This is an unputdownable, non-stop, action packed thill ride of a book. A phycologist, serial killers, secrets, a few twist and turns and plenty of suspense. This is a book that once you start reading you won't be able to put down.

Loving Dr Emy Rose, a perfect character for a book like this one. The book is easy to read, there is some humour to keep a lightness to it and of course plenty of suspense. Well written, great characters, an interesting and intriguing storyline. A great read from a great author.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

📖 Title: How to Read a Killer's Mind- I read it as a standalone

✍🏾 Author: Tam Barnett-new to me author

📅Publication date: 4/7/25 | Read 4/3/25

📃 Format: eBook 288 pgs.

Genre:
*Mystery/Thriller
*Crime Fic
*Horror-Think movies like Silence of the Lambs, Seven, and Mindhunter-a Netflix series

Tropes:
*serial killers
*dark, atmospheric setting
*whodunnit
*family drama
*hidden truths
*mental health
*secret identity

👆🏾POV: 1st person single-Emy

⚠️TW: murder, death of a loved one, illness of a parent


🌎 Setting: Beeswell prison - New Castle, England

Summary: Emy has succeeded in getting George Petty to confess where his victims are hidden. Now she, her BFF of sixteen years Chi, and Ph. D. student Robbie continues The Hive Project profiling serial killers Tim Shenton, Joe Okorie "The Ghost Killer," and Frank Elkins "The Dentist" to get them to do the same. Emy's brother Sam was abducted ten years ago and is presumed dead after finding Elkins with Sam's teeth. Harrington, The Minister of Justice and the press race against time to get the confessions and stories out before The Hive gets shut down.


👩🏾 Heroine: Dr. Emy Rose-34, a psychologist who interviews serial killers to get their victims' location for the victims' families.

🎭 Other Characters:
*Samuel Whirberth-Emy's brother allegedly killed by Elkins
*Em's mother-has traumatic mutism-stopped talking after Sam's disappearance, has osteoporosis, needs home care
*Chiyoko Aoki-Em's BFF, communicates w/ the families and deals with the press
*Tim Shenton-accused of murder and r*pe of his stepsister's son Andrew Stride, 8
*Frank Elkins- abducted 5 men including Em's brother Sam allegedly
*Joe Okorie- the "Ghost Killer" killed 8 women in 3 years allegedly
*Robbie -a research assistant writes the transcripts of interviews
*Barnaby C. Harrington- Minister of Justice
*Leon Courtney-Peltz-41, a journalist with The Times


🤔 My Thoughts: I couldn't put this down with so much suspense. Emy was a hard woman to crack, able to spar with men like Harrington, Shenton, and Okorie. There were twists and turns that led to a satisfying ending. I hope this series continues, Joe is diabolical!

Rating: 5/5 ✨
Spice level 1/5 🌶️ off page

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and Tam Barnett for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

Rated 4.5 stars 🌟
This book had me in a chokehold. Dark humour, darker content and a fascinating plot made for a great, rollercoaster-of-emotions read.

How To Read A Killer’s Mind plays into society’s fascination with serial killers while also highlighting the families of the victims. Emy Rose is cynical, dry and often straight-up mean but brilliantly persistent in her pursuit of justice for her family.

The author’s writing is informed, easy to read, funny in an unexpected way and I was hooked before I realised it. I look forward to reading more of Tam Barnett’s work!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the e-ARC.

Enjoyed this read a lot, I didn't like that it was too fast-paced though and that the trigger warnings wasn't mentioned.

overall, it was a nice read and I'm glad I got the opportunity to read this book :>

📚 Book Review 📚

How to Read a Killer’s Mind by @tambarnettbooks 🔪

Dr Emy Rose, a psychologist who has designed a vocation which enables her to interview and connect with convicted serial killers to confess the location(s) of their victim’s bodies. But Dr Emy Rose is hiding a dark secret, and she is dead set on connecting with a specific serial killer to find out their truth.

This is my first book by Barnett and it certainly won’t be my last – providing a refreshing take on the topic, this really makes for an attractive read for thriller and mystery readers.

