Holy crap...what in the actual hell did I just read? No, really?! WOW. This was a page turner that is for sure! If you like edgy, dark and twisted with a bit of snarky humor- here you go!

Scarlett is a killer. In fact she has been killing for the past 16 years. She has it down to a science. She has never been questioned and certainly never caught. What the heck is her secret? Okay guys Scarlett only picks dudes that deserve it...well in her mind. Vigilante or sociopath? I am going to go with sociopath. As the rage builds in her year after year, she picks her "victim" out, she plans, stalks them and then goes in for the kill. Then wipes her hands clean and is off to teach English. I must admit this woman scares me a little...

We also follow along in the life Carly Schiller a student at Gorman. Carly becomes a bit obsessed with her roommate Allie. Her obsession leads her into a world that can't be unseen. A tangled web is woven- I will just leave it right there as not to spoil it for you.

I loved the dark, twisted plot. However wrong it was, it actually made me laugh a couple times because Scarlett had some snarky thoughts that were just fantastic. Will her luck run out after 16 years of killing? To quote the killer herself- she has spent 16 years murdering men and she is not about to get sloppy now! You go Scarlett! I think...

This book reminds me of a mix between DEXTER and HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER! Completely unique, captivating, and STRANGE (in the best of ways). I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one but I can wholeheartedly say that I loved it!

Layne Fargo’s second thriller is just as good as her first! I loved Temper, and They Never Learn did not disappoint! Female empowerment, murderous revenge and rich characters drive this tale.

“A smile spreads across my lips, even colder than the snow. You’re next, motherf***er.”

I couldn’t help but hoot as I read this line in the EXCELLENT, unputdownable murder thriller THEY NEVER LEARN.

Scarlett is a college professor who kills men at the University she teaches at...men who, in her mind, deserve it for doing terrible things to women. Everything is fine until her latest kill spins wildly out of control and causes more people to probe into the deaths at the college.

In alternating chapters, Carly is a freshman at the university who quickly becomes friendly with her roommate, Allison, her total opposite. Allison likes to go out, drink, flirt, and generally have a good time. After Allison is sexually assaulted at a party, Carly can’t stop her dark thoughts of making the attacker pay for what he’s done.

This book is bloody, violent, somewhat disturbing, and extremely entertaining. I was blown away by author Layne Fargo’s ability to etch out the characters so well and keep me intrigued at every chapter. There’s plenty of unsuspecting twists that tie everything together, and you will not want to stop reading as you get deeper and deeper into this dark story. This surpasses Fargo’s debut novel, TEMPER, by far.

Thank you to Gallery/Scout Press, Layne Fargo, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, I'm not sure where to start. I devoured this book in a few hours, as I could not put it down. This is the book that I've been waiting to read and I absolutely loved it. There a plenty of twists and turns that I did not see coming. If you've been wanting to read a well-written and feminist book about a female serial killer, look no further. Layne Fargo has delivered with this novel and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

How far should one go for "the ends justify the means" to stop a sexual predator? This Machiavellian thought permeates the morality of the venomous vigilante "hero" of this modern day cautionary tale .... or, is it actually fulfilling a justifiable fantasy. Well respected , beautiful and sophisticated English Professor Dr. Scarlett Clark has spent the past sixteen years murdering men who deserve it. She goes to great lengths to avoid creating patterns or leaving forensic evidence. The demise of her "victims" or "targets" are usually attributed to suicides (overdoses or even poison when appropriate) or accidents ( falls... or rather pushes) and sometimes left to the involvement of a car or even self-electrocution. Nothing is bey0nd the scope of her plotting.
The narrative is rolled out in alternating, juxtaposed chapters between Scarlett and eighteen year old, freshman student Carly Schiller .... timid, and from a small town in Pennsylvania, introverted and upon arrival to college would be happy to disappear into the background. She struggles to overcome her insecurities and introversion.... until she becomes friends with her polar opposite roommate , Allison Hadley ... sophomore theatre major. Conflict and friction explode when she witnesses a sexual assault of Allison at a theatre function party. She comes upon an almost unconscious Allison being mercilessly pawed by the self absorbed and handsome student, "Bash" Waller. When Carly convinces Allison to bring this to attention of the female Dean of Students ... she is appalled by the Dean's response ..... the "nothing to see here" approach to their student sexual assault report.
Layne Fargo provides a propulsive prose narrative that entices the reader to read "just one more chapter" before going to sleep or to work ... and an escalating pace that is punctuated with staccato-like twists and exquisite multi-layered characterizations.
Who will Scarlett award the yearly title: Worst Man On Campus? Will she ever trip up? Her latest "clean-up" involves the star collage quarterback ... Tyler Elkin .. who spear-headed a gang rape.... And, what will be his disposition?
Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery / Scout Press for providing an electronic Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review. Excuse me ... while I go download her highly acclaimed debut novel , "Temper". ( at readers remains.com)

A dark and twisty read--my favorite kind!

This book did exactly what another book I DNF'd this year tried and failed to do and did it masterfully (you can look back in my reviews to see which one I'm referring to). The characters were well developed, the pace was fast, and the twist halfway through was unexpected and well executed.

Layne Fargo did a great job of portraying Scarlet as a sympathetic character while also highlighting her as a sociopathic murderess. I will definitely be reading more from her!

This protagonist in this book was like a female Dexter, if you've ever seen that Showtime show. She chooses her own form of justice and brings it to unsuspecting bad men. Men that have raped and killed. She is a college professor on campus and is willing to kill so long as justice is served.

The plot was certainly unique! I was completely entrenched by page 40. I would've liked to have been hooked a little sooner, but that is OK. I found the protagonist to be a strong female lead.

