Love in the Time of Serial Killers

Thompson debuts with a lighthearted but shoddily constructed ode to true crime aficionados. Phoebe Walsh first meets her Sam Dennings while moving back into her childhood home in the middle of the night. Sam’s neighborly offer to help raises a red flag for Phoebe, as her lifelong love of true crime has taught her to associate this kind of unsolicited kindness with serial killers. Living alone in her late father’s house while writing her dissertation on the genre has her understandably on edge, and as Sam continues to exhibit “suspicious” behavior, she sets out to investigate. This fun premise drops off fairly quickly as Phoebe’s motive for putting herself in Sam’s path morphs from wary curiosity to attraction. Between fixing up her father’s home and helping her brother plan a proposal, the pair spend a lot of time together, forcing them to confront their feelings. There’s a lot jammed in here, as, in addition to falling in love, Phoebe grieves her father, bonds with her brother, and reconnects with old friends. The result feels slightly too crowded to hit all the emotional notes it aims for. Still, readers who love true crime and romance in equal measure will find plenty to enjoy. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary. (Aug.)