Review: The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard
The Nothing Man
by Catherine Ryan Howard
Publisher: Blackstone
Publish Date: August 18, 2020
Hardcover
324 Pages
Standalone
Genre: Psychological Thriller
At the age of twelve, Eve Black was the only member of her family to survive an encounter with serial attacker the Nothing Man. Now an adult, she is obsessed with identifying the man who destroyed her life.
Supermarket security guard Jim Doyle has just started reading The Nothing Man--the true-crime memoir Eve has written about her efforts to track down her family's killer. As he turns each page, his rage grows. Because Jim's not just interested in reading about the Nothing Man. He is the Nothing Man.
Jim soon beings to realize how dangerously close Eve is getting to the truth. He knows she won't give up until she finds him. He has no choice but to stop her first ...
My Review:
ALL THE THRILLING STARS! Holy moly - this is the book I've been waiting for this month in the thriller category. Not only do I LOVE getting the POV of the killer, but then you throw in the killer finding a book written by his youngest survivor and now you've got two for the price of one! So thriller and true crime fans - this is THE book for you! I'm actually kicking myself for waiting so long to read this. Howard is an autobuy author for me and this is my fourth (and third 5 star) book by her. I can't recommend her books enough!
So let's get into the nitty gritty of it all. Jim Doyle, as we know from the blurb, is The Nothing Man. We get to watch him unravel as he reads the true crime book written by his victim, Eve. Could you imagine walking into a bookstore and being confronted with a book about YOU?! The way the author integrates these is nothing short of brilliant. I was equally fascinated with Eve's story as I was with watching Jim escalate.
Howard brings us a thriller where we already know who the killer is so there's no guessing on how the crime was committed or who will be revealed. Instead we are just instantly drawn into what is going to happen now that it's 20 years later. Book within a book stories are a bit of a hit or miss for me and quite honestly, this is probably one of, if not THE, best ones I've read. Obviously I recommend this book so go out and get yourself a copy... and if you already have one on your shelf, stop everything and pick it up NOW!
★★★★★
Jessica's Review:
Jessica's Review:
This book. If you’re a thriller fan that’s feeling burnt out on the genre then this is the book you NEED in your life. I’ve been a huge fan of Howard since I picked up DISTRESS SIGNALS and I haven’t been disappointed yet! This one is everything I needed and wanted.
The only survivor from a serial killer writes a true crime novel detailing her investigation and the killer begins to read it and quickly realizes how close she really is to finding him. You know from the very beginning who the killer is and it was so intriguing seeing him follow along in the book. We got snippets of her book and then from the killer’s POV throughout. This made for a suspenseful and thrilling read and I loved both perspectives. Get me into the mind of the killer any time!
Clearly this is one I highly recommend and its made my top books for 2020 list. Howard firmly remains an auto-buy author for me and if you’re desperate for a thriller that will stand out from the rest, then you need this book in your life.
5 stars
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