In an isolated room in Hollowpines, an infamous psychiatric hospital, Joe Sinclair is confessing to a violent murder.
An impossible crime
Locked away, Joe couldn’t possibly have killed the man, so how does he know so many of the horrifying details?
A detective at her limits
Suspended after a colleague was stabbed on her watch, DC Abby Fox has only just returned to work. But at Hollowpines, she must find out what really happened and how exactly Joe is involved.
Is he to blame, or the only one who can stop the killer?“
Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The Killer in Room Five by Sam Holland. The Killer in Room Five was published by Hemlock Press on 21st May 2026 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free eARC of The Killer in Room Five but that has in no way influenced my review.
I love how Sam Holland tells a story. I love that Holland’s books are often gruesome, unapologetically dark and always, always shocking. Her characters are put through the wringer more often than not. These are all things I really appreciate in crime fiction. Holland has quickly become a ‘must-read’ author, with The Killer in Room Five being another of my most anticipated 2026 releases. I’m still not entirely sure whether this is book five in the Major Crimes Series. I think it may be, as it’s set in the same general location as the first four books and Holland’s current author bio claims it is. Saying that, though, there are no returning characters as far as I could see. Same universe, different characters.
DC Abby Fox is returning to work after a suspension, where a colleague on her watch was stabbed. She is not well liked amongst her colleagues so when a call comes in from Hollowpines, a well-known local psychiatric hospital, about a possible murder, Abby, it seems, is the best person for the job. Anything to keep her away from the station just that little bit longer. On arrival at Hollowpines DC Fox meets Joe Sinclair. Joe is the perfect patient and well-liked amongst the Hollowpines staff. So when he confesses to a brutal murder, it comes as a shock to all. Particularly as CCTV footage confirms Joe was locked in his room the previous night, and hasn’t left the facility over the last few weeks, except when accompanied by a nurse to pre-agreed appointments. DC Fox dismisses the claim until she speaks to her boss (and ex!) DI Callum Mackenzie, who confirms a brutal murder has taken place in the location Joe describes. The details are scarily similar. Did Joe somehow kill the man he saw in his dream, or is he the key to finding out who did…?
The Killer in Room Five has such a fabulous, locked-room set-up that I was immediately drawn into the story. This time though, the ‘possible killer’ is locked away in one building whilst the body decomposes in a completely different, very open place. Did Joe commit murder? Did he manage to escape the confines of Hollowpines and carry out a vicious attack, all without knowing what he was doing? And how did he get out? The building houses some of the most notorious female killers of our time, so security is top-notch. Joe knows so many precise details about the attack that to rule him out of the investigation would be crazy. There’s no chance he was involved though. Is there…? And that’s what is so great about this book. You never really know. The more the reader gets to know Joe, the more you realise that it just doesn’t seem like something he would do. Or would he…? That question hangs over the entire book, and I thought the author handled that uncertainty incredibly well.
DC Abby Fox is a new character with a shaky past. Having previously dated her DI, then been suspended for an oversight that cost her her reputation, along with a number of friends, she’s returning to work on the very bottom rung of the ladder. The reception she receives from her colleagues is ghastly at best. They’re cruel, they bully her and make her feel isolated. Even DI Mackenzie keeps his distance, despite the two of them previously being involved. I couldn’t help but feel for Fox. I didn’t like her. I felt she made a couple of terrible decisions (makes for interesting reading though). However, the treatment she received made my skin crawl. Particularly as the story progressed and things became clearer.
Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. I really enjoy Sam Holland’s books and I hope she continues to write these slightly darker, edgier crime thrillers for a long time to come. I started off slow with this series (still unsure whether this is part of the same series, but I don’t think it actually matters, so hey ho!) and I felt similarly about this book as I did the first in the series. Not my favourite but as a collection of novels, they’re superb and I highly recommend them. You can most definitely read this book without reading any of its predecessors, the only connection being the location (Hampshire is a pretty large county if memory serves) and that it focusses on the Major Crimes team. There are no returning characters or storylines, so you’re very, very safe. I thought the characters all played their parts well. I don’t think I really liked any of them but that never stops me from enjoying a book. The storyline has a few well-placed red herrings along the way, but I felt by the second third of the book that I had worked out who the killer was. This certainly didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. All in all, I enjoyed reading The Killer in Room Five. I liked how the author executed the story, I liked how the infamous killers locked up in Hollowpines were featured throughout and I enjoyed the pacing of the novel. Hollowpines as a setting really gave the book a creepy edge to it, which I felt added to the overall atmosphere. Tense, intriguing and dark throughout. Recommended.
I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Killer in Room Five. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.
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 15 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 Killer in Room Five is the latest in the series and is out now.
damppebbles.com 
Great review, I already want to know what the crack is 😂 thanks for sharing
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