The Countdown Killer

‘I’ve fallen in love with the characters in this series’ ★★★★★

‘Her books are like magnets: one page turns into five, turns into fifty, and suddenly it’s 2 a.m.’ ★★★★★ He's tracking people down one by oneAnd you're next on the list… A MAN MURDERED, LIVE ON CAMERA

When a DVD is delivered in the dead of night, DCI Cara Elliott hits play on a horrifying showreel of violence… This is death, on demand.

A KILLER COUNTING DOWN

Avid viewers are paying for the killings, with twisted specifications. A request, an abduction, a murder. And always in a forty-eight-hour pattern.

A MISSING DETECTIVE

But when the killer finds out they’re being investigated, they reveal their next target. In forty-eight hours, a police officer will be the one in front of the camera. The hunters have become the hunted, and the clock is ticking… Praise for Sam Holland's thrillers ‘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

‘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

‘Fierce, frightening, twisted and addictive.’ Chris Whitaker, author of We Begin at the End

‘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

‘I raced through this page-turner and slept with the light on after finishing it!’ Elle Croft, author of The Guilty Wife

‘Fascinating, complex characters, whose relationships are every bit as humanly messy as the crime scenes they face’ Dominic Nolan, author of Vine Street Readers love The Countdown Killer… ‘I’ve fallen in love with the characters in this series’ ★★★★★

‘Her books are like magnets: one page turns into five, turns into fifty, and suddenly it’s 2 a.m.’ ★★★★★

‘An unputdownable read and I read most of it in 24 hours’ ★★★★★

‘Captured me from the first page and didn’t let go’ ★★★★★

‘Gripping, disturbing, and timely’ ★★★★★

‘Honestly, my favourite so far – which says a lot as I was obsessed with The Echo Man!’ ★★★★★

‘One of my most anticipated reads, and it did not disappoint!’ ★★★★★

‘A must-read for fans of gritty police procedurals and serial killer fiction’ ★★★★★

‘A compelling crime thriller with interestingly flawed characters you hope come out the other side intact’ ★★★★★

‘The pacing is electric, with tension that never lets up and twists that genuinely surprised me’ ★★★★★

‘More than just a police procedural thriller’ ★★★★★

‘The writing is immersive and addictive – I completely binged the second half in one sitting’ ★★★★★

‘This series is one of my all-time favourite thrillers, and The Countdown Killer totally lived up to the hype. Actually, scratch that—it might be my favourite one yet’ ★★★★★

‘Words cannot explain how much I loved this book’ ★★★★★

© 2025 Hemlock Press (Audiobook): 9780008615147

Release date

Audiobook: 5 June 2025