Dr Emy Rose is written to be a sarcastic potty mouth who holds no prisoners (theoretically speaking!) with the drive and determination to provide grieving families with closure and support. Barnett’s interpretations of a cat and mouse mystery is appealing, providing us with an extremely dark yet compelling read packed with humour, cliffhangers, and unsettling moments aplenty.

The relationship between Emy and the serial killers are expertly crafted, and I found the chapters from the POV of one serial killer to be a brilliant addition. A lot of research and dedication has gone into this book, and it certainly shows by delivering such a highly intense and twisty novel that I couldn’t put down.

Now, I just want to talk about that ending… it was very well executed, presenting a jaw-dropping twist that I didn’t see coming, but I’d probably have liked to know more about what happened to Emy’s colleagues and family. However, this may be wrapped up in possibly book two? 👀

Since reading this, I definitely want to go back and read Barnett’s debut novel “How to Get Away with Murder” – he is definitely one to watch out for and I think will become an auto-buy author for me! I’d like to thank @theboldbookclub and @tambarnettbooks for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Psychologist doctor Emy Rose has her own reasons for working on a very special project with serial killers whereby she and her team use a cutting edge set of strategies to get serial killers to give up what they have done with their missing victims.

One of the killers that they are working on is the man responsible for the disappearance of Emy's brother. And this is her biggest secret because the evident conflict of interest if anyone found out about her connection to the killer would told that she would be utterly discredited in professional terms.

This is actually a brilliant read, which somehow fuses sharply humorous story telling with deeply disturbing insights into the minds of violent men. While some of the violence elements were graphic by my standards (which are relatively strict), this is top notch story telling from a skillful writer, and therefore highly recommended provided your stomach can take it!

This is another great book by Tam Barnett. It was darker than I anticipated, but it was twisty, witty, and well paced. I enjoyed the premise and again liked the writing style, which sprinkles in some sarcasm where needed. The different killers our FMC interviews are well written, but as a trigger warning these sections are often quite dark and mention abuse. I'm glad I got to read this early, I enjoyed it and will patiently wait for Tam's next novel!

Thanks to Net Galley and Boldwood Books for sharing this digital ARC with me.

I didn't know what to expect from this as the cover seems like it'll be lighter but it was dark, really dark.

While I disliked most of the characters (with an exception for Leon and Emys mum) they were well written & the story was engaging. A bit slow to start but I rushed through the 2nd half.

I definitely recommend giving this a read

3.5 stars

This was a solid thriller—definitely on the darker side. I’ll admit the pacing dragged at times, but the last 10% pulled it together and made it worth sticking with. It took me a while to get used to the writing style, but I really enjoyed following the perspective of a psychologist—I found the way she read people fascinating.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4


Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for this Ebook ARC in return for an honest review.

I’m a psychologist, Dr. Emy Rose, but that’s not my real name.
I work with serial killers who've hidden their victims. My job is to find the bodies - and I'm kind of awesome at it.

First time reading a book by this author, and the title definitely had me hooked. How could I not read this book.

Dr Emy Rose is a psychologist who is working on her own project THE HIVE where she talks to inmates who confessed to murders but who have never said where the bodies are of their victims, and gets them to tell her so she can help the Families of the victims.

What the inmates and others don't know is she is the sister of one of the inmates victims. The FMC of this book is basically willing to put her career, friendship, etc, at stake to find her brother for her mam.

Reason I have given this 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 is no right minded/good psychologist would risk their job, reputation for their own gain and wouldn't have had their project green light. However, I was happy with the ending it did round everything up.

I highly enjoyed this dark and witty narrative. If I am being 100% honest it did not grab me from the very beginning. The first few chapters I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue on but I am so glad that I did! This book ended up being five stars for me and I am stingy giving out five stars. I really enjoyed following Emy in her personal and work life as she works in her ground breaking research to persuade convicted murderers into revealing the locations of their undiscovered victims. Each killer had their own unique personality and this book did a great job of looking into each of their minds. Emy has her own personal reasons for her research and her dry humor and sharp comebacks made for an electrifying ride. I enjoyed the romantic aspect of this book as well and was rooting for them from the beginning. The entire book's dialogue crackles with wit, and the cast of morally ambiguous but irresistibly interesting characters kept me hooked until the final twist. It’s a story where violence and comedy dance in perfect sync.