If you are looking for a different type of psychological thriller, than this one is for you!

This is definitely one of the best books I've read and I read quite a lot. I see a difference between an author and a gifted storyteller, and this author falls more in the latter group! Excellent character development that continued throughout the book, and characters that you really felt you could know, or maybe even knew someone like that in your life. I've read a few books lately with the "woman making bad men pay" theme, and they've all been done well and I really enjoy the revenge plot in whatever scenario. What I really enjoyed was that there were many twists and a number of surprises, but all of them were logical and not added for obvious shock. There is nothing worse than when authors throw in bizarre plot changes that make little sense, just to "surprise" you. None of that here. I will add that for me the cherry on top was a very satisfying ending - for me that's a deal breaker even if I like the rest of the book. I'd give this book 10 stars if they were available - will be reading more from this author.

This is 4.5/ 5 stars for sure!!! Wow what a dark, shocking story filled with feminist rage! Yes! I could not put this one down 🙌 Told from the perspective of a professor and a student who are just terrifyingly magnetic. I can’t help but be drawn into them and rooting for them even though their ways of doing things might seem a bit sociopathic. The causes they stand up for could happen to anyone. And then bam a twist I sort of saw coming but it was told in such a way that it just thickened the plot for the better!
This is a fast paced, thought provoking thriller that I couldn’t stop reading.
Put this on your TBR for October 2020- perfect timing for this one!

Thanks to Netgalley for my advanced ebook copy!

Dark, shocking, and utterly satisfying! I’m a big fan of Layne Fargo’s Temper, and somehow she topped herself with this one, channeling even more feminist rage into her complicated, magnetic-but-terrifying characters.

Well, this is How to Get Away with murder meets Unbelievable waltz with a little “13 reasons why” and we have kickass punisher/vigilante/ #metoo movement follower English professor Scarlett Clark: reminds us of Black Widow (she didn’t get married but the men should beware! Because she is ready to bring justice to the bullies, rapists, stalkers, weirdos!), a good kind of serial-punisher!
Don’t worry, she doesn’t choose students to commit murders for her like Annalise Keating had done and help them to get away with it. She works alone and she chooses the real scumbags, the worst predators at her list.

She’s committing these cold blooded murders for years and she really knows how to get away from them: Never leaves a trace, DNA any clue, distorting the crime scenes and deceives the officers by making them believe those victims committed suicide.

Now she is working at the Gorman University and she already punished a rapist student by poisoning him and made the entire people think he killed himself. Now she is focused on her big prize: Professor Alex Kinnear, his pretentious nemesis, womanizer, cheater, stealing his colleagues’ longtime works and getting credit from them. But she’s in trouble because Dr. Mina Pierce, ex-wife of Alex starts her own investigation because she finds the suicide patterns at the campus so suspicious and she works on a list consisted of Scarlett’s most of the victims. Could she find any clue directly point at her?

In the meantime, we’re introduced the second narrator: Carly Schiller, 18 years old, introvert, quirky, having problems with her dysfunctional family, hating her cheater dad, trying to keep her head above the water throughout her freshman year. She also attends Alex’s classes who encourages her creative writing and shows her friendly attention. Carly’s decision to lay low and live in the shadows changes when she find out her roommate Allison she had a long time crush was sexually assaulted at the party. Now it’s time for her sharpen her nails, clenching her fists and seeing red. She wants justice. Could the silent and shy girl turn into a mean avenger to help her roommate?

In the middle of the book, there is a twist I saw it at the beginning but it is still good one. The way of the narrators’ stories’ interception is also well written, smart and satisfying. This book is about brave women who deserve better life and who fight for taking the control of her their destiny. Even though most of the characters seem like vicious, violent and having sociopathic tendencies, you find yourself chant for their cause because it could happen to you! It could happen to your best friend, your own child and any other woman whose lives were ruined by the lack of evidence and common hypocrisy at the justice system.

Overall: Even though all the women characters at the book were a little terrifying and the method of their justice was a little argumentative, it was fast pacing, smart, entertaining , thought provoking reading with lovely queer representation. I’m giving my 4 brave, moving, riveting stars and looking forward to read more works of Layne Fargo! I couldn’t put this book down all night long!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for sharing this unputdownable ARC with me in exchange my honest review.

Layne Fargo's TEMPER was one of my favorite reads of 2019, so I couldn't wait to read her sophomore novel. My expectations were mostly met, with a few letdowns. I loved the characters the most, especially how their anger comes through. Fargo's exploration of anger was one of my favorite things about TEMPER and is one of my favorite things about THEY NEVER LEARN as well. Fargo tells a great story, unveiling details at the right moment, including plot twists that are sufficiently surprising yet still realistic.

My letdowns are entirely personal and don't reflect on the quality of writing, the story, or the author. I felt like Fargo's debut was deep, smoldering, and completely enthralling. This book, conversely, felt like a classic thriller/mystery. Absolutely nothing wrong with this, just wasn't what I was expecting. It was also engaging and kept me reading to find out what would happen next. The faster pace more action-packed plot was also made for a great quarantine read!

Holy wow, what a book! Literally unputdownable! I loved TEMPER, but must say this blew that one out of the water! Well written, full of gasp worthy shocks, goosebump inducing chills, and amusement park worthy thrills! Dexter will have found his female twin in Scarlett and I can only imagine the men they would take down together in a twisted, fun way! The writer makes sure to write in a manner that doesn’t make rape or assault a shock inducing writing tool, but uses enough examples to understand the measures taken! I highly recommend to those who love a good revenge feminist story!
I will make sure to buzz it up on all the different platforms!