
Author: Catherine Ryan Howard
Published by: Blackstone Publishing on Aug. 04, 2020
Genres: Mystery/Thriller
Pages: 288
Format: Hardcover
Source: Blackstone Publishing
Book Rating: 9/10
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 …
Review:
Unsettling, intricate, and gripping!
The Nothing Man is a skillfully plotted, sinister tale that takes you into the life of Jim Doyle, an elderly security guard who appears to be an honest, loyal, happily married father of one, but behind that reluctant smile lies a depraved secret and a dark impulse to stalk, violate, and murder that only a few know about, most of whom are already dead, except for the one all those years ago who he mistakenly let get away.
The writing is sharp and crisp. The characters are secretive, cunning, and vulnerable. And the plot, using a story within a story, builds quickly, creating intensity and suspense as it unravels all the relationships, motivations, personalities, deception, and devious behaviours within it.
Overall, The Nothing Man is a fast-paced, unnerving, impressive tale by Howard that does an exceptional job of eerily reminding us that even the most heinous of evil often live comfortably amongst us, merely hidden behind masks of normality.
This novel is available now.
Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.
Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
This was a 5 star read for me. I reviewed it back in March of 2022.
Glad you also enjoyed it.