“He watches your every move

We’ve all experienced it. That creeping sensation of eyes on your back, the faint echo of footsteps following yours.

He controls you

Across the country, a madman is carefully choosing his victims. Once he has you in his sights, he won’t let go.

He will make you pay

You think you’re in control of your own life? Think again. Because The Puppet Master is coming for you, and he won’t stop until you’re dead…”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The Puppet Master by Sam Holland. The Puppet Master was published by Hemlock Press on 9th May 2024 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free eARC of The Puppet Master but that has in no way influenced my review.

Before I go any further with this review there’s something I need to tell you. If you’ve been visiting the blog over the last couple of months you will be aware that I’ve been on a bit of an unplanned, six-month hiatus following surgery. Unplanned because all of a sudden my blogging mojo hit the floor. I was reading lots of brilliant books, I just wasn’t reviewing anything. And then, after a while, my reading mojo took a hit too. So this book, The Puppet Master, I actually read in May 2024. I do remember the book well and I did take notes but this review, and many others you’ll see over the next few months, will be A LOT shorter than my usual, going-on-for-days (🤭), reviews! A short review is better than no review at all, am I right?!

The Puppet Master by Sam Holland is the third book in the Major Crimes series. I’ve read, and thoroughly enjoyed, the first two books with the second book, The Twenty, featuring on my top books of 2023 list. The Puppet Master was one of my most eagerly anticipated reads of 2024 and oh boy, it did not disappoint. The first thing you need to know about this series is that it is not for the feint of heart. It’s gruesome, it’s gritty and it doesn’t hold back like many others in the genre do. You need a strong stomach to read these books (thinking about one aspect of The Twenty still makes me a little queasy!). I think that is why this is one of my favourite crime series out there at the moment. The Puppet Master is a brilliant addition to what is proving to be a must read series for crime fans. DCI Cara Elliot is back and joined by DS Jamie Hoxton. Something you find quite often in crime fiction is that the core investigating team tends to stay the same. That is not the case in this series. The first book featured Elliot, the second book moved away from Elliot and focussed on DS Jamie Hoxton and his DCI. Now Elliot and Hoxton are teaming up to catch a sadistic, manipulative killer. I loved the character development. I love how unusual and different this series feels to everything else out there. And I love how twisted and dark Holland’s plots are. I’m excited to see where the author takes book four which is out later this year. Would I recommend this book? You bet I would! If you love a serial killer thriller then what are you waiting for? Dark, disturbing and utterly thrilling from start to finish. Highly recommended.

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

The Puppet Master by Sam Holland was published in the UK by Hemlock Press on 9th May 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 | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

20201104 Copyright James Robinson

Sam Holland is the award-winning author of the Major Crimes series, following detectives as they investigate murders committed by brutal serial killers in the south of England. Her debut, The Echo Man, shocked and enthralled readers and reviewers alike with its sinister depiction of a serial killer copying notorious real-life murderers of the past.

Her books have been published in 14 countries worldwide, including the US, Germany and the Netherlands, where she became the first author to win the Bronze Bat for her debut and the Silver Bat for best thriller in consecutive years at the Nederlands Thrillerfestival.

The Puppet Master is her third novel and is out now. It will be followed by The Countdown Killer in June 25.

She also writes as Louisa Scarr and is the author of the Butler and West crime series, beginning with Last Place You Look and ending with Out of the Ashes. A new series, about a police dog handler, launched in July 2024 with Gallows Wood. The second in the series, Memorial Park, is out in Feb 2025.