Mandy McHugh returns following Chloe Cates Is Missing with IT TAKES MONSTERS — a woman planning on killing her husband; however, someone else beats her to the punch in this cat-and-mouse clever domestic suspense blended with dark humor.

Victoria Tate and her husband Warren live in the prestigious Kent Wood development, working together in her father's company, Livingston Corporation. Livingston women got married and had babies. She will have it all. The husband, house, and successful career. She loved her independence. He did not see her as an equal.

She and Warren skirted the edge in a dark dance for power.

Victoria has had enough of Warren trying to grab the company and push her aside, thinking she would be the wife to stay home and have children. No chance. She has worked too hard for this position, and he will not take over the company. She is running out of time. Warren was taking away her choice.

Victoria has studied and listened to true crime podcasts and feels like she is a pro and can pull off the perfect crime. She carefully plans the night of her husband's murder. However, the gala of one of their major clients is on the same night. It is a black-tie and masked affair in October.

Victoria also has a sister, Teagan, who is a doctor (plastic surgeon), and they are always at each other's throats with hilarious banter.

At the gala, Warren is drunk, and she finally leaves. However, he does not come home as intended, so she must clean up per plastic and prep. Then the cops show up, and he has been murdered.

How dare someone murder him before she has a chance. She is obsessed with solving this mystery. When she learns this was a brutal murder using a knife and his eyes removed, she is shocked. Did he have enemies?

Soon thereafter, she begins receiving texts from someone named X. X seems to know a lot about her and her plans. X begins taunting her and seems to be one step ahead of her. Who is X? Is X the murderer and the motive? She slowly begins to learn her husband has deep secrets.

Once you think the book is wrapped up with the identity of X, there is a final jaw-dropping twist when Victoria takes back the power. Often, the monsters are within us or right in front of us.

Mandy McHugh delivers a twisty game of cat and mouse murder in IT TAKES MONSTERS. However, who is the cat, and who is the mouse? Sinister, disturbing, and wickedly evil. For fans of authors Kaira Rouda and Victoria Helen Stone.

Thanks to Penzler Publishers and NetGalley for an early reading copy for an honest opinion.

Blog review posted @
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@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Oct 17, 2023
Oct 2023 Must-Read Books
My Rating: 4 Stars

Thank you NetGalley and Scarlet for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I would have to say this was the BEST SUSPENSE I’ve read all year! Wow! Just Wow!! I couldn’t read this book fast enough. All the characters were amazing..loved the crazy Kent Wood Manor housewives. The strained relationship between Victoria and Teagan was filled with sarcasm and dark humor. Surprising twists that will leave you wondering if these two sisters are really more alike or complete opposites. Loved the dark humor and the Dexter references (IYKYK). There’s a bunch of different moving parts in this story and Mandy McHugh tied everything together perfectly. The ending was very satisfying! Hands down one of my favorites of 2023!!
This one is a must read!!!

Victoria Tate wants to kill her husband and I don't blame her I would kill him too. When her father passed away he left the family's company in the control of her husband and when he decides to shiv Victoria and put her on the mommy track out of her family's business she decides he needs to go. I am a huge supporter of women's rights and wrongs as well I was rooting for Victoria. She had a good plan to be rid of Warren, however she just missed the mark and someone else manages to kill Warren before she does. She looks like the best suspect but how does she clear her name when she was actually plotting his murder. Victoria was not the warmest character but I did like her. However, the murderer was obvious to me and I can never figure out the murderer so I am guessing Victoria was being willfully blind because she is a smart woman but her emotions got in the way. A good read but I wasn't surprised by the murderer.

This was a fast paced whodunit that kept me interested throughout. Some parts had me feeling like the dialogue was too forced to be realistic but it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment. I appreciated the red herrings thrown in but I had an idea of who the killer was pretty early on and I was right. Overall, though the plot seemed a bit over the top, it was an enjoyable read that I'd recommend to others.

4.5/5
This was my first read from Mandy McHugh and it won’t be my last. This domestic, suspense, thriller kept me on my toes. I loved the banter between Victoria and Teagan and the short chapters that made it easy to fly through. There were lots of twists and turn right until the very end. It was interesting seeing the thought process of the characters as the story continued and we finally got to see who X was.

This is a fresh and feisty thriller! Victoria Tate has reached her last nerve with her arrogant husband, Warren, who after taking her birthright as CEO of her father’s company, now has the audacity to send her home from work all together so she can live out her days barefoot and pregnant. The nerve of him! So, naturally, she gets busy planning his MURDER! But before she can carry out her nefarious plans, someone else murders Warren. Apparently he has other enemies besides his wife. But the murderer is ready to play games with Victoria and more than happy to see her pay for this most heinous crime. This story was wicked and sassy and twisty and super fun! Thank you Netgalley, Penzler Publishers, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on October 17, 2023

First off I want to thank the author and published for granting me an advanced copy of It Takes Monsters. I read through this book rather quickly as the pace was fast and makes for a fast read. Victoria Tate is our main character and has decided to kill her husband--however someone beats her to the punch. The rest of the book we spend in the days after his death following Victoria as she is the number one suspect in his murder even though she is innocent. She is antagonized by a mysterious persona named only "X" as they make her squirm under the pressure of potentially being framed for his murder. The basis was there for a good book and it kept me intrigued throughout--however about 2/3s of the way through I had figured out the big twist which was a let down for me. I feel that the author could have better hid the twist from the reader and not gave as much away as soon as they did to prevent readers from coming to the same conclusion that I did.

