Petra is no stranger to job redundancies in her journalism career, having faced the unsettling prospect more times than she'd care to remember. Unfortunately, it seems like history is about to repeat itself once again. That is until she takes a bold gamble, pitching a somewhat dubious lead to her boss, who surprisingly grants her a mere two weeks to turn it into a viable story. Now, all she needs is the critical information to back her claim.

Petra has spun a tale to her boss, claiming to have a major breakthrough in the murder case of the renowned YouTuber, Olivia Anderson. The truth is, she's bluffing. The next two weeks kick off a frantic scramble for clues and interviews that will make or break Petra's career.

While I can't say I genuinely liked Petra, her tenacity and unwavering determination left a deep impression on me. I couldn't help but sympathize with her as she navigated the challenging world of journalism, struggling to carve out her place despite her undeniable talent. The story's pacing and structure are flawlessly executed, and the writing itself is impeccable. It masterfully weaves through real-life issues and the complexities of our current times. I thoroughly appreciated the exploration of journalistic integrity and the moral dilemmas faced by truth-seekers in their relentless quest for answers. The story strikingly emphasizes the fine line these investigators tread, raising thought-provoking questions about the risks they're willing to take and those they should avoid.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Finally, my first time reading Matt Witten! I actually met him at an author event at @onceuponacrimebooks in Minneapolis for his novel The Necklace, and I was excited to read Killer Story since he talked a bit about the idea of it when I was there. It's always interesting to read something inspired by an author's life and experiences, and the author's note at the end of the book is certainly a must-read. While I can't say I actually liked Petra, I couldn't help but admire her tenacity and feel for her when it came to how many jobs she had lost in journalism and her struggle to make it in that world despite her talent. She did drive me crazy at times, but Natalie was even worse, and I was just WAITING for her to stand up to that girl. The only POV in this story is Petra's and I wouldn't have minded a police officer's POV as well.

I thought the audiobook was really enjoyable for Killer Story, and Harley Jane Kozak did a great job. Her voice is exactly what I would have expected for Petra, and her narration in general was just fantastic. I think she helped me connect to the characters a bit more than if I had simply read the book which is definitely saying something. I loved the podcast element of the book and while the audio unfortunately doesn't do anything to highlight that it was still a fun aspect. I had my suspicions about who the killer would be, but Witten managed to surprise me in other ways and the end was not what I was expecting at all. Overall, this was a solid 4-star read for me, and I can't wait to go back and read The Necklace!

((I wrote this review before reading the author's note. It is extremely troubling that the author based this character on themselves and sees nothing wrong with this behaviour.))

Everything that's wrong with true crime and true crime podcasts.

The female lead is the epitome of why journalists are hated so much. She excitedly exploits the murder of her young friend for her own gain, while betraying and trampling over the lives she's ruined in the process.

*Unlikable female lead (I actually hated her. She is an actual idiot.)
*Everyone's a suspect (to the lead anyway)
*This person and that person, oh and that person, might be the killer.. got very old and tiring by the 60% mark 🥱
*Very unrealistic and messy ending

A fantastic example of how untrained and undisciplined galavanting around can be so detrimental to an investigation.

If you find yourself addicted to true crime and true crime podcasts and social media posts like me, you’ll love this book as much as I did.

The protagonist is flawed (and sometimes very frustrating) but lovable and relatable, especially in this economy. The story is engaging and had me gripped. The author deals with the struggle of journalistic ethics vs click bait pressures very well and his writing kept me guessing til the very end.

Worth checking out if mystery/thriller is your book genre of choice.

I have a confession to make…

I wasn’t a huge fan of this cover. It was dark and didn’t reveal much. However, I loved the description and have always gravitated toward books that have podcast flair and college thrillers. Well, this book has both.

I was incredibly hopeful yet had my reservations even before I opened the book (I’m such a snob!!)

Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong! This book delivers! Matt Witten, did an incredible job captivating my attention and putting me on a ride of a lifetime. The storyline was executed with perfection. The characters were well developed and the twist was mindblowing!

Lesson learned, don’t judge a book by the cover. I would have missed out on a fantastic book!

Teaser:

How far will she go to catch the killer—and make her podcast a hit?

Talented and idealistic young reporter Petra Kovach is on the brink of being laid off from her third failing newspaper in a row. To save her job, she pitches the launch of a true crime podcast about a sensational, unsolved murder.

Years earlier, an alt-right YouTuber was killed in her Harvard dorm room, and the case went cold. Petra knew the victim—she was once her camp counselor and loved her like a little sister, despite their political differences.

Petra's investigation gets off to a rocky start, as her promising leads quickly shrivel up. In her passionate quest for justice—and clicks—Petra burns sources and breaks laws, ultimately putting her own life on the line. Even as her star rises, she worries it could all come crashing down at any moment if her actions are exposed.

When her machinations start to backfire, there's only one way to fix everything and solve the murder—even though it may cost her everything she loves.

So many horrible people, not sure who the biggest villain is. Really interesting to see how a person with good intentions can so easily be lead down a rabbit hole to abandon her morals. Fast read

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this.

This is a book that I enjoyed, but I hated the character Petra. Petra is about to be laid off from her journalist job (again) when in a panic, she tells her boss that she has a lead on the famous murder case of eighteen-year-old Youtuber, Oliva Anderson, who Petra once knew. In reality, she doesn't have any new information but is willing to do anything to save her job, even if it means ruining the lives of others in the process.

While Petra genuinely is wanting to solve Olivia's murder, in the process she does many vile things in her search, going as far as ruining the lives of those she finds. Her moral compass is basically non-existent, and with every person she interviews and ultimately finds some fault with them, fantasises about them being the murderer, without any full proof. It is because of this, I did not like her at all.

In Witten's author's note, one sentence basically summarises what I felt about this book overall regarding the content: "In this ultra-competitive era, getting clicks and flowers can be more important than getting the truth".

This is what I mean when I say I want a podcast thriller. I liked how this book talked about true crime podcasts and the ethics involved in being a journalist, but at the same time you could tell that Petra just really wanted to know the killer of her childhood, turned now influencer, friend. At times I could find Petra annoying and I wasn't entirely sure why she made some of the decisions she did but I had a great time!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Dear Killer Story,
I think my biggest problem with you is the fact that Petra was written by a man. She acted in so many ways that felt counter-intuitive to how a woman would act. She ran out on her fiance the night he proposed, she compromised her principals and morals time and time again, and I found her behavior unrealistic. You were an interesting story, but I just could not buy into Petra and her choices. I genuinely think you would have been a completely different (and better) book if the protagonist was a man. Petra acted in so many ways that a man would act; it felt like her gender was just slapped on top of what the author wanted her to do. It is a harsh criticism, but you were the first book in a long time that I thought about not finishing.

This was a fun one! It took me a bit to get into but I ended up enjoying the story, characters, and it had some great twists in it! Will recommend to others!

Holy CRAP! Author Matt Witten has knocked it so far out of the park YET AGAIN! I first became HOOKED on his writing after previewing a copy of his book “The Necklace”. Needless to say he pulled out all the stops on this one as well! Every single step of the way I thought I had solved the crime and to my surprise each and every time I was wrong!

This book kept me guessing and kept me up into the WEE hours of the night telling myself “just one more chapter!”

Journalist Petra Kovach has been fired from every newspaper she’s ever worked at. Just when she’s feeling comfortable and in her groove she finds out that she’s on the chopping block once again! Thanks to some quick wit and blind courage on Petra’s part, she manages to save her job and in return promises to deliver a Hit Podcast to her editor on the “Murder of the Century”. Emboldened by her ability to think on her feet and save her job, for now, she charges forward to solve the murder of her childhood best friend, can she do it? RUN, do NOT walk to get your copy and find out!

Hats off to author Matt Witten on yet another ENTHRALLING and CAPTIVATING Thriller!

This was such a hard book for me to try and love. Much less like in any sense of the word. I cannot stand a mc who completely disregards other people's lives because they need to get ahead. Ruining lives and stepping on the smaller people is never a way to get what you want. And this is the main premise in this book. Instead of actually working to find the truth she just runs with anything sensational enough to get her clicks. Just like someone else within the story, but different context.

I was absolutely disgusted through most of the book and I just couldn't keep going any longer.

2.5 rounded up to 3 for the readability factor.

