Masterman has merged her very good character, retired FBI agent Brigid Quinn, with an imagined third man involved in the In Cold Blood killings. If you read that book more recently than I did, you might be further ahead than I was with the plot of this novel which frankly lost the charm of Brigid, Carlo, and Gemma-Kate (one of my favorites) in favor of the historical mystery. Jerry is a very well drawn villain- a man without a conscience who has spent most of his life in prison and now is out in his late 60s and trying to make sure he won't implicated in the Walker or Clutter murders. He's a scary man, more so for his ability to project normalcy. While I was fully engaged in this and wanted to know what was going to happen, I realized that I wanted to know what was going to happen to Carlo and didn't much care about whether Jerry was involved in the 1959 murders. Don't worry if you haven't read the earlier books in the series- you'll be fine with this as a standalone. Those who have read it will be happy to learn a little more of Carlo's back story. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. I'm looking forward to reading how Brigid and Carlo go forward from here.

I received an early review copy of this book which made me want to start the series from the beginning. I listened to the first three books on audio and thoroughly enjoyed being introduced to Brigid and her husband Carlo. We Were Killers Once takes a true crime and gives a what if there was a third killer that was never convicted and connects the story to ex FBI agent Brigid Quinn. I'm hooked on this series and will continue reading every book when it's released. Brigid and Carlo's relationship is tested in this story. Carlo has to come to terms with Brigid's take on justice. Gemma Kate is an added plus doing her part to carry on the Quinn legacy.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is the 4th book in the series and you would never know it. I felt like I could relate to the characters and the story had me hooked.

Everyone remembers the Clutter family murders in the late 50's. Truman Capote wrote about it in "In Cold Blood". The author takes it a step further and does a What if? What if there was a third person in that was along when those murders were committed. What if that third person killed before.. and again? What if that person was recently released from prison for unrelated charges and is now trying to tie up any "loose" ends from the 50's?

I don't want to give away too much of the book but It had me wanting to read more. I enjoyed the fact that Brigid was older and the author made her still relevant.

I will go back and hopefully find time to read the other three books in the series.

The 1959 murder of the Clutter family, made famous by Capote’s In Cold Blood is the basis of this story. This is the “what if” there was a third killer. This is a well written thought out plot with engaging characters. This is the fourth book in the series and could be read as a stand-alone, but the other books tell the life of Brigid as an agent. ARC was provided by Netgalley and publisher for a honest review.

What a great read! Thanks to an e-galley of We Were Killers Once supplied by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, I discovered a new (to me) author, one that I know I will come back to. Becky Masterman caught my eye with her fictional followup to a 1965 true crime novel, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.

I enjoyed the "what-if?" aspects of this story. What if (as some suspected) there was a third person involved in the Clutter Family murders of 1959? What if this person was a dangerous 14-year-old boy, who wasn't arrested, tried and executed along with Dick Hickock and Perry Smith? What if this man is later sentenced to life for a three-strikes-you're-out series of petty crimes -- and what if, after serving most of his sentence, he is released early. He's old, but still dangerous.

This book is fourth in a series featuring Brigid Quinn, a former FBI agent, and Carlo DiForenza, a former priest and philosophy professor. The two are negotiating their way through a late-in-life marriage. The fact that I hadn't met the couple before this book didn't diminish my comprehension of or pleasure in this book.

It turns out that both Carlo and Brigid have history with the original Clutter case. When the aging criminal tracks them down, the narrative kicks into high gear.

The true-crime tie-in was what drew me to this book, but the interplay between hard-boiled Brigid and metaphysical Carlo is what made the book memorable for me. It's an unusual thriller that contains such observations as "We fall in love with the person we want ourselves to be, and then they drag us there kicking and screaming."

This is a murder mystery and a character study. I haven’t read the rest of the series, but I think you can jump in here and be fine. The dialogue and plotting made for an enjoyable read.

This was a great book, until the ending. It had it all, mystery, murder, love, great humor, the good guy and the bad guy, then the ending absolutely ruined the entire book for me. The author does a great job of getting into the mindset of a criminal, a priest and an ex-FBI agent and telling their thoughts and feelings.
I enjoyed Bridget’s feistiness and tenacity, I’m sure that is what made her a good FBI agent but towards the end, not so much. The entire book was believable and was on a great storyline until, yes, you guessed it, the ending. It took the entire story to a new level of unbelievable, almost like a different author penned the last chapter, not the one that was writing before.
I’ll give it 4****’s because it truly is worth it, the writing was excellent, it made you feel and fear for the victims. I can’t with a good conscious lower it all the way down to 3***’s, but the ending, is worth less than that. Talk about criminal activity, I would not want Gemma Kate to prepare anything for me or feed my dogs.
This one gets 4****’s. I was given an advanced copy from St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for my honest review.