Overall the book was good and I enjoyed it. It makes for a good spooky thriller and hits all the creeps and chills of a domestic whodunit.

It Takes Monsters is a superbly snarky suspense that is almost impossible to walk away from once you start it!

Victoria Tate has decided she has no other option in life but to murder her husband Warren. But on the night she chose to execute her plan, someone else murders Warren before he even gets home. As eerie messages start to be sent to Victoria, she realizes she has to figure out who did it before she gets charged for the murder herself.

It Takes Monsters takes place in a wealthy neighborhood where secrets and drama never stay hidden, and the shady cast of characters will leave you guessing until the final page!

She does it again! 👏🏼👏🏼 I LOVED Chloe Cates is Missing and I LOVED It Takes Monsters! From the very first page to the end, this story had me on the edge of my seat! A woman plots to kill her husband, only to find out someone else murdered him before she could. A mysterious person called X sending her texts about her husbands death and taunting her. Who is X? How did X know she planned to kill her husband? Why is X harassing her?

I loved the suspense throughout! There were twists after twists! The short chapters had me saying “JUST ONE MORE!” until I reached the end! The sarcasm between our main character, Victoria, and her sister was *chefs kiss.* The tension in the last 1/4 of the book had me sweating and the surprise at the end left me with my jaw hanging open.

I loved this author's previous book but this one I struggled with. I don't know if it was the flow of the story or just me personally. I don't want to deter anyone else from reading it. I will continue to read her novels in the future.

Well Mandy McHugh, that was so good! I loved Chloe Cates so I knew ai would love this too. What a dark, twisty and super fun read. If you are looking for a fast paced, page turner that is a little bit messed up then you need this book. None of the characters are particularly likeable, but that just makes it more fun as they all deserve something to bite them 😅

Don’t you hate it when you make a plan to kill your controlling husband and somebody gets there first! Yep, this is what happens to Victoria. She has her plan all worked out and is ready to go ahead and end his life when she gets a detective knocking at her door to tell her that Warren has been murdered. What the? Of course, this makes her life easier, but then. The killer starts to message her, and knows things about her plan and life than nobody knows. Who is doing this and why? a read it and find out.

Trust me, you won’t regret picking this one up. It was one that kept me reading into the night because I had to know how it would finish. And relight until the very last page, the surprises keep coming.

Published on October 17th, thank you so much to NetGalley, Penzler Publishing and Thriller Book Promotions for my early copy.

I loved her first book Chloe Cates Is Missing so had big expectations for this one, it just fell flat for me and didn't work . I was confused , too many characters and the story didn't flow for me.

I really, really wanted to like this book because the premise was great. There was a great line in the first chapter: "Victoria hadn't gone to church in a long time, but she was pretty sure that if God didn't want her to kill her husband, then he wouldn't have made him such a prick," which was hilarious, and I was hoping it would set the tone for the rest of the book. Unfortunately, this one did not really work for me. Victoria and her sister were too over-the-top, unrelatable, and unlikeable. Please note: I LOVE an unlikeable female MC - give me all of the vengeance-filled, sweary, angry women who DNGAF about making men (or anyone else) like them, but these characters were not quite what I was looking for. I do think fans of authors like Jeneva Rose and Jamie Lynn Hendricks -- who embrace their characters going fully reality-tv-style bananas -- would likely really enjoy this!

Mandy McHugh does it again! 👏🏼

A woman plots to kill her controlling husband and before she can “execute” the plan - someone else kills him in an extremely gruesome way. And then the killer begins to message the woman…to let her know it’s not over.

I figured out who the killer was at about the midpoint but the why part escaped me. And then the final showdown was epic and intense. The last two pages tho? Fuuuucuuck.

3.5 stars rounded up for this twisty read, and a huge thank you to NetGalley and Scarlet/Penzler Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Victoria Tate is sick of her controlling husband, Warren, and decides to kill him - and she's sure she can get away with it because she listens to so many true-crime podcasts. Unfortunately, on the night she has everything all set up to go, someone else beats her to it. And then she realizes that whoever actually killed her husband knew about her own murderous plans and has set her up, and she will likely go down for it if she can't find them first. As expected from that synopsis, this is a fun but dark novel with mostly unlikable characters. I didn't connect with any of them and that is what's keeping me from rating it higher, but I certainly didn't hate it.

