Amy Among the Serial Killers
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- Create Date：2022-09-01 11:21:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jincy Willett
- ISBN：1666610097
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Summary
Jincy Willett's most beloved characters return in Amy Among the Serial Killers， a wickedly smart and funny take on the thriller genre by one of our most acclaimed literary humorists…
Reviews
Pennie Morgan
，
For me， this one lacked something。 I enjoyed it but I didn't ENJOY it。 Carla has established a "writing retreat" in her home and it consists of "cells" where people can close themselves in rooms and write without the use of wi-fi。 When one of the writers is murdered the police link it to another murder in the vicinity and automatically think there is a serial killer and then there is another。 Soon there is a whole investigation。 I found myself lost。 It may have been too many characters or too lo For me， this one lacked something。 I enjoyed it but I didn't ENJOY it。 Carla has established a "writing retreat" in her home and it consists of "cells" where people can close themselves in rooms and write without the use of wi-fi。 When one of the writers is murdered the police link it to another murder in the vicinity and automatically think there is a serial killer and then there is another。 Soon there is a whole investigation。 I found myself lost。 It may have been too many characters or too long of an audio。 Cute book and I did finish it but it was not my favorite for this month。**Received this ARC for review in audio from the publisher via NetGalley** 。。。more
Pietro
，
This was an amazing book！ I must admit that I was a bit hesitant at the beginning， because there is a very large cast of characters—writers with “cells” at Carla’s writing center， Inspiration Point， and writers from Amy’s old writing workshops—and it was hard to keep them all straight。 I was unaware that the author had written two previous books in the “Amy Gallup” series， and although I don’t think it is necessary to have read them to enjoy “Amy Among the Serial Killers，” it might have felt les This was an amazing book！ I must admit that I was a bit hesitant at the beginning， because there is a very large cast of characters—writers with “cells” at Carla’s writing center， Inspiration Point， and writers from Amy’s old writing workshops—and it was hard to keep them all straight。 I was unaware that the author had written two previous books in the “Amy Gallup” series， and although I don’t think it is necessary to have read them to enjoy “Amy Among the Serial Killers，” it might have felt less like a barrage of characters if many of them were already familiar。 Nevertheless， the plot of this book is highly original and I thoroughly enjoyed it。 Most of the characters are quirky， to say the least， and while the humor is often quite dark， it is very funny。 Amy has a line towards the end of the book that was so perfectly outstanding that I probably would give the book five stars even if the rest of it was terrible， it was that good （but including it in this review would give away way too much）。 I loved the constant talk about writing—good and bad， fiction and non-fiction， writer’s block， publishing， writing exercises and workshops， and much more—and it provides a wonderful backdrop to the murders that take place， and developing talk about serial killers。 I also loved the narrator， Amy McFadden， and would highly recommend this book！ Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook。 。。。more
Tea
，
Clever and fun， I laughed out loud a lot。 This murder mystery kept me guessing almost right to the end。 The found family of writers and writer wannabes is absolutely delightful。It kind of gives me the same cozy but not really "cozy murder" vibes as Only Murders in the Building。 The fact that I have not yet read the first two books in the series did not at all hamper my enjoyment of this story。 I will definitely be checking out the other stories in the seriesThank you to Netgalley and the publish Clever and fun， I laughed out loud a lot。 This murder mystery kept me guessing almost right to the end。 The found family of writers and writer wannabes is absolutely delightful。It kind of gives me the same cozy but not really "cozy murder" vibes as Only Murders in the Building。 The fact that I have not yet read the first two books in the series did not at all hamper my enjoyment of this story。 I will definitely be checking out the other stories in the seriesThank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC 。。。more
Terris
，
