UNBELIEVABLE. My favourite book in a long time. But a mystery? Really struggling to find the writer….

Unfortunately, this one just wasn't for me. The writing style was not what I expected and I did not really enjoy.

Innocent or Guilty? by A.M. Taylor is an intense and thrilling story that delves deep into the mystery surrounding the death of Tyler Washington, the beloved star of Twin Rivers' high school basketball team. With Ethan Hall, Olivia's twin brother, imprisoned for Tyler's death, the case appears to be closed. But when a true crime podcast takes up his case and delves deeper into the past, Olivia must prepare for what shocking revelations could be revealed and hope for the chance of her brother's freedom.

Filled with captivating characters, mind-bending plot twists, and compelling investigative journalism, Innocent or Guilty? keeps readers on the edge of their seat until the last page. Taylor perfectly builds suspense and tension and does an excellent job of connecting each plot point. This story has a touch of everything – psychological thrill, romance, and horror – that makes for an entertaining read. Fans of Making a Murderer, Staircase, and Dirty John will especially enjoy this intense and captivating tale.

Innocent Or Guilty tells us the story of Ethan Hall's conviction beginning with scenes that took place 9 years ago before bringing us to the present day when the case is investigated as part of the Shadow Of A Doubt podcast. From there, the time frame alternates between the time of Tyler's death and the present day, which is a brilliant way of involving the reader in the case and building tension as we gradually learn what happened on the night Tyler died.

The novel is narrated by Olivia. I found this interesting as her close relationship with her brother means she has the potential to be biased and unreliable. This raised questions for me which kept me intrigued right to the end. I also enjoyed the sections of the novel where the podcast transcripts were shown to the reader as this added extra perspectives to keep me asking questions.

I found Innocent Or Guilty something of a slow burner as it took some time for the investigation to unravel and characters to be exposed. However, once the unravelling started it did not stop and I was hooked trying to pick the truth from the lies.

Thought provoking and touching, a good read with a great ending, this will keep your interest throughout.

I was completely gripped by this story and was impressed with the writing quality. I was entertained throughout the story and would not hesitate to recommend this book.

Engaging, Immersive…
Olivia Hall has been living a nightmare since her twin brother was jailed for the murder of the mayor’s son ten years ago. Olivia remains convinced of his innocence. When a true crime podcast takes up the case unexpected things may well come the surface but is there someone out there who is determined to keep the truth hidden at any cost? Engaging, immersive and suspenseful.

A good read with some really good twists. I was gripped and wanted to keep reading. Looking forward to reading more from the author in the future.

Omg talk about a roller coaster read wow this book kept me on the edge of my seat threw out I just couldn't put it down this writer keeps you hooked and once your hooked your not letting go I found this book thrilling the characters were fantastic and well thought out and the little clues all the way threw keep you guessing until the end this book stays with you long after you close the book this book is well worth the read I promise you wont be disappointed

A well written thriller. It’s not unique by any means, but the podcast element brings a realistic true crime feel. There’s a ton of trigger warnings relating to rape and sexual abuse. I did piece together some of the story but all in all it was an enjoyable read .

Than you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

This book was one enjoyable and interesting read. The author turned the trope of the reliable/unreliable narrator on its head.

Olivia’s twin brother, Ethan, was arrested ten years ago for the murder of 18-year-old Tyler Washington, high school star and the son of the town mayor. Ten years ago, all the hip kids, including Olivia, were at a party at the home of Jessica Heng. From there, Tyler walked into the woods surrounding their town, and was never seen again. His body was found the next morning.

Ethan, who was never part of the hip set, is arrested for the murder. Since then he has been serving time, while his parents, elder sister Georgia and twin Olivia believe that he was wrongly convicted and struggle to get him a re-trial.

Ten years later, Olivia, now a lawyer, is contacted by Kat Thomas and Ray McKenzie of true crime podcast, Shadow of a Doubt, who are keen on featuring his case. She is not sure if it is a good idea, even though the cases featured in the last two seasons led to an acquittal and a re-trial. For one, Tyler’s mother is still the town mayor, and Olivia knows the going won’t be easy.

Even as the podcast arouses tumult in her life, forcing Olivia to confront her own secrets and lies, she faces another challenge at work in the shape of the defence of 22-year-old Reid Murphy who has been accused of beating the bigger James Asher into a coma.

