3.5 but rounded up to a 4.

I knew just from reading the initial synopsis that I was going to enjoy this.

We’re following Dr Emy Rose whose job is to work 1-1 with serial killers to get them to confess to where they may have hidden the bodies of their victims. However, Dr Rose has her own motive for wanting these men to confess and she’ll stop at nothing to discover what happened to a victim close to her heart.

Some thoughts:

I loved the concept and dynamics of this book. Whilst I've read similar plots of psychologists and serial killers before - this felt unique in the way it unfolded. I loved that we were given a good background and context to why Dr Rose is choosing to do this, without being told everything straightaway. The writing lends itself to be full of suspense and surprises without it feeling like we’re constantly being thrown a new plot point to keep up with. Everything in the story had relevance and yet was woven in so cleverly that I even missed some important details during conversations between the psychologist and killer- something I love in thrillers!

The pacing of this was good. It felt right that it started off slower and as things began to unfold the pace and tension within the book picked up. It also was represented well and written into Emy’s character with her behaviour becoming more intense and erratic as things unfolded.

I loved how well detailed the psychology of this was. You can tell the author genuinely put time and effort into exploring the psychology of serial killers and different behavioural traits of different killers. It was refreshing to see the language and links being made that felt very grounded in reasoning. I also feel like this then allowed for more accurately created characters.. It really helps the reader to understand the developed relationship between Dr Rose and the killer.

I loved the familiar relationships within this book between Emy and her mum. It really felt like we were observing the most sacred moments between them both at times.

I do wish we’d seen what happened with Chi later on. I feel like it was completely skipped over, yet throughout the book we’re told how close she and Emy are and how important Chi has been in Emy’s life and throughout the project. It would have been nice to see what actually happened to her after everything.

Why only a 3.5? Despite really enjoying this, it took me a lot longer to read and felt like I was reading for longer than I was. Whilst i was captivated and have thoroughly enjoyed this. I really wish the ending had given me more.I was slightly disappointed how ‘neatly’ this ended because of the background and unpredictability of these characters.I was expecting one final big twist or blow at the end. Having said that I absolutely loved the final twist in the epilogue, it was so well executed and rounded the book off so well.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This follows a Emy, who is working in a program that is trying to learn from serial killers, getting them to reveal where their remaining victims are located. Why is she so invested in this? One of her younger brothers was murdered by one of the serial killers in the program. And she wants to find out more information about her brother's death.

This is such an interesting concept and really reminded me of those scenes in Criminal Minds where they're interrogating the serial killer and outsmarting them. So if you're a fan of shows like Criminal Minds and like that psychological element to movies like Silence of the Lambs, trying to outsmart a killer, I think you'd probably really enjoy this book.

My only problem was that I couldn't get super invested in the main character, Emy. She didn't feel as fully figured out as I wanted, I wanted her to feel a bit more dramatic and bit more real.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Really don't judge this book by its cover.
Its a real psychological thriller, dark and twisty.
Great storyline which is full of surprises.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Explosive! This story is one the reader is not likely to forget ~ ever!
The premise is an absolute original for me, and there is not much
chance I’d ever run across it in my future.
Psychologist Emy Rose is a well written, brilliant character.
The story itself is fascinating, totally fictional, and the reader
is propelled from the start into an environment that lead
one character to never speak aloud ~ select mutism ~ a
rare reaction to trauma so severe the brain is unable to
make sense of it, and speech is disconnected.
For a book with so much action, it does not stop until
the very last word ~ and it is absolutely worth the wait !
The conclusion is absolutely and completely on point!
My thanks to BOLDWOOD BOOKS, for the download copy’
of this book for review purposes.

A twisty psychological thriller perfect for fans of classics like THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, Barnett's novel follows Emy Rose, a psychologist leading a program to get serial killers to reveal where their victims' bodies are hidden. But her true goal in building a rapport with these murderers is to figure out where one of them has buried her younger brother, a quest that causes this program to spiral into increasingly deadly territory.

Barnett portrays three disturbingly plausible and truly sinister killers in this story, with the conversations between them and Emy consistently reaching a nail-biting pitch of tension. This darkness is counterbalanced by the pathos of her relationship with her mother, who has been mute since the disappearance of Emy's brother, with the novel leading Emy's quest towards a startling conclusion that fulfils the title's promise to bring us into the secrets within a killer's mind. While I was less enthusiastic about the comedic elements of Emy's narration and a relationship subplot she becomes involved in, which occasionally clashed jarringly with the grimness of the main narrative, this doesn't detract from how exhilarating and disquieting this novel manages to be.

Wow!!! My first Tam Barnett book! Definitely not the last.

This book was definitely not a book you left untouched. It was so addictive. I absolutely the concept of the book.
The book had so many twists and moments that had me in suspense.
The pace of the book was brilliant and built up so much tension. I completely this in 24 hours which is a fast read for me but I literally couldn’t put it down.

Absolutely loved Emy and her mum’s relationship, it was quite emotional for me.

It was such a brilliant read. If you haven't added this to You won't regret it.