Amy does it again -- wins our hearts with her calm demeanor and dry wit。 It just seems she always has the right thing to say！This time she is involved， along with her friends and colleagues at the Inspiration Point！ writing center， in some deaths that are happening in the area。 Is there a serial killer in their midst？ Is it one of the members at the Point！？ Well， you'll just have to read it to find out， but in the end， as always， Amy wins the day。 Along with several recurring characters and also Amy does it again -- wins our hearts with her calm demeanor and dry wit。 It just seems she always has the right thing to say！This time she is involved， along with her friends and colleagues at the Inspiration Point！ writing center， in some deaths that are happening in the area。 Is there a serial killer in their midst？ Is it one of the members at the Point！？ Well， you'll just have to read it to find out， but in the end， as always， Amy wins the day。 Along with several recurring characters and also some new ones， the group of friends and writers help the police to solve the mystery。 Though this topic is serial murder， Willett writes in her recognizable style adding in some lightness and humor along the way。 This was a very enjoyable book， and definitely worth the nine year wait！I'd like to thank NetGalley， Jincy Willett， and St。 Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased review。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
，
This is a hard one to characterize。 Carla panics when she finds Toonie， her therapist， strangled in one of the rooms in her house （referred to as cells） that she rents to writers。 She calls Amy， her former writing teacher， for help and Amy， now generally retired from writing takes her in。 The problem is that there's a serial killer afoot and now the writers in their respective groups are out to find out who it is。 This gets graphic in spots （well， the descriptions of the murdered bodies） but it This is a hard one to characterize。 Carla panics when she finds Toonie， her therapist， strangled in one of the rooms in her house （referred to as cells） that she rents to writers。 She calls Amy， her former writing teacher， for help and Amy， now generally retired from writing takes her in。 The problem is that there's a serial killer afoot and now the writers in their respective groups are out to find out who it is。 This gets graphic in spots （well， the descriptions of the murdered bodies） but it never goes over the top。 The characters are probably the best part of it- they're quirky yes but they also feel very real。 This does get a bit frantic in spots but persevere。 I didn't read the first two books but I don't think this made a difference。 Thanks to netgalley for the ARC。 Not a cozy， not a thriller but somewhere in between， sort of。 。。。more
Jess | dapper。reads
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Thanks NetGalley for the audio copy of this light and funny read。 Considering the content， it’s weird to call this light and funny but it really is！ It’s exactly what I needed and I absolutely love it。 This is apparently book 3 in a series， but can be read as a standalone。 I say that because I was halfway through it before I found out it was part of a series and I was doing just fine with keeping up with the story。 There are a lot of characters which is a problem sometimes。 I found myself trying Thanks NetGalley for the audio copy of this light and funny read。 Considering the content， it’s weird to call this light and funny but it really is！ It’s exactly what I needed and I absolutely love it。 This is apparently book 3 in a series， but can be read as a standalone。 I say that because I was halfway through it before I found out it was part of a series and I was doing just fine with keeping up with the story。 There are a lot of characters which is a problem sometimes。 I found myself trying to remember who was who a few times but for the most part it was great。 Even though it deals with murders， it’s done in a light way - almost like a cozy mystery。 The narrator was great too which always helps。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 。。。more
RottyReads
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2 stars because i finished it5 stars for narrationI love a good mystery。 I love a good who-done-it。 but this book was genuinely so boring。 Even a good narrator couldn't save it。 2 stars because i finished it5 stars for narrationI love a good mystery。 I love a good who-done-it。 but this book was genuinely so boring。 Even a good narrator couldn't save it。 。。。more
Kathi Rauscher
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This was my first “meeting” with Amy。 I enjoyed this book and was caught odd guard with the twists and turns。 Just when I thought I knew who the killer was the rig was pulled out from under me and I I’d to begin a new theory。 Cannot wait t indulge in more Amy。
Hannah Mitchell
，
Dexter meets The Thursday Murder Club is how I would describe this novel。 “Amy Among the Serial Killers” by Jincy Willet is a murder mystery where a group of writers comes together to solve the mystery。 I thought with "serial killers" in the title it was going to be more of a fast past， mystery but it ended up being dark humor， read for entertainment type novel。 None of the chapters had names which when parts from the story are written by different characters， made it hard to follow via audioboo Dexter meets The Thursday Murder Club is how I would describe this novel。 “Amy Among the Serial Killers” by Jincy Willet is a murder mystery where a group of writers comes together to solve the mystery。 I thought with "serial killers" in the title it was going to be more of a fast past， mystery but it ended up being dark humor， read for entertainment type novel。 None of the chapters had names which when parts from the story are written by different characters， made it hard to follow via audiobook。 Would have been nice to have a key or image to start the book about the locations of the murders or a friend/connection tree。 2。5 stars for an audiobook - rounding up to 3。 I received a download of this audiobook from Netgalley and St。 Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Erica Lindsay
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This book had a lot going on。 So much so that there were times when I felt like I needed a serial killer map held up with pins on the wall （which is fitting）。 There were also times that I wasn't sure what I was listening to， with the tangents written in as stories by the group of writers the book centers on。 I pushed through and in the end， this was a cleverly written tale that really had it all （and then some more that we maybe didn't need）。 Coming of age， romance， horror， thriller， mystery， tr This book had a lot going on。 So much so that there were times when I felt like I needed a serial killer map held up with pins on the wall （which is fitting）。 There were also times that I wasn't sure what I was listening to， with the tangents written in as stories by the group of writers the book centers on。 I pushed through and in the end， this was a cleverly written tale that really had it all （and then some more that we maybe didn't need）。 Coming of age， romance， horror， thriller， mystery， trauma。 You name it！ And yes， serial killer（s）？ To be honest it's unclear how many！ I am finding myself at a loss for words as I attempt to describe this， but if you love true crime "just enough" to also make fun of it a bit， this book is for you。 **The audiobook was well done and I think likely added to the story。 。。。more
Laura Hill
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Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this AUDIO book in exchange for my honest review。 The book will be published on August 23rd， 2022。Writing: 5/5 Characters: 4/5 Plot: 4/5 Enjoyment: 5/5Great title， right？ The titular “Amy” is a 70-something author and ex-writing coach — a bit of a hermit but with a soft spot for some of the members of her last workshops。 Carla — an ex-child star is now the owner of “The Point” — a writer’s retreat in La Jolla。 Carla is Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this AUDIO book in exchange for my honest review。 The book will be published on August 23rd， 2022。Writing: 5/5 Characters: 4/5 Plot: 4/5 Enjoyment: 5/5Great title， right？ The titular “Amy” is a 70-something author and ex-writing coach — a bit of a hermit but with a soft spot for some of the members of her last workshops。 Carla — an ex-child star is now the owner of “The Point” — a writer’s retreat in La Jolla。 Carla is quite possibly Amy’s favorite ex-student （possibly because she saved Amy’s life in the first book — I won’t spoil any more of that as I haven’t read it yet either！）。 When one of the Point’s writers turns up dead， the cops wonder if the murder is connected with a spate of other local killings — hence the serial killers （note the plural！） in the title。This is not your typical mystery。 It is funny in an insightfully wry style。 It is a book by and about writers and writing and is FULL of back stories， stories in progress， story planning， random story thoughts， etc。 — creating a kind of fractal story universe that is somehow never confusing。 I put this down to some high quality writing — excellent pacing and structure and a truly delightful use of vocabulary and phrasing。 Because the characters （who are writers） are often thinking or talking about writing， there are even some lovely and humorous discussions of words themselves which I enjoyed thoroughly。 The mystery aspect is good — I did figure it out a little before the characters did， but it was certainly a surprise。 The story was nice and twisty and kept me well entertained。 Some interesting character reflections as well， not usually present in genre books。 Audio books take more time （for me） than reading the print would， and often that means I get a little bored in parts because I can’t skim。 This did not happen at all during this 13 hour audio book which is saying quite a lot。So what didn’t I like？ While the narrator does a fabulous job with all of the different voices and her pacing and speech clarity were perfect， I did not love her natural voice — or at least the one she uses as the narrator in addition to slightly modified versions for most of the younger characters。 It’s what I call a Millennial version of the old Valley Girl speak: lots of mid word tonal shifts and a slightly whiny feel。 I think I’m just showing my age here because this does seem to be a popular speech pattern for younger people in some TV shows。 I got over it because it was just so entertaining， but it did irritate me for a bit。 。。。more
