Name: Leyla Gulsen's review of The Killer's Daughter by Kate Wiley
Item: The Killer's Daughter
Rating: 3
Author: Leyla Gulsen

Kate Wiley

In the backseat, the baby started to cry. He turned the radio down and the Fleetwood Mac song faded away as he faced toward the little girl. "Shh, shh, baby. Daddy will be right back," he said, leaving the car running as he disappeared into the trees. Twenty years ago, Ed Finch - America's most notorious serial killer - used the Bay Area as his hunting ground. Now, his daughter, Margot, is a homicide detective with the San Francisco Police Department who has spent her whole life trying to forget who she is. But her daddy won't let her forget. When Margot receives a phone call from his lawyer, she learns that Ed is back - transferred to death row at San Quentin. And her father has a message for her: he's willing to disclose some long-held secrets. But there's a catch. She has to visit him. He knows she won't be able to resist the chance to find out the truth about his victims. So now she's in her car outside the gates of the maximum-security prison, counting slowly to ten like her therapist taught her. Every instinct tells her to turn around. But she can't help wondering if she'll be able to catch a glimpse of the man who was once her father, somewhere under the surface of the monster he's become - and whether he'll finally reveal the truth about what he did, all those years ago, when she was the baby in the backseat. The start of a new series perfect for fans of Robert Dugoni, Karin Slaughter and Gregg Olsen, The Killer's Daughter is a dark, compulsive thriller packed with unexpected twists, introducing a flawed heroine you'll root for even if you'd never want to live a day in her shoes. What readers say about Kate Wiley's books: "This book was absolutely amazing. I was captivated from word go... And to top it all off during the last few chapters I was gasping out loud. I really never saw it coming. Great Book." Reader review,⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "It's been a long time since I've fallen in love with a series so fast." Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "LOVED this!! Couldn't put it down." Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "One word: AWESOME." Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "From the first chapter of this book I knew I was going to be hooked on the series. Spoiler alert: I was right. I didn't just read the books, I devoured them." Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Holy Crap I looooooooooove this series with a great gushing stalkerish fury." Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I was on the edge of my chair at times and holding my breath... I love this series and they just keep getting better and better." Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Had me on the edge of my seat. I was so engrossed in the plot and the characters that I completely ignored my family while reading this book. If you haven't read this series, you must check it out!" Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "This series just gets better and better. It has totally hooked me in." Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Totally Gripping Crime Thriller with a Heart-stopping Twist

The Killer's Daughter

Leyla Gulsen

The Killer’s Daughter follows two point of views, in the present focused on the daughter, Margot Phalen, a badass detective, and in the past years about her father, Ed Finch, a serial killer. It follows Margot as she tries to solve multiple different murder crimes in her city. While it follows Ed Finch, it describes his thoughts as he goes through killing multiple women, 76 to be exact, in the 80-90s. 

I enjoyed Margot’s personality and the banter with her partners Wes and Leon. I loved diving deep into her thoughts and showing how her life now is still affected since her father’s arrest when she was 15, 20 years ago. As I read Ed’s thoughts as he went about murdering women he stalked on dating sites, it was very realistic as it made me uncomfortable because how normal he made it sound to actually enjoy the process.

While I loved the story, and the multiple cases Margot is involved with, I didn’t feel like this was enough of a thriller. There wasn’t a lot of moments that was like “oh!” and a big part of the story didn’t have a wow factor until the end. 

I wouldn’t say the book is necessarily slow, as I was engaged throughout it, I guess I was just always waiting for something really crazy to happen. I still enjoyed the plot and the writing! 

I would give this book 3-3.5 stars. 

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Kate Wiley for granting me this advanced review copy.

You can see a more in depth review of this book on my tiktok here: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLFMsLkv/

Leyla Gulsen &
The Killer's Daughter by Kate Wiley

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Leyla Gulsen &The Killer's Daughter by Kate Wiley

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Leyla Gulsen &
The Killer's Daughter by Kate Wiley