Tense and as addictive as Fritos, there is no putting it down or stopping. Twists and red herrings and even if you guess something you will not guess it all. A treat for suspense fans!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

Ever since Dr Emy Rose's brother Sam, 21, was kidnapped and murdered by serial killer Frank Elkins, her mother has suffered from traumatic mutism and hasn't spoken a word. That was ten years ago.

At the weekends, Emy who gets a first person POV, and her mother go searching for Sam's grave. In her work time, psychologist Emy is trying everything to get Frank Elkins to talk and reveal Sam's and his other victims' whereabouts to get their families some closure. She has managed to get a project off the ground that allows her to interview serial killers in a facility called Beeswell, together with her colleagues and friends Chi and Robbie.

The inmates, beside Frank Elkins, are Joe Okorie who killed eight women, suffers from a personality disorder and is in love with Emy. He gets a third person POV. Then there is Tim Shenton, a highly intelligent psychopathic paedophile who is charged with raping and murdering his little nephew. He doesn't fit the criteria of Emy's study because he hasn't confessed and there is no body to be found, but Justice Secretary Harrington has ulterior motives that require him to confess before a trial, so in he comes.

Can Emy, with the help of her colleagues and journalist Leon, get some results for the victims' families, including her own, before Beeswell is shut down forever? And how far will she go in this psychological tug-of-war to achieve them?

There are some very unlikeable characters in this book, and many unpredictable twists and turns. The story takes a bit to get going but I would say this is better than Tam Barnett's first novel "How to Get Away with Murder". I stayed up all night to finish this. It's a captivating read with gobsmacking twists I did not see coming! It is darker than the cover suggests though and I didn't detect any humour. There is a love story but it's incidental and in the background.

I Ioved Emy's relationship with her traumatised mother, how she tried to get the inmates to talk and how we got an insight into a twisted murderer's mind. Recommended if you love a twisty thriller with unhinged psychopaths or sociopaths at every corner.

"If you can convince someone that you and they are on the same team, have the same goals, or the same purpose, it makes them far easier to manipulate and influence."
(Robert Cialdini's unity principle)

4.5 stars

Wow what a read! How to read a killers mind follows Dr Emy Rose, a psychologist who is working with serial killers to get inside their minds and find the location of the victims. I loved the whole concept of the book, the slow building of the tension had me hooked immediately. The disturbing psychology of the serial killers mindset was expertly written, and the pace picks up with many twists and turns. It meant that I couldn’t put the book down and had it read far too fast!

No spoilers but Emy and her mother had me in bits by the end. The relationships between Emy and her coworkers/friends were just as enthralling as the serial killers, and added so much depth to her decisions.

To me this was the epitome of don’t judge a book by it cover. I expected a light heart, type Katy Brent book with the illustrated book cover but this was nothing like that. No spoilers but a great premise, one I haven’t seen before and some real psychological depth to it. I have looked up previous books straight away from Tam Barnett, 5*! Thank you for the opportunity to read this.

Wow!! Loved it, every single page! The intelligence portrayed by Tam throughout this books is unmatched. The clear level of research that has gone into this book is outstanding, if you told me Tam was a psychologist I wouldn’t question it. The twists, the character depth, the quirks all had me utterly captivated, and the relationship between Emy and her mum was inspiring, a true story of how you’d do anything for family. I was crying, I was stunned and mostly just in awe of how bloody good this book is!!
I read this in less than 24 hours and even put off watching love island 👀 if you haven’t added this to your wishlist, do it now!! You won’t regret it.
PS - The Monty Python reference had me, I loved the parrot scene!!

“The mind never truly finishes one chapter unless you give it a new one to read.”

How To Read A Killer’s Mind follows psychologist Dr Emy Rose, whose job is to work with serial killers to help the authorities find the bodies of the victims. To accomplish her work, she has to get inside the killer’s mind. However there’s one killer in particular she’s interested in, and she will stop at nothing to read theirs…

I ran to read this as quickly as possible after loving Tam Barnett’s debut, How To Get Away With Murder, and I am once again in awe.

How To Read A Killer’s Mind expertly combines psychological insight with thrilling suspense to create a dark, satirical and enthralling plot that left me unable to put it down. Tam’s writing is masterful, authentic and is the perfect marriage of emotional depth and psychological intrigue.

I absolutely loved the concept of this book, and the dynamics between the characters. The pacing is perfect - slow enough to build tension but fast enough to keep you hooked until the very last page, meaning I happily read this within a few hours.

The strength of this book lies not just in its brilliant writing, but also in the shocking twists that Tam Barnett expertly weaves throughout, ultimately leading to an ending equally as devastating as it is explosive. This is a book I won’t forget anytime soon, and is one of the easiest 5 stars I’ve given. I can’t wait to see this book become a bestseller, as I have no doubt it will.

Thank you so much to Tam Barnett, Boldwood Books and Netgalley for sending me this advanced copy of How To Read A Killer’s Mind to read and review. My opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this, my first by Tam Barnett already downloaded her other one
This was such a interesting dark humour thriller
Loved emy the things she came out with made me laugh
Definitely a unique book I couldn’t put down.

Another great thriller! How to Read a Killer’s Mind by Tam Barnett was a good one! Watch for this one on publication day!