What do you think?
Rate this book
Senseless
A vampire-tinged epic LA crime saga – LA Confidential meets Let the Right One In from the Bram Stoker Award-nominated and bestselling author of Come with Me.
What do you see...?When the mutilated body of a young woman is discovered in the desert on the outskirts of Los Angeles, the detective assigned to the case can't deny the similarities between this murder and one that occurred a year prior. Media outlets are quick to surmise this is the work of a budding serial killer, but Detective Bill Renney is struggling with an altogether different a secret that keeps him tethered to the husband of the first victim.
What do you hear...?
Maureen Park, newly engaged to Hollywood producer Greg Dawson, finds her engagement party crashed by the arrival of Landon, Greg's son. A darkly unsettling young man, Landon invades Maureen's new existence, and the longer he stays, the more convinced she becomes that he may have something to do with the recent murder in the high desert.
What do you feel...?
Toby Kampen, the self-proclaimed Human Fly, begins an obsession over a woman who is unlike anyone he has ever met. A woman with rattlesnake teeth and a penchant for biting. A woman who has trapped him her spell. A woman who may or may not be completely human.
In Ronald Malfi's brand-new thriller, these three storylines converge to create a tapestry of deceit, distrust, and unapologetic horror. A brand-new novel of dark suspense set in the City of Angels, as only "horror's Faulkner" can tell it.
What do you see...?When the mutilated body of a young woman is discovered in the desert on the outskirts of Los Angeles, the detective assigned to the case can't deny the similarities between this murder and one that occurred a year prior. Media outlets are quick to surmise this is the work of a budding serial killer, but Detective Bill Renney is struggling with an altogether different a secret that keeps him tethered to the husband of the first victim.
What do you hear...?
Maureen Park, newly engaged to Hollywood producer Greg Dawson, finds her engagement party crashed by the arrival of Landon, Greg's son. A darkly unsettling young man, Landon invades Maureen's new existence, and the longer he stays, the more convinced she becomes that he may have something to do with the recent murder in the high desert.
What do you feel...?
Toby Kampen, the self-proclaimed Human Fly, begins an obsession over a woman who is unlike anyone he has ever met. A woman with rattlesnake teeth and a penchant for biting. A woman who has trapped him her spell. A woman who may or may not be completely human.
In Ronald Malfi's brand-new thriller, these three storylines converge to create a tapestry of deceit, distrust, and unapologetic horror. A brand-new novel of dark suspense set in the City of Angels, as only "horror's Faulkner" can tell it.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published April 15, 2025
140 people are currently reading
7231 people want to read
About the author
Ronald Malfi
74 books3,770 followersRonald Malfi is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling, award-winning author of many novels and novellas in the horror, mystery, and thriller genres. In 2011, his novel, Floating Staircase, was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for best novel by the Horror Writers Association, and also won a gold IPPY award. In 2024, he was presented with the prestigious William G. Wilson Award for Adult Fiction by the Maryland Library Association. Perhaps his most well-received novel, Come with Me (2021), about a man who learns a dark secret about his wife after she's killed, has received stellar reviews, including a starred review from BookPage, and Publishers Weekly has said, "Malfi impresses in this taut, supernaturally tinged mystery... and sticks the landing with a powerful denouement. There’s plenty here to enjoy."
His most recent novels include Senseless (2025) and Small Town Horror (2024), both of which received favorable reviews and saw Malfi stretch his authorial voice.
Come with Me (2021) and Black Mouth (2022), tackle themes of grief and loss, and of the effects of childhood trauma and alcoholism, respectively. Both books have been critically praised, with Publishers Weekly calling Black Mouth a "standout" book of the year. These novels were followed by Ghostwritten (2022), a collection of four subtly-linked novellas about haunted books and the power of the written word. Ghostwritten received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which called the book a "wonderfully meta collection...vibrantly imagined," and that "Malfi makes reading about the perils of reading a terrifying delight."
Among his most popular works is December Park, a coming-of-age thriller set in the '90s, wherein five teenage boys take up the hunt for a child murderer in their hometown of Harting Farms, Maryland. In interviews, Malfi has expressed that this is his most autobiographical book to date. In 2015, this novel was awarded the Beverly Hills International Book Award for best suspense novel. It has been optioned several times for film.
Bone White (2017), about a man searching for his lost twin brother in a haunted Alaskan mining town, was touted as "an elegant, twisted, gripping slow-burn of a novel that burrows under the skin and nestles deep," by RT Book Reviews, and has also been optioned for television by Fox21/Disney and Amazon Studios.
His novels Little Girls (2015) and The Night Parade (2016) explore broken families forced to endure horrific and extraordinary circumstances, which has become the hallmark for Malfi's brand of intimate, lyrical horror fiction.
His earlier works, such as Via Dolorosa (2007) and Passenger (2008) explored characters with lost or confused identities, wherein Malfi experimented with the ultimate unreliable narrators. He maintained this trend in his award-winning novel, Floating Staircase (2011), which the author has suggested contains "multiple endings for the astute reader."
His more "monstery" novels, such as Snow (2010) and The Narrows (2012) still resonate with his inimitable brand of literary cadence and focus on character and story over plot. Both books were highly regarded by fans and reviewers in the genre.
A bit of a departure, Malfi published the crime drama Shamrock Alley in 2009, based on the true exploits of his own father, a former Secret Service agent. The book was optioned several times for film.
Ronald Malfi was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1977, the eldest of four children, and eventually relocated to Maryland, where he currently resides along the Chesapeake Bay.
When he's not writing, he's performing with the rock band VEER, who can be found at veerband.net and wherever you stream your music.
Visit
His most recent novels include Senseless (2025) and Small Town Horror (2024), both of which received favorable reviews and saw Malfi stretch his authorial voice.
Come with Me (2021) and Black Mouth (2022), tackle themes of grief and loss, and of the effects of childhood trauma and alcoholism, respectively. Both books have been critically praised, with Publishers Weekly calling Black Mouth a "standout" book of the year. These novels were followed by Ghostwritten (2022), a collection of four subtly-linked novellas about haunted books and the power of the written word. Ghostwritten received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which called the book a "wonderfully meta collection...vibrantly imagined," and that "Malfi makes reading about the perils of reading a terrifying delight."
Among his most popular works is December Park, a coming-of-age thriller set in the '90s, wherein five teenage boys take up the hunt for a child murderer in their hometown of Harting Farms, Maryland. In interviews, Malfi has expressed that this is his most autobiographical book to date. In 2015, this novel was awarded the Beverly Hills International Book Award for best suspense novel. It has been optioned several times for film.
Bone White (2017), about a man searching for his lost twin brother in a haunted Alaskan mining town, was touted as "an elegant, twisted, gripping slow-burn of a novel that burrows under the skin and nestles deep," by RT Book Reviews, and has also been optioned for television by Fox21/Disney and Amazon Studios.
His novels Little Girls (2015) and The Night Parade (2016) explore broken families forced to endure horrific and extraordinary circumstances, which has become the hallmark for Malfi's brand of intimate, lyrical horror fiction.
His earlier works, such as Via Dolorosa (2007) and Passenger (2008) explored characters with lost or confused identities, wherein Malfi experimented with the ultimate unreliable narrators. He maintained this trend in his award-winning novel, Floating Staircase (2011), which the author has suggested contains "multiple endings for the astute reader."
His more "monstery" novels, such as Snow (2010) and The Narrows (2012) still resonate with his inimitable brand of literary cadence and focus on character and story over plot. Both books were highly regarded by fans and reviewers in the genre.
A bit of a departure, Malfi published the crime drama Shamrock Alley in 2009, based on the true exploits of his own father, a former Secret Service agent. The book was optioned several times for film.
Ronald Malfi was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1977, the eldest of four children, and eventually relocated to Maryland, where he currently resides along the Chesapeake Bay.
When he's not writing, he's performing with the rock band VEER, who can be found at veerband.net and wherever you stream your music.
Visit
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 556 reviews
August 2, 2025
5⭐️s
Have you met the monkey? If you ever hear those words uttered, just know that nothing good will follow. (This part made my jaw drop. You’ll see what I mean.)
Malfi is a brilliant author. The deftness with which these seemingly disparate stories are woven together, each carefully revealing interconnected details at a perfectly timed pace, is truly a masterclass.
The horror is subtle while somehow also being formidable, and the line between the supernatural and the corporeal is expertly maneuvered.
This is easily one of the best books I’ve read this year…
Themes…
The weight of the secrets we carry is often more debilitating than the event that precipitated the need to keep the secret in the first place. Mental illness is also explored in a way that avoids the pitfalls of exploitation.
Character Work…
These characters are memorable. You can almost pinpoint where each might fall on a spectrum of flawed despicability. There is depth to every character, and we get to know them inside out, and we grow to have equal amounts of empathy and resentment towards each.
Prose…
Malfi’s writing is beautiful. I often find myself highlighting a sentence or two while reading because their beauty hits me in a remarkable way. On several occasions while reading this book, I would look up to find entire paragraphs highlighted.
Pace…
Well-paced. It’s not a whirlwind by any means, but there wasn’t a single moment I felt labored while reading. Every moment mattered, and each hit with an expertly measured tempo…
Have you met the monkey? If you ever hear those words uttered, just know that nothing good will follow. (This part made my jaw drop. You’ll see what I mean.)
Malfi is a brilliant author. The deftness with which these seemingly disparate stories are woven together, each carefully revealing interconnected details at a perfectly timed pace, is truly a masterclass.
The horror is subtle while somehow also being formidable, and the line between the supernatural and the corporeal is expertly maneuvered.
This is easily one of the best books I’ve read this year…
Themes…
The weight of the secrets we carry is often more debilitating than the event that precipitated the need to keep the secret in the first place. Mental illness is also explored in a way that avoids the pitfalls of exploitation.
Character Work…
These characters are memorable. You can almost pinpoint where each might fall on a spectrum of flawed despicability. There is depth to every character, and we get to know them inside out, and we grow to have equal amounts of empathy and resentment towards each.
Prose…
Malfi’s writing is beautiful. I often find myself highlighting a sentence or two while reading because their beauty hits me in a remarkable way. On several occasions while reading this book, I would look up to find entire paragraphs highlighted.
Pace…
Well-paced. It’s not a whirlwind by any means, but there wasn’t a single moment I felt labored while reading. Every moment mattered, and each hit with an expertly measured tempo…
November 15, 2025
Senseless. I didn't read the synopsis before starting this book. There's no need for me to do so. If I see Ronald Malfi's name on a cover, I am going to be reading it. It really makes no difference to me what it's actually about.
I was delighted to discover this novel is a captivating blend of Crime Fiction, Horror and Suspense. This is a combination Malfi is so successful with, and brought to mind my favorite previous novel of his, Bone White.
This story is told via three perspectives: Detective Bill Renney, author Maureen Park, and the self-proclaimed human fly, Toby Kampen.
My favorite of these was Detective Renney. He reminded me a lot of another of another one of my fictional favorites, Detective Bill Hodges. Renney is flawed, but also incredibly compelling and endearing.
At the start of this novel, the corpse of a heavily-mutilated woman is found in the desert outside of L.A. Called in on the case, Renney can't help but see glaring connections to a case he thought had been put to bed a year ago.
Is this some sort of a copy-cat killing? But how could that be? This level of details, as far as the specifics of the woman's body, was never reported to the public.
Bill is disturbed by this and it ends up reopening some doors from the past he would rather have stayed closed.
