REVIEW: The Bride's Secret by Rosie Walker

The Bride's Secret by Rosie Walker

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 3rd June 2025

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 4th June 2025

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

I gaze into my fiancé’s eyes as I toast to our love, relieved that tomorrow we’ll be married. After we say ‘I do’, no one from my past will ever be able to find me.

On our wedding day, I wake with a smile. Today I get to marry the love of my life. He may not know everything about me, but Robert and I fit perfectly together. I can’t wait to put on my perfect white gown and walk down the aisle.

In just a few hours, I’ll be his wife. And my secret will be hidden forever.

I turn to wake him up, but his eyes don’t open. There’s blood smeared across the white bed sheets, across his body, across my own trembling hands. My fiancé is dead.

It’s only then that I realize there’s a knife in my hand…

If you love Gone Girl, The Housemaid and The Girl on the Train, you won’t be able to put this absolutely gripping and addictive psychological thriller down. It’s sure to keep you turning the pages until late into the night.

MY THOUGHTS:

They say I killed him...but only I know the truth...or do I...?

Bride-to-be Maeve lovingly toasts her husband-to-be Robert on the eve of their wedding in front of their close family and friends. Tomorrow is their big day and after three decades as a lifelong happily unmarried woman, Maeve cannot wait. Robert is the love of her life and she cannot wait to be his wife. What could go wrong?

So when Maeve goes to sleep on the eve of their wedding, she wakes in the early hours just before dawn excited at the prospect of the day ahead. What she doesn't expect is to find her beloved fiance laying dead beside her covered in blood with wounds that she, as a martial arts instructor, would know how to inflict. Maeve knows that justice is rarely just and that with the scene before her, she will be arrested for a crime she knows she did not commit. Or did she? Maeve has battled with sleepwalking all her life. Did she do this to Robert in her sleep and not know about it? Either way, she isn't responsible and in a moment of madness she hurriedly packs a few items and escapes to a remote cottage. There, she attempts to come to terms with her grief whilst trying to unpick all that had happened and who could possibly be responsible for Robert's brutal murder.

In the alternating chapters we meet Gilly who is happily married to successful dentist Callum with two beautiful children, Jake (9) and Polly (6). Whilst she is mostly a stay-at-home-mum, she also volunteers for a mental health helpline. The job is thankless and arduous at times but she comes away feeling as though she has made a difference in others' lives at times when they have needed it most. One such caller has kept her on the line for over an hour, saying nothing and only sobbing before hanging up. When the caller calls again, it's pure luck that Gilly picks up the call (which are randomly allocated) and recognises the same sobbing she endured just the day or so before. But this time the caller speaks - to thank her for being there. And in that moment Gilly knows she has made a difference to this person, whoever she may be. So when she violates procedure and insinuates when she will next be on shift at the helpline, Gilly had no idea of the chain of events that she would unleash taking us all on a wild journey through the Scottish highlands.

Two women - two different stories. How do they intersect? 

Both women had a sense of hopelessness about them and yet one was doing something with her life while the other drove me mad with her inner self flagellation. I found it hard to sympathise with Maeve - apart from the fact that she was innocent and obviously being framed, so why did she flee? It only made her look guilty! But as we delved into her past and her backstory, we learnt why she did what she did, even though I thought her decision to run was stupid. However, if faced with such a prospect, I may well do the same. One never knows what one would do until they walk a mile in another's shoes. Now Gilly, I felt a whole load of sympathy for. Yes, she made a stupid decision in revealing something of herself to her caller which was not a smart move but Gilly had an air of naivete about her. Maeve does not. She is a strong woman.

The title had me a little puzzled. What exactly is the secret she is carrying? And is it enough to change the course of her life forever? Moving forward, both Maeve and Gilly wonder who they can really trust. After all, someone has surely betrayed both women. The question is - who? And what do they have in store for the women?

Two women - two vastly different lives and stories. How they connect is the biggest twist of the book - one which I easily worked out for myself as I did with the "who" behind it all (I don't think that was too hard to work out). But it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the story. As long as it's entertaining, I'm happy. In fact, I quite enjoy it when I am able to work out the twists - especially if they aren't predictable ones that leave others speechless. I don't look for the obvious but rather what isn't. Then I look for possible links that may be there or just alluded to. The major plot twist wasn't an easy guess so prepared to be shocked. The "who" wasn't hard to figure out but it is still surprising for those who don't expect it.

