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The Nothing Man
🎧Listening Length = 9 hours and 57 minutes
An Edgar Award finalist delivers this “fiendishly clever” thriller (Publishers Weekly starred review). Years after surviving against a serial killer known as The Nothing Man, Eve publishes her true crime memoir dedicated to hunting him down. Little does she know that the murderer is reading along too… A “brilliant” and “massively gripping” tale (Sophie Hannah) performed by two Audie Award–winning narrators!
I was the girl who survived the Nothing Man. Now I am the woman who is going to catch him …
At the age of 12, Eve Black was the only member of her family to survive an encounter with serial attacker The Nothing Man. Now an adult, she is obsessed with identifying the man who destroyed her life.
Supermarket security guard Jim Doyle has just started reading The Nothing Man - the true-crime memoir Eve has written about her efforts to track down her family’s killer. As he turns each page, his rage grows. Because Jim’s not just interested in reading about The Nothing Man. He is The Nothing Man.
Jim soon begins to realize how dangerously close Eve is getting to the truth. He knows she won’t give up until she finds him. He has no choice but to stop her first....
An Edgar Award finalist delivers this “fiendishly clever” thriller (Publishers Weekly starred review). Years after surviving against a serial killer known as The Nothing Man, Eve publishes her true crime memoir dedicated to hunting him down. Little does she know that the murderer is reading along too… A “brilliant” and “massively gripping” tale (Sophie Hannah) performed by two Audie Award–winning narrators!
I was the girl who survived the Nothing Man. Now I am the woman who is going to catch him …
At the age of 12, Eve Black was the only member of her family to survive an encounter with serial attacker The Nothing Man. Now an adult, she is obsessed with identifying the man who destroyed her life.
Supermarket security guard Jim Doyle has just started reading The Nothing Man - the true-crime memoir Eve has written about her efforts to track down her family’s killer. As he turns each page, his rage grows. Because Jim’s not just interested in reading about The Nothing Man. He is The Nothing Man.
Jim soon begins to realize how dangerously close Eve is getting to the truth. He knows she won’t give up until she finds him. He has no choice but to stop her first....
10 pages, Audiobook
First published August 4, 2020
2788 people are currently reading
55160 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Ryan Howard
19 books4,312 followersCatherine Ryan Howard is an internationally bestselling crime writer from Cork, Ireland. Her debut novel, DISTRESS SIGNALS, was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey/New Blood Dagger. THE LIAR'S GIRL (2018) was shortlisted for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. REWIND (2019) was shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year and is currently being developed for screen by Clerkenwell Films (Misfits, Lovesick, The End of the F***ing World.) THE NOTHING MAN was a no. 1 Irish Times bestseller and a no. 1 Kindle bestseller (UK) and was shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year. Her latest novel, 56 DAYS, was published in August 2021. It is a thriller set in lockdown that Catherine wrote while she was in lockdown.
Prior to writing full-time, Catherine worked as a campsite courier in France and a front desk agent in Walt Disney World, Florida. She still wants to be an astronaut when she grows up.
Prior to writing full-time, Catherine worked as a campsite courier in France and a front desk agent in Walt Disney World, Florida. She still wants to be an astronaut when she grows up.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,171 reviews
August 31, 2024
Wow, The Nothing Man sucked me in from the very first moment, and held me captive until the very end.
Eve Black, at the age of twelve, survived a serial killer entering her home and murdering her parents and her sister. Now as an adult, she has become obsessed with catching this killer the media has dubbed the Nothing Man, and has written a true crime book detailing his atrocities, in the hopes of generating renewed interest and finally catching the killer. When Jim Doyle, a security guard at a local store, sees this book, he can't resist the urge to read it. But the more he reads, the more he is enraged. Because he is the Nothing Man and he realizes that in order to keep his secret safe, he must do what he failed to do that night 20 years ago.
Talk about gripping! Once I started in on this book, I couldn't put it down. It kept me riveted, all the more surprising because it wasn't building towards a big mystery reveal at the end. We already know the guilty party, pretty much from the first page. Yet the way the story unfolds, with Jim hurrying to read Eve's book to figure out how much she knows and to keep one step ahead of her, kept the pacing taut and tensions high.
Plenty of books promise chilling atmospheric reads, though hardly any deliver. But this book does, drawing me deep into the mind of a serial killer. It's extremely creepy to read a book from such a cold and psychotic person's point of view. It was masterful how the author went about this, forming a cohesive picture of the killer through his thoughts and actions. The killer's character felt real and complex, and that is what made this story all the more disturbing.
This book had the most interesting format of a story within a story. For me, it's a complete win, and I have pretty much loved every book I have ever come across that employs it. In this case, it's a clever way to showcase two separate viewpoints, to have one read the other's, while they are both moving towards a common destination. Authors everywhere, if you're reading this, please give me more of this story within a story!
What a memorable read this turned out to be. For sure, this has earned a spot on my favorites list for the year!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
✧ Connect with me ✧ Instagram ✧
Eve Black, at the age of twelve, survived a serial killer entering her home and murdering her parents and her sister. Now as an adult, she has become obsessed with catching this killer the media has dubbed the Nothing Man, and has written a true crime book detailing his atrocities, in the hopes of generating renewed interest and finally catching the killer. When Jim Doyle, a security guard at a local store, sees this book, he can't resist the urge to read it. But the more he reads, the more he is enraged. Because he is the Nothing Man and he realizes that in order to keep his secret safe, he must do what he failed to do that night 20 years ago.
Talk about gripping! Once I started in on this book, I couldn't put it down. It kept me riveted, all the more surprising because it wasn't building towards a big mystery reveal at the end. We already know the guilty party, pretty much from the first page. Yet the way the story unfolds, with Jim hurrying to read Eve's book to figure out how much she knows and to keep one step ahead of her, kept the pacing taut and tensions high.
Plenty of books promise chilling atmospheric reads, though hardly any deliver. But this book does, drawing me deep into the mind of a serial killer. It's extremely creepy to read a book from such a cold and psychotic person's point of view. It was masterful how the author went about this, forming a cohesive picture of the killer through his thoughts and actions. The killer's character felt real and complex, and that is what made this story all the more disturbing.
This book had the most interesting format of a story within a story. For me, it's a complete win, and I have pretty much loved every book I have ever come across that employs it. In this case, it's a clever way to showcase two separate viewpoints, to have one read the other's, while they are both moving towards a common destination. Authors everywhere, if you're reading this, please give me more of this story within a story!
What a memorable read this turned out to be. For sure, this has earned a spot on my favorites list for the year!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
✧ Connect with me ✧ Instagram ✧
October 4, 2022
What a mind blowing, captivating, truly surprising, soul crushing ride! Please be prepared and don’t eat something heavy, greasy before this gruesome, dark and wild journey (Don’t start with empty stomach either! The consequences could be painful) It will thrill the hell of you! It will freeze your blood! You’re gonna be paranoid and you go back to those days that you run to your bedroom as fast as you could as if being chased by a villain after turning off your house’s lights! You’d better prepare to sleep lights turn on!
This is remarkable mash up of True Crime podcasts- documentaries-memoirs. You’re reading a memoir hid inside a thriller book and getting inside of a serial killer’s brain at the same time like binge watching Making a murderer, Confession Tapes, Amanda Knox. The writing style is impeccably unique.
The last survivor of her family’s massacre Eve Black’s story is written as if it’s told by a podcast host and each chapter ends with another mysterious cliffhanger. It keeps you on your toes, makes you sit on the edge and force you hide under your blanket cuddling with your teddy bear (that’s what I did! I also cuddled with my empty Chardonnay bottles. This book increased my alcohol consumption!)
Eve Black was only 12 when the killer a.k.a nothing man (because he never leaves a trace and Garda found no clue about his identity. No DNA, no evidence, no eye witness!) killed her mother, father and her seven years old sister. She just hid in the bathroom and saved herself but she never get through the traumatic experience.
After she assigned the creative writing classes at the college, she started to come clean her secret identity and share her experiences in her articles which resulted with the start of her own investigation to fill the blanks and find the connections between the nothing man’s victims.
For nearly 2 decade, he disappeared and after two decades later, Eve releases her memoir about becoming survivor and the clues she’d found about the identity of the man who ruined her life and took her family from it. Nothing Man asks his victims: “Do you want to play game?” And now Eve is all in! She is not only going to play a life-death game with him, she’s also going to avenge her loved ones and give him the punishment he deserves!
Did I see how much I enjoyed the story-telling style of the book? Okay, I’m saying again. I loved it. I love to be introduced to Jim Doyle- our serial killer, once upon a time a member of Garda, now a supermarket security guard in his sixties at the first chapter. He finds out about the memoir and he is dying to know what Eve wrote about her.
We join him to read Eve’s memoir. We want to scream at him to keep on reading to learn more about his history and we also want to stop him so we can skip the gruesome details about his rapes, the traumatic experiences he caused with his torturing ways to ruin his victims’ souls forever.
Reading the chapters of memoir was like watching true crime stories and meeting with the real victims’ life experiences and witnessing Eve’s investigation and her corporation with ex-Garda officer Ed, how she gets closer to find the identity of the man.
And ending was remarkably satisfying, well-played, well-written. This is one of the highly original and well-developed, creative, playful, true to life, phenomenal, twisty thriller books! I enjoyed each page! I truly devoured them and I have to admit this is the best book of Catherine Ryan Howard! I highly recommend to genre fans and all readers who want to experience something remarkable, unique and splendid!
