Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy. You Better Watch Out follows a group of people who wake up having no idea where they are. With limited supplies and sub-zero temperatures, they must find a way to escape. The issue is that they are being hunted one by one. This was my first book that I have read by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth, but it won’t be my last. It was fast paced and kept me hooked the entire time. I do wish it was a bit longer as I feel we didn’t really get to know the characters. I enjoyed the different perspectives, and found the killer’s perspective interesting. I did guess the ending of the book, and it felt a little rushed. Overall, it was a fast paced Christmas thriller.

I don’t know why I do this to myself. This book is so creepy and freaky and gave me nightmares. But I loved it. It’s so unexpected and shocking but I was on the edge of my seat and the ending was great. Such a great book for fans of horror and suspense! I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

I initially requested this book because I am a fan of Murr from Impractical Jokers and, I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised at this! You Better Watch Out is a fun, campy, pretty gruesome holiday slasher that would be perfect for Christmas season.

Two days before Christmas, and 6 strangers wake up disoriented, not feeling good, with no clue where they are. They realize they are in some sort of abandoned town, with no one around. Then they start dying one by one……
I read Stowaway by James Murray because I love the show “Impractical Jokers” and loved it. This one was also great, fast paced and action packed!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this!

Over the top horror thriller set in a town where nothing is as it seems.

Eddie wakes up in the street during a blizzard. The last thing he remembers is trying to help an old couple stow groceries in their car. Now he finds himself in serious danger with others who’ve also been brought to this fake town of Old Forge, New York. Kidnapped and locked in, Eddie joins forces with this ragtag band of less than upstanding citizens trying to figure a way out. Then they start dying one by one in very horrific ways.

If you like gruesome serial killer slasher thrillers, you will enjoy this one. A vague Christmas theme exists, but it’s not the heartwarming kind. Blood and gore and quite predictable as you see the characters fall but there is a little twist at the end that actually really disappointed me but did fit with the rest of the premise. Don’t read much going into this so you won’t feel cheated.

I liked it OK and it was certainly fast paced but it was just too much relentless horror for my taste. And at the revelations and conclusion I was like, no way, as it caused me to shake my head in disbelief at the implausibility of it all.

I listened to the audiobook while also following along in the e-book ARC as both were provided by the publisher for review. I didn’t care for her voice and I don’t think she did that great a job speaking both the male and female characters. They all sounded the same. This one would definitely have benefited from a larger cast on the audiobook.

You Better Watch Out by authors James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth is an absorbing hybrid of the typical holiday adventure and chilling horror story that keeps you reading all day and night. Supposedly rehabilitated but still bad, Eddie Parker finds his victims while taking a rest before continuing his road trip. He comes upon an elderly couple and steals their money, or at least that is the plan. He wakes up along with other strangers in the town of Old Forge, where Christmas appears to be eternal, decorations and all.
Soon, these random strangers are being hunted and killed, with little hope of survival. The book reads like a horror story but has all the components that make a riveting mystery. With the holidays fast approaching, You Better Watch Out may not be the ideal read, but it is undoubtedly a great gift.

You Better Watch Out by James S Murray and Darren Wearmouth – Book Review

You Better Watch Out by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth is a thrilling holiday-themed horror novel that skillfully blends elements of suspense, drama, and a dash of dark humour. Murray, known for his work as a comedian and television personality on “Impractical Jokers,” brings his intriguing voice to the literary world, crafting a narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats with its intriguing blend of humour and horror, ensuring a thrilling and engaging read.


Two days before Christmas, Jessica Kane wakes up with blurry vision, ringing ears, and intense pain. She has a head wound and blood on her face. The last thing she remembers is going for a run and being hit in the head by something or someone.


She quickly realizes she’s trapped in a deserted town with five strangers, all with similar stories of being attacked and stranded. Jessica doesn’t know why they’re there but knows she must escape. Escaping is nearly impossible because someone is methodically killing them one by one, and all Jessica can do is watch them die.


