You're going to love Jazz, a badass drummer who, when she isn't winning bar fights, is protecting her much-younger brother from his sadistic foster mom. After witnessing a man die at one of her gigs, she gets a phone call with an offer. A quid pro quo of murder. From that point on, buckle up because it's non-stop from there. I tore through this book in just two sittings, and that's only because I had to go pick up my kids at camp.

Description
Jazz will stop at nothing to save her brother. Their foster mother, Carol, has always been fanatical, but with Jazz grown up and out of the house, Carol takes a dangerous turn that threatens thirteen-year-old Joaquin’s life. Over and over, child services fails to intervene, and Joaquin is running out of time. Then Jazz gets a blocked call from someone offering a solution. There are others like her—people the law has failed. They’ve formed an underground network of “helpers,” each agreeing to eliminate the abuser of another. They’re taking back their power and leaving a trail of bodies throughout Los Angeles—dubbed the Blackbird Killings. If Jazz joins them, they’ll take care of Carol for good. All she has to do is kill a stranger.

My Review
This ARC was provided free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion. I started with the audio version and thought that it was not for me. The ending itself was cut short. But, I decided to give the actual novel a try thinking maybe it was the narrator. However, I am sorry but I just could not get into the story. There is potential for a great novel. I just think the execution needs a bit more work.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

I could not connect with the writing style and decided to put it down.

Heart-clenching from start to finish! Heard makes every character sympathetic in their own way (except Carol. We all hate Carol). A fresh and powerful mystery novel!!

As a fan of Wendy Heard’s writing I was very eager to read this one! A story about Jazz and her younger brother being foster care. Jazz ages out but her brother has to stay with a horrible foster mother. Jazz does her best to take care of him as much as she can, but Carol won’t let up and Child Services pretty much turns a blind eye too. Soon, she’s invited to join a network of killers but to get in is to take a life. This book moved quickly and was really suspenseful. I really enjoyed it to the very end! Super solid read and would definitely recommend!

If you are looking for a book to take you on an emotional roller coaster that you can't get off and you just can't get away from this is the book for you, Told from multiple POV we follow Jazz who is trying to save her brother who is in foster care. After running out of options, she gets a phone call with a solution to end all of this and make her brother safe again, but can she do it? There is a vigilante network that takes care of abusers and if she takes care of someone for them, they will do the same for her,

Settle in for a extremely gritty book that will leave you with anxiety as you try to figure out who to root for and what you want to happen.

“Jazz will stop at nothing to save her brother.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Their foster mother, Carol, has always been fanatical, but with Jazz grown up and out of the house, Carol takes a dangerous turn that threatens thirteen-year-old Joaquin’s life. Over and over, child services fails to intervene, and Joaquin is running out of time.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Then Jazz gets a blocked call from someone offering a solution. There are others like her—people the law has failed. They’ve formed an underground network of “helpers,” each agreeing to eliminate the abuser of another. They’re taking back their power and leaving a trail of bodies throughout Los Angeles—dubbed the Blackbird Killings. If Jazz joins them, they’ll take care of Carol for good.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
All she has to do is kill a stranger” ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
You guys.. I HIGHLY reccomend this one if you like Thrillers. Even if you are not a huge fan, this book is still extremely enjoyable! It’s not too gory or heavily descriptive about about the murders so if you have a weak stomach this is a safe bet! This novel was so thought provoking about our countries systems and the lengths that some people are willing to go to get justice. People were dropping like flies left and right! I was never disinterested through the story, always on the edge of my seat. Jazz, the main character, is as brave as they come and pretty bad a**. This novel is told from alternating POV’s but you always know who is narrating because the chapter title has their name in it. In the eARC it did not, which got a little confusing at times, but the finished copy does! ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Huge thanks to #mirabooks / @harlequinbooks for the finished copy! ⁣⁣
⁣⁣

This book can be classified as a suspense thriller. The plot is centered around Jazz, a young adult who is absolutely frantic to make sure that her younger brother Joaquin is cared for properly. Since Joaquin has diabetes and needs insulin to survive, Jazz is determined to make sure that he receives his medication on time, but the foster mother Carol has other ideas. The premise of the story is that Jazz needs to eliminate Carol in order to take care of Joaquin. When Jazz gets a phone call from a blocked number offering to kill Carol if she will kill a stranger, then the plot gets really twisted and unrealistic. I did not like the lesbian element to the story, a part of the plot that seemed to be just thrown in to appease the gay community and not at all necessary. I read the first part of the novel since it was very fast-paced and entertaining. The second half, however, was very boring at times, with a lot of extra descriptions and details included that added nothing to the story. Fans of contemporary thrillers and mysteries may enjoy this book.

All she has to do is kill a stranger….

Needless to say this is was one of my favorite books of the year! This was my first book from Wendy Heard and I am now obsessed!

First off, I immediate fell in love with the main character Jazz ! She’s a unique and strong female protagonist that will stop at nothing to help her brother.

This was such a creative and original plot line, I had no clue what was about to happen one moment to the next. I read this book in two days, which is quite fast for me!

If you want a thrill seeking novel with so many twist and turns, you need this book in your life!

This book surprised me with how good it really was.
I was blown away with how beautifully the characters were developed. The story also included a mysterious organization, and I'm such a sucker for those.
The plot was paced to my liking and the writing flowed well. It kept me interested throughout, and at the edge of my seat for most of it. It was hard for me to put it down, I had to keep reading and see what's going on. I thinks it's a great addition to the thriller genre. And I look forward to reading more from Wendy Heard.

I received this book for free from Harper Collins in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.As soon as I read the blurb, I had to have The Kill Club. As a survivor failed by the justice system, vigilantism against abusers and rapists always gets me. That's my kind of escapism fantasy - sometimes.

And The Kill Club delivers. In the best and worst ways. With a lesbian MC and a bi/pan romance interest!!

I repeat: With a lesbian MC and a bi/pan romance interest!!


This is a fucking stellar suspense mystery. I started it and couldn't stop until the last page. Had no clue what was coming next. Didn't guess any perps before revealed. Nicely done misdirects and pacing. No too dumb to live moments. In fact, Jazz was scrappy AF and Sofia was brilliant.

Jazz, I loves you. And all you're tattoos and snarky glory.

Joaquin, I loves you too, little buddy.

Sofia, my put-together-at-6AM bi/pan queen.

I love the alternative POVs. Think Crash, but not shitty perpetuating bullshit. That's where I picked my first favorite quote from in fact. A despicable one, but damn is it well done.

And it doesn't stick to just traditional abusers and victims either. I'm so glad there's some male victim representation included.

This probably makes me a terrible person, but I love the "fuck it, shotgun time" moment. XD

Yep, my rule about Author's Notes/Acknowledgements at the end still holds true. I love how Heard brings the facts and a spotlight on important issues, like homelessness.





Amazing stylized for the Layaway dragon theme.

It'd be a romantic suspense except for the no happy ending nonsense. Gays should only be buried in love and solidarity nowadays. >:( So close to perfection.

I'm so down for more like The Kill Club and from Wendy Heard. I just added her YA debut to my TBR in fact.



Favorite Quotes:
He needs to take control, like Edward did in Port Angeles when Bella almost got herself raped by that gang of guys. Yes, that's the part of the story they're in, the part where Edward takes control.


Thank you for mansplaining the presumption of innocence to me, twat.


It delivers its signature "chunk-chunk-hummmmm" that signals the arctic cooling of the area immediately around the window.


"First rule of murder club. Don't talk about murder club. Got it."


That would be a relief, the kind that only lasts a minute. That's the kind of pain I can handle.

I read 76% of this book in one day. I just couldn’t stop. Jazz will do anything to protect her brother and this takes you on a wild ride through the story. You can’t help but root for Jazz throughout the whole journey. There are lots of twists and turns and I didn’t see them all coming. The book plays out like a fast paced movie. It seems as though there is potential for another novel and I can’t wait to read it if there is.

