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

Product Information

The media calls him The Nothing Man because they have nothing on him." No witnesses, no fingerprints, no DNA. 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

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!I stormed through The Nothing Man and loved it. Such a very clever idea - from concept to execution - I can't think of another book like it. Tremendously astute and moving -- Sarah Hilary This is a genuinely atmospheric and creepy novel that takes you into the mind of a serial killer as he reads a true crime book. The beauty of Catherine Ryan Howard’s writing is that even though Jim is reading a book about his exploits, the author imbues those true crime events (that book) with such detail that I forgot I was reading a book about a book. So to speak. Blurb 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. For nearly 2 decade, he disappeared and after two decades later, Eve releases her memoir about becoming survivor and the clues she’d found about the identity of the man who ruined her life and took her family from it. Nothing Man asks his victims: “Do you want to play game?” And now Eve is all in! She is not only going to play a life-death game with him, she’s also going to avenge her loved ones and give him the punishment he deserves!

This book had the most interesting format of a story within a story. For me, it's a complete win, and I have pretty much loved every book I have ever come across that employs it. In this case, it's a clever way to showcase two separate viewpoints, to have one read the other's, while they are both moving towards a common destination. Authors everywhere, if you're reading this, please give me more of this story within a story! In the first film, The Nothing is depicted as a raging storm, and the Manipulators are not mentioned at all aside from G'Mork briefly mentioning being a servant of the power behind The Nothing. This utterly compelling story is expertly crafted. It's like reading a book within a book ... uniquely original. The reader knows who the killer is as eve relates her story of past events merging into today's actions. It's also the story of the killer ... his reactions to Eve's telling ... as he secretly reads her book... his coming to understand that Eve knows much more than he ever suspected... his sorrow at leaving her alive. Images of the cruelty surface every now and again to remind the reader of how cold-hearted the killer was. A psychopathic killer without limits treating murder as a chilling satisfaction of dominance. A Garda officer at the time Ed has always kept the case alive and now works with Eve to flush the killer out. “I imagined him feeling safe, maybe even smug, sure that since he had avoided detection all these years, no one was ever going to come for him now. But I was coming for him, with Ed by my side. It was only a matter of time.” The enthralling suspense that plays out is wonderfully maintained throughout the novel and leads to a cleverly crafted climax.excellent narrators were chosen for this audiobook! They really added to the atmospheric suspense; and,

I have read books within a book before however, Catherine Ryan Howard uniquely weaves in a true-crime memoir about The Nothing Man who has disappeared after killing her family while the nothing man-killer Jim is reading it. The story brilliantly alternates between passages from Eve's book and Jim's reaction to them. I found it fascinating to see Jim's reaction to the memoir while he is reading it and it makes for an exciting and interesting twist to the story. A serial killer. His surviving victim. A book within a book. A game of cat and mouse. Some surprising twists and turns. This is all I am going to say about the plot. It’s best to GO IN BLIND!Let me tell you that The Nothing Man is nothing short of amazing. Wow, what a captivating story this was from start Utterly compelling, completely original, The Nothing Man will be the standout novel for 2020. This is a book you won’t forget as Catherine Ryan Howard brings crime writing to a new level.” I don’t know what words to use to accurately describe how phenomenal this book truly was. I was a huge fan of I’ll be Gone in the Dark primarily due to the raw emotions McNamara wove throughout the story. Catherine Ryan Howard did the same thing in The Nothing Man. While I knew it was a work of fiction, I couldn’t help but feel as if I was reading a real life true crime book. Eve was such a strong female character and when I realized what she was doing, I cheered out loud.

What I loved most about THE NOTHING MAN is that it was a "book within a book" - 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! Told in alternating perspectives between Jim and Eve (through her book) this was a great twist on the typical thriller. We know who the killer is right from the start - but will he get caught?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. A high-concept, fast-paced thriller ... whip-smart and chilling -- Hazel Gaynor * Irish Independent * Without going into the gruesome killings, etc. I can reveal that this man is a psychopath. He had no regret for the crimes he committed and never felt a bit of compassion. He killed children as well as adults, Eve’s sister was only six years old. He is now reading Eve’s memoir and is infuriated that he left this survivor to tell her story, he plans to change that. 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.