Love Letters to a Serial Killer - by Tasha Coryell (Paperback)

About the Book

"Recently ghosted and sick of watching her friends fade into the suburbs with their husbands and children, thirty-something Hannah finds new community in an internet true crime forum that's on a mission to solve the murders of four women who were dumped in a ravine outside Atlanta. When a handsome lawyer named William is arrested for the killings, with evidence of his guilt piling up as quickly as the bodies, Hannah begins writing him letters as another outlet for both her frustration at her failure to launch and her feminist rage. The exercise empowers her, and even feels healthy at first--until William writes back. Their correspondence tips Hannah's interest in the case from curiosity to obsession, leaving space for nothing else as her life implodes around her. When she loses her job, she heads to Georgia to attend the trial, finding herself quickly embedded in a colorful group of fellow true crime junkies and trial chasers. But, a fifth woman is soon found in the same ravine while William is on trial, and the jury has no choice but to find him 'not guilty.' Hannah is the first person he calls upon his release, and they quickly fall into a routine of domestic bliss. Well, as blissful as one can feel while secretly investigating their partner for serial murder"--

Book Synopsis

An aimless young woman starts writing to an accused serial killer while he awaits trial and then, once he's acquitted, decides to move in with him and take the investigation into her own hands in this dark and irresistibly compelling debut thriller.

Recently ghosted and sick of watching her friends fade into the suburbs, thirty-something Hannah finds community in a true-crime forum that's on a mission to solve the murders of four women in Atlanta. After William, a handsome lawyer, is arrested for the killings, Hannah begins writing him letters. It's the perfect outlet for her pent-up frustration and rage. The exercise empowers her, and even feels healthy at first.

Until William writes back.

Hannah's interest in the case goes from curiosity to obsession, leaving space for nothing else as her life implodes around her. After she loses her job, she heads to Georgia to attend the trial and befriends other true-crime junkies like herself. When a fifth woman is discovered murdered, the jury has no choice but to find William not guilty, and Hannah is the first person he calls upon his release. The two of them quickly fall into a routine of domestic bliss.

Well, as blissful as one can feel while secretly investigating their partner for serial murder. . . .

Review Quotes

"Compulsive, twisted and darkly funny--you'll gobble this one up."
--Sally Hepworth, New York Times bestselling author of The Soulmate

"I read this book in a single weekend and have been recommending it to people ever since. Fast-paced and thrilling, Love Letters to a Serial Killer is also a compelling character study of a woman who loves the man who might kill her. Coryell's fiercely witty, intoxicating prose hooked me on page one and never let go."
--Ana Reyes, New York Times bestselling author of The House in the Pines

"I'm a particular fan of women narrators who have a voice that's sardonic, biting, or just straight up self-absorbed. Hannah, the protagonist of Tasha Coryell's often-hilarious debut is all three, and her black humor communicates truths about the current millennial ennui through her often outlandish remarks."
--Glamour

"...[A]n unhinged, humorous nail-biter that meets satirical social commentary for a wild, engrossing thrill ride."
--Seattle Times

"Tasha Coryell's debut novel, Love Letters To A Serial Killer, may be this summer's most relatable and entertaining read for millennials....Darkly comic, fast-paced, and thrilling, this is one book you'll be hard-pressed not to read in one sitting."
--Bustle

"I flew through this book! Wickedly sharp and deliciously twisted, Love Letters to a Serial Killer is a masterclass in dark humor. I dare you to put it down once you've started."
--Liv Constantine, New York Times bestselling author of The Next Mrs. Parrish

"What a ride. Arch, dark, original and so witty, Love Letters to a Serial Killer is a remarkable and gripping debut."
--Sarah Pinborough, New York Times bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes

"If you ever wondered what was going through the mind of 'those women' we all watch true crime documentaries, you'll get your answer here. Bonkers!"
--Crime Reads

"...Nancy Drew turned up to 11."
--Parade

"Coryell expertly renders her protagonist's uneasy perch between love and suspicion, keeping readers as in the dark as Hannah is about William's true nature until the very end. This is un-put-downable."
--Publishers Weekly

"Coryell's engrossing bent comedy isn't afraid to delve into scathing and frank analyses of modern dating culture, American classism, and serial killer fixation, while still being a thrilling read with twists throughout....Witty, shocking, and wild, this is a must-have mystery."
--Library Journal (starred review)

"Oh my god. Utterly brilliant. Hannah is so painfully relatable I didn't know whether to shake her or hug her, but what I could not do was take my eyes off her. I was glued to the very end and I am begging for a sequel!"
--Jesse Q. Sutanto, author of You Will Never Be Me

"A delightfully dark and deranged romp through the mind of one of 'those women'--you won't be able to look away from this high-stakes trainwreck of a relationship between Hannah and William, a match made in heaven for the true-crime obsessed."
--Rachel Koller Croft, author of Stone Cold Fox

"This thriller will leave you questioning everything from the start. It is funny and twisted and you won't want to put it down until you get the answers. Once you finish it, you will be wishing for a sequel."
--Culturess

"Deeply disturbing pals up with darkly comic to create one heck of a morbid ride...But as in all good crime books, nothing is as it seems, and the truth sends Hannah--and the reader--spinning in a completely surprising direction."
--firstCLUE

"This new book offers a fresh twist on the common true crime phenomenon of serial killers receiving love letters and even getting married to their correspondents while still in prison, even while sometimes facing life sentences for their crimes. It remains to be seen if either character lives to see the end of the book, but what is in store is sure to be a compelling thrill ride."
--Screen Rant

"A well-written, interesting yarn that is part comedy, part drama and 100% cautionary tale...Highly recommended beach read."
--Game Vortex

"Tasha Coryell's Love Letters to a Serial Killer is like no other book I've ever read."
--BookReporter

"Coryell's debut is refreshingly original and a promising first step from a writer to watch."
--The Nerd Daily

About the Author

Tasha Coryell lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with her husband, son, and greyhound. She holds an MFA and PhD from the University of Alabama. Her stories, essays, and poems have been featured in a multitude of journals, and Love Letters to a Serial Killer is her first novel. In her free time, Tasha can be found running, cross-stitching, and watching copious amounts of television.