Killer Story definitely kept me reading, from one train wreck decision made by Petra to the next and the next and the next. Witten does not hold back. At first I found Petra a likeable, sympathetic character, but the more I read the more I disliked every single person in the book except for Petra's boyfriend Jonah - who mainly shows up to express disapproval at Petra's latest scheme to keep her job. As despicable as all the people in this book are it was still a fun read, and though I'm sure it's an exaggerated view of how the media can twist things to suit their narratives it is a great reminder to take things you read in the news with a grain of salt. Read this if you are looking for a snarky take on true crime podcasting.

Petra has always dreamed of being a journalist, but is having difficulty finding steady work. When her job hunt finds her on the verge of a layoff in Boston, she makes a last ditch effort to her boss to start a podcast involving a murder of someone she met years ago. Even though she’s convinced the police got the wrong guy, she must now bring to light new suspects in a whirlwind goose chase. As she uncovers secrets and lies she must decide what’s true, what’s not, and who she has to hurt in the process in order to get the truth. And she hopes the truth will truly set her free.

Killer Story by Matt Witten is a highly recommended mystery about a journalist searching for the truth behind a murder.

Petra Kovach, is a young reporter who has been laid off several times and is about to be let go again when she pitches a story to her editor. She claims to have sensational inside undisclosed information about the murder of Olivia (Livvy) Anderson. Petra was a counselor at a journalism camp Olivia attended when she was 14 and the two kept in touch. Olivia became a successful podcaster while at Harvard and was killed. The professor tried for the crime was acquitted, so the real killer was never found. When Petra ran into Olivia's brother, Eric, one night he intimated that he had knowledge that the police didn't know.

Although Petra didn't have any new information, she claims she does in order to keep her job. Her bravado over the claim of new material concerning the unsolved murder is now to be a series presented as both a podcast and in print. She desperately searches for new clues and ends up betraying confidences and her integrity. This lack of principles is rampant among the journalists. Is Petra really looking for justice for Olivia or is she more interested in advancing her career?

It is clear that Petra so desperately wants to succeed as a journalist that she will quickly set aside any professional ethics. It may present itself as a story about searching for justice, but it is really a story about how low Petra will go to get the next sensational story. This is what makes the story compelling, but it isn't really shocking. Despite journalist claiming they have standards, it is obvious that many would do the same thing Petra did, set principles and legalities aside to get a sensational story out that will result in more clicks, views, and downloads.

Due to her actions, Petra is an unlikable, flawed character. As the narrative unfolds, Petra actions reflect her mindset. She becomes more concerned with each sensational new revelation and the clicks it will get as she increasingly sets aside ethics while framing it all as "justice for Olivia" rather than the more truthful "career for Petra."

The twists and the direction of the investigation aren't surprising. What kept me immersed in the story was following Petra's increasingly competitive and the-ends-justify-the-means attitude. I kept wondering just how low she would go before she realized what she was doing, and how the ethics of all the journalists seemed to be tossed out the window for the clicks. And then, yeah, solving the murder mystery and learning who really killed Olivia.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Oceanview Publishing via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, Edelweiss, and Amazon.

Petra Kovach thinks she's about to be commended when she's called into her editor's office and will be able to pitch the story she's been waiting for two years to suggest, when she's told she's about to be laid off yet again due to budget cuts. In desperation, she claims to have a new lead in the case of the "Murder of the Century," in which a young college student was killed in her dorm room. The student happened to be a controversial YouTuber and like a little sister to Petra. With only a couple weeks to prove her worth in the form of a podcast, Petra must now get people to talk to her and come up with something new, no matter what it takes.

I really enjoyed "The Necklace," so when I saw Matt Witten had a new book coming, I lunged at the chance to review it and I'm so glad I did!

I finished this book in a day. A day. I was just that sucked in. Which is unusual for me in journalist-lead stories because, as a journalist, I tend to find them unrealistic and tedious. I just don't relate. But this one? It was fun! Sure, Petra broke about every major ethical rule in journalism, but the need to find something, anything to jazz up yet another zoning meeting? Nailed it. The hunger to get something, anything by trawling message boards, Facebook, Twitter? Been there. The thrill of finding that one lead you need? I could feel it through the pages! Of course I did cringe when she did certain things, but that was kind of the point - to feel the highs and lows, the desperation and the cringe.

Be warned, you're not going to love Petra, but I think there's an important character study in trauma and the cycle of needing to prove yourself that could be done here. You'll see what I mean when you read about Petra's own backstory and her connection to the case.

And of course, there were plenty of amazing twists and turns that just kept me glued to the story. I almost couldn't believe that ending! I won't say anything else, but yeah. It's the payoff is great; Just like a good longform piece of podcast should have!

Overall, I highly recommend picking this one up if you're looking for a good story with plenty of action and some killer twists.

Writing this review really sums up everything that's hardest about being a book reviewer. (And no, I'm not talking about my 5-month-old puppy who thinks I should be playing with her rather than sat down at the laptop.)

It's so much easier when you're writing a review of, say, a car. Or perhaps a large hotel that's part of a chain. Because there's no personal connection. You won't end up talking to the manufacturers, or owners, and they won't talk to you. And that's fine, because it means you can offer your opinion - even if your opinion is "that was terrible" - without any feeling of guilt.

But with books, it's not like that. Even if the author is someone I have never heard of, I know that the book is the work of a single person who has devoted months, and sometimes years to the writing. I know that their livelihood often depends on sales, which reviews - yes, even mine - might influence. And if my review is negative, it tends to be written with a sense of 'imposter syndrome' because I know full well that I couldn't write a book. So who am I to criticise those that can, and have done?

Worst of all, though, is when you've loved a book so much that you want to find out more about the author. Perhaps you'll contact them - and with social media, that's very easy to do. Better still, the author might actually read your review and actually contact you - yes, little, insignificant you - to acknowledge it. It may even be that a friendship develops.

And that's wonderful. But what if they then write another book, and you don't like it as much?

Obviously, as a reviewer, I know I should be objective and impartial, and say just that. But emotionally, how can I? It's like telling my friend that their baby is ugly. In front of an audience.

As you may have realised, I'm procrastinating. But I can put it off no longer. This problem is exemplified, more for me than ever before, in the case of 'Killer Story' by Matt Witten.

I loved his previous novel, 'The Necklace' so much that I cursed my own limitations as a relatively newly-established reviewer. Because not only did I want to put the author on a pedastal, I wanted to climb onto it with him and tell the whole world how much they should read it. So when the author messaged me - me! - to gift me a copy of his next book, it felt, as I said at the time, as though my day, my week and even my year had been made.

So I started the book with a huge sense of excitement and anticipation. Which probably has something to do with why, upon reaching the end, I actually felt a bit gutted. Not because 'Killer Story' is a bad book - I hasten to say that this isn't the case. But because it really didn't work for me in the same way that 'The Necklace' did.

'Killer Story' tells the story of Petra Kovach, a young journalist who is fighting for her career in what is a declining industry. Recently, the man on trial for the murder of a far-right 'YouTube' influencer has been found not guilty by a jury. Petra used to share a room with the victim and loved her like a sister, despite their political differences. So what better way to save your career than to embark on an investigation to find the real killer, and to document any new revelations in a series of articles and podcasts?

But the trouble is that in 'The Necklace', the crime stays at the forefront throughout and every single one of the main character's actions is driven by a mother's love for her child and her desperate need to find closure. In 'Killer Story', it doesn't. It becomes all about Petra, her infighting with a colleague at the newspaper, her increasingly underhand and ruthless methods to find the truth - actually no, not the truth, just something that will pass for it - and a resulting whole host of broken promises, and consequences that range from unpleasant to tragic.

Of course, I wanted to keep on reading the book until the finish. The writing is too strong for anything else to be possible. But by the end, I had come to despise Petra so much that I didn't particularly care, or even want to know what the outcome would be for her.

I can see how 'Killer Story' would be a good read for a book club. It even includes a series of questions that could be used as discussion points. And I appreciated the author's note at the end of the book, which gives an explanation for why, and how, he wrote it. But I still can't help but compare it to 'The Necklace', in which none of this is necessary, because the book works so wonderfully that none of these points even need to be discussed.

Look at it this way. If Rolls Royce were to launch a motorbike, motoring journalists and drivers alike would have a lot to discuss. Perhaps it could be argued, with some justification, that their attempt to do something different should be applauded. But ultimately, it wouldn't be a patch on the exclusive and luxury car that so many of those same people quietly dream of owning one day.

To sum up, then. 'Killer Story' isn't bad. But if you haven't read 'The Necklace', then read it. If you have read 'The Necklace', remember it. And, whilst I'm sure that this isn't the review that the author was hoping for, I hope he appreciates that, unlike his character Petra, everything I've written has been honest and without any wish for personal gain.

Petra Kovach is about to be laid off from her third newspaper. In a last-ditch effort to save her job, she pitches her boss the idea of a true crime podcast. Not just any crime - but to solve the murder of a young girl she used to know. Petra jumps in full speed ahead. But as her leads begin to dry up, she burns some bridges in attempts to find more information. With only a few weeks to crack the case, Petra will stop at nothing - including breaking the law and putting her own life at risk.

Whew. I felt like I had a lot to digest after finishing this story. Although Petra’s heart was in the right place, she did some questionable things to say the least. At what point does one stop saying “the ends justify the means”? I can’t remember the last book I read with such a morally gray main character. On one hand, she made me so angry but on the other, I was rooting for her to get to the truth. And the final twist really got me good! I also loved the journalist point of view - I could never do that life but greatly am amazed by those who do! All in a all, this was a fun, thought-provoking and twisty read. It was the first I read by Matt Witten but I look forward to checking out more of his work! Thank you to Netgalley, Oceanview Publishing and Matt Witten for the ARC. “Killer Story” releases January 17th!

This review will be shared to my Instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly 😊

A highly original and exciting read!

What an aptly named book this is! If there is one person who can write a Killer Story, then it’s Matt! After loving his previous book – The Necklace, I couldn’t wait to dive into this one, and I was not disappointed!

We follow Petra in this story as she tries to make it as a successful reporter after being repeatedly fired from her previous jobs. Sensing that history is about to repeat itself in her current job, Petra pleads with her boss to give her a chance and let her launch a true crime podcast. She’ll need a killer story for it to be a success. Well, isn’t that lucky that she has one!

A few years ago, Petra’s close friend Livvy was murdered in her dorm room. Everyone thought it was the professor boyfriend even when he was exonerated, but what if it wasn’t?

As Petra inserts herself into Livvy’s world, she begins to open can after can of worms, creating multiple suspects along the way. The girls got ambition, and it seems at times that she doesn’t care who she squashes on her journey to making the podcast a success, but there is more to it than that! Petra genuinely wants justice for Livvy and whilst a lot of what she says and does is rather unorthodox she feels in her heart of hearts that she is doing the right thing!

As characters go, I can see that Petra might be a bit of a marmite one! You’ll either love her or hate her. Whilst I didn’t like a lot of the things she did, I did really like her! Just like Susan in The Necklace, Matt has created another main character that takes you on a journey and with some great twists and turns along the way this story is a real page-turner.

Matt is a hugely talented writer, who writes authentically. Whilst I know there are a few books around that feature podcasts, I found this one very different and unique. I had no idea who the killer was as I changed my mind multiple times throughout the book. It is a great who dunnit mystery and I was shocked and surprised by the outcome.

There were probably a couple of ways this book could have ended, and I think Matt chose the perfect one. I’d say there’s even a lesson to be learned in this book if you are as ambitious as Petra was!

Shocking, intense and full of suspense! Be sure to check out Killer Story which will be published on January 17th.

Thank you so much to Matt Witten and Oceanview Publishing for my copy of this book in exchange for an open and review.

Are you into crime podcasts, in particular true crime podcasts? This lures you into this world, in a fictional way of course, but where there’s fiction, there’s often an element of realism too… This book is sure to excite fans of crime fiction and podcasts and You Tube alike.
It is a hard-hitting, riveting novel at the height of true crime podcasts. 

She was a normal teenage girl who liked Taylor Swift and bootcamps… and then, this girl, Olivia or Livvy for short, is murdered and 2 years later, her killer is still at large. Killer Story is chilling to the bone and a look into the modern times we live in. Witten gives readers a glimpse into social media, especially YouTube and how seemingly little innocent videos, some about life in general, some about political views can turn into the end of your life.

Petra Kovach has much more than a passing interest in this unsolved murder case. Readers see her embark on her own investigation and she takes it seriously, pouring over the evidence, the life threads she’s left behind, the past suspects. It is of course much more complicated that this. Her stepdad was involved in politics and the circles surrounding them, the people targeting Olivia weren’t for putting political differences aside as Petra was. It’s deeply dark and twisty with what gets uncovered about Olivia’s life as she pours over YouTube videos she made. Petra finds herself in rather deep water as the book becomes increasingly tense as she starts to act on her hunches.
She also has her personal issues left with her from losing jobs and almost being fired  from her current one. Then along comes an opportunity to do a podcast. This provides an interesting look into the collision of the world of journalism and podcasts.
It is also the job of Detective O’Keefe to hear Petra out about what she thinks happened. This doesn’t stop Petra from investigating further. There are many twists and turns in not just what is uncovered with the murder, but also about podcasts and her own desire to do anything she can, no matter what the cost and whose feet she treads on or what she discloses in her podcast. 

It’s a riveting read from start to finish in a tightly written story, making it very tense as it delves into some of the most modern forms of media. It is, at times enlightening as well as gripping and a book I highly recommend.
Rated 4.5/5 stars on my blog - Bookmarks and Stages

Killer Story introduces us to Petra Kovach, an idealistic journalist. She finds herself drawn to her mentee, another young and idealistic aspiring journalist, Livvy. Years after meeting Livvy, Petra finds out that she's killed in her dorm room, and Petra feels like Livvy wasn't given the justice that she deserves. In her desperation not to be fired again, Petra pitches to turn Livvy's story into a podcast, convincing her boss that she thinks there's a different killer than who the police caught. What ensues is a problematic and chaotic journey for listens, clicks, money, and justice.

Honestly, this book drew me in because of its blurb. I think stories centered on a podcast are interesting, and so I dove into this book expecting so much, but although there was a lot of shock factor (because of all the controversial topics), it just wasn't it. Actually, so many of the controversial topics seemed like it was inserted just for the shock value. Okay, no problem with that.

There were so many unnecessary things happening. And although I don't usually shy away from problematic books, I didn't appreciate how Petra doing unlawful and immoral things made her some kind of hero. I'm giving this 2 stars instead of 1 because I liked that it ended up with her in jail. But I don't like that she seemed to still be put on a pedestal.

And what really was the point of this book? Was it really that if you care truly about someone, you're willing to go through everything? Or was it that people care more about clicks and likes these days? Or was it that journalists are filled with lies? Is that really the message that we want to go through with? It's fine, though. I think there's so much to think about with this book, but it was a really stressful ride that I was always wishing would just end.

I would recommend this, still, especially to people who enjoy reading books that have good twists!

Wow. Petra may be one of the most unlikable protagonists I've ever read. And I normally like unlikable protagonists! But it became next to impossible to root for Petra and her crew to solve the mystery when what I really wanted was for her to fail.

This is my first Matt Witten book and a huge thanks to the publisher for my complimentary copy and all opinions expressed are entirely my own..

