She thought she’d left her past behind. She was wrong…
Despite a childhood in the care system, Anna Price has beaten the odds and built for herself the perfect life, complete with beautiful seaside home, devoted husband and a job she loves.
Then a policeman appears at Anna’s door: her estranged brother Henry is a wanted serial killer. For the past three years, a woman has been murdered on two specific dates – one of which is Anna’s birthday. The second is now only four days away, and the police need Anna’s help to catch Henry before he strikes again.
Then an envelope turns up on her doorstep and suddenly Anna finds herself caught in a sick game, one that she remembers all too well from childhood – one that, this time, she must win at all costs…
After completing a psychology degree, Alice Hunter became an interventions facilitator in a prison. There, she was part of a team offering rehabilitation programmes to men serving sentences for a wide range of offences, often working with prisoners who'd committed serious violent crimes. Previously, Alice had been a nurse, working in the NHS. She now puts her experiences to good use in fiction. The Serial Killer’s Wife, The Serial Killer’s Daughter and The Serial Killer’s Sister all draw heavily on her knowledge of psychology and the criminal mind.
An interesting premise – a serial killer who has so far chosen his victims since the last 3 years on two particular dates. It is possible his sister can help find him, but she could be the next victim herself. A story let down by being sensationalist, poor procedurally and illogical in the last sections.
After spending many years at a children’s home with her brother Henry, Anna Price is now doing well in life. She is a teacher, who is respected and has a happy marriage. One day, DI Walker knocks on her door and tells her something shocking – her brother is a serial killer. He has made his last 5 kills on two particular dates, and the next one is less than a week away. Anna & Henry used to play a game ‘The Hunt’ which involves following clues, and it seems Henry is doing that with his kills. Anna finds envelopes with clues delivered to her home, and it looks like DI Walker is right – Henry wants her to find him or he will find her. The stress skyrockets for Anna as she also runs into trouble at work.
Some of the descriptions of the killings, while very few, are somewhat graphic. The story is told in two timelines. The pace is variant – starts with a bang, then builds gradually. The last sections work up a frenzied pace with revelations and twists. This part is especially poorly written and does not make any attempt to explain motives. There is not even sketchy coverage of police procedures of the previous murders and what has been uncovered thus far. The last sections leave a lot of prior events unexplained and rely simply on surprising the reader, but I had already formed my suspicions, nor am I a fan of this style.
Thanks to Netgalley, Avon Books UK and the author for a free electronic review copy.
While searching for top 2023 mysteries to read, I found The Serial Killer's Sister by Alice Hunter. It was available via NetGalley, and before I knew it, I'd been graciously given the book. Then I realized it was part of a series, and I hadn't read the previous two. Luckily, they are fine to read out of order, but it was a conundrum for a serialist like me. That said, I dove into the book one month before its publication date and found myself initially struggling to get into the story. Perhaps it was a super busy time for me and my mind wasn't focused, so I kept putting the iPad Kindle Reader down from being too tired. The simplicity of the language at the beginning was a turnoff, but a few chapters later, the story begins to develop and drew me further in. Overall, the book has all the required parts to be a solid suspense novel: intriguing backstory, slightly unreliable narrator voice, strange detective lurking on the case, several missing or not prominently featured people, and a murder spree with terrible notes appearing for the protagonist. The parts never quite added up to a truly strong story for me, and the savvy reader will guess the true culprit midway through. All that said, there were many great sections and I did find myself eager to find out what was going on. I'm going to take the hit on this one, noting that it could've been a four-star read if I'd been a less sleepy reader and focused on the words more closely. I will add the author to my TBR and read another of her books to determine if it was me or just a bad match.
If you’d talked to Anna Price before the policemen showed up at her door, she would have told you that it is indeed possible to move on from one’s past. After a rough childhood, Anna broke contact with her brother, found love and threw herself into a great career. She appeared to have 'surivived' her past. However, after the detectives’ visit, she’s not so sure if she ever really moved on. It seems as though her brother has found her and is taunting her by pulling her into a game that she wants no part of. Unfortunately, to maintain her life, she has to play to win. Can she do it? Does she want to remember? Does she have a choice?
Despite not reading book 2 of this series, I was still able to enjoy book 3. The same tension and build-up I loved in book 1 were still there as was the exploration of the human mind. I appreciated Anna’s point of view and the flipping between the past and present in an attempt to understand Henry’s past and understand his motive/actions. However, this time I found myself having to suspend disbelief…and I didn’t enjoy it. I also didn’t care for the details of the killings, although this is a personal preference and understandably part of a book with such a title. It has no bearing on the author’s ability to pen a great thriller!
Overall, a great read and exploration of what ‘surviving’ really means. I loved the thought-provoking moments where I questioned the concept of Karma and the ability of our mind to close out the past to help us move on.
I was gifted this copy by Avon Books UK and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
Despite a childhood in the care system, Anna Price has beaten the odds and built herself the perfect life, complete with a beautiful seaside home, devoted husband, and a job she loves. Then a policeman appears at Anna's door: her estranged brother Henry is a wanted serial killer. For the last three years, a woman has been murdered on two specific dates - one of which is Anna's birthday. The second is now only four days away, and the police need Anna's help to catch Henry before he strikes again.
This is one of those books where you trust no one and be suspicious of everyone. I liked the authors writing style in this fast-paced book. I was pulled in after reading a few pages. The suspense builds throughout. The story flips between the past - tells us about the backstory between Anna and Henry, and the present day. The story is told from Anna's point of view. Filled with so many twists you never knew what was going to happen next. I never saw the twists at the end coming. what a great ending.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #AvonBooksUK and the author #AliceHunter for my ARC of #TheSerialKillersSister in exchange for an honest review.
ARC from Netgalley- I found the story to be predictable and although there is a big plot twist at the end it's utterly nonsensical and doesn't tie in with the story as previously told. The leap of faith required is far too large to be taken.
3 stars. It might have been 4 for stars for me, simply for the fact that I was thoroughly intrigued and engrossed...then it went off the rails with the last twist. I have wracked my brain to figure out how that twist could even make sense. I went back and reread a few chapters. I sat and contemplated, and I just don't get it. Sometimes I can be a little thick-headed and not "get" what is apparent to everyone else, but I'm not seeing it. Other than that, if you are willing to overlook that fancy little nugget of twistiness in the epilogue, I think most would enjoy this.
Two massive twists at the end of this book, so I can’t complain it wasn’t entertaining but - hey - the last one doesn’t check out for me fully, sense-wise. Honestly - a truly enjoyable and well paced book with some character development, but it fell so flat on the face at the last chapter - it was unbelievable and didn’t work logic wise at all!
I can’t tell more without spoilers, but… just - no.
When I started reading the Serial Killer series it was good but unfortunately the more I read of this series I find the plots are so unbelievable. I am an intelligent woman so please don't try to pull over my eyes. Personally it's time for another subject this series has run out of steam !!!!! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Anna is a teacher at an independent school and married to Ross. Life is great until Detective Inspector Walker comes knocking on the door.
Anna's brother Henry is wanted for the murder of five women killed on two specific dates. The next date is four days from now and they want help in finding Henry.
Anna hasn't been in touch with her brother for fifteen years.
The story goes back to when Anna and Henry were in the children's home and used to play a game called "The Hunt" where Henry hides something and leaves clues or a riddle for Anna to find it. Henry is now leaving Anna clues.
A great fast paced thriller that held me riveted until the very unexpected ending.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
I received a free copy of, The Serial Killer's Sister, by Alice Hunter, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Anna is doing well for herself, until one day the cop show up to talk about her estranged brother, Henry. Is Henry a serial killer? Will he kill Anna? Such a suspenseful read, not sure if I liked it though, the main characters are not very likeable.