Special thanks to Edelweiss and Blackstone Publishing for sharing this one of the best thriller books’ ARC copy with me in exchange my honest review.
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CHEERS!
This is remarkable mash up of True Crime podcasts- documentaries-memoirs. You’re reading a memoir hid inside a thriller book and getting inside of a serial killer’s brain at the same time like binge watching Making a murderer, Confession Tapes, Amanda Knox. The writing style is impeccably unique.
The last survivor of her family’s massacre Eve Black’s story is written as if it’s told by a podcast host and each chapter ends with another mysterious cliffhanger. It keeps you on your toes, makes you sit on the edge and force you hide under your blanket cuddling with your teddy bear (that’s what I did! I also cuddled with my empty Chardonnay bottles. This book increased my alcohol consumption!)
Eve Black was only 12 when the killer a.k.a nothing man (because he never leaves a trace and Garda found no clue about his identity. No DNA, no evidence, no eye witness!) killed her mother, father and her seven years old sister. She just hid in the bathroom and saved herself but she never get through the traumatic experience.
After she assigned the creative writing classes at the college, she started to come clean her secret identity and share her experiences in her articles which resulted with the start of her own investigation to fill the blanks and find the connections between the nothing man’s victims.
For nearly 2 decade, he disappeared and after two decades later, Eve releases her memoir about becoming survivor and the clues she’d found about the identity of the man who ruined her life and took her family from it. Nothing Man asks his victims: “Do you want to play game?” And now Eve is all in! She is not only going to play a life-death game with him, she’s also going to avenge her loved ones and give him the punishment he deserves!
Did I see how much I enjoyed the story-telling style of the book? Okay, I’m saying again. I loved it. I love to be introduced to Jim Doyle- our serial killer, once upon a time a member of Garda, now a supermarket security guard in his sixties at the first chapter. He finds out about the memoir and he is dying to know what Eve wrote about her.
We join him to read Eve’s memoir. We want to scream at him to keep on reading to learn more about his history and we also want to stop him so we can skip the gruesome details about his rapes, the traumatic experiences he caused with his torturing ways to ruin his victims’ souls forever.
Reading the chapters of memoir was like watching true crime stories and meeting with the real victims’ life experiences and witnessing Eve’s investigation and her corporation with ex-Garda officer Ed, how she gets closer to find the identity of the man.
And ending was remarkably satisfying, well-played, well-written. This is one of the highly original and well-developed, creative, playful, true to life, phenomenal, twisty thriller books! I enjoyed each page! I truly devoured them and I have to admit this is the best book of Catherine Ryan Howard! I highly recommend to genre fans and all readers who want to experience something remarkable, unique and splendid!
Special thanks to Edelweiss and Blackstone Publishing for sharing this one of the best thriller books’ ARC copy with me in exchange my honest review.
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CHEERS!
May 19, 2020
4.5 stars
CLEVER. COMPULSIVE. CAPTIVATING!
The Nothing Man is a cleverly crafted psychological thriller about a serial killer and the victim who survived his attack.
A serial killer. His surviving victim. A book within a book. A game of cat and mouse. Some surprising twists and turns. This is all I am going to say about the plot. It’s best to GO IN BLIND!
The Nothing Man is one of the best thrillers I have read in quite some time. This is not about trying to solve the killer’s identity--the reader is made aware in the first chapter of who the killer is. Rather the focus is on the killer’s fear of being caught, but also on his desire to kill one last time. There are elements of nuance and little bits of dark humor woven in. One of my favorite moments was coming across Catherine Ryan Howard’s name in the acknowledgments section of Eve’s book. The plot and the narrative structure are unique, and I was absolutely riveted by how the events unfold and bring the victim and killer together. I highly recommend this book to thriller fans!
“When you find him, you’ll probably be shocked at just how much of a nothing he really is”
I received an ARC of this book from Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
CLEVER. COMPULSIVE. CAPTIVATING!
The Nothing Man is a cleverly crafted psychological thriller about a serial killer and the victim who survived his attack.
A serial killer. His surviving victim. A book within a book. A game of cat and mouse. Some surprising twists and turns. This is all I am going to say about the plot. It’s best to GO IN BLIND!
The Nothing Man is one of the best thrillers I have read in quite some time. This is not about trying to solve the killer’s identity--the reader is made aware in the first chapter of who the killer is. Rather the focus is on the killer’s fear of being caught, but also on his desire to kill one last time. There are elements of nuance and little bits of dark humor woven in. One of my favorite moments was coming across Catherine Ryan Howard’s name in the acknowledgments section of Eve’s book. The plot and the narrative structure are unique, and I was absolutely riveted by how the events unfold and bring the victim and killer together. I highly recommend this book to thriller fans!
“When you find him, you’ll probably be shocked at just how much of a nothing he really is”
I received an ARC of this book from Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
September 25, 2021
The Nothing Man, by Catherine Ryan Howard, gives us a book within a book. Eve Black's family was the last target of a serial killer that struck eighteen to twenty years ago. Now Eve's book about the killer is out and she's signing the book and discussing it at bookstores. Supermarket security guard Jim Doyle is reading the book and he is furious because he is The Nothing Man. He's angry and he is going to put an end to Eve. She is getting too close of figuring out who he is and he knows he should have killed her the night he killed the rest of her family.
Eve was twelve when her family was murdered and has spent the last eighteen years living her life on the surface, finishing her schooling but living in a haze in her personal life. She hasn't spoken about what happened, because her traumatized grandmother, who raised her after the murders, couldn't/wouldn't discuss the murders. But once Eve started researching what happened to her family and the other victims, a fire lights up in her, and she determines that she is going to find the killer and make him pay for his crimes. Her book is putting her squarely in the headlights of the serial killer and he is not going to be deterred from this last crime.
I loved the way this book was written. We get to read Eve's book, interspersed with Eve's thoughts and reflections and with Jim reading the book and fuming with hatred and thoughts of revenge. Jim is such a insignificant, petty, worthless man, made so by his own arrogance, bitterness, cruelty, and actions. Jim does things that healthy, well adjusted people would never think to do. He's a monster who needs to be caught and now that Eve had riled him up, he's going to pick up where he left off, all those years ago. He now knows he has one more murder to do and that murder has Eve's name on it. Read the book...it's written in such an interesting way, that puts you in the minds of both Eve, a victim, and Jim, the serial killer. This is such a unique way of writing the story and for me, it added to the tension of an already horrifying book.
Publication date: August 18, 2020
Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and Edelweiss for this ARC.
Eve was twelve when her family was murdered and has spent the last eighteen years living her life on the surface, finishing her schooling but living in a haze in her personal life. She hasn't spoken about what happened, because her traumatized grandmother, who raised her after the murders, couldn't/wouldn't discuss the murders. But once Eve started researching what happened to her family and the other victims, a fire lights up in her, and she determines that she is going to find the killer and make him pay for his crimes. Her book is putting her squarely in the headlights of the serial killer and he is not going to be deterred from this last crime.
I loved the way this book was written. We get to read Eve's book, interspersed with Eve's thoughts and reflections and with Jim reading the book and fuming with hatred and thoughts of revenge. Jim is such a insignificant, petty, worthless man, made so by his own arrogance, bitterness, cruelty, and actions. Jim does things that healthy, well adjusted people would never think to do. He's a monster who needs to be caught and now that Eve had riled him up, he's going to pick up where he left off, all those years ago. He now knows he has one more murder to do and that murder has Eve's name on it. Read the book...it's written in such an interesting way, that puts you in the minds of both Eve, a victim, and Jim, the serial killer. This is such a unique way of writing the story and for me, it added to the tension of an already horrifying book.
Publication date: August 18, 2020
Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and Edelweiss for this ARC.
April 25, 2020
*4.5 STARS *
30 year old Eve Black decides to write a book about the night her Mum, Dad, and 7 year old sister Anna were murdered in their own home in the city of Cork in Ireland. She does so in the hope that it will jog someone’s memory, generate new leads, and hopefully bring the killer to justice 18 years after it happened. Eve, 12 years old at the time of the murders, only escaped the same fate because, as her family’s attacker struck, she was already in the bathroom and continued to hide there after hearing strange and frightening sounds. The Garda couldn’t find a single trace of evidence at the scene of the crime, and for that reason the killer became known as the Nothing Man, also the title of Eve’s book.
63 year old supermarket Security guard Jim Doyle, is particularly fascinated with Eve’s memoir, he wants to ascertain just how much she really remembered about that night, because Jim IS the Nothing Man. He realises that Eve won’t stop until she discovers his identity, and he might just have to do something about that! Also, what really irks him, is the fact that he believes the general public would be much more interested in what HE has to say seeing as how he committed that crime and many others!
Alternating between the past and the present, this is a terrific read, with some memorable characters, whose backstories are told in great detail. The storyline simply demands one’s attention, and is really difficult to put down. Jim Doyle, ( the Nothing Man) is given a voice, but boy his words will chill your blood!
* Thank you to Netgalley and Atlantic Books for my ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
30 year old Eve Black decides to write a book about the night her Mum, Dad, and 7 year old sister Anna were murdered in their own home in the city of Cork in Ireland. She does so in the hope that it will jog someone’s memory, generate new leads, and hopefully bring the killer to justice 18 years after it happened. Eve, 12 years old at the time of the murders, only escaped the same fate because, as her family’s attacker struck, she was already in the bathroom and continued to hide there after hearing strange and frightening sounds. The Garda couldn’t find a single trace of evidence at the scene of the crime, and for that reason the killer became known as the Nothing Man, also the title of Eve’s book.
