A psychological thriller which keeps you guessing the whole way through… meet The Scribe by A. A. Chaudhuri.

The plot:

A killer is targeting former students of The Bloomsbury Academy of Law. The victims – all female – are gruesomely butchered according to a pattern corresponding with the legal syllabus.

Even more disconcerting are riddles sent by the killer to investigating officer, Chief Inspector Jake Carver, offering clues as to who is next and where they will die.

Making it as a lawyer has always been a cutthroat business. But now that a sadistic serial killer is on the loose, the consequences could prove deadly…

You’ll see me reading more by Chaudhuri soon

The Scribe is one of those books which makes you doubt every character involved, even when you’re pretty certain they’re not the killer. I guessed the ‘who’ purely based on me guessing everyone.

This has a lot more to it than some of the other thrillers I’ve read recently – of course, it has the ‘whodunnit’, horror and edge-of-your-seat vibe, but the extra depth with the legal knowledge takes it to another level, from my point of view. The author had previously worked in the legal sector, and you can really see the understanding, especially when certain names and background information pops up.

It has jaw-dropping paragraphs and a clever twist which I think makes or breaks a psychological thriller. The Scribe is shocking but also very clever, and you’re manipulated by Chaudhuri from the get-go.

There’s quite a few horrifying paragraphs which aren’t easy to read, and this book’ll leave you with chills. Even when you think it’s all over, Chaudhuri has to chuck in one more little thing.

The most important point for me was that every page was interesting – there’s a lot of conversation which makes for a quick read, but I found it very difficult to put down (I’ve never realised how short my work commute is until I’ve only read 20 pages and had to pick the book up hours later).

There’s one bit which made me roll my eyes because I thought it was just plain silly, but apart from this minor annoyance, it’s a well-rounded thriller that will have you hanging on every word.

I did think the ending was a little rushed, but I feel like that’s more because you get very invested in the characters and don’t want it to end.

I’m very pleased to learn that there are other books featuring one of the protagonists, so you’ll see me reading more by Chaudhuri soon.

The Scribe, A. A. Chaudhuri, RRP £8.99 (paperback); Book Depository 

Pages: 311

Publisher: Endeavour Media

Genre: Psychological thriller