Normal: The Most Original Thriller Of The Year

I wanted this book to be a good read but unfortunately for me it just wasn't. I liked the novel being written from the POV of the serial killer but it was the things he did that I could not understand. Maybe I'm not supposed to as how can we ever really know how and why a serial killer thinks and does what s/he does? But this novel, like its protagonist, just didn't seem to have any sense of direction. I have read other books from a serial killer's perspective that are so much better. Some chapters were really riveting and compelling but I can count this on one hand; they were just too few and far between. Erica irritated me beyond belief and ultimately confused me in her actions.Overall, what started out as a hopeful read culminated in a disappointment. I would not recommend this book to those expecting crime thrillers. I have read much better novels, such as MJ Arlidge's DI Helen Grace series and Ann Cleeves' Vera Stanhope series.

Normal by Graeme CameronI actually don't know where to start reviewing this book. I was about a third of the way through when I realised that I had no idea whether the story was set in Ireland America UK Australia or another English speaking country. Nor did I know the main characters name. The title of this book describes it perfectly... he is normal, average, vanilla except he kills. It is as simple and as brutal as that. The nearest comparison I could make would be Dexter crossed with the guy from the Rosie project!!Did I enjoy this book? Yes I absolutely did as our poor sociopathic "hero" gets himself in an awful pickle when he falls in love and is completely conflicted with his desire for love and his desire and bloodlust to kill. Add to this a kidnapped girl locked in his basement who he seems unable to kill and the police closing in. This powder keg is set to go off.5 well deserved stars!

When I finished reading the last page I realised that I didn't even know the killer's name but I knew that I liked him and I really didn't want him to go.Normal's (anti) hero is a good bloke. Women love him, men get on well with him; he is attractive, funny, sweet - everything you could wish for in a friend or lover. The only problem is that he has a slightly unusual hobby, he 'hurts' people, kills them, chops up their bodies and perhaps even eats them. Shame.Like that other loveable serial killer, Dexter, our killer has experienced a childhood trauma which has left him detached from the rest of the human race. He is an efficient killing machine and never gets caught but then it all goes wrong, he starts to form attachments; he makes his first friend, he starts worrying about the comfort of his victims and finally - Big, Big, Mistake - he falls in love.I really liked this book. In fact I can't wait to re-read it. Perhaps he does have a name and I was turning the pages so fast that I missed it.Mr Normal is definitely my new favourite psychopath.

I have read a few novels over the years narrated by serial killers so the premise of Normal is not new to me, nor is the humour but Mr Cameron manages to put his own spin on it and make Normal a good read. The narrator never mentions his name or location so the reader is left to concentrate on the narrator's ideology for want of a better word and actions which are decidedly strange. The downside to this is that we, the reader, are dependent on what he wants to tell us and that can be disjointed and downright confusing at times but maybe that's intentional as he is definitely decompensating at a fast rate in the novel.The narrator is a successful serial killer until he kidnaps Erica, the friend of his latest victim, and develops a soft spot for her. At the same time he falls in love with Rachel and starts a relationship with her. The fallout from all this is a distracted killer who starts making mistakes and a plot which descends into farce (no criticism intended) by the end.If you want a clever, absorbing, if a little confusing, read which is bit out of the ordinary then Normal may be the book for you. If, however, you like a little realism in your reading it is not for you as the narrator bears no resemblance to any psychopathic serial killer I've heard of (and I watch a lot of true crime on TV) although it is a good read so I managed to mostly suspend my disbelief and enjoy it.