The summary immediately lured me in:  a modern crime novel inspired by the actual murders of the Clutter family in 1959, which was the focus of Truman Capote's true-crime masterpiece, In Cold Blood.

I realized this was book four in a series (and ohhhhh how I've whined in the past about picking up in the middle of a series) but crossed my fingers that We Were Killers Once would work as a stand-alone because the premise is fascinating.

When the four Clutter family members were brutally murdered in their Kansas home, it left the country in fear.  It wasn't long before Perry Smith and Richard (Dick) Hickok were captured, convicted, and eventually executed for the crime. The men were at one point suspected of murdering the Walker family in Sarasota, Florida while they were on the run but were never charged.

We Were Killers Once takes a look at the possibility that an unknown third person was involved in the Clutter family murders and was also responsible for the Walker family murders.  The even bigger what-if:  What if Richard Eugene Hickock left behind a written confession before his execution that cleared up all doubt and lingering questions?

Jerome Beaufort's life sentence has been commuted after 33 years in Central Mississippi Correctional Facility.  He's led a life of crime though he's only been arrested on drug charges.  No one knows his involvement with Perry Smith and Dick Hickok.

"When Hickok and Smith were still alive he had lived in fear that they would rat him out. Then he stopped worrying when they died.  Then he started worrying again with this whole forensic science business." *

Beaufort's too old to return to prison and the possibility his DNA at the Walker crime scene will eventually be revealed keeps him up at night.  Before he can enjoy the rest of his life he has to make sure he has nothing to worry about.

When he sets up a "chance meeting" with Detective Ian Meadows, the cold case investigator assigned to the Walker case, he learns that there's rumor of a confession Hickok wrote right before his execution to a priest.  A priest that Detective Meadows has tracked down and plans to visit.

"He had gone into the bar thinking he was following up on the Walker case, and come out knowing that there might be a document that linked him not only to the Walkers, but to the Clutters, too. He couldn't be sure he was safe unless he got to Hickok's priest before Meadows did." *

Beaufort does in fact make it to the priest's deathbed before Meadows and is able to kill him without arousing suspicion, but only after he's certain he has the name of the man who may now possess Dick Hickok's confession.

Retired FBI agent Brigid Quinn has settled into a quiet life with her husband Carlo, a former Catholic priest.  She's told Carlo about her fascination with the Clutter murders, which she heard her father discuss with other policemen around their kitchen table when she was a girl.
Brigid has no idea that Carlo was chaplain for a time at the prison where Hickok served his time.  He has a memento from that time that will greatly interest his wife and realizes it will make a perfect anniversary gift.
Unfortunately, Carlo doesn't know what's hidden within the memento and that there's a dangerous man on his way to collect it.

We Were Killers Once has an exciting premise but unfortunately the delivery relies too much on coincidence and convenience.  The "what if" is endlessly fascinating, but it didn't feel realistic that this unknown third person would check on the case after 50+ years, I'd think he'd stay as far away as possible to remain under the radar.  His meeting with the detective who happens to have a new lead after all these years seems waaaaay too convenient.
Brigid marrying someone who has a small link to the case she's most fascinated with seems like too big of a coincidence, not to mention the fact that the link puts them in the direct path of Beaufort.

Brigid Quinn is an interesting character; we're given a brief look into her past as an agent as well as her strengths:  she's a small woman so criminals will not consider her a threat but she has a sharp eye, reads people well, and knows how to use a weapon or two.  There are characters that have obviously appeared in previous books and enough details are given that readers will not feel completely lost but vague enough you may want to go back and read the first three books.

This story was poorly constructed around an exciting "what-if".  It was an average thriller with a weak plot thanks to the way too convenient circumstances.  However, I'm curious about Brigid Quinn and may pick up the first book eventually just to find out more about her.

Thanks to Minotaur Books for sending me a digital ARC via NetGalley for review.  We Were Killers Once is scheduled for release on June 4, 2019.

*Quotes included are from a review copy and are subject to change upon final publication.

What a great retelling of the Truman Capote classic! I liked this version much better. It read as a much truer tale. I also really liked the interactions of the former FBI agent and the former priest, who are married to one another but still figuring out the rules.

A thriller built around Truman Capote’s true crime classic In Cold Blood, We Were Killers Once follows the exploits of an elderly ex-con on early release as he attempts to destroy evidence linking him to one of the hottest cold cases in history. Unfortunately for him, the key to solving the crime is safely - if unknowingly - guarded by tough-as-nails former-FBI-agent-turned-private-eye, Brigid Quinn.

What I love about this book? Our bad guy, Jerry Beaufort. Author Becky Masterman describes him so accurately you can envision him perfectly in your mind’s eye. He’s an intriguing and somewhat sympathetic character, irreparably hardened by a lifetime of crime. He’s skillful but smug and prone to both cringing social faux pas and critical errors in judgment. Still, you connect with Beaufort right away and are drawn into his story.

The protagonist? Not so much.

I credit Masterman for trying to steer clear of feminine stereotypes. The problem is, she’s gone so far in the other direction that Quinn almost seems one-dimensional. Our protagonist is all masculine, all of the time. Even when thinking of her new-ish husband, her thoughts are embroiled in sex or how she stacks up against his former wife. I also felt there was too much luck and coincidence at play in the story.

It’s worth noting this is the fourth book in the Brigid Quinn thriller series by Masterman, so there are readers who feel differently.

For those who are inclined to pick up a copy should be sure to start with the first book in the series, Rage Against the Dying, so the info contained throughout We Were Killers Once doesn’t wind up giving away the ending of Masterman’s earlier works.

I didn’t realize this was part of a series but it was a good read as a stand alone. I may have enjoyed the characters more if I had read the first two or three books. I enjoy true crime books sometimes and voraciously read In Cold Blood many many years ago. The premise of the book was great but it seemed somewhat disjointed in the way it developed. The only characters I found myself liking were Carlo and Achilles. It kept my interest until the end but left me wishing for more depth. Many thanks to Becky Masterman, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this soon to be published book.

I was a bit worried I wouldn't be able to follow since I hadn't read the previous ones; it didn't seem to matter at all actually. Quick and easy read, definitely entertaining and I really enjoyed it. Enough so I'll look for the previous ones!!

I like the idea of a spin-off of another book and honestly, that was the only reason I picked this book this far in the series. The book is based on the true crime of a family of four killed in 1959 in Kansas, The Clutter family murder. The investigation and solution of that crime was the subject of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. Although I have not read In Cold Blood, I was curious about Masterman's new theory that perhaps there was a third killer that got away.
Brigid Quinn is the retired FBI agent married to a former priest, Carlo. Now, Jerry Beaufort has just been released from jail. Could he have been the third killer?
I enjoyed this book. This is not the type of story full of twists and turns, but I liked Brigid and Carlo--their relationship and tribulation.
I would like to thank Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was slow for me in the beginning but picked up speed later on. I’ve never read capote’s original book so I was a bit confused in certain areas. I was intrigued by the description but was a bit letdown. I still think people might enjoy it.

Rage against the Dying was my first introduction to Becky Masterman and immediately I became one of her fans. This new novel, which is a variation of Truman Capote's stars in the novel In Cold Blood, involves a third individual, a young boy who aided and abetted Hickok and Smith, and also committed murders of his own. Enter our heroine, Brigid Quinn, who comes into contact with this young boy, now an old man, after he is discharged from prison. It appears that there is a document describing his involvement in the latter unsolved murder. As he tries to find this document he has to go toe to toe with the likes of Brigid. Admittedly, I enjoyed the novel but did not find it had the tension needed to create a page turner where the pages fly. Instead, it was like slipping on an old moth eaten sweater, pondering how this had come to be.

I liked this book. I like true crime stories and have read Capote’s In Cold Blood so I really enjoyed how the writer incorporated that crime into this story. She, of course, added her own version of how the crime was committed and it is completely plausible. The story begins with Brigid Quinn as a child sitting around her father and his cop friends while they discuss the Cutter and Walker murders. This discussion spurred her lifelong obsession with those murders. When the real Walker killer is released from prison after doing time for an unrelated crime, he is concerned that new developments in forensic science may lead police to his doorstep. Even after almost 60 years since the crime was committed, he tries to tie off loose ends. I like the way the author tells the story alternating between each POV. I enjoyed her insights into the psychopathic mind of the killer. For a retired FBI agent Brigid is good at investigating but I found her insecurity in her relationship with her husband, Carlo, a little annoying. Also, his philosophical mumbo - jumbo was annoying, too, but I guess it fits for a professor who is also a former priest. All in all, I liked this book and the way the details of fact and fiction regarding this still unsolved crime are woven together to create a thrilling rendition of the story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is a real “what if” kind of story. Ex-FBI agent Brigid Quinn has always been obsessed with "In Cold Blood" and the detective in her can’t let go of some of the more unsolved details. Jerry Beaufort is an old man who has just gotten out of prison and is trying to understand DNA and how he could have left evidence at a very old crime scene. I found this story full of suspense and interesting to see a character trying to fit into society like he never left it. I loved the Humoresque *Pop*. Very creepy. You’ll have to read it to find out!

With the fourth Brigid Quinn book, the locale has moved back to Tucson, although the story goes back to a cold case murder in 1959 Florida. I found this plot to be a stretch for me. Drawing on the Clutter family murders that Truman Capote detailed in In Cold Blood, Masterman posits that there was a boy along with Hickok and Smith, one that was never identified. And that this trio also killed a family in Florida.

This third man is now released from jail for other crimes and is worried a dying confession given by Hickok might implicate him.

The book starts off slow. It gives us two narratives - Beaufort’s, the killer looking for the confession, and Brigid’s, which seems to focus more on the jealousy she is experiencing for Carlo’s deceased first wife. It does pick up speed as the book progresses. In one instance, very literally. Later in the book, a third viewpoint enters the picture.

My problem is that the plot relied on way too many coincidences, especially for a crime committed in Florida that ties into Carlo’s time as a priest in Kansas. And it’s also a crime that Brigid has been fascinated by for years.

It’s not a bad read. It kept my interest and I appreciated how both Carlo and Brigid had to navigate through some hard issues within their new marriage. It’s just that I have been less than impressed with the last two books in the series compared to how much I enjoyed the first two.

My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

Retired FBI agent Brigid Quinn is back in another masterful tale. 

A bit of a different take on the well known tale of a family of four living in Holcomb, Kansas in 1959 and their brutal murders.  Two men were convicted and executed for the crime. Perry Smith and Dick Hickok.  If it sounds familiar, it should. The investigation and outcome became a best seller for Truman Capote as In Cold Blood.

There has always been controversy over Capote's story of the events. In this telling the author asks us to think about another family murdered in much the same way, and what if there really was a third killer out there? These men have told so many lies, it's hard to believe what is and isn't true. The killers are long dead when this arrives at Brigid and Carlo's door. 

A brutal killer has been released from prison. It's been 30 years and DNA evidence is now on the scene and cold cases are being looked at again and saved DNA is being put in the system. The only thing on this killer's mind is finding out if it is true that one of the dead killers ratted him out in his final confession to a priest. A priest who Carlo knew well and who unbeknownst to Carlo has given him a letter written by one of the killers before his execution. 

Carlo and Brigid may not know they have the confession but our killer is sure of it and sets out to take out anyone in his way to avoid going back to prison. There is not statute of limitations on murder.

Brigid and Carlo are really well written characters. Brigid, a kick ass and take no names former FBI agent and Carlo, a former priest, who chose love. They are so interesting and they make a great team. 

A good series!

NetGalley/: June 4th 2019 by Minotaur Books

This mystery was so intriguing, with great depth to the characters, that slowly built to a satisfying ending that sticks with you for days.

Brigid Quinn has finally reached a point in her life where she is retired from the FBI and is married to a wonderful caring man, Carlos DiFranzo. Carlos is a retired Professor, and is enjoying his life with Brigid. There seems to be a connection with Carlos and a Priest, Father Santangelo, to Truman Capote’s book, In Cold Blood. There were two men, Richard Hickock, and Perry Smith, who were are death row for the murder of the Clutter Family in 1979. The father, son and daughter, were murdered, and the wife was raped and murdered. Truman Capote interviewed both inmates and promised them, he would not publish the book, until after their death. Not too long after the death of the Clutters, the Walkers family, was murdered in the same manner as the Clutters. Both Hickock and Smith, were adamant that they did not commit the murder of the Walkers. So why is a paroled inmate, Jeremiah Randolph Beaufort, looking into the individuals who were involved with both Hickock and Smith’s confession? Why is he hunting down each person who had contact with both of these inmates? What does he have to hide? Is it possible he was involved with the murder of the Walkers? Since Carlos was a priest at the prison, at the time of the arrests of both of the inmates and had access to both Hickock and Smith, is it possible that he is a target? What could he possibly know about both of these inmates? Did one or both of the inmates confess to him? Will Brigid be able to find out why individuals who had some involvement are being murdered? Will she be able to protect her husband against Beaufort? Will they find an additional confession from Hickock? This book kept me reading until the very end. The mystery kept the reader guessing all the way through. The plot was very well researched and was very believable. The character development was very well built and the reader could relate to all the emotions both good and bad. This book really kept me captivated until the very end. I enjoyed this book!

I appreciate having received an advanced copy of this read. I however didn’t get much thrill out of this one. While it was well written, it really didn’t contain much punch for me. Not much action, more of a tale being told, and a stroll down memory lane.

It was not a bad read, it flowed well and you could definitely jump into it as a standalone, despite it being book number four in the series. I just wanted more meat, more action.

If you do read this crime thriller, again you won’t leave feeling unfulfilled. The writer has a fantastic knack for making the reader be able to visualize the scene as you read, something that I do enjoy. I can see the room, in the first scene, men sitting around talking, a mist of smoke in the air. I was still worth my while.

This is Book #4 in the Brigid Quinn series. I have not read books 1-3 and it did not distract from the story one bit. I did, however, read Truman Capote's In Cold Blood while I was in high school. Could there have been a third killer involved? Well, this is the story that wraps itself around this question.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for this advanced readers copy. This book is due to release in June 2019.

Like other reviewers, I did not realize this was the 4th in a series that follow a former FBI agent and her former Catholic priest. The storyline definitely holds its own and the reader does not need to read the previous books in order to read this.

We Were Killers Once is fiction that follows the story of the murders outlined in Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. Was there actually a third killer involved in those gruesome murders? Where they involved in another family murder in Florida. There are a lot of twists and turns as the reader follows the released convict.

My rating is actually 3.5 but I rounded it up as it was a quick read and held my attention. At the end of the day, would I go back to read the other books, maybe yes or maybe no.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

This was a good book, but not a memorable one. Just kind of a "run-of-the-mill" mystery - nothing that stood out about it.

An interesting take on the Kansas murder in 1959 that inspired Truman Capotes in Cold Blood. The premise is what it there was another murderer?

Intriguing storyline, great dialogue and good characters. This is #4 in a series but can be read as stand alone.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I didn't realize it was the 4th in a series! You definitely don't need to read the previous books to understand We Were Killers Once (I didn't), but it probably helps.

I assume the previous books also feature Carlos (Brigid's husband who was a priest once) and that's why he figures so heavily in this book?! Honestly, his character annoyed me and I rushed through his parts to get back to Brigid! Brigid is a former FBI agent who is retired but cannot help involving herself in mysterious people or nosing about when something might involve an infamous crime.
Everything came together very nicely and conveniently which made me a little bored and peeved because I feel like that's rather unusual in the real world, but hey, what do I know?!

Having read In Cold Blood I appreciated all the "what-ifs" and talk about Truman Capote fictionalizing his famous book and I did find myself thinking back to In Cold Blood after reading chapters in We Were Killers Once and going, "OH, that's plausible actually! Hmmm" so it did its job. It just did the job sporadically and bounced all around different viewpoints while telling it and never fully explained Jerry's connections.

Overall, I enjoyed the plot and I loved Brigid's parts, but the rest draggggged and it wasn't until I was 30% into the story that I actually became engaged!