The ending chapters were a bit of a confused mess as the reader is thrown various pieces of information that we have to decipher which is reliable and which isn't...leaving us second guessing everything. Just who can these women really trust?

Another addictive read by Rosie Walker that is equally hard to put down.

I would like to thank #RosieWalker, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheBridesSecret in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Rosie gained a Masters in Creative Writing with distinction from the University of Edinburgh in 2011, where she learned to talk about writing over a gin and tonic, and accept critical feedback with grace.

She also has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Lancaster University, where she learned how to pull an all-nighter to hit a deadline right at the last minute.

She lives in Edinburgh with her husband Kevin, daughter Elsie and their dog Bella.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: The Baby Monitor by Rosie Walker

The Baby Monitor by Rosie Walker

Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller, Suspense

Read: 25th January 2024

Goodreads

Amazon

Publish: 1st February 2024

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

I’m closing my daughter’s bedroom door after putting her to bed and saying I love her one last time, when I hear the baby monitor crackle to life. The voice sends shockwaves to my core: ‘Your mother doesn’t love you.’

My husband says it’s just exhaustion and I’m hearing things. But he has no idea what that voice is doing to Olivia. He doesn’t see the look in my daughter’s eyes as she pushes me away and says, ‘I want my other mother.’

Then Olivia plunges down the stairs screaming. In my worst nightmares, I never imagined I could come so close to losing my child. As I watch Olivia sleep in a hospital bed, her broken arm in a sling, I decide this has to stop. Someone unscrewed our baby gate from the wall. I know I’ve been unwell in the past, but I’m not making this up.

The only people who’ve been inside our house are the ones I thought I could trust. Someone close is watching me, speaking to Olivia and trying to make me look like a bad parent. I don’t care what my husband says. I’m more scared than I’ve ever been in my life, but my precious child means everything to me. They have no idea how far I’ll go to protect my daughter…

An absolutely gripping and addictive psychological thriller that will keep you turning the pages until late into the night. If you love The Housemaid, Gone Girl or The Woman in the Window, you’ll adore The Baby Monitor.

MY THOUGHTS:

I hear a voice speaking to my child...'Your mother doesn't love you'...

I thoroughly enjoyed Rosie Walker's first two thrillers "Secrets of a Serial Killer" and "The House Fire", both of which were phenomenal! So I had high expectations for this one. It didn't disappoint, on the whole, but the ending lacked a little in execution. And left me with a few questions (something of a pet peeve of mine as I like things to be neatly tied up). Don't get me wrong, this is a fantastic story and at times it was decidedly creepy. I still really enjoyed it for the most part.

An addictive thriller with a solid storyline, and coming off the backs of the author's first two, I was excited to dive into this domestic thriller extraordinaire. But her previous two were a lot darker than this one taking instead a domestic approach with creepy messages and a ton of gaslighting. The question is...who is behind it all?

Miriam and Jeremy's family is now complete with 5 year old Liv and now newborn baby Samuel to add to the fold. Ever since they discovered Miriam was pregnant, they have worked hard at preparing little Liv for the new addition reiterating that she will be a big sister to her new baby brother. But from the moment they come home, their perfectly curated plan (and lives) fall to pieces. Liv refuses to have anything to do with the baby insisting she didn't want him and asking when were his real mummy and daddy coming to get him. It broke Miriam's heart to see her daughter reject her little brother and the confusing emotions she must be feeling about his sudden appearance. She has been an only child for five years, has had her parents' sole attention for all of that time. Suddenly there is a new baby that will inevitably take their attention away from her...and she doesn't like it one bit.

But it's as Miriam closes the bedroom door to Liv's room on the way out that she hears a disembodied voice whisper to her daughter "She's lying. Your mother doesn't love you."

Miriam is furious. Who is talking to her daughter and filling her head with lies? A quick glance around the nursery and her eyes fall on the new WiFi baby monitor. Could that be the culprit? Is someone watching her every move and speaking to Liv that way? But when she tries to voice her concerns to Jeremy he doesn't believe her. He immediately thinks she is imagining things, it's an auditory hallucination brought on by Samuel's birth and a pre-cursor to post partum psychosis, which she suffered badly after Liv's birth.