TW: child abuse, domestic abuse

The Kill Club is a heart-pounding page turner. Our main character Jazz has lived a lot of life in her short 20-odd years. Her little brother has been officially adopted by her foster mother who has always been abusive toward Jazz. But she has always done everything in her power to keep her little brother, Joaquin, safe. Getting him his much needed insulin, paying for his cell phone, and generally insuring he has a normal teen life while her foster mother, Carol, is part of a religious sect that only prays for healing.

Jazz encounters an underground vigilante group that promises to take away her troubles with Carol if she only does one thing: kill a stranger. This group recruits people who have no way out of abusive situations and assigns them to kill the abuser of another member, all anonymously. When Jazz is approached by the group, she is easy to say yes and get Carol off her back for good, but things get far more tangled than she ever anticipates.

I read this book over two sittings (because life). It would have been only one sitting if time had permitted because I could not put it town. It really had my heart racing at points because the stakes were so high. Definitely a great thriller with an interesting premise. If you’re looking for something to keep you interested until the very last page, do not hesitate to pick this book up!

Thank you so much to my friends at Harlequin for sending me a copy of this book!

“First rule of murder club, don’t talk about murder club.”

As you may have guessed simply from the title The Kill Club by Wendy Heard is not a new or overly original plot but one that tackles the idea of the characters killing a stranger in order for another person to kill the horrible person in their life. Regardless of this idea being done before Wendy Heard still made a compelling story with her version.

Jazz and her younger brother grew up in foster care but now that Jazz has aged out her thirteen year old brother is still in the care of their terrible foster mother, Carol. Jazz does everything she can from the outside to see her brother gets his medication and stays in school but Carol continues to mistreat him and despite the calls to child services nothing is done.

When Jazz picks up a burner phone she never expected it to ring and someone invite her to join a network of killers promising that if Jazz completes her mission someone will take care of Carol. All Jazz needs to do to save her brother is to kill a stranger but can she actually complete the mission or should she turn the evidence over to the police?

The Kill Club had a nice fast pace to it as you learned of the characters and their situations and the action begins. The story also had plenty of twists and turns added into the mix that kept the pages turning once the characters begin to learn about the club and all that it offered. Despite the lack of originality with the plot this was still quite the solid read overall.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Stuck with this one when I should have DNF - sadly. Convoluted and too many similarities to a book I read recently - The Chain - with a far fetched ending.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Mira Books for this free copy.

But really, could you imagine if you could get rid of the one person in your life that made it a living hell, to the point that your life was utterly ruined, and the only thing you had to do was kill someone else?

Does that sound tempting to you?

Especially since there’s no way to pin either crime on you?

Thanks to this covert and mysterious organization that somehow knows everything about you and plans out when each of these terrible people will be killed?

I don’t know. I can see why it would be tempting to a lot of people. I can’t deny that, and does that even make someone morally evil? Especially when you can see where they are coming from, and just want them to be finally in a position to be free of such a terrible person and a terrible situation?


Yeah, I totally get it.

So I totally get why Jazz ended up somehow agreeing with this mysterious voice on the phone to kill someone in order to save her brother Joaquin from the woman that basically abuses him to the point of death. Seriously, that woman Carol, if she can even be called a woman, is evil. Pure evil. I can’t believe what Joaquin and Jazz had to deal with when it came to her. And she just so freaking abusive to these two children that had to basically rely on her to survive because they didn’t have any other family. And then to see what Carol does to make their lives a living hell?! No freaking way.


That’s how I felt honestly, because she is a shit human being.

The concept of this “kill club” is very interesting too, because the people that are being targeted are bad people. Like, very bad people.


There are some chapters that either put us in the minds of the victims of the kill club, or those that end up killing them upon orders. From those chapters, I can see why these people were killed, and do I feel like they were even missed? No, not at all. Were they even worth being mourned? I don’t think so at all.

Then the whole relationship between Jazz and Joaquin, and I was so freaking sad when there was this part where they see each other and all Jazz wants to do is take him away from the horrors of living with that woman.