Killer Story is an ode of sorts to podcast lovers and true crime junkies. In the book we follow Petra an ambitious journalist who is about to get laid off another job so decides to pitch a true crime story in the form of a podcast. The unsolved murder is that of a Youtuber sensation who was killed in her dorm room. This story is personal as the Youtuber is someone Petra knows. Petra makes unquestionable choices and unethical decisions. Overall it is a good read for true crime junkies.

Petra Kovach''s life is..... precarious. Her relationship is struggling thanks to the constant moving required to try to keep her budding journalism career alive, so now, as she is about to be laid off again., she makes one last ditch effort to turn things around with a cutting-edge post cast.

I really enjoyed this one! It' s a quick read murder mystery with an interesting narrator and a whole cast of potential suspects. I really liked Petra's evolution (devolution?) as the story went on and she became more and more desperate to get to the bottom of the case and save her career and her life. About 3/4 of the way through it did border on Scooby Doo style with too many red herrings (I know she's an amateur but how many times can you get it so completely wrong?) but the writer kept it in check and the end wrapped it up in a surprising way.

Highly recommended for fans of quick reads or murder mysteries, but especially for those who love the true crime/podcast vibe!

First off I want to thank @netgalley, @oceanviewpublishing & @mattwilten for my free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was really interested in the storyline, I actually read almost until 50% but I just couldn't anymore. I was getting annoyed with the lead female character Petra and it was very unbelievable for some parts.

The writing was actually good and I feel this author really has potential. I guess this one just wasn't for me. I wasn't as invested in it as I would've liked to be.

As a camp counselor, Petra Kovach mentored young Livvy and treated her like a sister. Petra went on to become a print journalist while Livvy attended Harvard, started an alt right YouTube program and was murdered in her dormitory. Although someone was arrested for the crime, he was acquitted. In the troubled days of the newspaper business, Petra lost two jobs. Her next job offer finds her in the same city where Livvy was killed. About to lose this job, she makes a last ditch effort to save it by pitching a story about finally solving Livvy’s murder as well as hosting a podcast about it. As her career becomes more and more threatened, Petra becomes desperate to succeed. How far will she go, who will she hurt and is she willing to sacrifice her own personal happiness?

True crime podcasts have become a popular device in mysteries/thrillers. This story is riveting and raises many ethical issues as well as what people will do or say for clickbait. I found some of the characters not only unlikable, but difficult to believe. Whenever there was a minor clue or mention of another suspect, Petra jumped right on it and felt that she had solved the crime. Could she really be that naive to be so easily convinced? I also found it appalling that the editor of a supposed respectable paper would act as though it was a tabloid. As annoyed as I was with the characters, the story totally drew me in and I didn’t want to put it down.

Petra has always dreamed of being a journalist. Now she has her chance as she investigates the murder of an old friend. As she gets deeper in the investigation, she may need to break some ethics to get the killer story.

I finished this one in a few hours. I couldn’t put it down and basically devoured it. I saw so many reviews about how they hated the main character. I actually liked her and felt for her. She definitely had some poor decision making and hurt others, but I understood her drive to get ahead. I loved the ending and how it all turned out. This was a clever and insanely fast paced read!

“I had no idea that one day I would do everything I could to solve your murder, and it would make me just as famous - and infamous - as you were.”

Killer Story comes out 1/17.

With a lot of podcast type books hitting the shelves lately I think it becomes harder to fully capture the depth of the storyline. I really liked a few other similar type books and appreciated the investigative side it must take to tell the story to its full potential. I loved the prologue of this book. It really pulled me in as it was unusually long and I actually had a sense of what the story was about before it even started. The rest of the book dragged a bit and with the MC's hard to love personality it was hard for me to connect with her..

I did like the ending as it had a very unique twist and gave closure to all the unanswered questions.

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

I went in with very little expectation for the main character, even bracing myself for waves of frustrations and annoyance at her after reading the reviews here.