So what does Jeremy do? He gathers her friends, her mum and himself and has her sent to a "retreat" but basically it is a private mental health facility, for two weeks. During that time Liv refuses to join in the daily video calls and visits. The one time she does visit she punches Miriam in the face then insists "Can we visit my other mummy now?" Miriam feels the sting of rejection not only from Liv but also Samuel who she has ached to breastfeed since admission to the facility but when she unbuttons her blouse Samuel rejects her too. Jeremy, in his stupid wisdom, gave him a bottle of formula before coming into the visiting room. Why would he do that? He knows Miriam wanted to breastfeed him. And he organised for a state of the art breast pump to be supplied so she could express every day and freeze her milk which would later be delivered to Jeremy to feed him with. And he feeds him formula? I could slap that guy from the very first moment for his stupid behaviour.

When Miriam is finally discharged, she returns home to find that she is under continued surveillance. Hidden cameras everywhere. Her house has suddenly become a smart home which she has no control over. The only consolation is that Jeremy had disposed of the baby monitor and now she has a cheaper non-WiFi model so that no one can hack in and whisper lies to her little girl. Miriam doesn't know who to trust or who to confide in? Who is watching her? And why? What do they want?

There is so much going on in this story, some of which you will have to suspend belief while others will leave you scratching your head. Both Jeremy and Miriam were clueless and failed to talk to each other. He automatically dismisses her claims as being part of a psychosis and rejects anything she has to say without actually listening to her. Miriam wasn't much better but at least she was better than Jeremy and Liv put together. That child was like the devil incarnate. She made my blood boil behaving like a spoilt princess. I'm the oldest in my family and I was excited about my baby brother's arrival. I certainly didn't behave like that.

And then there is the gaslighting. That is on a whole other level. It sometimes makes for uncomfortable reading because you sympathise with Miriam as no one is listening to her, which then leaves her questioning herself and her own sanity.

I knew who was behind it almost from the start. But then when the ending came it left things a little confusing. Who was actually to blame? We are given a couple of suspects at the end but it's not really clear which of them was actually the guilty party. 

POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD

And there was the whole hidden network thing. Miriam was told that whoever set it up knew exactly what they were doing and it was beyond her husband's and her friend's expertise. So the two suspects we are given, how did they have the nous to set up an entire hidden network and then remove it with barely a trace? It doesn't make any sense. It would make a little more sense for one of them but I still question their actual knowledge when others had a lot more. I really couldn't get my head around that and it's for this reason I had to knock off a star. Throughout the entire book it was five stars all the way...until I got to the end.

Misgivings aside, this was a taut tense and thrilling read. I devoured the entire book in one day. It is compelling addicive and wholly entertaining.

I would like to thank #RosieWalker, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheBabyMonitor in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Rosie gained a Masters in Creative Writing with distinction from the University of Edinburgh in 2011, where she learned to talk about writing over a gin and tonic, and accept critical feedback with grace.

She also has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Lancaster University, where she learned how to pull an all-nighter to hit a deadline right at the last minute.

She lives in Edinburgh with her husband Kevin, daughter Elsie and their dog Bella.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: The House Fire by Rosie Walker

The House Fire by Rosie Walker 

Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller, Suspense

Read: 12th February 2022

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 6th January 2022

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Play with fire and you’ll get burned…

Who can you trust in this brand new edge-of-your-seat thriller?

A tired old seaside town hiding a series of unsolved arson attacks.

A derelict mansion in the woods with a long-buried secret.

A bundle of old love letters that mask a dark story. 

When Jamie’s documentary investigation gets too close to uncovering the truth behind a series of deadly arson attacks that tormented Abbeywick in the 1980s, her family might be the ones who pay the price. 

But for her younger sister Cleo, the secrets Jamie uncovers have the potential to get exactly what Cleo wants: to remove her mum’s toxic new husband from their lives, forever. 

All it takes is one spark to send everything up in smoke…

MY REVIEW:

A derelict house. A toxic husband. A series of unsolved fires. And two sisters quest for the truth.

After reading, devouring and absolutely loving Rosie Walker's brilliant debut "Secrets of a Serial Killer", I was excited to delve into THE HOUSE FIRE. If she could engage me and immerse me into the story as she did the first time round, I knew I would be in for a real treat. And she didn't disappoint. Granted, this book is a little slower off the mark than her addictive pulse-racing debut, the pace soon picks up as the reader is immersed one again into the lives of one family and their on-going drama.