Then we get Maureen's and Toby's perspectives. Besides living in and around the same area of the crime, how are these people connected? It's not immediately clear.
You shouldn't concern yourself too much with all of that though. Just sit back and let the magic happen. Through Malfi's skill, all will become clear in the end.
Upon first completing Senseless, I was absolutely gobsmacked by how well-crafted it is. It gave me so many different themes to ponder, and reflect upon, both in the story, and just about life and human behavior in general.
It's such a nuanced story, with many threads interwoven into a perfect blend of Crime Fiction, Thriller and Horror. The examination of grief and guilt is also expertly-explored, which is one of my favorite topics in Horror; just beautiful.
There were so many different threads of story here that had to be woven in and out, and placed at just the right time for the Reader to get maximum impact. I absolutely LOVED how Malfi pulled that off.
Each character brought their own unique circumstances and personalities to the table, as we all do in life, and it was just so fascinating to see it all come together.
There were some deep moments of intensity, particularly for me surrounding Maureen's perspective, and some scenes in particular that horrified me and definitely got under my skin. I was so on edge for her. It was powerful.
While I don't think this book will necessarily be for everyone, I think for the Readers who are able to connect with it, as I did, it's a memorable one indeed.
Thank you to the publisher, Titan Books and Tantor Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. Ronald Malfi is one of my absolute favorite authors, and I always look forward to his new releases.
IMO, he's one of the most talented voices in Horror Fiction today. There's such a classic feel to his writing. I find them to have a nostalgic feel, even though they're brand new.
I was delighted to discover this novel is a captivating blend of Crime Fiction, Horror and Suspense. This is a combination Malfi is so successful with, and brought to mind my favorite previous novel of his, Bone White.
This story is told via three perspectives: Detective Bill Renney, author Maureen Park, and the self-proclaimed human fly, Toby Kampen.
My favorite of these was Detective Renney. He reminded me a lot of another of another one of my fictional favorites, Detective Bill Hodges. Renney is flawed, but also incredibly compelling and endearing.
At the start of this novel, the corpse of a heavily-mutilated woman is found in the desert outside of L.A. Called in on the case, Renney can't help but see glaring connections to a case he thought had been put to bed a year ago.
Is this some sort of a copy-cat killing? But how could that be? This level of details, as far as the specifics of the woman's body, was never reported to the public.
Bill is disturbed by this and it ends up reopening some doors from the past he would rather have stayed closed.
Then we get Maureen's and Toby's perspectives. Besides living in and around the same area of the crime, how are these people connected? It's not immediately clear.
You shouldn't concern yourself too much with all of that though. Just sit back and let the magic happen. Through Malfi's skill, all will become clear in the end.
Upon first completing Senseless, I was absolutely gobsmacked by how well-crafted it is. It gave me so many different themes to ponder, and reflect upon, both in the story, and just about life and human behavior in general.
It's such a nuanced story, with many threads interwoven into a perfect blend of Crime Fiction, Thriller and Horror. The examination of grief and guilt is also expertly-explored, which is one of my favorite topics in Horror; just beautiful.
There were so many different threads of story here that had to be woven in and out, and placed at just the right time for the Reader to get maximum impact. I absolutely LOVED how Malfi pulled that off.
Each character brought their own unique circumstances and personalities to the table, as we all do in life, and it was just so fascinating to see it all come together.
There were some deep moments of intensity, particularly for me surrounding Maureen's perspective, and some scenes in particular that horrified me and definitely got under my skin. I was so on edge for her. It was powerful.
While I don't think this book will necessarily be for everyone, I think for the Readers who are able to connect with it, as I did, it's a memorable one indeed.
Thank you to the publisher, Titan Books and Tantor Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. Ronald Malfi is one of my absolute favorite authors, and I always look forward to his new releases.
IMO, he's one of the most talented voices in Horror Fiction today. There's such a classic feel to his writing. I find them to have a nostalgic feel, even though they're brand new.
December 21, 2024
With Senseless, Ronald Malfi has crafted a creepy, captivating, supernatural, horrific and shocking tale. I had no idea where this book was going with the various subplots, but Malfi wove this book together expertly and brilliantly. This book touches on secrets, family, loss, relationships, the underbelly of Los Angeles, mental health, marriage, and horrific crimes.
Whew! The body of a young woman has been found horribly mutilated outside of L.A. and Detective Bill Renney, who recently lost his wife, can't help but see the similarities between the murder and horrific mutilation of a woman the year prior.
Maureen Park has recently become engaged to Hollywood producer, Greg Dawson and finds herself increasingly uncomfortable and feeling uneasy around his son, Landon. He seems to enjoy making people uncomfortable.
Toby Kampen, is a young man who refers to himself as a Human Fly. He lives a solitary existence but when he meets a unique woman a bar who piques his interest and has him wondering if she human or something else altogether.
As I mentioned, I had no clue where this book was going or how everything was going to come together. but Malfi pulled it off brilliantly. The characters are an interesting bunch with many of the characters being more unlikeable than the next. One or two were likeable, but ALL had secrets!
This book was oozing with unease, tension, dread, and chilling moments! Plus, the atmosphere was top notch and added to the eerie vibe of this book. Hats off to Malfi for such a horrific, wonderfully written, and well thought out book!
Fans of Malfi will not be disappointed. If you have not read a book by Malfi, you will want to sink your teeth into this one!
*A Witches Words buddy read with Brenda ~The Book Witch. Please read her review as well to get her thoughts on Senseless
Thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖
Whew! The body of a young woman has been found horribly mutilated outside of L.A. and Detective Bill Renney, who recently lost his wife, can't help but see the similarities between the murder and horrific mutilation of a woman the year prior.
Maureen Park has recently become engaged to Hollywood producer, Greg Dawson and finds herself increasingly uncomfortable and feeling uneasy around his son, Landon. He seems to enjoy making people uncomfortable.
Toby Kampen, is a young man who refers to himself as a Human Fly. He lives a solitary existence but when he meets a unique woman a bar who piques his interest and has him wondering if she human or something else altogether.
As I mentioned, I had no clue where this book was going or how everything was going to come together. but Malfi pulled it off brilliantly. The characters are an interesting bunch with many of the characters being more unlikeable than the next. One or two were likeable, but ALL had secrets!
This book was oozing with unease, tension, dread, and chilling moments! Plus, the atmosphere was top notch and added to the eerie vibe of this book. Hats off to Malfi for such a horrific, wonderfully written, and well thought out book!
Fans of Malfi will not be disappointed. If you have not read a book by Malfi, you will want to sink your teeth into this one!
*A Witches Words buddy read with Brenda ~The Book Witch. Please read her review as well to get her thoughts on Senseless
Thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖
May 21, 2025
3.5 stars! ⭐️ Huge thanks to Tantor Audio & NetGalley for the ALC! 💌
Okay sooo... this isn't my usual type of read, and I'm guessing that’s why it didn’t totally land for me. First time reading Ronald Malfi and... I honestly don’t know if I’ll continue. BUT there were some things that got under my skin in a good way!
The premise? Senseless follows three separate POVs:
✧ Detective Bill Renney, grappling with grief and a murder eerily similar to a past case
✧ Maureen Park, a small-town writer now engaged to a hotshot Hollywood producer (red flag alert)
✧ Toby Kampen, aka “The Human Fly,” obsessed with a strange woman who may or may not be… human?
Their stories slowly start to intersect in weird, eerie, uncomfortable ways.
There's trauma, mental illness, secrets, creepy vibes, and that classic slow-building dread Malfi’s known for.
Let me just say: the atmosphere? GRIPPING.
Whether it's a sun-scorched desert or a shady Hollywood party, every setting drips with dread. And the writing?? So sharp and immersive it hurts. You don’t just read Malfi, you get sucked in, like some weird fever dream you can’t wake up from.
And major shoutout to the narrators—Jenn Lee, Ray Greenley, and Joe Hempel absolutely nailed the tone and pacing. Each POV felt distinct and layered, and the performances added a whole extra level of tension and emotion. There were moments that legit gave me chills, especially during the more unhinged or emotionally raw scenes—they brought those characters to life in such a vivid, unsettling way.
BUT…
Plot-wise? Kinda messy.
I felt like the story wanted to be a gritty mystery, but then dipped its toes into horror, then character study, then... something else entirely. Detective Renney was set up to be the heart of the story, but he honestly didn’t do much? He’s the emotional throughline, sure, but the actual detective work? Minimal at best. He mostly exists to get handed info by other people, which made me feel like the plot was dragging its feet.
Toby's storyline was the most compelling—unhinged, raw, full-on spiraling energy. Maureen’s arc felt more like a psychological detour than a main course, and while it was interesting, I kept waiting for it to snap together with everything else in a more satisfying way.
There were definitely scenes that hit (Toby in the desert?? HELLO?!), but a lot of it felt like a slow crawl to a finale that didn’t quite deliver the “AHA!” moment I was hoping for.
Final thoughts?
If you like your thrillers dark, gritty, and soaked in psychological weirdness, this might be your jam. Just go in knowing it’s more unsettling mood piece than twisty whodunit. For me, it was a mixed bag—some beautiful writing, strong themes, a haunting vibe… but an execution that didn’t fully hit.
Okay sooo... this isn't my usual type of read, and I'm guessing that’s why it didn’t totally land for me. First time reading Ronald Malfi and... I honestly don’t know if I’ll continue. BUT there were some things that got under my skin in a good way!
The premise? Senseless follows three separate POVs:
✧ Detective Bill Renney, grappling with grief and a murder eerily similar to a past case
✧ Maureen Park, a small-town writer now engaged to a hotshot Hollywood producer (red flag alert)
✧ Toby Kampen, aka “The Human Fly,” obsessed with a strange woman who may or may not be… human?
Their stories slowly start to intersect in weird, eerie, uncomfortable ways.
There's trauma, mental illness, secrets, creepy vibes, and that classic slow-building dread Malfi’s known for.
Let me just say: the atmosphere? GRIPPING.
Whether it's a sun-scorched desert or a shady Hollywood party, every setting drips with dread. And the writing?? So sharp and immersive it hurts. You don’t just read Malfi, you get sucked in, like some weird fever dream you can’t wake up from.
And major shoutout to the narrators—Jenn Lee, Ray Greenley, and Joe Hempel absolutely nailed the tone and pacing. Each POV felt distinct and layered, and the performances added a whole extra level of tension and emotion. There were moments that legit gave me chills, especially during the more unhinged or emotionally raw scenes—they brought those characters to life in such a vivid, unsettling way.
BUT…
Plot-wise? Kinda messy.
I felt like the story wanted to be a gritty mystery, but then dipped its toes into horror, then character study, then... something else entirely. Detective Renney was set up to be the heart of the story, but he honestly didn’t do much? He’s the emotional throughline, sure, but the actual detective work? Minimal at best. He mostly exists to get handed info by other people, which made me feel like the plot was dragging its feet.
Toby's storyline was the most compelling—unhinged, raw, full-on spiraling energy. Maureen’s arc felt more like a psychological detour than a main course, and while it was interesting, I kept waiting for it to snap together with everything else in a more satisfying way.
There were definitely scenes that hit (Toby in the desert?? HELLO?!), but a lot of it felt like a slow crawl to a finale that didn’t quite deliver the “AHA!” moment I was hoping for.
Final thoughts?
If you like your thrillers dark, gritty, and soaked in psychological weirdness, this might be your jam. Just go in knowing it’s more unsettling mood piece than twisty whodunit. For me, it was a mixed bag—some beautiful writing, strong themes, a haunting vibe… but an execution that didn’t fully hit.
