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The K: A serial killer novel
He loves her too much to kill her.
That’s what makes her dangerous.
When thirteen-year-old Jeremiah goes frog hunting in rural Ohio, he stumbles upon something he was never meant to see. In that moment, something inside him fractures, quietly, permanently. The boy who comes home is not the one who left.
Loss follows. Then isolation. Then the slow erosion of right and wrong.
As Jeremiah grows, so does the darkness living inside him, patient, persuasive, impossible to silence. He learns how it feels to give in. How power hums beneath the skin. How control is an illusion that tastes like freedom. When he finally embraces his deepest urges, an entire world opens to him… one that begins to consume him from the inside out.
Then he meets Victoria.
She disrupts the careful order of his darkness. She awakens something dangerously close to hope. Jeremiah tells himself she might save him, but love has never stopped a monster before.
How long can he hold back what he’s become?
And when the darkness finally wins, will there be anything left of the boy who once existed?
If you crave dark, unsettling psychological suspense, The K will pull you into the unraveling mind of a serial killer and refuse to let go. This is not a story about redemption. It’s about obsession, inevitability, and the terrifying question of whether love can survive evil or only delay it.
Download today.
But be The K will keep you awake long after the final page and linger even longer in your thoughts.
That’s what makes her dangerous.
When thirteen-year-old Jeremiah goes frog hunting in rural Ohio, he stumbles upon something he was never meant to see. In that moment, something inside him fractures, quietly, permanently. The boy who comes home is not the one who left.
Loss follows. Then isolation. Then the slow erosion of right and wrong.
As Jeremiah grows, so does the darkness living inside him, patient, persuasive, impossible to silence. He learns how it feels to give in. How power hums beneath the skin. How control is an illusion that tastes like freedom. When he finally embraces his deepest urges, an entire world opens to him… one that begins to consume him from the inside out.
Then he meets Victoria.
She disrupts the careful order of his darkness. She awakens something dangerously close to hope. Jeremiah tells himself she might save him, but love has never stopped a monster before.
How long can he hold back what he’s become?
And when the darkness finally wins, will there be anything left of the boy who once existed?
If you crave dark, unsettling psychological suspense, The K will pull you into the unraveling mind of a serial killer and refuse to let go. This is not a story about redemption. It’s about obsession, inevitability, and the terrifying question of whether love can survive evil or only delay it.
Download today.
But be The K will keep you awake long after the final page and linger even longer in your thoughts.
208 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 14, 2026
25 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Dawn Merriman
52 books228 followersDawn Merriman lives in northeastern Indiana on a small pig farm with her husband and teenage children. She enjoys animals, auctions, reading, snorkeling and writing small town murder mystery novels. Dawn Merriman completed her first novel in Middle School and a few others in High School and college. She won 1st place in the Northeast Indiana Young Writers short story contest in 1990. After a writing hiatus to raise her children, she published her debut novel, "How Murder Saved My Life" in 2019.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 19, 2026
Jeremiah White is a creepy dude. This book is totally different than her past books.
January 25, 2026
A fast paced read from multiple POVs, including a murderer’s! This is dark, disturbing, twisted, yet… beautiful. You’ll be afraid yet attached to Jeremiah in an instant. This is perfect for fans of Dexter and Hannibal. With that being said, proceed with caution - there’s suicide, murder, taxidermy, blood, and grossly weird and creepy murderer characteristics. Seriously, if you’re a freckled girl, beware ⚠️ I think the most intriguing part of this book was the very end. Victoria’s final admittance of loving Jeremiah… and the author possibly giving Jeremiah a sequel?!
I listened to this book on audible and enjoyed the different voices.
I listened to this book on audible and enjoyed the different voices.
February 2, 2026
Another Great Thriller from beginning to end.
Dawn Merriman writes the most phenomenal heart pounding, non stop reading mysteries of all time. I have read several of her novels and this is one of the best. Read it in 2 days and found it difficult to put down. What better way to read a story thru the eyes of the killer.
