I’ve never read Sam Blake before but as she’s coming to my local crime fiction festival Granite Noir this felt as good a time as any to give her a go.
"The Killing Sense" is a strongly atmospheric thriller that takes you to the heart of Paris, blending the city's romantic allure with a sinister undercurrent. Kate Wilde is a single mother who with a troubled past. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she wins a trip to Paris to study perfume making in a Facebook competition she doesn’t remember entering. Leaving her daughter with her sister she takes what will be her first real trip away since her divorce from her abusive ex-husband. A series of strange events make her concerned someone has access to her apartment and she has a feeling of being watched. The plot thickens as it becomes clear that a serial killer is targeting red-haired women in the city, and could Kate, with her distinctive red hair becomes a target? Who was the charming man she met on the Eurostar, is the competition too good to be true, what has happened to her new friends flatmate, is her ex-husband in Paris?
The book did a really good job of making me feel invested in Kate's personal journey whilst keeping the story running along with the thriller elements, creating a dual narrative of Kate and her history and feelings and the story of the murders becoming uncovered in Paris. Kate feels like a particularly compelling protagonist, and her resilience and desire to fulfil a decades old promise, coupled with her vulnerability, really helps invest you. The supporting cast, including the enigmatic Daniel Langton, the brilliant and charming Agathe, and the journalist Maxim each add their own layers to the story. One thing I found unusual and interesting was how the author used smells as part of the book, makes sense given the perfume making backdrop but they had a great turn of phrase that really helped me envision in my head the smells the characters were smelling and creating, I don’t normally find myself imagining smells like this often when reading so that was a welcome change.
As I mentioned "The Killing Sense" gallops along and it feels like it tells you everything you need, and more, but never feels over-written as thrillers sometimes are. I think the personality of the city adds to this as it feels like it’s right it’s set in Paris, a city of romance, but also a certain amount of nostalgia, and even an undertone of politics creeping in with the Olympics helping dictate police policy.
Usually I’m much more straight crime fiction than thrillers but I really liked this and I would certainly recommend "The Killing Sense" for people more used to say a police procedural. This is a book for people who enjoy the setting as a character, but importantly the setting never overwhelms it but also feels integral, the characterisations are strong enough for you to care what happens, and the mysteries are solved. I think the plot reveals itself as it goes along so you’re not really guessing whodunnit as you learn as the characters do. Sam Blake will now go on my ever growing list of authors I need to read more from but I will definitely explore further, if you like this kind of book definitely get a copy, even if you don’t but like your fiction on the noir side then this is worth taking a punt on, I don’t think you’ll regret it!

In this gripping thriller, we meet the captivating Kate Wilde, a redhead and single mother from Galway, now battling to build a new life in London after escaping a suffocating and abusive marriage. Her world revolves around her daughter, Hanna, but everything is about to change when she unexpectedly wins a luxurious five-day trip to Paris—a prize she doesn’t even remember entering. Red flag alert! Her sister Orna persuades her to cast aside her concerns and embrace this golden opportunity to recharge and reconnect with herself in the city of love.

The journey kicks off with a chance encounter on the Eurostar, where Kate crosses paths with the enigmatic Daniel Langton, a wealthy ex-soldier. They leave quite the impression on each other!

Upon her arrival, Kate finds herself enchanted by the stunning apartment she will call home for the next five days. As she dives headfirst into the complimentary perfumery course, she experiences a resurgence of joy and freedom—this feels like her moment. But Paris is a city of secrets, and danger lurks just beneath the surface.

The prologue thrusts us into the shadowy depths of the Parisian sewers, where a chilling discovery sets the tone for the chaos to come. A café scene introduces us to Agathe Delevingne, who anxiously searches for her missing friend Sandrine, enlisting help from her distinguished journalist uncle.

As Agathe, Daniel, and Kate’s lives converge, a web of intrigue is woven, pulsing with tension and uncertainty. Sam Blake masterfully amplifies the suspense with intricate details, guiding us through an electrifying journey across the City of Lights.

The Killing Sense is a riotous page-turner that will grip heart and mind as we witness Kate’s harrowing struggle for survival in a thrilling dance between beauty and horror. With vivid portrayals of iconic Parisian landmarks intertwined with an undercurrent of dread, this novel reveals the sinister side of a city as beautiful as it is dangerous. Prepare for another sensational story from Sam Blake, infused with an irresistible Parisian twist.

Many thanks to the publisher for the chance to read via NetGalley; as always, this is an honest review.

3.75 stars
This is the first Sam Blake book that I've read and it was certainly an interesting concept.
I liked the twists and turns that the story took, even if the pacing wasn't quite there the whole way through.
Sadly it was quite slow at parts and some of it felt a bit too farfetched for me.
However, the ending and epilogue were great and saw my rating go from 3.5 to 3.75 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Killing Sense was a real “grip your seat with tension” kind of book!!! The concentration on who was the baddie was on my mind all of the time!!! It took over my life for the short amount of time it took me to get through this story! Nothing else mattered!
Kate won a trip to Paris, to take part in a perfume making course but also see the sights of Paris. She doesn’t remember taking part in it, but takes the trip all the same. Her sister tells her to be careful, take care and she looks after her niece for her sister to go . When she arrives, she finds she’s staying in a beautiful apartment just around the corner from where she needs to go!. She befriends a handsome English man who’s kind and attentive, but she’s been burned by her ex husband who was a very nasty man. It’s made her very wary and distrustful, but Daniel seems like a good guy.
You know by now that I don’t like to tell you too much of the story, so I will tell you that this book is action packed and quite creepy!! All the things I like!!
Many thanks to Atlantic Books for the opportunity to read this arc copy via Netgalley. My opinion is my own.
#Netgalley. #AtlanticBooks, #SamBlakeBooks.

This book had me hooked with the threat of danger and betrayal, the twist and turns kept it exciting and suspensful.

When I first read the blurb or book description for the Killing Sense by Sam Blake, I was quite intrigued it sounded like an unusual storyline and it is set in one of my most favorite cities, but I was also a little bit skeptical.
I've read a number of storylines involving GPS, that seemed unrealistic so I wondered "..how is this going to work..?"
Well, I should have known to trust her, because Sam Blake is a brilliant author, and within a couple of pages I was absolutely absorbed in the storyline; between the quick pacing and the brilliantly depicted characters. I had also fallen back in love with Paris and I've raced through the novel. I just wanted to know what would happen next. Did I manage predict accurately who was the killer? No, but I was starting to move on to the right track.
I enjoyed the characters, and I think the city of Paris also plays a unique and beautiful character on its own.
I'd love a follow-up with Kate post-Paris!

This was my first novel of 2025 and I really enjoyed it. Single mum Kate Wilde has escaped an abusive marriage and started a new life with her daughter. She hadn’t had a holiday in years, so when she wins an all expenses trip to Paris to learn about perfume, she jumps at the chance. Even though it’s a competition she can’t remember entering. It’s a drawn come true, but almost as soon as she arrives in Paris, she receives a text from her ex making it clear he’s in the same city. And one Kate has checked into her apartment, she can’t help but feel watched especially as there’s a killer on the loose, focussing on red haired women, just like her. This was a tense and gripping novel that I found hard to out dune. Thank you to NetGalley, Atlantic Books and the author for the chance to review.

Sadly, the premise and the lack of brain cells was just TSTL for me. Were these people living under rocks? It's 2024, the age of Internet scams and, come on, if it's too good to be true, then theres something dodgy...if it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck, yadda yadda.

Apologies but this was a DNF for me,I found the writing and the flow of the book hard to follow and so was not for me

I’ve read Sam Blake’s two YA books and loved them (despite being several decades older than the target audience) so I was intrigued to read her most recent adult thriller.

A few chapters in with lots of different threads and many characters being thrown in, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. But surprisingly quickly it all started to come together and I was swept away in the wonderful descriptions of Paris and the excellent characterisation of those involved in this thrilling tale. I ended up thoroughly enjoying this book - it moved along at a good pace and I stayed up far too late last night desperate to find out ‘whodunnit’. I thought the ending was good and I liked that it wasn’t overly drawn out. I liked the epilogue too. Lots of redheads with lots of red herrings!

I am very grateful to NetGalley and Atlantic for the eARC of The Killing Sense.

An interesting thriller set in Paris. Single mother Kate wins an all expenses paid trip to the city of scents to study perfume not knowing a serial killer is targeting red headed women. I liked the characters and the atmospheric setting but the pace was slow and there were many unbelievable coincidences

Kate Wilde escaped a horrible home life with her daughter Hanna. Kate receives notification that she has won an all expenses trip to Paris. Kate travels to Paris full of hope and to fulfil a dream! However, Kate receives a text from ex saying he is watching her. Ah but is this true, Kate doesn't know but she carries on with enjoying Paris - the sights, scents and scenes. She learns of a killer seeking red heads and this puts a different on things in the city. All the sub plots come together to a thrilling conclusion, where we discover the identity and why this is happening. Sam brought Paris to life so I could imagine being there.