The third in the series but able to be read as a standalone. Anna and her brother Henry didnt have a very good start in life and spent most of their childhood in a children's home. Anna made a friend but Henry remained a loner. Having not seen her brother for 15 plus years Anna is surprised to get a visit from DI Walker, and even more surprised and shocked to hear Henry is the main suspect in 5 murders and the police need Anna's help to try and catch him. So follows a fast paced thriller with Anna trying to work out the clues Henry is sending her, at least for 90% of the book. Other readers/reviewers have mentioned the twist, and yes there is one that I certainly didn't have an inkling for but in my opinion without giving spoilers it almost bordered on the ridiculous. Having said that I did enjoy most of the book and feel that this is the best one so far
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ARC in exchange for an honest review. It has been my absolute pleasure.
Having read all of Ms Hunters books, this one was a must for me. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. Each of her books are a comfortable and easy read and this was no different. The characters are extremely well fleshed out leaving a lot to like as well as the odd nagging doubt that something isn’t quite what it seems.
The main character "Anna" is living an idyllic life when police pay her a visit to talk about some murdered women and the fact that her brother may be involved. A deadly game called ‘The Hunt’ ensues and it’s on. Between the police, the clues left and random dates, the mysteries must be solved.
Written well. Loved every second of this. Finished it in 36 hours. And the twist…….nope! Didn’t see that coming!
Anna Price is a primary school teacher. She’s married to Ross who is an estate agent. Their happy life is shattered when a detective informs Anna that her estranged brother, Henry Lincoln, is wanted for murdering five women.
Anna is shocked and the revelation unravels a surge of unwanted memories that she’s worked so hard to leave behind.
The police are desperate for Anna’s help; Henry only kills women on two dates: 15th of February and 13th of May. They suspect that he will strike again and soon. May the 13th is in four days time… Tick tock.
I absolutely loved this psychological thriller. I found it engrossing and captivating from the start all the way to the finish.
That ending – omg! I totally didn’t expect it, I was so shocked. A brilliant twist!
Der Anfang war vielversprechend, doch dann ließ es für mich leider immer weiter nach, so dass ich einen Teil der Mitte tatsächlich nur noch überflogen habe um zum Ende zu kommen.
Und das Ende war dann noch mal so ne Sache für sich.
Overall I found this story enjoyable and it was very fast paced. I found the protagonist annoying in parts and some bits were predictable. Also I am having to overlook the main twist and it just did not make sense based on how the rest of the book had been written. 3 stars anyway
Also, wtf happened to ross
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Definitely my kind of thriller. I had a double take and re-read that ending just to make sure I read it right! Nothing prepared me for the climax. But I seriously smell a plot hole now though! Also, how come Henry never mentioned the fact that they killed Anna and not his sister to Dean? Is it just me or is that super weird?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I just finished *The Serial Killer’s Sister* by Alice Hunter, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. If you liked her previous book, you’ll definitely want to give this one a shot. It’s a completely different story but still has that same gripping, suspenseful feel that kept me hooked.
I enjoyed the character of Anna. I found myself wanting to know more about her, what she was hiding, and how everything would unravel.
There were a few twists that genuinely caught me off guard, which is always a win in my book. I love when a storyline takes a turn that I didn’t see coming. It kept me guessing in a good way and made the story feel fresh and unpredictable.
Overall, it’s a solid, enjoyable read and I flew through it pretty quickly. If you’re into psychological thrillers with a touch of family drama, you’ll like this one.
This had an interesting premise and I was keen to see how events would unfold. I did enjoy the plot but I found the writing very simplistic and quite basic, unfortunately it did dampen my enjoyment of the read somewhat. However, if I put this to one side and look at the plot, I did find it thrilling and fast paced and I was keen to discover the secrets the book held. I read this very quickly as well. I liked this was set in the past and present and I enjoyed learning the secrets the characters held. I was never bored whilst reading this and it did keep my interest. Plus, the very final twist was a shocking one that really injected some last minute energy. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an advance copy.
This review is just to help me remember key points about the book. If you find it helpful or relatable that's cool too. ︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
"Family is forever. Unless he kills you first."
