Review: The Serial Killer’s Sister (The Serial Killer's Family #3) by Alice Hunter

                 

Print Length: 348 pages

Publisher: Avon Harper's Collins (May 11, 2023)

From Goodreads.com: She thought she’d left her past behind.

She was wrong…

Despite a childhood in the care system, Anna Price has beaten the odds and built for herself the perfect life, complete with beautiful seaside home, devoted husband and a job she loves.

Then a policeman appears at Anna’s door: her estranged brother Henry is a wanted serial killer. For the past three years, a woman has been murdered on two specific dates – one of which is Anna’s birthday. The second is now only four days away, and the police need Anna’s help to catch Henry before he strikes again.

Then an envelope turns up on her doorstep and suddenly Anna finds herself caught in a sick game, one that she remembers all too well from childhood – one that, this time, she must win at all costs…

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My Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

To begin with, don't let the title fool you. While this is the third book about a member of a serial killer's family, each of the books focuses on a different killer within a different family, so you don't have to have read either of the previous two in order to enjoy this one. Personally, I have read the other two and did not enjoy them for a variety of reasons. But, I decided because the premise of this one sounded so good, I would take the chance and give it a read. And honestly? 

I enjoyed this one a lot more than I did the other two. 

Sure, it wasn't without its issues (some of which I am hoping were corrected between the ARC I received and the finished product), but on the whole, it was a pleasant read that kept me engaged until the end. Because I want to end on a positive note with this one, let me start with the things I didn't like. 

The first thing that comes to mind is a pet peeve of mine that I know a few of my regular followers also share, and that is the fact that the author repeatedly refers to Anna's "tummy" being in knots. Tummy is fine when it is a child speaking, but I have yet to meet a grown adult who refers to their stomach as their tummy. I have always hated the use of this word in relation to adults, so it was annoying for me to see it repeated so often. 

Another issue I had was the way this one would jump around without warning. One minute we are back at the children's home in a memory, or we are seeing things from the twisted mind of the serial killer, and the next one of the characters is speaking or doing something in the present day without warning. I noticed this a couple of times, once to the point where I thought Anna herself was the killer because of the way it jumped focus. 

However, what really saved this one was the holy shit double whammy that happened in terms of twists and surprises during the last part of the book. I can honestly say that I did not see those coming! 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

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                                         The Serial Killer’s Sister is available on Amazon.com