“When Cyra Griffin’s younger sister is murdered by a serial killer, Cyra knows better than to expect justice from the hands of the police department. With the investigation already dying its own slow death, Cyra follows the blood trail and finds her own way forward.

Using insider information (don’t ask), Cyra infiltrates a support group for serial killers by pretending to be one herself in the hopes of finding the person who ended her sister’s life. Proving herself to them comes at a cost, but it’s one Cyra is willing to pay in the name of revenge.

But the dangerous men in the group aren’t the only obstacle in Cyra’s path for vengeance, and the further Cyra descends into the deadly world of serial killers, the harder it becomes to hold on to her own humanity.”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of Serial Killer Support Group by Saratoga Schaefer. Serial Killer Support Group will be published by Bedford Square Publishers later this week on Thursday 20th November 2025 and will be available in paperback, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free eARC of Serial Killer Support Group but that has in no way influenced my review.

This book has been on my radar for a while now. It was published at the start of the year in the US, and I knew, as soon as I saw it, I had to get hold of a copy. I even included it on a list of my anticipated reads publishing in the second half of 2025. Cyra, a young, grief-stricken woman, manages to infiltrate a group of serial killers who meet weekly to discuss their ‘issues’. Not how ashamed they feel of their evil ways. Nor how to change their despicable urges. But how best to dispose of a body! Her sister was recently murdered, and the police, who don’t seem to be putting a lot of effort into catching the killer, are leaning towards it being the work of a serial killer. So Cyra decides her best course of action is to go straight to the black heart of the problem. Her plan is to get to know the killers in the group a little better and see if she can work out which one of them killed Mira, her sister. It’s a ridiculous, reckless move. Cyra is knowingly walking into a nest of vipers with her crazy plan. But it’s a price she’ll happily pay to find out who murdered Mira. Even if it ends up being the death of her…

First things first: fiction, in my opinion, doesn’t need to be realistic. Someone once said, if EastEnders were about real life, it would have been cancelled years ago. It would be so mundane and so boring that no one would tune in multiple times a week. The same goes for fiction, or the fiction I want to read. Saying that, if you do prefer the books you read to be realistic, this isn’t the book for you. It’s a bit on the bonkers side. Personally, I found myself shaking my head at a lot of Cyra’s choices throughout the novel, wondering how she could make such an epically misguided decision. I mean, kudos to her for having the courage and conviction to do what she does, but….wow!

Throughout the book are chapters where the focus is on one of the support group killers. You find out a little more about them, what led them down such a dark and depraved path. This all helps add meat to the bones of their characters. I found these chapters fascinating. The more time Cyra spends with the group, the more the darkness that surrounds them bleeds into her own life. Her intention, after all, is to kill the person who murdered her sister. Is she really all that different to the person she’s hunting?

Cyra is an interesting character. I didn’t like her. I don’t think she’s written to be likeable. But I did sympathise with her. Her relationship with her sister, Mira, is interesting too. It felt very one-sided to me. Mira did things to Cyra that were pretty unforgivable. But when Cyra did something equally as unforgivable to Mira, she shut her sister out of her life. This was shortly before her death, which is why Cyra is so determined to find Mira’s killer. I think that relationship, its blatant imperfections, felt like the cornerstone of the book to me.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Serial Killer Support Group is an intriguing thriller that held my attention from start to finish with lots of well-written suspense and a great denouement. I was so looking forward to this book, and I do think my expectations of it were a little high. Perhaps too high. Saying that, I will be first in line for whatever Saratoga Schaefer writes next. I loved that the book had a strong female lead character. I found her a little cartoonish at times (of course, she’s a highly accomplished MMA fighter!) but I became invested in her journey and her search for the truth. I liked the cat-and-mouse set-up the author created between Cyra and one of the killers in the group (the young, good-looking, charming one!). A pact to help each other that was written on the flimsiest of paper. I enjoyed the build-up of suspense and the heightening peril. All in all, an enjoyable if slightly bonkers thriller that is entertaining throughout. Interesting characters, lots of lovely tension and an intriguing plotline. Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Serial Killer Support Group. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Serial Killer Support Group by Saratoga Schaefer was published in the UK by Bedford Square Publishers on 20th November 2025 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 |

Saratoga Schaefer (they/them) is a thriller and horror author. They have a background in marketing, PR, film, and wellness, and spends a great deal of time hiking mountains and climbing rocks. Originally from Brooklyn, Saratoga now lives upstate with several needy animals and a haunted clown table.