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Step Inside My Soul
Matt Langley used to be somebody. Back in the late '90s his star shone bright. Thanks to his debut novel, the shocking The Devil's Debt, he was at the forefront of the Bright Young Things. He was on chat shows and culture shows. He was the man of the moment. And then it all stopped, because there was no second book.
Now, with his marriage to Naz on the rocks, they're trying to start over. They've sold the house that The Devil's Debt built and moved to a farmhouse deep in the wilds of Northumbria, where no one knows them, and for a while their new life is fragile but good. Furthermore, Matt's leading a writing group at the library and is even thinking about writing again.
Marlin is part of that writing group. He's a quiet young man who has survived things no kid should ever have to. On meeting Matt he shows him his battered copy of The Devil's Debt. The book is filled with underlinings and notes and, he soon discovers, messages from the young man's dead mother.
That book serves as the basis for a bond between the two. Matt feels like they have a kinship, and wants to help the young writer. So, when he and Naz find him sleeping rough they invite him into their house for a week or so, until Marlin is back on his feet. But Marlin is a malevolent cuckoo they've brought into their home. And that was their first big mistake...
Now, with his marriage to Naz on the rocks, they're trying to start over. They've sold the house that The Devil's Debt built and moved to a farmhouse deep in the wilds of Northumbria, where no one knows them, and for a while their new life is fragile but good. Furthermore, Matt's leading a writing group at the library and is even thinking about writing again.
Marlin is part of that writing group. He's a quiet young man who has survived things no kid should ever have to. On meeting Matt he shows him his battered copy of The Devil's Debt. The book is filled with underlinings and notes and, he soon discovers, messages from the young man's dead mother.
That book serves as the basis for a bond between the two. Matt feels like they have a kinship, and wants to help the young writer. So, when he and Naz find him sleeping rough they invite him into their house for a week or so, until Marlin is back on his feet. But Marlin is a malevolent cuckoo they've brought into their home. And that was their first big mistake...
298 pages, Hardcover
First published April 25, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 18, 2024
Thank you to Gabriella from Little Brown for giving me the opportunity to review Step Inside My Soul by Nick Curran.
I wasn’t sure about this at first because I was like when does the creepiness start? As it was very much just building and I guess setting up the story. I’d say about halfway through is when it gets started. Quite suspenseful and then after a few more chapters it really ramps up.
Step Inside My Soul follows author Matt Langley who became famous for his novel The Devils Debt. It’s set after the success where he and his wife Naz (who are having marriage problems) moving to a new house in the countryside to start over.
Life seems to be going ok, Naz has her job and Matt has found a connection at the local library teaching writing classes. Not to mention he’s started writing again. He even takes a young homeless lad, Marlin, under his wing. But things start to go wrong and before we know it there’s a game of cat and mouse afoot.
Overall I enjoyed this book. It’s my second thriller and, despite the slow buildup, was really quite suspenseful and chilling.
Reading about a writers process and what they draw on for inspiration etc was very interesting. Although I will admit I was a little shocked about how Matt started his second book.
The suspense is definitely there as once it got going I didn’t want to put the book down.
I wasn’t sure about this at first because I was like when does the creepiness start? As it was very much just building and I guess setting up the story. I’d say about halfway through is when it gets started. Quite suspenseful and then after a few more chapters it really ramps up.
Step Inside My Soul follows author Matt Langley who became famous for his novel The Devils Debt. It’s set after the success where he and his wife Naz (who are having marriage problems) moving to a new house in the countryside to start over.
Life seems to be going ok, Naz has her job and Matt has found a connection at the local library teaching writing classes. Not to mention he’s started writing again. He even takes a young homeless lad, Marlin, under his wing. But things start to go wrong and before we know it there’s a game of cat and mouse afoot.
Overall I enjoyed this book. It’s my second thriller and, despite the slow buildup, was really quite suspenseful and chilling.
Reading about a writers process and what they draw on for inspiration etc was very interesting. Although I will admit I was a little shocked about how Matt started his second book.
The suspense is definitely there as once it got going I didn’t want to put the book down.
November 1, 2025
Very dark and original, binge read it in 12h as couldn’t put it down. Very unsettling, hugely enjoyable.
April 30, 2024
In a moment of true bookseller serendipity, I spotted Step Inside My Soul in the delivery at work. Drawn like a magpie to its eye-catching yellow cover, and having read the synopsis, it was quickly purchased and ferried back to the raven’s nest. Knowing full well that I will shortly be needing the skills of a sherpa to ascend my to-be-read mountain, I paid no heed to all the books reaching out for my attention, and having promised myself a quick read of the first couple of pages, then proceeded to spend my entire day off reading it. Yes. I was hooked from the beginning, and here’s why…
Set in and around the wilds of Northumbria and referencing Newcastle too, this is a real slow burn of a thriller, with a wonderfully creeping sense of unease as the story progresses. However, unlike most crime novels relying on the build up of psychological tension, I think it’s fair to say that this one has a lot more meat on its bones as you begin to really engage with the central protagonist Matt, and Curran opens the narrative out in interesting directions. Anyone drawn to the idea of writing, whether at an amateur level or as a budding professional will enjoy the tangential exploration of the craft of writing, as Matt struggles to tackle that difficult second book after the extraordinary success of his first many years previously. As Matt seeks out opportunities to engage with writing and reading groups, there are some superb references to the craft of writing woven into the narrative, through the exercises he sets, and as he becomes more entangled in the life of a troubled young man Marlin, who he encounters at one of these meetings. As Matt begins to regain the confidence to tackle the second book, which proves less than a straightforward cathartic experience, this underlying theme of the creative act provides an interesting diversion to the central plot, whilst in no way disrupting the building tension. Similarly on the theme of creativity, there are a host of music references dropped into the plot throughout, which I always personally enjoy.
