Normal by Graeme Cameron

I'm not entirely sure how to feel about this.  After the first chapter, my reaction was instantly - "What did I just get myself into?"  Like I really wasn't sure what to do - stop reading it, keep reading it, bury it in the backyard?  It was creepy in every sense of the word.  I've been into a lot of psychological thrillers lately, but this is a whole other level of twisted.  

I'm not entirely sure I ever want to be inside the head of a psychopath serial killer again.  It was just a tad too much.  But on the other hand, the story development was amazing, the writing was incredible and I really had no clue where the story was headed.  Even explaining it to my husband, he thought it sounded super intriguing, and I was mostly in agreement - except for just how dang creepy it was.  I guess like watching Silence of the Lambs.  Really good - super disturbing.  You get me?

I need a light & fluffy read after finishing that one.  Or a cigarette, but then I'd probably need to be a smoker.  

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for allowing me the opportunity to preview a copy of Normal by Graeme Cameron for an unbiased review!  If you dare to pick this one up, just don't say I didn't warn you.  (*All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.)

Description: "The truth is I hurt people. It's what I do. It's all I do. It's all I've ever done." 

He lives in your community, in a nice house with a well-tended garden. He shops in your grocery store, bumping shoulders with you and apologizing with a smile. He drives beside you on the highway, politely waving you into the lane ahead of him. 

What you don't know is that he has an elaborate cage built into a secret basement under his garage. And the food that he's carefully shopping for is to feed a young woman he's holding there against her will—one in a string of many, unaware of the fate that awaits her. 

This is how it's been for a long time. It's normal…and it works. Perfectly. 

Then he meets the checkout girl from the 24-hour grocery. And now the plan, the hunts, the room…the others. He doesn't need any of them anymore. He needs only her. But just as he decides to go straight, the police start to close in. He might be able to cover his tracks, except for one small problem—he still has someone trapped in his garage. 

Rating: ****

Recommend: To only those who can handle a gritty and quite violent suspense thriller.