I literally cried so hard when I read that part because I could only imagine how Joaquin felt when Jazz left him. It’s not like she left him on purpose, which she does end up explaining to the reader and has told him many times. He knows that she didn’t leave him on purpose, or abandon him because she didn’t want to be around him or anything. It just sucks to have a kid feel that way and then have them express that to you and not be able to do anything about it. You know? It’s making me cry again.

Basically, go and let me know what you think about this book because wow. I was not expecting it to get this deep and it did.

Loved this one! I was hooked from page one! I just couldn't put it down and finished it in one day! It is on the top of my must recommend to everyone that will listen list!

Whew… The hunter became the hunted who then went on a prowl.

The Murder Club provided revenge and freedom from the abusers in cases where even the law and cops had forsaken them. One such person was Jazz whose foster mother beat her up and locked her brother in a boarded room. A missed call on a strange flip phone soon reached Jazz. The Kill Club had come to help. A murder for a murder.

My first book by author Wendy Heard, I was quite amazed by the writing which pulled me with its concept. Terror struck my heart at the decisions that Jazz took. Some of them were quite reckless. Though unlikable, she had redeeming qualities. Love for her brother came through.

The story started strong, then lost its steam midway when it became a pure action sequence, followed by a surprising end. A string of murders by a serial killer too added to the intrigue in the plot. The reveal was a shocker for me as I least expected it.

The book had all the makings of a thriller movie, and I would love to see it explode on the big screen. A captivating, yet disturbing read with a main character who just grows on to you.

So you decided to make a deal with the devil....but the devil doesn't deliver his end.. or does he? Welcome to The Kill Club.

"First rule of murder club, don't talk about murder club." I loved this line! Wendy Heard has dished out a thrilling ride with this book. Upon starting it, the overall theme rang a bit similar to another book I had just read- The Other People ( which I loved, by the way). Yet the concept may be similar, the story line went into a completely different direction.

Random murders are happening all over the city. People are terrified to leave the house, as people are being killed off in very public places. There is a serial killer on the loose that leaves his calling card...a playing card at the scene of the crime. Every victim is killed by an injection of poison that brings them to a painful death. By the way, if my Starbucks tastes at all funky, it will promptly go in the trash...just saying...yet the detectives are stumped, because the killer seems to get a bit sloppy at times and sometimes he is "dead on" perfect in his techniques.

I loved Jasmine- a gritty, hard working girl, that has seen some very dark things in her life. Working long days at Trader Joe's she is just trying to make ends meet. When her brother Joaquin's life is in danger, she feels she must do whatever it takes to save him. Would she have to draw the line at murder? Would you?

Favorite Quotes:

“Okay,” I say, and in that one word is contained an ocean of acceptance. This is where I am. This is what I’m doing.

I think about what the reporter said, that the people who have been killed have had records of stalking, domestic violence. It actually sounds like the voice on the phone is who they say they are. They invented a serial killer. The police are searching LA for a murderer that doesn’t exist.

I don’t know how I feel about this, morally. Is it bad to kill someone like Carol? Does she deserve the death sentence? Do I have any feelings about her being dead? … I remember the guy I saw die at Villains. I heard him scream. It’s definitely not painless. But then I remember Carol with her baseball bat crunching through my bones like glass, and I think, Good.

How is she so put-together at six in the morning? When I work early shifts at Trader Joe’s, I look like an orphan in a Christmas movie.


My Review:

This book was devilishly clever and fiendishly addictive, I was taut with tension and unable to put my Kindle down without deeply resenting the intrusion to my reading. The main character of Jasmine was deeply flawed and horribly unlucky, and though well-intentioned she was a total screw up in every arena. I cringed for her while simultaneously wanting to give her a smack to the back of the head. The storylines were highly active, heartbreaking, twisted, brutal, gripping, and fraught with tension with unexpected and greatly welcomed glints of snarky levity and sharply edged wit. This was my first exposure to the cunning storytelling of Wendy Heard and I was an instant fangirl, I greedily want to amass all her clever words.