Dawn Merriman writes the most phenomenal heart pounding, non stop reading mysteries of all time. I have read several of her novels and this is one of the best. Read it in 2 days and found it difficult to put down. What better way to read a story thru the eyes of the killer.
January 25, 2026
The first I read from Merriman were her Rylan Flynn mysteries. It was at this point I decided that I'd read anything this woman wrote because they were so bloody good!
K couldn't be any further away from those books if it tried. It's got Ed Gein vibes running all the way. A man with an obsession with skin. Freckled skin to be precise. Skin that takes him down a path from which there is no return.
It's a fairly short read that I eagerly devoured in one sitting when the ARC hit my inbox.
Narrated in first person from multiple perspectives; we get to venture inside the mind of Jeremiah White, a man fast spiralling into inescapable insanity. His thirst to kill unsatiable. Victoria Burkmeyer, the woman he loves whose skin he loves more. Her excitement at being treated like one of his victims decidedly weird, but plausible. And Savanah McCleary, the cop who caught a killer and ended his reign.
An addictively good read with a great plot and fantastic characters.
Bloody loved it!
K couldn't be any further away from those books if it tried. It's got Ed Gein vibes running all the way. A man with an obsession with skin. Freckled skin to be precise. Skin that takes him down a path from which there is no return.
It's a fairly short read that I eagerly devoured in one sitting when the ARC hit my inbox.
Narrated in first person from multiple perspectives; we get to venture inside the mind of Jeremiah White, a man fast spiralling into inescapable insanity. His thirst to kill unsatiable. Victoria Burkmeyer, the woman he loves whose skin he loves more. Her excitement at being treated like one of his victims decidedly weird, but plausible. And Savanah McCleary, the cop who caught a killer and ended his reign.
An addictively good read with a great plot and fantastic characters.
Bloody loved it!
February 1, 2026
Amazing!
Im shocked at the different tone Dawn Merriman wrote this in. It is very different from her other books. Also refreshing to read as the POV is from the serial killer. Dont find many that do that. It was pretty creepy and at times I found myself having a hard time reading the details. I was worried at how a in depth book loke this would be wrapped up in short book but she did it again. Leaves you open to possibilities.
Im shocked at the different tone Dawn Merriman wrote this in. It is very different from her other books. Also refreshing to read as the POV is from the serial killer. Dont find many that do that. It was pretty creepy and at times I found myself having a hard time reading the details. I was worried at how a in depth book loke this would be wrapped up in short book but she did it again. Leaves you open to possibilities.
January 20, 2026
Actually felt in the mind of the killer
Wow, what an amazing book! I truly felt what the serial killer was feeling, and saw from his eyes. I can't remember ever being totally absorbed into a book like this before. Masterfully written!
Wow, what an amazing book! I truly felt what the serial killer was feeling, and saw from his eyes. I can't remember ever being totally absorbed into a book like this before. Masterfully written!
January 22, 2026
Another GREAT Thriller!
This book tells the story of a man with so many issues. I loved that it switched to different character’s perspectives. The descent into becoming a serial killer is so interesting. I look forward to reading more books from Dawn Merriman!
This book tells the story of a man with so many issues. I loved that it switched to different character’s perspectives. The descent into becoming a serial killer is so interesting. I look forward to reading more books from Dawn Merriman!
January 29, 2026
I have read and love this author some other series and read this one but this typed is really not on my style! I really don’t know if this is the kind of thinking serial killers have and the way they start but again not for me so if it’s your style happy for you! Thanks to the author for sharing
February 5, 2026
Serial killer with empathy
Quite a departure from the other books I have have read from tnis author.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though there's a tease at the end, which will keep me wondering for awhile.
Definitely give this one a read.
Quite a departure from the other books I have have read from tnis author.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though there's a tease at the end, which will keep me wondering for awhile.
Definitely give this one a read.
January 16, 2026
Wow, this is one intense book. The main character is someone you feel bad for even as you fear him. Once again, Wow!
February 2, 2026
extra twisted
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews