Spider to the Fly

By J. H. Markert

A true crime author helps in a desperate hunt for a killer in this dark and twisted thriller from the deviously inventive horror author that Peter Farris calls the "clear heir to Stephen King."

Perfect for fans of cat and mouse serial killer thrillers like The Butcher and the Wren and The Jigsaw Man.

Ellie Isles first became obsessed with the I-64 murders when she saw her own face on one of the victims. Identical to every detail, the woman wasn't her, but she could have been. Compelled to discover the story of her doppleg nger's death, Ellie wrote a bestselling true crime book about the serial killer, dubbed "the Spider."

Four years later, the Spider still hasn't been caught, and his victim count is climbing. Many of the bodies remain unidentified, but with Ellie's online network of true crime followers, that's slowly changing. Together they've pooled information to create a massive database that tracks people at risk of becoming Jane and John Does-the homeless, the drug addicted, and the downtrodden-with the hopes that if they become victims, they might at least be identified.

Now that Ellie has successfully identified multiple victims, the law enforcement task force tracking down the Spider pulls her in to help-and after Ellie's therapist is arrested for the murders, she is more determined than ever to help catch the Spider.

With striking prose and a horror flair, Spider to the Fly is an engrossing serial killer thriller, perfect for fans of The Whisper Man.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0DVQT7B8M
• ISBN13: 9798892423687
• Release Date: September 2025
• Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Buy This Book

I Just Finished This On Audio Book, And It Is One Of The Most Fantastic Books I Have Ever Heard(Read). The Twists In This Book Are Great. 10/10 Stars For This One

Great Horror!

It starts as a search for the serial killer known as the Spider due to his victims bearing dozens of spider bites and twists itself into so much more darkness and the cruelty and evilness of people. I love these books that J.H. Markert writes, touched with a bit of the supernatural sometimes but also going to the depths of what humans can do all on their own. Jumping between Ellie, her daughter, Amber, and the mysterious person who loves his spiders, it is a fast paced race to figure it all out before the Spider can strike again and claim his 30th victim. As the main character, Ellie is a great mix of sleuth with a cool website (known as the spiderweb) to help identify the victims of the Spider and figure out who he is and haunted by her mysterious past in the system and even before at a place called the Farm which makes her nicely human and easy to root for in her struggles. There are many suspects and a fast paced race of last moves (including the Spider) and digging up the past that holds the answers to it all (and it sure is a creepy reason which makes me question how people can be that evil in destroying other people's lives). I will say, I loved the ending which has its nod to some of the other books that J.H. Markert writes and I cannot wait to see how he finally combines all his horror into one grand finale. But until then, I will happily read anything that he writes!