Book Review: My Daddy the Serial Killer by Cindy Kovacik

I don’t know precisely what I was expecting when I picked up My Daddy the Serial Killer by Cindy Kovacik, but what I got was a very intriguing story indeed!

1. Thoughts on the plot

This book follows Katelyn from the age of six into adulthood, as she discovers her father is considerably more than he seems. She must figure out her place in his plans, and try to escape as best she can. But it’s not quite that easy. It all starts with finding a woman chained in the cellar… Honestly, there’s not a lot I can say about this book that won’t spoil the plot a fair bit, but it was definitely very interesting. 

I really liked seeing Katelyn’s change in perspective on the situation as she grew older. I do think that some of the later events in her teenage years felt more like she was rebelling rather than dealing with her life as the daughter of a serial killer, but it did end up making sense in the end. And there were a few plot holes, but they were fairly minor. I would say that the plot was very interesting!

2. Thoughts on the characters

This book was definitely more about delving deep into Katelyn’s mind than anything. The plot feels fairly mundane compared to the psychological exploration we get. I liked all of her reactions to situations; they felt very much like what a rational person would do under the circumstances, which are very dire indeed. I especially liked the change in her perspective over the years, as both her understanding changes and the situation changes. And it was a very nice interpretation of a serial killer’s unsteadiness, psychologically speaking, as viewed through the eyes of a child.

3. Favourite part

The progression of Katelyn’s perspective over the years was definitely my favourite part. I think it was really intriguing and very disturbing, but in the best way.

4. Critique

The biggest critique I had were the few plot holes. (This section may contain spoilers.) At the part where Katelyn fakes the bruises to show to a teacher and therefore get taken from her father, things don’t turn out as Katelyn expects. However, I am fairly certain that Child Protective Services would not believe a potentially abusive parent over a bruised child when directly told that the parent did it. It’s normal that they would lie to cover up their image, so it doesn’t make sense that Katelyn wasn’t removed. This, and a few other circumstances (like no one ever seemed to question why so many people went into their house but not out) pushed the book a little outside the realm of believability for me. The psychology was great, the practical application was a little lacking.

Overall, I would say that this book was a delightfully disturbing adventure into the world of serial killers. It was entertaining and a quick read. A good book.