The Twenty

Written by Sam Holland

Narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davies

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
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• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: May 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9780008461676

Sam Holland

Sam Holland is a debut author and self-confessed serial-killer geek who lives near Southampton.

Reviews for The Twenty

[Hannah · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love it! I hope this is the start of a great series.. well written, good plot, enough detail about their past but not too much waffle - enough so you feel invested in the characters ?

[Duchess Sarah Ferguson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Twenty is the second in author Sam Holland's Major Crimes series, and like its predecessor The Echo Man, is a tautly-plotted, intense read, with a cast of well developed flawed characters, and several shocking twists.
The Twenty opens with the macabre discovery of five corpses on a local wasteland site, each accompanied by a nearby tag featuring Roman numerals. DCI Adam Bishop is the senior investigating officer, aided by his associate DS Jamie Hoxton and newcomer to the team DC Ellie Quinn. Gradually, the bodies are identified and Bishop's team struggle to find links between them that might lead to a perpetrator.

Bishop and the police hierarchy are quick to dismiss his ex-wife Romilly Cole’s concerns that the present crimes are linked to a grisly past series, but as another victim is discovered and evidence supports her fears they must face the possibility that either a deadly copycat is at work, or that an imprisoned psychopath is pulling strings from behind prison walls...

The investigative narrative is punctuated with brief interludes from the perspective of a stalker-turned-killer, creating a sense of foreboding as they close in on their next victims. Meanwhile, we're also privy to reports of a 1995 criminal investigation with eerie parallels to the current series of killings. Events unfold to lead us towards a thrilling conclusion, with a final twist that will leave readers wondering.

There are many confronting themes and gory crime scenes, and while these aren't gratuitous they don't make easy reading at times. However, for lovers of gritty and realistic crime fiction, The Twenty will prove a thrilling and engrossing read.

My thanks to the author, Sam Holland, publisher HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley (UK) for the opportunity to read and review this gripping title.