Love Letters to a Serial Killer: Cosmo's Thriller of the Year 2024 – ‘dark, witty and so original’ (Sarah Pinborough)

Hannah Wilson is in her thirties, recently ghosted by her boyfriend, unhappy at work, and increasingly frustrated with the direction her life has taken.

Her escape is a true-crime internet forum dedicated to solving the murders of four women in Atlanta.

When handsome young lawyer William Thompson is arrested and charged with the killings, Hannah begins writing him angry letters.

At first, the letters are simply an outlet for her frustration.

Then William writes back.

His responses surprise Hannah. He listens to her, understands her, and seems genuinely interested in her life. What begins as curiosity gradually turns into fascination—and then obsession.

Hannah's ordinary life starts falling apart as William becomes the center of her attention.

When she loses her job, she travels to Georgia to attend his trial, where she meets other people equally fascinated by true crime. Then another woman is found murdered.

William is acquitted.

And Hannah is the first person he contacts when he walks free.

Soon, the two begin a relationship.

But Hannah has one enormous problem:

She isn't entirely convinced that William is innocent.

So while living with the man she may love, she quietly begins investigating him herself.