Loved this book. Starts off with a nameless serial killer then it twists your whole perception by creating a love story. It took a different direction then what I was expecting and just blew my socks off. Loved the dark humour, the detached from reality. It's creepy, it's terrible, it's wonderful. A unique look into the mind of a serial killer, and a real page turner.

Publication Date: 9th April 2015 from Mira (Harlequin UK)

Source: Netgalley

He is the man who lives on your street. The one you see in the supermarket and nod hello to. He’s also a serial killer. Killing is what he’s good at. And you’ll want him to get away with MURDER....

Right. So where to start. First of all for me, this was one of those books that grips you so utterly that you practically live in it. In fact I probably have lived in it for the last couple of days even whilst doing the usual life type things like picking up the kids from school...hang on, wait, where are my kids? I'll be back....

Seriously though, this was a marvel of a twisted tale, so addictive that a warning sticker on the front of the book would not go amiss, most horrifically fascinating and with at least two characters I will never ever forget. And I don't even know the name of one of them.

Told from the point of view of the killer, a man who has few if any boundaries and yet is strangely in tune with his own lack of normality, you never know his name, hardly find out anything about his background and have no clue what he looks like. Yet you will get to know him well and quite possibly hope that he gets away with murder.

When I started this story I was wondering how he had managed to evade capture for so long, wanting the police to nab him and giving due consideration to how they might do that. By halfway through I was totally committed to every evil act he was involved with and by the time I was heading towards the end I was sitting on the edge of the seat PRAYING that he would get away with all of it. Yes I'm aware that this is wrong on SO many levels but Graeme Cameron has created an anti-hero so beautifully drawn and cleverly constructed that I simply could not help myself.

You can't even really justify it by his choice of victims - I mean we all love Dexter because he may be a serial killer but the people he kills are hardly worth the effort it takes to feel sorry for them. Mr Cameron's serial killer is almost the anti-Dexter, his victims are innocents for the most part, certainly not deserving of their fate. And yet...somehow through sheer force of a personality that creeps up on you, you gloss over all that and become complicit in his life.

Then we have Erica. Who I'm not really going to talk about beyond saying that I adored her with a fiery passion that only comes once in a while, you'll have to meet her for yourself. Added to that there are a plethora of other people crossing the path of our unnamed unknoweable everyman, all seen through his eyes they take on a life all of their own. I had a soft spot for one or two of them, would not have been sorry to see at least one served up to our killer's appetites, but every one adds to the whole and makes it a simple yet brilliant twist on an often done genre.

I am aware that this will probably divide opinion and not everyone will react the same way - certainly if this was on television you would more than likely see the odd "glorifying violence" attitude towards it that happened with "The Fall". Whilst both The Fall and Dexter are useful tools to try and explain whether or not you may like this book, do not think for one moment that "Normal" is anything at all like them. It is entirely its own thing, unique and terribly intelligent whilst also being a stonking good read. For me this has immediately gone onto my list of favourite books ever, simply because of my ongoing reactions and emotions to the events within the pages. And that ending. Boy oh boy! Loved it. Start to finish.

Eminently readable, more delicious than chocolate, elegantly imagined and utterly utterly captivating - I dare you to read this and hold the moral high ground.

Highly Recommended!

Find out more here: http://www.graeme-cameron.com/

Follow the author on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/GNCameron

Pre-Order information: http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/graeme+cameron/normal/11458741/

I found this book a thoroughly enjoyable read.

The story is centred around a man whose name we will not know, although he certainly isn't normal. In fact, despite our serial killer being no angel, the author cleverly made me really like this lunatic.

The body count rises through the book and one or two of the scenes were quite chilling, but it's worth gritting your teeth and continuing on for such an entertaining ride. The main character has a certain charm and the women he meets range from submissive to darn right odd and worrying.

You will come across Erica, who was one of my favourite people from the first time we come across her in the book. She was one person I couldn't help immediately feel fond of, and protective towards. I dreaded anything bad happening to her and she proved to be quite an interesting young lady.

You are often left amazed at how this man evades capture, while on the other hand you kinda can't help hoping that he doesn't get caught. How you manage to make a murderer likeable is a mystery and only goes to highlight the abilities of the author.

Normal is a bit of a page turner and at no time did I get bored, well there wasn't really time. The action is pretty fast paced and the ending is well worth the wait. Getting into the head of a serial killer is never going to be pretty, but at least it can be entertaining and in this book it most certainly is.

Well worth the time checking out this chilling little gem.

Recommended.

I find it difficult to review Normal. What troubles me is the fact that our main character, the nameless serial killer, is a likeable and intriguing guy. He seems to be good looking, rather charming and possibly even someone I might chat with if he were to approach me. That just doesn’t sound right regardless how I write it. Killers are meant to be socially stunted, awkward, lurking in the shadows and generally creepy. Mr. Nameless breaks the mold and goes against the grain on a number of levels. No matter how many times I rewrite this intro I must confess that this guy got under my skin and he makes for a gasp-inducing good read. Honest.

