Thank you HarperCollins and OneMoreChapter and Netgalley for this book - why did I not read it as soon as I received it?
Extremely well written. I knew who the murder was, then I wasn’t sure, then I changed my mind, then I was sure again, then I changed my mind ………. I did eventually think I’ve got it and was right, but didn’t see the other twist coming.
I would definitely recommend but for me it wasn’t quite 5 stars, that is why I’ve given 4.
I want more by this author.

The Murder List is full of mystery and suspense. Lures you in from the first page and keeps you guessing until the last. It's original plot and well defined characters help to make the Murder List a great read.

I was first attracted to The Murder List because I was very intrigued by the premise and as I predicted, I was hooked from the very beginning. I wanted to know who The Diary Killer was and why they felt compelled to carry out their crimes. However, this novel is so much more than that and there are so many jaw dropping moments that kept me completely engaged until the last word.

The Murder List is quite fast paced. It takes place over around four months and each chapter shows us the date. This really helped to build tension as the plot gathered pace and I was on the edge of my seat as the important dates grew closer.

The plotting in The Murder List is something else and I can only assume that the author kept her local stationery shop in business with the number of post-its she bought! I enjoyed trying to work out what was going on and for the most part I completely failed! Each reveal was so well written and I’m reeling now I have finished.

I look forward to reading more by this author in future!

This book had me glued to the pages and I had so many questions. It was very fast paced.
Many thanks to HarperCollins UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A fast paced and thrilling novel but it suddenly just dropped off at the end which was a bit odd and ruined the reading experience.

This book had me hooked from the beginning. Lots of twist , very unpredictable and realistic characters . I simply couldnt put this book down.

I loved the concept & raced though this fast paced book but I didn't love the ending! (I can't tell you why without spoilers 🤭).

I really wanted to love this one. The premise pulled me in, but it just fell flat. It was fast-paced, enough to keep me in the story, but by the halfway mark I only kept reading because I felt obliged to read the book to review, rather than because I was enjoying it. My main issue was it didn’t keep my attention, and I struggled to connect to the characters, resulting in me not caring about how the plot unfolded. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a hit for me, but the writing and pace were brilliant, and I’m sure it’ll find the right readers!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author, for a chance to read and review this book.

The Murder List by Jackie Kabler is a rollercoaster of a read!  Mary is sent a blank diary as a gift.  She doesn't think anything of it until she opens it and finds:

1st January MURDER LISA, OXFORD
1st February MURDER JANE, BIRMINGHAM
1st March MURDER DAVID, CARDIFF
1st April MURDER MARY, CHELTENHAM

It could all just be someone's idea of a joke, except someone called Lisa was killed in Oxford on 1st January!  And Mary thinks she is the Mary on the list for 1st April!

This kept me guessing! I kept thinking I knew who was doing it, and every time I was wrong!  There are different threads weaving through this book, and I enjoyed the ramping up of the tension!

The Murder List was published on 31st May 2022 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Jackie Kabler on Twitter, Instagram and her website.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to One More Chapter.

I'd never like to meet such a murder in real life! What a genius, what a plan!

The diary as a gift is nothing unusual. The gift from the stranger? Weird, but accepted, let's say. The diary with a notes when, where and who are going to be murder? That is sick.

Mary is shocked and frightened. She immiediately go the to police and report it, but it does not prevent from the first of murder mentioned ealier in the diary. When the second victim is found dead, Mary realised that she needs to find a killer herself. Why? Cause the last, fourth name, is her.

This book is great. The idea is extraordinary, is something new, what I did not expect to find. I was thriller to the bones while reading and it was a great pleasure to immerse myself in this plot. Being a part of the investigation, living with Mary and share her fear and thought was a great way to get into this book.

I'd really recommend to anyone who is looking for an intriguing book.

I thought this book was very unsettling. When Mary received that diary that's really a murder list my heart started beating fast. I read through this book in record time because I was anxious to see how it turns out. The twists and turns are diabolical but I loved them. Fantastic read.

3.5 of out 5

When Mary receives a blank diary as a present, she thinks nothing of it. Until she opens the diary, and sees it’s not blank after all…

1st January MURDER LISA, OXFORD
1st February MURDER JANE, BIRMINGHAM
1st March MURDER DAVID, CARDIFF
1st April MURDER MARY, CHELTENHAM

Is this a sick joke? But…it’s the end of January now. And a woman called Lisa was murdered in Oxford on 1st January.
Could there really be a killer out there, planning to commit a new murder each month? And is the Mary due to be killed on 1st April her?

The clock is ticking for Mary to uncover the truth, before she becomes the next victim on the killer’s list…


I'm not going to lie, it took me a while to finish this book. By reading the description I thought this book would be my cup of the but I didn't find it interesting enough until I was at 60% and then at 96%.
I think the plots twists were alright but I found the story a bit boring and expecting a bit more.

The Murder List is Jackie Kabler’s hair-raising and heart-stopping new thriller that will chill you to the bone.

When Mary receives a blank diary as a present, she thinks nothing of it. It is clearly somebody’s idea of a sick joke…or is it? When Mary opens the diary up she is stunned when she reads the contents. On the first day of the first four months of the year written in black and white are the names and locations of four people who will be murdered. Mary had thought somebody was playing a cruel trick on her -until she checks the date on her calendar and realises that a woman called Lisa was murdered in Oxford on New Year’s Day – just like it was listed in the diary she received!

With the diary stating that Mary is due to be killed in April, the pressure is on to find out who is behind this journal and to make sure that he doesn’t get to her. But who could possibly want to murder Mary? And what links her to the three other people also listed in the diary? Mary has no time to lose. She must uncover the identity of the dangerous killer on her trail before 1st April – or else!

