The Twenty
Published on 26. October 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
480 pages
978-0-00-846168-3 (ISBN)
Description
A nail-biting, award-winning crime novel from the author of The Echo Man!
A shocking crime scene...
DCI Adam Bishop has never seen anything like it. Five murder victims - all with numbers written above their bodies. And the spray-painted daubs reveal a horrific truth: the killer is counting down...
A case that twists and turns...
When Dr Romilly Cole learns of the murders, they trigger memories of a traumatic past she has tried hard to forget. But getting involved with the case is a bad idea. She and Bishop have history - and working together could never end well.
A race against time to stop a killer...
Adam and Romilly soon realise the truth lies in a decades-old case, and only Romilly holds the key. But they must act quickly, because with every passing day, there are more victims. And as the numbers edge toward zero, the murders get closer to home...
The countdown has begun. Who will die next?
'The Twenty is smart and brooding, icepick-sharp and shadow-dark; best of all, though, it's scary as hell. Think you're tough? Pick up this novel and prove it'
A. J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window
'Fierce, frightening, twisted and addictive. The Twenty grips you by the throat and keeps on squeezing until the very end'
Chris Whitaker, author of We Begin at the End
'Riveting reading ... Packed with suspense, it is a story that horrifies and hypnotises at the same time'
Daily Mail
'Fast and furious, Sam Holland doesn't take her foot off the pedal for a second'
Victoria Selman, author of Truly Darkly Deeply
'If you like crime that's dark, twisted, and keeps you up all night, Holland is the author for you'
Jack Jordan, author of Do No Harm
'Really disturbing and gripping but with a trademark sexy cop at the heart to offset the serial killer gore. Lots of fun in a very nightmarish way'
Harriet Tyce, author of Blood Orange
* THE ECHO MAN won the Bronze Bat for Best Debut Thriller in October 2022, and THE TWENTY won the Silver Bat for best thriller of the year in October 2023, at the Netherlands Thriller Festival
.
A shocking crime scene...
DCI Adam Bishop has never seen anything like it. Five murder victims - all with numbers written above their bodies. And the spray-painted daubs reveal a horrific truth: the killer is counting down...
A case that twists and turns...
When Dr Romilly Cole learns of the murders, they trigger memories of a traumatic past she has tried hard to forget. But getting involved with the case is a bad idea. She and Bishop have history - and working together could never end well.
A race against time to stop a killer...
Adam and Romilly soon realise the truth lies in a decades-old case, and only Romilly holds the key. But they must act quickly, because with every passing day, there are more victims. And as the numbers edge toward zero, the murders get closer to home...
The countdown has begun. Who will die next?
'The Twenty is smart and brooding, icepick-sharp and shadow-dark; best of all, though, it's scary as hell. Think you're tough? Pick up this novel and prove it'
A. J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window
'Fierce, frightening, twisted and addictive. The Twenty grips you by the throat and keeps on squeezing until the very end'
Chris Whitaker, author of We Begin at the End
'Riveting reading ... Packed with suspense, it is a story that horrifies and hypnotises at the same time'
Daily Mail
'Fast and furious, Sam Holland doesn't take her foot off the pedal for a second'
Victoria Selman, author of Truly Darkly Deeply
'If you like crime that's dark, twisted, and keeps you up all night, Holland is the author for you'
Jack Jordan, author of Do No Harm
'Really disturbing and gripping but with a trademark sexy cop at the heart to offset the serial killer gore. Lots of fun in a very nightmarish way'
Harriet Tyce, author of Blood Orange
* THE ECHO MAN won the Bronze Bat for Best Debut Thriller in October 2022, and THE TWENTY won the Silver Bat for best thriller of the year in October 2023, at the Netherlands Thriller Festival
.
Reviews / Votes
'Riveting reading ... Packed with suspense, it is a story that horrifies and hypnotises at the same time' Daily Mail'The Twenty is smart and brooding, icepick-sharp and shadow-dark; best of all, though, it's scary as hell. Think you're tough? Pick up this novel and prove it' A. J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window
'Fast and furious, Sam Holland doesn't take her foot off the pedal for a second' Victoria Selman, author of Truly Darkly Deeply
'If you like crime that's dark, twisted, and keeps you up all night, Holland is the author for you' Jack Jordan, author of Do No Harm
'Really disturbing and gripping but with a trademark sexy cop at the heart to offset the serial killer gore. Lots of fun in a very nightmarish way' Harriet Tyce, author of Blood Orange
'Fierce, frightening, twisted and addictive. The Twenty grips you by the throat and keeps on squeezing until the very end' Chris Whitaker, author of We Begin at the End
'So dark you almost have to look away yet so compelling you can't stop turning the next page' Tim Glister, author of Red Corona
'Can you read a book while peeking through your fingers? When it's as clever and addictive as The Twenty, you can' Jo Furniss, author of All the Little Children
'Troubling and twisty and terrifying' Stig Abell, author of Death Under a Little Sky
'Fascinating, complex characters, whose relationships are every bit as humanly messy as the crime scenes they face' Dominic Nolan, author of Vine Street
'Gripped me right from page one' L.V. Matthews, author of The Twins
'A truly gripping page turner that will make your veins pump and your fingers curl' Heather Critchlow, author of Unsolved
'Characters that leap off the page and more than enough murders to satisfy the most bloodthirsty' Rachael Blok, author of Under the Ice
'Sharp as a razor and jam packed with heart-in-mouth moments that'll leave you reeling' Robert Scragg, author of the Porter & Styles series
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Product notice
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 132 mm
Thickness: 35 mm
Weight
325 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-00-846168-3 (9780008461683)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Having always been fascinated with the dark and macabre, Sam Holland studied psychology at university then spent the next few years working in HR, before quitting for a full-time career in writing. A self-confessed serial killer nerd, her debut novel, 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.
Sam can be found on Twitter and Instagram at @samhollandbooks.
Sam can be found on Twitter and Instagram at @samhollandbooks.