The Nothing Man

I've read Catherine Ryan Howard's work in the past and so I knew I was in for a cracker of a read with The Nothing Man. I didn't expect something quite so innovative and cunning as this though.

For this is a book within a book. We begin with a man, a security guard, who we know is The Nothing Man. The blurb tells us this so it's definitely not a spoiler. He's reading a book, one he spotted at the supermarket where he works. That book is The Nothing Man! It's a true crime book about his own crimes, told by Eve Black, the only survivor out of her family who were murdered by The Nothing Man.

Clever right? Eve's book is actually embedded into the book so that we read exactly what Jim reads. It took me a little time to settle fully into the show more two different styles of writing (one true crime and factual in style and the other very much fiction) but once I had a handle on that I was away and fully engrossed in the whole thing.

It's not hard to imagine what a serial killer might feel upon reading about his crimes for the first time in twenty years. Excited, wary, nervous, energised. I was all of these things too. Also scared! This is not a book to read in bed, at night, not if you want to get any sleep anyway.

The Nothing Man is a fast-paced and exhilarating read, with layer upon layer of thrills and spills to delight the reader. I think the author has done something very clever here, something unique. Don't have nightmares folks! show less

Catherine Ryan Howard was inspired to write The Nothing Man after reading the bestselling true crime book entitled I'll Be Gone In the Dark by the late Michelle McNamara. Having read that book last year, the inspiration is clear and the 'nothing man' bears a striking resemblance to former Police Officer Joseph James DeAngelo.

Having said that, Howard definitely holds her own. I was hooked by the very first page of this crime thriller, and her writing had me looking forward to the book each night and tearing through the pages.

Eve Black survived the 'nothing man' when at just 12 years of age, he entered their house and murdered her parents and younger sister. Having survived by hiding, Eve is whisked away after the murders to escape the show more public interest and changes her name.

Eve is now an adult still coming to terms with her past and when she submits an essay for a writing course, it quickly turns into a true crime account of her survival and the crimes attributed to the nothing man. Jim Doyle is a supermarket security guard and we learn immediately that he's the subject of Eve's book. He's the 'nothing man' and he's livid about the book.

The writing was compelling and the combination of Eve Black's 'true crime' memoir (inspired by a real case) interspersed with Eve's point of view as well as Jim's made for a gripping read. The chapter transitions left me hanging and the 'book within a book' format was executed perfectly.

The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard is a gripping thriller with a genuine surprise towards the back half of the book that I definitely did NOT see coming. Highly recommended for fans of crime, true crime and thrillers.

* Copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin * show less

I really enjoyed this creative thriller written as a book inside a book. Though Eve's motivation for writing becomes evident to the read long before it is officially revealed, that doesn't in any way take away from the mystery. The characters are engaging and realistic, and I couldn't put the book down once i started reading. It would have been a five star read but for an incongruity at the end that I won't spoil here - suffice to say a character indicates an awareness of something that they have no way to know given the denouement as presented. Still, that is a small niggle as it doesn't actually impact the resolution of the mystery, just of the aftermath. 4 stars.

This was a blind-date book, and at first, I thought, "Ugh. Not another serial killer novel." But this one is a bit different, both in its style and its content. There is a frame narrative, where the killer is reading the book written by one of his victims who escaped. I also liked that the killer is not an evil genius with elaborate rituals and kill sites, and who is not always three steps ahead of the police.

Contrary to popular opinion, I didn't love this book.

The writing is excellent, the premise is intriguing, but the execution didn't work for me.

Much of this book reads exactly like nonfiction, as Jim Doyle is "reading" Eve Black's true crime book about the murder of her entire family. In fact, the experience, for me, was a lot like reading the nonfiction book I'll Be Gone in the Dark, right down to the fictional killer's resemblance to the Golden State Killer. But this is a novel, not nonfiction, which brings me to my other problem.

I didn't feel any emotional connection at all. Eve's character doesn't invite us in to experience the turmoil someone in her situation should have felt. Instead, her part feels predictable and events are too show more convenient. Jim, The Nothing Man, is exactly that, a nothing of a man. He's dull, uninteresting, not even average.

And that brings me to my final grumbling point. Eve talks to a psychologist, who lectures her about killers being dull and uninteresting. And this comes across as a lecture to us, the readers. We're told that we turn killers into celebrities, elevating them to god status, when in reality they're ordinary, even boring. To prove this point, we're presented with The Nothing Man, a serial killer who is the quintessential boring human.

I can't say more without spoilers, but in the end I just didn't buy into the way the plot unfolded or the reasoning behind several events.

But most readers are raving about this book, so please ignore me and give it a try if the premise appeals to you.

*I received a review copy from the publisher, via NetGalley.* show less

I loved this as an audiobook - the story within the story. One little girl survived the night a serial killer attacked her family, killing everyone but her. She doesn't know why he left her alive. He also stopped his spree that night and Eve, the girl left alive, has never understood why. With no evidence left behind and no other attacks after hers, Eve was left to grow up without her family or the answers of why this guy killed them.

But that stops now. She's writing a story, telling her side of what happened that night, because she wants to catch him. This was such a dark but interesting story. The stories about what he did, the rapes and attacks were pretty rough to read. It'd dual POV and you also get the POV of the killer and a peak show more into his life now as well as Eve. I liked seeing it from both perspectives. It was a story that held my attention, kept me wanting to know more even if I guessed a few things right. It was such a fun ride! I really appreciate this author and her style. show less

Eve Black survived a violent attack on her family but the killer was never caught. Now she has wrote a book about her experience and the killer is reading it

I really enjoyed this book. I found the story very compelling and fast paced that I just wanted to keep reading it to find out what was going to happen.

It's always hard to review thrillers without giving too much away so all I can really say about this book is that it was different and fresh. Good thrillers need to stand out and have something different as a lot of them are along the same lines.

This one I really enjoyed but I did find the end a little bit nice and neat but there was a little twist. This is the second book by this author I have read and have enjoyed both so will show more read more in the future.

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the book to review. show less