Will the firm succeed in defending Reid? And will Olivia be able to prove Ethan’s innocence?



The book is written in the first person PoV of Olivia Hall, and is presented in two alternate timelines, the Then and Now. The Then narrative is written in the present tense while the Now is in past tense. In the present tense, the narrative is interspersed with the transcript of the podcast. The present tense makes us pay more attention to the events of the past.



There is more than a bit of swearing, which always seems unrequired to me. Even if the justification is that it’s how teenagers talk these days.

The book calls out the problems inherent in the legal system. It also reminds us to think of the kids who don’t fit into cliques and the loneliness they face, and about very real problems like bullying and drug use afflicting young people. Olivia also calls out the undue importance that appearances and the right image assume over reality. Power corrupts, as they say, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, but in some cases, even the sensation of power can corrupt a person. As readers, we are left to wonder whether Tyler was really as wonderful a person as the town believes.

I liked the style of the writing. There was quite a lot of telling, but the language was so intense, I didn’t mind it. The tension is high as we wait for Ethan to finally be declared an innocent man.

Olivia is impatient, impulsive, acting before thinking but there were many points at which the writing seemed lazy. Surely the story would have been more credible if she had said more than, “It’s not what you think.”

On the other hand, I was impressed with Ethan, the strength of character he needed to possess, given how badly the cards were stacked against him, and the insularity of Twin Rivers. I mourned the loss of ten years of Ethan’s life.

The trope of the podcasts, which inspired the author, have been used remarkably well here. The style of Kat’s narration are rendered different from Olivia’s style.

The phrasing, “was/were sat/stood,” was awkward. In a story otherwise free of the smallest typos, this odd phrasing stood out.

At first it seemed that Reid’s case and Ethan’s might parallel each other ten years apart, and I was bracing myself for that. But in the end, Reid’s case took a backseat to Ethan’s.

But, in the end, there was another parallel that was very fitting to Ethan’s case.

The Killer You Know forces us to confront our lies and betrayals and how they affect lives. The ending was something I’d suspected for nearly two-thirds of the book, but the impact was no less because it was expected.

I downloaded this at a time I wanted to read this, however years have passed now and I am not longer interested in reading this.

Innocent or Guilty?
by A. M. Taylor
350 pages
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Description :
A gripping psychological thriller full of twists and turns! The murderer might be closer than you think…
One morning ten years ago, the town of Twin Rivers changed forever when the body of Tyler Washington was found in the woods. Son of the mayor, star of the high school basketball team – his death struck right at the heart of this tight-knit community. For Olivia Hall, Tyler’s death heralded the start of her own personal nightmare – her twin brother, Ethan, was arrested for Tyler’s murder. Ten years later, Ethan is still in jail. Olivia is convinced he is innocent, and now, a true crime podcast has taken up his case. As the podcast digs deeper, secrets, lies and shocking revelations are all uncovered. For the first time, Olivia dares to hope that Ethan may be set free. But if he didn’t kill Tyler, who did? And how far will they go to keep their secrets safe?
⚡My Review⚡

The story starts out with a bang then gets a little slow and boring, but soon moves to a fast paced, nail biting, very intense thrill ride with lots of twist and turns.Each character is really well developed however not all are likeable.Told through alternating chapters of then and now along with a podcast we follow the story of Olivia Hunt and her twin brother Ethan who has spent the past 10 years in prison
where he is serving a sentence for the murder of Tyler Washington the son of the town's Mayor. What really happened that night ? So many had a reason to kill Tyler but who went as far as to actually do it. You will jump from character to character until the very end that will leave you shocked to the core.

Thank you to NetGalley ,the publisher and the author for the chance to read and review a ARC copy of this interesting book in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. As always if you like the book you read please take the time to leave a review for the author in places like goodreads & Amazon. It does not have to be long. Just a few sentences saying you liked the book will do. Authors really appreciate every review they get !

This book was full of twists and turns and I couldn't wait to see what happens next. I didn't expect the ending, and enjoyed the book a lot. Recommended.
TB

Thank you Harper Impulse and Killer Reads and NetGalley for this and I'm sorry for the delay in reading.
Oh my, what a book I cannot say too much without giving it away, but when will here be another book by this author please I loved it and need another!

This book has been on my NetGalley shelf for ages and I finally read it last week and I’m so glad I picked it up, it was a good read. It follows Olivia Hall who is asked to take part in a true crime podcast investigating her twin brother Ethan. Ethan is in prison for killing Tyler Washington a decade earlier when they were all 18. I really enjoyed following Olivia and the podcast team as they went back to the town where the murder happened. I also enjoyed the sections where we got transcripts of the podcast. I did work out whodunnit really early on but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the book as I wanted to know why and how, and what was going to happen as the book progressed. I enjoyed this one and would look out for more books by this author.

I received a free eARC of Innocent or Guilty? but that has in no way influenced my review.

I do not listen to podcasts (I also don't listen to audiobooks - I've never really managed to get to grips with them). But I love books which feature a true crime podcast at their heart. Sitting here, thinking about the concept, a few favourites immediately spring to mind. Well budge over, favourites, and make some room for Innocent or Guilty? by A.M. Taylor. There's something very memorable about this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Olivia and Ethan Hall are twins on the brink of starting their college careers when tragedy strikes, rocking the small town of Twin Rivers. A local teenager, Tyler Washington, is murdered. The sudden death of the town's golden boy hits everyone hard. But when Ethan Hall, Olivia's unpopular brother, is arrested for the murder, it turns Olivia's world completely on its head. Ten years later Olivia is a lawyer and Ethan is still in jail. But she's determined to prove her brother's innocence, one way or another. So when the producers of a true-crime podcast come knocking, despite her reservations, Olivia decides to take part and revisit the past. But if Ethan is innocent, the question remains, who REALLY killed Tyler Washington...?

Innocent or Guilty? is told in the past, the present and with brilliant snippets of the podcast, which felt so real to me. With the chapters set 10 years ago, the author beautifully builds the characters' stories, layer by layer, adding more depth as the story progresses. Giving the reader a clear view of the politics and pressures of life in Twin Rivers in the run-up to Tyler's murder. I really enjoyed the flashback chapters and getting a glimpse into Olivia and Ethan's past. The present-day chapters are told mainly from Olivia's perspective and focus on digging for clues to help free her brother. Working with Kat and Ray, the podcast producers, they come up against many brick walls as the residents of Twin Rivers fight to keep the past buried in the past.

Packed to the brim with secrets and deceit, this is one edge of your seat read which I found hard to put down. The author has created a number of well-written peaks and troughs throughout the book, which kept me turning the pages at a steady pace. After finishing Innocent or Guilty?, I immediately purchased Taylor's debut, Forget Me Not, which I'm really looking forward to reading.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Innocent or Guilty? is a compelling mystery set in small-town America with a modern twist, and I devoured it. Being Mrs Suspicious, I was able to guess what the big twist was going to be from fairly early on in the book, but that didn't spoil my enjoyment one jot! There were plenty of other surprises along the way to keep me on my toes. I am looking forward to reading more from A.M. Taylor. Recommended.

I chose to read and review an eARC of Innocent or Guilty? The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book for my honest review. Yayy I was so excited that I was chosen to read and review this book because I saw it reviewed on a blog that I read often and got great reiews. I totally agree with the blogger it was a really good thriller and kept you guessing till the end. Would definitely recommend

Olivia Hall is adamant her twin brother, Ethan, did not brutally murder the mayor of Twin Rivers’ son, Tyler Washington, a decade ago despite him having been convicted and imprisoned for the crime. When a true-crime podcast takes an interest in the case having been approached by Olivia she can’t believe her luck but it soon becomes clear quite how deep the conspiratorial cover-up goes.

Taylor presents a storyline carved out so intricately with a stream of twists and turns. They just keep coming. The eyes tend to deceive in this one. I mean, really deceive. Yes, it really is that good. I’ve read so many crime fiction or mystery-suspense novels that my senses subconsciously pick up even the slightest of clues, I can normally tell how the book will end before the author does, but Innocent or Guilty messed with my head so badly I was all over the place with this one.

The writing is solid and I sunk easily into the flow that moved along at a moderate pace. The characters were all well-developed and multi-layered, in fact they had so many layers they were like an onion, it took a lot of peeling to get to the mysterious heart of them. Short punchy chapters held my attention and made the storyline engrossing and addictive. Innocent or Guilty was one of those books that once I started I refused to put down, and managed to read in one sitting.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

The characters were well-developed.. They had relatable characteristics.
The storyline was EXTREMELY unique in my opinion.
I found myself rushing through the pages to find out what happened next.
I cannot wait to read more by this author.