Published: February 18th, 2021
Publisher: HQ
Format: Paperback, Kindle
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Dark Comedy, Psychological Thriller, Zine, Crime Fiction, Crime Series
Thank you to HQ for the gifted copy of this book.
SYNOPSIS:
Victim. Murderer. Serial Killer. What next?
The third darkly comic thriller in the highly addictive Sweetpea series featuring serial killer Rhiannon Lewis.
‘Bridget Jones meets American Psycho’ RED
Can a serial killer ever lose their taste for murder?
Since confessing to her bloody murder spree Rhiannon Lewis, the now-notorious Sweetpea killer, has been feeling out-of-sorts.
Having fled the UK on a cruise ship to start her new life, Rhiannon should be feeling happy. But it’s hard to turn over a new leaf when she’s stuck in an oversized floating tin can with the Gammonati and screaming kids. Especially when they remind her of Ivy – the baby she gave up for a life carrying on killing.
Rhiannon is all at sea. She’s lost her taste for blood but is it really gone for good? Maybe Rhiannon is realising that there’s more to life than death…
The third book in the critically-acclaimed series following Sweetpea and In Bloom featuring everyone’s favourite truly original girl-next-door serial killer Rhiannon Lewis.
MY REVIEW:
“Is there such a thing as a ‘normal life’ for a serial killer?”
It’s no secret that the Sweetpea series is one of my favourite series EVER. Or that this latest installment is one of my most anticipated books of 2021. I am not ashamed to admit that I squealed with excitement when HQ offered me a copy of Dead Head, or that I dived into it within days of its arrival. I had so many questions about what was next for Rhiannon. And what is next is a new side to Rhiannon. One that the woman herself doesn’t even recognise.
Rhiannon is hiding out on a cruise ship after confessing to her murder spree and fleeing the UK. She is not only trying to conceal her identity to avoid prison, but also recover from the premature birth of her daughter. Instead of feeling liberated, she is lost in malaise and can think of nothing except how much she misses her baby daughter, Ivy, who she was forced to leave behind. She has also lost her murderous appetite. Is it gone for good? Or could this be the beginning of a new Rhiannon?
Oh, how I’ve missed Rhiannon. Her coarse, dark, filthy humour, the twisted way she sees the world, how she says what’s on her mind without a care, and even her murderous ways. But I liked that in this installment we are given a more emotional and relatable Rhiannon. She is lost in malaise, missing her baby, and finds that her anger and desire to kill has dissipated. She feels untethered. Like she has lost the things that make her who she is. I thought this was a fantastic direction to take the character. After all, she might be a ruthless serial killer, but she’s still human, and few women wouldn’t be broken up at having to abandon their baby. But don’t get it twisted, she’s still got that hilarious inner monologue, dark wit and snarky personality that we first fell in love with.
Darkly funny, compelling and sharply observed, Dead Head is a sensational installment in a truly unique series that you won’t forget. And though you need to read the previous books to keep up with events they are so brilliant that I would have recommended that you read them anyway.
Once again, C. J. Skuse has knocked it out of the park. I loved being back in Rhiannon’s warped and crazy world and was left yearning for more. I truly hope this is not the last we see of Rhiannon.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5
MEET THE AUTHOR:
C. J. Skuse is the author of the young adult novels Pretty Bad Things, Rockaholic, Dead Romantic (Chicken House) as well as Monster and The Deviants (Mira Inc) and the adult novels Sweetpea and In Bloom for HQ/Harper Collins.
Born in 1980 in Weston-super-Mare, England, C.J. has First Class degrees in Creative Writing and Writing for Young People. Aside from writing novels, C.J. is a Senior Lecturer in Writing for Children on the M.A. at Bath Spa University.
C.J. loves Masterchef, Gummy Bears and Sylvanian Families. She hates carnivals, hard-boiled eggs and coughing. The movies Titanic, My Best Friend’s Wedding and Ruby Sparks were all probably based on her ideas – she just didn’t get to write them down in time.
Before she dies, C.J. would like to go to Japan, try clay-pigeon shooting and have Tom Hardy present her with the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
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Thank you for reading. Until next time Bibliophiles, Emma xx
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