This character right here, Petra Kovach is garbage. If the author intended her to be such, he nailed it. Nothing about her had any redeeming value and while I get you need to get a story, I mean, c’mon. She was willing to forego any little bit of integrity so she didn’t get fired again and the whole reasoning behind her deep need to know who did it, a tenuous connection to a kid she knew once, was lame. Early in the book I hated Natalie, still do, but I ended up hating Petra way more. And the actual killer? Another get real. The whole thing was just so out there and OTT. This was a dud for me for these reasons and the authors note at the end didn’t help me better understand anything.

A huge thank you to Net Galley and Ocean View Publications for the opportunity to review this novel. I was drawn to the synopsis of the book. The spin on social media news and views and the popularity of podcasts and youtube I find to be a new trend in psychological thrillers which I enjoy reading about.

In this story, Petra is a journalist on a string on back luck. She has been laid off from two journalist jobs and in an attempt to avoid being laid off her third job, pitches a story to solve the murder of a right-wing youtube activist, Olivia Anderson. Petra has a connection with Oliva as she was her camp counsellor. They were very close when she was younger and her killer was never found.

As Petra jumps in to solve the case, I can best describe the events which transpire as a train wreck. The book was fast paced but I was honestly cringing at all the horrible decisions Petra made through her investigation. Do all investigative journalists have little remorse for potentially ruining peoples lives? * shudder *

This book took me a while to get through because for some reason my advanced copy was jumbled. For example, the small letter "v" would not show up in the print and anything with a text was unreadable. However, I finally decided to get it finished. I did like the story despite it elevating my heartrate from the stress of decisions I certainly would never make.

The ending had a great twist, I knew something big was coming and was not disappointed. I would rate this 3.5 stars but rounding up to 4 stars for rating stars.

How far will she go to catch the killer—and make her podcast a hit?

Talented and idealistic young reporter Petra Kovach is on the brink of being laid off from her third failing newspaper in a row. To save her job, she pitches the launch of a true crime podcast about a sensational, unsolved murder.

Who doesn't love a good crime story that keeps you guessing?
Such a captivating story and a page-turner!

I found the MC Petra unlikable, i was gritting my teeth throughout the story. I just couldnt stand her especially with her methods, haste decisions and accusations without given a toss about its repercussion... her "the end justifies the means attitude was appalling as well as unrealistic in a media field"

At the end... Petra burns sources and breaks laws, ultimately putting her own life on the line.

As much as I couldn't stand her, i enjoyed the time I spent following her through to catch the killer I didn't expect.
This could have been an easy 5⭐ for me but I didn't really like any of the characters as much as I liked the story.

Indeed Killer Story is perfect for fans of Karin Slaughter and Harlan Coben.

I Recommend this!

Thank You NetGalley & Oceanview Publishing for this ARC.

A journalist and Podcaster who investigates a cold case, this was a great read and was super engaging

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

Petra Kovach. 1st generation immigrant whose parents came over from somewhere in eastern Europe. They settled in eastern LA. Here grandfather was killed accidentally in a drive-by shooting when she was young. At around 8yo, she managed to the case reopened with an impassioned plea in a letter to the editor of the LA Times. While getting the case reopened, the killer was never identified. At this tender age, she decided that journalism would be her future.

As a teenager, she was a camp counselor and developed a close friendship with Olivia Johnson (Livvy) that they maintained after that summer. One connection is that both lost important people in their lives. Petra's grandfather and Livvy's mother. Petra goes on to UCLA and starts her career in print journalism. Livvy eventually enrolls at Harvard where she is a oddball. An unapologetic conservative amongst the liberal majority that inhabits Harvard. Livvy's stepfather works in the Swedish consulate in Boston and has an older brother, Eric, also in Boston area. As a freshman, Livvy dates the star football player, has a fling with a professor, and ends up being the victim of a vicious attack in her dorm room. The prof is arrested, tried and found not guilty. He's dumped by Harvard and the public hasn't forgotten about the killer professor. This happens 2yrs prior to the opening of the book.

Petra's career path has been bumpy, but she hasn't forgotten about Livvy and is desperate to track down the killer. Petra's been fired from two middling newspapers and she is trying it again at a second tier paper in Boston. And that ain't going well either. As the book opens, Petra's job appears to the on cutting board due to budget cuts. But Petra uses Livvy's story as a means to extend her stay with the paper and her editor agrees to let her put her efforts into the case. Petra suggests a podcast to accompany her newspaper reporting.

