Synopsis:

The son of a serial killer must reconcile with his own dark past and stop a new string of murders

William MacNary was eight years old when his father went to prison. Since then, he’s carefully built a life as a family man and a private banker for the wealthy. He tries to forget that his father dismembered and photographed thirteen women. And he tries to forget those exquisitely composed photos of severed hands, heads, and feet that launched the “murderabilia” art market.

William has not spoken to his father for thirty-one years. No one at his tony bank knows whose son he is. Not until his wife’s colleague is murdered and carved up in the same way his father would have done it.

All the evidence points to William. And only one person can understand the copycat killer–the monster William hasn’t seen since he was a child.

Publication date: 1st August 2019

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2781691032

This is an excellently written serial killer with a twist.

The main character, William, is the son of a famous serial killer. After his father was arrested 30 years ago, he’s had to build himself a life with the shattered pieces of everything he thought he knew. This isn’t something I’ve really considered in any detail before – what is life like for the innocent family members of a murderer? Especially in the age of the internet when nothing really dies and nobody gets to hide.

William is wrongfully arrested when suspicion falls on him following the death of a young woman, everyone assumes it’s a case of like-father-like-son. Now he has to deal with the psychological scars of his past while trying to prove his innocence and find a murderer.

There’s a definite Hannibal Lecter influence in this book, which works for me because I’m a huge fan of the series, but this book is cleverly written in its own right. It’s a tense and suspenseful whodunnit novel, secrets from William’s past are gradually revealed as the story progresses and finally culminate in a strong ending that surpassed all my expectations.

One extra note from me is that it was quite thought provoking, not something I usually expect from a book about murder! It made me question whether or not it’s possible to sympathise with a murderer, if there’s ever a justification for murder and the role of death in art.
If you enjoy crime thrillers and serial killer stories, you’re going to love this one. It’s the right amount of gory and disturbing!