If you love your crime thrillers with a generous dose of sarcasm, clever twists, and a protagonist who refuses to go down quietly, How to Read a Killer's Mind is a must-read. A devilishly fun and unforgettably dark tale that will keep you laughing—and guessing—until the very end.

PS. I love the cover so much! I cant wait to read her next book. I even went to Amazon and bought her other book I haven't read yet!

Thank you, NetGalley, the author, and the publisher, for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After readings Tam's first book I loved his writing style. So when I seen that he was releasing his new book, I requested to read it on NetGalley and I was accepted to read it.  What can I say this is another great book by Tam, I loved every page of this book! Tam has done so much research into this book, you would think he was a psychologist. Emy has a great talent for getting into the minds of the inmates and extracting the information for the families. The quirks which each inmate had was so interesting and really shows the difference of each human being. I loved the bond that Emy had with her mum and showing just what she would do for her family. This really resonated with me and I feel most people we would all do anything for our families. This book left me wanting more which is a true testament to Tam's writing abilities.

This was a DNF for me around 20% I just really couldn't get into and was not looking forward to picking it back up. I've enjoyed other works by the author and was looking forward to this one but just couldn't connect. Would still recommend to anyone to give this a try was just a miss for me, have seen some positive reviews for this one so maybe I'll circle back to it at some point. I want to thank NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

How to Read a Killer's Mind is a gripping and intense psychological thriller that took me on a rollercoaster of emotions. The story follows Dr. Emy Rose, a psychologist who interviews confessed serial killers to uncover the locations of their victims. But beneath her professional demeanour lies a hidden motive that adds layers of tension and intrigue to the plot. I will say though, just purely based on the artwork and the short blurb, it was a bit of a darker read than I initially thought. Very good read regardless!

The relationship between Emy and her mother was beautifully written — it added a lot of emotional depth and it felt like a little bit of a fresh air reading about the two of them. I also appreciated the strong bond between Emy and Chi, which provided moments of warmth amid the darkness.
Barnett expertly balances humour, darkness, and suspense, making the narrative feel well-rounded. The twists and turns kept me guessing, and just when I thought I had it all figured out, another surprise would hit. However, while the ending was packed with revelations, it felt a bit rushed. I would’ve loved more build-up and suspense leading into the final moments. It did make me sit silent for a few minutes after finishing the book, but I expected a little bit more. Additionally, one of the serial killer’s stories felt unresolved — I was left wanting more clarity on his motivations and fate.

The book does tackle intense themes, including death, violence, and grief, so I would have appreciated clearer trigger warnings as I personally struggle with reading about grief specifically. Despite these minor issues, this is a unique and chilling read!

A quick and fast paced thriller. The book follows Emy and Chi who run a psychological compound with convicted murders, their aim to get the convicts to disclose where the unfound bodies are. They have recently had success and are working hard to crack the others. Especially Elkins who has been convicted of Emys brothers abduction and murder. I liked the different psychology techniques through out the book, I found them really interesting. The book was quite dark throughout but set the scene for the terrible crimes committed

This story follows Dr. Emy Rose, a psychologist leading a groundbreaking government initiative aimed at persuading convicted murderers to reveal the locations of their undiscovered victims.
Dr. Rose is particularly fixated on breaking one elusive subject. Her relentless pursuit is driven by personal motives that she keeps concealed, suggesting she will go to any lengths to penetrate this killer's mind.

Loved loved loved this book!!! The characters were well written and the plot was exciting and made me want to keep reading more. I want to read more books by this author!

This this was a psychological thriller that was heavier on the psychology components. This would be a good read for someone who prefers a thriller that is not filled with nonstop anxiety inducing moments. This book has an unexpected twist which is an automatic 4 star minimum for me for the surprise factor.

Rating: 4 stars!!!!!

TROPES.
- Missing person/persons
- Bodies, bodies, bodies
- Murders!!
- Unhinged serial killers
- FMC 'Detective'
- (kind of a) Dual POV


REVIEW. (spoiler free!)
This book was so good, I read it so fast, and I didn't want to put it down, from the very first page, I was HOOKED, which I love when this happens, as I know I am going to inhale the book.