Maine Colonial
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I read an advance digital galley， provided by the publisher via Netgalley。In real life， nine years have passed since the second Amy Gallup book， but in book time it’s three years。 Amy is still writing， having overcome her writer’s block， and even making enough with her writing that she doesn’t need to take on editing or teaching jobs anymore。 She has gotten out of touch with her writing class members。Carla， her most devoted student， has turned her estate house in La Jolla into a writer’s center。 I read an advance digital galley， provided by the publisher via Netgalley。In real life， nine years have passed since the second Amy Gallup book， but in book time it’s three years。 Amy is still writing， having overcome her writer’s block， and even making enough with her writing that she doesn’t need to take on editing or teaching jobs anymore。 She has gotten out of touch with her writing class members。Carla， her most devoted student， has turned her estate house in La Jolla into a writer’s center。 She turns the usual writer’s retreat pampering on its head: at Inspiration Point， writers are required to work in distraction-free “cells，” put in a mandated number of hours per week， and there are no yoga classes， massages， catering or social events。 It turns out this business model is a hit。 But all that crashes when Carla’s therapist and would-be writer is murdered in her cell。 Other weird events follow and it even appears that this may be part of a serial killer spree。The murder brings Amy and Carla back together， along with several other members of the writing class。 The group tries to solve the case（s） before Carla’s business is ruined and anybody else gets the ax。As with the first Amy novel， The Writing Class， this is far from a conventional murder mystery。 Sure， the murder investigation drives the plot forward， but much of the novel is about writing and the emotional lives of Amy and Carla。 For very different reasons， both have spent years closing themselves off from developing personal relationships。 Throughout this series， and especially in this book， those barricades begin to fall。Jincy Willett excels at portraying her characters’ interior lives， at lively descriptions of the writing process， and at deep dark humor。 I definitely wish she had pulled back on the graphic descriptions of violence at the end of this book， but it wasn’t a deal killer。 。。。more
Krisi Hall
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Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review。I have never read a book like Amy Among the Serial Killers and I loved every minute of this book！ This is technically the third book following one of the main characters， but I didn’t feel that they were a requirement to follow along。 The Narrator was great， the story line unique， the plot was twisty and it was funny to read with hints of real life complicated emotions buried Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review。I have never read a book like Amy Among the Serial Killers and I loved every minute of this book！ This is technically the third book following one of the main characters， but I didn’t feel that they were a requirement to follow along。 The Narrator was great， the story line unique， the plot was twisty and it was funny to read with hints of real life complicated emotions buried underneath。 This book is technically a murder mystery but it feels like so much more than that。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This is a rotating narrative between Carla— a 35 year old who runs Inspiration Point。 A place for writers to come together， rent a “cell”， and get their work done without distractions。 Amy is in her 70’s and is an established author who is suffering from writer’s block and doesn’t really enjoy peoples company， except for Carla of course。 Carla has trauma and a complicated past and is seeing a therapist who surprisingly turns up murdered in Inspiration Point and Carla is the one to find the body。 Is there a serial killer loose？ Is there more than one？ Do they know this person？ Is this killer a writer？ The renters at Inspiration Point are worried they might be next and it’s up to Carla， the local police， Amy and their friends to maneuver through the wake of the shocking news and save Inspiration Point at the same time。 Definitely recommend reading Jinny Willett， I will be reading more！ 。。。more
Ali Bunke
