Stitches

Okay. Um. WOW. This was intense. It's no light reading at all and I'm still a little shaken up as I write this.

Easily one of the most uncomfortable books I've read. Serial killer stories are far from uncommon, but one where you actually read in their perspective, written in second person view, was downright eerie, on top of the nasty things that they're doing to their victims.

Overall, I like the multiple POVs throughout the book, it gives a feeling of depth to the story. There are a lot of characters and they're plenty of fun, but given that this is the first entry to what is going to be a series the character development is only just beginning so there wasn't much to tell. But the foundation is there and there will be much to explore in future books so I will say the author as done a really good job as for as introductions of the characters and their world are concerned.

And that ending. YIKES. Not a cliffhanger exactly but a bomb was dropped. Definitely one way to keep the audience engaged for the sequel. Can't wait.

This quick-paced thriller is smart, fun, and way bloodier than I had expected! I had a great time reading this book. It doesn’t totally reimagine the thriller/crime-lord genre, and it hits a lot of the expected notes—an ex-special forces private eye with PTSD, police detectives that aren’t especially effective, a serial killer’s killing spree that seems to have connections with our protagonist, a young hacker with an attitude, and so on. Yet it does everything well. I felt all the characters were believable and all had something interesting to do. There were quite a few, and so sometimes it felt that there was more telling than showing regarding how these characters experience the world, but it never felt like the story relied on easy stereotypes for the sake of laziness. There was this weird combination of being both thinly sketched amidst a whole lot of details, but they still felt genuine. Additionally, they had a firm foundation to grow upon in future installments in the series, and I enjoyed spending time with them. The story was fun, moving at a somewhat breakneck speed, which I appreciated. Again, chasing serial killers and dealing with crime lords isn’t exactly new material, but everything was pieced together in exciting ways that were creative and was more than a simple cut & paste job. And the writing was able to keep pace with the story. While we mostly stayed with our lead detective it jumped around to other perspectives enough to keep things feeling urgent, and to make sure you were always on the edge of your seat. It also did a great job of giving the reader more information than the protagonist in a way that kept you engaged. Given how few were the actual clues, our protagonist was able to make some deductions a little too easily, but the story did a good job of clueing the readers in on a lot of these revelations before the character was, so it never felt like cheating. Actually, I really appreciated how the story set up red herrings but then knocked them down for the reader even if the characters might still have doubts, it created an interesting dynamic, a tension between the reader and the world of the story that was fun. This story was set in and around Boston, and I grew up in a city outside of Boston and went to grad school in one of the cities neighboring Boston, so I knew all the references, and even knowing them all, or maybe because of knowing them all, they felt a little bit too much. The number of specific streets and traffic patterns and so forth that were mentioned, it just felt like a lot. Some of these never-ending specific details maybe could have been trimmed down without the story losing its very real sense of place. Yet that said, the writing was fun and had believable dialogue, and it really worked well with the story, and that is what matters most, that the story and writing work together to give the reader an experience. I was impressed by how well everything came together—or didn’t—at the end, and how the story managed to feel like it had a resolution while leaving a lot of threads dangling and clearly setting up future installments.

So, if you like detective and thriller fiction, have a soft spot for Boston and Dunkin’ Donuts, or just like the occasional grisly torture scene from a serial killer’s point of view, you will find a lot to enjoy here. That is especially true if you are looking for a compassionate exploration of interesting, somewhat broken, characters who are skilled at what they do and yet have their skills challenged as they rush to stop a horrific series of violent events.

I want to thank the author, the publisher BooksGoSocial, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I grabbed this on a whim because I love a good serial killer book, and I was sufficiently impressed.

It took me more than a minute to get used to the POV because I’ve never actually read a book that included such a…thorough 2nd person narration and it was almost too much for me to wrap my brain around, but I’m glad I did. It was a great mystery and a super fun read and I’ll defiantly be searching out the second book once I have a few free minutes to spare.

Made me uncomfortable in the best way possible - loved the ending and can't wait to read others in the series!

Thank you Samantha and Netgalley for this Arc for Stitches.

I really love psychological thrillers and it was great to get my teeth stuck into this ARC. Samantha's writing is lovely and fluid. Descriptive and the characters feel real. This is also the first book in which I've had some of the narrative in 2nd person. So reading what the serial killer was doing by using " you " was a really interesting concept and really worked.

