171 books
—
241 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “The Diary of a Serial Killer's Daughter” as Want to Read:
The Diary of a Serial Killer's Daughter
by
From the USA Today and International Bestselling author of The Widow Next Door comes a demented page-turner.
If you knew your father’s darkest secret, would you turn him in?
What if his secret was connected to you?
Ruby Marlowe’s always been a daddy’s girl. Her mother died when she was two, and her single father has ensured she has everything she needs. However, ever ...more
If you knew your father’s darkest secret, would you turn him in?
What if his secret was connected to you?
Ruby Marlowe’s always been a daddy’s girl. Her mother died when she was two, and her single father has ensured she has everything she needs. However, ever ...more
Get A Copy
Kindle Edition
Published
March 12th 2020
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
The Diary of a Serial Killer's Daughter,
please sign up.
Recent Questions
This question contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of The Diary of a Serial Killer's Daughter
I happen to like most books that are written in the form of a diary. This since when I was about 10 years old and I am always on the lookout for good books in this genre.
This diary is... something else. I was immediately engrossed in the story because of the excellent way the author used the voice of a young girl. A girl 'with a condition' as her parents and teachers say. A weird girl, as her school mates say. But actually, a girl that just sees the world in a different way. Ruby loves simple t ...more
This diary is... something else. I was immediately engrossed in the story because of the excellent way the author used the voice of a young girl. A girl 'with a condition' as her parents and teachers say. A weird girl, as her school mates say. But actually, a girl that just sees the world in a different way. Ruby loves simple t ...more
Ruby Marlowe is a daddy's girl. Her mother died when she was only two and has no real memory of her. But that's okay, because daddy is always there for her.
As a young child of 5, she discovers that her daddy has secrets ... secrets that run deep and dark. She calls it the killing game.
As she ages into a teenager, she knows why she's always been a little different from everyone else .. her daddy's blood runs through her veins.
(BOOK BLURB) As her father’s killing grows rampant, the secrets get har ...more
I was sold on this book by the title alone, it IMMEDIATELY caught my attention, I mean how could it not?! This book is unlike anything I’ve ever read before and it was absolutely CHILLING. I was both horrified and fascinated by the story, it was just so intriguing and I couldn’t help but wonder if the main character would follow in her fathers footsteps and it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through! There are definitely some trigger warnings here, the bullying is quite intense and
...more
Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com
The Diary of a Serial Killer’s Daughter is written in the format of a diary written by a girl between the ages of 7 and 16, her father is an escalating serial killer that hides his true nature from everyone, including Ruby, his daughter.
Ruby is neurodivergent, though the specifics are never revealed, which makes the story even more interesting because we see everything through her eyes without any preconceived ideas about why she reacts the ways she does ...more
The Diary of a Serial Killer’s Daughter is written in the format of a diary written by a girl between the ages of 7 and 16, her father is an escalating serial killer that hides his true nature from everyone, including Ruby, his daughter.
Ruby is neurodivergent, though the specifics are never revealed, which makes the story even more interesting because we see everything through her eyes without any preconceived ideas about why she reacts the ways she does ...more
Young Ruby Marlowe is being raised by her single father after her mother's passing. She idolizes him, he is her hero. She'll do anything to protect him. Especially once she finds out about his killing game. As the title states, Ruby's dad is a serial killer and she found a way to watch him create, as she puts it, his "beautiful masterpieces."
She writes extensively about her daddy's killing game and how beautiful it is, but fully realizing what's happening. We follow her from this point through a ...more
She writes extensively about her daddy's killing game and how beautiful it is, but fully realizing what's happening. We follow her from this point through a ...more
The Diary of a Serial Killer's Daughter presents a unique perspective of a character raised by a serial killer. I liked this book a lot, my only gripe is that this felt repetitive and slow at the start. Nonetheless, it was fascinating to see the characters and how they developed. While a few more things about this book bothered me, I'm glad I picked this up, because this gave me so much to think about! The tone of this book is dark & creepy; it gets really suspenseful towards the end and has the
...more
Rather a unique thriller that flows quickly. Ruby is a daddy's girl and wants to be around him all the tiime, even to the point of watching daddy with the girls in the barn through a hole in the wall. Written in diary form it holds your attention to see what this does to Ruby as she continues to observes through her childhood.
...more
The Diary of A Serial Killer's Daughter by L.A. Detwiler
This was written from the daughters point of view in her diaries entries from the time she was young till about 16. Very interesting and disturbing, a little slow paced for me but it did hold my interest and I wanted to know what was going to happen with Ruby and her father. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this and leave my opinion. ...more
This was written from the daughters point of view in her diaries entries from the time she was young till about 16. Very interesting and disturbing, a little slow paced for me but it did hold my interest and I wanted to know what was going to happen with Ruby and her father. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this and leave my opinion. ...more
I will rate The Diary of a Serial Killer's Daughter by L.A. Detwiler a 5/5 stars. The reason behind this rating is because this book is definitely unlike anything I have ever read before. This book was dark and twisted, yet I didn't want to put it down. The book is told completely in first person through the POV of Ruby as she writes in her diary. Her diary entries begin when she is seven years old and go on through her teenage years. She lives alone with her father on their secluded property. R
...more
The Diary of a Serial Killer’s Daughter by L.A. is a psychological thriller.
First, let me thank NetGalley, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
My Synopsis: (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Ruby Marlowe keeps a diary, and as she grows into her teenage years, a number of things became evident. She has no friends because they live outside of town. She is considered weird, treated d ...more
"We'll believe what we want to...People will believe the story we sell to them, even if it clearly isn't true."
Ruby Marlowe knows all about secrets. She's grown up keeping them -- from age 7 she realizes that something about her father is not normal and very scary. He doesn't know that she's watching him very carefully and learning a lot about what he is doing although she has no way of understanding why he's doing it. But Ruby loves her daddy and he has always taken care of her. It's been the t ...more
Ruby Marlowe knows all about secrets. She's grown up keeping them -- from age 7 she realizes that something about her father is not normal and very scary. He doesn't know that she's watching him very carefully and learning a lot about what he is doing although she has no way of understanding why he's doing it. But Ruby loves her daddy and he has always taken care of her. It's been the t ...more
I will admit that this one started out a bit slowly for me. A good portion of the beginning was written from the POV of a seven year old. It got repetitive and, to be honest, seven year olds just aren’t all that interesting.
However, once our girl started growing up, I was invested.
This is definitely a dark tale. While I’m not sure I liked any of the characters, we really aren’t meant to. But it’s a good look at the inner workings of a psychopath!
Once it got going, this was a very good story!
*ARC ...more
However, once our girl started growing up, I was invested.
This is definitely a dark tale. While I’m not sure I liked any of the characters, we really aren’t meant to. But it’s a good look at the inner workings of a psychopath!
Once it got going, this was a very good story!
*ARC ...more
FASCINATING!
Little Ruby Marlowe’s life came alive in my hands. With each diary entry I was pulled into her very limited, very dark world.
The apple of her father’s eye, Ruby is a very different little girl. She’s a loner because she had to be. It’s her job after all to protect her daddy’s terribly secrets. After all, “we all have our obsessions. Daddy and mine happen to be death these days” ...
This book was expertly and brilliantly written. As Ruby ages, so too does her account of her troubled r ...more
Little Ruby Marlowe’s life came alive in my hands. With each diary entry I was pulled into her very limited, very dark world.
The apple of her father’s eye, Ruby is a very different little girl. She’s a loner because she had to be. It’s her job after all to protect her daddy’s terribly secrets. After all, “we all have our obsessions. Daddy and mine happen to be death these days” ...
This book was expertly and brilliantly written. As Ruby ages, so too does her account of her troubled r ...more
The Diary of a Serial Killer's Daughter presents a unique perspective of a character raised by a serial killer. Ruby Marlowe is a lonesome girl who's only friend in the world is her father. Raised by a single parent, Ruby comes to adore her father. Unknown to her father, Ruby has witnessed him kill many women in his garage.
The garage is a forbidden zone for Ruby and she sneaks in after her father secretly so she can witness what he is doing.
Ruby's fascination with her dad and the 'garage game' ...more
The garage is a forbidden zone for Ruby and she sneaks in after her father secretly so she can witness what he is doing.
Ruby's fascination with her dad and the 'garage game' ...more
I was in the mood for a mystery read and the title of this book stood out to me being from the serial killer's child's POV. Other than the title, I didn't have any idea what the book was about. The Diary of a Serial Killer's Daughter is written in diary format and follows the life of Ruby Marlowe. Ruby loves her father so much and would never betray his trust or break his rules. One day Ruby hears her father coming home and heading towards his shed, she is curious to see what happens in her fath
...more
I love thriller so much I chose this book because of the title! This book was told in a diary format from the POV of Ruby, the killer's daughter. It was fun to be in Ruby head but it's freaking dark and disturbing. I mean you know how dark and twisted it is from the title itself. Ruby describing all her father killing game. He don't even know that she knows what he did asdfghjkl
I love Ruby and her father relationship! He love her in his own way. Ruby love her father so much he wanted to protect ...more
I love Ruby and her father relationship! He love her in his own way. Ruby love her father so much he wanted to protect ...more
This book was nothing like I thought it was going to be. I don't want to put any spoilers in because I'm sure it will appeal to some readers, but it wasn't what I was expecting and therefore, I really didn't care for it.
...more
I received an advance readers e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
This story is really disturbing. Dark and chilling. I have mixed emotions with this. I almost stop reading it because it is really not my cup of tea, but I also wanted to know what will happen to Ruby and her Daddy’s “garage game”.
The story is told in a diary format of an introvert girl who loves the color red and number 7. The diary started when she was 7 years old until she’s 16 years old. She loves her Daddy so much. Too m ...more
This story is really disturbing. Dark and chilling. I have mixed emotions with this. I almost stop reading it because it is really not my cup of tea, but I also wanted to know what will happen to Ruby and her Daddy’s “garage game”.
The story is told in a diary format of an introvert girl who loves the color red and number 7. The diary started when she was 7 years old until she’s 16 years old. She loves her Daddy so much. Too m ...more
This was one of the most shocking, heartbreaking, powerful stories I've read to date!
WOW!!
LA Detwiler has laid it all on the line in the form of written words through an emotionally consuming 'diary' of a serial killer.
It all begins with a young woman keeping a diary which sounds simple enough till you realize what she's enduring is absolutely unbelievable.
Ruby has always been 'Daddy's Girl' especially after losing her mother at an early age.
The weight of the 'Killing game' is relatively heighte ...more
WOW!!
LA Detwiler has laid it all on the line in the form of written words through an emotionally consuming 'diary' of a serial killer.
It all begins with a young woman keeping a diary which sounds simple enough till you realize what she's enduring is absolutely unbelievable.
Ruby has always been 'Daddy's Girl' especially after losing her mother at an early age.
The weight of the 'Killing game' is relatively heighte ...more
Campy...
Weirdly
Entertaining.
Can't look away
train wreck of
a Diary Story.
3 Eerie Stars.
Listened with TTS.
Cleanish.
Foul Language.
Violence.
...more
Weirdly
Entertaining.
Can't look away
train wreck of
a Diary Story.
3 Eerie Stars.
Listened with TTS.
Cleanish.
Foul Language.
Violence.
...more
Wow, that was dark... very dark. And I couldn't stop listening to it.
Ruby Marlowe is 5 years when she discovers what her father is doing in the garage with those women. But she doesn't fully understand it for years yet. She writes about it in her diary which tells us the story. She is a Daddy's girl, her mother dying when she was very young. She has always been different and has never quite fit in at school. As she gets older she starts to wonder if it is a case of like father, like daughter.
It ...more
Ruby Marlowe is 5 years when she discovers what her father is doing in the garage with those women. But she doesn't fully understand it for years yet. She writes about it in her diary which tells us the story. She is a Daddy's girl, her mother dying when she was very young. She has always been different and has never quite fit in at school. As she gets older she starts to wonder if it is a case of like father, like daughter.
It ...more
The Diary of a Serial Killer’s Daughter 4/5: This was actually a disturbing story. I felt really bad for Ruby, for her to witness at such a young age her father’s indiscretions. I thought the author did an amazing job at showing how behavior is formed from a young age to adolescent. Her obsession with her father began at such a young age, partly because of her mother’s sudden decease. It felt like she was always seeking her Father's validation. I found that odd considering he never harmed or thr
...more
This story is dark ... darker than anything I have ever read. Be warned.
According to the blurbs Ms. Detwiler has put out on Facebook, she wanted to explore the dynamics involved in being related to a serial killer. And, man-oh-man, did she accomplish that in spades. This book is written in diary form from the perspective of a daughter, beginning when she was a young girl on through when she was a teenager. Ruby, the young girl in the story, discovered her father went out in the middle of the nig ...more
According to the blurbs Ms. Detwiler has put out on Facebook, she wanted to explore the dynamics involved in being related to a serial killer. And, man-oh-man, did she accomplish that in spades. This book is written in diary form from the perspective of a daughter, beginning when she was a young girl on through when she was a teenager. Ruby, the young girl in the story, discovered her father went out in the middle of the nig ...more
I was given a copy by the author, but I want to make it clear that my rating was not effected by that.
This book is exactly as the title describes. Follow Ruby as she discovers her fathers secrets.
This book is honestly like nothing I have ever read. There is a lot of dark subject matter, and the twists and turns had me almost biting my nails in anticipation. Ruby's story is one that will stick with me. ...more
This book is exactly as the title describes. Follow Ruby as she discovers her fathers secrets.
This book is honestly like nothing I have ever read. There is a lot of dark subject matter, and the twists and turns had me almost biting my nails in anticipation. Ruby's story is one that will stick with me. ...more
Ruby Marlowe - naive, bullied, Daddy's girl, poetry writer and, as the title suggests, her revered father has a dark secret! Told almost entirely through Ruby's thoughts via her diary, we follow her from a 7-year old to a 16-year old and the various stages - curiosity, realisation and acceptance and all the dilemmas she faces.
It's a captivating read. Slow paced at times but it's a page swiper as you need to find out the next phase of Ruby's life. It is dark and disturbing at times and definitel ...more
It's a captivating read. Slow paced at times but it's a page swiper as you need to find out the next phase of Ruby's life. It is dark and disturbing at times and definitel ...more
Wow what did I just read??!! The story of a young girl told through her diary as she discovers her dad is a serial killer. Of course she doesn't know this at first but the older she gets the more she understands. Am I totally messed up for loving her relationship with her dad? Despite what he done to others they had a great bond, something I've not experience in my real life.. wow do I wish a serial killer was my dad??😂 I felt so sorry for Ruby, especially during the epilogue. This book was grea
...more
Thank you to NetGalley for #gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review...
Wow!! This book!!
Firstly, I loved the writing style of this book - It was written from the perspective of Ruby - who started of aged 7 and carried on up until she was 16 and I really loved this aspect of it, it felt like we were in Ruby's head as her diaries were written like a stream of consciousness. It was a really interesting writing style and I feel like it suits the plot of the novel so well.
This ...more
Wow!! This book!!
Firstly, I loved the writing style of this book - It was written from the perspective of Ruby - who started of aged 7 and carried on up until she was 16 and I really loved this aspect of it, it felt like we were in Ruby's head as her diaries were written like a stream of consciousness. It was a really interesting writing style and I feel like it suits the plot of the novel so well.
This ...more
What I Loved:
This entire book is written as diary entries from the perspective of the daughter of a serial killer. I really liked the changes made as the daughter grows. Her sentence structure changes, her view on the world, and her vocabulary, all evolve as she grows.
How I Felt:
I was somewhat disturbed by this book, and yet I could not stop reading it. That doesn’t happen to me often. I’ll DNF a book if I find the subject matter to be too much for me, but in this case, I just couldn’t put it do ...more
This entire book is written as diary entries from the perspective of the daughter of a serial killer. I really liked the changes made as the daughter grows. Her sentence structure changes, her view on the world, and her vocabulary, all evolve as she grows.
How I Felt:
I was somewhat disturbed by this book, and yet I could not stop reading it. That doesn’t happen to me often. I’ll DNF a book if I find the subject matter to be too much for me, but in this case, I just couldn’t put it do ...more
As a big fan of true crime and someone really intrigued by the mind of serial killers, I was more than intrigued by this book.
It was a great read, truly dark, twisted, and disturbing and the author did a really good job in capturing the mind of a serial killer. The diary format of the book was really interesting. And getting a glimpse of the mind of a child of a serial killer, a child that grows witnessing all those horrible things was even more fascinating.
The goriness of the story was too mu ...more
It was a great read, truly dark, twisted, and disturbing and the author did a really good job in capturing the mind of a serial killer. The diary format of the book was really interesting. And getting a glimpse of the mind of a child of a serial killer, a child that grows witnessing all those horrible things was even more fascinating.
The goriness of the story was too mu ...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
L.A. Detwiler is a USA TODAY bestselling author and high school English teacher from Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. During her final year at Mount Aloysius College, she started writing her first fiction novel, which was published in 2015. She has also written articles that have appeared in several women’s publications and websites. L.A. Detwiler lives in her hometown with her husband, Chad. They hav
...more
Related Articles
Whether you love the horror genre or just tiptoe into it ahead of Halloween, we have book picks for every level of scared you want to...
451 likes · 281 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »