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Amy Among the Serial Killers by Jincy Willett is the third Amy Gallup book。 I listened to the audio book， which was narrated by Amy McFadden。 Amy did an amazing job on the narration。 Her characterizations， tone， and inflection definitely added to my enjoyment of the story。 I have not read the first two books in the series and I think that I would have a better understanding of the history between the characters if I had。 I will go back and read them now as I would like to continue this series。 T Amy Among the Serial Killers by Jincy Willett is the third Amy Gallup book。 I listened to the audio book， which was narrated by Amy McFadden。 Amy did an amazing job on the narration。 Her characterizations， tone， and inflection definitely added to my enjoyment of the story。 I have not read the first two books in the series and I think that I would have a better understanding of the history between the characters if I had。 I will go back and read them now as I would like to continue this series。 The overall story was very interesting。 The author includes many side stories that add depth to the characters， but don't relate to the plot in anyway。 I was never bored by the side tangents as they were engaging and were interesting。 The book switches point of view between Amy and Carla。 Many characters from previous books seem to have made a return and they all seem to have a connection to Carla and Amy from the past books。Although the story sort of meandered， I was never bored。 The author leads us to a couple of suspects before the true murderer is revealed。 There was varying degrees of tension in the story， but most tension is quickly resolved with humor and distraction。 。。。more
Amber
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So this one is very different than what I normally read but， I enjoyed it。 While this is a part of the series I definitely adding the series to my TBR。35-year-old Carla Karolak runs a really unique successful business where she rents out cells to different aspiring authors to basically be in solitude for a preset number of hours per week。 It seems like things are going really well until Carla finds Toonie murdered in her writing cell。 Now， this along with the investigation gets a bit more compli So this one is very different than what I normally read but， I enjoyed it。 While this is a part of the series I definitely adding the series to my TBR。35-year-old Carla Karolak runs a really unique successful business where she rents out cells to different aspiring authors to basically be in solitude for a preset number of hours per week。 It seems like things are going really well until Carla finds Toonie murdered in her writing cell。 Now， this along with the investigation gets a bit more complicated when more murders around the area start occurring along。 While Carla is upset over Toonie's murder， she is also concerned about how this murder is going to affect her business。 While the Police， Amy， and Carla are trying to find out if the writer's retreat has anything to do with the string of murders。 I love the mystery aspect and while I could see the ending coming I definitely enjoyed the ride！ This is not just a regular mystery。 I loved the quirky wit of her writing！ Thank you Dream Scape Media and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen and review this one！ 。。。more
Lauren Vick
，
Follow Carla Karolak as she enjoys the success of her writers retreat。 That is， until one day， she checks in on one of the writers and discovers them to be murdered。 Carla gets in contact with a former friend， Amy Gallup， and the two get caught up in a murder investigation spanning multiple cases。
Manon
，
AMY AMONG THE SERIAL KILLERS by Jincy Willett is the third book starring writing coach Amy Gallup。 I have not read the previous books， and while this can be read as a standalone， I think it will be best enjoyed by fans of the series。In this installment， a serial killer is terrorizing San Diego， and the killings are seemingly connected to Inspiration Point， the popular and profitable writing retreat operated by Carla Karolak， a former student of Amy Gallup。I loved that this took place in my home AMY AMONG THE SERIAL KILLERS by Jincy Willett is the third book starring writing coach Amy Gallup。 I have not read the previous books， and while this can be read as a standalone， I think it will be best enjoyed by fans of the series。In this installment， a serial killer is terrorizing San Diego， and the killings are seemingly connected to Inspiration Point， the popular and profitable writing retreat operated by Carla Karolak， a former student of Amy Gallup。I loved that this took place in my home town， and I did love the writing。 It's funny， witty， and quick。 But the story felt occasionally jumbled and a little drawn-out。 There are multiple characters who are introduced quite late in the story who end up having larger roles than I anticipated （a bit odd to do that in a mystery/thriller， in my opinion）。 There's a mystery at the core of the story， but it's surrounded by a lot of character development and backstory， and long passages of short stories that the characters are writing。 Since this is a book about writers， I think readers who write will appreciate it best。CW: sexual abuse of a minor （described in flashbacks）， narcissistic parent， parental death， descriptions of blood and gore。Thank you to St。 Martin's Press and NetGalley for this eARC。 I've posted my review to Goodreads and will share the book on my Instagram （@mysterymanon） closer to its release date。 。。。more
