Truly, Darkly, Deeply: the gripping thriller with a shocking twist

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Grown up Sophie has been deeply affected by her brush with a serial killer especially one who treated her like a daughter. When she receives a letter from the prison where Matty is living out his sentence, she doesn’t want to respond to his request for her to visit initially but she knows the doubts she has over his conviction need to be met head on. I felt quite sorry for Sophie, her life had been affected by her connection with Matty but I knew why she went chasing answers. Their meeting doesn’t actually happen until quite far along into the narrative which gives a chance for the tension to rise to an almost unbearable level! The reader sees everything from Sophie’s POV and we do spot things that a young girl wouldn’t be able to! But do these things mean that Matty is a conniving and clever criminal or has there been an horrific miscarriage of justice? Ziba has been the focus of a killer’s interest before and knows that if she gets too close again this case could be her last. Still, she’s not one to play by the rules – especially when her secret investigation into her husband’s murder begins to attract unwanted attention.

There’s no way the detectives won’t have noticed and drawn a conclusion, he thinks. First impressions count, he knows that. He’s made his living out of it. Truly, Darkly, Deeply is such a clever, immersive crime novel, and like nothing I've ever read before. I lived every unbearably tense second of Sophie's powerful story, unable to put the book down. It's only January and this could well be my book of the year! * Caz Frear, author of Sweet Little Lies * But a spate of identical killings around London makes the young girl wonder if Matty is all what he seems...Sophie was a great protagonist! She was complex but you could understand her motives throughout. I loved how she ended the story.

Dr Vernon Sange, killer of twelve, lies on his bunk. His hands are interlaced behind his head, his film-star face white as butcher’s paper from being inside so long. On his chest, a portable CD player moves up and down in time with his measured breaths. The ‘Queen of the Night’ aria plays through his earbuds.Dark, chilling and compelling. This is one serial killer thriller readers won't be able to put down * Olivia Kiernan, author of The Murder Box * Het boek start op een bijzondere manier. We zien hoe Sophie in haar jeugd toekijkt hoe een havik een mus verslindt. De laatste zin van de proloog is: “Dat was een leugen, Sophie. Je had alle reden om bang te zijn. En het zou niet allemaal goedkomen.” Het verhaal van Sophie begint op een intrigerende manier en zorgt ervoor dat je je afvraagt waar ze dan bang voor had moeten zijn en wat deze proloog betekent. Hierdoor wordt je geprikkeld om verder te lezen en dit gevoel blijft de gehele tijd! Such a fabulous read. A brilliant mix of true-crime podcast vibes with a coming-of-age story that's emotionally spot-on. Simply couldn't tear myself away!" - Amanda Reynolds Narrated by Sophie across two timelines: then, when she was 12 and her mum was dating Matty; and now in her 30's, preparing to confront Matty in prison, this is a London set soap opera that descends into secrets, lies and murders over two years of North London being under siege by a vicious serial killer of young curly haired brunettes(!). Mostly told from the viewpoint of the 12 year old Sophie in 1980s London, this is surprisingly (for me) a pretty compelling read that got more and more fraught and intense the deeper I got into it. What tears Sophie apart is Matty's prominence in her childhood and the two decades of niggling feeling that as he has always claimed, that he might actually be innocent! Top marks to Selman for telling a story of the 'other victims' of serial killers, their own families! Yet another very well chosen UK Richard and Judy Book Club read. An easy 8 out of 12, Four Stars from me. Told across two timelines and tapping into a horrific crime, All the Little Liars is a novel about sisterly love and toxic friendship that asks: how much would you sacrifice to belong?

Matty Melgren was a charming, handsome man. Most of all, he was a father figure to Sophie. The man who encouraged her, supported her, played games with her and always made her feel safe. But Matty had a darker side and twenty years ago, he was handed a life sentence for multiple murders of women in the North London area. He always maintained his innocence. Now, Matty is dying and he wants to meet with Sophie one last time. Sophie is reluctant but maybe this visit will answer some questions and give her some closure. There are after all missing women whose bodies have never been found. Will Matty, after all this time, finally admit that he was indeed a serial killer? I loved the setting of this novel. The time period gave me a real sense of nostalgia, especially references to TV shows and movies of the time. Manages to be both a gripping-as-hell psychological thriller and a remarkably astute study of evil. A work of style and substance that leaves you with the uncomfortable suspicion that your world, and the people in it, are far more dangerous than you had imagined * Dominic Nolan, author of Vine Street * An absorbing and captivating read, this held me in its thrall from beginning to end. Brilliant!" - S J Watson In 2013 she won the Full Stop Short Story Prize and her first novel, Blood for Blood, was shortlisted for the 2017 Debut Dagger Award.A truly darkly creepy serial killer story with a chilling sting in its tale. Reminded me of The Fall. Beautifully written and highly recommended * Mark Edwards, author of The House Guest *

I really enjoyed the direction this novel takes as we view events through young and adult Sophie‘s eyes. It questions and weighs up the possibilities of innocence and guilt in several ways and this is reinforced through blogs that are interspersed throughout the narrative and also demonstrate the fascination some people have for serial killers. It looks closely at the scars and damage that are left behind by those convicted of serious crimes. The novel is well written and compelling especially the characterisation particularly of enigmatic Amelia-Rose and mesmerising Matty and you certainly feel Sophie’s angst. The feelings she has are palpable and the guilt she carries feels almost like a living thing, which I guess it is as it’s lived with her for years. Matty’s portrait dangles the is he, isn’t he conundrum in front of you and you speculate just as people did at the time of the killings in the early 1980s. An absorbing and captivating read, this held me in its thrall from beginning to end. Brilliant! * SJ Watson, author of Before I Go to Sleep * The story centres around a serial killer in the early 80's and told through the eyes of 12 year old Sophie.

Although the story sometimes moves a little too slow for my taste, it was very difficult not to keep reading. The characters are very well drawn out and the writing style is very engaging. I could picture Sophie, trying to fit in a community that essentially is completely different from where she grew up, except for the language. I could picture Amelia-Rose, struggling with many secrets – although we only later learn how many secrets exactly. And I could even picture Matty, the man with many faces.