SKA: Serial Killers Anonymous

by William Schlichter

Group therapy can be dangerous…
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Unable to seek conventional help, seven serial killers band together in their own unique support group, attempting to quell their unnatural cravings. Led by a former nurse, they gather in dark basements and share the most intimate details of their murders as they attempt to heal their dysfunction.
​
Forging a fragile trust, they suppress the urge to kill. And as more and more members accomplish breakthroughs, the group agrees to stop slaughtering.
​
But one member of the group isn’t truly convinced. And they will do whatever it takes to end therapy. The hunters are about to become the prey.

Genres: Horror

372 pages, Paperback

Published October 2, 2018

About the author

William Schlichter has a Bachelor of Science in Education emphasizing English from Southeast Missouri State, a Masters of Arts in Theater from Missouri State University, and a Master of Fine Arts from Spalding University. With twenty-two years of teaching English/Speech/Theater, he has returned to making writing his priority. Recent successes with scriptwriting earned him third place in the 2013 Broadcast Education Association National Festival of Media Arts for writing a TV Spec Script episode of The Walking Dead.

His full-length feature script, Incinta, was an officially selected finalist in the 2014 New Orleans Horror Film Festival. Incinta received recognition again by being selected as a finalist at the 2015 Beverly Hills Film Festival for a full-length feature. Incinta has advanced in several other script contests, including most recently being an Official Selected finalist in The 2016 Irvine Film Festival. His next life goal would be to see his film transferred from the pages to the screen.

Writing has always been his passion even through travelling, raising twin children and educating teenagers. While he specializes in the phantasmagorical world of the undead and science fiction fantasy stories, William continues to teach acting, composition and creative writing.

Reviews

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

therapy. The hunters are about to become the prey.

Seven serial killers join together as a group, headed by Jane, in order to try to stop their sick tendencies to kill. Naturally, they can’t join a regular support group, so Serial Killers Anonymous is born via the dark web. This support group brings together the most horrific serial killers. While meeting in abandoned buildings they can each discuss their triggers, prey, and modus of operandi. Here they also discuss ways on how to stop and make a change in their lives. They no longer want to kill and are hoping this group will prevent them from seeking more victims. The group promotes sharing stories, especially their first kill, as a way of getting to know each other, to explore and overcome urges, and to finally stop all of the killings. But, there is one member of the group who has infiltrated their ranks, looking for the killer who murdered his sister. With serial killers surrounding him, will he gain their trust enough or will they see right through him?

When I first saw the title for this book, I really got excited because I LOVE serial killers. I should probably expand on that statement just a bit. I don’t mean that I love serial killers in the “I want to be their fangirl and write them letters” type of way, I am more fascinated by their mind and what makes them tick. During high school I was always the girl with my nose pressed into a serial killer book, especially non-fiction ones. So, it comes as no surprise that SKA: Serial Killers Anonymous was moved right to the top of my reading list. This story was more than what I thought it would ever be as it brought segments of realism with some of the most popular serial killers and blended it with a fictional story.

I really like that the author, William Schlichter, incorporated known serial killers such as Ed Gein, BTK, Albert DeSalvo and a few others and incorporated them in each of his characters. I do want to point out though, Jesse, one of the main characters in the story reminded me of a real life college student, Jason Moss, who wrote to known serial killers in prison as part of a project for school. The project wound up becoming a book, The Last Victim. Although Jesse’s story is quite different, he shares some similarities, such as getting into the minds of serial killers in a fictional setting.

It was really creepy getting into the minds of these killers and while most were pure evil,it was interesting hearing about their first kill and how they honed their skills to become even better at hunting and killing their prey. While I did enjoy this part of the story, I did have to suspend belief into believing that they all wanted to change and stop the urges that led them to killing. Serial killers with remorse? Schlichter really put a new spin on the empathy side to serial killers in a way that made me stop and think what really goes on in the mind of a serial killer.

The pacing of the story is really a slow build up where we get to know each of the characters intimately and what goes on in their mind exploring their stories and the lure of the hunt. The pacing does pick up towards the end and I never saw the final twist coming at all. It was shocking!

SKA: Serial Killers Anonymous is a cleverly and creatively written story that blends true life with fiction. I found myself thoroughly engrossed in the story needing to know what happens next. A lot of research has gone into this story and it shows. I highly recommend reading it if you love stories centered around serial killers.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of serial killer books. So, when I saw this book, I got excited and intrigued at the same time. I just knew that I had to check this book out. Thank goodness, it turned out to be good.

Jesse is an undercover agent. He is haunted by the murder of his sister. He seeks revenge by finding his sister's killer. He goes undercover to Serial Killers Anonymous aka SKA. A group of serial killers looking to repent their sins. They each take turns sharing their stories or kills. You have killers that hunt people for sport, and rapist to name a few. While, the killers are vicious as are the crimes; there are not a lot of details spent on the crimes. Therefore, even the weak at heart can still read this book. Yet, there is language used but in context of the story. For the most part this was a fast read. At times I did feel like there was some repetition. The ending was good. Last comment is about the killers. Another reader mentioned that they wished that there were less killers featured and more details spent on the crimes so that they could get to know the killers better. In my opinion; I did not have a problem with the multiple killers featured. I did feel like I got to know them quite well as there was enough time spent with each killer taking their turn in the spotlight.

SKA Meeting Rules:

Before you are invited to attend you must not have a current subject tin your possession.
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop killing.
No names.
New people must share first.
We leave our judgments at the door.
God will not be our excuse.
We must accept responsibility for our own actions.
We must change from an irresistible impulse to an impulse resisted.
When we see a potential victim we must remember they are a living thinking person.
Final rule: What is discussed in the group stays in the group.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

A support group for serial killers ... interesting premise. It took me a while to get into the story; some of the "sharing" in group came across as a murder textbook. The plot did get better and the ending was ... satisfying.