Tara
，
I love a good “who-done-it” murder mystery！ Amy Among the Serial Killers had a great band of characters - but I couldn’t get into how Carla was written。 It felt it was supposed to be a “New Girl” （tv show） vibe but just made me feel awkward。 I loved the supporting characters and plot - but the MC just didn’t vibe for me。 Some of the language used to describe the Neurodivergant community made me uncomfortable as well and that has played into my rating。Side note: The narration was fantastic！ Thank I love a good “who-done-it” murder mystery！ Amy Among the Serial Killers had a great band of characters - but I couldn’t get into how Carla was written。 It felt it was supposed to be a “New Girl” （tv show） vibe but just made me feel awkward。 I loved the supporting characters and plot - but the MC just didn’t vibe for me。 Some of the language used to describe the Neurodivergant community made me uncomfortable as well and that has played into my rating。Side note: The narration was fantastic！ Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape media for the advanced listening copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Randi
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Thank you to the publishers， Goodreads and Jincy Willett for an advanced copy of this book。In the first bit of this book， I was not sure if I would like it or finish it。 However， I persevered and was rewarded with an odd， compelling story ostensibly about a serial killer but really more of a character study focused through the POV of Amy and Carla。 I have not read any Jincy Willett before and understand this is a continuation of other stories that involve Amy （and Carla to some degree）。 This sto Thank you to the publishers， Goodreads and Jincy Willett for an advanced copy of this book。In the first bit of this book， I was not sure if I would like it or finish it。 However， I persevered and was rewarded with an odd， compelling story ostensibly about a serial killer but really more of a character study focused through the POV of Amy and Carla。 I have not read any Jincy Willett before and understand this is a continuation of other stories that involve Amy （and Carla to some degree）。 This story stands alone， from my perspective and reading the previous books does not seem necessary。Amy Among the Serial Killers is quirky， literary， and pensive story with a serial murder mystery as a connecting thread。 I appreciated the author's wink and nod to POV later in the book。 I also enjoyed Carla's development from a seemingly emotionally paralyzed adult to an adult standing up for herself。 。。。more
Ashley Spriggs
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I won this book through goodreads giveaways… rating it 3。5…。 Rounding to 4…。 This book is funny and quirky… hard to follow at times…。 The premise is interesting… always up for a serial killer story
Mrs C
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I have to agree with the rest of the low-starred reviews。 The writing was not quite up to par to make this story work。 A writing retreat becomes a target of a serial killer and the owner of the retreat area asks the help of a dear friend and writing instructor Amy to figure out what to do。 It's women's fiction so I wasn't expecting massive thrills， but maybe a little more introspection and interior investment in the protagonists' lives。 There is some dark humor here but it fails to connect。 The I have to agree with the rest of the low-starred reviews。 The writing was not quite up to par to make this story work。 A writing retreat becomes a target of a serial killer and the owner of the retreat area asks the help of a dear friend and writing instructor Amy to figure out what to do。 It's women's fiction so I wasn't expecting massive thrills， but maybe a little more introspection and interior investment in the protagonists' lives。 There is some dark humor here but it fails to connect。 The culprit's personality and motives were not very interesting which makes the ending flat and nonsensical。 Review copy provided by the publisher。 。。。more
Johnette
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This book was different。 Sometimes I couldn’t put it down and other times it kind of creeped me out。 It’s not your typical murder mystery which is what makes it so good。 I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series。
Kat
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher of this novel for the E-Arc copy。 I am rating this book based on my own personal opinion and was not given anything in return。 I am not leaving a entire review because I read so many at a time that I physically cannot right now。#AmyAmongtheSerialKillersJincyWillet #NetGalley
