The Echo Man: A Novel

by Sam Holland

Overview

For fans of Harlan Coben and “Mindhunter,” Sam Holland’s chilling debut draws inspiration from infamous serial killer cases, culminating in the ultimate, heart-pounding copycat tale.

Detectives Cara Elliott and Noah Deakin are on the case of a series of seemingly unconnected murders, each different in method, but each shocking and brutal. As the body count increases, they can’t ignore the details that echo famous cases of the past—Manson, Kemper, Dahmer, and more. As Elliott and Deakin get closer to unmasking the killer, the murders are moving closer to home.
 
Meanwhile, Jessica Ambrose is on the run. She’s been implicated as the arsonist who killed her neglectful husband and injured her young daughter. With the help of disgraced and suspended detective Nate Griffin, Jess discovers a shocking link between her case and that of the ultimate copycat killer working on his horrifying masterpiece.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643859910
Publisher:	CROOKED LANE BOOKS
Publication date:	04/05/2022
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	966,309
Product dimensions:	6.60(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Sam Holland is a debut author and self-confessed serial killer geek, who lives near Southampton.

Editorial Reviews

★ 02/21/2022

Police detective Nathanial Griffin, the protagonist of British author Holland’s outstanding debut, has been suspended from the force for crossing too many lines after his wife, Mia, was raped and murdered by a home invader, who left the detective for dead. Obsessed with finding the man responsible, Griffin intervenes in another case—that of Jessica Ambrose, the prime suspect in the arson that destroyed her home and killed her spouse, Patrick. Griffin believes that that homicide is connected with Mia’s, and shelters Ambrose, whom he believes is innocent, after she flees the hospital where her own injuries were being treated. Ambrose’s discovery of other atrocities, which go back years and appear to be modeled on the Manson family murders and those committed by the Yorkshire Ripper and the Hillside Stranglers, suggests that lesser-known monsters were the inspiration for the killing of both Mia and Patrick. Gut-punches don’t come much more powerful than the grimly satisfying ending. Nail-biting suspense matches credible emotional reactions to extreme events in this exceptional thriller centered on the trope of a serial killer who models his crimes on famous serial killers of the past. Fans of Lars Kepler’s novels will be eager for Holland’s next book. Agent: Noah Ballard, Verve Talent & Literary. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Echo Man:
“Nail-biting suspense matches credible emotional reactions to extreme events in this exceptional thriller.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Debut novelist Sam Holland has produced a harrowing plot . . . The numerous plot twists along the way will keep you engaged and guessing as you try to figure out exactly what is going on.”
—BookReporter

“Echoes, yes: echoes of Lisa Gardner, of Jeffery Deaver, of Stuart MacBride – The Echo Man evokes that same classic, satisfying, red-blooded fear. But Sam Holland’s stellar debut is very much its own beast, wily and brawny and dangerous: a lethal new predator in an alluringly old-school skin.”
—AJ Finn, New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

“Dark, disturbing and totally addictive. A first class serial killer thriller from a bold new voice.”
—Chris Whitaker, award-winning author of We Begin at the End

“The Echo Man is a thrillingly paced novel that disturbs and surprises in equal measure—part police procedural and part nightmare.”
—Scott Phillips, bestselling author of The Ice Harvest

“Grisly and graphic, Sam Holland is on disturbingly good form in The Echo Man . . . will keep you gripped.”
—Jo Furniss, Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Last to Know

“The Echo Man is all at once captivating and terrifying. Sam Holland gives the darkness a full embrace in this violent and disturbing exploration of a serial killer and the broken people he leaves in his wake.” —Kate Myles, author of The Receptionist

“What a delightfully dark, wildly fun and highly original take on the serial killer thriller. Everyone should read it!”
—A. J. Park, author of The First Lie and Don’t Speak

“[An] absolute page-turner . . . shocking, clever, and utterly frightening. ”
—Elle Croft, author of The Guilty Wife

“A twisted killer, an impossible case and all too human heroes trying to solve it; The Echo Man is a page turner that will prove irresistible to crime thriller readers. Simultaneously macabre and deeply empathetic, it somehow manages to both chill your blood and warm your heart, often in the same scene. Unmissable.”
—Gabriel Bergmoser, author of The Hunted and The Inheritance

“From the first page this book will grip you by the throat, hold you suspended and let you down with bang. It’s a dark rollercoaster of a read.”
—Rachael Blok, author of The Scorched Earth and Under the Ice

“The Echo Man delivers everything you want with a psycho thriller . . . Absolutely first class!”
—James Delargy, author of 55 and Vanished

“The Echo Man takes serial killer thrillers to a new level. A deliciously dark descent into a deranged mind. Nobody is safe. This one will stay with you long after the last page.”
—Robert Scragg, author of End of the Line and What Falls Between the Cracks

“Keeps you suspended through nail-biting twists and turns until its darkly thrilling conclusion.”
—Amy McLellan, author of Remember Me

“Intelligent writing, brilliant relatable characters and a kick-arse twist in the tail.”
—Alison Belsham, author of The Tattoo Thief and The Embalmer

"Bold, bloody and brilliant . . . Reminiscent of Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon, The Echo Man is more than unsettling - it's terrifying."
—Heather Critchlow, contributor to Afraid of the Light and Afraid of the Christmas Lights

“A bonkers book that is all the more worthwhile for being bonkers . . . The Echo Man doesn't simply show the kind of sadism that is born in moral barrens, it depicts it as a reflection of real world violence that has been entered into our popular culture.”
—Dominic Nolan, author of Past Life and After Dark

From the Publisher