The Mirror Man

by Wil Forbis

What you don't say can still kill you.

When a viral sex video humiliates a small-town beauty queen, college student Mason Gutierrez’s friends join in the online mockery. Mason stays quiet, but silence offers no protection when a masked killer wielding sophisticated weaponry begins targeting those who left cruel comments. As the bodies pile up and the police race to unmask the killer, Mason must confront her own dark secrets before she becomes the next victim.

From the author of What Waits in the Shadows comes a bloody slasher full of twists.

Genres: Horror

264 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2025

Reviews

[♡Heather✩Brown♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

BOOK✶REVIEW

🆃🅷🅴 🅼🅸🆁🆁🅾🆁 🅼🅰🅽
< @the _horror_of_wil_forbis >

“𝐼'𝑚 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒'𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑑𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑑𝑜 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒,” (p. 103).

ɪᴛ ʙᴇɢɪɴꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ꜱᴏɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴄᴏᴍᴇꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇᴍ…ꜱʟᴏᴡʟʏ, ᴏɴᴇ ᴀᴛ ᴀ ᴛɪᴍᴇ.

When a revenge pørn video is released for the whole world to see they all left horrible comments about the girl in the video online… but now karma - death - is coming for each of them. One. At. A. Time.

First up is Heather - because of course it is. 😂💁🏼‍♀️ She’s found strapped to a chair, killed by a drill to the head. But the real horror has only begun because they’re all getting videos of the murders as they happen - and in them, there’s a man with a mirror for a face.

Oof. What a read this was. It takes a few chapters to get going, but once it takes off - buckle up. A totally satisfying and deeply disturbing ride. If you love dark, chaotic books like I do, this one delivers.

Extra-Extra: the nerd in me totally geeked out over the classroom discussions in the beginning. Loved it.

If you love all the chaos and destruction, this is a book you need to read. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.

And underneath it all is an important message. What you say and do online matters. The things people hide behind - usernames and keyboards - it all has consequences.

It’s a brutal world already. We don’t need to be tearing each other down online because of our own hurt or insecurities. Treat people how you want to be treated - it’s that simple.

Fabulous read. Fabulous book. A perfect combo of blood-soaked thrills and thoughtful reflection. Fully satisfied both my gore-loving and intellectual sides. Definitely reading more from this author.

Would make a fantastic hørror movie 🍿

#TheMirrorMan #books #bookstagram #book #booklover #reading #bookworm #bookstagrammer #read #bookish #booknerd #instabook #bookaddict #bookstagrammer #bibliophile #bookshelf #readersofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #bookaholic #bookgirlbrown #reader #booklove #literature #instabooks #booklovers

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had such a hard time putting this story down! It’s a brutal, graphic, insane slasher story with a great lineup of diverse characters.

“He pushed the spinning blade centimeters from her cheek. “It’s excellent for cutting off noses. And you’ll be pleased to know it’s solar powered. I’m very concerned about the environment.””

Mason was an awesome FMC, she seemed like she had a pretty solid head on her shoulders and didn’t want to lose it to the killer. I really liked the multiple perspectives throughout that gave insight into the murders and investigation.

I couldn’t be sure which direction the tale was heading and there were definitely a few red herrings that got me for sure!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and BooksGoSocial for a copy.

[Yvonne (the putrid Shelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mirror Man by Wil Forbis is like if Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer had a very bloody, very sarcastic baby. The setup is viral humiliation, online cruelty, and then a masked killer picking off the guilty one by one, which feels perfectly in line with those classics but with a sharp, modern edge.

And the deaths are absolutely wild. I adored the imaginative kills, equal parts gruesome and absurd that had me cackling when I probably should’ve been hiding behind a cushion. Forbis clearly had fun dreaming them up, and that fun transfers straight to the reader.

It stumbles here and there with pacing, but honestly, the inventive carnage and cheeky slasher vibes more than make up for it. Bloody, twisty, and darkly funny. A solid pick for anyone who loves their horror meta, messy, and murderous.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! It's fast paced and the kills were good. The ending is insanely fun! I would highly recommend this! Special Thank You to Wil Forbis, BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Kay Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHOA! A dark and brutal book. If this doesn't give some kind of nightmare, there's something wrong with you. The killings did it for me. A true slasher with all the suspense.

[Mickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was amazing. Such a great serial killer story, with so many twists and shock deaths. This had everything a slasher needs; an anonymous killer in a mask, gruesome death scenes, and of course, the final girl. I absolutely loved everything about this one. If you love a good slasher, add this to your tbr.

[Chloe Cherrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to.BooksGoSocial and Net galley for letting me have this ARC.

haven't read a thriller/slasher that's really gripped me in a while!

This book had fantastic twists and turns, constantly kept you guessing who did it!
the last 20% of the book my head was whirrling with what was going on!

If you want a fast paced, no nonsense slasher this is the book for you!

[Angel Medina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun thriller that has plenty of twists and turns. The beginning is filled with plenty of world-building. I will say this is a slow burn, but trust me it will all make sense once you get to the end. The ending was one I wasn't expecting. A couple of the characters including Mason herself surprised me toward the end.

Once I got to the last third of the book, I couldn't stop flipping the pages, I needed to know what would happen. Upon reaching the very end, the reader is treated to a flashback that explains the 'secret' the main character has.

If you don't mind a slow-burn book, you'll be in for a great time with this one. I enjoyed it!

[Josette Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The internet can make a person feel free pretend to be someone else. Then as they hide behind the ‘mask’, they are able to write or record anything they want. Most of the time people are not held accountable for their actions. They care not about how their posts could affect the person’s life or mental status. Then there is the need for vengeance. This idea makes people not only single minded but so very dangerous. They have lost all sense of humanity and are only thinking of what was taken from them: not what they are taking from someone else. Each death scene was more horrific than the one before. Had I of been Mason, I would have got the heck out of town. This whole scenario was frightening not only because Mason’s friends were in danger but that there was an underlying story that did not get closure until the end……an what an end it was!

[Jessie Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 girlfriends from school are into partying and having fun. When they take bitchiness to the new level and comment on a girls leaked sex tape things only get worse for them. Each girl is picked off one by one by “the mirror man”.

I love how this story developed from getting to know the girls and their places in the group to every grisly death scene. A longer book but one I flew through and stayed up later than I should have done to complete it. The ending had me shocked and I absolutely loved the twist of events.

If you are looking for a who dunnit sort of book this is one for you. I can’t wait for this to be released to the world!

[Tony splatterpunk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fast paced read with many twists about a video that surfaces on the internet about a local pageant winner involved in a sex video and the girls make awful comments, then the killing starts with a few twists…

[Rich Rosell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure if author Wil Forbis would agree with me, but 'The Mirror Man' had the comfortable feel of one of those masked killer horror movies where there are a selection of expendables, a fiendish murderer, and plenty of twists and turns along the way. That is meant as a genuine compliment.

The body count starts rising in the small town of St. Anne, with each death coming via one of those wonderfully elaborate methods that can only exist in the horror genre. As the police and Forbis' potential final girl Mason struggle to piece together who is behind these serial killings the threats and danger ramp up quickly.

This one reads fast and delivers an extremely satisfying conclusion - which isn't always the case in this sort of story.

Trippy genre violence. A sadistic masked killer. In other words: fun stuff!

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been dragging my feet a bit on reviewing Wil Forbis's new book, THE MIRROR MAN, because I wanted to say something profound and useful to readers after it is released into the wild. (I received an ARC from the author.) But it's time. So here are my thoughts.
I enjoyed every minute of this read because Forbis understands the importance of character relative to the overarching story/plot. There are plenty of deeper themes running through this book. The main character, Mason, illustrates more than a few -- she is a college student who has become part of an "in" group of girls. When they post mean-girl comments to magnify and hurt a girl who, through no real fault of her own, has become the sort-of enemy to the prettiest girl of the group, Mason is angry with them, and even angrier when they post similar comments from her personal account and then lock her out of said account so she can't even delete them. Mason knows better, but she really doesn't do much to make things right. Her brother, Roland, informs her that she's changed. Is it true? Has she changed?
Meanwhile, a serial killer who becomes known as the Mirror Man, due to the fact that his mask is made of reflective material so that his victims can stare into their own faces, their own eyes, as he kills them. Pretty cool idea, if you ask me, and it serves the themes perfectly!
What follows is a pretty standard serial killer novel, extremely well-written and plotted. But what sets Forbis's writing apart is his ability to connect his readers with his characters. He did it in his Brawl entry, WHAT WAITS IN THE SHADOWS, and he repeats the trick in this book. I wanted to know more about Mason, what drove her, what was behind that bit of mystery in her character? This all pays off beautifully in the end, and as a reader, I felt satisfied by the story as a whole, which ended just as well as it began and progressed.
I sometimes feel that I may connect more with Wil Forbis's writing (I've only read two of his novels) because I feel like we are similar writers in some ways. But Forbis is better than me at weaving his themes through the story and making them integral to that story. I struggle with that. I like to think that both of us are cinematic in our storytelling. I "see" my story as it unfolds on the big screen in my brain, and I feel like I could see the same things in Forbis's writing.
If you're looking for a great read, coming soon, grab THE MIRROR MAN when it comes out. (If you're looking for a great read right now, try WHAT WAITS IN THE SHADOWS. You won't be disappointed.)