Opening with a spine-tingling Prologue in which a child witnesses the abuse inflicted on their mother by their father with a vow to one day make him pay. It's short, it's powerful but it's makes it point.

In the present day we meet Jamie, a budding documentary maker, filming her mother's marriage to Ant who turns the event into The Ant Show with the spotlight on him. Her younger sister Cleo sits amidst the guests with a sour look on her face. It's obvious Cleo hates Ant and the way he has taken over their mother's life and nothing will deter her from her campaign of hate. 

On the way to the reception, Cleo and her friend Lucasz decide to walk there and come across the smouldering remains of a shed in the woods. Sidetracked by something far more interesting than "The Ant Show" masquerading as her mother's wedding, Cleo wanders around the shed and discovers that the house alongside which the shed stands that has also been fire-affected, is still largely in tact. And so she and Lucasz decide to investigate further by climbing into the old manor house and nosing around. After discovering old photos and letters, Cleo creates a narrative for what she thinks happened here. And in the coming days, the old manor house, alongside her best friend Lucasz, will become her refuge from the drama unfolding at home.

Now that a new way of life has begun at home with Ant moving into the role of husband and step-father, Jamie shifts her focus back to the research she has been gathering along with boyfriend Spider for the documentary they intend to make, shedding light on the spate of unsolved historic arson cases from the 80s. But the plan shifts gear when news of a recent fire has destroyed one woman's livelihood and killed her six beloved horses. Spider takes a new direction by focussing on the arson victim's grief and anger whilst Jamie is far from comfortable with it. But Spider has a gleam in his eye she's not seen before as she realises he is relishing this new angle. And the deeper she gets, the more she realises she may have bitten off more than she can chew...particularly when she receives a threatening note that has been hand delivered. The arsonist knows where she lives.

Meanwhile back at home, Cleo is doing her damnedest to out Ant for who he really is knowing full well he can't be trusted...and the scenes between Cleo and Ant are chilling to say the least. Why doesn't anyone believe her about Ant and what he's really like? Why can't they see what she sees? Or is she just seeing what she wants to see because she just wants her mother back? I really felt for Cleo as no one appeared to be listening to her or in fact believe her when the reader sees something in what she is saying. But as it is from her perspective, is that just a tainted view? Or is it the truth? The only one to believe Cleo is her best friend Lucasz, though I suspect he was beginning to feel a little more for Cleo than just friendship. He was always by her side and on her side. He listened to her and he believed her. He even accompanied her on her quests to gather information that could potentially lead to proof and the truth about Ant. She is incredibly single-minded in her quest, I'll give her that. But at what cost?

The story is told from three viewpoints - Jamie, Cleo and the arsonist - and what unfolds is a spine-tingling, mind-blowing domestic and psychological thriller that, once it picks up pace, will have you turning the pages long into the night. The historic arson cases that have remained unsolved lead both sisters on two very different journeys as each endeavour to uncover the truth - but what is the truth? Jamie has a clear direction in which she takes while Cleo's is far muddier and ambiguous. It is evident from the start that there is an undercurrent of abuse with a darker history lurking that is sometimes uncomfortable to witness. But as events unfold, it seems the truth may be closer than they think.

While the story begins as a slow-burn (excuse the pun), the tension soon builds and the pace picks up into an addictive page-turner you won't want to put down for a minute! The suspense is all-absorbing and the plot completely compelling.

The characters are all skillfully drawn - both the likeable and unlikeable. Both sisters are the main narrators as we see the story play out through their eyes respectively. With Jamie, as the older more responsible of the two, she tried to remain objective and make decisions based on less emotion than her 14 year old sister who was naturally driven by her own, sometimes over the top, emotions. Cleo had a rage inside her that the reader puts down to her age and possibly her hormones...but is she just jealous that Ant has moved in and taken away her mother's attention from her? Admittedly, it certainly appeared that way on more than one occasion and Ant really didn't help himself with his behaviour. He almost certainly loves the power that coercive control gives him...but is it all smoke and mirrors? Because after all, nothing is ever as it seems. And everyone, it seems, has their own agenda.

I read this book almost in one sitting as it is so addictive I could not put it down. The storytelling is compelling and engaging with a suspenseful edge that keeps the tension palpable throughout. But what I love most about THE HOUSE FIRE is the ending! I didn't see any of it coming. I certainly didn't figure out the arsonist until just before the reveal and I'm like scratching my head...but it was the final pages of the Epilogue that I loved the most. While I favour endings that tie up all loose ends bringing a closure to everything, I do so love creepy open-ended conclusions especially one that is as chilling as this one.