2 Stars ⭐️
As far as female protagonists in a murder book go, Ana is not the worst. Don't get me wrong, I'm not condoning all of her actions but I'd say she's realistic for wanting to keep her secrets buried. As early as chapter six I guessed that "the other date is when Kirsty was killed (probably accidentally) and they covered it up." So I guess they had to make up for the predictable plot line with nonsensical twists that feel like they came out of the blue. It wasn't a bad book but the ending has left me feeling bitter. I might be boring for this opinion but if there is a twist in the last chapter let alone the last sentence that changes the context of the entire book. I don't like the book anymore.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
When I saw that Alice Hunter had another book being published I was so excited. I read The Serial Killers Daughter and absolutely loved it so I couldn’t wait for this. While there is three books, they can definitely be read as standalone. (I haven’t read the first one)
I read this one quite quickly, I became so engrossed and intrigued by every chapter. It’s an addictive page turning read and one you feel like you need to know what happens.
The story starts with a shocking discovery. Anna gets a knock at the door with something unexpected and each chapter builds a picture gradually. While Anna tries to deal with this, she also has other things that happen and pretty much turn her life upside down.
An enjoyable thriller with different timelines, an interesting premise and had some good twists.
Thank you to Netgalley, Alice Hunter and Avon publishing for the advance copy to review.
Having read the other two in the series I was so excited to get a copy of this to read.
It did not disappoint. Super fast paced story told in dual timelines of then and now. We follow the story of Anna as her brother Henry plays a game of cat and mouse. Will Anna be the next victim?
Did not see the twists coming at all!!!
Excellent writing, enjoyable read. Would definitely recommend.
Absolutely loved this, devoured it in 3 days! Another great read in the series… possibly my favourite of the 3! It’s one of those books that leaves you wanting to read again with the knowledge of what’s going to happen. You’ll have to read it to really understand what I mean!
I enjoyed this one, perhaps not as much as the previous two, but I still liked it. I found myself enthralled with the storyline and it felt easy to read large amounts in one sitting.
Anna Price has enough on her mind with the impending release of the OFSTED inspection results at the school which she is a teacher at. But when a knock at her door changes everything, that suddenly seems like the last thing on her mind. DI Walker has come to inform her that the police are currently searching for her brother as they believe he is a serial killer. The news knocks Anna, who hasn’t spoken to her brother Henry since their days in care over seventeen years ago. But then, Anna always knew that Henry had the potential to do something dark like this…
The book takes us back to Anna and Henry’s time in care so that we can get a better understanding of their relationship and the traumatic events that made them who they are today. In the present, Anna’s life is falling apart around her piece by piece as she tries to track down Henry, all whilst wondering if she will be his next victim.
I struggled to like Anna and I think that’s a big part of why I didn’t click with this book as much as the other two. I was very suspicious of a certain character all the way through and clearly I had a right to be as they were definitely on the wrong side of the truth!! The ending had a big twist which left me shocked and surprised, however I did feel that it meant that the events of the book and the inner monologues from the characters didn’t quite make sense??
Dies ist der dritte Band der "die Familie der Serienkillers" Reihe und man kann die Bücher komplett unabhängig voneinander lesen. Die Geschichte hatte eine interessante Prämisse und ich war sehr gespannt, wie sich die Ereignisse entwickeln würden. Die Handlung hat mir zwar gefallen, aber ich fand den Schreibstil sehr simpel und recht einfach, was leider meinen Lesegenuss etwas gedämpft hat, da ich von den anderen zwei Büchern etwas anderes gewohnt gewesen bin. Nichtsdestotrotz ist die Handlung recht spannend und teilweise auch temporeich gewesen, aber es konnt mich diesmal nicht so ganz abholen können, auch wenn ich auf die Lösung des Geheimnis neugierig gewesen bin. Die Geschichte wird aus zwei Zeitebenen erzählt und ich fand vor allem die Vergangenheit vel interessanter und auch besser ausgearbeitet als die Gegenwart, was auch ein Grund gewesen ist, wieso die Geschichte mich nicht komplett überzeugen konnte. Das Ende und die Auflösung sind überraschend gewesen und konnte noch etwas rausholen, aber insgesamt ist es für mich der schwächste Band der Reihe, auch wenn die Geschichte nicht schlecht gewesen ist, aber sie kann einfach nicht mit den beiden anderen Geschichten mithalten.