63 year old supermarket Security guard Jim Doyle, is particularly fascinated with Eve’s memoir, he wants to ascertain just how much she really remembered about that night, because Jim IS the Nothing Man. He realises that Eve won’t stop until she discovers his identity, and he might just have to do something about that! Also, what really irks him, is the fact that he believes the general public would be much more interested in what HE has to say seeing as how he committed that crime and many others!
Alternating between the past and the present, this is a terrific read, with some memorable characters, whose backstories are told in great detail. The storyline simply demands one’s attention, and is really difficult to put down. Jim Doyle, ( the Nothing Man) is given a voice, but boy his words will chill your blood!
* Thank you to Netgalley and Atlantic Books for my ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
July 20, 2020
Honestly, THIS is what a thriller should be!
As a long time fan of Catherine Ryan Howard, and having read all of her crime fiction to date, I can attest to the fact that she is not a one trick pony. She does mystery, suspense, and all around thrilling storylines with the ease of a seasoned vet, and I am hard pressed to choose a favorite novel that she has written because they're all so engaging. The beauty of The Nothing Man is that the reader is acquainted with the identity of the killer in the first chapter, thus removing the barrier of distraction surrounding the "whodunnit twist" and returning the focus on controlling the anticipation of the game of cat and mouse at hand. The ebb and flow of tension is expertly achieved, and the small details included, such as the author's name on the acknowledgements of Eve Black's book, really put this over the top. If you enjoy top notch thrilling entertainment featuring a book within a book, you desperately need to get your hands on this book!
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
As a long time fan of Catherine Ryan Howard, and having read all of her crime fiction to date, I can attest to the fact that she is not a one trick pony. She does mystery, suspense, and all around thrilling storylines with the ease of a seasoned vet, and I am hard pressed to choose a favorite novel that she has written because they're all so engaging. The beauty of The Nothing Man is that the reader is acquainted with the identity of the killer in the first chapter, thus removing the barrier of distraction surrounding the "whodunnit twist" and returning the focus on controlling the anticipation of the game of cat and mouse at hand. The ebb and flow of tension is expertly achieved, and the small details included, such as the author's name on the acknowledgements of Eve Black's book, really put this over the top. If you enjoy top notch thrilling entertainment featuring a book within a book, you desperately need to get your hands on this book!
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
May 7, 2020
What could be better than a book within a book especially when that book is so freaking good!?!
Eve Black was only 12 years old when she survived the Nothing Man. Her family, unfortunately was not that lucky. Their killer has been dubbed the nothing man because he leaves no clues behind. A man who entered his victims homes, often leaving rope and a knife hidden under the couch cushions to only come back later and terrorize and at at times kill his victims.
Eve is no longer a child, she is a grown woman with an agenda - she is going to catch the Nothing Man. A writer from a young age, Eve has written a true crime memoir about the Nothing Man, his victims and her personal experience with him the night he killed her family.
Jim Doyle is a supermarket security guard who is obsessed with reading Eve's memoir. He gets up in the night to sneak in some reading. With every page he turns, his anger and rage grows for HE is the Nothing Man.
This book is told through the past and the present and through Eve's memoir. I enjoyed the book while reading it but after completing it, I found myself still thinking about it, or shall I say the clever way in which Catherine Ryan Howard executed this book, specifically the book within the book and the interactions between the characters. Brilliant! Plus, did you see her name in the acknowledgements section?
This became a real page turner for me. Knowing who the Nothing Man was and how he became even more incensed while he read the book, was a fabulous touch and the twist!?! How about that! Seriously, I did not see THAT coming!
Riveting and addictive, this was a brilliantly plotted page turner which was well written and perfectly paced.
Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and Edelweiss who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Eve Black was only 12 years old when she survived the Nothing Man. Her family, unfortunately was not that lucky. Their killer has been dubbed the nothing man because he leaves no clues behind. A man who entered his victims homes, often leaving rope and a knife hidden under the couch cushions to only come back later and terrorize and at at times kill his victims.
Eve is no longer a child, she is a grown woman with an agenda - she is going to catch the Nothing Man. A writer from a young age, Eve has written a true crime memoir about the Nothing Man, his victims and her personal experience with him the night he killed her family.
Jim Doyle is a supermarket security guard who is obsessed with reading Eve's memoir. He gets up in the night to sneak in some reading. With every page he turns, his anger and rage grows for HE is the Nothing Man.
This book is told through the past and the present and through Eve's memoir. I enjoyed the book while reading it but after completing it, I found myself still thinking about it, or shall I say the clever way in which Catherine Ryan Howard executed this book, specifically the book within the book and the interactions between the characters. Brilliant! Plus, did you see her name in the acknowledgements section?
This became a real page turner for me. Knowing who the Nothing Man was and how he became even more incensed while he read the book, was a fabulous touch and the twist!?! How about that! Seriously, I did not see THAT coming!
Riveting and addictive, this was a brilliantly plotted page turner which was well written and perfectly paced.
Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and Edelweiss who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
December 5, 2023
Lock your doors. Close the blinds. Turn on the lights. Sleep with one eye open. Still Want to check this one out?
The nothing man makes his rounds in Ireland over a course of years. Sometimes one victim; sometimes a family of victims. Unfortunately for him, he left a witness. Guess he was getting sloppy. But, he wasn’t too worried as the 12 year old couldn’t identify him. Now 20 years later, Eve has written a novel about her family’s tragedy in the hopes of capturing him.
Ryan Howard took me to that thrilling white knuckled world in this clever mystery thriller that had me on the edge of my chair.
4.25⭐️
The nothing man makes his rounds in Ireland over a course of years. Sometimes one victim; sometimes a family of victims. Unfortunately for him, he left a witness. Guess he was getting sloppy. But, he wasn’t too worried as the 12 year old couldn’t identify him. Now 20 years later, Eve has written a novel about her family’s tragedy in the hopes of capturing him.
Ryan Howard took me to that thrilling white knuckled world in this clever mystery thriller that had me on the edge of my chair.
4.25⭐️
August 4, 2020
5+ outstanding stars!
This brilliant and creepy book blew my mind! I was utterly addicted — my mind was thinking of this book even when I wasn’t reading it — anxiously awaiting the next time I could steal a few moments (or hours) to sit down and inhale this story.
Eve Black’s family was murdered in their family home when she was a child. Twelve-year-old Eve was the only survivor after her mother, father and younger sister were found brutally murdered. Two decades later, the murderer still has not been found. He is a serial killer known only as The Nothing Man who has been linked to several other murders and rapes in the area. As a form of therapy and with the hope of igniting fresh perspective on the unsolved murders, Eve writes a book outlining each of The Nothing Man’s victims including her own family. The publication of her book sparks a lot of interest and creates a new generation of “armchair sleuths” intrigued by the cases and wanting to help find the murderer.
The creep factor is high! I felt nervous as I read about how The Nothing Man stalked and killed his victims. I checked the locks on my doors more than a couple times while reading this. The way this story unfolds is ingenious — extremely clever, unique and thoroughly captivating.
This easily earns a top spot in my 2020 Favourites List. Today is publication day for this stunning novel — make sure you get your hands on a copy ASAP!
Thank you to Edelweiss and Atlantic books for my review copy!
This brilliant and creepy book blew my mind! I was utterly addicted — my mind was thinking of this book even when I wasn’t reading it — anxiously awaiting the next time I could steal a few moments (or hours) to sit down and inhale this story.
Eve Black’s family was murdered in their family home when she was a child. Twelve-year-old Eve was the only survivor after her mother, father and younger sister were found brutally murdered. Two decades later, the murderer still has not been found. He is a serial killer known only as The Nothing Man who has been linked to several other murders and rapes in the area. As a form of therapy and with the hope of igniting fresh perspective on the unsolved murders, Eve writes a book outlining each of The Nothing Man’s victims including her own family. The publication of her book sparks a lot of interest and creates a new generation of “armchair sleuths” intrigued by the cases and wanting to help find the murderer.
The creep factor is high! I felt nervous as I read about how The Nothing Man stalked and killed his victims. I checked the locks on my doors more than a couple times while reading this. The way this story unfolds is ingenious — extremely clever, unique and thoroughly captivating.
This easily earns a top spot in my 2020 Favourites List. Today is publication day for this stunning novel — make sure you get your hands on a copy ASAP!
Thank you to Edelweiss and Atlantic books for my review copy!
September 29, 2022
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The last Catherine Ryan Howard book I read was Run Time and it was a book about a movie script that contains a book. This one is a book that contains a book. I don't know how she does it but Catherine Ryan Howard can seamlessly weave two stories at the same time without confusing the reader. This one is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach but please know there is no gratuitous sex or violence, it is there only for the story.
I like that we already know the who of this story, but not the why. The victim and perpetrator have a cat and mouse game playing out within the pages and as Shakespeare said in Hamlet "There is something rotten in the state of Denmark" because Eve and Jim's stories are not the same. Being inside Jim's head was a scary place to be and his internal dialogue was as creepy as all hell.
As a crime/ psychological thriller, this was an excellent read. The chapters are short and punchy, meaning that the tension is easily built up, pushing you to tear through the pages. It is also quite an original concept, so it does breathe new life into the genre.
This was a taut, suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat, can't put it down type of thriller and the two twists towards the end were perfect and surprising. All. The. Stars.
