Flowers for the Dead by Barbara Copperthwaite – Books On Tour (Review)

Hands down, this is one of the most lushly described, detailed, creepy, and hauntingly beautiful serial killer stories I have ever read.

And those are words I never thought I would put together into a sentence.

Honestly, though, I can’t remember a time that an author paid so much attention to the criminal, and the story is so much better for that attention. It elevates this book beyond a normal serial killer/crime procedural.  

The author even manages to make the reader (well, at least this one!) sympathetic to the killer. That’s a tough road to go down, because it could make a person turn against the plot and dislike the book.

Not the case here.

Adam obviously has some deep seated issues, but tracing his journey from sweet boy on his grandmother’s knee reading fairy tales to psychopathic killer who (for all intents and purposes) stalks his victims is fascinating.

In fact, I found myself more intrigued with Adam’s story than that of his main target, Laura’s. Not to say that she wasn’t interesting in her own right. The character study of her grief is the perfect backdrop for not being totally aware of the impending events.

I particularly liked how the author used flowers and their “language” (i.e. Wood sorrel: Maternal tenderness) as each chapter heading. It was a unique indication of a focus or point of importance of the chapter.

I highly recommend this book. But be warned: it is not one that you can just rush through. This one takes its time setting the stage and slowly entwining the characters (not unlike ivy or some other flowering vine). That’s not to say that it’s boring because it’s nowhere near that. But the action does accelerate to a thrilling finish.

The only other warning I can give is that you might find yourself wondering what’s wrong with you that you are feeling for (and maybe even rooting for) Adam’s misguided vision of love and protection. But don’t worry, you won’t be alone in that feeling.

Author Bio:
Barbara is the Amazon and USA Today bestselling author of psychological thrillers INVISIBLE, FLOWERS FOR THE DEAD, THE DARKEST LIES, and HER LAST SECRET.

More importantly, she loves cakes, wildlife photography and, last but definitely not least, her two dogs, Scamp and Buddy (who force her to throw tennis balls for them for hours).

Having spent over twenty years as a national newspaper and magazine journalist, Barbara has interviewed the real victims of crime – and also those who have carried those crimes out. She is fascinated by creating realistic, complex characters, and taking them apart before the readers’ eyes in order to discover just how much it takes to push a person over a line.

When not writing feverishly, she is often found hiding behind a camera, taking wildlife photographs.