[Joanne Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wil Forbis’s The Mirror Man is a razor-sharp, blood-soaked thriller that slices into the dark underbelly of digital cruelty and guilt. A modern slasher with a psychological edge, this novel grabs readers from its first violent act and doesn’t let go until its final, chilling twist.

Set in a small town steeped in secrets and petty cruelties, the story begins with a viral sex video that shatters the life of a local beauty queen. The online world reacts as it often does—with mockery, cruelty, and silence. College student Mason Gutierrez, caught between guilt and complicity, keeps her head down. But her silence makes her no safer than the worst offenders. A masked killer soon emerges, targeting those who left digital fingerprints on the victim’s humiliation.

What follows is a brutal game of retribution that twists the classic slasher formula into something more modern and morally tangled. Forbis injects a clever social critique into the carnage, using the killer’s vendetta to ask uncomfortable questions about accountability in the internet age: When everyone has the power to destroy a life with a click or a share, where does responsibility begin—and end?

Mason is a compelling protagonist: flawed, haunted, and increasingly isolated as her past choices come back to haunt her. The killer, too, is more than a stock boogeyman; there’s a calculated, methodical intelligence beneath the mask, and their weaponry suggests planning that goes far beyond rage. This isn’t a mindless spree—it’s a vendetta with rules, patterns, and purpose.

Forbis’s writing is taut and cinematic, with scenes that evoke the visceral terror of classic horror films while anchoring the story in the emotional fallout of digital shame. The gore is plentiful but never gratuitous—it serves a larger narrative about how violence manifests when compassion is absent and justice is warped.

Verdict:
The Mirror Man is a smart, savage thriller that updates the slasher for the viral age. Wil Forbis delivers a story that’s not just about who the killer is, but what we become when we look away—and what happens when the mirror looks back. Fans of Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Black Mirror will find plenty to enjoy—and fear.

[Lisa Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh! This book is so good! The Mirror Man by Wil Forbis is a phenomenal blend of slasher and horror thriller. The story is brilliantly sophisticated and absolutely enthralling. I love Forbis’s writing style. It’s vivid and provocative without being overwritten, and he brings this amazing story to nail-biting life expertly.

There’s subtle and clever homage to cult classic films that bring a smile without distracting from the story, including a smart little not to Final Destination, but I won’t spoil what that is. In true slasher-thriller fashion, the identity of said slasher is a mystery and the investigation is part of the storyline. But there’s never a dull moment. The suspense is gripping and relentless, due in part to the mysteries surrounding the characters and the slowly revealed backstories.

The characters are entirely to realistic and engaging and induce knowing nods and smirks and other physical responses, because you know people like this. The dialogue is fantastic. The narrative also has some great one-liners, one of my favorites being part of the dog park scene—but again, I won’t spoil it.

This is one of those books that you want to thank the author for writing (Thanks, Wil!). The Mirror Man is a perfect 5-star read, and I can’t recommend it enough. There is so much more to it than the synopsis suggests, and the twists will leave you breathless (but no spoilers). I truly, thoroughly enjoyed it.

a Bibliophilia Templum review
https://bibliophiliatemplum.wordpress.com/2025/06/30/the-mirror-man/

[Adell Lashawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

One line vibe: modern slasher energy with the fallout of online cruelty

What it is: A masked killer targets people linked to a viral humiliation and the story leans into guilt, silence, and what it costs to say nothing. The setup feels sharp and timely and the kills move with real momentum.