The last Catherine Ryan Howard book I read was Run Time and it was a book about a movie script that contains a book. This one is a book that contains a book. I don't know how she does it but Catherine Ryan Howard can seamlessly weave two stories at the same time without confusing the reader. This one is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach but please know there is no gratuitous sex or violence, it is there only for the story.
I like that we already know the who of this story, but not the why. The victim and perpetrator have a cat and mouse game playing out within the pages and as Shakespeare said in Hamlet "There is something rotten in the state of Denmark" because Eve and Jim's stories are not the same. Being inside Jim's head was a scary place to be and his internal dialogue was as creepy as all hell.
As a crime/ psychological thriller, this was an excellent read. The chapters are short and punchy, meaning that the tension is easily built up, pushing you to tear through the pages. It is also quite an original concept, so it does breathe new life into the genre.
This was a taut, suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat, can't put it down type of thriller and the two twists towards the end were perfect and surprising. All. The. Stars.
September 27, 2021
Minatory
Catherine Ryan Howard has composed a book that lifts to unique levels the experience of reading thrillers, with a wily plot of perilous tension, and a writing craft that amplifies the fascination with the cold remorseless mind of a serial killer.
The remarkable sense of this thriller is that it feels like a true crime story because it is so vividly portrayed with an observational quality and depth of rational thinking that imbue a notion of reality. Yet in Catherine Howard’s own words “this is a work of fiction even the facts are fiction”. Truly an outstanding thriller that skilfully holds the question of hunter versus hunted on a tantalising edge.
Eve Black was twelve years old when her family was slaughtered by the Nothing Man. A killer so named because the police could find 'nothing' in their investigations as to his identity. The only survivor of that fateful night, Eve, has suffered for a long time from unresolved issues and a pang of guilt that has been circling her, a loss that she feels to her core, and a need for retribution that has lasted for nearly twenty years. Determined to discover who the Nothing Man is, Eve writes a memoir novel called The Nothing Man to try and flush him out.
Images of the cruelty surface every now and again to remind the reader of how cold-hearted the killer was. A psychopathic killer without limits treating murder as a chilling satisfaction of dominance. A Garda officer at the time Ed has always kept the case alive and now works with Eve to flush the killer out.
One of the best thrillers in 2020 and I would highly recommend it. I would like to thank Atlantic Books, Corvus and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in return for an honest review.
Catherine Ryan Howard has composed a book that lifts to unique levels the experience of reading thrillers, with a wily plot of perilous tension, and a writing craft that amplifies the fascination with the cold remorseless mind of a serial killer.
The remarkable sense of this thriller is that it feels like a true crime story because it is so vividly portrayed with an observational quality and depth of rational thinking that imbue a notion of reality. Yet in Catherine Howard’s own words “this is a work of fiction even the facts are fiction”. Truly an outstanding thriller that skilfully holds the question of hunter versus hunted on a tantalising edge.
Eve Black was twelve years old when her family was slaughtered by the Nothing Man. A killer so named because the police could find 'nothing' in their investigations as to his identity. The only survivor of that fateful night, Eve, has suffered for a long time from unresolved issues and a pang of guilt that has been circling her, a loss that she feels to her core, and a need for retribution that has lasted for nearly twenty years. Determined to discover who the Nothing Man is, Eve writes a memoir novel called The Nothing Man to try and flush him out.
“I was the girl who survived the Nothing Man. Now I am the woman who is going to catch him ... You’ve just read the opening pages of The Nothing Man, the true-crime memoir Eve Black has written about her obsessive search for the man who killed her family nearly two decades ago. Supermarket security guard Jim Doyle is reading it too, and with each turn of the page, his rage grows. Because Jim was – is – the Nothing Man.”Knowing who the Nothing Man is, is not a spoiler but rather gives us knowledge that Eve doesn’t have and creates a tense element of drama. The story is narrated from the perspectives of Eve and Jim Doyle. The clever structure of this novel adds unique perspectives which provide a book within a book to tell parts of the story and build The Nothing Man’s rage to finish the job.
Images of the cruelty surface every now and again to remind the reader of how cold-hearted the killer was. A psychopathic killer without limits treating murder as a chilling satisfaction of dominance. A Garda officer at the time Ed has always kept the case alive and now works with Eve to flush the killer out.
“I imagined him feeling safe, maybe even smug, sure that since he had avoided detection all these years, no one was ever going to come for him now. But I was coming for him, with Ed by my side. It was only a matter of time.”The enthralling suspense that plays out is wonderfully maintained throughout the novel and leads to a cleverly crafted climax.
One of the best thrillers in 2020 and I would highly recommend it. I would like to thank Atlantic Books, Corvus and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in return for an honest review.
May 27, 2023
This is a review of the audiobook version of “The Nothing Man”, this is also the first book that I have read/listened to by Ms. Howard. Wow, what a talented writer she is. I will definitely be looking forward to reading more of her novels.
The format of a book within a book is not an easy writing technique but this author does it flawlessly. Each part was easy to understand, equally interesting and flowed well.
Eve Black has been known as the “girl that survived The Nothing Man” since the age of 12. It has haunted and impacted her life and now, she has decided that she wants to be known as the woman who caught The Nothing Man. He was given this name because he never left any clues behind and the Garda could never find him. But, he never left any survivors before.
The narration in this book is fantastic!!! We are able to hear the voice of Eve, who sounds intelligent and determined. At the same time we hear the voice of The Nothing Man, and it will scare the heck out of you, it sounds so fiendish and cold!
Hard to believe that Jim Doyle has been living in plain sight for all of these years. He has a family and is still working as a security guard. It will make you look at your neighbors in a whole different way!!!!!!
Without going into the gruesome killings, etc. I can reveal that this man is a psychopath. He had no regret for the crimes he committed and never felt a bit of compassion. He killed children as well as adults, Eve’s sister was only six years old. He is now reading Eve’s memoir and is infuriated that he left this survivor to tell her story, he plans to change that.
I had heard that this book was good and I can now vouch for how moving the audiobook was.
This is terrifying without being too gory, it’s expertly written with great character development. It has everything I love in a great mystery/thriller.
I highly recommend this audiobook, you will not be disappointed.
I received this audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley.
The format of a book within a book is not an easy writing technique but this author does it flawlessly. Each part was easy to understand, equally interesting and flowed well.
Eve Black has been known as the “girl that survived The Nothing Man” since the age of 12. It has haunted and impacted her life and now, she has decided that she wants to be known as the woman who caught The Nothing Man. He was given this name because he never left any clues behind and the Garda could never find him. But, he never left any survivors before.
The narration in this book is fantastic!!! We are able to hear the voice of Eve, who sounds intelligent and determined. At the same time we hear the voice of The Nothing Man, and it will scare the heck out of you, it sounds so fiendish and cold!
Hard to believe that Jim Doyle has been living in plain sight for all of these years. He has a family and is still working as a security guard. It will make you look at your neighbors in a whole different way!!!!!!
Without going into the gruesome killings, etc. I can reveal that this man is a psychopath. He had no regret for the crimes he committed and never felt a bit of compassion. He killed children as well as adults, Eve’s sister was only six years old. He is now reading Eve’s memoir and is infuriated that he left this survivor to tell her story, he plans to change that.
I had heard that this book was good and I can now vouch for how moving the audiobook was.
This is terrifying without being too gory, it’s expertly written with great character development. It has everything I love in a great mystery/thriller.
I highly recommend this audiobook, you will not be disappointed.
I received this audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley.
July 31, 2020
A book within a book! Now you gotta’ love that! Right!?💁🏻♀️
Jim Doyle is suffering through a dead-end job as a security guard in a low end department store. A job he loathes. While perusing a true-crime novel he discovers something jaw-dropping. The novel is written about him! His story! That’s right, Jim is the notorious Nothing Man serial killer who’s been on the lam for years.
Catherine Ryan Howard has crafted a unique, imaginative thriller that has you reading the crime novel right along with Jim.
I laughed when I saw Catherine Ryan Howard’s name appear in the acknowledgments at the end of the inner novel Nothing Man! Ingenious!🤣
The second book I’ve read by this author. And each time, her concept is so cleverly unexpected on how the story-line is presented to the reader! Thank you for always having something new and different!
Thank you to Edelweiss and Blackstone Publishing.
Jim Doyle is suffering through a dead-end job as a security guard in a low end department store. A job he loathes. While perusing a true-crime novel he discovers something jaw-dropping. The novel is written about him! His story! That’s right, Jim is the notorious Nothing Man serial killer who’s been on the lam for years.
Catherine Ryan Howard has crafted a unique, imaginative thriller that has you reading the crime novel right along with Jim.
I laughed when I saw Catherine Ryan Howard’s name appear in the acknowledgments at the end of the inner novel Nothing Man! Ingenious!🤣
The second book I’ve read by this author. And each time, her concept is so cleverly unexpected on how the story-line is presented to the reader! Thank you for always having something new and different!
Thank you to Edelweiss and Blackstone Publishing.
May 23, 2021
Nothing to see here, except a thriller that’s flipping awesome!!!
While it’s not one of my favorite traits, I’m the type of person that checks all the streaming services each weekend for what “murder stories” have debuted. When there’s a new true crime documentary, my Friday night is set. Get your hands on The Nothing Man now if you can relate.
Its premise and execution are quite brilliant. A “retired” serial killer named Jim, dubbed “The Nothing Man” because the Irish Garda (police) have nothing on him, discovers a true crime book about him and naturally decides to read it. Chapters about him in his present-day life are interspersed with the actual book itself. Readers are treated to the entire book within the book, including the copyright page and acknowledgements.