If you enjoyed Rosie's fantabulous debut "Secrets of a Serial Killer", you will love THE HOUSE FIRE. It is an addictive, edge-of-your-seat domestic and psychological thriller that will most definitely keep you guessing until the very end...and leave you pondering about it after the book is closed.

I would like to thank #RosieWalker, #Netgalley, #OneMoreChapter and #HarperCollinsUK for an ARC of #TheHouseFire in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Rosie gained a Masters in Creative Writing with distinction from the University of Edinburgh in 2011, where she learned to talk about writing over a gin and tonic, and accept critical feedback with grace.

She also has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Lancaster University, where she learned how to pull an all-nighter to hit a deadline right at the last minute.

She lives in Edinburgh with her husband Kevin, daughter Elsie and their dog Bella.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: Secrets of a Serial Killer by Rosie Walker

Secrets of a Serial Killer by Rosie Walker 

Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense

Read: 20th August 2021

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 17th July 2021

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

An edge-of-your-seat serial killer thriller that you won’t be able to put down!

There it is: FEAR. It’s crawling all over her face and in her eyes, like a swarm of insects, and it’s all because of HIM.

A serial killer has been terrorising Lancaster for decades, longer than should ever have been possible. The police are baffled, eluded at every turn by the killer whose victims span generations. Speculation is rife among the true crime forums; is someone passing on their gruesome trade?

Every local mother's worst nightmare has become Helen Summerton's reality; he’s taken her daughter, Zoe. As the clock runs down so do her chances of survival. Can Helen unearth the secrets of the killer before it’s too late?

A gripping serial killer thriller that you won’t be able to put down. Perfect for fans of The Whisper Man, What You Did and Don’t Even Breathe.

MY REVIEW:

O.M.G!! What an edge-of-your-seat thrill-ride! When I first perused the reviews for this book, I was wondering if it was going to be another average read. But now that I've finished I have to wonder...did I read the same book? Maybe the idea of such a fascinating concept married with the dark and disturbing in such an original and unique way is what drew me in and kept me there throughout. Because seriously, SECRETS OF A SERIAL KILLER is so well thought out and cleverly written that the suspense just keeps on building and a steady pace until...BOOM! The story unravels in a mass of psychological twists and thrills and nail-biting suspense that will have you turning the pages and guessing until the very end! Honestly, this is such an addictive and exciting it is hard to believe that this is the author's debut.

The first piece of expertise is the setting. Everyone loves an old gothic Victorian building bereft of life but for the ghosts that lurk its now empty halls. It's looming structure a sinister silhouette against a blackened sky in the half light, a face in the window, a light in the shadows...an atmospheric eeriness that is both creepy and exciting.

The author expertly set the scene within the first chapters as Helen Summerton takes her morning stroll with her dog Alfie in the grounds of the now abandoned Lancaster Lune Asylum. Alfie runs off in search of squirrels or something else that grabbed his attention with Helen hot on his heels as she soon finds herself within the skeletal remains of the building. Alfie returns present her with a gift. A ballet slipper, blue speckled with a brown rusted colour. A fleeting thought as to whose it could be before the looming figure of a security guard reminds her that she is trespassing. His presence alerts Alfie whose hackles are instantly raised and the dog gives a low growl at the unwelcome intruder who then ushers them from the building and its grounds.

Helen is an architect who is part of the team re-designing and re-structuring the old mental hospital into "luxury living spaces" - not flats! And she has no idea how this very building is going to haunt her nightmares to come...and not in the way she thinks with endless conference calls with the council and developers about the re-designing of the space. No, Lancaster Lune Asylum is going to factor into her nightmares in a whole other aspect.

Seventeen year old Zoe is planning a night out with friends at a local pub. Her boyfriend Dane picks her up from her dad's place not entirely sure how much he is going to enjoy the night ahead of them. As soon as they arrive, Dane meets Max, a true crime fanatic obsessed with conspiracy theories that plague a once well-known serial killer from the area - Leonard McVitie, who died three decades ago in the old Asylum overlooking the city. As the boys talk, Zoe goes off in search of Abbie who appears to be languishing herself over an older guy at the jukebox. A bit rich, considering her boyfriend Max is just a few feet away. But Abbie is three sheets to the wind and encouraging Zoe to come and meet Paul. Torn between not wanting to be a part of Abbie's self-destructive behaviour and an instinct to keep her friend safe, Zoe tells Dane they'll catch them up as the boys move off to another pub. That's the last time they see her. 

