Veteran serial killer Klaus Fischer is determined that his most recent murder will be his last, but like many retirements, this one isn’t sticking. No one has come close to suspecting he’s buried the victims on his quiet suburban California cul-de-sac property—but he’s feeling the urge to kill again, and this time he’s set his sights on a target dangerously close to home.
Widowed Peg Jurgensen has lived on the cul-de-sac for the past fifteen years, and she’s ready to shed her doldrums and re-enter the world around her. And where better to start than with mothering the curious young teen Eliza van Damal, whose family just moved to the cul-de-sac in order to expose their daughter to a better life.
Eliza, however, prefers to coerce the enigmatic hermit next door, Alex, into helping her pass math. Alex wishes the lot of them would disappear.
The closer these misfits become, the more danger even the most ordinary conversations invite. As the body count rises, can these residents trust anyone hiding behind their doors on this street?
The Cul-De-Sac is a gripping serial killer psychological thriller and the first novel in 23 years from writer Christopher Null!
The story is set on a quiet suburban cul-de-sac in Northern California. Beneath its serene facade lies serial killer Klaus Fischer, who has been burying victims in his backyard—and is tempted to commit one final murder before “retiring.” Klaus considers his neighbor across the road, Peg Jurgensen, a widow looking for connection, as his final victim and befriends her. Meanwhile, neighbors Eliza, a teen who’s just moved from San Francisco, and Alex, a reclusive, unwell man, become suspicious of Klaus’ relationship with Peg, and soon all their lives collide in chilling ways.
The story has multiple POVs, mostly the alternating first-person viewpoints of Klaus, Peg, Alex, and Eliza. It may, at first, seem that the number of POVs are overwhelming, but because of the crisp, straightforward writing and short chapters, they’re all easy to follow, and the transitions become deliciously addictive as the story unfolds.
The story has several compelling protagonists in a wide range of age groups, making this an attractive read for a wide audience. Serial killer Klaus Fischer is an introspective predator wrestling with the urge to kill again. His inner monologues, where he contemplates his next kill, are disturbingly engrossing. When opportunity strikes for his next kill, he takes advantage of it, and it comes sooner than readers may expect.
Peg Jurgensen is a lonely widow so desperate for companionship that she fails to see Klaus’s red flags that are staring her right in the face until it’s too late. Eliza van Damal, the new teen in the neighborhood, comes across as much wiser than her 13 years—she’s the first to become suspicious of Klaus, and her high intuition and intellect keep her always one step ahead of the trouble lurking on her street.
Keeping dangerous secrets becomes a major theme in the story, especially for Eliza and Peg later on, and their moral compass is put on full display. Eliza’s unconventional friendship with middle-aged Alex, who becomes her math tutor, has some heartwarming and funny moments that give readers a respite from the tension of the main storyline. More importantly, they form an unexpected alliance that becomes dangerous by the end. Alex, being a troubled loner with serious health issues from past mistakes, also shares a close relationship with Peg. As Peg becomes increasingly frantic and unhinged later on, their relationship dynamics change, and readers will be hanging on to every word of their intense dialogue to see how it all ends!
The story is a slow-burn atmospheric thriller. If you’re expecting fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thrills with twists throughout, you’ll be disappointed. Instead, the suspense builds through character-driven storytelling and unreliable narration where truth often is twisted, and readers will be unsettled while questioning what can possibly happen next! As the body counts rise, there is an impending sense of doom, and the seemingly quiet cul-de-sac becomes an eerie character in its own right!
After an unexpected violent twist, the story goes into really unpredictable territory, and readers are in for a wild ride! The abrupt, cliffhanger ending is definitely one readers won’t be expecting and may leave some feeling frustrated and others feeling unsettled. The author, having become aware of this from readers’ feedback, has now written an epilogue, accessible on the author’s website, offering his interpretation of what unfolded after the abrupt ending. He also explicitly states that readers can come to their own conclusions, as there are several interesting possibilities!
Overall, The Cul-De-Sac is a slow-burn psychological thriller that becomes more unpredictable and intriguing as it unfolds. Those who enjoy slow-burn atmospheric suspense, character-driven storytelling, and moral ambiguity should definitely pick up a copy of this one!
Narrator Performance
Narrators Andrea Nichola and Perry Daniels deliver suspenseful and fully engaging performances. Both narrators voice multiple POVs for different protagonists and provide very distinct voices and (even accents) for each character, giving the audiobook the feel of a “full cast” narration.
Heather Nichols’ contrasting performances of Eliza and Peg are both impressive and captivating. She brings both characters (one a teen and one a senior) convincingly to life and captures their moral dilemma perfectly during the inner monologue sequences. Her performance of Peg is deliciously entertaining and full of emotional intensity later in the story when the character becomes increasingly paranoid.
Perry Daniels portrays serial killer Klaus with an authentic German accent. It may take listeners a while to get used to it, but the accent, coupled with a menacing, calculating tone, perfectly captures the persona of a serial killer and will send chills down listeners’ spines! Daniel’s contrasting performance of Alex is equally impressive, using a calmer, intelligent-sounding tone—the perfect voice for someone who becomes the voice of reason for Peg and Eliza during some very intense dialogue.
Both narrators pace their performances perfectly, allowing listeners to appreciate all the atmospheric suspense and all the intrigue of the unreliable narrators. If you’re considering reading this book, the outstanding performances of both narrators make the audiobook the recommended option—and one you can easily binge-listen to in a single day!
Narrator Performance
Narrators Andrea Nichola and Perry Daniels deliver suspenseful and fully engaging performances. Both narrators voice multiple POVs for different protagonists and provide very distinct voices and (even accents) for each character, giving the audiobook the feel of a “full cast” narration.
Heather Nichols’ contrasting performances of Eliza and Peg are both impressive and captivating. She brings both characters (one a teen and one a senior) convincingly to life and captures their moral dilemma perfectly during the inner monologue sequences. Her performance of Peg is deliciously entertaining and full of emotional intensity later in the story when the character becomes increasingly paranoid.
Perry Daniels portrays serial killer Klaus with an authentic German accent. It may take listeners a while to get used to it, but the accent, coupled with a menacing, calculating tone, perfectly captures the persona of a serial killer and will send chills down listeners’ spines! Daniel’s contrasting performance of Alex is equally impressive, using a calmer, intelligent-sounding tone—the perfect voice for someone who becomes the voice of reason for Peg and Eliza during some very intense dialogue.
Both narrators pace their performances perfectly, allowing listeners to appreciate all the atmospheric suspense and all the intrigue of the unreliable narrators. If you’re considering reading this book, the outstanding performances of both narrators make the audiobook the recommended option—and one you can easily binge-listen to in a single day!
Narrators Andrea Nichola and Perry Daniels deliver suspenseful and fully engaging performances. Both narrators voice multiple POVs for different protagonists and provide very distinct voices and (even accents) for each character, giving the audiobook the feel of a “full cast” narration.
Heather Nichols’ contrasting performances of Eliza and Peg are both impressive and captivating. She brings both characters (one a teen and one a senior) convincingly to life and captures their moral dilemma perfectly during the inner monologue sequences. Her performance of Peg is deliciously entertaining and full of emotional intensity later in the story when the character becomes increasingly paranoid.
Perry Daniels portrays serial killer Klaus with an authentic German accent. It may take listeners a while to get used to it, but the accent, coupled with a menacing, calculating tone, perfectly captures the persona of a serial killer and will send chills down listeners’ spines! Daniel’s contrasting performance of Alex is equally impressive, using a calmer, intelligent-sounding tone—the perfect voice for someone who becomes the voice of reason for Peg and Eliza during some very intense dialogue.
Both narrators pace their performances perfectly, allowing listeners to appreciate all the atmospheric suspense and all the intrigue of the unreliable narrators. If you’re considering reading this book, the outstanding performances of both narrators make the audiobook the recommended option—and one you can easily binge-listen to in a single day!
