Today I’m reviewing Knock Knock by Chris Merritt.

Here’s the blurb.

Natasha Mayston wasn’t expecting anyone to knock on her door so late at night. And she has no idea that the face staring back at her is the last one she’ll ever see…

As Detective Dan Lockhart is called to a wealthy London street to investigate Natasha’s death, he’s startled by the similarity to a previous case. Noticing the cable-tie restraints and the tiny scratches on Natasha’s wedding finger, Dan already knows what he will find if he looks in her mouth – the metal ball which choked her to death. He knows Natasha isn’t the killer’s first victim and is certain that he will strike again.

Months earlier, Kim Hardy was found in the same position in a run-down hotel across the city – an identical silver ball in her throat. But Kim’s murderer was caught and sent to prison – did they arrest the wrong man? And what connects the two victims? Fearing that he’s dealing with a psychopathic serial killer, Dan calls in psychologist Dr Lexi Green to help him to get into the perpetrator’s mind. Tough and smart, Lexi will stop at nothing to hunt down the man responsible for the deaths.

Then, another body is discovered, just as Lexi finds a clue online leading to the killer. Dan’s team aren’t convinced, but in pushing Lexi away from the investigation, they force her to dig further into the case on her own. Convinced that she’s on to something, she puts herself in unthinkable danger… but can Dan piece together the clues and identify the killer before it’s too late?

Review

Knock Knock is a twisted and gruesome tale of murder.. the victims of this psychopath tortured.. choked with a metal ball.

Natasha Mayston innocently opens the door one night.. little does she know it’s for the last time.. there’s something familiar about this person.. but it doesn’t matter.. it’s too late..

The killer has only just started.. but what’s the end game?

Detective Dan Lockhart is assigned to the case and quickly sees similarities to a previous murder, but that case is solved.. and a man is being held for the crime.. so are they linked? And if so what does it mean.. is the man behind bars innocent?

It’s not going to be easy for Lockhart either as the killer is smart, methodical slightly.. evidence isn’t going to easy to find.

Lockhart has an ace up his sleeve he hopes in psychologist Dr Lexi Green. Lockhart has being visiting Green for his own personal reason for trauma suffered years ago and believes Green can help.. but is there more to it than that?

As the bodies pile up the pressure mounts.. evidence is either hard to find or doesn’t make sense when mixed with the persons of interest and alibis… it’s a real puzzle and Lockhart doesn’t have all the pieces on the board yet. It’s not really a twist and turn tale.. rather misdirection.. thanks to the killer the reader is left wondering which suspect it could really be..or is it someone else the police haven’t yet identified?

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Lockhart and Green who are clearly the main characters from the off.. there’s something deeper between them and their growing connection is what gives them depth.. they second guess themselves and their motivations which really gave it a sense of realness. A lot of time is given to the development of these two which is a great setup for the series.

The work relationships within Lockhart’s team too really gave the story extra depth and feeling, the ensemble cast brought to life. Each one had their own personality that developed as the tale went on and you could really see and understand their motivations, their place in not only the team but the overall story too.

Now the plot… wow.. the pace was super on point but what really gave the plot the wow factor was the method of killing.. and the reasons behind it. It really felt like the author must have put some real time and effort into the plot to create such a pivotal character who has so few words.. for the killer “less is more” really worked well and as the team delve into possible reasons behind the murders it just adds to his character and the overall creepiness of the story.

I picked this up recently due to a amazon kindle deal and I’m super glad I did… I’ve already downloaded the next book in the series as I’m keen to see what happens next as while you get closure there’s still some things left open which I felt was super clever of the author… it allows the easy flow into the next book and for readers like myself.. it’s the worm on the hook…I took the bait.

5* from David’s Book Blurg.

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon or any good local bookseller 😊