With the killer closing in, can Mary save herself in time? Or is her fate already sealed?

Jackie Kabler’s The Murder List is a thriller that will keep you on your toes and on the edge of your seat as she takes you on a twisted, creepy and terrifying journey where nothing is what it initially seems. Jackie Kabler knows to amp up the tension, suspense and foreboding and your heart will be in your throat as she pulls the rug out from under you just when you think you’ve got it all figured out.

A superbly plotted and brilliantly written thriller you won’t forget in a hurry, The Murder List is another triumph for Jackie Kabler.

OH MY GOOD GOD what an AMAZING book this was! It was definitely a 5 star read and one that I will be recommending for months to come I’m sure.

From the start I thought the writing was impeccable, and this standard was upheld throughout the entire book, every word and sentence cleverly crafted and written to provide the reader with a truly excellent book. Every single feeling I had, paranoia, shock, terror, were all down to the incredible writing style that Kabler has.

And the atmosphere was just perfectly presented throughout the entire book. It was atmospheric and intriguing in equal measures, both of which compelling me to just keep reading for one more page, even long after I should have been asleep!

Character wise, I absolutely thought they were brilliant, whilst some of them weren’t as integral to the plot as others they were all afforded the same time and build up, it was hard to not feel attached to them. They balanced each other out perfectly and created just the right level of suspicion around them, never really knowing who was to blame until the last possible second…

And the plot, oh my lordy, it was amazing, in fact damn near perfect. The author had these different storylines interweaving with each other, creating an overarching story that just was MINDBLOWINGLY good. The twists and turns were off the chart, but also still incredibly believable. We were led on such a wild goose chase and I suspected everyone except who it actually was, so kudos to the author for that.

Which does lead me to the ending. The ending was just mind blowing, and whilst it isn’t necessarily a book I would read again, that was more so because a lot of the books appeals and value was the shock factor of the ending and knowing what was going to happen would spoil a reread.

On the whole, The Murder List was just a true JOY to read, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I will be recommending it for a long time!

Oo definitely a crazy thriller indeed.. the writing was outstanding but it did take me some time to get used to the characters. At times it seemed like the plot was all over the place. Still, it was a great suspenseful novel!

This was an enjoyable read and I liked how many twists that the writer added into the plot. However, I do think it lacked a bit of pace that I was expecting.

With a mysterious diary that seems to predict the murders of four apparent strangers, I was intrigued how Kabler would develop the storyline. Although names and locations are provided, the police still don’t have enough to feel they are in a position of preventing the crimes from taking place. What I enjoyed so much about this book was how readers follow the different police investigations that connect these random strangers: we are not stuck in one office but see how developments are occurring around the country.

I think this element made the story so strong because the plot doesn’t follow the potential victim, Mary, but the police procedure as well. I liked seeing the police gather over video calls to compare notes, admitting how clueless they feel about the Diary Killer’s clues. In my opinion, it added more variety to the story and showed how different work forces tackled the threats.

However, I think I was anticipating a plot that was more pacey and packed a punch. I felt that often the story was merely counting down calendar days until the beginning of the month, with just a lot of chat and suspicions in between. For instance, I found Mary’s interviews with relatives linked to the victims to be quite tedious and I felt this really slowed the pace considerably. Personally, I had a very strong suspicion about the perpetrator but was glad when Kabler proved me wrong… it just took a while to get there.

Even until the very end, the writer has a few more surprises to give and they were definitely unexpected. This added depth to the narrative and I liked how Kabler was able to manipulate the reader. Although I did predict some developments, I liked the curve balls that were thrown in too.

This was an enjoyable read with an unusual storyline. Even with some sparse information, the police are racing against time to prevent murders being committed. Mary was surprisingly level-headed as the 1st April, her “day” approached and I can honestly say I would have fled the country at the first opportunity! I think I might have to check any blank diaries I might receive as gifts from now on…

With thanks to One More Chapter, Harper Collins and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Murder List by Jackie Kabler had the reader hooked from the start with Mary receiving a diary for Christmas with the dates, names and locations in them with the first entry being " January 1 murder Lisa, Oxford." As she doesn't open the diary until a month after Christmas, she knows that this murder has already taken place...and her name is down for April 1st. This novel had a lot of plot twists and red herrings through out to keep you guessing and wondering who could be the one committing these murders. However, there were times that the dialogue seemed to clumsily drag on and events that did not seem necessary to plot that took away for the story and the gripping tale that was being told. I really enjoyed the idea of the novel and would be interested in reading other by her.

A great read
A book that keeps you hooked from the first page to the last
Will definitely read more by this author
Thanks NetGalley

Brilliantly tense read! Cleverly written and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. What would you do if you discovered your name on a murder list? Mary is in that exact situation. This is a race against the clock read that kept my heart pounding throughout! Can't wait to read more by this author.

Fast paced and a twisty ride.

The book is for the most part narrated by Mary Ellis - receiver of the Murder List. I really liked the voice she had, so easy going and relatable, she could be anyone you know. So when she discovers her name is potentially on a list of planned murders it hits home and feels so real.

The author was clever in making me think everyone was possibly the murderer, and I ran ahead in my mind with all sorts of theories. When one of my theories proved right I thought I had this plot all sewn up, but of course I didn't. A few twists I didn't see coming made me turn pages faster and faster.

It's a really original concept. A Murder List giving the police the date of who is going to be murdered and where - but it's not quite that straightforward, especially with the name David in Cardiff! From the zoom meetings to the stake outs it was gripping stuff wondering if the police would figure it all out before the 1st April.