Personal take on the lead: I clicked with Mason in the quiet beats where silence feels like both a shield and a weight. Those moments of self check read true and made the bigger choices land harder.

What worked for me:
• Fast pace with clear set pieces and steady tension
• A hook that taps real digital culture without preaching
• Twisty turns that still feel earned
• Scene work that keeps the threat present even between attacks

What to consider:
• Violence and gore are present
• A couple survival moments ask for a little faith

Content notes: violence and gore, stalking, online harassment, sexual content context, death

My quote: “Silence keeps the mask on longer than truth ever could.” (Adell LaShawn)

Verdict: 4 out of 5. Tight, bloody, and current. If you like slashers that plug into the way we live online, add it to your list.

[Justin Boote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had the pleasure of reading this one by Wil Forbis, his second novel and thoroughly enjoyed this slasher!
A small-town beauty queen makes the mistake of videoing herself having sex that is leaked to social media. Mason's friends decide to post anonymous, nasty comments about her and this is a big mistake. Soon, her friends and others begin to disappear, murdered in gruesome ways and now it's a race against time for Mason to figure out who the killer is before she's next.
An excellent fast-paced read, unexpected twists and turns right to the very end and shows just how cruel social media can be behind the screen of anonymity. Definitely recommended for those that enjoy slashers!!

[Suzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second Wil Forbis novel, and I look forward to his next.

I hadn't read too many good slasher books lately, but now that's changed with The Mirror Man. It's and easy read and gave me Saw and Hostel vibes with the creative and violent kills. I liked the main character, Mason, and her brother, and they had a real interesting background story that you learn about as the story progresses.

I'd definitely recommend for anyone who loves dark stories with a bit of gore.

[Maya J. Lujan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this ARC from Netgalley.

1.5 stars for the interesting kills, otherwise I had a really hard time with this book. The dialogue was SO cheesy. Who talks like that? Also, it felt like it was trying to be progressive but was almost offensive...SO many stereotypes. I also just didn't buy any of the characters. They felt very one dimensional and the main character sure wasn't acting as if all of her friends had been killed and she had almost been killed TWICE.

[Julie Islam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read, especially when your in between books and don’t know what to go for. It was good fun to read, easy plot to fall into and characters that fit into the teen slasher genre. There was only one part that didn’t really make a lot of sense to me ‘Dr Titus’ as in it didn’t need to be there. But great with a cuppa and cake!

[Rainy · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love mason!!!!!!!!!! this book has so many fun twists and turns. the kills are brutal, but it never felt like it was trying too hard. i had so much fun reading it. can't wait for more from wil forbis!

[Bruce B · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I'm not a slasher fan. But this story had an excellent storyline. Intense and simple at the same time. There are a few twists along the way. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good read.

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was a teen slasher, but with some twists. I predicted the killer, but there were some twists at the end as well as the epilogue. I recommend this for anyone who likes teen slasher horror with some twists

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mirror Man by Wil Forbis was a fast paced book and I Loved it especially the Kills!!! yes I know. . . I am weird!!!! But they were good, they kept me engaged throughout, I loved reading it as it was a quick read and fun but creepy, with it just what I needed. Thank you x

[jamie d mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Be careful of who you bully online. Someone is killing Mason group of friends after they posted mean comments online.

I felt this book was longer than it should have been. I gotten rather bored with it. There was a twist at the end but it flopped.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was chilling. Not a lot of things really spook me, but this one did, and I'm still jumpy, even hours after finishing it. So spooky!

Read via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Micki-D · Rating 5 out of 5]

The body count starts rising in the small town of St. Anne and each murder is more interesting than the last one, the police struggle to piece together who is behind these serial killings. The danger ramps up fast & so do the threats.

The Mirror Man is dark it has the feel of a masked killer horror movies & I do love my Horror movies as much as my books. There was lots of twist along the way & the kills were interesting with no end of expendable people to be murder. Be careful who you say cruel things about online. The story is gripping, fast paced, suspenseful, gory & violent.

[Jacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives off Hostel meets Saw meets Scream. I enjoyed the first and second half of this book. However, after the killer is revealed it kinda lost its grip. But I did predict the killer early on. I didn’t expect the plot twist that had me second guessing myself. But the motive behind the killer reveal is weak. I do think people will enjoy this read. I would recommend this book to a friend for a quick thriller. I can definitely see this as a show.

Read through NetGalley