But the drawback is there are so many, way too many people - murderers, FBI, victims. It was very hard to keep everybody sorted out.

Three stars out of five and thanks to LibraryThing for the ARC.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A support group for serial killers? In this era of self realization, this may not be as far fetched as one might think. In this book, a group of serial killers meet regularly in secret places to talk about their crimes, their drives to commit them and how they plan to control their desires. Problem is, one member of the group is not what he claims to be and this leads to complications.
The author definitely has a vivid imagination when it comes to descriptions of murders. Some of them are particularly gruesome. Each individual killer has his or her own special method of selecting victims and then killing them. As unlikely as a self-help group for this crew might be, it does allow the author to explore the nuances of those with "unusual" desires.
If there is any weak spot in this book, in my opinion it was the ending. I felt that it was a bit too rushed and abrupt - that there was more to tell. Perhaps there will be a sequel. If so, then the ending might make more sense. Nonetheless, this is a good read.

[Nik · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a total impulse buy. I'd not heard of the author or of the book but the title caught my eye so I took a chance on it.

I'm glad I did, it was an okay read, intriguing throughout, keeping you guessing til the end but when that end came it was pretty underwhelming, it didn't do the book justice and seemed rushed.

I've not been put off by this author though, I've read the downloadable sample of the first book in his No Room in Hell series which I quite enjoyed so I am on the lookout for those books but regarding SKA... I'd say it's definitely worth reading if you like a good thriller but be prepared for the unjust, letdown ending.

Anyway... Time to go, I need to get to the next meeting.

[Kerry Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this in exchange for an honest review from Librarything

A group of serial killers get together in a version of an AA meeting. Headed by Jane they want to stop killing. All anonymous they begin sharing their stories. Jesse however joins for a different reason he is on the hunt for his sister's killer but is he among the group.

This was an unusual story but a good one all the same. It was well written and interesting. Then ending was clever and perfect for the story. There are many different viewpoints telling the story which adds to the plot. It's interesting reading from the killers point of view as opposed to the victim. Some of the scenes can be a little graphic but that didn't bother me. A good read for any fan of a serial killer story.

[Michele Middleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! What a ride this book is. The reader gets a first hand look inside of the mind of a serial killer and it isn't pretty. The description is so vivid that I could picture it all. The ending was quite surprising I did not see it coming. I would recommend this book for anyone that enjoys anything that has to do with serial killers.

[Jeannette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from LibraryThing Early Reviewer Program in exchange for my honest review.

The copy I received was an unedited proof and I sure hope someone edits it prior to it's being released. Some sentences were tough to figure out what the author was trying to say. I was intrigued by the story of 7 serial killers forming a support group to end their killings. However, the book jumped from character to character with the chapters and it made it a bit hard to follow. The book was excessively long as a result.

I think this book could be better with some skillful editing.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you are convinced that your sister was killed by a serial killer then joining a group of them who want to stop killing is the first step to find him. But how do you get an invite. Can killers truly stop.
An interesting and enjoyable story which pulled me in straight away though I would have preferred probably less killers in the group with more detail about their crimes and motives to make each individual stand out more.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Shiloh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely love the premise of this book. I picked it up at a local book shop that was promoting local authors. I immediately researched and found that William Schlichter and I share a lot of common interests and are from the same area! So I wanted to love this book more than I did. I will say, a big issue I had with this book were the countless grammatical and editing errors, which were not his fault. It also felt rushed in places and the character of Jesse was not fleshed out enough to feel for his story. It was an amazing idea and plot, but I think it could have been done so much better.

[Starr Baumann]

Thanks to the author and LibraryThing for the ARC. This badly needs to be edited. I didn't make it past the first few pages.

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Badly edited, weak characters and a paper thin plot. Not scary or disturbing. Just shock for the sake of shock. Meh

[Jason Meuschke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had to give this a few days to digest and get a clear grasp of my thoughts on it. On one hand, there are 1st person viewpoints from a killer as they’re killing. It’s disgusting and vile and kept me from reading straight through. On the other hand, as one character says, if it didn’t make me feel sick to my stomachs I could be a psychopath myself therefore the author does an accurate job of setting the reader up.

It feels a bit long at times. I could’ve done with a few less killing scenes and the ending is ... both expected but also with some unexpected sprinkled in. Like in real life there is no happy ending or satisfaction after death be it accidental or murder so in this way the ending works.

Overall I say 4.5 stars just for the fact that I think “how I felt while reading” is exactly what the author intended. Now I need a shower.

[Viola Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the descriptive writing, but there were too many killers in here. Some of the endings were not very satisfactory. Didn't one major character die and then reappear later? You also couldn't tell when certain events took place. the chronology was confusing.

[Lisa Brick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just got this book in the mail yesterday. Just need to finish some library books then I’m cracking this open. Kind of excited! This will be the second book I’ve read by this author.

**UPDATE**

This took me longer than normal to read. Not because it was a tough read, but because I was making a blanket for my niece. This was actually a very riveting book. Definitely some twists and turns. Not sure how I’m feeling about the ending. The characters were just how you would imagine serial killers to be. Well, maybe not all serial killers. I suppose there are those who wished (or are wishing) to change and to stop killing. Maybe we are not giving enough people a chance to redeem themselves. This book definitely makes you think. Cannot wait to read more from this author.

[Robert Keisel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Felt like I was reading a book in middle school. He said, she said, he said at the end of dialogue…. Also found mistakes in the book, whether it be a typo, incorrect grammar, or incorrect information. Super difficult to get through. Disappointing…