The book is about psychologist Dr Emy Rose. She works with serial killers, she gets inside their minds to discover where they have hid their victims bodies. This helps the families of the victims get closure. Emy has a place of work, called THE HIVE which is where she works with serial killers, intimately, closely and is able to keep a very close eye on them. It is a scientific project, an experiment that has already worked with one inmate, called George Petty. She has a lot riding on this, and the 'boss' Barnaby Harrington will do anything to see her fail.

Emy has a lot going on, she lives with her Mum. Her Mum suffers with traumatic mutism, which means she doesn't speak because a traumatic event has stopped this. The traumatic event in question, is that her son, Sam got taken and killed. His body has never been found, and this is why Emy does what she does, because her and her Mother never got closure, and her Mum doesn't speak because of this. She would do anything to change the situation, get her Mum closure and get her Mum to speak again. Another reason Emy NEEDS 'The Hive' to work, and keep being funded.

Her best friend Chi, and work colleague Robbie help her run 'The Hive', and inside it holds 3 serial killers. Frank Elkins, Joe Okorie and Tim Shenton. All twisted serial killers, 2/3 of them have multiple bodies hidden, and the other hasn't admitted to his crime but has a criminal record for something not so pleasant, that makes him seem guilty for his crime. This is where it starts getting interesting, as we get a glimpse into Joe's POV, which is as crazy as you would think it would be, although I have no idea where I actually felt sorry for him. It is madness how the 3 of them can keep secrets, manipulate situations and keep things buried. Literally.

The book is fast paced, has very interesting stories throughout - which all adds up to why Emy is doing what she is doing. There are twists, turns, fun, excitement, betrayal, laugh out loud moments but also very dark moments too. Will Emy find out what she wants to find out? Will Harrington shut her down? Will time run out? And what secrets will be revealed along the way?

CONCLUSION.
I liked this book, actually maybe even loved this book. The character building was really great, the story was slow enough to build a story but fast enough to keep the suspense going throughout. I thought the book as a whole was written really well.

It had everything you needed from a thriller, and that little bit more. Tam Barnett knows how to write, and keep readers engaged!!!

There was the right balance for everything, from humour, to darkness, to happiness, to twists, to turns, to a lil splash of romance and then throw in a big twist ending - mix it altogether, and you get 'How To Read a Killer's Mind'.

The only reason that I didn't rate this book a 5 star, which I really wanted too, was because of the following:
The lack of trigger warnings, now I know triggers don't need to be in every book but a couple of parts of this did make me feel a little uncomfortable. My books I read normally come with trigger warnings, I call them a menu. But just felt maybe it needed to be mentioned.
The ending went from one extreme to the next. It felt slightly rushed, and it was over and done with before it even began, so I would of liked more of a build up, some more suspense. I think this book could of easily been extended by 50-100 pages, which is actually a compliment as some books need less pages, I don't think I have ever wanted more pages in a book.
One of the serial killers I would of liked to of known if he actually committed the crime or not, although briefly explained, I would of liked to of known more about the situation, and it be detailed as to why and how he got found out, why he done it etc. It was left very empty, and the serial killers story stopped very abruptly. I wish I actually had answers to that.

They are my only faults, and the reason it didn't get 5 stars, but other than that, I would recommend this book, and I will definitely be buying Tam's other book.

Thank you for letting me be an arc reader Tam and Boldwood Books.

Dr. Emy Rose is running a psychological experiment, diving deep in the minds of confessed serial killers to find their victims and ultimately bring closure to the victim’s families. Dr. Rose is dedicated but there’s also a secret driving force behind her work making her determined to find answers at any cost.

How To Read A Killer’s Mind is a wild ride. I could not put this book down. Do not let this cute and colorful cover fool you, this book walks on the dark side. This story has endless twists and turns, many I did not see coming. So many times, I felt as though I was sitting across from the killer myself. The secret that Dr. Rose holds enhances this story in a fascinating way making this such an interesting and engaging read. The ending was phenomenal, it is jaw-dropping and I am so excited to see what’s next.

Tam Barnett's writing hooked me from the start. His writing is captivating, the attention to detail and research required to write such a story did not go unnoticed. This was my first book by Tam Barnett but it will not be my last.