Retired FBI agent Brigid Quinn has always been fascinated by the murder of the Clutter family, depicted in Truman Capote’s Book In Cold Blood. Ever since she sat on her father’s lap as a six year old, listening to her father and his cop buddies discuss unsolved mysteries, Brigid knew she wanted to solve cases just as her father did. There was a second murder the men discussed, that of the Walker family, that was much closer to home and also unsolved.

Brigid’s career takes her to Arizona, where she meets and marries Carlo, a former priest who did his training in the same prison in which Hickok and Smith were incarcerated, and learns that Carlo may have some information entrusted to him by his mentor that sheds some light on both the Clutter and Walker murders.

Although this is the fourth book in the series, I was able to follow the characters and keep up with the storyline. It reads well as a stand-alone. Brigid is really amazing, a strong and confident woman with one exception – her jealousy of Jane, her husband’s seemingly perfect first wife. I enjoyed the way she pieces together the mystery, calling in favors and heading across the country for answers. I liked Brigid so much that I’ll have to go back and read the other books in the series, just to see what she’s been up to.

This is part four of the Brigid Quinn series. This was my first read by this author and it won't be my last. The protagonist, Brigid Quinn, is a retired FBI agent who becomes involved in an old case that may be linked to the infamous murders covered in Truman Capote's In Cold Blood.

We Were Killers Once is the fourth book in this series featuring retired FBI agent Brigid Quinn, but I haven't read any of the earlier books.

The book takes a twist on the murders of the Clutter family so famously recounted in Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. What if there was a third person involved?

Were Perry Smith and Richard Hickock responsible to the murder of the Walker family in Sarasota, FL? And what if there was a second confession from Hickock indicating a third person?

Taking all of these possibilities in to account, Masterman weaves a narrative that there was a second secret hidden confession and a third person.

An interesting premise based on the possible connection of Smith and Hickock and the murders of the Walker family. The two were in Florida at the time and there were similarities.

As for the novel itself, I didn't feel much connection to the characters of Brigid Quinn and her husband Carlos. The book has relatively slow pace with some build up of tension, but ultimately, this is not a series I would pursue.

Read in March. Blog review scheduled for May 29.

NetGalley/St. Martin's Press

Crime. June 4, 2019. Print length: 320 pages.

I found Becky Masterman several years ago when she published her first detective mystery story. I enjoyed the fresh viewpoint centered on the southwest United States plus her unique main characters. Her third book sent me away (almost permanently) . The story just fell flat for me. Fortunately, Net Galley forwarded a copy of “We Were Killers Once” that I just finished reading. The plot is fresh, the story involv3s the viewpoint of “ the bad guy” , and the suspense steadily builds from the first chapter to the last. Further, I care about the lead characters; that is a driving force for my reading engagement with a book. I thank Net Galley for the opportunity to read “We Were Killers Once” and shall wait patiently for the next Becky Masterman story to arrive on my e-reader!

I wasn't sure how well I would like this book since it combines fiction with the well known Kansas murders of the Clutter family from 1959 as written about in the book In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. I was really surprised at how well I became so engrossed in this story and I really enjoyed it. I loved this author's style of writing and her added wit/humor was all in the right places. I have not read any of her previous books but this book works well as a stand alone. I especially loved the character of Brigid Quinn and hope to go back and read more of this author's books. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC of this very suspenseful book.

I’m not one who usually will start reading a series out of order. I do think this book would be OK as a standalone as I wasn’t too confused as to the backstory of any of the characters.
That said, I’ve always been a Truman Capote fan so I was excited about the topic. I have never read anything by Becky Masterman so I can’t compare this book to her previous work. I found this to be a quick read and it held my attention. The idea of a third party involved in the Clutter family murder is intriguing and well done. It is been quite a while since I read “In Cold Blood” but I feel as if it’s being implied that Capote got a lot of his information incorrect.
Masterman’s previous books in this series look interesting so I may go back and start with number one and then perhaps re-read this one and feel differently. And a big thank you to NetGalley for the pre-release copy.