Murray and Wearmouth’s writing is atmospheric and intense, building a sense of dread and unease long after the final page. The characters are well-developed, each with their unique flaws and vulnerabilities, which adds depth to the story and makes the characters more relatable. As the body count rises and the tension escalates, readers will find themselves rooting for their survival while simultaneously dreading their inevitable demise. The novel is peppered with engaging plot twists to keep readers surprised and eager for more.


While the plot may seem familiar to fans of “locked-room mysteries,”
especially those who have read the classic Agatha Christie novel. Thankfully, Murray and Wearmouth’s writing style brings enough of a new perspective and style to the genre that You Better Watch Out keeps things interesting throughout its length. With its traditional associations of joy and goodwill, the holiday setting adds a layer of irony and suspense as the characters confront their darkest fears.


As the body count rises and the tension escalates, readers will find themselves rooting for their survival while simultaneously dreading their inevitable demise. Such is the strength of the author’s characterisation skills. It was refreshing to read a novel of this type that didn’t resort to having a set of cardboard cut-out characters bolstering up the numbers and page count.


One of the most appealing aspects of You Better Watch Out is James S. Murray’s and Wearmouth’s ability to balance the horror elements with the lighter moments. This blend of humour and horror adds depth to the characters, making their experiences more relatable and human. There is a careful balance that ensures You Better Watch Out remains engaging without ever overstaying its welcome with forced humour or over the-top horror,


Overall, You Better Watch Out is an excellent choice for fans of horror and thriller genres.
With its unique holiday twist, compelling narrative, and well-developed characters, James S. Murray has crafted a novel that will leave readers both spooked and satisfied. If you’re a fan of horror and thriller genres, this is a book you won’t want to miss.


You Better Watch Out is a thrilling and satisfying read that will keep you guessing until the very end. Fans of suspenseful thrillers and holiday horror will appreciate Murray’s ability to create a chilling and unforgettable atmosphere.

I did not expect for this book be this good! A Christmas serial killer story is not one I usually would go for, but Murray came up with a story that pulls you in so fast!

A group of strangers with troubled pasts wake up in an abandoned? town... snow covered and freezing. They start to discover each other and question why they are all there. It appears that they were all kidnapped and things start to get gruesome while they start to get picked off one by one... The big question of the story is who is doing this to all of them? Who trapped them and is killing them off? Any why?

This story was gory, slasher-y good time and the ended I did not see coming!

Read this if you like:
popcorn thrillers
creepy Christmas music
The Saw movie franchise

Two days before Christmas, a few strangers wakes up after being attacked. Seeking shelter from the blizzard in a bar, but everything seems off. The more they investigate, the more they realize that they are in a set made to look like their town, but about 90 years earlier... And they start finding other people... and they start dying one by one...
This serial killer horror, thriller had me intrigued from the start (mind you, I forgot what this was supposed to be about, and my Kindle was not displaying the cover, so I thought I was diving into a Christmas romance, so imagine my surprise!). The dialogues were mostly clumsy, and it's a bit over the top and unbelievable, but it sure was a fun ride. Did I guess the twist when I wasn't even 10% into the read? Absolutely. But it was still entertaining.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Christmas is a time for giving, togetherness, and sharing the season's joy. While I’m a sucker for the heartwarming holiday stories that flood the season, I’ve found them becoming a bit predictable. Recently, I’ve been searching for something different. This year, I was thrilled to come across You Better Watch Out, a thriller set during the holidays by James S. Murray (of Impractical Jokers fame) and Darren Wearmouth. With its eerie twist, it’s a fresh, unexpected Christmas novel that blends holiday cheer with a dash of horror—just what I was looking for.

Just days before Christmas, Eddie Parker is making the long drive home when he pulls into Old Forge for a quick stop. It’s a classic small town, the kind that time—and everyone else—seems to have forgotten. As he browses the dusty shelves of the general store, his eyes are drawn to an elderly couple shuffling through the aisles. A glimpse of crisp bills in the woman’s purse catches his attention, and despite knowing better, temptation gets the best of him. Old habits die hard, and Eddie could use the extra cash. He follows them out, ready to make his move. But just as he’s about to strike, he realizes he may have underestimated his targets. A sharp sting on his neck is the last thing he feels before the world darkens.

Jessica Kane wakes with blurred vision and a splitting headache. Her fingers brush her forehead, coming back slick with blood. Panic sets in. Where is she? How did she get here? As her vision clears, she recognizes the town of Old Forge, but something is wrong. The once-familiar place is completely abandoned, draped in eerie, vintage Christmas decorations as if frozen in time. But it’s not the past she’s traveled to. Soon, Jessica discovers five other strangers, including Eddie, each with no memory of how they arrived in this strange place. They share the same confusion and dread, but one thing is clear: they must find a way out. Escape, however, won't be easy. Someone is hunting them, methodically orchestrating their deaths, one by one. Each time, they watch helplessly as another life fades before their eyes. They must find a way out of this nightmare before they become the next victim.

You Better Watch Out isn’t your typical holiday read. It unfolds more like a horror thriller than anything else, making for a refreshing take on the genre. Authors Murray and Wearmouth fully embrace the fun of this unique narrative, crafting a gory and thrilling holiday tale that feels like a blend of A Christmas Carol and the Saw movies. The characters aren’t exactly good people. They find themselves in a scenario that forces them to confront their past while seeking redemption for their futures. But first, they’ll have to survive.

I went into the novel blind and was blown away by the adrenaline rush it delivered. There’s a central mystery surrounding the mastermind behind this holiday horror, and the twist caught me completely off guard. While you might need to suspend some logic to fully enjoy the ride, don’t let that deter you. You Better Watch Out is a thrilling, clever novel that is a unique addition to the holiday reading season.

If you like horror stories and don’t mind a little gore, this is a must-read. Six strangers wake to find themselves in a desolate place made up to replicate a nearby town. The members of this odd group are a bit fuzzy on how they all ended up gathered there together. Festive holiday decorations are in stark contrast to the terror they feel as deadly traps are discovered, set to snatch a life seemingly at every turn. Warily they move through the creepy compound searching for an escape route, their only chance for survival. The one thing they are all certain of is that someone in this fake place wants to see them all dead by Christmas. Who is it that brought them all there and why? And you better watch out for the big twist ending . . . it’s killer!

I thank NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of You Better Watch Out for my unbiased evaluation.  4 stars

You Better Watch Out grabbed my attention on the first page and never let go from the first to the last. The suspense and the many twists kept me glued to my seat and the pages turning.

When I picked up You Better Watch Out I didn’t know what I would find between its pages but what I did find was way better than I expected. You Better Watch Out is the kind of story that you never want to see end but at the same time, it has you racing to the end, wanting to find out what happened and how they got there.

You Better Watch Out tells the story of several different people who are taken against their will to an unknown location that is surrounded by a fence with no way out.

But one thing is for sure they will not stop trying if it is the last thing they do. Finding a way out might cost them their lives. Someone is taking them out one by one and I don’t mean taking them out of the fence and letting them go home either.

Can they find a way out before it is their turn to go next? Can they find out who took them and why? Why were they brought there in the first place? They didn’t even know each other before they were brought there. Is there a connection between everyone? If so, what is it? So many questions I wanted answers to, questions that kept me hanging on page after page.

You Better Watch Out is a very engaging story I would like to see made into a TV show. You know You Better Watch Out reminds me of Harlan Coben stories.

I highly recommend You Better Watch Out if you like a good serial killer story! Grab a copy of You Better Watch Out today!

It’s just a couple of days until Christmas and six strangers wake up in a strange town in the middle of a blizzard with no id, no phone, no vehicle, no idea how they got there, and no way out. Worse, they discover that almost everything about the town is fake except the woods surrounding it. And then they start dying, one by one.

You Better Watch Out by James S Murray and Darren Wearmouth is one wild, fast-paced roller coaster ride of a thriller. It’s sort of a cross between Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone and Then There Were None by Agatha Christie only with more gruesome methods of murder and it grabbed me from the beginning and kept me glued to the page and guessing right to the big reveal at the end. I read an e-Arc from St. Martin’s Press while listening to an audiobook from Macmillan Audio narrated by Barrie Kreinik who does an amazing job of keeping the tension and suspense ramped up to fever pitch. There is also a little extra at the end of the audiobook to add to the fun.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio. All opinions are my own.

You Better Watch Out by James S. Murray; Darren Wearmouth was such a fun holiday slasher!
I was completely engrossed in this book.
The novel delivers gripping suspense and masterful storytelling. The mystery is chilling and the plot twists will keep the reader guessing until the end.

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

A group of young adults, wake up in a strange town, not knowing where they are or what happened. Trapped, they realize that someone means them harm, but, where is everyone? What do these town people want and how can they escape this place and their past?

Very fast-paced and short read! It was exciting and kept me at the edge of my seat!

I have loved every book written by this duo. You Better Watch Out takes you back to the pure 70s and early 80s horror. It isn’t comfortable. No one is ever really sure of what is happening. The deaths are strange and bloody. And the ending…the ending was everything I would have wanted it to be.

You know right away that the characters may not be the best person. When you are trying to rob an elderly couple and they turn on you, inject you with something, and then you wake up in a place that doesn’t even look real, well, ypou should make some connections. But you aren’t alone. Others are also coming back to consciousness. No one knows where they are or why. They only know they want to find a way out.
These people are all here for a reason. Why?

Not to be ignored-the town. It looks almost just like a town they know. Almost. But it not quite right. The perfect setting for this kind of creepy look at the truly dark side of people. This place is completely false. What it appears to be is not what it is. Just like all of our characters.

I’m not one to read a book just for gruesome deaths. These were pretty creative though. Every one of them had clues that we don’t get until the end. The oh so satisfying end.

You Better Watch Out or you might be next! This book was crazy had a little bit of gore in locked room style serial killer. When you get to the last few chapters, my mind was blown 🤯. I never expected the ending at all.

The epilogue also hinted back to this duos prior book The Stowaway which was a 5⭐️ read for me!

My one negative is that the description of the book says it follows Jesse who wakes up in a deserted town, but the whole book is told in Eddie’s POV.

2.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

I feel really conflicted about this. It's been a while since I've speed through a thriller like I did with You Better Watch Out. When I read a thriller I expect the reveals to be shocking and unexpected. I did not really get that with the reveal of the antagonists. Eddie was drugged and kidnapped by an elderly couple but he believes that one of them is not capable of swinging a log at someone's face. It was also sus how no one jumped the couple to get inside their barn. If they were holding weapons and/or standing in a gated area, I could see why everyone let them walk leisurely away, but they were just told that the temperature would continue dropping when there's snow outside and its windy. Also serial killers very rarely have such a random array of victims, usually they have similar attributes. Then there's the elaborate nature of each death. How are they affording this setup???

This was entertaining but very surface level.

You Better Watch Out combines a slasher movie “why me?” atmosphere with a classic locked room mystery that will have fans of both cheering. Seriously, I loved it!

Greg wakes up in a strange 1950s version of a town with no memories of how he got there. He quickly finds four other people with the same issue. The group bickers about how to escape as one by one they are murdered in extremely creative ways. Were they randomly chosen to be trapped in this horrible town? Or does their own past provide a key to their captor’s motivation?

Take the constant dread and violent atmosphere of the Cube series and add a bit of the Saw series’ quirky wit and you have You Better Watch Out. The plot is just a full-on sprint to the finish line. The action never lets up! The conclusion was a perfect ending to a perfect horror thriller. Did I mention the whole sham town is celebrating Christmas? Or that there is a real mystery here to be solved? This book is perfect for both slasher movie fans and serious locked room mystery fans. 5 stars and a favorite!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advanced review copy.

I love James Murray and this did not disappoint! A Christmas thriller is exactly what I needed as the weather gets colder! Thanks Netgalley for the ARC