Hello everyone and welcome to the return of Lil Red’s Book Club!! It has been over two months since our last book club review as my life was crazy and I had no free time to read. But now I’m back, baby, and we are going to start things up with a bang. Today, we will be discussing The Twenty by Sam Holland. Before we go any further, a MASSIVE TRIGGER WARNING will be placed on this book and it is not for the faint of heart. The TW is for gruesome violence, murder, assault and abuse in all forms, cruelty to animals, and severe mental health disorders. Still interested in finding out more in a spoiler free setting? Let’s get to it:

Head detective Adam Bishop lives a lonely life and we find our lead character at the bar, once again, drinking his sorrows. His bender is cut short, however, by his second in command, Jamie, informing him that bodies have been found. This sobers Adam up immediately and they head to the scene, a desolate wasteland of abandoned construction projects. This location is now home to the homeless, years of discarded trash, and five bodies.

The scene bustles to life with techs, cops, and detectives who are confident that they have found the dumping grounds of a serial killer. And, this serial killer likes to keep count. Upon closer inspection around the bodies, Roman numerals from sixteen to twelve are found spray painted by the unofficial graves. An image from the scene is reported on the news where one of the numerals is just barely visible. But, the fleeting glimpse of it by Dr. Romilly Cole as she settles in for the night means everything to her.

Romilly Cole is the daughter of the infamous serial killer, Dr. Elijah Cole, and is none other than Adam’s ex-wife. At eleven years old, she turned her father into the police and the world wasn’t ready for what was hidden away in his work shed on the edge of their property. It was hell on Earth for four women who he murdered and one who made it out alive. Only Romilly and the cops working the scene will know that Roman numerals from twenty to seventeen were scratched on the side post of the shed door.

After the realization dawns on Rom that this can only be the workings of her incarcerated father, she calls Adam. His response? Not the one she was looking for and he shrugs it off without a second thought. His marriage to Rom didn’t end on the best of terms and any interaction with her is salt in his wounds, especially now that she is living with her new boyfriend. He also has more pressing issues to tend to, as he is the head investigator on his first serial killer case.

The leads from the burial site are slim and, as more bodies marked with numerals are found, the team is further stumped. The victims have been killed in the most gruesome of manners and the crime scenes continue to tell them nothing. Whoever this killer is, is very good. It isn’t until Rom receives mail from her father requesting her to visit, that Adam puts his pride aside to consider that she might have been right this whole time.

Yes, Rom’s father is in jail, but that doesn’t mean he can’t find someone else to do his bidding. With prison guards wrapped around his finger, “fans” of his, and former patients that were saved through his expertise – anyone could be his “helper”. But who? The clock is ticking as the body count starting with Elijah’s four murders continues to work its way down. Adam, Jamie, and Romilly need to solve this case and fast because one of their own could be next. Will the killer reach their goal of twenty murders? Read The Twenty to find out!

Oh. My. GAWD. was this book insane. The Twenty was, honestly, one of the most harrowing, disturbing thrillers that I have ever read. It was disgusting, terrifying, and completely unputdownable. Every page turned was one step closer to answers or another death and I devoured it in four or so sittings. Obviously, everything the killer did was horrid, but the dream team of Adam, Jamie, and Rom were SO likeable that one more page turned into fifty every time.

The Twenty was written exactly how I like it. Short chapters of at maximum four pages. Multiple narrators between Adam, Jamie, Rom, and the killer. And, it toggled between past and present with the childhood of both Adam and Elijah Cole examined. The case in this book was urgent and I could literally feel that urgency pouring out of every single page. Nay, every single sentence. With every passing minute, another murder could take place and I was so far on the edge of my seat that I almost fell off!

As you all know, I love to play detective when I read. I figured out the first grand reveal of the killer’s identity with time to spare and it STILL left me shocked. Don’t get complacent, though, if you figure it out too… This book delivered a one two punch of grand reveals and I never saw the second one coming in a million years. I had tunnel vision of only finding out who the killer was and was blindsided by the fact that there could be another twist. As I said before, it was INSANE.

Although The Twenty was very difficult to read, I still have to award it with the coveted ten out of ten stars. I have never read anything like it and am very eager to read Sam Holland’s first novel, The Echo Man, as the case was referenced in The Twenty. A trip to the library ASAP? Definitely!

What book are you currently reading? Who has read some good thrillers recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah