The Nothing Man: The No. 1 bestseller. A brilliantly twisty blend of true crime and psychological thriller

Product Information

Two decades later, Eve decides to write a crime memoir regarding the tragedy and the serial killer, Jim Doyle, happens to come across the book unexpectedly and reads it, reigniting all the rage in him over again. He is determined to stop his identity from coming out as a result of this book being published. This is remarkable mash up of True Crime podcasts- documentaries-memoirs. You’re reading a memoir hid inside a thriller book and getting inside of a serial killer’s brain at the same time like binge watching Making a murderer, Confession Tapes, Amanda Knox. The writing style is impeccably unique. I liked the author's writing style and would definitely read more by her. Perhaps if you have not read Michelle McNamara's book and you know nothing about GSK, you'd appreciate the story more than I did. Just go in knowing Jim is a clone of the GSK. This is the sort of book that true crime junkies will probably LOVE, but I suppose I should have researched it a bit more before starting to read, since that is not at all my passion area. I know this is a super hot topic and there are lots of passionate fans out there, but I am just not one of them. I have no idea why those sorts of things don't appeal to me since I am obsessed with thrillers, but my guess is, like police procedurals, they just aren't my cup of tea.

An unputdownable thriller that's not afraid to explore the darkest impulses of humanity. It's also a compassionate study of grief and guilt. I dare you to read it on your own, in the dark. -- Erin Kelly The Nothing Man is the most original and chilling thriller I’ve read in a long time, and is perfect for fans of Serial and The Fall.”

Advance Praise

The queen of high-concept crime fiction strikes again: this is the first novel I've read that really captures the chills and twists of the true crime that obsesses us. Catherine Ryan Howard has always been thrillingly good at what she does but she's just getting better and better with every book... I was utterly wowed. * Jane Casey * What I loved most about THE NOTHING MAN is that it was a "book within a book" - which is a favourite trope of mine. I enjoyed "reading" the true crime novel by Eve while simultaneously being put into the mind of Jim, the actual Nothing Man. It felt dark and voyeuristic to experience the story through Jim's perspective and I was contently on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what his next move would be. I just had to know if Eve would be able to reveal the true identity of the Nothing Man or if he would find her first. No spoilers here, you'll just have to read the book to find out! November 1993 at Kingsway Studio, New Orleans, Louisiana; vocals recorded in February 1994 at Bad Animals Studio, Seattle, Washington This is terrifying without being too gory, it’s expertly written with great character development. It has everything I love in a great mystery/thriller. I did guess what was going on, and how it would probably end, but that didn't detract from this excellent book within a book! It was so well written, that I feel like I actually read a real crime memoir, as well as a thriller?! I was so excited to see how it all unfolded, that I almost didn't care if I was right or not, I just delighted in seeing it all play out, and I felt quite satisfied at the end!

Holy crap was this good! Admittedly I haven’t read a straight out thriller since last years ‘The Chestnut Man’ and The Whisper Man’, so it’s been awhile since I got caught up in a book that I could not put down, but let me tell you, this was that book. (Side note, what’s the deal with ‘man’ being in every title in this post? 😂)

Customer reviews

Jim's POV was particularly horrifying, as we got to peek into the disturbing mind of this hateful psychopath. I was frightened and chilled to the bone. I convinced myself that someone was watching me from the shadows, and had to stop reading this at night! It was so creepy! It also alarmed me that he had got away with it for so long, by basically being so ordinary, nothing special, and yet it fascinated me to see his thoughts! Overall I really enjoyed The Nothing Man and I'm looking forward to reading more by this author. I have already read Distress Signals which was a bit of a miss for me, but I can tell how she has progressed in her writing and I will definitely be reading her newer books! This book was so unique and so well written and I was incredibly hooked. The book is written in two POVs. For Eve’s part we are reading her actual published work along with Jim. Interspersed with Eve’s case reports and personal recollections, we get inside Jim’s head to see how he is feeling about what he’s writing, his own memories of the killings so many years before, and his life now. Each perspective uncovers secrets that bring twists that I didn’t see coming. The story begins when the Childlike Empress sends the young warrior Atreyu to find a cure for her illness, so as to dispel the Nothing that is slowly consuming Fantasia. It is linked to the disease plaguing the Childlike Empress, the ageless ruler of Fantasia. As humanity is denying its fantasies in pursuit of materialistic goals, the Childlike Empress' health declines and the Nothing appears to destroy Fantasia. It can be seen as a metaphor of adulthood that lost its ways, and the dangers of excessive pragmatism.

That is what Eve promises at the end of her memoir, “The Nothing Man: A Survivor’s Search for the Truth”.Eve is determined to catch 'The Nothing Man,' the man who killed her family when she was only 12 years old, so she writes a crime memoir about him, to find new leads, hoping to finally find out who he is after 20 years.