreed to be a characteristic of a serial killer, and while The Caretaker is definitely angry, they aren’t mad; The Caretaker is no psychopath. And of course, the reader knows this; they’re in on it. But my point is that by the time the book is half done, the police know what motivates The Caretaker, so they too would know that he is not a serial killer. All of which is to say that while the title and the idea behind it are clever and catchy, the book doesn’t follow through.

When I read books like this I keep very firmly in mind the fact that the thought process and reactions of an abuse survivor don’t always make sense and it is not for me to judge. Having said that, I find quite a bit of this story implausible and contradictory. That Jess would be courageous enough to report Lewis and leave him, strong and determined enough to go to a support group, and enough of a fighter to change the locks and get the cameras and contact the police with the footage from those cameras… but she would not contact the police when his new girlfriend assaults her? Which her cameras would surely have recorded? Furthermore, she has at least some financial security, and an emotional support system; why does she not move rather than following the course of action she ultimately chooses?

There is a line in the book: “Once, men were better. They cared, nurtured, they didn’t wander or stray.” And I will be frank, my reaction to this was to scoff and pen an extensive note. I won’t regurgitate it all here, but suffice it to say that this line is what gave me the first hint that D B Stephens was a man, because I do not know a single woman of any orientation who believes this. But to be completely honest credulity was strained more than usual with this one when I discovered that the author was a man writing a main character who is a woman in the first person POV. I’m fully aware that men can also be the victims of abuse and in fact I applaud this book for pointing that out, but it does actually raise a salient point: why have a main character who is a woman? Why not a main character who is a man who survived domestic abuse? I think the answer to that question is fairly obvious, and it’s actually a little bit repellent. There were several other instances in the book where Jess’ inner thoughts, as written by the author, simply did not gel with the way a woman thinks, and frankly I found it uncomfortable and jarring to read a book about domestic abuse from a woman’s POV that was written by a man.

Special needs children are also featured in the book, at least one of whom is autistic. I don’t know a great deal about autism or the struggles of raising a child on the spectrum, but what I do know seems to indicate that it’s pretty accurate in this regard. Representation matters and I applaud the author for including this in the book. But I find it highly doubtful that a female Detective Sergeant would be granted as much grace as the child’s mother is in the book. She is the lead investigator on the Caretaker case, responsible for solving several homicides, and she is frequently unavailable because her child is in crisis. I don’t question her priorities; I do question whether the hierarchy of a bureaucracy would have such tolerance or sympathy for them. In my own experience it is highly unlikely.

Even as I wrote this review I tried to challenge my own assumptions and glean some insight into the author’s thought process and motivations. Particularly given the subject matter in this book, it seemed not only fair but critical to do so. But I struggled with the fact that it didn’t seem to have occurred to either the author or anyone on the editorial team to raise any of the questions above. And yes, this is absolutely fiction, but these are serious issues.

The writing itself isn’t bad. I did find many of the characters to be stock, frankly: Abusive Boyfriend #1. But perhaps under the circumstances it’s unfair to expect more. The four primary protagonists are reasonably well developed, and I suspect they will become more so as the series continues. The book ends on a cliffhanger; as I discovered after I began reading, it is the first in a new series. I can’t in all honesty say that it is one that I would continue because while I do like the plot and find the themes worth exploring, I have to be honest and say that even after sitting with it for a while I am uncomfortable with the way that was done in this book.

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and am leaving a voluntary review.

DNF @ 30%.

I was so excited to read this book and I absolutely love the concept of the book but the writing style just wasn't for me.

I loved the main female character and really felt for her in the parts of the book I did read.

Unfortunately for me there was too many POVs, some being written in first person and some in third made this very confusing for me and that's why I struggled to finish this one.

2 stars for the first 30% and concept of the book.

Thank you NetGalley, D. B. Stephen’s, and One More Chapter Publishing for an E-Arc of this book.

This is my first read by this author and it was a fast read. I had the book figured out pretty early but there were still some twists and turns. This book kept my interest and is a good light read compared to some other thriller books I’ve read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC!!

Remarkably captivating and incredibly addictive! I couldn't help but binge-read this thrilling story in a single sitting; I simply couldn’t put it down. The narrative is masterfully crafted, featuring relatable characters and spine-tingling moments! This is absolutely a must-read for the year!

Jess has to go to hospital for treatment on New Year’s Eve because her boyfriend Lewis has beaten her up again. Although she is too scared to say that her boyfriend did this to her she is given a leaflet for a support group for battered women.
When Jess decides to turn up at the group meeting she finds women in the same situation as her and possibly a way to set herself free from the violence inflicted on her.
I enjoyed reading this story and will be looking out for more work from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow !!!! This was a wild ride !!! I loved the story and plot !! It had wow moments !!! The character development was lacking but the plot carried the story and I loved it,

A gripping read that had me on the edge of my seat from start the finish. The pacing was very well done and I was always excited to pick it up and read.