Jim and his unsolved crime spree gave me the Golden State Killer vibes. Now that GSK has been caught, it was easy to picture an old man reliving his glory days through a true crime profile about him and wondering if he had it in him to kill again. If you are familiar with GSK’s crimes, then you know they are quite horrendous. Fair warning then that parts of The Nothing Man include brutal scenes of rape and murder.
But here’s the real genius of Howard’s novel… Even though we know who the killer is from the get-go, there are still plenty of surprises revealed along the way. The result is a completely satisfying thriller that will make you want to read everything she’s written. What could be better than that? Nothing.
The Nothing Man is currently available on the Hoopla library app in both the e-book and audiobook formats.
Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/
IG: @confettibookshelf
While it’s not one of my favorite traits, I’m the type of person that checks all the streaming services each weekend for what “murder stories” have debuted. When there’s a new true crime documentary, my Friday night is set. Get your hands on The Nothing Man now if you can relate.
Its premise and execution are quite brilliant. A “retired” serial killer named Jim, dubbed “The Nothing Man” because the Irish Garda (police) have nothing on him, discovers a true crime book about him and naturally decides to read it. Chapters about him in his present-day life are interspersed with the actual book itself. Readers are treated to the entire book within the book, including the copyright page and acknowledgements.
Jim and his unsolved crime spree gave me the Golden State Killer vibes. Now that GSK has been caught, it was easy to picture an old man reliving his glory days through a true crime profile about him and wondering if he had it in him to kill again. If you are familiar with GSK’s crimes, then you know they are quite horrendous. Fair warning then that parts of The Nothing Man include brutal scenes of rape and murder.
But here’s the real genius of Howard’s novel… Even though we know who the killer is from the get-go, there are still plenty of surprises revealed along the way. The result is a completely satisfying thriller that will make you want to read everything she’s written. What could be better than that? Nothing.
The Nothing Man is currently available on the Hoopla library app in both the e-book and audiobook formats.
Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/
IG: @confettibookshelf
June 22, 2020
Catherine Ryan Howard writes a psychological thriller that is undoubtedly destined to become a bestseller, a book within a book thriller that is not about whodunnit, more a documentation of lives destroyed, and the chilling exploration and examination of the nooks and crannies of the disturbed and horrifying mind of a serial killer dubbed The Nothing Man. Eve Black was 12 years old where her life was torn apart, she was the sole survivor of a killer that was guilty of home invasions, rapes and murders. She lost her parents and younger sister to The Nothing Man, and its barely surprising that she never got over this terrifying trauma, the kind of trauma that will eventually lead to her researching him and his other victims and write a true crime book. Jim Doyle is a 63 year old security guard, a man with a completely forgettable persona, non-descript, to all intents and purposes, the invisible man.
Doyle is The Nothing Man, the man who evaded justice for his heinous crimes and a 30 year old Eve, with the help and support of a detective, is determined to ensure justice is served, hoping to lure out the now dormant murderer through her true crime book about him and his victims. Doyle happens to see the book, a book that he feels is getting too close to him, too dangerous, as he sets out to kill once again. In a riveting narrative that goes back and forth in time, the author gives us a tense and beautifully plotted novel, a thrilling, memorable and compulsive read that I think many crime readers will love. Many thanks to Atlantic Books for an ARC.
Doyle is The Nothing Man, the man who evaded justice for his heinous crimes and a 30 year old Eve, with the help and support of a detective, is determined to ensure justice is served, hoping to lure out the now dormant murderer through her true crime book about him and his victims. Doyle happens to see the book, a book that he feels is getting too close to him, too dangerous, as he sets out to kill once again. In a riveting narrative that goes back and forth in time, the author gives us a tense and beautifully plotted novel, a thrilling, memorable and compulsive read that I think many crime readers will love. Many thanks to Atlantic Books for an ARC.
June 24, 2020
4.5 STARS
My first by the author and the plot was clever and kept me turning pages to see what would come next.
The serial killer from the past VS the survivor/ victim.... A heck of a cat and mouse game!
We know who they are (each POV), but we don't know their plan or who will "catch" who until it is played out in the end.
She wrote a book about the attack.
He is reading it.
Only one can win, but who?
An intense, but not overly graphic (thank you) serial killer thriller. Just enough intrigue and tension to keep you glued to the pages. I love a good chase and this was well plotted with suspense and you may want to read it in the daytime like I did!
Thanks so much to EW and the publisher for my review copy. This one is OUT on August 20,2020
My first by the author and the plot was clever and kept me turning pages to see what would come next.
The serial killer from the past VS the survivor/ victim.... A heck of a cat and mouse game!
We know who they are (each POV), but we don't know their plan or who will "catch" who until it is played out in the end.
She wrote a book about the attack.
He is reading it.
Only one can win, but who?
An intense, but not overly graphic (thank you) serial killer thriller. Just enough intrigue and tension to keep you glued to the pages. I love a good chase and this was well plotted with suspense and you may want to read it in the daytime like I did!
Thanks so much to EW and the publisher for my review copy. This one is OUT on August 20,2020
November 1, 2020
this is quite unlike any other crime/thriller i have read before. it takes true crime to a completely different level.
its a novel within a novel and the serial offender has his hands on it. but what happens when the survivors version of events doesnt match the criminals?
with many layers of investigation and reporting that feel so real, and little easter eggs referencing both SRH and her previous book, ‘the liars girl,’ this was a real treat to enjoy.
a very memorable story and a must read for true crime enthusiasts.
↠ 4.5 stars
its a novel within a novel and the serial offender has his hands on it. but what happens when the survivors version of events doesnt match the criminals?
with many layers of investigation and reporting that feel so real, and little easter eggs referencing both SRH and her previous book, ‘the liars girl,’ this was a real treat to enjoy.
a very memorable story and a must read for true crime enthusiasts.
↠ 4.5 stars
August 27, 2020
Amazing!!I happily give this book 𝙁𝙄𝙑𝙀 stars, with 𝙕𝙀𝙍𝙊 hesitation.
My favorite thriller of the year. Easy.
" 𝙅𝙞𝙢 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠. 𝙄𝙩𝙨 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙𝙡𝙮, 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙗𝙤𝙣𝙚. "
Two POVs - A serial killer called The Nothing Man and Eve, his survivor that's out to catch him - merge but also dance around each other in clever, heart stopping ways.
This book was a pleasure to read. From start to finish!
My favorite thriller of the year. Easy.
" 𝙅𝙞𝙢 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠. 𝙄𝙩𝙨 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙𝙡𝙮, 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙗𝙤𝙣𝙚. "
Two POVs - A serial killer called The Nothing Man and Eve, his survivor that's out to catch him - merge but also dance around each other in clever, heart stopping ways.
This book was a pleasure to read. From start to finish!
September 8, 2020
Eve Black is referred to as “The Girl Who....”(survived the Nothing Man)
Jim Doyle is referred to as “The Nothing Man”, in the press.
(though nobody knows his real name, as he hasn’t been caught)
Or is that, he hasn’t been caught, YET?
That is what Eve promises at the end of her memoir, “The Nothing Man: A Survivor’s Search for the Truth”.
Eve covers the stories of all of the Victims and she knows that people don’t just read true-crime books anymore.
They study them.
Listen to podcasts.
Trade theories online.
And, she is counting on this. She is counting on new leads.
Eve wants to be “The Girl Who- catches -The Nothing Man”.
This is a COMPLETE book within a book.
Eve’s book has everything from a copyright and dedication page, to sources and acknowledgments at the end.
This story alternates between the current day, and the chapters in Eve’s memoir.
But, as we read, someone else is reading too.
Jim Doyle has spotted the book on display at the store where he is working.
He picks it up and turns it over, reading the back of the glossy cover which says “The sole survivor of The Nothing Man’s worst and final attack, Eve Black delves deep into the story of the monster who terrorized Cork City, searching for answers-and searching for him”
Jim’s rage builds and as he opens the book.
“It’s spine cracks loudly like a bone.
After all this time. That little fucking bitch”.
Now he is searching for Eve too.
The memoir read EXACTLY like a true crime book.
And the current day chapters like Fiction.
The tension of this “cat and mouse” chase had me flipping pages to see who would prevail!
I loved “Rewind”, the first that I read by this author last year, and I am even MORE IMPRESSED with “The Nothing Man”!
Catherine Ryan Howard is now an auto request author for me, and I am glad that I have two of her earlier suspense books to catch up on, “The Liar’s Girl” and “Distress Signals” while I wait for what’s next!
AVAILABLE NOW!!!
Jim Doyle is referred to as “The Nothing Man”, in the press.
(though nobody knows his real name, as he hasn’t been caught)
Or is that, he hasn’t been caught, YET?
That is what Eve promises at the end of her memoir, “The Nothing Man: A Survivor’s Search for the Truth”.
Eve covers the stories of all of the Victims and she knows that people don’t just read true-crime books anymore.
They study them.
Listen to podcasts.
Trade theories online.
And, she is counting on this. She is counting on new leads.
Eve wants to be “The Girl Who- catches -The Nothing Man”.
This is a COMPLETE book within a book.
Eve’s book has everything from a copyright and dedication page, to sources and acknowledgments at the end.
This story alternates between the current day, and the chapters in Eve’s memoir.
But, as we read, someone else is reading too.