I love the dynamics between the MCs and how Samantha weaved the LGBTQ relationships through the characters. It felt really natural and I love that authors are coming forward more to write about minority groups and repressenting their relationships in respectful ways.

I know this is a fairly old ARC and after reading the twists and turns of Stitches, I was hoping that Samantha carried on and released at least one more book. To my delight, this is the first book in a trilogy so I'll definitely be following up on reading the other two books.

A solid 4 stars for me.

In the shadowy alleys and world of Samantha Simard's "Stitches," a private investigator named Jim Wolfe takes center stage. A former Army Ranger scarred by PTSD, Wolfe is a complex and compelling character with demons of his own.

Wolfe finds himself balancing on the precipice of danger with a web of mysteries intertwining in the labyrinth of his life. Caught in a turbulent romance with the son of a Romanian restaurateur and immersed in the investigation of a famous musician's missing daughter alongside his partner, Scarlett Vaughn, Wolfe's plate is brimming with suspenseful cases that promise to change his life forever.

The sinister underbelly of Boston sets the stage for the most harrowing of his investigations. A string of gruesome murders, all linked to unsuspecting college students, grips the city in a vice-like hold, sending shivers down the spines of its citizens. Wolfe, undaunted by the mysteries that encircle him, becomes inexorably entangled in a web of deception and darkness.

As he and Scarlett Vaughn strive to unravel the threads that connect these chilling murders to the disappearance of a rock 'n' roll heiress, the foundations of their world begin to crumble. Meanwhile, a young man named Sebastian Codreanu embarks on a chilling journey into the secrets that bind his father to the recent spree of heinous crimes, and the sinister figure known as the Mass Art Murderer orchestrates a deadly magnum opus.

In "Stitches," nothing is as it seems. Everyone harbors a secret, and every twist in the tale deepens the intrigue. Simard is a magnificent storyteller, expertly crafting a dark symphony that reverberates with suspense.

Prepare for a beguiling journey into the depths of human nature, a landscape where secrets fester, and the darkness within is laid bare. "Stitches" is a finely woven story that challenges readers to peel back the layers of deception, to uncover the truth hidden in the shadows.

Samantha Simard's "Stitches" is a dark and thrilling odyssey In this perplexing world, where every revelation is met with a new puzzle. Suspense and mystery echo through the corridors of the mind, leaving you breathless and craving more. Get ready to be forever ensnared in its web of secrets and suspense.

"Samantha Simard's 'Stitches' -- A dark symphony of suspense and secrets."

"A thrilling web of mysteries and suspense unveiled in every page."

"Prepare to be ensnared in the chilling world of 'Stitches.'"

"Intricate suspense, deception, and dark romance."

"A noir masterpiece."

"A gripping tale that leaves no room for respite."

"Immerse yourself in the intrigue and unravel the dark secrets within."

"The unpredictable twists will keep you on the edge of your seat."

"A book that echoes with the whispers of the unseen."

Get ready to unravel the mystery -- 'Stitches' tempts the curious."

This book took me by surprised. I downloaded it because the summary was interesting. When I was reading it I couldn't put it down. I wished it was longer because I grew attached to the main character and his relationships with all the other characters. I couldn't believe I guess the plot twist correctly AND it still took me by surprised. I tried looking for the other books in this series and was surprise to find out they did not have ebooks. I think I am going to have to go buy the rest, but I hope someday they can get ebooks. Its a very good read for those that like thrillers and murder mysteries.

Wow. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I was absolutely blown away by the tension, vivid descriptions, and multi-layered mystery that I found as soon as I dived in. I don’t know how, but the parts where we’re following the murderer...it feels repulsive and intimate and captivating all at once, even though on the surface it should really only inspire revulsion. There’s just something about the way everything is described that sparks your imagination in all the right? wrong? ways. I greatly enjoyed the varied characters in this, and while neither Wolfe nor Vaughn were trying to pass themselves off as psychics, there was a bit of a Psych vibe to the way Wolfe interacted with certain detectives. Overall, it was just an amazing read, and I found myself so interested in the different threads that wove together to form a story overall, that it was hard to set down. I look forward to reading more mysteries in the series in the future!