Staff Review: NOBODY DESERVES THIS

NOBODY DESERVES THIS by Andy Callahan
9781250438058
1/19/27
Celadon Books
Fiction / Thrillers

Serial killer novels are back, and Andy Callahan’s debut, NOBODY DESERVES THIS, packs quite the punch. It has all the elements you look for in a thriller: a small town, a community of suspects, tight pacing, sharp hooks, and insane twists that keep you turning the pages!

College dropout Sean Mulcahy’s life fractured when his little sister disappeared four months ago. His father stopped speaking to him, blaming him for her disappearance, and the police even named him as a suspect. Despite the local police investigation, not a single lead has brought him any closer to the truth. And it’s all Sean can think about. He holds on to the hope that his sister is still out there somewhere, and if no one else is going to fight for her, he sure as hell will. When two more girls disappear and all signs point to the same monster who took his sister, Sean has nothing left to lose. With Officer Wicker seemingly no closer to finding answers, Sean takes matters into his own hands, launching his own investigation to find his sister and hunt down a potential serial killer.

The perspectives shift throughout the book, offering glimpses into the kidnapped girls’ experiences, Sean’s investigation, and even his father’s desperate attempts to get his family back on track. These changing viewpoints add another layer of tension, keeping you piecing together the clues while revealing just how far the effects of these disappearances reach.

This book explores how power, greed, social media, and reputation can fracture not just a life, but an entire family and community. As the lines between truth, perception, and suspicion begin to blur, the question becomes how easily the truth can get lost in a web of lies. And let me tell you, this book is creepy. The serial killer stalks his victims’ social media accounts and forces them to recreate their most viral videos. It’s a chilling premise that taps into the reality of how much of our lives we broadcast online, blurring the line between fiction and the very real world we live in.

If there were ever another disappearance, I would want Sean on my side. This propulsive, suspenseful read from a seasoned TV writer (Person of Interest, Lethal Weapon, FBI) will keep you up at night. And if you need any more reason to read this book, Alex Michaelides himself, thriller author extraordinaire of THE SILENT PATIENT, has called this “creepy, unsettling, and addictive–everything you want from a thriller.”

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“Callahan’s work is effective, absorbing, and unputdownable. The plot comes fully loaded with a few dynamic twists that will leave readers breathless.”—Library Journal

“Who knew Main Line Philadelphia concealed so many scandalous secrets? This addictive and fast-paced thriller kept me guessing to the very end. It’s a suspenseful page-turner about money, class, social media, fathers and sons, and a very twisted serial killer. Buckle up!”—Jason Rekulak, author of THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING and HIDDEN PICTURES