Becky Masterman’s We Were Killers Once is a gripping blend of crime fiction and psychological suspense, masterfully reimagining one of the most infamous real-life murders in American history—the Clutter family killings that inspired Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood.

The novel follows retired FBI agent Brigid Quinn, who is drawn into a chilling mystery when a man named Jerry Beaufort reopens a dark chapter of the past. Beaufort claims there’s more to the story of the Clutter murders, and as Brigid investigates, she uncovers secrets that could rewrite history.

Masterman’s writing is sharp and atmospheric, immersing readers in both the eerie present-day narrative and the haunting events of the 1950s. The tension builds steadily, and the dual timelines are expertly woven together to keep you guessing. Brigid is a compelling protagonist—tough, intelligent, and deeply human—while Jerry Beaufort is an unsettling and enigmatic figure who keeps the stakes high.

We Were Killers Once is a thought-provoking exploration of guilt, justice, and the human capacity for violence. Perfect for fans of true crime and psychological thrillers, this novel blurs the line between fact and fiction in the most chilling way.

I had no idea what to expect from this book by Becky Masterman but I was intrigued by its connection to the Clutter killings immortalized by Truman Capote in his seminal “non-fiction fiction” masterpiece, IN COLD BLOOD. The murder of the Clutter family was horrible. Did anyone else help with the murders? The premise of this novel is that someone did help but managed to leave before Smith and Hickok were apprehended.

The author did her homework and poured that research into crafting a book that grabs you and keeps you captive until the last page. It is shown to be extremely plausible that another person could have been involved.

I loved this book! It's well-written, enjoyable, and a great read, book 4 of 4 in the Brigid Quinn series. Becky Masterman did a great job of writing in a way that captures the readers attention, and makes you not want to put it down until you're finished! I would highly recommend it!

Ok I didn't know that this is book 4 from series. So yeah I'm clueless about Brigid, felt like I'm missing something, I want to know about Brigid more in this book, but other than that everything is okay.
For the mystery, it's pretty gruesome but it's not a thriller, not a suspense read, it started with a discussion, shooting some theories then follow up with looking for more evidence, more police procedural and a bit too slow for my liking, felt dragging in the middle, even though it wrapped up nicely, it's just not my cup of tea.

This was the fourth book in the series but I jumped right in, starting with this book. I didn’t feel lost as I started to follow the investigation into whether there was a third person involved in the Clutter murders. They had captured and executed two of the killers in that case BUT what if they had missed another criminal at the scene? What if this criminal had killed someone else? What if one of the executed felons had written down some details about the murders and the authorities had yet to discover such information? They really needed to make sure that everything was put to rest before they close out this file.

In Kansas, the Clutter Family had just been murdered and as they discuss the case over smokes and alcohol, they realize the similarities between this case and another case. Had they discovered a missing link sitting around the kitchen table? What implications will arise with this new information?

This wasn’t the thrilling or intense read that I anticipated but it read more like a story with multiple points of view. They had a hunch and they needed evidence to back up what they were thinking. It wouldn’t be easy but they had a job to do. I found myself losing interest in the middle of the book but I kept reading. I liked how the author set the book up in the beginning and how they aroused my interest in the case. I found that in the middle of the book, they were either taking too long to uncover the details they were looking for or it felt as if they were rehashing the same information over and over again. An engaging conclusion though, brought everything together which is what I needed to close out the book. 3.5 stars I received a copy of this book from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for sending me this book.

We Were Killers Once is book 4 in the Brigid Quinn series, which I did not realize when I requested it on NetGalley back in 2019. While the overall mystery is contained in this one book the reader knows very little about the backstory of the relationships between Brigid and her friends and family. If I had realized it was a series I would not have requested it as I like to read series in order. The cover was what attracted me this book initially as it looked dark and brooding. The story was more like a violent cozy instead of a dark and brooding one.

This was my first book in the series and my first book by Ms Masterman. Overall it was very middle of the road for me. The audiobook proved to be a decent listen at 2.0 speed while cleaning my house and running errands. The mystery was original even though the villain was a bit of a stereotype and the author makes a point about how dumb he is yet he gets away with so much. I did like Brigid as she’s a bit of a smart ass and a tough, smart older lady. I can’t say I feel the need to read another book in the series, not at least right away.

One aspect of the book that was completely unexpected was that part of the storyline takes place in Osprey and Sarasota, my home area. That was an interesting aspect of the story.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review, sorry it took so long.**

"We Were Killers Once" was an interesting read in the beginning. It all seemed to fall apart as the story went on and became more and more uninteresting for me.

This is the kind of book that started strong and then slowly the story just got more and more uninteresting...which as a bummer since I quite liked the characters and the story at first.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION: https://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=68546

I was unaware this was a series when I started reading it. I was a little confused, so unfortunately I had to put this one down. Thank you for the early access though!

This book had me hooked from the very first sentence. I very well written mystery novel that will keep you on your toes. Highly recommend!

I did not realize this was part of a series when I read it. It made the reading a little challenging. I was interested in the subject matter, but just had trouble connecting with the book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review review

This one reads more like a police procedural than a suspenseful thriller. I did not realize it was part of a series, but it is still completely stan alone, as there wasn't much plot line or character confusion. It was a fresh take on the serial killer troupe.

This is book 4 of the Brigid Quinn Series. Brigid Quinn and her husband Carlo are trying to enjoy the current chapter in their lives. Unfortunately a long lost letter in Carlo's stuff bring an interesting thread into their world. Was there a third killer involved in the case that Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" is based on? This is the question that wants to tear everything apart.

First, I want to apologize for the lateness of my review of We Were Killers Once. This book was released nearly 2 years ago to the day, but I’ve only been able to read it now.

Thank you to the publishers at St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and Netgalley for this e-ARC.

We Were Killers Once is the fourth book in a series about an FBI agent named Brigid Quinn. In this fourth installment, we are introduced to Jeremiah Beaufort, a 70 year old man that’s just been released from prison. He’s hiding a big secret, one that he refuses to let be found out, even at his age. He knows all about the fancy ways they can catch criminals involved in cold cases; DNA, face recognition, not to mention a database that can pull fingerprints in mere seconds. No, Beaufort can’t rest until he knows for sure his secret is safe and sound, with him as its only witness.

On the other hand, we have Brigid and her husband, Carlo, who are currently residing in Tucson, AZ. Both retired, they are living a calm and relatively boring life, until Beaufort figures out that Carlo has information that could put him away permanently. And that’s how these two paths intertwine.

The story was somewhat slow paced, but really began to speed up once the two characters were finally introduced to one another. Each chapter is told in alternating points of view. My favorite part about We Were Killers Once is the fact that it’s based in true life. The killings mentioned are still unsolved, to this day, which is both intriguing and disheartening.

I haven’t read the previous books in this series, but I felt that I was able to understand who the characters were anyway. If you’re a fan of true crime, you’ll love We Were Killers Once. Again, so sorry for this late review, but if you’ve never read it, I highly recommend picking up a copy!

I did not realize this was the fourth in a series, nor did I realize this was a different fictional take on the 1959 Clutter family murders and Capote’s book In Cold Blood. You do not need to have read any of the prior books or Capote’s book to enjoy this book. This was such a unique storyline and I was captivated from the beginning. The backstory and central figure of the series is retired FBI agent Brigid Quinn, and I really loved her character. However I was even more drawn to the Clutter family murder storyline and the introduction of a potential third killer. This was very well done, and the way the case was brought into the present day and tied to Quinn was fascinating and worked very well.

The pacing of this was just right and built up to a very satisfying ending. Gemma-Kate, Quinn’s niece, was a great character and I loved the role she played in this book. The audiobook for this one is really good as well. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the digital copy to review.

This was a 3.5 star for me. I liked the characters, and I really enjoyed that this story centered around the Truman Capote book In Cold Blood, and spun off a tale of "what if?" from this actual crime. Ms. Masterman uses a dual POV between our heroine (Brigid Quinn) and ex-con Jerry Beaufort. Jerry has just been released from prison, and seems to have been involved somehow with the Clutter family murders, and possibly a similar murder in Florida. One of my favorite parts about Jerry was how Ms. Masterman explored seeing the world through the lens of someone who had been locked up in prison for 30 years.

While it was a good story, the mystery itself felt a little anti-climactic since we were in Jerry's head for the whole book. While she didn't spell out the details of what Jerry was guilty of until towards the end of the book, as the reader you knew in general the answer.

What a fascinating book. I was impressed by the storyline and the characters were all well written and complex. Where there are complex storylines combined with intriguing characters the reader experience is magnified tremendously. To have a book that is well written as well as entertaining is a delight. Reading is about escaping your world and entering another one. The word building was phenomenal in this book. Here I forgot about my own life and was immersed in the world created by the author. I would recommend this book.

We Were Killers Once by Becky Masterman is a 2019 Minotaur publication.

Interesting spin on the Clutter murders and ‘In Cold Blood’.

This fourth installment in the Brigid Quinn series sends our favorite retired FBI agent directly into the path of a diabolical killer bent on keeping his crimes hidden.

Brigid’s husband, Carlo, a former priest, may have a copy of a confession written by Dick Hickcock, which tells a different story about the infamous Clutter murders, one that includes a third party.

That third party is Jeremiah Beaufort, who has just been released after a lengthy stint in prison. His biggest fear is that DNA technology might uncover evidence of his other crimes, and that after all these years a written confession might resurface- which means he must find Carlo and retrieve it.

Jeremiah eventually locates his target, but his plans are complicated when he comes face to face with Brigid Quinn.

Okay, I’ll admit this was not exactly what I was looking for in a Brigid Quinn thriller- but as the story developed, the more I began to see the genius in it. A tense psychological mind game emerges between Jeremiah and Brigid- one killer to another, so to speak.

This may or may not be the first time someone has speculated about the possibility there was a third person present at the Clutter murder, but Masterman’s theory is not half bad- maybe not probable- but hey, Truman Capote took a few liberties too- so there’s that.

The Yin and Yang of Carlo and Brigid continues to flourish as Brigid continues to struggle with her competition with Carlo’s deceased first wife.

Not only that, because Jeremiah is after her husband, Carlo experiences first- hand the parts of Brigid she’s tried to warn him about. The question is, how will that effect their marriage going forward.

Overall, this one doesn’t quite equal up to previous installments, but it was still a pretty solid addition to the series.

3.5 stars

Unfortunately when I requested this ARC from Netgally, I did not realize it was book 4 in a series I had never read. Fortunately, the book can easily be read as a stand alone book and I was able to enjoy it eventhough Inhad not read books 1 -3.

The book references the murders of the Clutter family & the Walker families which were the subjects of Truman Capote's book, In Cold Blood. If you have read that book, you will enjoy Becky Masterson's, We Were Killers Once, as she goes back to the cold case of the Walker's murder & tries to track down 5he real killer.

Great book! Couldn’t wait to read it, and it didn’t disappoint! Grabbed my attention within the first two chapters, and then I didn’t want to put it down. Excellent character development - I think that every reader will find a character to whom they relate. I enjoy books where there is character development, and then also a surprise, and this book provided both! Looking forward to reading more from this author!


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