“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…”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The Mind of a Murderer by Michael Wood. The Mind of a Murderer is published by One More Chapter today (that’s Thursday 28th March 2024) and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free eARC of The Mind of a Murderer but that has in no way influenced my review.

A serial killer is stalking the streets of London, preying on single women in their homes. The killer, being forensically aware, leaves no trace behind leaving the Metropolitan Police at a loss. With the timespan between each murder reducing at a rapid rate, the police decide to turn to Dr Olivia Winter, a forensic psychologist for help. But Olivia doesn’t get involved with active cases. She prefers dealing with killers when they’re locked up behind bars. However, with this killer, things have suddenly become very personal. With her own tragic history weighing her down, can Olivia help the Met catch one of London’s most prolific serial killers before the body count rises even further…?

The Mind of a Murderer is an intriguing, pacy serial killer thriller and the start of a brand new series from one of my favourite authors. If you’re a regular visitor to the blog then you may have seen me mention DCI Matilda Darke before. I’ve read all but one (weirdly the first one!) of the series so far and I will continue to read them for as long as Michael Wood writes them. They’re dark, shocking and I really enjoy the way Wood torments his characters — killing one off here, changing another’s life forever there. He really puts his characters through the mill! So I was excited to read The Mind of a Murderer and meet new creation, Dr Olivia Winter. There are plenty of Wood’s trademark shocks and surprises present. But there are also quite a few differences which make this new character distinct. The most obvious is that Olivia is a forensic psychologist (yes, I did Google what a forensic psychologist does – just to be sure) rather than your run-of-the-mill detective. I thought this was an interesting choice and gave the book a very different feel to other serial killer thrillers I’ve read recently. Particularly as Olivia repeatedly tells her police colleagues that she’s not a profiler but then, in the next breath, delivers a profile of the killer. Makes for a good reading though!

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Mind of a Murderer is a well-paced, compulsive start to what promises to be an intriguing new series. I found Olivia to be an interesting but slightly frustrating character. I had a couple of niggles about her that I just couldn’t shake. First though, I need to give some background. Olivia was nine-years-old when her otherwise loving father was unmasked as a serial killer. He brutally killed Olivia’s mother and her younger sister. Olivia walked in on the carnage but managed to escape the house. However, her father found her and wanting to finish the job off, stabbed her four times in the shoulder. She hasn’t seen her serial killer father for twenty-five years. I don’t understand how, with her past, she has taken the career path she has. She’s clearly highly traumatised by her past (who wouldn’t be??!) so it felt like an odd choice. I know it’s only fiction but it just didn’t sit right with me. I hope that by the time book two is available, I will have gotten over my initial reservations. Olivia’s best friend is killed fairly early on in the book. She sheds a tear or two and then gets stuck into the investigation. Later on in the book a man Olivia hardly knows dies, yet Olivia is consumed with grief. A tidal wave of tears and anger at the death of an almost stranger who caused her actual harm. I found it all very peculiar. I keep telling myself it was an accumulation of grief over time, but I’m not sure. Please don’t get me wrong, these are all small niggles that most people won’t mind in the slightest. I’ve been very nit-picky here. I’ve had a look at other reviews for this book and they tend to be five stars all the way. I did enjoy the plot. I wasn’t able to guess whodunit and I liked the set-up. I would recommend this book to crime fiction fans who don’t mind a little sauciness in their reads (Olivia is a woman with needs!). Also good if you’re looking for a different take on a serial killer case rather than the traditional detective (although there are plenty of traditional detectives present!). I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series. Michael Wood is a fantastic author and I am a huge fan of his work. I feel perhaps he has laid the groundwork and now it’s time to really build the character on book one’s foundations.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Mind of a Murderer. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Mind of a Murderer by Michael Wood was published in the UK by One More Chapter on 28th March 2024 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | Foyles | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Michael Wood is the author of the DCI Matilda Darke series of crime novels set in his home city of Sheffield. As of 2022, there are ten books in the series with three prequel novellas. He also writes standalone psychological thrillers which are produced exclusively with Audible. The Seventh Victim and Vengeance Is Mine are already available, with two more coming in 2023 and 2024.

He is a former journalist and reviews crime fiction novels for CrimeSquad.