The Nothing Man - by Catherine Ryan Howard

Book Synopsis

"Gripping, beautifully written, and genuinely chilling, The Nothing Man had me from page one. Simply stellar."--Meg Gardiner, Edgar Award-winning author of The Dark Corners of the Night

I was the girl who survived the Nothing Man. Now I am the woman who is going to catch him ...

At the age of twelve, Eve Black was the only member of her family to survive an encounter with serial attacker the Nothing Man. Now an adult, she is obsessed with identifying the man who destroyed her life.

Supermarket security guard Jim Doyle has just started reading The Nothing Man--the true-crime memoir Eve has written about her efforts to track down her family's killer. As he turns each page, his rage grows. Because Jim's not just interested in reading about the Nothing Man. He is the Nothing Man.

Jim soon begins to realize how dangerously close Eve is getting to the truth. He knows she won't give up until she finds him. He has no choice but to stop her first ...

Review Quotes

"The Nothing Man is the most original and chilling thriller I've read in a long time, and is perfect for fans of Serial and The Fall."

-- "Mark Edwards, bestselling author of The House Guest"

"[A] compulsive thriller...Those familiar with Michelle McNamara's I'll Be Gone in the Dark, which inspired Howard, may spot similarities between the Nothing Man and the real-life Golden State Killer, but Howard (nominated for an Edgar for The Liar's Girl) takes her story in other directions. The Nothing Man is an ingenious nesting doll, revealing surprises in alternating chapters from Eve's book and those from the killer's point of view as he reads said book. Howard can paint moving depictions of grief and survivor's guilt while terrifying readers and making them triple-check the locks on their doors. This isn't nothing; it's the author's best work yet."

-- "Shelf Awareness (starred review)"

"A book to steal your waking hours and haunt your sleeping ones. Chilling and brilliant."

-- "Cass Green, award-winning author of In a Cottage in a Wood"

"Expertly crafted--storytelling at its best."

-- "Patricia Gibney, bestselling author of The Missing Ones"

"Fiendishly clever...Howard uses serial killer tropes in original and surprising ways in this tour de force."

-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"

"Gripping, beautifully written, and genuinely chilling, The Nothing Man had me from page one. Simply stellar."

-- "Meg Gardiner, Edgar Award-winning author of The Dark Corners of the Night"

"I was truly blown away and couldn't read it fast enough. I can't shower it with enough praise. Terrifying, brilliantly plotted, and extremely satisfying."

-- "Jo Spain, bestselling author of With Our Blessing"

"It might be cliché to say that a strong storytelling tradition runs in Irish genes, but...Cork native and current Dubliner Catherine Ryan Howard would seem to be indicative of this...This juxtaposition of predator and prey--and the underlying question of just who is which--renders the stakes breathtakingly high. It's a clever, meta construct--and one the author fully, and frankly, embraces...The Nothing Man is clearly influenced by Michelle McNamara's I'll Be Gone In The Dark...but don't be mistaken: it's still very much a work of fiction, albeit one that's grounded in the realities of crime, recidivism, and victimization. The Nothing Man himself may be quite ordinary, but Catherine Ryan Howard's book-within-a-book is anything but."

-- "Strand Magazine"

"The queen of high-concept crime fiction strikes again: this is the first novel I've read that really captures the chills and twists of the true crime that obsesses us. Catherine Ryan Howard has always been thrillingly good at what she does, but she's just getting better and better with every book."

-- "Jane Casey, author of the Maeve Kerrigan novels"

"This is probably one of the best books I ever read...I absolutely loved the book within a book format...The author did a fantastic job, and if you are a fan of Meg Gardiner, which I am, you will love this book."

-- "Seattle Book Review"

"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."

-- "Sam Blake, bestselling author of Little Bones"

"Whip-smart, thrilling, and utterly compelling."

-- "Liz Nugent, bestselling author of Lying in Wait"