Waking up in what she perceives a box that jostles around, Zoe has no idea what happened or where she is. She vaguely recalls Abbie encouraging her to pick up this guy but then after that...it gets a bit fuzzy. Surely she didn't have that much to drink. Her head hurts and her eyes close as she drifts off to sleep once again.

Eleven year old Thomas is not a happy camper. His mother has just told him that his 10 year old cousin Maggie is coming to stay and he must share his room with her. He used to like Maggie staying but she's a bit bossy these days. Still she can be fun sometimes...and today she has an idea. To find a caravan that's nestled in the depths of the woods that they can use as their den, a hideout from the grown-ups. Thomas thinks this is a pretty good idea. But the caravan, when thy find it, turns out to be old, dank and smelly and Thomas isn't sure he likes it much there. But Maggie is on a mission. And when they leave there to return home, Thomas isn't sure he wants to return there with the silhouette of the old asylum looming over them. It's distinctly creepy. But return they must because Maggie left something behind and they must find it before her older brother discovers it missing. It's their return that turns into a whole other adventure neither child had anticipated.

When retired detective Tony calls his ex-wife early the next morning to report that Zoe did not come home last night, Helen's world begins to crumble. She rings Zoe's friends, she calls the police...but no one seems to take her concerns seriously. Not even Tony. Except her neighbour Janet Mitchell, a journalist who has been working on highlighting the mysterious disappearances of teenage girls for the past few decades. And now it seems Zoe has joined their ranks. Between her reports and the links to theories about deceased serial killer McVitie, Helen begins to fear for her daughter's life. Can Helen save her daughter before it's too late? And it's not until Janet goes to wake her son Thomas and cousin Maggie the following morning, that she discovers their beds have not been slept in that her world, too, comes crashing down.

But how is Zoe's disappearance and that of two adventurous missing children who should have been tucked up in bed connected? And what has it to do with the old asylum and a dead serial killer?

The clever concept in SECRETS OF A SERIAL KILLER tells of one serial killer passing down his knowledge to another who thus passes their knowledge down also, therefore creating generations born from one sadistic serial killer. What makes them undetectable is that there is no trace of their victims ever and no trace of the perpetrator either. So the crimes can continue over the years undetected and no one is none the wiser. But someone has missed these teenage girls who disappeared in the 1980s and 1990s and yet they have disappeared without a trace. And then the disappearances stopped. Or did they?

The story unfolds through the narratives of Helen, Zoe, Thomas and "Him", weaving together a clever tale that is made more interesting by the imposing presence of the abandoned asylum that connects them. There was also the inclusion of snippets from the dark web and true crime fanatics' reports under the guise of "Dark Urban Reporter" theorising about deceased serial killer McVitie and the unexplained disappearances thenceforth outlining the possibility of a protege who continued the work of McVitie long after his death. And then there is the star of the story...ALFIE!!

A fast paced read that will have you hooked from the very beginning - well, it did me - SECRETS OF A SERIAL KILLER is captivating, addictive and unique in its concept as well as being dark, disturbing and distinctively creepy. The gothic atmosphere of the imposing abandoned asylum created a deeply unnerving eeriness that was chilling and yet completely absorbing. Set over a course of three days, this tightly drawn thriller that is a quick unputdownable read packs a powerful punch right up to its shocking end.

Pure adrenaline pumping, tense and terrifying, SECRETS OF A SERIAL KILLER is intense from beginning to end that is a twisted, ruthless and compelling read that gets you right in the mind of the monster and his victim. It is a nightmare from which you can escape...even if it haunts you thereafter.

Dark, disturbing and a brilliant debut! Perfect for fans of the more darker twisted type of psychological thriller.

I would like to thank #RosieWalker, #Netgalley and #OneMoreChapter for an ARC of #SecretsOfASerialKiller in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Rosie gained a Masters in Creative Writing with distinction from the University of Edinburgh in 2011, where she learned to talk about writing over a gin and tonic, and accept critical feedback with grace. She also has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Lancaster University, where she learned how to pull an all-nighter to hit a deadline right at the last minute.

She lives in Edinburgh with her husband Kevin and their dog Bella.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads