The Wicked Game of a Serial Killer: Hide and Seek

The Wicked Game of a Serial Killer #1

by Stan Hendriks

Lucas Izod is young, brilliant, and obscenely wealthy. He doesn’t grieve. He doesn’t regret. When something precious slips through his fingers, he begins a cold and calculated spree, mutilating and murdering innocent women. Each kill is methodical. Each victim a symbol. The Imperious Killer is born, and Lucas wears the name like a badge of honor.

Ray spent years hunting monsters like Lucas. He knows how they think. But this one moves differently—too precise, too theatrical, too clean. When the daughter of Ray’s closest friend is found brutalized, he returns to the hunt and teams up with Arthur, a high-functioning psychopath whose mind mirrors the killer’s.

Arthur doesn’t feel. He doesn’t flinch. He understands. Ray and Arthur form an alliance that shouldn't work, yet it might be the only way forward. One man driven by purpose. One by logic. Both drawn into Lucas’s deadly design.

He isn’t rehearsing. He’s building his legend. And he won’t stop until the world knows his name—and remembers it in blood.

Genres: Mystery, Ebooks

361 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2024

About the author

Stan Hendriks writes psychological thrillers that live in the spaces between control and chaos.

Based in the Netherlands, he crafts stories where every character is a study in darkness, every plot a descent into the human psyche, and every page demands something from the reader — attention, discomfort, understanding.
His work explores the psychology of evil not as spectacle, but as truth. He writes the stories that linger, that make you question, that refuse to look away.

When he's not writing, you'll find him obsessing over psychology, working out, diving into films and books, or simply thinking — because for Stan, the real work happens in the mind first.

Follow to discover what happens when darkness meets the page.

stanhendriksbooks.com

Reviews

[✨Kel⚔️Lee✨]

This book has the word 'simply' in it 135 times. The dialogue is very flat and monotoned. If it wasn't for the names of the characters I wouldn't be able to tell who was talking because it's all the same. I just couldn't do it anymore.

[Sherel Hallford]

Very disappointed. Left so many things unfinished/unexplained. I get it that why psychopaths do things doesn’t make sense, but the book itself said they do still at least have a reason which was not explained. And spoiler what in the world sense did it make to bring the offspring in at the very last second? Why was the hammer on the wall in the first place? Why did he identify it as Theresa his fiancé? Was she dead or incapacitated? I think dead. What did he think he was gaining by killing people other than fame, which wasn’t his original reason? I just don’t like having so many questions at the end of a book. I feel like I wasted my time and it wasn’t that great of a plot anyway.

[Antoinette Lori]

OMG, this book was absolutely incredible! It grabbed my attention from start to finish. Lucas, the killer, is a chilling example of a remorseless psychopath, openly recounting his years of murder after being caught.

Told through multiple POVs, including Lucas and Ray, a former FBI agent turned PI, the story dives into a gripping hunt for justice after a friend’s daughter is killed. No mystery about who the killer is—just an intense, edge-of-your-seat read!

[TexasGirl]

seems written by AI

I gave it a real effort, but this book badly written. Its dialogue is stiff and stilted and the characters are one dimensional. I don’t usually quit on books, but after 5 chapters, nothing is getting better.

[Megan]

Wow

Omg sooo good! I just happened to see this book by an unknown author that intrigued me and once I started I could not put it down. From the perspective of a serial killer and the team chasing the killer, the whole story unfolds in front of you and keeps you hooked. I'm downloading the second book right now and I have no idea what it is going to be about but I am excited to find out

[Mallory]

3.5 stars…I liked the concept a lot. Was it a literary masterpiece? No. It was entertaining and Arthur was my favorite character 🤣 sometimes when reading a story there is one character that you wish just didn’t exist and to me that was Ray’s wife. She drove me crazy. I think there are more Wicked Games books so I will check them out.

[GH Masís]

Do not read this book

There is nothing positive to say about this book.
I think 80% of the content is filled with the words “smirk” and “chuckle” and their variations.
If you value your time, do not read this book.
I’m currently on bed rest because of a knee injury, and not being able to walk sucks. But somehow, reading this book has been an even worse experience than that.

[Cindy Rae]

good premise, poorly written

A retired FBI agent teaming up with a psychopath to catch a psychopath serial killer is a great premise for a story. Unfortunately, the writing, the character development, and the editing were poor. I wouldn’t read it again.

[Kimothy]

I can’t keep reading. Even this early in. Grammatical errors aside, the story is so bad. Akin to the Fifty Shades of Grey garbage. On to another book. This is one of three that in my 61 years, I have not finished.

[Janis Perry]

wow

All I can say is wow. I learned a lot from this book about the mind of a psychopath. Lucas was a real nut case.

[Holly Still]

6 stars

[Susan Schroll]

I probably would have given 5 stars, but I listened on audible, and it was narrated by virtual voice. Very annoying.

[Katie Peck]

Why are the paragraphs so long?????!

[Stacy F Wills]

juvenile writing

This reads like a 15 year old wrote it. Or AI. I couldn’t get past the second chapter. The writing is terrible.

[Sarah]

borrowing

I found this a tedious read. I wanted to like and multiple times went to dnf Ian’s would then pick it back up.

[Erik Johnson]

Very interesting story but it wasn't proof read. It read more like an ARC. Otherwise I would have given a higher rating.

[Linda Gagliano]

Eding First, Story second

The book is a page turner. You are introduced to the bad guy in the beginning as he is telling his tail of terror to the police. Then the story really begins with a vivid description of each of his kills.
. I truly enjoyed this reverse twist on the novel.