Oof.

So at the end of Mr. Monster, John literally called up a demon and told them to bring it on. So of course there’s another serial killer in Clayton County.

Storywise, the story feels like the same thing we’ve already seen twice before in I Am Not a Serial Killer and Mr. Monster, up until the final act. It’s starting to get a bit tired, but there’s a big twist in the final act (spoiler: Turns out... this time there are **two** serial killers !)

Characterwise, there’s a bit of an abrupt shift as Brooke doesn’t want to deal with John (which I totally understand), but now Marci is on the scene. At first, it just felt really strange, but I think it works. John grows a little bit more and learns at least a bit more about being human. And the payoff by the end… Eesh.

Worldbuildingwise, we learn a bit more about the demons. It’s interesting getting glimpses of how much history there has to be there and how different they each are. I want to know more.

It’s probably for the best that this is the last John Cleaver book in the first trilogy and set around Clayton County. There is only so many times you can get a serial killer in a small town before it strains incredulity.

Still. Well worth the read.

Site note from Mr. Monster: The woman in the wall didn’t come back. That’s a bummer.