Nichole B Smith
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Thank you to #NetGalley， Publishers and the author for giving me the opportunity to view this title。Amy Among the Serial Killers The writing style is smart and witty。 I haven’t read Jincy Willett before， and know this book is part of a series。 Which if I read the previous Amy books I’m sure I would’ve had a more seamless transition into this story。 All that aside…I can tell the characters are quirky and unique， which I love。 I’ll definitely read more of this this author books。
Lisa
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Nothing to see here。。。 just a serial killer loose in the area。 A murder smack dab in the middle of the Birdhouse， Carla's writer's retreat， turns her safe haven inside out。 Amy， Carla's former mentor and instructor， comes out of seclusion and reconnects when Carla needs a trusted friend most。 Everyone has a theory about the local serial killer and it seems even more of them have a serial killer book concept they're diving into。 Well， true crime IS de rigueur。。。While someone （or something） at the Nothing to see here。。。 just a serial killer loose in the area。 A murder smack dab in the middle of the Birdhouse， Carla's writer's retreat， turns her safe haven inside out。 Amy， Carla's former mentor and instructor， comes out of seclusion and reconnects when Carla needs a trusted friend most。 Everyone has a theory about the local serial killer and it seems even more of them have a serial killer book concept they're diving into。 Well， true crime IS de rigueur。。。While someone （or something） at the Birdhouse is stirring up painful memories from Carla's past， we get to know a ton of colorful characters， some of whom evoke groans and rolled eyes due to how well they're painted。 You're a liar if you tell me you don't want something terrible to happen to John X Cousins。 But that's the charm of the book！ I went into this not realizing that there were other Amy books and worried I might be missing some key info but quickly became invested and didn't feel like I'd missed a beat。 This took me on quite a trip and I'm eager to go back and meet Amy in the previous novels。Early on， there were some clunky sentences and I'd occasionally get a little mixed up on who was being referred to。 Those didn't catch me up later in the read and I'm unsure if that's because I became more used to Willett's writing style or that it developed as the book went on。 Willett introduced a number of story components and dug into many characters but I didn't feel like I was being taken on a goose hunt just to mess with me。 Purposeful and engaging， this is a trip I'd love to take again。 Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this ARC。 。。。more
Sujoya
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3。5⭐️Thirty–five–year–old Carla Karolak runs a successful writing retreat， “Inspiration Point”， renting out “cells’” to aspiring writers so that they may work in solitude for a fixed number of hours per week。 She is also a writer but has been suffering from writer's block for a long time for which she seeks help from Toonie Garabedian， her therapist who also rents a writer space （she is also working on a book） in exchange for her sessions with Carla。 Carla finds Toonie murdered in her writing ce 3。5⭐️Thirty–five–year–old Carla Karolak runs a successful writing retreat， “Inspiration Point”， renting out “cells’” to aspiring writers so that they may work in solitude for a fixed number of hours per week。 She is also a writer but has been suffering from writer's block for a long time for which she seeks help from Toonie Garabedian， her therapist who also rents a writer space （she is also working on a book） in exchange for her sessions with Carla。 Carla finds Toonie murdered in her writing cell and the ensuing police investigation is complicated further when she gets to know of a string of murders in the area。 A shocked Carla reaches out to her retired writing instructor Amy Gallup who she considers a friend and who has had similar experiences with a killer on the loose in the past。 Carla's friends from her previous writing group and Amy who had been their instructor all offer to help Carla through the traumatic events。 Carla， upset with the death of Toonie also fears that the publicity will affect her business adversely by instilling fear in her other residents。 When more women are discovered murdered and butchered， the case attracts the attention of the unpleasant John X。 Cousins who writes about and researches serial killers but also appears to have a hidden agenda involving Carla’s business。 The police， Amy and Carla rush to figure out whether Carla and her writers’ retreat has any connection to the murders and when a series of events points to someone trying to frighten Carla in her own home， she begins to fear for her own life and the safety of her friends and fellow writers。 With dark humor， an interesting cast of characters， murder and serial killers， Amy Among the Serial Killers by Jincy Willett is an entertaining read。 I enjoyed the mystery element of the novel though it was not completely unpredictable after a certain point。 The novel does have its share of gruesome and thrilling moments without becoming too heavy or overwhelming。 I enjoyed getting to know Amy and her canine companion Lottie。 I found Amy to be a smart， straight-shooting， witty and well-rounded character and there are some genuine laugh-out-loud moments in the narrative that are truly amusing。 However， for a novel with the term “serial killers” in its title， the narrative is quite slow-paced and it took me a while to engage in the story。 The narrative picks up at about the 40% mark which I feel is a bit too long to drag the reader through in order to establish the large cast of supporting characters。 Much of the novel follows Carla and Amy in their daily lives and we learn quite a bit about their respective past and present lives。 We also get to read segments from stories that are being written by a few of the characters。 Perhaps fewer distractions from the main plot would have been better。 Overall this was a pleasant read but not quite as gripping as I expected。 I would， however， be interested in reading more stories featuring Amy Gallup。（Please note that I have not read any of the previous books in the Amy Gallup series。 Therefore， I have treated this as a standalone novel which was not too difficult to do because the story does give us a brief idea of the events that occurred before the events described in this novel。）Many thanks to NetGalley and St。 Martin’s Press for providing the digital review copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
novagirl
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I won this book as a giveaway and what a treat to read a mystery with such smart writing。 The characters were well-developed and the story pulled you in even more as you went along。 I'm might have missed many of the more subtle publishing world jokes and references， but there was a lot to make you smile while reading - especially liked the nit-picky grammarian humor。 Only bummer was how much of this book revealed what I am assuming are spoilers from the previous 'Amy' book， but because the writi I won this book as a giveaway and what a treat to read a mystery with such smart writing。 The characters were well-developed and the story pulled you in even more as you went along。 I'm might have missed many of the more subtle publishing world jokes and references， but there was a lot to make you smile while reading - especially liked the nit-picky grammarian humor。 Only bummer was how much of this book revealed what I am assuming are spoilers from the previous 'Amy' book， but because the writing is so well done， will still probably read that one anyway。 。。。more
Judy
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Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC: 3。5 rounded up。 I am a huge Jincy Willett fan and have read all of the "Amy books"--this book was a lesser work from a very good writer。 Amy is a unique and wonderful character， while Carla--her faithful student-- is the center of this book。 I'm not sure if a reader hasn't read the previous books that this book will be easily understood。 It's a book about a former child actress--Carla-- who establishes a writers' colony and while dealing with a serial killer， deal Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC: 3。5 rounded up。 I am a huge Jincy Willett fan and have read all of the "Amy books"--this book was a lesser work from a very good writer。 Amy is a unique and wonderful character， while Carla--her faithful student-- is the center of this book。 I'm not sure if a reader hasn't read the previous books that this book will be easily understood。 It's a book about a former child actress--Carla-- who establishes a writers' colony and while dealing with a serial killer， deals with grief， establishing a career， relationships and more。 Amy is an older woman， a former writing teacher who is a delightful misanthrope with a skilled sense of humor and she is an ancillary character in this book--to its detriment。 I'd advise readers to read the other books about Amy。 This book was enjoyable， ultimately， but took quite some time to gain momentum and characterizations were lacking。 Jincy Willett is a great writer， but this isn't her strongest work。 。。。more
Kayla Landrum
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I wanted to be excited about this book as I love a good whodunit with dark humor。 However， I found it hard to follow and the plot did not pick up until a little over halfway。 There were some fun quirky and clever moments， but not enough to keep my attention。 The ending felt rushed and there were moments of forced dialogue。 With that being said， Ii is a fun take on the obsession with true crime， so if you’re a fan of that and Jincy Willett you will probably like this book。
Kaitlyn
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