A DARK PAST

Dr Olivia Winter is a forensic psychologist whose job is to understand the minds of serial killers. There’s only one monster she can’t understand, her father.

A NEW IDENTITY

Notorious and brutal, he held a reign of terror until he was caught. His nine-year-old daughter was supposed to be his last victim, but she survived.

A SERIAL KILLER WHO WILL STOP AT NOTHING

Now, a serial killer is stalking the streets of London. As the body count rises, the police need Olivia’s help to profile him before he can strike again. But to do so, she will need to confront her own demons…

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My Thoughts

Thank you HarperCollins UK for the gifted eARC for review considerations.  All opinions expressed here are mine alone.

What to Expect:
🔪 Serial killers
🔪 Criminal Psychologist
🔪 Police procedural

🫶 What worked for me…
I am a huge fan of true crime, and I’m also fascinated by the psychology, behavior, and genetic makeup behind what makes a human take the life of another. Considering some of these are major themes in this book, that is truly the reason why this book caught my attention. With that being said, “The Mind of a Murderer” by Michael Wood, although fictional and at times far-fetched, was highly entertaining. While venturing into this book, I became immersed in the narrative with the disturbing relationships between the killer and his victims. It was shocking, suspenseful, and thought-provoking too. 

Although the ending was semi-predictable, I did enjoy the author’s placement of red herrings throughout the story. Wood did a great job leading the reader on a wild goose chase with Olivia and DI Foley.

🤷‍♀️ What didn’t work for me…
I did find a few minor issues with this book, nothing severe enough to warrant losing more than one star. Considering the enjoyment of this book outweighs the negatives.

Firstly, in the beginning of the book, the conversations with Olivia and other characters were unusual. My initial impression of Olivia was that she was somewhat of a loner who preferred her own company. In contrast, the way she would approach unfamiliar characters and ask deep-rooted questions was odd to me. However, those interactions seemed to level off as I got further into the story.

Secondly, I was slightly put off by Olivia’s brazen attempt at preserving her own ego towards the end of the book. She is a criminal psychologist, and I would assume she would recognize this danger. In conclusion, I thought it was a slightly cheap attempt at ending the story.

🤔 Would I recommend it…
Yes, I would recommend this book! Especially to anyone who enjoys police procedurals, true crime, and/or a great mystery. Please check trigger warnings before reading, as there are quite a lot.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5