I was wrong.

I think she officially marks the bench for the most annoying main character ever. I’ve never read anything that made me go into burst of anger constantly.

Storyline: Separating the main character with the story, I loved it. The mystery, the crime, the finding-out, the bloody plot twist, which, smacked me right in my face when I least expected it. I thought the ending was going to be about Petra celebrating, but no. Thankfully it’s a no, cause I’m pretty sure I cannot stand the sight of Petra celebrating anything after all the shit she has put people through.

Though, I would love to also see whether Natalie got into trouble for her own share of investigation.

Character: God, Petra. She’s so morally gray, ethically gray, and everything something-ally grey. Like she’s a bad human being kind of grey. Throughout the book I was rooting for Jonah to leave her, like I needed her to be hurt. Her rationale for doing what she did was “solving the murder for Livvy” and “the truth will set you free”. Yes, she did that, but god, let’s not pretend that saving her career takes so much of that portion and solving the murder “for Livvy’s sake” is at the bottom of her list of reasons.

Overall, I think it’s a beautifully written piece; it’s well-written, the plot flows smoothly, the plot twist was definitely unexpected and it piqued curiosity enough to leave me wanting to get to the bottom of the case. The author captured us at every development because anyone could be the murder. But the character? No, thank you.

There's a lot of potential but I didn't care for Petra and the story didn't keep my attention.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

When she was a journalist student Petra Kovach mentored Olivia, a fourteen year old girl at journalist camp. They became friends and Petra kept in touch with her over the years until Olivia went to college herself. There she shocked Petra by making videos espousing alt-right views until she was found murdered in her college room. The murder of a popular blogger caused a sensation and although a suspect was charged, he found not guilty at trial, despite police being sure they had the right man.

Several years later, Petra is facing losing her fifth job as a newspaper journalist due to company down-sizing when she asks her boss if she can have two weeks to make a podcast about Olive’s death and take another look at potential suspects.

It’s not easy to care whether Petra makes a success of the podcast or keeps her job as she is so desperate on making her name with the podcast that she throws journalistic ethics to the wind, stepping across the line to needlessly destroy the lives of confidential sources and lie to those around her. She might have started out with the intention of getting justice for Olive but the number of clicks she gets on each episode of the podcast quickly becomes her driving force. Her skills as an investigative journalist are poor and her wild suppositions and theories would not realistically make for a good podcast without facts to back them up. It’s unlikely that such a podcast on an unsolved murder could be put together in two weeks without a lot of prior sound research and interviews. Although I thought this would make a great premise for a murder mystery, I was disappointed with the book and didn’t really enjoy reading it. My overriding feeling was that Journalism would be a lot better off without journalists like Petra.

Man, I struggled with what to rate this book.

On one hand, I hated the main character, Petra, a journalist that is about to get fired from another job. I connected with her personal struggle of not feeling adequate enough to hold a job in something she loved and willing to do anything to keep from losing another job. I enjoyed the beginning of seeing her trying to save herself and finding a story that she knows would help her but might also solve a murder.

After this point it seems like she starts to run through all of the seven deadly sins and chooses to take everyone with her along the way, She points the finger at many people for crimes they did not commit such as molestation, murder and outing a man just because it made the story better. I physically felt the cringe in my body as I read this story but could not stop reading what would happen to this morally corrupt person. Although, I do believe that Witten was trying to write a character that was unlikable, which he whole-heartedly was able to create. He did seem to try and make it seem like she realized her mistakes and learned from them by the end but I did not feel like that was true.

My last strike for Petra was when she was willing to do the unspeakable to make her career and reach the level of journalism that she has always hoped for. The novel as a whole had me debating a 2 star or a 4 star because while I could not put it down, I also felt so uncomfortable for the main character. I think a 3 star is a perfect mix for this novel and how it personally made me feel. I would love to see what else Matt Witten has on his backlist and what he has coming forward.