Book Review: The Hashtag Killer by A.S. French

Social media breeds good… but also evil. If you don’t believe me, just check out this new review.

Goodreads Blurb

The Hashtag Killer by A.S. French

Catch a killer or save a child. What would you do?

DI Jen Flowers thought she’d seen it all after fifteen years on the force, but when a vigilante serial killer hits the city and uses social media to gather supporters, she must fight the public and her doubts to catch a murderer and save her daughter.

Suffering from blackouts and abandoned as a child by her father, Ruby Vasquez has been chasing that one scoop to make her an internet star. Living with an alcoholic mother who hates her, Ruby discovers a secret about the vigilante’s first victim, which puts her in the killer and DI Flowers’ sights.

Jen and Ruby have to overcome the secrets in their past while battling each other to discover the Hashtag Killer’s identity. Jen will have to choose between keeping her daughter safe or finding a killer, while Ruby will need to decide if becoming famous is more important than doing the right thing.

Review

Meet 2021’s Zodiac Killer: The Hashtag Killer. Instead of sending cryptic clues to newspapers, The Hashtag Killer is boasting about their endeavours on Twitter – and using the foundation of Ruby’s blog to accelerate their fan base. That’s what I liked most about this book, the inclusion of contemporary life in a story told many times. It helps it stand out against the background of the 1000s of other serial killer stories out there. In fact, The Hashtag Killer becomes more unique, but you are going to have to read the book to discover how.

The Hashtag Killer shares the limelight with the theme of parenthood. Much of the book dives into not just Jen’s attempts to save her daughter, but also how she finds being a single parent and battling her own misgivings as a parent. Jen and Abby are a good contrast to Ruby and her mother, who have an extremely turbulent relationship. Both these mother-daughter duos add a softer side to the book, but also make it grimmer in ways.

Questions raised about revenge and retribution also provide food for thought in The Hashtag Killer. Is a murder ever justified? Does anybody deserve to die? Whose responsibility is it to get justice. All these questions raced through my brain as I read.

One thing I wasn’t a fan of in this book was the multiple viewpoints. I normally enjoy this feature in a book but at times it was hard to distinguish who was talking until a few pages in. However, it is not a big deal and it doesn’t take away from the plot.

Like the sounds of The Hashtag Killer? Pick up your copy here.

I was sent this book in exchange for an honest review.