Jim Doyle has spotted the book on display at the store where he is working.
He picks it up and turns it over, reading the back of the glossy cover which says “The sole survivor of The Nothing Man’s worst and final attack, Eve Black delves deep into the story of the monster who terrorized Cork City, searching for answers-and searching for him”
Jim’s rage builds and as he opens the book.
“It’s spine cracks loudly like a bone.
After all this time. That little fucking bitch”.
Now he is searching for Eve too.
The memoir read EXACTLY like a true crime book.
And the current day chapters like Fiction.
The tension of this “cat and mouse” chase had me flipping pages to see who would prevail!
I loved “Rewind”, the first that I read by this author last year, and I am even MORE IMPRESSED with “The Nothing Man”!
Catherine Ryan Howard is now an auto request author for me, and I am glad that I have two of her earlier suspense books to catch up on, “The Liar’s Girl” and “Distress Signals” while I wait for what’s next!
AVAILABLE NOW!!!
May 19, 2025
Why I chose to listen to this audiobook:
1. a fictional story about a serial killer and a survivor who wrote about her ordeal, this one caught my eye on GR a few years ago;
2. the audiobook is available as a free loan on Hoopla; and,
3. October 2023 is my "Month of Mystery".
Praises:
1. whether Eve Black was recounting her survival story at the hands of "The Nothing Man" through her debut true crime novel as well as those of his other victims, or hearing Jim Doyle's recollections of his crimes while reading her book, resulting in his escalation of anger and fear of being found out, all the while growing more and more resentful of his family and colleagues, this story was incredibly suspenseful throughout;
2. I was so invested to find out how this story would end! Jim Doyle just had to get caught, didn't he? Author Catherine Ryan Howard gives us some great twists;
3. excellent narrators were chosen for this audiobook! They really added to the atmospheric suspense; and,
4. Chapter 11's university "lecture" about serial killers and their victims was extremely eye-opening!
Niggles: Can't think of one!
Overall Thoughts:
After finishing this audiobook a week ago, I'm still thinking about this story as I finally write this review. As far as suspense/thrillers go, this one was a WOW!
Highly recommended!
1. a fictional story about a serial killer and a survivor who wrote about her ordeal, this one caught my eye on GR a few years ago;
2. the audiobook is available as a free loan on Hoopla; and,
3. October 2023 is my "Month of Mystery".
Praises:
1. whether Eve Black was recounting her survival story at the hands of "The Nothing Man" through her debut true crime novel as well as those of his other victims, or hearing Jim Doyle's recollections of his crimes while reading her book, resulting in his escalation of anger and fear of being found out, all the while growing more and more resentful of his family and colleagues, this story was incredibly suspenseful throughout;
2. I was so invested to find out how this story would end! Jim Doyle just had to get caught, didn't he? Author Catherine Ryan Howard gives us some great twists;
3. excellent narrators were chosen for this audiobook! They really added to the atmospheric suspense; and,
4. Chapter 11's university "lecture" about serial killers and their victims was extremely eye-opening!
Niggles: Can't think of one!
Overall Thoughts:
After finishing this audiobook a week ago, I'm still thinking about this story as I finally write this review. As far as suspense/thrillers go, this one was a WOW!
Highly recommended!
May 13, 2020
A LOT OF SOMETHING GOING ON WITH THIS NOTHING MAN!!
So what if it's been over 20 years since the murders and assaults occurred. There's no statute of limitations on murder. There certainly isn't any statute of limitations on the fury and rage that's been building up inside of Eve Black since she was twelve years old and became the sole survivor of the Nothing Man's last known attack, which killed her entire family. The serial killer known as the Nothing Man was never caught. Eve, now in her 30's, plans to rectify that.
She publishes a book, a tell all about her experience that awful night, including his attacks on previous victims as well. She teams up with a detective who worked the original cases and they continue the investigation themselves. She is determined to find and catch the Nothing Man once and for all and she believes her book will help her do exactly that. As her book achieves wide success it ultimately catches the eye of the man himself. The Nothing Man decides he must read her book.
The story is told from the Nothing Man's POV and as he is reading Eve's book, and then alternates with excerpts from Eve's book. It is a fantastic storytelling method. Kudos to the author on this unique method! It made for a compelling experience for the reader. I really enjoyed switching back to see the killer's reaction after each excerpt. What it's like for him to read about himself like this? Was it getting to him? Was he upset or nervous? Was he going to go after Eve to finally finish what he started? The reader got to be inside his head for all of that! Fascinating!
This was a great ride!! A bit anti-climatic at the end, but overall a well done suspenseful novel! I will be looking to see what else this author has written!
*Thank you to Blackstone Publishing via Edelweiss & NetGalley for the digital review copy!
So what if it's been over 20 years since the murders and assaults occurred. There's no statute of limitations on murder. There certainly isn't any statute of limitations on the fury and rage that's been building up inside of Eve Black since she was twelve years old and became the sole survivor of the Nothing Man's last known attack, which killed her entire family. The serial killer known as the Nothing Man was never caught. Eve, now in her 30's, plans to rectify that.
She publishes a book, a tell all about her experience that awful night, including his attacks on previous victims as well. She teams up with a detective who worked the original cases and they continue the investigation themselves. She is determined to find and catch the Nothing Man once and for all and she believes her book will help her do exactly that. As her book achieves wide success it ultimately catches the eye of the man himself. The Nothing Man decides he must read her book.
The story is told from the Nothing Man's POV and as he is reading Eve's book, and then alternates with excerpts from Eve's book. It is a fantastic storytelling method. Kudos to the author on this unique method! It made for a compelling experience for the reader. I really enjoyed switching back to see the killer's reaction after each excerpt. What it's like for him to read about himself like this? Was it getting to him? Was he upset or nervous? Was he going to go after Eve to finally finish what he started? The reader got to be inside his head for all of that! Fascinating!
This was a great ride!! A bit anti-climatic at the end, but overall a well done suspenseful novel! I will be looking to see what else this author has written!
*Thank you to Blackstone Publishing via Edelweiss & NetGalley for the digital review copy!
February 14, 2022
5 brilliant stars because there is ‘nothing’ I dislike about ‘The Nothing Man’, and there is everything to love. Brilliantly conceived, intelligently plotted, and expertly written. A stunning psychological thriller and now on my favourite’s bookshelf. Absolutely loved it.
The plot is simple, we know who the killer is from the start, and we also know that Eve is determined to find and expose him. So, you would think, Game Over? ‘Nothing’ could be further from the truth. This is a very clever plot, and even if you put some of the pieces together from the start, it would not take you away from the level of suspense, the plot building, the thrills, and spills that just keep coming and keep you hooked.
The Plot
Jim Doyle is a rapist and a killer that left behind a trail of heartache, loss, anger, and a number of lives shattered and destroyed, but ‘nothing’ of himself. No DNA, no obvious motive for selecting these women, and no remorse. Then he stopped.
However, one of those damaged souls is 12-year-old, Eve Black, who was the only one spared when the ‘Nothing Man’ murdered her parents and seven-year-old sister. Driven by the need to get justice eventually, Eve begins writing a book, excerpts of which form part of the stories structure. With the help from a local Policeman, Eve goes on the hunt for her family’s killer. Better still she lures him in – ‘nothing’ could be more exciting – right?
Review and Comments
I say clever because it was ingenious to have written a book within a book, then hop from the past to the present and have two people narrating it, and all of it achieved so seamlessly. Up there as one of the best plots ever.
The characters are also deeply drawn, the insights into the family’s anguish was palpable through their stories and their sense of loss unmistakable. The author gives us very real insights into the minds and trauma of victims from murder and rape. However, Howard did well to not stop there, as we are led into the mind of the serial killer, who continues to lead a normal life, their crimes oblivious to their families and their identity unknown. Their evil deeds meticulously planned, many serial killers give ‘nothing’ away. So Eve’s strategy to unmask this serial killer is simple; appeal to his ego or insult it!!!
A book that is written with such sensitivity, authenticity and with compassion. Tremendous, chilling, yet satisfying. Believable, sensational, and inspired by true events, Ingenious, intelligent yet simple. ‘Nothing’ better to read if you are a crime / thriller reader.
The plot is simple, we know who the killer is from the start, and we also know that Eve is determined to find and expose him. So, you would think, Game Over? ‘Nothing’ could be further from the truth. This is a very clever plot, and even if you put some of the pieces together from the start, it would not take you away from the level of suspense, the plot building, the thrills, and spills that just keep coming and keep you hooked.
The Plot
Jim Doyle is a rapist and a killer that left behind a trail of heartache, loss, anger, and a number of lives shattered and destroyed, but ‘nothing’ of himself. No DNA, no obvious motive for selecting these women, and no remorse. Then he stopped.
However, one of those damaged souls is 12-year-old, Eve Black, who was the only one spared when the ‘Nothing Man’ murdered her parents and seven-year-old sister. Driven by the need to get justice eventually, Eve begins writing a book, excerpts of which form part of the stories structure. With the help from a local Policeman, Eve goes on the hunt for her family’s killer. Better still she lures him in – ‘nothing’ could be more exciting – right?
Review and Comments
I say clever because it was ingenious to have written a book within a book, then hop from the past to the present and have two people narrating it, and all of it achieved so seamlessly. Up there as one of the best plots ever.
The characters are also deeply drawn, the insights into the family’s anguish was palpable through their stories and their sense of loss unmistakable. The author gives us very real insights into the minds and trauma of victims from murder and rape. However, Howard did well to not stop there, as we are led into the mind of the serial killer, who continues to lead a normal life, their crimes oblivious to their families and their identity unknown. Their evil deeds meticulously planned, many serial killers give ‘nothing’ away. So Eve’s strategy to unmask this serial killer is simple; appeal to his ego or insult it!!!
A book that is written with such sensitivity, authenticity and with compassion. Tremendous, chilling, yet satisfying. Believable, sensational, and inspired by true events, Ingenious, intelligent yet simple. ‘Nothing’ better to read if you are a crime / thriller reader.
October 21, 2021
What I liked:
- The clever concept of the book in a book (the concept more than the execution!).
- The true crime vibe.
- The fact that we knew all along who was the killer... I was curious to see how it would evolve!
- Its originality compared to the usual thrillers.
What I disliked:
- The descriptions of all the previous victims (too long).
- The not-so-twisty twists (I was expecting something huge!).
- How the author justified that the killer didn't kill the girl (a bit far-fetched to my opinion).
All in all, it was a fast read so I still recommend it!
3.5 rounded down
- The clever concept of the book in a book (the concept more than the execution!).
- The true crime vibe.
- The fact that we knew all along who was the killer... I was curious to see how it would evolve!
- Its originality compared to the usual thrillers.
What I disliked:
- The descriptions of all the previous victims (too long).
- The not-so-twisty twists (I was expecting something huge!).
- How the author justified that the killer didn't kill the girl (a bit far-fetched to my opinion).
All in all, it was a fast read so I still recommend it!
3.5 rounded down
July 3, 2020
Eve, the sole survivor of her family’s murder by a serial killer when she was a young child, has written a true crime book, The Nothing Man, with the intent to catch the killer. Jim, the murderer, now living a quiet life and working as a security guard, reads the book and becomes increasingly infuriated and intent on finishing the job he should have finished 20 years ago.
The chapters from the perspective of Jim alternates with chapters from the book. I don’t always enjoy a book within a book but in this case it worked brilliantly. Reading Jim’s thoughts and responses as he read the book was nothing short of terrifying. I applaud the author for writing a book where the killer is known from the start but the tension and suspense is maintained.
So why only three stars? As I read I kept thinking I knew Jim. Why? Because he was exactly like the GSK (Golden State Killer). I made a checklist as I read and came up with at least 20 similarities that range from his escalating crimes, to the manner in which he executed the crimes, to his job. The GSK is so unique and unusual that the similarities could not possibly be coincidental.
To be fair, the author references in the afterward that she came up for the idea of this book after reading Michelle McNamara’s book, I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer. I think it was more than an "idea" since Jim was nearly indistinguishable from him. I would have liked to have seen more originality. It's a page-turner and very readable but I also found the ending a let-down.
I liked the author's writing style and would definitely read more by her. Perhaps if you have not read Michelle McNamara's book and you know nothing about GSK, you'd appreciate the story more than I did. Just go in knowing Jim is a clone of the GSK.
* I received a digital copy of the book via Edelweiss. All opinions are my own.
The chapters from the perspective of Jim alternates with chapters from the book. I don’t always enjoy a book within a book but in this case it worked brilliantly. Reading Jim’s thoughts and responses as he read the book was nothing short of terrifying. I applaud the author for writing a book where the killer is known from the start but the tension and suspense is maintained.
So why only three stars? As I read I kept thinking I knew Jim. Why? Because he was exactly like the GSK (Golden State Killer). I made a checklist as I read and came up with at least 20 similarities that range from his escalating crimes, to the manner in which he executed the crimes, to his job. The GSK is so unique and unusual that the similarities could not possibly be coincidental.
To be fair, the author references in the afterward that she came up for the idea of this book after reading Michelle McNamara’s book, I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer. I think it was more than an "idea" since Jim was nearly indistinguishable from him. I would have liked to have seen more originality. It's a page-turner and very readable but I also found the ending a let-down.
I liked the author's writing style and would definitely read more by her. Perhaps if you have not read Michelle McNamara's book and you know nothing about GSK, you'd appreciate the story more than I did. Just go in knowing Jim is a clone of the GSK.
* I received a digital copy of the book via Edelweiss. All opinions are my own.
August 27, 2020
Utterly Chilling.
You think you’re safe in your own home, and then you read “The Nothing Man.”
Way to scare a girl, Catherine Ryan Howard! Thanks so much for that.
Eve Black survived a horrific attack when she was twelve years old. Her entire family was killed and until now, twenty years later, she has never spoken of it.
The Nothing Man was never caught thus, Eve has decided to write a true crime novel hoping to bring the killer out.
I was the girl who survived the Nothing Man
Now I am the woman who is going to catch him.
Jim is a security guard at a local department store. When he sees the book he immediately purchases it and reads it in secret. He is after all married and doesn’t want his wife to know. Jim, is after all, “The Nothing Man” and is reading about himself and what took place twenty years earlier.
Disturbing, dastardly and totally gripping, “The Nothing Man” will scare the bejesus out of you. It is a brilliantly plotted, ingenious mystery thriller that is twisty, turny and wholly captivating. If you’re looking for a fabulous thriller with a great scare factor, this is it.
A huge thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing and Catherine Ryan Howard for the arc. Kudos the fabulous narrators, Alana Kerr-Collins and John Keating for keeping me glued to the audiobook.
Published on NetGalley, Goodreads and Insta on 8.26.20.
You think you’re safe in your own home, and then you read “The Nothing Man.”
Way to scare a girl, Catherine Ryan Howard! Thanks so much for that.
Eve Black survived a horrific attack when she was twelve years old. Her entire family was killed and until now, twenty years later, she has never spoken of it.
The Nothing Man was never caught thus, Eve has decided to write a true crime novel hoping to bring the killer out.
I was the girl who survived the Nothing Man
Now I am the woman who is going to catch him.
Jim is a security guard at a local department store. When he sees the book he immediately purchases it and reads it in secret. He is after all married and doesn’t want his wife to know. Jim, is after all, “The Nothing Man” and is reading about himself and what took place twenty years earlier.
Disturbing, dastardly and totally gripping, “The Nothing Man” will scare the bejesus out of you. It is a brilliantly plotted, ingenious mystery thriller that is twisty, turny and wholly captivating. If you’re looking for a fabulous thriller with a great scare factor, this is it.
A huge thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing and Catherine Ryan Howard for the arc. Kudos the fabulous narrators, Alana Kerr-Collins and John Keating for keeping me glued to the audiobook.
Published on NetGalley, Goodreads and Insta on 8.26.20.
October 19, 2021
All aboard the Unpopular Opinion Express! 🚂
Unfortunately, this is NOT the train ride I expected to be taking after reading this book, I am so sad to say.
Jim Doyle is working as so many former law enforcement officers do---in the supermarket security biz. He is going about his mediocre, cookie-cutter day when he notices a book with a title that makes his blood run cold: The Nothing Man. Jim knows the Nothing Man intimately, you see, possibly better than anyone else---since this is HIS alter ego. Brutal serial killings have taken place over the course of many years, but Jim has lived a double life quite neatly...until now. Eve Black, the only surviving member of a family Jim took out, has taken pen to paper to explore the mystery and bring the facts (and her memories) to the masses. As Jim plunges ahead in the narrative, he fears that Eve may know a lot more than he anticipated and his anonymity may be coming to a vicious end. Can he stop the freight train of truth as it barrels ahead through Eve's words...or is strapped to the tracks with no hope of escape?
This book has been hailed as a psychological thriller...but to be honest, I feel like this was in no way a psychological thriller. We know from the beginning that Jim is the killer, and I don't feel the book 'tricked' me or had any sort of twists really aside from a few minor turns of plot. Every standout psychological thriller I've ever read has ticked those boxes, but this one didn't.
I loved the IDEA of a book within a book...but much like I felt reading snippets of Misery in Stephen King's Misery...the idea was fantastic, but the actual reading material was not. I couldn't understand why people would be gripped by Eve's book at all. To me, it was lots of meticulous detail about the other murders etc. that really didn't even matter to the plot itself. Every time we jumped back into Eve's book, I couldn't wait to get back out of it to see what Jim was going to do next, since that was the true driving force of Howard's Nothing Man itself.
This is the sort of book that true crime junkies will probably LOVE, but I suppose I should have researched it a bit more before starting to read, since that is not at all my passion area. I know this is a super hot topic and there are lots of passionate fans out there, but I am just not one of them. I have no idea why those sorts of things don't appeal to me since I am obsessed with thrillers, but my guess is, like police procedurals, they just aren't my cup of tea.
I completely appreciate what Howard accomplished here, but I was absolutely not the right reader for this book. Please take a look at the fabulous glowing five star reviews out there for this book though, and all credit goes to Catherine Ryan Howard for creativity and a unique premise! Hopefully one of her other books will be a better fit for me...and perhaps a train ride to the Land of Many Stars! 🚅
3.5 ⭐
Unfortunately, this is NOT the train ride I expected to be taking after reading this book, I am so sad to say.
Jim Doyle is working as so many former law enforcement officers do---in the supermarket security biz. He is going about his mediocre, cookie-cutter day when he notices a book with a title that makes his blood run cold: The Nothing Man. Jim knows the Nothing Man intimately, you see, possibly better than anyone else---since this is HIS alter ego. Brutal serial killings have taken place over the course of many years, but Jim has lived a double life quite neatly...until now. Eve Black, the only surviving member of a family Jim took out, has taken pen to paper to explore the mystery and bring the facts (and her memories) to the masses. As Jim plunges ahead in the narrative, he fears that Eve may know a lot more than he anticipated and his anonymity may be coming to a vicious end. Can he stop the freight train of truth as it barrels ahead through Eve's words...or is strapped to the tracks with no hope of escape?
This book has been hailed as a psychological thriller...but to be honest, I feel like this was in no way a psychological thriller. We know from the beginning that Jim is the killer, and I don't feel the book 'tricked' me or had any sort of twists really aside from a few minor turns of plot. Every standout psychological thriller I've ever read has ticked those boxes, but this one didn't.
I loved the IDEA of a book within a book...but much like I felt reading snippets of Misery in Stephen King's Misery...the idea was fantastic, but the actual reading material was not. I couldn't understand why people would be gripped by Eve's book at all. To me, it was lots of meticulous detail about the other murders etc. that really didn't even matter to the plot itself. Every time we jumped back into Eve's book, I couldn't wait to get back out of it to see what Jim was going to do next, since that was the true driving force of Howard's Nothing Man itself.
This is the sort of book that true crime junkies will probably LOVE, but I suppose I should have researched it a bit more before starting to read, since that is not at all my passion area. I know this is a super hot topic and there are lots of passionate fans out there, but I am just not one of them. I have no idea why those sorts of things don't appeal to me since I am obsessed with thrillers, but my guess is, like police procedurals, they just aren't my cup of tea.
I completely appreciate what Howard accomplished here, but I was absolutely not the right reader for this book. Please take a look at the fabulous glowing five star reviews out there for this book though, and all credit goes to Catherine Ryan Howard for creativity and a unique premise! Hopefully one of her other books will be a better fit for me...and perhaps a train ride to the Land of Many Stars! 🚅
3.5 ⭐
June 9, 2020
“I miss my family like phantom limbs. Their absence in my life, the tragedy of their fates and the pain they must have suffered is a constant ringing in my ears, a taste in my mouth, and itch on my skin. It’s everywhere, always, and I can’t make it go away. Time hasn’t healed this wound but made it worse, turned the skin around the original cut necrotic. I understand much more about what I lost now, at thirty, than I did when I actually lost it at twelve”.
“Colette, my father’s mother—whisked me away to a place called Spanish Point on Ireland’s Atlantic coast. We arrived there in the middle of October, just as the last few seasonal stragglers were packing up, and moved into a tiny white washed cottage that she said had been there since before the Famine”.
Eve Black is the soul survivor of a horrific triple family murder —
She wants to be a normal child. When she starts her new school... she never tells anyone the truth about how her parents died.
Years later, Eve writes a book about what happened.
Jim Doyle is a serial killer. Alive.
He’s reading Eve’s book...
The writing is brilliantly clever ( with it’s true crime background) ....
To say much more would truly spoil the thrill factor....
Other than...
I devoured this laconic, atmospheric page-turning novel in one sitting.
Thank you Blackstone Publishing, Netgalley, and Catherine Ryan Howard
“Colette, my father’s mother—whisked me away to a place called Spanish Point on Ireland’s Atlantic coast. We arrived there in the middle of October, just as the last few seasonal stragglers were packing up, and moved into a tiny white washed cottage that she said had been there since before the Famine”.
Eve Black is the soul survivor of a horrific triple family murder —
She wants to be a normal child. When she starts her new school... she never tells anyone the truth about how her parents died.
Years later, Eve writes a book about what happened.
Jim Doyle is a serial killer. Alive.
He’s reading Eve’s book...
The writing is brilliantly clever ( with it’s true crime background) ....
To say much more would truly spoil the thrill factor....
Other than...
I devoured this laconic, atmospheric page-turning novel in one sitting.
Thank you Blackstone Publishing, Netgalley, and Catherine Ryan Howard
April 30, 2020
Let me tell you that The Nothing Man is nothing short of amazing. Wow, what a captivating story this was from start to finish. Catherine Ryan Howard hit this one out of the park as far as I'm concerned.
Eve Black, 12 yrs old, was the only member of her family to survive a vicious attack made by a man that they dubbed, The Nothing Man, due to the fact that he has never left any evidence behind at the crime scenes.
He has still never been captured.
Twenty years later and Eve has decided to put pen to paper and write about her experience in a new tell all book. She is hoping the book will capture The Nothing Man's attention and will bring the monster into the light.
Jim Doyle is a supermarket security guard that feels his life is a bitter disappointment, unhappily married, and counting down his days. One day he stops in the book section to find a display of a book titled The Nothing Man. He can't believe his eyes. He can already feel his world closing in on him and he must put a stop to it because HE is The Nothing Man and this is HIS story to tell.
I. Was. Hooked. On. Every. Word. I love the way the author told the story alternating between chapters from Jim's p.o.v and then would switch to Eve's book as Jim was reading along. Clever, suspenseful, and wholly satisfying. This is one book that is not to be missed! 5 stars!
Thank you to Edelweiss and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Eve Black, 12 yrs old, was the only member of her family to survive a vicious attack made by a man that they dubbed, The Nothing Man, due to the fact that he has never left any evidence behind at the crime scenes.
He has still never been captured.
Twenty years later and Eve has decided to put pen to paper and write about her experience in a new tell all book. She is hoping the book will capture The Nothing Man's attention and will bring the monster into the light.
Jim Doyle is a supermarket security guard that feels his life is a bitter disappointment, unhappily married, and counting down his days. One day he stops in the book section to find a display of a book titled The Nothing Man. He can't believe his eyes. He can already feel his world closing in on him and he must put a stop to it because HE is The Nothing Man and this is HIS story to tell.
I. Was. Hooked. On. Every. Word. I love the way the author told the story alternating between chapters from Jim's p.o.v and then would switch to Eve's book as Jim was reading along. Clever, suspenseful, and wholly satisfying. This is one book that is not to be missed! 5 stars!
Thank you to Edelweiss and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 17, 2020
Well Hot, clever, Diggity, brilliant DANG this one is one of the best thrillers I have read in a long time! Don't miss out on this well crafted, exciting thrill of a chill read!
Well, all I am going to do is rave about this one and it's not a hyped-up thriller!! It's one well crafted, original thriller with chilling and thrilling twists and turns that relies on just great writing to keep us turning the pages!
I have read books within a book before however, Catherine Ryan Howard uniquely weaves in a true-crime memoir about The Nothing Man who has disappeared after killing her family while the nothing man-killer Jim is reading it. The story brilliantly alternates between passages from Eve's book and Jim's reaction to them. I found it fascinating to see Jim's reaction to the memoir while he is reading it and it makes for an exciting and interesting twist to the story.
Eve is obsessed with finding the Nothing Man and she won't stop writing until she finds him and he is hooked and can't stop reading it. With each page, the tension rose for me and with each page, Jim becomes angrier with Eve. The twists to the story are heart-pounding exciting and while we can imagine what is ahead, Catherine Ryan Howard had some surprises for me with those exciting twists.
Eve's book concentrates on the victims rather than the killer himself. The crimes of The Nothing Man are horrifying and distributing however, Eve does not focus on that and leaves the disturbing details up to the reader to think about or not.
I received a print copy and audiobook copy from the publisher and I ended up reading it because listening to it just didn't work for me as well as I would have liked. I thought narrators Alana Kerr Collins and John Keating did a great job capturing the voices of the characters and it worked well when Jim responded to parts of Eve's book but for some reason, I didn't find it as thrilling to listen to as I did reading it. The setting is in Ireland and Eve's voice has a strong Irish accent and I found that bit hard to follow even though I thought it fit the character well. Kind of doesn't make sense does it but I think it just came down to I found it more exciting to read it.
Well, all I am going to do is rave about this one and it's not a hyped-up thriller!! It's one well crafted, original thriller with chilling and thrilling twists and turns that relies on just great writing to keep us turning the pages!
I have read books within a book before however, Catherine Ryan Howard uniquely weaves in a true-crime memoir about The Nothing Man who has disappeared after killing her family while the nothing man-killer Jim is reading it. The story brilliantly alternates between passages from Eve's book and Jim's reaction to them. I found it fascinating to see Jim's reaction to the memoir while he is reading it and it makes for an exciting and interesting twist to the story.
Eve is obsessed with finding the Nothing Man and she won't stop writing until she finds him and he is hooked and can't stop reading it. With each page, the tension rose for me and with each page, Jim becomes angrier with Eve. The twists to the story are heart-pounding exciting and while we can imagine what is ahead, Catherine Ryan Howard had some surprises for me with those exciting twists.
Eve's book concentrates on the victims rather than the killer himself. The crimes of The Nothing Man are horrifying and distributing however, Eve does not focus on that and leaves the disturbing details up to the reader to think about or not.
I received a print copy and audiobook copy from the publisher and I ended up reading it because listening to it just didn't work for me as well as I would have liked. I thought narrators Alana Kerr Collins and John Keating did a great job capturing the voices of the characters and it worked well when Jim responded to parts of Eve's book but for some reason, I didn't find it as thrilling to listen to as I did reading it. The setting is in Ireland and Eve's voice has a strong Irish accent and I found that bit hard to follow even though I thought it fit the character well. Kind of doesn't make sense does it but I think it just came down to I found it more exciting to read it.
September 18, 2020
I really enjoyed this! I loved the true crime feel of it and the book within a book aspect of it. Hear my full thoughts in this reading vlog: https://youtu.be/KYqDMJa1Thk
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