This is a great atmospheric story based in Paris which truly takes you away!!

The story unfolds on a personal journey to France and deals with many aspects of life and past memories of the main character.
Really strong main characters with a mysterious underlying historical context which takes you on rollercoaster journey!

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review

I felt this one was soooo long and a bit of a slog if I’m honest. It just didn’t grab me and I was a little bit bored at times. It moved at such a slow pace and only really got going for the last 1/4 of the listen. It felt like it jumped around a lot but maybe that’s due to me not being fully engaged. The characters are well developed and somewhat interesting. I did really like the references to the different places Paris is known for. Yet again I seem to be in the minority with this one but it just wasn’t for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bolinda Audio for the opportunity to listen and review #TheKillingSense

Loved the main character (Kate) and I love how it is set in Paris. After reading the first part, I had high hopes for this story. The twists were good, but it was a slow read and quite far fetched.

Kate is on her way to Paris for a course in creating perfume. She won the course in a Facebook competition that she doesn’t remember entering. The prize also includes accommodation, tickets to the Louvre and Eiffel Tower.
On the Eurostar she meets Daniel, who is also on his way to Paris to buy a perfume bottle for his Aunt.
Meanwhile in Paris, a dismembered head has been found in the sewers. Agathe’s flatmate Sandrine has gone missing and her enquiries turn up a bunch of missing redheads going back years.
Kate meanwhile feels that she is being watched and is receiving text messages from her abusive ex-husband. Things in her flat are being moved and she’s not sure if she’s being paranoid or if Erik knows where she is.
Over the course of the week, everything starts to collide and Kate is in serious danger.
A good read, but I felt that if Kate really felt this paranoid, she would have raised red flags much sooner.

Single Mum Kate Wilde has escaped an abusive marriage and hasn't had a holiday in years, so when she wins a five-day trip to Paris to learn about perfume - in a competition she can't remember entering - it's a dream come true. Or is it?

I enjoyed reading this book. It has all the elements of a good story. A good setting, believable characters and a pace that kept me reading. There were a few twists in it that I didn’t see coming which is an added bonus. A great read.

After the head of a woman is found in the sewers of Paris, the disappearance of several women spanning decades are linked due to the colour of their hair.
Fellow redhead Kate Wilde travels to Paris after winning a competition she can’t remember entering. Kate meets Daniel in the Eurostar into Paris and Agathe in a cafe near her appartment, both of whom end up tangled into the investigation of the missing women.
Kate starts to feel she is being followed but is she being targeted by the killer or by her abusive ex.

Loved the plot and the way in unfolded and the ending came as a surprise. The story is told from several different POV’s but all had a distinct voice so were easy to tell apart and kept a track of.
The setting of Paris was well written and I felt as if I was there. It also gave it a different take to lots of other thrillers making it stand out.

Would highly recommend.

Kate, a single mum who has escaped an abusive marriage, rarely puts herself first. So when she wins a Facebook competition for an all-expenses-paid trip to Paris to attend a perfume-making course, her sister insists she go. The only problem? Kate doesn’t remember entering the competition. But everything checks out — there’s even a Eurostar ticket in her name — so off she goes.

Upon arriving in Paris, Kate realises her ex is also there. Even more troubling, a serial killer is on the loose, targeting red-haired women. Women like Kate.

Though this book is on the longer side, I absolutely flew through it. The characters are introduced gradually and fleshed out well. I did figure out most of what was happening, but the story gives you just enough clues to make that satisfying and there are a few twists on the details. The Parisian setting adds both charm and tension — the details about the city’s tourist spots and art of perfume-making will make you feel like you’re right there.

I loved the epilogue; it was a really nice touch. The relationships and friendships in the book are wonderfully portrayed. When The Killing Sense releases next year, you’ll uncover a cast of likeable characters you’ll be rooting for from start to finish.

Thank you to Corvus Atlantic for providing an ARC copy.

Firstly thank you to the publishers for my early access in exchange for a review .
I raced half of this of one night as I was hooked
The writing style flows , the pace is fast and the storyline is great.
Each characters voice felt unique and I loved a single mum being given this opportunity in Paris .. it definitely made me mentally escape there too !
Unpredictable,clever and enticing.
I really enjoyed it .