Murder is a deadly subject, especially when talking about serial killers. It really is nothing to laugh about or find humour in. That is unless you are reading the Sweetpea series with the girl next door serial killer, Rhiannon Lewis! Rhiannon is back, albeit with a new look, different name and actually loving life in Thorn In My Side by C. J. Skuse.
Thorn in My Side in the fourth instalment is the Sweetpea series. If you haven’t read about the exploits of Rhiannon Lewis then you are in for a treat with this series, and you do need to read the series in order. Rhiannon is a British serial killer that will leave readers chucking and gasping and even routing for new murders! The girl next door that you wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley, especially if your name has made it onto one of her lists.
Rhiannon’s kills are in double figures, most in the UK with some in Mexico. Trying to live a ‘normal life’, Rhiannon has left Mexico and finds herself in sunny San Diego, USA. And her life is going very well. She is engaged to Rafael, has a lovely family life and hasn’t killed in over 800 days! Rhiannon is definitely loving her life of ‘normality’ as best she can. But Rhiannon is anything but normal and things are about to change and it all starts with a tin of beans hurtling across a supermarket!
Rhiannon is loving life in San Diego with Rafael and his family. She has had some plastic surgery, has a new name (Ophelia), the COVID pandemic mask wearing is helping her to keep a very low profile and Rhiannon, the Sweetpea killer, is presumed dead. But her love for her new family is going to bring her murderous thirst right back to the surface when her soon-to-be sister-in-law has a run-in with an abusive ex and Sweetpea is back with a deadly vengeance.
Overall, I love the Sweetpea series and Thorn in My Side is an excellent continuation of the Rhiannon Lewis story. C. J. Skuse is a very good writer and the dark comic humour intertwined with murder and revenge is superb. Rhiannon loves a good sharp knife to ply her trade, but Skuse’s writing is even sharper.
The book is narrated by Rhiannon and is thrilling, chilling and packed with dark humour that will have you chuckling along with a murderer that you just can’t help but like. Rhiannon is a serial killer with a heart of gold (if you are an animal, a child or family member and not a sexual predator),and she has an excellent dry and wicked sense of humour.
If you’re looking for a dark crime thriller that will make you giggle, chuckle, laugh out loud and gasp, all in equal measures, then you really need to read Thorn in My Side (although you will need to have read the previous books in the series to fully enjoy it). Yes it has murder, yes it has revenge but it is also unpredictable, entertaining and fun.
With now more than just herself to think and worry about, Thorn in My Side is an excellent read. It has revenge, murder, plenty of uniquely dark British humour and a loving family that she will kill to protect! She just can’t seem to eradicate the joy she gets from that constant thorn in her side, MURDER!
An excellent crime thriller with superb dry and comic humour. You can never keep a good serial killer down!
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £9.99 (Paperback) / £2.99 (Kindle)
Available to buy from Amazon here.
