Senseless by Ronald Malfi
If you’re already a Malfi fan (and let’s be real, who isn’t), Senseless delivers in all the deliciously eerie ways he does best. His storytelling feels like you're following a thread in the dark — you think you know where it’s going, until it yanks in a whole new direction.
The multiple POVs? Perfection. Every single time a new character popped up or the perspective shifted, I found myself side-eyeing everyone. “Is it you?? What are you hiding?? Who can I trust??” I was in full-blown detective mode with no evidence.
The pacing builds that creeping dread so well, with layers of mystery slowly unfolding, never giving you the full picture until you’re in way too deep. Malfi doesn’t just tell a story, he traps you inside it — and Senseless does exactly that.

If you like…
• Psychological thrillers with unreliable narrators
• Gritty crime meets supernatural dread
• Books that make you question every single character's intentions
…you’ll be obsessed with this one.

Would I recommend this book?
Absolutely. This is peak Malfi. If you love books that make you feel like you're being watched while you read, Senseless is calling your name. I’d recommend it to fans of Paul Tremblay, Stephen Graham Jones, and anyone who wants their thriller with a side of existential dread.

Thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this banger.

"Senseless" by Ronald Malfi is a very solid entry into the noir genre. The novel tells the story of a widowed detective's search for a serial killer amongst the streetlights of LA, but the author takes that generic noir concept and twists it into a dark tale that very effectively keeps the reader guessing up until the last pages.

Full disclosure: crime noir stories are not my particular genre, but I'd had enough exposure to Malfi's work after reading Black Mouth and Snow that I knew I was interested. The first half of the book played things conventional to the genre, which is where I struggled the most with it. However, once a certain character is introduced and his plotline plays out, it took a left turn that I became engrossed in.

Malfi excels at portraying both grief and the dark underworld of LA (which is a character in itself). He paints scenes effectively with his words, and while I would never describe the book as scary, it has moments that made me feel unsettled.

Overall, I'd check it out if you're a fan of crime noir, horror, or Malfi. It did enough subversion of the noir genre to keep me interested, and the book has some legitimate twists and surprises in it. Horror fans will appreciate the imagery and tone that Malfi conjures up, but they'll largely have to wait until the second half to get there, so patience is advised.

3.5/5

📓🕵‍♂️🪰Senseless 🪰🕵‍♂️📓

Two crimes.

A mystery.

A vampire (?)

And way too many secrets.

A masterfully written horror thriller/mystery of three individuals going through three seemingly separate events that slowly merge like three separate rivers all flowing to the same ocean without knowing the presence of one another.

🩸Detective Renney- actively investigating a gruesome murder with a side of dejavu.

🩸Maureen - A novelist engaged to a famous producer, currently dealing with "family" issues.

🩸Toby, aka The human fly, has met a "vampire" and currently believes he's a fly.

This is an awesome thriller mystery with horror elements! Has a psychological side and deals with mental illness, secrets, and grief.

I really enjoyed this book. It made me stay up way past my bedtime to solve mysterious murders.

I read and listened to this ARC for an immersive and atmospheric read, and it felt like I was walking next to the detective, trying to piece this huge puzzle together.

The cast for this audibook did an outstanding job conveying the emotions of each character, I was so absorbed I had a full Netflix series playing in my head while listening and reading this one.

If you enjoy a good thriller mystery with horror elements, I fully recommend this one! I already made sure to preorder my physical copy!

I would love to thank Ronald Malfi, Titan Book, RB Media, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and listen to this outstanding thrill of a book!

Now, to make my way through Malfi's entire bibliography!

Another great thriller from Malfi. He does an amazing job at weaving a creepy and suspenseful story, even with three views. This book has it all and will keep you reading late into the night.

A body found in the dessert, mutilated in a gruesome manner. A widowed detective tasked with solving the case. A writer who is engaged to a movie executive with a troublesome son. An outcast with an active imagination and questionable hygiene. This story grabbed me immediately. It is my first Malfi, who I was under the impression was a horror author. This certainly had horrific aspects but definitely reads as a thriller. Which isn't a bad thing at all. I was way more invested in Renney's and Maureen's storylines. Toby's storyline felt like it meandering a bit much, which I think was intentional, and a testament to his scattered state of mind. I felt the end was a little too rushed for my taste but it didn't take away from the overall story. I just wish there had been a little more with the final interaction.

Overall, I thought this was OK. I felt the book was a bit too long and had one too many storylines within it that muddied up the story for me. I would have liked more focus on the Renfield character and the police investigation, rather than one of the other side stories.

In Senseless by Ronald Malfi, three stories: a detective investigating a murder, a woman meeting her soon-to-be son-in-law for the first time, and a man who thinks he’s a fly unravel and eventually come together to present a horrifying tapestry.

Senseless is the second book I’ve read and reviewed by Ronald Malfi, the first was Small Town Horror and I got to read both of them early from Net Galley. Malfi is a really good writer who creates complex characters with stellar dialogue and horrifying events. Senseless is a mystery but also a horror tale. The two genres work well here and there are things in this book that you are never sure if they are real or just in certain character’s minds.

