“I’ve always had a thing for death. My obsession with true crime started in my teens. There is nothing more shocking or more compelling than those who kill.”

Meet Roach; a true crime junkie who works as a bookseller at a local branch of the bookstore Spines. She loves serial killer stories as much as she drinks the cans of Dark Fruits and when one day Laura, a pretty and charismatic new bookseller to the children section arrived at the branch, Roach recognizes in her an unexpected kindred spirit— Laura and her connection to the infamous serial killer. Roach realizes that she may have come across her very own true crime story, and so an episodic trails of obsession blooms.

Dark, ingenious and wickedly tense. I love the alternate perspectives and the first-person narratives. The writing style was addictive to me; both gripping and full of wits, also the mood and tone in its dialogues were always heightened my suspense. I fancy the flaws and contrast in both characters (it seems like their dynamics really go well together), to see how Laura deals with her grief-stricken character and Roach being too tenacious and insane with her stalking character that it gets so nerve-racking and unhinged.

The secondary characters were fun enough and I truly love the atmospheric bookshop setting with that highlight on retail mess as well those literature talks in between; of poetry, book publishing and genre debates. The progress can be quite slowburn yet it goes so haunting and chilling; a searing twisty ending to me and as much as I like both epilogues, can’t help to still feeling anxious and spooked to that few last paragraphs from Roach. A light plot for a thriller but a recommendation if you want a character-driven suspense that thoroughly explored on one’s behaviour and psychological disorder. Will go with 4 stars to this!

Huge thanks to Pansing Distribution for the gifted review copy!