Reviews: The Serial Killer Support Network (20)
“Serial Killer Series.”
(Paperback)
Book 2 of Secret Vigilante.
For six months someone only known as The Caretaker has been committing crimes against those who have wronged. Now, women across the country have been inspired to take control of their own lives and seek revenge on the people who hurt them The Caretaker is more than just a killer, he's become a movement. And The Serial Killer Support Group have found themselves at the heart of it.
I was quickly pulled into this cleverly crafted story. The pace was perfectly set, the characters were well-developed and the tension built throughout. I loved all the female characters in this book. The story covers domestic abuse. It's told from multiple perspectives. I wouldn't recommend reading this book as a standalone as there were a few references to the previous book The Serial Killer's Support Group. I enjoyed this story more than I did the first book.
Published 1st May 2026
I would like to thank #NetGalley #HarperCollinsUK #OneMoreChapter for my ARC of #TheSerialKillersSupportNetwork in exchange for an honest review.
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
“Review: The Serial Killer Support Network by D.B. Stephens (Secret Vigilante, Book 2)”
(Paperback)
The first rule of a successful sequel is that it must stand on its own while honoring what made its predecessor worth following. The Serial Killer Support Network manages the second more consistently than the first — and that imbalance is ultimately what keeps it from matching the tight, intimate tension of The Serial Killer Support Group.
What works best here is also what is most honest. Stephens takes seriously the question that most vigilante thrillers conveniently sidestep: what actually happens when ordinary people without training, resources, or psychological preparation take the law into their own hands? The answers are sobering and ring true. Someone becomes a copycat and gets caught. Someone else, unprepared and outmatched, pays the ultimate price — because a woman with no combat training is at a serious disadvantage against a man who isn't caught off guard. And the psychological toll of taking a life is rendered with genuine weight. One character in particular is so devastated by what she has done that the nightmares become unbearable. These are the moments where the book earns its darkness honestly.
The network premise itself is less successful. What made the original story so compelling was its intimacy — a small group of women bound by shared trauma and shared secret, a Caretaker whose identity was protected by its very containment. Scaling that into a national movement diffuses the tension rather than amplifying it, and the goal of passing domestic violence legislation, while worthy in principle, never generates the urgency the plot needs it to carry. The resolution feels convenient rather than earned.
What saves the book — and what will bring readers back for book three — is the relationship between Jess and Sophie. Their dynamic is the backbone of the story, a slow burn of mutual recognition between two women on opposite sides of a line that Sophie has been quietly crossing for some time. Sophie is the most compelling character in the series precisely because she is the most compromised — a detective who has sacrificed her integrity in increments, each transgression making the next one easier and the way back harder. Where her story goes next is genuinely the most interesting question the series has raised.
The Serial Killer Support Network is a 3.5 star book in a world that allowed half stars — better than its weakest moments suggest, not quite as strong as its best ones promise. For readers invested in Jess and Sophie, it is worth the journey. Just go in knowing that this is very much a bridge to book three rather than a destination in its own right.
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
“Good follow up!”
(Paperback)
The Serial killer support group by D.B. Stephens was one of the first ARCs I’ve been approved to read and that first one was amazing. I didn’t know this was going to be a series so, when I saw ‘The serial killer support network’ by the same author was on Netgalley and I did a quick read of the description I couldn’t find that ‘request’ button fast enough.
The serial killer support network is the second book in the Secret Vigilante series and will be released at the end of April. It is a tad bit different then the first one, let me tell you about it.
In this book DS Sophie Salam’s search for The Caretaker continues and we’ll still be following Jess, Kelly, Hannah and Madison but they have passed on their role as vigilante so, we won’t see a murderous Kelly. The original blue book has been burned and a new blue book will soon be filled with wisdom. Where the group took their exit, a network took over.
A new caretaker has risen and soon his first victim will fall. A caretaker can never be a woman because a broken woman could never overpower a man; that’s why the caretaker needs to take form of a man. A man can be feared where a woman would be scrutinized, so a man he’ll be. With the network in play, a list of victims has been made and we all know behind the scenes the caretaker is never the same person. Every victim will be paid back the hurt he has caused his spouse; but he won’t live to tell the tale.
Something seemed off with Madison ever since the caretaker resurfaced, she’s closing herself of from the rest – the people that share her burden and can carry it with her but Madison chooses to suffer in silence leaving her son with her mother to look after because she isn’t able to. Jess, Kelly and Hannah try to poke through the wall she has built around her but are very busy healing and living their own lives. Kelly has started dating again and Jess seems to have caught the eye of Sophie; which makes it difficult to keep everything that needs to stay a secret hidden.
Sophie has her own problems within this book. Her lovely daughter was conceived when she was undercover, the father? The guy that got sent to prison; and he has been trying to contact Sophie because she owes him. Does he know he fathered a child? Sophie is too scared to pick up the phone when he calls, switching numbers. But when she finds her address has been compromised, she needs to visit him before he’s due to be released.
After a new victim has fallen a video appears of the caretaker explaining what that individual did to deserve his undoing and what needs to be done for this vigilante to stop his hunt for the next. A new law where woman can take a bit of power back, knowing who to stay away from. A publicly accessible database with all the names of men AND women that have been the instigator of domestic abuse. Whereas it all seems so simple, there are still bodies to be found – will this law finally be pushed through? Will the caretaker really go to ground after?
I liked this book but I did find it dragged a bit. The ending was spectacular and I have to say I can’t wait for the next one because the ending was what it was.
I’m giving this book a ⭐⭐⭐.75 star rating.
“A dark and twisty sequel that keeps the momentum going”
(Paperback)
I was a massive fan of the first book in this series so I was buzzing to get my hands on an early copy of this one. D.B. Stephens has delivered another high-stakes story that keeps the tension high from the very first page.
The characters are what really make it and I especially liked getting more background on Sophie's past this time around. It added a lot of depth to her character that we didn't have before. However, I did find myself getting a bit frustrated with the constant back and forth between Sophie and Jess. It felt like it stalled the plot a little in places when I just wanted to get on with it.
One thing that didn't hit as hard for me was that the killings didn't feel quite as personal this time. We weren't as connected to the backstories or the reasons why these specific people were being targeted which took away some of the impact. The ending is also a massive cliffhanger. While it definitely makes me want to see what happens in the next instalment, it's the kind of finish that might leave you feeling a bit impatient!
Overall, it's a very good read and I'm still well and truly hooked on the Secret Vigilante series. It’s fast-paced and has plenty of surprises without ever feeling like it’s trying too hard to be shocking. If you liked the first one, you'll definitely want to pick this up to see where the group goes next.
Thanks to the author, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this, the second book in the series.
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
“The Serial Killer Support Network by D B Stephens”
(Paperback)
The Serial Killer Support Network (Secret Vigilante #2) by D.B.Stephens is the second book in the Secret Vigilante series. For six months now The Caretaker has been committing revenge on those who have been abusive to women and making the men pay for their mistakes.
Now women who have been abused are being proactive and are holding their abusers to account throughout the country.will the police ever be able to arrest The Caretaker and hold him accountable for the murders of the men.
Highly recommended
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The Serial Killer Support Network
Fiction & Poetry, Crime, Thrillers & True Crime, Crime & Thrillers
D B Stephens (author)
Paperback Published on: 07/05/2026
Price: £9.99