The book is pretty graphic too. There’s something much later in the book that was so graphic that I had to scan through it. It was a bit too much. Also a bit too much was some of the later thoughts of the human fly. whew. Man.

Senseless is a really good book though and not all of the mysteries are solved in this one. You’ll be left wondering a bit about a least one major thing. I’m trying to be careful about revealing any spoilers here. A lot is revealed later in the book though and its stunning. Not everything in this book is as it seems.

The only thing I know for sure is that I want to read more books by Malfi. He’s just a great writer and I’m glad I discovered him through my reviewing. I know he’s written a lot of other books so I look forward to eventually checking out some of them.

If you like mystery, horror, complex characters and stunning reveals, then you should have Senseless on your radar. It is a very graphic horror mystery but its also a very good one too.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing an early copy of this book for review. Senseless will release on April 15, 2025.

Excuse me. WHAT.

I'm a Malfi fan; I've read about 5 of his books. Generally, they've been 3-4 stars (Come with Me was a 5 star read). But Senseless...

Senseless is all the best aspects of his other books twisted together in a fever dream vortex of police procedural drama and hallucinogenic action. The cast of characters and plot outline seem to both defy the rules of writing and follow them so well we're reminded why they exist. It's masterful.

There's a rather large cast of characters for such a novel as this. We follow 3 different storylines, each with 3-4 characters that are followed closely, and each one is so bizarre and/or well placed they aren't hard to keep track of.

One POV is from a (likely schizophrenic or some other similar disorder) hallucinating man, so he can be tricky. What is real in his chapters? What isn't?

The story deals with grief after a spouse dies (which, after reading and loving Come with Me, does Ronald need a hug? Is he okay?) as well as speculations on what is real, the strange patterns that occur throughout time and place, the way reality sometimes mimics the plot structure of art, how we use art to process pain, the ravages of both drugs and mental illness, and so on.

The setting of LA and the desert--as well as rich vs poor--are so lush. The juxtaposition is incredible. The writing is beautiful! It's the perfect length, the chapters vary in length (which I love).

This book is a love letter to Malfi fans. It's brutal and creepy and full of looking dread.

CONTENT WARNINGS for gnarly, brutal violence including murd3r, s3xua! a33ault, drugs, gross depictions of bodily things and spiders. It doesn't cross the line to splatterpunk or extreme horror, perhaps because the plot and characters are so strong and at the front of all action.

#GIFTED from Netgalley and Titan books to read and review honestly and voluntarily.

Thank you Titan Books for my gifted finished copy (she is BEAUTIFUL), and Tantor Audio for my gifted ALC!

Senseless is how you write a detective novel! Hell. Yes. I was deeply unsettled the entire time. Invested. Tugging at red strings and plugging them here and there.

Ronald Malfi has mastered this gentle guidance to a shattering twist that blows you away. I am only a handful and a half into Malfi’s works, but it seems like he gets better with each new novel.

This book is a longer read, but it doesn’t feel that way. Malfi crafts this gothic-tinged world that is too desirable to not want to sink deep into. I didn’t want to leave. I almost want to start this book over just to experience it all again.

*Senseless* by Ronald Malfi is a gripping psychological/true-crime-esque thriller that keeps readers second-guessing themselves—I know I did.
We follow a couple of different POVs-one of a troubled, widowed investigator, and the other of a schizophrenic on his quests.
Without spoiling…do not sleep on the ending. My jaw was on the floor and my hand over my mouth as I audibly gasped as the horror (body) that ensued in the final act.
The pacing can be slow at times, but the emotional depth and psychological complexity of the story make it a compelling read.
*Senseless* is a chilling and atmospheric thriller, perfect for fans of mind-bending suspense. My first but certainly not last Malfi. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy. Senseless starts out with the discovery of a mutilated body that brings back memories from an unsolved murder from the previous year. Detective Bill Renney is determined to solve the case this time. Maureen is another character that is introduced. Maureen is recently engaged, and all is well until her future stepson returns home. Toby is the last perspective. Toby believes that he is a fly and his mother is a spider. One night at a club, Toby meets a girl with fangs which leads to an obsession. I found myself confused throughout the book. I did not know where the different storylines were going. I still have more questions than answers and really didn’t understand how it all tied together.

Told through three points of views, things get a little muddied at the beginning, but when things start to fall into place, Malfi delivers. This story is part crime procedural, part creepy supernatural hair raising tale. There are some gory details provided in the narrative. When the body of a young female is found in the desert mutilated, nearly one year after a similarly murdered victim is found, raises the question, Is this the work of a serial killer or a copycat? This story did not disappoint. Very well paced, excellent character development.