I was quickly pulled into this novel by our killer. Even though he is a brutal killer, and I find that completely repugnant, I cannot help but cheer for him and hope he succeeds. Ok, not succeeding at killing women, mind, but just that he can grow beyond his murderous habit. Can a man who stalks, hunts, dismembers, buries and even keeps women caged get out of the killing habit? Well, you’ve got to read it to find out. I spent half the night gripped by the last 1/3 of the novel and couldn’t pull away until I reached the end. I simply had to know.

What’s the hook here? Good question. As you can see I’m grappling with that. Our nameless character is a quasi bad guy/anti-hero. He is the guy you usually cheer against but now the world has turned and we are not wanting him to be caught. I try to justify this feeling towards him and fail. He isn’t like Dexter, who is a serial killer but one with a moral compass. Mr. Nameless kills just to kill. Like scratching an itch, I suppose?

Normal is an intriguing good read. It seems mildly casual and innocuous initially but skilfully demands the reader’s undivided attention. Did I give it? You bet! Our guy doesn’t mess about and I was keen to fall prey to him and read all about him.

This is one exceptional novel. If you don't read this then you are so not in the cool gang. If you read crime novels a lot like me, or even if you don't, start now, with this one. Honestly, go do it. I freaking loved this book for a million reasons, it messed with my head, blending slight humour through a book about a serial killer is not an easy task, but it was pulled off with finesse. Bravo to Graeme Cameron.

I loved being in the head of this serial killer.

I’m not NORMAL.

He is the man who lives on your street. The one you see in the supermarket and nod hello to.

He’s also a serial killer. Killing is what he’s good at.

He’s the most compelling antihero since Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley.

And you’ll want him to get away with MURDER.

Stuff telling you the plot!, it won't work, it gives away too much. Instead I will try to share how this book is like to read, why it is so good, in my humble words. I could just write READ THIS BOOK.

Firstly, I loved the fact that the book is written with us stuck in said serial killer and kidnapper's head. Awesome. Because he is so darn flawed and messed up at times it's just hilarious. Other times it's so dark and nasty. But you never know what you are going to get.

So he kills, you kind of get that right? But then one day everything changes and the floor is shifting under him. From then on this gets really bloody good. I was like jumping up in down and yelling at the characters that I am not even going to mention because again, major spoilers but let me say this loudly.

Erica! Erica! Freak me out, what a brilliantly written character, didn't know where she would take me but loved the ride. Oh yes indeed!

He's the anti-hero, many will end up being on his side, weird huh? That's why you have to read it. The plot is fresh, tight and I could not stop reading from page one. I literally stopped my life to finish it. It was just so fascinating. If you like to people watch, especially damaged people, you will love this like I did.

And the grand finale, the last third of the book. Aaaaaaaaaaaargh!!!
It was bloody fantastic, just remembering it I am getting all hyped up, so much action, turns of events that will stun your mind. And finally my favourite line in the whole book, and you will get it when you read it;

"It's not what it looks like."

Beg, borrow, buy - just get it, I think a minority won't get what this book is about, but I think it will be a very small minority and judging on early reviews I am right (often am). A memorable read that I am happy to rave on about. 5 easy well earned stars.

A fantastically fresh take on the serial killer thriller. I found myself feeling sorry for him in the end - excellent twists and turns, lots of dark humour - brilliant writing. I hope this is as big a hit as it deserves to be!

If you like crime fiction and don't mind something that is a little different, then Normal by Graeme Cameron is for you.
Narrated by the killer, who is just your everyday normal guy, you don't know what he's called or where he lives but you know that he is a murderer and kidnapper. And it seems that he is impossible to dislike. You read how he stalks people, kills them, disposes of them but all the way through it is written in a humorous way. If not exactly falling about laughing you will definitely be smiling as you read.
I 'liked' the narrator, if you can like a killer, but Erica is just brilliant. I just had no idea what she was going to do next.
I will definitely be reading more by the author who is like a breath of fresh air.

Normal by Graeme Cameron is an excellent read, I really wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. A disturbing psychological thriller told from the point of view of a serial killer., this is a creepy, blackly comic, chilling story, a book which I won’t forget in a hurry. I can’t recall reading anything similar to this book but it had me gripped. This book deserves to be a huge success and it has found its way into my favourite reads without a doubt. I would highly recommend Normal.
Thank you.

This is an amazing novel! Normal goes inside the mind of an apparently 'normal' serial killer. Even though you never even get to know the guy's name, it doesn't seem to matter. I was drawn in right away as the author makes the killer seem likable which is very interesting. It was brilliantly written in a way that made you empathize with the killer

This book had me confused most of the time - not with it's content, more my reaction to the nameless serial killer. I didn't want to like him cos, let's face it, he kills people but I found myself sympathising with him and actually quite rooting for him at one point. The whole book is written in the first person. Therefore there can only be one real point of view but Mr Cameron has written in such a way that there is absolutely nothing lacking in the narrative. In fact, there are some VERY funny bits - it could almost be a serial killer black comedy!
Good twists and turns. In fact, not much through the book is how I expected it to run but I guess that kept me on my toes throughout.
All in all, a different kind of book - more of the same (similar) please Mr Cameron

I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest Review.