Turns out that reading nothing but true crime isn't exactly conducive to modern dating—and one woman is going to have to learn how to give love a chance when she's used to suspecting the worst.
PhD candidate Phoebe Walsh has always been obsessed with true crime. She's even analyzing the genre in her dissertation—if she can manage to finish writing it. It's hard to find the time while she spends the summer in Florida, cleaning out her childhood home, dealing with her obnoxiously good-natured younger brother, and grappling with the complicated feelings of mourning a father she hadn't had a relationship with for years.
It doesn't help that she's low-key convinced that her new neighbor, Sam Dennings, is a serial killer (he may dress business casual by day, but at night he's clearly up to something). It's not long before Phoebe realizes that Sam might be something much scarier—a genuinely nice guy who can pierce her armor to reach her vulnerable heart.
Love In the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson is such a great book. It is definitely a five star book! We meet our main characters right away. I don’t know if I would call it a cute meet. I know our heroine, Phoebe would not have thought so. They are temporary neighbors and one of them is a serial killer. Well, not really, but to a sleep deprived, on a dissertation deadline, just moving back to her deceased father's home to empty it person like Phoebe everyone is suspect. Especially handsome, mysterious, too nice to be true guys who could easily pass for Ted Bundy who happens to live right next door. Sam, the neighbor aka The Midnight Mover (her words, not mine) fits every profile she’s ever read, and she’s read them all and watched every true crime, forensic TV show there is. Maybe it is time to step back from her doctoral dissertation on true crime for a bit.
Let’s clarify a few points. Phoebe is more than just a true crimes aficionado. Her obsession is part of her defense mechanism at letting anyone close to her. Her father’s death brings her back to her childhood home. It wasn’t a particularly happy childhood with her parents fighting and divorcing which tore the family in two. She went to live with her mother. Her brother Conner lived with their father. Weekend visits dwindled away as she grew older. Her parents were angry people and, worst of all, indifferent in their affection to their children.
She felt all of this deeply. She internalized it all. She lost friendships because of it all. Her brother Conner seems to have worked through it better than she did. He is the sounding board she never knew she needed as they work to clear out the house.
Sam lives in the house next door. He helps her out from time to time, revealing himself not as one of the many, hilarious serial killer names. He is an elementary school music teacher. Yes, quite the cover. It’s always the nice, quiet ones that end up on America’s Most Wanted, right? Except Sam is more the hot, do it yourself guy you’d find on HGTV!
Sam finally breaches her defenses but Phoebe
still balks at anything that smacks of forever. I really struggled with what I
thought was a heartbreaking ending but Alicia’s writing had me at the edge of
my seat! There was more - there is always more! I have to say I really enjoyed the
banter between characters and there was such a growth of characters. I highly
recommend picking up Love in the Time of Serial Killers. I look forward to
reading more books by this author, too.
You have made this sound like a fun read. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the review. This sounds like a slightly different take on this story line. It will be interesting to see how she develops the characters and their relationship.
ReplyDeleteI totally want to read this book. This sounds hysterical.
ReplyDeleteI’m intrigued.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely sounds like a fun read!
ReplyDelete