The positives: Mandy McHugh is a good writer, the chapters were mostly quick, and there were several twists and turns throughout. Best of all, I did not figure out who the murderer was ahead of time (probably because every character in the book seemed likely to have done it). The negatives: as mentioned, everyone was unlikable and I just didn't click with it. The reveal at the end annoyed me because the murderer spelled the entire thing out, every last little detail...which sure, I enjoy finding out the hows and whys, but having someone just talk and talk and tell every detail of it is so unrealistic and one of my pet peeves in books. Still, I think it's worth reading if you like dark, twisty tales, and I think it will be very popular when it's released this October.

Fast-paced, starts with a punch, and continues the heat right to the last page! Victoria has had enough of her husband Warren's ways and has concocted a plan to end him for good. Warren is dead. However, Victoria didn't kill him. Whoever did begins taunting her and if she doesn't keep it together, she will lose everything too. I loved this book and could not put it down! Dark, twisty, and will keep you guessing! Fantastic!

Chloe Cates is Missing was one of my favorite reads last year so I was very excited to receive an eARC of It Takes Monsters. Unfortunately, this one fell a little flat for me. The main character was very unlikable and it made me not care about what happened to her. Everyone in the story was a cliche and the banter felt forced. The whole neighborhood/party/atmosphere was giving Eyes Wide Shut. When the killer and their motive are revealed it was Scooby Doo style and didn't make much sense to me. Despite this I will absolutely still read whatever the author comes out with next because Chloe Cates was that good. Thank you to Scarlet Press and NetGalley for my eARC.

Thank you @scarletsuspense @acmchughwriter and @thrillerbookloverspromotions for the #gifted copy of this e-arc!

Whew doggie this one starts out with a bang! Victoria plotting her husbands murder and demise from the first sentence. Warren is a power hungry man that has climbed the corporate ladder in Victorias family business. He thinks maybe she should take a step back from her career to raise a family. The problem…Victoria has zero desire to do that. She is tired of Warrens ways and has is plotting very carefully. Just when she thinks she’s got the plan exacted a date change for a large social gala happens and by the end of the night Warren is dead. Only the problem is…she didn’t kill him. 😱 The killer starts contact with Victoria and tries to provoke her. Victoria knows she has to stay one step ahead or else she will lose everything she was to gain with Warrens death.

Thoughts: This was a very quick and easy read. The start of this book started out very strong leaving me with my jaw dropped. I was immediately sucked into this story rooting her to commit the perfect murder. 😅 That never really happens though right?! That would be no fun!! I loved the twisty wild ride Mandy takes us on especially the unique party in the start. The descriptions made it seem like it was a party you wouldn’t want to miss and would be talked about for quite some time after! She sets the story up where we are left questioning quite a few characters after the party!

A perfect tale of revenge and betrayal amongst the privileged. This is my first book by Mandy and don’t you worry I won’t have to wait long to read another because her other book I picked for my #buriedinbookbuddies pick this month!

4.5 stars rounded up.

I’ll say this extra loud for those in the back - BANGER ALERT 🚨🚨

I FLEW through this book and I loved every dark, sassy and gruesome moment 🤩🤩

This is the first book I’ve read by Mandy McHugh but that will absolutely change - I’m already scoping out Chloe Cates is Missing!! 👀

Anyway, on to the book in hand… It Takes Monsters is a dark and twisty thriller, dripping in sass… the sarky humour was wickedly sharp - I LOVED IT!! 🖤🖤

Victoria Tate’s husband has got on her last wick… he’s controlling, he’s taken over the company that should have been hers, and now he’s planning for her to move into a more “domesticated” role, shall we say… she decides enough is enough and it’s time to get shot of him… by killing him (obvs…)🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️ but alas, plans never go as needed and the selfish bugger manages to get himself murdered by someone else! 😏😏 And they’re taunting and blackmailing her with it to boot!!! 🫠🫠Victoria is seething and plans to find the person who stole her opportunity😡😡

This book was soooo good 👏👏 it was so twisty and I was hooked from the get go! But the absolute gold for me, was the dialogue. Mandy McHugh - you are a MASTER in sarky dark wit!! I loved the interactions between Victoria and other characters, but my favourite was the bants between Victoria and Teagan! As much as I loved Victoria, I feel Teagan pipped it for me! Fab character 🖤🖤

This one starts off a bit slower in the beginning with a more character driven plot, then about half way through it picks up in the thrills and suspense, and by the end your holding onto your knickers!!! 🫨🫨

It’s got Killing Eve vibes ALL over it 🔪🩸

THANK YOU so much to Thriller Book Lovers Promotions for putting this on my radar, and Scarlet Suspense and NetGalley for the advanced E-copy. You need to pop this one in your 🗓️ 🗓️

Thank you NetGalley, Scarlet Suspense and Mandy McHugh for my copy of 𝗜𝗧 𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗦 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 that comes out October 17, 2023!

This was a quick and easy read. I loved the sense of humor in the book and the relationship between the two sisters included a lot of banter that felt realistic to me. If you're into murder shows like Dexter, you'll get some of the references in this book. Although it wasn't too difficult to figure out what was going, I liked the book and look forward to reading more from Mandy McHugh.