Sometimes, the cravings just take over. Jimmie Putnam is an ordinary man by any measure. By day, he works as a law clerk. At night, when he can’t fight the cravings, he becomes a collector. He takes great care of his human Things; buying them cherry lipstick and reading to them from his journal. When they’ve been on their best behavior, he even takes them out of his freezers… Sometimes, the … need is just too deep. Florel Ross has been mostly invisible since the death of her twin, who died twenty years ago at the hands of a serial killer. Obsessed with justice, Florel is willing to risk anything for the answers she craves: What goes on in the mind of a serial killer? When the two yearnings collide, will it be justice or just Things?
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I couldn’t put this book down! Jimmie is a character I will never forget!
This is a book is fantastic it dives into the psychic of the a serial killer and the FBI officer that is to close to the case. James William Putnam Jr. is a collector but what he collects is creepy and would give a sane person nightmares. The author gives you details of Jimmie’s life from the his birth to why he turns into a killer. Jimmie always refers to the women as “just things” that he can do what he wants with them, and does. The things he does will be hard to read but is true to form for a mental ill person. Detective Florel Ross is very educated with several degrees, but no common since. Because of the kidnapping of her twin sister she has made it her duty to find the “Ice Cream killer”. Hoping to put he won guilt to rest for her sisters death. She has psychological problems that believe it or hot help her see things others don’t. The author takes you on the journey that shows you the when, where, and why these characters do what they do. Be prepared to be shocked and horrified over the things Jimmie and Florel will do just to get what they want.
I was so excited to get my hands on this book, and it did not disappoint.. I love how this book delves into the mind of the serial killer… explaining why he thinks he is normal while he collects his Things.. not sure if I will ever look at certain kinds of ice cream the same… bring on book 2
May 2017 Review:
I am totally in awe of Author Erin Lee, she has the ability to write all genres. I truly enjoyed reading Just Things, but because it was so well-written, just to be on the safe side, I am gonna keep the night-light burning. This book actually brought out some real life, fears. No more 48 hours Mystery, Snapped or Dateline for me, I now have Jimmie. Definitely, looking forward to more books in the series.
Update Feb 2019:
For reasons unknown to even me, I have only read Book 1 in the Diary of a Serial Killer series. My goal is to read all the books (5), so to refresh my memory, I listened to this intriguing novel at work and realized James William Putnam, Jr. still scares me.
With all the lights on. Next up: Book 2, Jimmie’s Ice Cream.
Ready to follow in the footsteps of a serial killer? Jimmy will take you places you only thought was in movies, he will have you cringing but begging for more. Erin Lee is a wonderful author who knows how to tell a story like its real life.
Wow, just wow. I’m not sure what I expected when I started reading this one, but I have to say that there were times I thought I may have bitten off more than I could chew. Parts of the story are a bit dry and feel more like a case study than anything else, but even those parts were oddly compelling. Jimmie is a deeply disturbed man, but at times, I still found myself empathizing with him – a disturbing thought on its own. This is certainly not one for the squeamish and the descriptive writing of Jimmie’s collection and what he does with them is nothing short of chilling.
In addition to Jimmie telling us his story, we get profiler, Florel Ross, who has suffered loss and quickly becomes obsessed with catching the Ice Cream Man. Her narrative is almost haunting as she puts together clues and builds a profile of this horrific serial killer.
To sum it up, Just Things is a dark and disturbing look into the mind of an absolute nightmare of a human being, but be warned – there are no happy ending with the turning of the last page. The story doesn’t end here, instead leaving plenty of questions that will hopefully be answered in the next book.
This is a truly fascinating and entertaining read. I was intrigued about what went on in a serial killer’s mind and this book, written from the view of the serial killer and the detective trying to catch him, was a fantastic and terrifying insight. Erin Lee didn’t pull any punches and I loved the similarities between the obsessions of the two characters. I couldn’t put it down and can’t wait to get hold of the next book in the series.
So much to love about this book. Lee does such a wonderful job of pulling you into the mind of a serial killer. There were times I actually sympathized with Jimmie. Crazy how that happens! Jimmie’s character isn’t one you’ll soon forget. It was fascinating to see how his dark and twisted mind works.
I also loved how Lee flips from the killers perspective to the detective that is working the case. The journal writing style is also unique and really adds intrigue to the story. Some of the similarities between Jimmie and the detective were unreal. I can’t wait to check out the rest of this series. I’m really curious to see where this goes!
I clicked wonderful characters not because a serial killer is ever wonderful, but because this serial killer is written as though the author got right inside his head and has him all analyzed. The character seems like he could be your next door neighbor and you’d never know it as you wave and said, “Hi, Jimmie!” each day as you drove off to work. Fabulous writing.