The Killer In Room Five by Sam Holland

 

Joseph Sinclair has confessed to a brutal murder. The only problem is that when the murder took place, Joe was a patient in a psychiatric hospital. The police are puzzled as to how he can have such detailed knowledge of the crime if he wasn't present.

Author Sam Holland has written some of my favourite police procedural/serial killer thrillers of recent years, so I relished the opportunity to read The Killer In Room Five. The story certainly lived up to my expectations; if you like your thrillers on the dark side, then this fits the bill.

The opening pages set the tone for the narrative: bloody, frantic and terrifying. From this opening, we are introduced to DC Abby Fox, who is returning to work following a year's suspension. The reason for the suspension isn't immediately clear and adds to Abby's mysteriousness and vulnerability. Abby is sent to interview Joe at Hollowpines, the private psychiatric hospital where he has been a patient for the past month.

Joe is a sympathetic character; he is completely aware of his illness and terrified about what he may have done. Alongside Joe, we meet a range of other characters at the hospital, many of whom seem to be supportive and genuine, but you soon begin to doubt everyone.

A combination of unexplained murders, a building with an unpleasant history, and patients with shocking backgrounds all add to keep the reader on edge. The backstory of some of the more dangerous patients is enough to make you want to sleep with the lights on. I was also intrigued as to whether these characters are based on real-life murderers or simply a result of the twisted imagination of the author.

Although I'd figured out who the killer was relatively quickly, it didn't spoil my enjoyment as I couldn't work out how and why. The author manages to keep the conclusion a complete mystery until the very end. The ending, with karma leaving its calling card, certainly isn't for the faint-hearted.

The Killer In Room Five by Sam Holland will be published on 21st May 2026 in paperback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Hemlock Press for a review copy.

Author Details

Sam Holland is the award-winning author of the Major Crimes series, following detectives as they investigate murders committed by brutal serial killers in the south of England. Her debut, The Echo Man, shocked and enthralled readers and reviewers alike with its sinister depiction of a serial killer copying notorious real-life murderers of the past.

Her books have been published in 15 countries worldwide, including the US, Germany and the Netherlands, where she became the first author to win the Bronze Bat for her debut and the Silver Bat for best thriller in consecutive years at the Nederlands Thrillerfestival.

She also writes as Louisa Scarr and is the author of the Butler and West crime series, beginning with Last Place You Look and ending with Out of the Ashes. A new series, about a police dog handler, launched in July 2024 with Gallows Wood. The second in the series, Memorial Park, is out now and will be followed by Broken House in October.