Normal by Graeme Cameron

Normal

by Graeme Cameron


“Hypnotic and chilling–you won't forget this in a hurry.” – Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author

'Creepy yet genuinely funny, I didn't like NORMAL, I loved it.' – Michael Robotham, Internationally bestselling author

 

“The truth is I hurt people. It's what I do. It's all I do. It's all I've ever done.”

He lives in your community, in a nice house with a well–tended garden. He shops in your grocery store, bumping shoulders with you and apologizing with a smile. He drives beside you on the highway, politely waving you into the lane ahead of him.

What you don't know is that he has an elaborate cage built into a secret basement under his garage. And the food that he's carefully shopping for is to feed a young woman he's holding there against her will–one in a string of many, unaware of the fate that awaits her.

This is how it's been for a long time. It's normal…and it works. Perfectly.

Then he meets the checkout girl from the 24–hour grocery. And now the plan, the hunts, the room…the others–he doesn't need any of them anymore. He only needs her. But just as he decides to go straight, the police start to close in. He might be able to cover his tracks, except for one small problem–he still has someone trapped in his garage.

Discovering his humanity couldn't have come at a worse time.

Reviewed by Leah on

4 of 5 stars

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This might make me sound a bit weird, but I LOVE books about serial killers. I just find them so fascinating – to get in to their minds, and see their inner workings etc. Usually, killers aren’t front and central of crime thrillers. They just get little snippets here and there to whet your appetite as the cops chase them, but in Normal that is soooo different. Instead, it’s ALL ABOUT the serial killer. We don’t even know his name or where he lives, but you get so invested in his story that little things like his name are irrelevant.

I have actually never been so fascinated by a book! It was amazing and I managed to read the book over the course of two days, and the main chunk of the novel over the course of a day off, and it was AMAZING. Who knew serial killing was so fascinating and interesting? I know, I know, it’s wrong; it’s deplorable and usually it’s nice to see the killer caught, but in this instance, you’re just desperate for him to get away with everything, even though you’re not entirely sure it’s possible – especially with a girl in his basement and the police knocking at his door suspiciously.

The relationship between the MC and Erica was a fantastic, intriguing one, because he doesn’t just simply kill her. Instead it’s almost like he’s got a house guest, not a girl he plans to kill, and you’re just not sure of the end game; especially when Rachel comes in to play.

I wish more authors wrote books from the point of view of the killer because I enjoyed it immensely – even though I know I shouldn’t have. Graeme Cameron has written a really, really awesome book. It was so intriguing, and the only let down was the ending, because I’m not actually sure what it meant. And I hate feeling stupid. JUST TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED, is what I wanted to scream, because I feel like I must have obviously missed something. Apart from that, the novel was a helluva ride and I can’t wait to see what Cameron does next!

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 10 April, 2015: Finished reading
  • 10 April, 2015: Reviewed