And here's where things get interesting. She has a competitor at the paper, Natalie, whom she despises. Her boyfriend (a tech startup whiz) who is sort of her moral compass. In the process of her 'pursuit of justice' she manages to . . . to reveal any or everything she does, or pisses off, or is entirely illegal would spoil the story. Let's just say that journalistic ethics takes a back seat to the pursuit of (aka: obsession with) this cold case by opening doors that needn't have been even touched and damaging the lives of anyone in her way. All in the name of getting content out on her podcast. The popularity of the podcast explodes from being a local story all the way to CNN.

I have to say that there were multiple times that I said to myself, "Good Lord. Just quit. Move on to the next book." Because I didn't like Petra. She's conniving, manipulative, cloying, annoying and obsessed with the case and the sudden popularity of her podcast; damn anyone who gets in her way. But I stuck it out against my better wishes. Yeah, we find out who actually killed Livvy. That's always important in any attempt at reviving a cold case, but that's almost secondary. More importantly, we find out the consequences of Petra's actions to herself and to the people she stepped on all in pursuit of the almighty click count.

After finishing the book, I thought my review wouldn't be all that favorable. Then I started thinking that maybe that was the author's point. To present a main character so utterly devoid of ethics that the reader has no choice but to despise her. If that was the point, then Whitten was successful. As I was reading, I started wondering if Whitten was setting us up for a new character series to which I would've said, 'Nope. No chance of reading a Petra Kovach #2.' Once finished, I realized #2 isn't gonna happen.

I hope.

I like to check up on the author. Whitten is a TV writer for such shows as House, Law & Order, CSI: Miami, JAG, The Glades, Homicide, Judging Amy, and more. His works have been nominated for Emmy and Edgar awards. One of his past books (The Necklace) is in production by Hollywood. The guy can write and weave a compelling story. Methinks getting us to despise Petra was his intent right from the start.

Thanks to Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing for making an advance copy available. Regular readers will know that I'm an unapologetic supporter of the Oceanview Publishing. While reading the book, I was thinking that this might be the first hiccup for Oceanview. But the further I get from the book, the most I think that the author was skillfully playing with us with his portrayal of Petra. Even so, I still don't like Petra Kovach.

Several years before Petra is about to be laid off from her job as a reporter, a You Tuber was killed in her dorm room and the killer was never caught. Petra was friends with the victim and she decides to investigate the cold case. You will find yourself wondering how far she will go to find the truth as you read this storyline. You won’t put this one down until you finish reading it! I would recommend the book and the author.

A deeply immersive murder mystery. I was pulled in from the get go. When protagonist Petra is about to be laid off from her journalist position, yet again, she panics and tells her boss that she has a lead on one of the most famous murder cases of the past few years, that of eighteen year old youtuber Olivia. Of course, she doesn't really have any new information on the case, but she is willing to do anything, and I do mean anything, to save her job. How far will she really go to find the truth? Do the ends justify the means? Pick up Killer Story and find out.
As other reviews mention, Petra is quite the unlikable protagonist. She does pretty vile things in her search for the truth (and more podcast downloads). At the start, it's easy to connect with her. She's idealistic and really does want to find justice for Olivia. However she quickly steps over the line and into very predatory journalistic practices. But... you don't have to love the main character to love a story, and this mystery was deep and compelling. I devoured this novel and am curious to see what else the author has to offer.

After reading The Necklace I really expected big things from this story. I was just a little let down. But only a little.
I didn't really like the main character at all. She came across as a self-centered egotistical, out only for herself, person. I could say more but refrain. While I didn't like her I did understand a bit why she was the way she was. Though I believe she could have been a nicer person. Maybe.

Her friend was murdered and Petra does not believe that her murder has been solved. She sets out to find the real killer. Or to at least help solve this crime. Justice for her friend. Some of the things that Petra does are a bit questionable but I did understand. Her back story is very interesting also. She's going to keep you on the edge with some of the things she does. Very good. Very very good.

I really enjoyed this story. I always enjoy one that keeps me on the edge.

Thank you #NetGalley, #MattWitten, #OceanviewPublishing for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

4.75 stars. I do recommend it. It's very good.