Essentially this a dark exploration of the ‘cuckoo in the nest’ motif as Matt and his wife Naz, with Matt to a greater degree, becoming more involved with Marlin, who keeps a copy of Matt’s first book as a talisman of remembrance to his mother, and is looking to develop his own skills as writer. There’s a fascinating symbiosis at the heart of the book driving the narrative as these three characters begin to intertwine with each other on a more personal level. Matt and Naz have relocated to the North East following her short lived infidelity, looking to rebuild their relationship, and start afresh. Moving from the coast to the raw and wild beauty of Northumbria is a sea change for them both, but how far has Matt really forgiven her betrayal? Being in a state of denial as to the how, what and why of his wife’s infidelity, Matt begins to address his pent up anger and sense of betrayal in his new writing project, where the words he commits to the manuscript, return to haunt him in the most horribly unimaginable way.
The themes of trust and betrayal loom large throughout the book for all the characters, and Curran also weaves in astute observations on the very real social issues of migration and homelessness too. This is what leads me to recommend this book as not only an extremely tense and compelling crime story, but also one that goes beyond the simplistic nature of most psychological thrillers. There are brilliant catch your breath moments with perfectly placed dark visceral interludes throughout. Interestingly too, the book firmly immerses you in the lives of these incredibly well realised characters, but also in their frailties, and morally grey areas, playing with the reader’s empathy as the truth finally emerges and events play out to a truly unexpected conclusion…
Having found out that Curran has written a previous book, I have chastised myself for not discovering this author before. Step Inside My Soul is undoubtedly one of the best books I have read for some time. It has the precisely measured and brilliantly tense unfolding of a psychological thriller, with some really clever reveals, that it’s been so hard not to spoil by mentioning here. It also incorporates other layers of interest in its setting, ruminations on the craft of writing, whilst weaving in the migrant and homeless experience through Matt’s wife Naz, and the mercurial and troubled Marlin. I always like my crime thrillers to go beyond the linear, and have a bit more meat on their bones, and this one ticks all the boxes. Highly recommended.
Set in and around the wilds of Northumbria and referencing Newcastle too, this is a real slow burn of a thriller, with a wonderfully creeping sense of unease as the story progresses. However, unlike most crime novels relying on the build up of psychological tension, I think it’s fair to say that this one has a lot more meat on its bones as you begin to really engage with the central protagonist Matt, and Curran opens the narrative out in interesting directions. Anyone drawn to the idea of writing, whether at an amateur level or as a budding professional will enjoy the tangential exploration of the craft of writing, as Matt struggles to tackle that difficult second book after the extraordinary success of his first many years previously. As Matt seeks out opportunities to engage with writing and reading groups, there are some superb references to the craft of writing woven into the narrative, through the exercises he sets, and as he becomes more entangled in the life of a troubled young man Marlin, who he encounters at one of these meetings. As Matt begins to regain the confidence to tackle the second book, which proves less than a straightforward cathartic experience, this underlying theme of the creative act provides an interesting diversion to the central plot, whilst in no way disrupting the building tension. Similarly on the theme of creativity, there are a host of music references dropped into the plot throughout, which I always personally enjoy.
Essentially this a dark exploration of the ‘cuckoo in the nest’ motif as Matt and his wife Naz, with Matt to a greater degree, becoming more involved with Marlin, who keeps a copy of Matt’s first book as a talisman of remembrance to his mother, and is looking to develop his own skills as writer. There’s a fascinating symbiosis at the heart of the book driving the narrative as these three characters begin to intertwine with each other on a more personal level. Matt and Naz have relocated to the North East following her short lived infidelity, looking to rebuild their relationship, and start afresh. Moving from the coast to the raw and wild beauty of Northumbria is a sea change for them both, but how far has Matt really forgiven her betrayal? Being in a state of denial as to the how, what and why of his wife’s infidelity, Matt begins to address his pent up anger and sense of betrayal in his new writing project, where the words he commits to the manuscript, return to haunt him in the most horribly unimaginable way.
The themes of trust and betrayal loom large throughout the book for all the characters, and Curran also weaves in astute observations on the very real social issues of migration and homelessness too. This is what leads me to recommend this book as not only an extremely tense and compelling crime story, but also one that goes beyond the simplistic nature of most psychological thrillers. There are brilliant catch your breath moments with perfectly placed dark visceral interludes throughout. Interestingly too, the book firmly immerses you in the lives of these incredibly well realised characters, but also in their frailties, and morally grey areas, playing with the reader’s empathy as the truth finally emerges and events play out to a truly unexpected conclusion…
Having found out that Curran has written a previous book, I have chastised myself for not discovering this author before. Step Inside My Soul is undoubtedly one of the best books I have read for some time. It has the precisely measured and brilliantly tense unfolding of a psychological thriller, with some really clever reveals, that it’s been so hard not to spoil by mentioning here. It also incorporates other layers of interest in its setting, ruminations on the craft of writing, whilst weaving in the migrant and homeless experience through Matt’s wife Naz, and the mercurial and troubled Marlin. I always like my crime thrillers to go beyond the linear, and have a bit more meat on their bones, and this one ticks all the boxes. Highly recommended.
April 29, 2026
After decades out of the limelight and an affair fresh in his mind, Matt and his wife Naz moved from the seaside to the countryside in search for new beginnings. As part of this journey, Matt took pity on a street urchin named Marlin, and wanting to make good in the world, took in him to get him off the streets. However, Matt's new beginnings soon found itself intertwined with Marlin's unfinished past.
The book is a slow-burner, with it only really picking up pace in the last third. Ironically, it was the first two-thirds that I found most enjoyable. The characters are well-written (if sometimes frustrating) and the setting is fine. The book does have some, little more frequent than occasional, grammatical mistakes which surprised me, but it's not enough to dampen the book (apparently, the first draft of the book was written in four weeks and had gone through five drafts before it was published. Owing to the mistakes left in the published copy, I don't doubt that it was written fast).
I didn't realise this until about a third of the way through, but the author has also written books set in video game universes, which I feel is reflected in Step Inside My Soul. What was being built was a largely realistic thriller with questions not just in the air, but slowly floating down like a leaf as the suspense of what was occurring lingered. The last third grabbed that leaf and crushed it under its boots with its very cinematic, video game/movie-like scenarios, and certain things made it become less realistic and more dramatised fiction which felt out-of-place. Things like
I recognise that I am an overly critical reader who finds it difficult at times to turn off my brain and just accept what happens as it is without thinking too much into it, but I feel of the books I've read and reviewed, this book probably deserves some thinking to it the most. Unfortunately, what is then revealed is a book that loses its way in the last third as it places drama and dramatic flashiness over everything else. The author wrote that the ending was an amalgamation of all of the endings he had draft written into one, and it showed. I don't regret reading the book as it was interesting and entertaining, but it was also unbelievable and disappointing; those two things can be true at the same time.
The book is a slow-burner, with it only really picking up pace in the last third. Ironically, it was the first two-thirds that I found most enjoyable. The characters are well-written (if sometimes frustrating) and the setting is fine. The book does have some, little more frequent than occasional, grammatical mistakes which surprised me, but it's not enough to dampen the book (apparently, the first draft of the book was written in four weeks and had gone through five drafts before it was published. Owing to the mistakes left in the published copy, I don't doubt that it was written fast).
I didn't realise this until about a third of the way through, but the author has also written books set in video game universes, which I feel is reflected in Step Inside My Soul. What was being built was a largely realistic thriller with questions not just in the air, but slowly floating down like a leaf as the suspense of what was occurring lingered. The last third grabbed that leaf and crushed it under its boots with its very cinematic, video game/movie-like scenarios, and certain things made it become less realistic and more dramatised fiction which felt out-of-place. Things like
I recognise that I am an overly critical reader who finds it difficult at times to turn off my brain and just accept what happens as it is without thinking too much into it, but I feel of the books I've read and reviewed, this book probably deserves some thinking to it the most. Unfortunately, what is then revealed is a book that loses its way in the last third as it places drama and dramatic flashiness over everything else. The author wrote that the ending was an amalgamation of all of the endings he had draft written into one, and it showed. I don't regret reading the book as it was interesting and entertaining, but it was also unbelievable and disappointing; those two things can be true at the same time.
April 26, 2024
This is a story about a writer who back in the 90's debuted his first book and did really well but since then kind of fell of the bandwagon and he stopped writing. Now he has moved on with his life, he has sold his house and has moved to Northumbria with his wife and they are starting over again , he is even started to contemplate whether he should write again. But he joins a writing group and one person in particular sparks his interest, Marlin a young guy who holds everything on his shoulders, little does Matt know what he is in for letting this kid into his life, he had better watch out.. It was a slow burner of a read but when it did start getting better, it was intriguing and I wondered where the story was going to go. I found it quite disturbing in parts and feel like I have never read a book like this before.
September 29, 2025
Couldn't. Stop. Reading. So many things I should have been doing but this nailbiter kept me at the edge of my seat. Well written and suspenseful. Already ordered 2 more books by this author!
December 24, 2025
An intense read is probably an understatement for this thriller of a book. A tremendous feet on the human physique is explored between writer and reader. The two main characters had different struggles throughout and it showed in a dramatic showdown.
A well deserved 5 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A well deserved 5 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews