Alicia Thompson (Psych Major Syndrome) brings readers a truly delightful romance in Love in the Time of Serial Killers. Phoebe Walsh is obsessed with serial killers: she constantly listens to true-crime podcasts and is also a Ph.D. candidate whose dissertation is focused on crime literature ("true crime as a genre"). When her estranged father dies and Phoebe heads to Florida to fix up his house before selling it, she becomes convinced that her new neighbor is, in fact, a serial killer.
But he turns out to be surprisingly nice. Sam, an elementary school teacher, consistently offers to help her with things. Could it all be a cover for Ted Bundy-esque maneuvers? Phoebe isn't sure. She's busy fixing up her childhood home, working on her dissertation and reconnecting with her younger brother, Conner; during their parents' divorce, Conner stayed with their dad while she moved in with their mom, so she barely knows him. But Phoebe keeps running into Sam under what seem to be awfully suspicious circumstances.
Love in the Time of Serial Killers is at the center of a Venn diagram for those who love romantic comedies and are addicted to true-crime podcasts. Alicia Thompson nails the tensions of modern women who hope for love but are busy with work and family. Love in the Time of Serial Killers--with its laugh-out-loud humor, a cast of amusing characters and a vivid Floridian setting--is a perfect beach read. --Jessica Howard, freelance book reviewer