This was the first book I have read by Becky Masterman, and like other reviews you may come across, it would be best to start out with the previous novels as this is a series. I was interested as this story is based off In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.

Intertwining a real murder case into a work of fiction was an interesting twist. I know I would have enjoyed it more and would have been able to get invested in the characters more if I was familiar with the series. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it.

Thank you Netgalley, The Author and Publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.
By no fault of the a but of my own, I found it extremely difficult to get into this b only because it was the fourth of a series. I need to read the first three books to fully comprehend the storyline.
This story continues with Fbi agent Bridget investigating the murders involving Truman Capote.
I suggest that you read the first three before you read this one.

I can see why others would really enjoy this book, but it was not my favorite. I did like that it was based on real murders, but the book meandered for me in the first half, and that made it hard for me to care as much in the second half. Overall, an okay book for me.

Even though this is the fourth in a series and I have never read any of the previous books I didn't find it hard to follow along with this book. That being said I really didnt enjoy this book. It follows the criminal of a cold case and I found it a little dull. Although I didn't think is was a terrible book to call it a thriller is a stretch.

This is my 1st read of a book by Becky Masterman. This is the 4th book in the Brigid Guinn Series. I found the story to continually stray off course and I felt more detail would have kept me more interested, as the story moved along.

The plot was well conceived, but putting the plot in motion and the character development is where I found it lacked depth and gravity.

It's not fair to judge a series based on only reading one of the series, so I'm willing to give the author another look at one of her other books in the series.

I would give this particular book an average score, with a specter of hope on future novels. There were too many occurrences, when I was left wanting more throughout the story.

A clever twist on a classic real-life murder case makes this book - the fourth featuring former FBI agent Brigid Quinn - a standout. I've not read any of the preceding books, but the excellent writing and tough but likable lead character have convinced me this one won't be my last.

The gruesome real-life murder of the Clutter family was chronicled in the late Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" (and for the record, I'm old enough to remember both the murders and the almost astonishing success of the book). Here, though, the author explores the possibility - discussed and mostly discounted at that time - that at least one other person was involved besides the two men who were later apprehended, found guilty and executed. Further, she posits that those two men, and whoever was with them, may have committed similar murders of a family in Florida not long before the attack on the Clutters.

It is from that premise that this book develops, beginning with the somewhat early release of long-time prisoner Jerry Beaufort from the same prison at which the Clutter murderers were housed. Now an old man, he wants to live out the rest of his life in relative anonymity - but there could be a fly in that ointment: One of the executed killers, he believes, named him in an eleventh-hour confession to the Catholic priest who was the prison chaplain at the time. Beaufort's goal is to find that priest and make sure his secret stays secret. After all, times have changed; if his actions come to light, DNA and other evidence not available 30 years ago could be used to determine his guilt.

As the plot would have it, Brigid and Carlo, her philosophy professor husband of three years, are living not far from the prison. A former Catholic priest, Carlo not incidentally spent time as an assistant chaplain there. The details I'll leave for you to read for yourself, but it's pretty clear early on that the lives of Beaufort, Brigid and Carlo will become entwined in some pretty scary ways.

It's a well-written, easy-to-read story; but aside from the unique tie-in with the real-life murders, the basic plot isn't too different from other books I've read (but for the record, I enjoyed those, as I did this one). As a senior citizen myself, reading about strong characters who aren't young whippersnappers made for a refreshing change.

One thing that struck me, though, is that I found myself more "connected" to Brigid's husband, Carlo, than to Brigid herself. That's reminiscent of J.D. Robb's Eve Dallas; I like Eve, but her hunky husband with a dark past, Roarke, is one of my all-time favorite characters (now that I think about it, Brigid shares quite a few similarities with Eve). Likewise, on one of my favorite TV shows, "Madame Secretary," I'm more drawn to Elizabeth McCord's husband, Henry - played by Tim Daly - than to Tia Leoni's title character.

As I said at the beginning, though, I'm really looking forward to the next installment, and I hope to see it soon. Meantime, I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this one.

We Were Killers Once is a story by Becky Masterman and is fiction mixed with facts. I hadn't realized this book was fourth in a series until I had finished it. Definitely a stand alone story, as I hadn't any problems following along. Ms Masterman has used Truman Capote's In Cold Blood as part of her story and did an excellent job of combining his "facts" with her book. I was given an early copy to review.