December 10, 2024
One of my favorite authors is back and better than ever!!!
A mutilated body of a woman is discovered in the desert outside of Los Angeles. Detective Bill Renney can't help but to feel a comparison to a murder a year earlier of another woman. Both eerily suffered the same fate in the most heinous of murders. (Beware of gory depictions!)
Maureen is recently engaged to movie producer, Greg Dawson. She feels so lucky until his estranged son, Landon, arrives from Europe. Landon's sneer and sinister intentions leave Maureen terrified and questioning whether or not this is a marriage she wants to follow through with. It seems the Dawson's have a lot of secrets. Including "the monkey". Yikes! 😨🐵
Toby Campen is a young 20-something that has never really fit in with society. Raised by a mentally unstable mother he refers to as "the spider". Toby has come to believe that he is a human fly and is in a battle with the spider in a mother-suit. When out at nightclub one evening he meets a woman with rattlesnake teeth that starts an obsession with devastating consequences.
Three separate threads that all come together in outstanding fashion. I am so impressed. Malfi's last book was my one and only disappointment I have read by him and I hoped it was a one-off. I can absolutely say with confidence that it was because he truly outdid himself with this riveting story. This is a creepy, hair raising tale that I devoured with glee. Horror lovers rejoice! 5 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for my complimentary copy.
A mutilated body of a woman is discovered in the desert outside of Los Angeles. Detective Bill Renney can't help but to feel a comparison to a murder a year earlier of another woman. Both eerily suffered the same fate in the most heinous of murders. (Beware of gory depictions!)
Maureen is recently engaged to movie producer, Greg Dawson. She feels so lucky until his estranged son, Landon, arrives from Europe. Landon's sneer and sinister intentions leave Maureen terrified and questioning whether or not this is a marriage she wants to follow through with. It seems the Dawson's have a lot of secrets. Including "the monkey". Yikes! 😨🐵
Toby Campen is a young 20-something that has never really fit in with society. Raised by a mentally unstable mother he refers to as "the spider". Toby has come to believe that he is a human fly and is in a battle with the spider in a mother-suit. When out at nightclub one evening he meets a woman with rattlesnake teeth that starts an obsession with devastating consequences.
Three separate threads that all come together in outstanding fashion. I am so impressed. Malfi's last book was my one and only disappointment I have read by him and I hoped it was a one-off. I can absolutely say with confidence that it was because he truly outdid himself with this riveting story. This is a creepy, hair raising tale that I devoured with glee. Horror lovers rejoice! 5 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for my complimentary copy.
June 23, 2025
My experience with "Senseless" was somewhat of a mixed bag when it came to the story. While the narrative didn't quite hit the mark for me, the vivid imagery and enchanting illusions throughout the text captivated my imagination. Instead of delving into a plot summary, I want to focus on how the conclusion affected my overall enjoyment. The ending caught me off guard with its abruptness, leaving numerous threads dangling in the air. I recognize that leaving things unresolved can be an intentional and powerful storytelling choice, yet in this case, it didn’t resonate with me as I had hoped.
I am eager to explore Ronald Malfi's extensive collection of previous works, as I’ve heard remarkable things about his storytelling. I want to thank Nikki for recommending that I read "Senseless." and “White Bone.” I anticipate being drawn into his captivating narratives and unique characters on each page. Moreover, I eagerly await the release of his upcoming books, curious to see how his writing continues to evolve.
On a brighter note, the novel skillfully navigates thought-provoking themes such as the dichotomy of reality versus unreality. It explores how our senses can be distorted, especially under the weight of trauma or imbalances in brain chemistry. This layered complexity was evident as each character faced their own interpretations of reality, particularly in the harrowing context of the desert murders. Among them, our detective, Renner, stood out as a remarkably real and multi-faceted character. I found myself deeply invested in his journey. I wished we could have spent more time exploring his backstory and motivations instead of focusing primarily on Toby/the fly. It is a personal preference, but I believe Renner's character had much more to offer.
Conversely, I was left wanting more from the other characters, particularly the women in the story. While we were introduced to their unique quirks and mannerisms, I would have loved to see more depth and history to understand their motivations truly. Additionally, the relationship between Langdon and Greg intrigued me; I found myself craving deeper insights into their contentious dynamic, particularly regarding the puzzling “monkey” subplot that seemed to linger in the background.
In summary, the writing in "Senseless" is undeniably exquisite, brimming with beautiful imagery and profound themes, supported by a few wonderful characters. However, it would have been gratifying to receive at least one clear answer by the conclusion. For instance, what was the more profound significance of the monkey? Was he genuinely implicated in the murder case? And what events led to the palpable animosity between Langdon and Greg? I truly hope that future narratives can strike a balance between the allure of an open-ended conclusion and providing a satisfying resolution that leaves readers feeling fulfilled rather than frustrated.
My Overall Rating 3.75 Stars
Expected Release Date April 15, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing an e-ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
PRE-Read:I’m excited to share that I just received the e-ARC of "Senseless" by Ronald Malfi! It will be my first time reading one of his books, and I am thrilled about it. After seeing all the positive feedback about this book and his previous works, I want to thank Nikki for introducing me to Malfi and her fantastic review, which inspired me to request it. I can’t wait to dive in! I plan to start reading next week, and I feel I’ll be burning the midnight oil with this one. ✨📚
I want to thank Titan and NetGalley for providing a complimentary digital advanced reader's copy. All opinions expressed are my own. Thank you, Titan!
I am eager to explore Ronald Malfi's extensive collection of previous works, as I’ve heard remarkable things about his storytelling. I want to thank Nikki for recommending that I read "Senseless." and “White Bone.” I anticipate being drawn into his captivating narratives and unique characters on each page. Moreover, I eagerly await the release of his upcoming books, curious to see how his writing continues to evolve.
On a brighter note, the novel skillfully navigates thought-provoking themes such as the dichotomy of reality versus unreality. It explores how our senses can be distorted, especially under the weight of trauma or imbalances in brain chemistry. This layered complexity was evident as each character faced their own interpretations of reality, particularly in the harrowing context of the desert murders. Among them, our detective, Renner, stood out as a remarkably real and multi-faceted character. I found myself deeply invested in his journey. I wished we could have spent more time exploring his backstory and motivations instead of focusing primarily on Toby/the fly. It is a personal preference, but I believe Renner's character had much more to offer.
Conversely, I was left wanting more from the other characters, particularly the women in the story. While we were introduced to their unique quirks and mannerisms, I would have loved to see more depth and history to understand their motivations truly. Additionally, the relationship between Langdon and Greg intrigued me; I found myself craving deeper insights into their contentious dynamic, particularly regarding the puzzling “monkey” subplot that seemed to linger in the background.
In summary, the writing in "Senseless" is undeniably exquisite, brimming with beautiful imagery and profound themes, supported by a few wonderful characters. However, it would have been gratifying to receive at least one clear answer by the conclusion. For instance, what was the more profound significance of the monkey? Was he genuinely implicated in the murder case? And what events led to the palpable animosity between Langdon and Greg? I truly hope that future narratives can strike a balance between the allure of an open-ended conclusion and providing a satisfying resolution that leaves readers feeling fulfilled rather than frustrated.
My Overall Rating 3.75 Stars
Expected Release Date April 15, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing an e-ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
PRE-Read:I’m excited to share that I just received the e-ARC of "Senseless" by Ronald Malfi! It will be my first time reading one of his books, and I am thrilled about it. After seeing all the positive feedback about this book and his previous works, I want to thank Nikki for introducing me to Malfi and her fantastic review, which inspired me to request it. I can’t wait to dive in! I plan to start reading next week, and I feel I’ll be burning the midnight oil with this one. ✨📚
I want to thank Titan and NetGalley for providing a complimentary digital advanced reader's copy. All opinions expressed are my own. Thank you, Titan!
April 23, 2025
This was my book for a week's worth of daily, 1 hour walks. I had to keep upping the speed, it's a long book! By the end, I was comfortable with 2x
I will write up my review for Patreon on Monday and then share it everywhere a week or so after that. Fans of his paranormal thriller, Come With Me, should consider this to be in a similar vein. This has a three-stranded braided cord--triple POVs--to tell the story of several people caught up in an intricate web of secrets and lies.
I have a lot to say about this! Things I loved and some things I couldn't tolerate.
I will write up my review for Patreon on Monday and then share it everywhere a week or so after that. Fans of his paranormal thriller, Come With Me, should consider this to be in a similar vein. This has a three-stranded braided cord--triple POVs--to tell the story of several people caught up in an intricate web of secrets and lies.
I have a lot to say about this! Things I loved and some things I couldn't tolerate.
January 30, 2025
2.5 Stars
For years, Ronald Malfi has been a favourite horror author of mine. He is a talented storyteller who writes prolifically, providing me with so many engrossing reading experiences.
However, I find with every prolific author, the volume of stories can sometimes result in misses among the hits. This seems like the case here. This story is objectively “fine” but I want more from my books. This was underwhelming and honestly disappointing because I have seen what this author can do.
Personally I'd recommend starting with a different book by this author.
For years, Ronald Malfi has been a favourite horror author of mine. He is a talented storyteller who writes prolifically, providing me with so many engrossing reading experiences.
However, I find with every prolific author, the volume of stories can sometimes result in misses among the hits. This seems like the case here. This story is objectively “fine” but I want more from my books. This was underwhelming and honestly disappointing because I have seen what this author can do.
Personally I'd recommend starting with a different book by this author.
January 8, 2025
A Supernatural Puzzle Box of Tension and Dread
Ronald Malfi is so good at messing with your head in the best way possible. This book is part of a mystery, horror, and psychological trip.
The story weaves together themes of grief, secrets, and chilling murders against the atmospheric backdrop of Los Angeles’ dark underbelly.
Twisty, Bizarre & Hair Rising
Okay, so there’s a murder—a really disturbing one that sets the stage for a detective battling his own grief to uncover the truth. As he delves deeper into the case, two bizarre threads emerge—a young man with unsettling tendencies and a surreal world that includes vampires and a human fly. The plot oozes unease, tension, and dread, with every twist tightening the web around the characters.
Malfi blurs the line between reality and unreal, weaving a narrative that leaves you questioning everything. As eerie, hair-raising events unfold, I found myself constantly wondering: What’s real, and what’s a product of trauma or mental unraveling? This deliberate ambiguity is utterly captivating and kept me flipping pages.
The Characters: Flawed, Creepy, and Scary Real
Let’s talk about Landon. I swear, he’s one of the most unsettling characters I’ve ever read. We don’t really know much about him. He just lingers—in the story, in your mind, and Maureen’s life—and you can feel the tension every time he’s around. And Maureen? You want to shake her and say, “Run!”
The Atmosphere: Gritty, Uneasy, Chilling
This book oozes dread. Seriously, every single page has this undercurrent that something bad is going to happen. The high desert setting and the seedy parts of L.A. add this gritty vibe that makes the whole thing feel even more sinister..
The Supernatural: Ambiguous, Subtle, Clever
Here’s where Malfi really shines. You’re constantly wondering—are these things really happening, or is it all in their heads? Like, wait, is that vampire real? Is he for real or messing with your head? You’ll be questioning reality right along with the characters.
Oh, the ending. It’s powerful, but it had me lying there, staring at the ceiling, running everything back in my head like, “Wait, did I miss something?” I had to sit with it—do a big think about what just went down and ask Debra—and even then, I wasn’t totally sure I got it all. And maybe that’s the point? But also, ugh, I wanted just one clear answer! Instead, it left me hanging, not completely knowing, which is both brilliant and frustrating. Honestly, I’m still not over it.
A Witches Words read with Debra!!
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley
Ronald Malfi is so good at messing with your head in the best way possible. This book is part of a mystery, horror, and psychological trip.
The story weaves together themes of grief, secrets, and chilling murders against the atmospheric backdrop of Los Angeles’ dark underbelly.
Twisty, Bizarre & Hair Rising
Okay, so there’s a murder—a really disturbing one that sets the stage for a detective battling his own grief to uncover the truth. As he delves deeper into the case, two bizarre threads emerge—a young man with unsettling tendencies and a surreal world that includes vampires and a human fly. The plot oozes unease, tension, and dread, with every twist tightening the web around the characters.
Malfi blurs the line between reality and unreal, weaving a narrative that leaves you questioning everything. As eerie, hair-raising events unfold, I found myself constantly wondering: What’s real, and what’s a product of trauma or mental unraveling? This deliberate ambiguity is utterly captivating and kept me flipping pages.
The Characters: Flawed, Creepy, and Scary Real
Let’s talk about Landon. I swear, he’s one of the most unsettling characters I’ve ever read. We don’t really know much about him. He just lingers—in the story, in your mind, and Maureen’s life—and you can feel the tension every time he’s around. And Maureen? You want to shake her and say, “Run!”
The Atmosphere: Gritty, Uneasy, Chilling
This book oozes dread. Seriously, every single page has this undercurrent that something bad is going to happen. The high desert setting and the seedy parts of L.A. add this gritty vibe that makes the whole thing feel even more sinister..
The Supernatural: Ambiguous, Subtle, Clever
Here’s where Malfi really shines. You’re constantly wondering—are these things really happening, or is it all in their heads? Like, wait, is that vampire real? Is he for real or messing with your head? You’ll be questioning reality right along with the characters.
Oh, the ending. It’s powerful, but it had me lying there, staring at the ceiling, running everything back in my head like, “Wait, did I miss something?” I had to sit with it—do a big think about what just went down and ask Debra—and even then, I wasn’t totally sure I got it all. And maybe that’s the point? But also, ugh, I wanted just one clear answer! Instead, it left me hanging, not completely knowing, which is both brilliant and frustrating. Honestly, I’m still not over it.
A Witches Words read with Debra!!
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley
December 3, 2024
It is important to note that most of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the book's subject matters & those detailed in my review overwhelming. I suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward, I will be writing about matters that contain reflections on graphic violence, gore, rape, sexual violence, physical assault, sexism, & others.
What draws the eye to gore? The troll’s duty, charged for admission to the social world of human complexities, is required for the yellow-nubbed toenail to slice the bridge's stone. Yonder, the river moves slowly, tinged with the orange of blue-dyed blood, red in the crisp air of spring.
In this scene, the famished reader anticipates their turn—the moment when they will soon be able to bend their backs to the wind & teeter over the edge of a landmark like many others, where surely, more dead lay than are raised.
When deciding upon a story that will match the sensation of the bridge & its invisible feather of possibilities, a reader may hope to find the tormented soul they house inside. Within their hopes may lay in repose the desire to meet a character whose traits & demeanour encourage trust & lead one to wander back through the bush into the clearing where the morbid scene of coiling blood grooves itself into the soil, between the blades of greenery.
As an introduction, I hope the setting I have crafted lingers. My experience with Malfi’s books has been, overall, positive. That is to say, the scenes he has crafted have remained in my mind like a looming shadow in the night, unescapable unless blinded.
Much of what the author writes seems to pay homage in slight & interwoven ways to renowned works, often categorized as Classics. In this approach, the reader may join him in appreciating the bulb’s brightness in the darkened shelves of the literary world.
When I learned that Malfi would be publishing a new book, I was ecstatic. Since first being introduced to his talents via “Black Mouth” (2022) I have devoured, with patience, further works by the author.
When deciding upon an appropriate adjective to use here in this review, in an attempt to make clear the prowess of his horror, I find myself nibbling the ink of a slew of possible words that may reveal to readers what they will find in his stories. Yet, I wish not to reveal too much. The joy in reading Malfi’s books arises when a reader comes face to face with the ghost of their past, the ghost of a story once forgotten, coming around again to swallow them hole.
In essence, this is a story about the murder of two women. The main character (Bill) Renney is a Detective in a Los Angeles County where, only a year apart, two women are found brutally murdered in the desert. The cruel abandonment of the women, with their eyes carved out, their ears cut off, tongues eviscerated, & noses sliced clean, acted as a brutal reminder for Renney of the terrible fate that awaits women who dare exist in the world alongside such freakishly evil men as their killers.
The story at hand is graphic. Both women suffer immeasurably & through no fault of their own, are chosen as targets for the brutal tortures that two men decided to inflict on them. Due to the similarities that exist in the non-fictional world, readers may find the content of this story overwhelming. Renney never solves the case of M.J.’s murder. Although he acts as an accessory with M.J.’s husband murdering the man who was likely the perpetrator of her death, the reality of this void of relief seeps through every aspect of this book.
What renders the plot all the more tormented is the near apathy of the world around the women. Although their deaths were noted & viewed as shocking events, the actions of those around them do not demonstrate a fulsome understanding of what has taken place.
One may note that it would be impossible for a person to truly understand what it means to be faced with death at the hands of another person. One might also note that, as life goes on, it feels regressive to remain where the dead stay rotting. Therefore, one must ask who will care about the women who are victimized by cruelty.
I suppose here we have come to the point in the story that disturbed me the most. Important to note is that I am not someone for whom the written word necessarily overwhelms me. I have no issue reading ghost stories at night or delving into details of true crime out in the city where it blooms.
While reading, I found myself reflecting on the brazen cruelty that exists in the world. Readers who are more sensitive to descriptions of terror, gore, gender-based violence, & other such faculties may have an altogether different experience with this story.
Renney is not a character who is one a reader might root for. Regardless of a person’s interpretation or experience with the material, the main character is nearly incompetent in his role, one that is meant to bring justice to those from whom it has been stripped. It is difficult to be brought to the forefront here; Renney is not an intellectual man, which is not to say that he is stupid, but he has little education & rather minimal experience with complex individuals.
This is an odd trait for him to have. He boasts of cues & trip-ups in speech that might highlight to him when a person is lying or diverting attention yet, in reality, his worldview is very limited. This annoyed me in some way. Whereas Renney was having intimate moments with the phantasm of his dead wife, the families of two young women were in gruesome grief waiting for answers. Why would someone do this to these women?
Renney never answers their question. Perhaps a reader may link the title of the book to the actions taken towards the women. Their brutal experiences were senseless, yet they were not, in fact, without meaning nor did they arise out of thin air.
Both men involved in the deaths of these women came to the precipice of their decisions because they felt it was their right to choose. These men had the agency to slice a woman’s body to shreds, to brutalize them until they died, to force them into demeaning binds with rope & fly traps, all because they wanted to kill them.
It is senseless in that one may choose to believe that these men had no wits about them, but this would be hoping for the world to be a place of romance & utopian clarity. Will this leave a reader with feelings of remorse? Will the reader feel grief as they remember that M.J. died as a result of her injuries? Will readers wish the death of those who employ it like the Cryptkeeper himself?
I find myself ruminating on the logistics of the crimes. Although this book seems to draw inspiration, as an ode or a prod in the ribs to the Irish author’s vampirette legends of old, namely Bram Stocker’s “Dracula” (1897), Malfi has also taken the lead by including a more brutalized truth. Although the villain in these tales of lore creeps around in the darkness of night, what makes him all the more terrifying is his ability to seamlessly immerse himself in daylight activities.
For readers who may wander the periphery of this story & find themselves at odds with the material, the plot contains other notable mentions that might draw their attention. Of note is the paranormal midnight mass between Renney, his wife, & Roy Orbison. The mentally clocked-out Psychiatrist who kept crime scene photographs at arm’s reach of his patients who were in the throws of mental maladies may perplex a person who has a desire for forethought.
When it comes down to pacing, the story soars like a sparrow; at times, questionable in & of itself. There are other such times wherein the characters seem to act independently of the story. Each of these individuals existed in their own world, one that hardly seemed to tie into the imagery of Los Angeles that is beloved in media & influence. Questions arise such as, why would the Psychiatrist trust the Detective with his crime? Was he so good at his profession that he was confident in his assumption that Renney was a broken & crooked cop?
Yet, perhaps, because of this fact, the scenes in the desert—that reminded me an awful lot of the series “Midnight Mass” (2021)—may serve to introduce readers to the complexity of their surroundings.
I would be remorseful if I neglected to make clear my feelings of revulsion. There is so much potential for a person to do good that makes me ballistic in the crevices of my mind at the truth. That they did nothing instead. Reactivity hardly suffices to make right the catastrophic wrong that one knew was possible.
As I finish this review, several days have passed since I put down the book. For the most part, I worked through the material at night, in an apartment nestled deep in a city center. The landscape that is presented in this plot is not one that mirrors my own but, there are enough similarities for readers to puzzle pieces into their comforts, which may leave them with the dread that the author seems to have wanted to share with his audience.
I wonder what will come next. Which Classic piece of literature will inspire the modern renaissance of the Ripper who slithers through the city in a formidable & well-tailored coat? Where within the bounds of the literary world will the next circus sink its malevolence to the tune of Pink Elephants on Parade?
Ultimately, Malfi has a fine-toothed comb ready to peel through the tendrils of his readers’ heads. His story is well-thought-out & written in a way that will leave readers feeling like they ran a race towards the edge of a cliff, forgetting that below the rocks would not softly welcome them to victory.
Perhaps readers may venture into feelings of disturbance or annoyance upon opening the pages of this story. Orbison’s discography may soothe a tune of sorrow or offer a melody as a backdrop of phosphorus yellow brilliance, that of a sandman who rumbles through the house; the reader may intone a new dawn for their feelings.
Why was this story filled with characters, each more annoying than the next? Why was Maureen so inept at her grown age? Why was there a monkey mask? What became of the abandoned book on the bar?
There is a cruel familiarity that is highlighted in the dusk of simplicity. Although the unique features of this story remind me, fraternally, of art I have consumed, they remain independent of each other, enough to act as a tapestry of all the terrible alleyways that open up to women as they attempt to walk the world they were born into.
As the conclusion is set like the stone on which hope is dashed, the bones buried under sand & summer sun, expand the circle of life; feeding tethers to those without a human voice to speak, share, or plead for a reprieve, much like the body that sustains them as they feed.
Thank you to NetGalley, Titan Books, & Ronald Malfi for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
What draws the eye to gore? The troll’s duty, charged for admission to the social world of human complexities, is required for the yellow-nubbed toenail to slice the bridge's stone. Yonder, the river moves slowly, tinged with the orange of blue-dyed blood, red in the crisp air of spring.
In this scene, the famished reader anticipates their turn—the moment when they will soon be able to bend their backs to the wind & teeter over the edge of a landmark like many others, where surely, more dead lay than are raised.
When deciding upon a story that will match the sensation of the bridge & its invisible feather of possibilities, a reader may hope to find the tormented soul they house inside. Within their hopes may lay in repose the desire to meet a character whose traits & demeanour encourage trust & lead one to wander back through the bush into the clearing where the morbid scene of coiling blood grooves itself into the soil, between the blades of greenery.
As an introduction, I hope the setting I have crafted lingers. My experience with Malfi’s books has been, overall, positive. That is to say, the scenes he has crafted have remained in my mind like a looming shadow in the night, unescapable unless blinded.
Much of what the author writes seems to pay homage in slight & interwoven ways to renowned works, often categorized as Classics. In this approach, the reader may join him in appreciating the bulb’s brightness in the darkened shelves of the literary world.
When I learned that Malfi would be publishing a new book, I was ecstatic. Since first being introduced to his talents via “Black Mouth” (2022) I have devoured, with patience, further works by the author.
When deciding upon an appropriate adjective to use here in this review, in an attempt to make clear the prowess of his horror, I find myself nibbling the ink of a slew of possible words that may reveal to readers what they will find in his stories. Yet, I wish not to reveal too much. The joy in reading Malfi’s books arises when a reader comes face to face with the ghost of their past, the ghost of a story once forgotten, coming around again to swallow them hole.
In essence, this is a story about the murder of two women. The main character (Bill) Renney is a Detective in a Los Angeles County where, only a year apart, two women are found brutally murdered in the desert. The cruel abandonment of the women, with their eyes carved out, their ears cut off, tongues eviscerated, & noses sliced clean, acted as a brutal reminder for Renney of the terrible fate that awaits women who dare exist in the world alongside such freakishly evil men as their killers.
The story at hand is graphic. Both women suffer immeasurably & through no fault of their own, are chosen as targets for the brutal tortures that two men decided to inflict on them. Due to the similarities that exist in the non-fictional world, readers may find the content of this story overwhelming. Renney never solves the case of M.J.’s murder. Although he acts as an accessory with M.J.’s husband murdering the man who was likely the perpetrator of her death, the reality of this void of relief seeps through every aspect of this book.
What renders the plot all the more tormented is the near apathy of the world around the women. Although their deaths were noted & viewed as shocking events, the actions of those around them do not demonstrate a fulsome understanding of what has taken place.
One may note that it would be impossible for a person to truly understand what it means to be faced with death at the hands of another person. One might also note that, as life goes on, it feels regressive to remain where the dead stay rotting. Therefore, one must ask who will care about the women who are victimized by cruelty.
I suppose here we have come to the point in the story that disturbed me the most. Important to note is that I am not someone for whom the written word necessarily overwhelms me. I have no issue reading ghost stories at night or delving into details of true crime out in the city where it blooms.
While reading, I found myself reflecting on the brazen cruelty that exists in the world. Readers who are more sensitive to descriptions of terror, gore, gender-based violence, & other such faculties may have an altogether different experience with this story.
Renney is not a character who is one a reader might root for. Regardless of a person’s interpretation or experience with the material, the main character is nearly incompetent in his role, one that is meant to bring justice to those from whom it has been stripped. It is difficult to be brought to the forefront here; Renney is not an intellectual man, which is not to say that he is stupid, but he has little education & rather minimal experience with complex individuals.
This is an odd trait for him to have. He boasts of cues & trip-ups in speech that might highlight to him when a person is lying or diverting attention yet, in reality, his worldview is very limited. This annoyed me in some way. Whereas Renney was having intimate moments with the phantasm of his dead wife, the families of two young women were in gruesome grief waiting for answers. Why would someone do this to these women?
Renney never answers their question. Perhaps a reader may link the title of the book to the actions taken towards the women. Their brutal experiences were senseless, yet they were not, in fact, without meaning nor did they arise out of thin air.
Both men involved in the deaths of these women came to the precipice of their decisions because they felt it was their right to choose. These men had the agency to slice a woman’s body to shreds, to brutalize them until they died, to force them into demeaning binds with rope & fly traps, all because they wanted to kill them.
It is senseless in that one may choose to believe that these men had no wits about them, but this would be hoping for the world to be a place of romance & utopian clarity. Will this leave a reader with feelings of remorse? Will the reader feel grief as they remember that M.J. died as a result of her injuries? Will readers wish the death of those who employ it like the Cryptkeeper himself?
I find myself ruminating on the logistics of the crimes. Although this book seems to draw inspiration, as an ode or a prod in the ribs to the Irish author’s vampirette legends of old, namely Bram Stocker’s “Dracula” (1897), Malfi has also taken the lead by including a more brutalized truth. Although the villain in these tales of lore creeps around in the darkness of night, what makes him all the more terrifying is his ability to seamlessly immerse himself in daylight activities.
For readers who may wander the periphery of this story & find themselves at odds with the material, the plot contains other notable mentions that might draw their attention. Of note is the paranormal midnight mass between Renney, his wife, & Roy Orbison. The mentally clocked-out Psychiatrist who kept crime scene photographs at arm’s reach of his patients who were in the throws of mental maladies may perplex a person who has a desire for forethought.
When it comes down to pacing, the story soars like a sparrow; at times, questionable in & of itself. There are other such times wherein the characters seem to act independently of the story. Each of these individuals existed in their own world, one that hardly seemed to tie into the imagery of Los Angeles that is beloved in media & influence. Questions arise such as, why would the Psychiatrist trust the Detective with his crime? Was he so good at his profession that he was confident in his assumption that Renney was a broken & crooked cop?
Yet, perhaps, because of this fact, the scenes in the desert—that reminded me an awful lot of the series “Midnight Mass” (2021)—may serve to introduce readers to the complexity of their surroundings.
I would be remorseful if I neglected to make clear my feelings of revulsion. There is so much potential for a person to do good that makes me ballistic in the crevices of my mind at the truth. That they did nothing instead. Reactivity hardly suffices to make right the catastrophic wrong that one knew was possible.
As I finish this review, several days have passed since I put down the book. For the most part, I worked through the material at night, in an apartment nestled deep in a city center. The landscape that is presented in this plot is not one that mirrors my own but, there are enough similarities for readers to puzzle pieces into their comforts, which may leave them with the dread that the author seems to have wanted to share with his audience.
I wonder what will come next. Which Classic piece of literature will inspire the modern renaissance of the Ripper who slithers through the city in a formidable & well-tailored coat? Where within the bounds of the literary world will the next circus sink its malevolence to the tune of Pink Elephants on Parade?
Ultimately, Malfi has a fine-toothed comb ready to peel through the tendrils of his readers’ heads. His story is well-thought-out & written in a way that will leave readers feeling like they ran a race towards the edge of a cliff, forgetting that below the rocks would not softly welcome them to victory.
Perhaps readers may venture into feelings of disturbance or annoyance upon opening the pages of this story. Orbison’s discography may soothe a tune of sorrow or offer a melody as a backdrop of phosphorus yellow brilliance, that of a sandman who rumbles through the house; the reader may intone a new dawn for their feelings.
Why was this story filled with characters, each more annoying than the next? Why was Maureen so inept at her grown age? Why was there a monkey mask? What became of the abandoned book on the bar?
There is a cruel familiarity that is highlighted in the dusk of simplicity. Although the unique features of this story remind me, fraternally, of art I have consumed, they remain independent of each other, enough to act as a tapestry of all the terrible alleyways that open up to women as they attempt to walk the world they were born into.
As the conclusion is set like the stone on which hope is dashed, the bones buried under sand & summer sun, expand the circle of life; feeding tethers to those without a human voice to speak, share, or plead for a reprieve, much like the body that sustains them as they feed.
Thank you to NetGalley, Titan Books, & Ronald Malfi for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2024
This has to be my most favorite Malfi book to date!
Bill is investigating a murder in the desert that left a woman extremely mutilated. The author does not hold back on the description of the injuries, which made me slightly queasy! The murder is reminiscent of another unsolved murder that happened a year prior that Bill also investigated .Could they be connected?
Maureen is a one time author marrying a rich Hollywood writer. It is from Maureen’s point of view that we meet her fiancé‘s son Landon, who is a spoiled, entitled 20 something. The more she gets to know Landon the more she begins, questioning her relationship to her fiancé, as well as what secrets may be hidden within this family.
Toby is a 22 year old vagrant who characterizes himself as a fly, of the common household variety, He spends the better part of his evenings going to seedy nightclubs within the city in an attempt to fit in somewhere. It’s at one of these nightclubs he has a brief run-in with a girl who has rattlesnake teeth. Yes, you read that right, rattlesnake teeth. Who is this girl and could she possibly be a vampire? The brief encounter has left Toby infatuated to the point he spends every evening trying to find her. Inevitably, he does and they spend their evenings driving around the city, Toby, being more of the chauffeur than anything else.
The author ties together all of these point of views, almost perfectly. This is one of those books that I absolutely could not put down and to be honest would have kept reading it if it was 1000 pages I realized I was getting close to the end and definitely wanted more. The only reason this isn’t a five star read for me is the ending. I believe a few points were definitely tied up and I liked how they came together, but it almost felt a little bit rushed due to the pace of the rest of the book.. This, in my opinion, is completely evident with the tie up of Maureen’s storyline. It just didn’t fit as seamless as the rest of the other storylines did. If I had to choose, I would say Bill‘s storyline is the one that I was most interested in. It had a bit of the gritty crime thriller that I really enjoy, but I also don’t want to discount some of the other storylines, they had a bit of a horror element to them.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and was reading it into the wee hours of the night and it was the first thing I picked up in the morning. I would highly recommend you pick this one up if you are a fan of this author’s work or even if you were interested in trying one of his novels, this one is it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
Bill is investigating a murder in the desert that left a woman extremely mutilated. The author does not hold back on the description of the injuries, which made me slightly queasy! The murder is reminiscent of another unsolved murder that happened a year prior that Bill also investigated .Could they be connected?
Maureen is a one time author marrying a rich Hollywood writer. It is from Maureen’s point of view that we meet her fiancé‘s son Landon, who is a spoiled, entitled 20 something. The more she gets to know Landon the more she begins, questioning her relationship to her fiancé, as well as what secrets may be hidden within this family.
Toby is a 22 year old vagrant who characterizes himself as a fly, of the common household variety, He spends the better part of his evenings going to seedy nightclubs within the city in an attempt to fit in somewhere. It’s at one of these nightclubs he has a brief run-in with a girl who has rattlesnake teeth. Yes, you read that right, rattlesnake teeth. Who is this girl and could she possibly be a vampire? The brief encounter has left Toby infatuated to the point he spends every evening trying to find her. Inevitably, he does and they spend their evenings driving around the city, Toby, being more of the chauffeur than anything else.
The author ties together all of these point of views, almost perfectly. This is one of those books that I absolutely could not put down and to be honest would have kept reading it if it was 1000 pages I realized I was getting close to the end and definitely wanted more. The only reason this isn’t a five star read for me is the ending. I believe a few points were definitely tied up and I liked how they came together, but it almost felt a little bit rushed due to the pace of the rest of the book.. This, in my opinion, is completely evident with the tie up of Maureen’s storyline. It just didn’t fit as seamless as the rest of the other storylines did. If I had to choose, I would say Bill‘s storyline is the one that I was most interested in. It had a bit of the gritty crime thriller that I really enjoy, but I also don’t want to discount some of the other storylines, they had a bit of a horror element to them.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and was reading it into the wee hours of the night and it was the first thing I picked up in the morning. I would highly recommend you pick this one up if you are a fan of this author’s work or even if you were interested in trying one of his novels, this one is it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
May 30, 2025
Hello. My name is Theresa and I'm a Ronald Malfi addict. It's been less than an hour since I've read a Malfi book.
I just closed my Kindle after reading the last words of Senseless. A few members of the HORROR or HEAVEN Goodreads group have been reading through Malfi novels. I really wish we would have read Senseless before we read Come With Me. You can read my review of Come With Me here. Once you read my review you might understand how I may have read this book too soon. Whether I meant to or not, I was doing a lot of comparing between the writing of the two books.
Senseless starts as a very slow burn thriller, following the stories of three characters from three separate perspectives. I spent much of the early part of the book a bit frustrated because I was jolted out of one story line to be dropped into the next. But I persisted. Each individual perspective was captivating in its own way, so it didn't take long to get over the transitions.
So I'm reading the stories of these characters, feeling a certain way about each of them. I can't keep my emotions out of my reading. And before I knew it, the pace of the book had picked up to a breakneck speed. Things were happening. SENSELESS things were happening! In all three storylines.
In true Malfi fashion, the story twisted and turned in ways I never expected and he tied everything up in the end. But it wasn't as satisfying as Come With Me. This is just my emotional response to the book. It didn't absolutely blow me away. Again, I may be judging it unfairly to Come With Me because I didn't leave enough time between the two. I may come back later and change my rating. But for now I'm giving Senseless 4 wild stars. It was a wild ride, for sure!
I just closed my Kindle after reading the last words of Senseless. A few members of the HORROR or HEAVEN Goodreads group have been reading through Malfi novels. I really wish we would have read Senseless before we read Come With Me. You can read my review of Come With Me here. Once you read my review you might understand how I may have read this book too soon. Whether I meant to or not, I was doing a lot of comparing between the writing of the two books.
Senseless starts as a very slow burn thriller, following the stories of three characters from three separate perspectives. I spent much of the early part of the book a bit frustrated because I was jolted out of one story line to be dropped into the next. But I persisted. Each individual perspective was captivating in its own way, so it didn't take long to get over the transitions.
So I'm reading the stories of these characters, feeling a certain way about each of them. I can't keep my emotions out of my reading. And before I knew it, the pace of the book had picked up to a breakneck speed. Things were happening. SENSELESS things were happening! In all three storylines.
In true Malfi fashion, the story twisted and turned in ways I never expected and he tied everything up in the end. But it wasn't as satisfying as Come With Me. This is just my emotional response to the book. It didn't absolutely blow me away. Again, I may be judging it unfairly to Come With Me because I didn't leave enough time between the two. I may come back later and change my rating. But for now I'm giving Senseless 4 wild stars. It was a wild ride, for sure!
April 9, 2025
I never know how to review Malfi without spoilers so I will keep this short and sweet. Plus, I don’t know what y’all expect me to say about his writing that I haven’t already said before. With his usual precision, intensity, and unique storytelling, Malfi delivers not just any novel but a strangely disorienting novel about two murdered women who seem to be connected. It’s disturbing, horrifying in all the right places, and I never knew where the story was taking me.
In Senseless, Malfi plays with the supernatural in an interesting way, keeping readers at an arm’s length for much of the book. Even readers who aren't in to the whole supernatural thing are going to love this one. For me, it didn’t feel like his usual style; less dreadful horror, more detective/crime thriller. Still, it is undoubtedly a commanding piece of work. Dark, gritty, unsettling—really, really damn good.
If you haven’t read Ronald Malfi yet, I really don’t know what the hell you are waiting for.
I am immensely grateful to Titan Books for the early copy. Available Apr. 15 2025
In Senseless, Malfi plays with the supernatural in an interesting way, keeping readers at an arm’s length for much of the book. Even readers who aren't in to the whole supernatural thing are going to love this one. For me, it didn’t feel like his usual style; less dreadful horror, more detective/crime thriller. Still, it is undoubtedly a commanding piece of work. Dark, gritty, unsettling—really, really damn good.
If you haven’t read Ronald Malfi yet, I really don’t know what the hell you are waiting for.
I am immensely grateful to Titan Books for the early copy. Available Apr. 15 2025
November 13, 2024
Ronald Malfi has always tried to reach into your chest and squish your heart like a grape through his writing. With Senseless, he succeeds.
This novel isn't your typical horror book yet it's disturbing in a visceral way. It IS horrific and builds a wall of tension so thick you need a chainsaw to cut through it.
The narrative is the story of a brutally murdered woman left in the desert told through three different arcs.
Seemingly unrelated at first, as pieces of this psychologically unnerving puzzle starts coming together, they are all intertwined and creates a stunning and deeply unsettling story.
Ronald Malfi knows when to push and when to pull back, leaving the reader off kilter as what you think are conclusions are blown apart later. Yeah, you'll think you'll know things but you'll be wrong.
All of the characters in this novel have dark secrets of their own. These secrets will make you think twice once they're revealed and, by the end, I quit trying to figure it out and just let the author take me along this brutal ride.
This is already on my favorite boots of 2025 list. Don't think about it, just pre-order it and prepare yourself for a sleepless night once it arrives. I highly recommend it.
I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
This novel isn't your typical horror book yet it's disturbing in a visceral way. It IS horrific and builds a wall of tension so thick you need a chainsaw to cut through it.
The narrative is the story of a brutally murdered woman left in the desert told through three different arcs.
Seemingly unrelated at first, as pieces of this psychologically unnerving puzzle starts coming together, they are all intertwined and creates a stunning and deeply unsettling story.
Ronald Malfi knows when to push and when to pull back, leaving the reader off kilter as what you think are conclusions are blown apart later. Yeah, you'll think you'll know things but you'll be wrong.
All of the characters in this novel have dark secrets of their own. These secrets will make you think twice once they're revealed and, by the end, I quit trying to figure it out and just let the author take me along this brutal ride.
This is already on my favorite boots of 2025 list. Don't think about it, just pre-order it and prepare yourself for a sleepless night once it arrives. I highly recommend it.
I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
April 17, 2025
Ummm…. NOPE.
I give props for any book that I don’t consider DNF’ing, and this is where the two stars come from.
I think that the more ideological, intuition- minded authors will focus a lot of attention on the big picture aspects of a novel (themes and motifs), which is great. The problem is that these are usually subconscious aspects for a reader- a lot of readers only see the surface level events in plot and don’t consciously pick up on the underlying messages. For instance, you might come home from an excellent dramatic film and start treating your family a little better and not even realize it. This is an example of a successfully communicated theme.
The problem with this over abundance of the subconscious aspects of story is that the plot suffers. I mean…. one dude thinks he’s a fly, another guy puts on a monkey mask and says “Ree ree ree”…. It just doesn’t work on the surface level. IMO it’s better to write a thematically empty, entirely plot driven book than a mystical mess.
Will I read another Malfi book? Yep. I’ll probably read them all. His prose always seems to crackle. This one just didn’t work for me.
I give props for any book that I don’t consider DNF’ing, and this is where the two stars come from.
I think that the more ideological, intuition- minded authors will focus a lot of attention on the big picture aspects of a novel (themes and motifs), which is great. The problem is that these are usually subconscious aspects for a reader- a lot of readers only see the surface level events in plot and don’t consciously pick up on the underlying messages. For instance, you might come home from an excellent dramatic film and start treating your family a little better and not even realize it. This is an example of a successfully communicated theme.
The problem with this over abundance of the subconscious aspects of story is that the plot suffers. I mean…. one dude thinks he’s a fly, another guy puts on a monkey mask and says “Ree ree ree”…. It just doesn’t work on the surface level. IMO it’s better to write a thematically empty, entirely plot driven book than a mystical mess.
Will I read another Malfi book? Yep. I’ll probably read them all. His prose always seems to crackle. This one just didn’t work for me.
May 27, 2025
I don’t know how he does it! Ronald Malfi’s writing consistently nears perfection. And in his book Senseless, it’s not only his powerful writing that is worthy of all the stars. It is in the way he masterfully interweaves 3 seemingly separate stories into one horrific and resolved ending. In his typical, slow-burn manner, Malfi makes the reader stew over what actually ties these three tales to each other. But the wait is never boring or a burdening task. It’s a ride to be savored and frighteningly enjoyed. Wow! Loved it!!
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ all the way!
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ all the way!
November 27, 2024
Is Hollywood here? You need to turn this absolute page turner into a movie ASAP it would be senseless... not too...sorry 😅 thankyou for the eARC titan! mini review 👇
I have a new favourite Malfi book, I loved the police procedural aspect and the over all thriller-esque-ness (is that a word?) of the book, the supernatural was simmering in the background but this felt like a new direction for our Ron, granted his other books have thriller elements but this felt MORE thriller-y (lol) this would make a great Hollywood blockbuster, gritty, dark and haunting, like the man himself. I recommend just diving into this one, it's twisty as hell and you will be whispering "WTF" to yourself multiple times
I have a new favourite Malfi book, I loved the police procedural aspect and the over all thriller-esque-ness (is that a word?) of the book, the supernatural was simmering in the background but this felt like a new direction for our Ron, granted his other books have thriller elements but this felt MORE thriller-y (lol) this would make a great Hollywood blockbuster, gritty, dark and haunting, like the man himself. I recommend just diving into this one, it's twisty as hell and you will be whispering "WTF" to yourself multiple times
September 15, 2025
3/3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Ebook format 📖
In Senseless, three plot lines are going on at the same time with three different points of view.
It sounds confusing but Ronald Malfi does bring it all together at the end.
Atmosphere and gory details are great in this and I was creeped out often. 👀
For me, it lost its way with the ending.
I’ve got a few unanswered questions and the ending felt rushed.
Even with the ending, I’m still glad to read this new book by Malfi!
Ebook format 📖
In Senseless, three plot lines are going on at the same time with three different points of view.
It sounds confusing but Ronald Malfi does bring it all together at the end.
Atmosphere and gory details are great in this and I was creeped out often. 👀
For me, it lost its way with the ending.
I’ve got a few unanswered questions and the ending felt rushed.
Even with the ending, I’m still glad to read this new book by Malfi!
May 7, 2025
Yes, it's good. Very good, but different.
March 16, 2025
This psychological thriller masquerading as a mystery/noir novel is not for the faint of heart. Delusions, grief, mental illness, exploitation, trauma, and a genuine inability to know oneself all scurry their way into the heart of this dark novel.
The writing, atmosphere and tone saved this novel for me, they supported other aspects of the book that didn’t feel like they were carrying their own weight. The writing style changed depending on the POV, moving from exasperated noir to tightly wound up, anxious, and on edge to the complete dysregulation and disassociation of schizophrenia and other mental illness. The writing flowed between those modes smoothly, with straightforward prose that never veered into purple territory but did move and shift to match the tone or intensity of the characters. At the writing level it was quite compelling, with hard-hitting descriptive prose that made the scenes immediate and real but still leaving enough to the reader’s imagination that you feel almost complicit. The atmosphere was also great, there was a real strong sense of place whether it be the unforgiving desert or a pompous Hollywood mansion or a grimy dance club.
I enjoyed the characters, I felt they had some depth to them, but I wanted a little more out of them. I think this has more to do with the plotting and structure than the characters, though, if I am being honest. They didn’t ever feel boring, and while some felt a little over-the-top (and a little cliché) they all served as interesting enough pieces to this puzzle that I didn’t mind. The characters weren’t particularly likeable, they didn’t give you a lot to root for. Instead, they were incredible sympathetic characters, all haunted by their own ghosts, whether that be loss, trauma, or mental illness. The novel starts and finishes with this façade of being a gritty mystery, a “horror noir,” following a somewhat broken detective. But there are large stretches of the novel where he is absent, and he doesn’t really do much detective work at all, basically the answers just fall into his lap. Yet he is the most heartfelt and interesting character in this novel! That is why I say the novel is masquerading as a mystery or noir, because we are never actually given enough details to solve anything (though Malfi does plant enough seeds that nothing in the conclusion feels out of left field), and we see very little actual detective work being done. This character is tragic, and lost in grief made bad decisions that he is having to pay for now, complicating this case, and I really just wanted to spend more time with him. The story really feels like he is the throughline, it is his story (as opposed to a slice of life that centers around this murder investigation), and the time we get with him doesn’t live up to that vibe or expectation. I appreciated having the three different perspectives, trying to piece together how they would all connect, and I liked the way those connections were resolved. But somewhere in adding in these additional perspectives Malfi literally stripped away anything for his detective to do. The most our detective gets to do is in a lengthy flashback to a similar murder that happened a year prior. Otherwise, he literally just shows up somewhere to have another character tell him information. This just felt like a little messy plotting, to me. He needed to actually do some investigative work to run parallel with his guilt, frustration, and despair. He felt inert and lifeless, yet the story is structured as if he is its lifeblood, and that really made the experience drag for me.
Overall, I did enjoy this book. As I mentioned at the top, Malfi is playing with some dark and weighty ideas here. The themes and the writing style always make it seem like the reality of the thing is being held at arm’s length, and with every character we have doubts about their experiences versus what is really going on. I liked that ambiguity, that continual discomfort. While some of the plotting felt lopsided and wasn’t my favorite part of the novel, the strong writing, compelling tone, and immediacy of atmosphere all kept me turning the pages.
Rounded from 3.5.
I want to thank NetGalley, the author, and the publisher Titan Books, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The writing, atmosphere and tone saved this novel for me, they supported other aspects of the book that didn’t feel like they were carrying their own weight. The writing style changed depending on the POV, moving from exasperated noir to tightly wound up, anxious, and on edge to the complete dysregulation and disassociation of schizophrenia and other mental illness. The writing flowed between those modes smoothly, with straightforward prose that never veered into purple territory but did move and shift to match the tone or intensity of the characters. At the writing level it was quite compelling, with hard-hitting descriptive prose that made the scenes immediate and real but still leaving enough to the reader’s imagination that you feel almost complicit. The atmosphere was also great, there was a real strong sense of place whether it be the unforgiving desert or a pompous Hollywood mansion or a grimy dance club.
I enjoyed the characters, I felt they had some depth to them, but I wanted a little more out of them. I think this has more to do with the plotting and structure than the characters, though, if I am being honest. They didn’t ever feel boring, and while some felt a little over-the-top (and a little cliché) they all served as interesting enough pieces to this puzzle that I didn’t mind. The characters weren’t particularly likeable, they didn’t give you a lot to root for. Instead, they were incredible sympathetic characters, all haunted by their own ghosts, whether that be loss, trauma, or mental illness. The novel starts and finishes with this façade of being a gritty mystery, a “horror noir,” following a somewhat broken detective. But there are large stretches of the novel where he is absent, and he doesn’t really do much detective work at all, basically the answers just fall into his lap. Yet he is the most heartfelt and interesting character in this novel! That is why I say the novel is masquerading as a mystery or noir, because we are never actually given enough details to solve anything (though Malfi does plant enough seeds that nothing in the conclusion feels out of left field), and we see very little actual detective work being done. This character is tragic, and lost in grief made bad decisions that he is having to pay for now, complicating this case, and I really just wanted to spend more time with him. The story really feels like he is the throughline, it is his story (as opposed to a slice of life that centers around this murder investigation), and the time we get with him doesn’t live up to that vibe or expectation. I appreciated having the three different perspectives, trying to piece together how they would all connect, and I liked the way those connections were resolved. But somewhere in adding in these additional perspectives Malfi literally stripped away anything for his detective to do. The most our detective gets to do is in a lengthy flashback to a similar murder that happened a year prior. Otherwise, he literally just shows up somewhere to have another character tell him information. This just felt like a little messy plotting, to me. He needed to actually do some investigative work to run parallel with his guilt, frustration, and despair. He felt inert and lifeless, yet the story is structured as if he is its lifeblood, and that really made the experience drag for me.
Overall, I did enjoy this book. As I mentioned at the top, Malfi is playing with some dark and weighty ideas here. The themes and the writing style always make it seem like the reality of the thing is being held at arm’s length, and with every character we have doubts about their experiences versus what is really going on. I liked that ambiguity, that continual discomfort. While some of the plotting felt lopsided and wasn’t my favorite part of the novel, the strong writing, compelling tone, and immediacy of atmosphere all kept me turning the pages.
Rounded from 3.5.
I want to thank NetGalley, the author, and the publisher Titan Books, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 5, 2025
3.5 stars
I found this unsatisfying. There are three POVs and three stories in this novel. They weave and intersect with each other: Detective Renney, recently bereaved, investigating the death of a woman whose body was dumped in the desert, horribly mutilated; Maureen Park, a writer from small town Wyoming, wrapped up in a whirlwind romance to a budding Hollywood producer; Toby Kampen, a Human Fly, unmoored from time and reality, desperately seeking acceptance and willing to suffer any transformation to gain it. Although each story reached A conclusion, I was left wanting more. I kept waiting for it all to come together in a more bombastic way but it never did.
Don't get me wrong, there were scenes that held my attention like nobody's business: . But they were interspersed with long sections where if I wasn't in a time crunch to write a review, I could easily have put the book down and never have the urge to pick it up again. This isn't a story where I was desperate to know what happens next.
I think if you loved Paul Tremblay's The Pallbearer's Club, you'll enjoy this a lot. Sadly, neither were really for me.
I found this unsatisfying. There are three POVs and three stories in this novel. They weave and intersect with each other: Detective Renney, recently bereaved, investigating the death of a woman whose body was dumped in the desert, horribly mutilated; Maureen Park, a writer from small town Wyoming, wrapped up in a whirlwind romance to a budding Hollywood producer; Toby Kampen, a Human Fly, unmoored from time and reality, desperately seeking acceptance and willing to suffer any transformation to gain it. Although each story reached A conclusion, I was left wanting more. I kept waiting for it all to come together in a more bombastic way but it never did.
Don't get me wrong, there were scenes that held my attention like nobody's business: . But they were interspersed with long sections where if I wasn't in a time crunch to write a review, I could easily have put the book down and never have the urge to pick it up again. This isn't a story where I was desperate to know what happens next.
I think if you loved Paul Tremblay's The Pallbearer's Club, you'll enjoy this a lot. Sadly, neither were really for me.
December 16, 2024
No review can do this story any justice! Period! There is so much going on that I think the reader should go in blind!!
If you haven’t had a Malfi experience…. My condolences. He is a MUST READ AUTHOR! Do you crave exquisite writing? Do you feel the need to have your characters well developed? Do you beg to be immersed into the story?
THIS IS YOUR GUY!!
A woman is found in the desert mutilated and murdered. Who could do such a terrible thing to another human being? Detective Bill Renney is the detective assigned to the case. The thing is, another woman was found the exact same way a year earlier.
That’s it. That’s all you get. There are several other stories intertwined with this one. It will all come together in the end. This is a police procedural/ horror/ thriller story that shouldn’t be missed!!!
Massive thanks to Ronald Malfi and Titan books for my gorgeous gifted copy! I’ve added it to my collection!
Release date - April 15, 2025
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
If you haven’t had a Malfi experience…. My condolences. He is a MUST READ AUTHOR! Do you crave exquisite writing? Do you feel the need to have your characters well developed? Do you beg to be immersed into the story?
THIS IS YOUR GUY!!
A woman is found in the desert mutilated and murdered. Who could do such a terrible thing to another human being? Detective Bill Renney is the detective assigned to the case. The thing is, another woman was found the exact same way a year earlier.
That’s it. That’s all you get. There are several other stories intertwined with this one. It will all come together in the end. This is a police procedural/ horror/ thriller story that shouldn’t be missed!!!
Massive thanks to Ronald Malfi and Titan books for my gorgeous gifted copy! I’ve added it to my collection!
Release date - April 15, 2025
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
March 1, 2025
Crime/Mystery thriller with a touch of horror. Malfi magically blends three separate narratives into an eerie cohesive story. The main narrative follows a veteran detective investigating a recent gruesome murder of a psychiatrists wife that resembles a similar murder from years ago. Both women are left “senseless”. The second narrative follows a movie producer, his fiancee, and creepy son who shows potential signs of being a murderer. The third and best narrative, follows a mentally ill man who believes himself to be transforming into a fly, has a spider mother, and becomes infatuated with a woman he believes is a vampire! This third narrative is what adds the horror aspect to the book.
Pacing is a bit slow but I remained interested in the story, wondering how in the hell it was all going to connect. Characters were all interesting, and the ending left some big unknowns for the reader. Overall it was a great story and very unique plot. An entire book could have been on the fly man, my favorite story line. Senseless come out April 15, 2025.
Pacing is a bit slow but I remained interested in the story, wondering how in the hell it was all going to connect. Characters were all interesting, and the ending left some big unknowns for the reader. Overall it was a great story and very unique plot. An entire book could have been on the fly man, my favorite story line. Senseless come out April 15, 2025.
December 13, 2024
Rating: 5/5 ⭐
Publication Date: April 15, 2025
This book was everything I wanted and more. While it technically can’t be crowned a 2024 favorite because of its release date, Senseless is already shaping up to be a 2025 standout for me. Malfi’s latest masterpiece is a seamless blend of supernatural horror and procedural thriller that will leave readers haunted long after the final page.
To be honest, I was a little hesitant going into this one. Procedurals don’t usually make my list of favorites because I often find the detectives unrelatable—characters with savior complexes and a chip on their shoulder. But this is Malfi, and when Malfi writes, you read. Needless to say, I’m glad I did because Senseless blew away every expectation I had.
Malfi’s writing style pulls you in like nothing else I’ve read. It’s vivid and immersive without bogging you down in unnecessary detail. Every word feels intentional, designed to draw you further into the dark, tangled world he’s created. And the three main characters? Flawless. Each was so well fleshed out, so unique, they could have carried their own standalone novel.
I absolutely loved—and hated—all three. Malfi’s ability to evoke such complex emotions is astounding. It takes real skill to make you feel something for characters whose actions you utterly despise. Each character’s story is heartbreaking, and Malfi reveals their backstories with such precise timing that you’re constantly reevaluating your feelings about them. Just when you think you’ve figured someone out, he gives you another piece of the puzzle. Another layer. Another reason to question everything.
The supernatural elements are masterfully woven into the procedural thriller. As you’re reading, you’re constantly asking yourself: Is this real? Is it all in the characters’ heads? Are they unraveling, or is something far more sinister at play? By the time the storylines converge, nearly everything falls into place—but not without some open-ended threads that will leave readers’ jaws hanging. Trust me, you’ll be saying WTF! (I definitely was). And yet, the ending feels perfect for the wild ride this story takes you on.
Malfi doesn’t wrap things up with a neat little bow. There’s no “and they lived happily ever after” here. Instead, he leaves you with questions that will have you thinking about Senseless days later. And honestly, isn’t that the mark of a great horror novel?
Ronald Malfi continues to prove why he’s a force to be reckoned with in the horror genre. I truly believe he’s destined to become a household name, as synonymous with horror as Stephen King. If you haven’t read his work yet, you need to dip your toes into the Malfi waters. Start with Senseless. You won’t regret it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the eARC. All opinions expressed are my own—and thank you, Ronald Malfi, for yet another phenomenal read. Honestly, how do you keep outdoing yourself?
Publication Date: April 15, 2025
This book was everything I wanted and more. While it technically can’t be crowned a 2024 favorite because of its release date, Senseless is already shaping up to be a 2025 standout for me. Malfi’s latest masterpiece is a seamless blend of supernatural horror and procedural thriller that will leave readers haunted long after the final page.
To be honest, I was a little hesitant going into this one. Procedurals don’t usually make my list of favorites because I often find the detectives unrelatable—characters with savior complexes and a chip on their shoulder. But this is Malfi, and when Malfi writes, you read. Needless to say, I’m glad I did because Senseless blew away every expectation I had.
Malfi’s writing style pulls you in like nothing else I’ve read. It’s vivid and immersive without bogging you down in unnecessary detail. Every word feels intentional, designed to draw you further into the dark, tangled world he’s created. And the three main characters? Flawless. Each was so well fleshed out, so unique, they could have carried their own standalone novel.
I absolutely loved—and hated—all three. Malfi’s ability to evoke such complex emotions is astounding. It takes real skill to make you feel something for characters whose actions you utterly despise. Each character’s story is heartbreaking, and Malfi reveals their backstories with such precise timing that you’re constantly reevaluating your feelings about them. Just when you think you’ve figured someone out, he gives you another piece of the puzzle. Another layer. Another reason to question everything.
The supernatural elements are masterfully woven into the procedural thriller. As you’re reading, you’re constantly asking yourself: Is this real? Is it all in the characters’ heads? Are they unraveling, or is something far more sinister at play? By the time the storylines converge, nearly everything falls into place—but not without some open-ended threads that will leave readers’ jaws hanging. Trust me, you’ll be saying WTF! (I definitely was). And yet, the ending feels perfect for the wild ride this story takes you on.
Malfi doesn’t wrap things up with a neat little bow. There’s no “and they lived happily ever after” here. Instead, he leaves you with questions that will have you thinking about Senseless days later. And honestly, isn’t that the mark of a great horror novel?
Ronald Malfi continues to prove why he’s a force to be reckoned with in the horror genre. I truly believe he’s destined to become a household name, as synonymous with horror as Stephen King. If you haven’t read his work yet, you need to dip your toes into the Malfi waters. Start with Senseless. You won’t regret it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the eARC. All opinions expressed are my own—and thank you, Ronald Malfi, for yet another phenomenal read. Honestly, how do you keep outdoing yourself?
February 27, 2025
4.25 stars - thank you titan books for an early copy of this book!
Publishes April 15th and follows Detective Bill Renney as he looks into the murder case of a young woman and the details of this case are very similar to a case he handled a year prior leading the media to believe this is the work of a serial killer.
Meanwhile, we are also getting two other stories weaved throughout. One about this Hollywood producer’s fiance and her relationship with her soon to be step son. The other about this sort of basement dwelling type guy who begins obsessing over a woman who might be a vampire.
This story was not at all what I was expecting, but it turned out to be a welcomed surprise. There were points throughout where I was like ??? but I trusted the process and it paid off.
This book is so strange, incredibly unique, and multilayered. I loved how the interconnected stories all came together in the end. That being said, I did think the ending was a bit too quick and clean considering the rest of the book was absolutely chaotic. Overall, another banger by Malfi who is an auto-read author for me
Video review: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT2mpTTXV/
Publishes April 15th and follows Detective Bill Renney as he looks into the murder case of a young woman and the details of this case are very similar to a case he handled a year prior leading the media to believe this is the work of a serial killer.
Meanwhile, we are also getting two other stories weaved throughout. One about this Hollywood producer’s fiance and her relationship with her soon to be step son. The other about this sort of basement dwelling type guy who begins obsessing over a woman who might be a vampire.
This story was not at all what I was expecting, but it turned out to be a welcomed surprise. There were points throughout where I was like ??? but I trusted the process and it paid off.
This book is so strange, incredibly unique, and multilayered. I loved how the interconnected stories all came together in the end. That being said, I did think the ending was a bit too quick and clean considering the rest of the book was absolutely chaotic. Overall, another banger by Malfi who is an auto-read author for me
Video review: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT2mpTTXV/
April 12, 2025
Senseless is told in three different points of view. I liked the way this book started off and I was very invested, however, when we kept switching point of views, unfortunately, it lost me a bit because I really enjoyed some POVs more than others. I will be a little vague because I don't want to spoil anything, but the POV that ended up being the main POV was the one I didn't enjoy reading. While I really enjoyed Senseless, it fell just short of a 5-star rating because at times it was a bit long winded, and I also didn't care for how things wrapped up or didn't wrap up at the end.
My favorite voice actor was in this audiobook was Jenn Lee. She really stood out and did a wonderful job!
I look forward to reading Ronald Malfi's backlist and any future work he comes out because I think his writing is really great.
Thank you Netgalley, Tantor Audio, and Ronald Malfi for the advanced audiobook copy.
Senseless comes out on Apr 15, 2025.
My favorite voice actor was in this audiobook was Jenn Lee. She really stood out and did a wonderful job!
I look forward to reading Ronald Malfi's backlist and any future work he comes out because I think his writing is really great.
Thank you Netgalley, Tantor Audio, and Ronald Malfi for the advanced audiobook copy.
Senseless comes out on Apr 15, 2025.
Read
April 14, 2025Full video thoughts here: https://youtu.be/eGJXW6yZY5A
In what I had suspected after reading Come With Me and Black Mouth, Ronald Malfi seems to be the author I have been looking for in the horror/supernatural thriller genre. After so many swings and misses with modern authors of this type, finding Malfi has been a huge boon. Senseless takes the not unusual "is it a serial killer or a copycat killer" formula and gives it a fun spin by adding maybe supernatural elements to it (I'll leave it to you to discover what those are). Another page-turner from Mr. Malfi that feels like he is going to become an automatic read for me.
In what I had suspected after reading Come With Me and Black Mouth, Ronald Malfi seems to be the author I have been looking for in the horror/supernatural thriller genre. After so many swings and misses with modern authors of this type, finding Malfi has been a huge boon. Senseless takes the not unusual "is it a serial killer or a copycat killer" formula and gives it a fun spin by adding maybe supernatural elements to it (I'll leave it to you to discover what those are). Another page-turner from Mr. Malfi that feels like he is going to become an automatic read for me.
May 8, 2025
“I’m a bloodsucker. A child of the night. I could bite you and turn you. Turn me? Into the creature of the night.” One of the many dialogues that had me grasping for air. Indeed, I was so moved by the dialogue in this story. The mystery, the evilness, the characters, and the writing… This story had it all!
Psycho horror, thriller, messed up characters. I was widely impressed with the story as a whole. Even with how dark and disturbing this got, there was just so much depth to this that it was almost unthinkable. A multilayered murder mystery with supernatural undertones. Almost genius how three different narrators, crafted three unconnected stories l. Each seemingly coming together in a creepy and nuanced way. Unexpected and so shocking!
My favorite read of 2025 thus far. A total mess to read in a good way. Truly unsettling to read as well. Probably Malfi’s best!
Likes: Creepy undertones, very unsettling, scary to read, great setting, great characters, brilliantly written.
Psycho horror, thriller, messed up characters. I was widely impressed with the story as a whole. Even with how dark and disturbing this got, there was just so much depth to this that it was almost unthinkable. A multilayered murder mystery with supernatural undertones. Almost genius how three different narrators, crafted three unconnected stories l. Each seemingly coming together in a creepy and nuanced way. Unexpected and so shocking!
My favorite read of 2025 thus far. A total mess to read in a good way. Truly unsettling to read as well. Probably Malfi’s best!
Likes: Creepy undertones, very unsettling, scary to read, great setting, great characters, brilliantly written.
May 14, 2025
I’m still waiting for Ronald Malfi to disappoint me, but after finishing Senseless, it looks like I’ll keep on waiting. Seriously, I would read this guy’s grocery shopping list. As for Senseless? Wow. Just wow.
Detective Bill Renney is assigned to a brutal homicide that looks suspiciously like the same type of killing he investigated last year. The problem is that the killer is supposed to be dead.
Maureen Park is celebrating her engagement with Hollywood movie producer Greg Dawson. At the party, she unexpectedly meets Greg’s son, Landon, and the meeting is uncomfortable, to say the least. In fact, Maureen soon fears that Landon is involved in something much more violent than doing drugs and spending his daddy’s money.
Toby Kampen, a social outcast living out of a storage unit, meets the girl of his dreams. She has what looks like fangs, loves to bite, and Landon is convinced she’s a vampire. This is good, for Landon’s alter ego is The Fly, but The Fly would rather be turned into a vampire.
Three storylines interweaving in and out of the story in what you just know is headed on a collision course. Where? It’s hard to say. Malfi expertly weaves the tale together in a thrilling Gordion Knot waiting for you to untangle the mysteries. This is one you won’t be able to put down. As I’ve said, Malfi has yet to disappoint, and it doesn’t like he’s ever going to. He’s clicking on all cylinders with Senseless.
5 “The Wonderful Things” out of 5
Detective Bill Renney is assigned to a brutal homicide that looks suspiciously like the same type of killing he investigated last year. The problem is that the killer is supposed to be dead.
Maureen Park is celebrating her engagement with Hollywood movie producer Greg Dawson. At the party, she unexpectedly meets Greg’s son, Landon, and the meeting is uncomfortable, to say the least. In fact, Maureen soon fears that Landon is involved in something much more violent than doing drugs and spending his daddy’s money.
Toby Kampen, a social outcast living out of a storage unit, meets the girl of his dreams. She has what looks like fangs, loves to bite, and Landon is convinced she’s a vampire. This is good, for Landon’s alter ego is The Fly, but The Fly would rather be turned into a vampire.
Three storylines interweaving in and out of the story in what you just know is headed on a collision course. Where? It’s hard to say. Malfi expertly weaves the tale together in a thrilling Gordion Knot waiting for you to untangle the mysteries. This is one you won’t be able to put down. As I’ve said, Malfi has yet to disappoint, and it doesn’t like he’s ever going to. He’s clicking on all cylinders with Senseless.
5 “The Wonderful Things” out of 5
February 15, 2025
I have been a Malfi fan for years. This is the sixth book I have read by this author, but it is also the first that I didn't love. This was just an ok read for me.
There is a lot going on here. There's the cop who is called to the scene of a mutilated body, hacked up in much the same way as a previous case that he thought was solved. There's the newly engaged writer who is meeting her future creepy stepson for the first time, and there is the man who considers himself a human fly, who thinks he has met a vampire and hopes she will turn him. Each of these back stories had an intriguing premise on their own but somehow just didn't work for me when put together.
It's more of a mystery/crime than the horror I was expecting. I enjoyed the parts about Toby (the fly guy) more than the rest. I would recommend this more for readers who like detective/crime novels than horror. This is more a case of it's not you, it's me. I tend to avoid books that are more about the investigation than the victims.
My thanks to Titan Books
There is a lot going on here. There's the cop who is called to the scene of a mutilated body, hacked up in much the same way as a previous case that he thought was solved. There's the newly engaged writer who is meeting her future creepy stepson for the first time, and there is the man who considers himself a human fly, who thinks he has met a vampire and hopes she will turn him. Each of these back stories had an intriguing premise on their own but somehow just didn't work for me when put together.
It's more of a mystery/crime than the horror I was expecting. I enjoyed the parts about Toby (the fly guy) more than the rest. I would recommend this more for readers who like detective/crime novels than horror. This is more a case of it's not you, it's me. I tend to avoid books that are more about the investigation than the victims.
My thanks to Titan Books
Displaying 1 - 30 of 556 reviews