5 stars

Senseless by Ronald Malfi is a well paced mystery that oozes creepiness and kept me interested the entire time waiting to see where the story was going to end up. Told from 3 different points of view that dance around each other until finally intertwining at the end.
While detective stories aren't generally my favourite, I absolutely love Malfi's writing and will always be happy to be reading anything his written.
For a more in depth review, you can check out my spoiler free youtube review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlrROmFp5Aw

Malfi does it again! Senseless is tense, dread inducing, and absolutely everything you've come to expect from this master of horror.

Senseless introduces a cast of color and flawed characters and expertly mixes themes throughout. Beginning to end is well paced and isn't stuffed with a bunch of "fluff"

Another solid horror from Malfi. I was intrigued right away, kept interested, and the ending was satisfying. Thanks for the chance to read, more in depth review to follow.

“There are places in the desert where things can be hidden and never found.”

Follow three stories as they become braided together. Seemingly unconnected yet all of them are…off. At least one of the characters in each subplot feels untrustworthy, creating multiple suspects in a brutal murder case.
I was engrossed in each of these subplots and was upset and excited when I got to the end of a chapter; upset because I wanted to keep tracking the current story, and excited because I knew the next chapter would continue something that had left me hanging.

Thank you Titan books for letting me read this before release. Wow ! This book was amazing! Screw with your mind . I didn’t know what to think by the end of it. I was thrown for a loop and had no idea who the killer was. Ronald Malfi, is an amazing writer.

Release: April 15,2025
Author: Ronald Malfi
Publisher: titan books

Rating: 4.25 ★ 

Senseless by Ronald Malfi is a haunting and gripping supernatural thriller that combines elements of psychological horror with a complex mystery. Set against the gritty backdrop of Los Angeles, this novel is a page-turning, multi-layered narrative that will keep readers on edge from start to finish.
Malfi's ability to weave together different storylines—each seemingly disconnected, yet all intertwined by a dark thread of horror and suspense—is one of the novel’s most impressive qualities. The book begins with a grisly murder in the desert and quickly escalates into a chilling exploration of secrets, obsession, and supernatural forces that seem to defy logic. Detective Bill Renney’s investigation into the murder is not just about solving a crime—it’s about confronting a personal secret tied to the first victim's husband, which adds an emotional and psychological layer to the plot.
The novel’s secondary plotlines, focusing on Maureen Park, a woman drawn into a tense relationship with her fiancé’s son, Landon, and Toby Kampen, the bizarre "Human Fly" with a dangerous obsession, contribute to a constantly building tension. As the characters’ paths cross and secrets begin to unravel, the reader is thrust into a world where nothing is quite as it seems. Malfi’s atmospheric writing enhances the suspense, creating a palpable sense of dread that builds with each chapter.
The supernatural elements in Senseless are subtly woven into the narrative, amplifying the horror without overshadowing the psychological depth of the story. As a result, the novel will appeal to fans of both traditional thrillers and supernatural horror. Malfi has crafted a story that doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects of human nature, while also delivering a spine-tingling mystery that keeps the reader guessing.
In Senseless, the discovery of a mutilated body in the desert near Los Angeles sets off a chain of events that connects a series of characters in unexpected and eerie ways. Detective Bill Renney is drawn into the case, but his personal ties to the first victim’s husband cloud his judgment. Meanwhile, Maureen Park, who is engaged to a Hollywood producer, becomes increasingly suspicious of Greg’s son, Landon, as he becomes more involved in her life. Toby Kampen, a man obsessed with a mysterious woman who may not be entirely human, adds another layer of intrigue and terror to the story. As the three storylines converge, a tapestry of deceit, obsession, and supernatural horror unfolds in this spine-chilling, fast-paced thriller.


Favorite Quote:
"the mind is a fragile thing, and once it's broken, there's no telling what kind of damage it can do."

A body is discovered in the desert outside Los Angeles, the victim of a gruesome murder. A murder eerily similar to one that took place earlier. Is a serial killer on the loose? Malfi intertwines three plots: the detective who investigated the previous murder and who formed a rather strange relationship with the victim's husband; the fiancee of a Hollywood executive who becomes fearful of his son; and a young homeless man who thinks he has met a female vampire, into a haunting, compelling story that explores the depravity that human beings can descend into.

This book was creepy! I read an eARC of this book on Net Galley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

This is a horror novel with a core police procedural story. We follow in the main, a detective presented with a case very similar to one he had investigated a year earlier. With a very particular way the body has been left. However we also follow some other characters, seemingly unconnected at first. It’s interesting how these build throughout the story, the menace in each getting more intense as we progress.

What this book does so well is the way it suggests the supernatural. Sometimes pervasively, sometimes in sharp flashes. It’s really unsettling. It’s hard to know what to believe at times, or to understand the mental state of certain characters.

The inclusion of Maureen as a perspective was brilliant. It not only added new layers to the book, but it created a vulnerability that made the horror feel very real. Maureen was a really interesting character for her reactions to new information. I don’t want to give spoilers by going in to detail, but I really enjoyed her sections.

I found this a fascinating mystery that took me in unexpected directions. It’s dark, broody, atmospheric, scary and I would read more from this author.