This book is about a creepy, bloody Christmas-killing fiasco that I found a bit gruesome in spots, but also wildly tense and entertaining. Set in a freezing cold replica of a town, this story is a locked room mystery gone wild. Full of peril around every corner, you wonder which of the six characters trapped there will survive and who the killer is. I enjoyed the mostly unpredictable journey this book took me on. Fans of slasher horror and noir thrillers will like this book. Barrie Kreinik did an amazing job narrating the audiobook.

All six people who have been kidnapped to the deserted town have done something bad- and someone is going to make them pay. This is a fast paced and frankly gory tale of revenge and horror. You might, however, find yourself rooting for one or two of the reprobates to escape. Who and why- no spoilers from me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A page turner.

Have you ever seen that Twilight Zone episode, “Stopover in a Quiet Town”, where a couple wakes up with hangovers, stuck in a small town that turns out to be fake? The phones were fake. The food was fake. The trees were fake, and it all turned out to be a child’s game. I kept thinking about that episode (one of my favorites) while reading this; they are not at all similar stories, but the replica of the small town of Old Forge, New York, gave me the same vibe.

Jessica was out for a hike, then was attacked and knocked out. Eddie and Tank were up to no good when they were both injected with something and knocked out. Trinity was asleep in bed when a wet cloth covered her face and she was knocked out. Greg was leaving his house for a meeting when he was assaulted and knocked out, and one last man was found by the group, frozen to death (or was it the log smashed into his face that killed him?). It’s two days before Christmas, and now these six are stuck in Old Forge. Only, this isn’t the town they know - this is a deserted town, covered in dust, with facades and fakery. It’s decorated like a Norman Rockwell Christmas wonderland, but this is not a happy place…

Soon, these people realize that the town is full of traps, and that they are all there because of their past transgressions. Oh, and they are being watched. This replica of the town they know is terrifying, and they are being picked off one by one. But why, and by who? Where are they? What is the end game? Will any of them make it out alive?

This was a really fun story - I wish it was coming out closer to Christmas, the characters weren’t very developed, and I’m not sure if I liked the ending. HOWEVER, this was a highly entertaining, very quick read. It was creepy and atmospheric, while retaining its campy and Christmasy feel. 3.5 stars, rounded up!

(Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, James S. Murray, Darren Wearmouth and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on October 15, 2024.)

You Better Watch Out is your typical slasher vibe horror. I love Impractical Jokers so jumped on the chance to read a book by Murr.
That being said I wish this had more of his humor.
I did enjoy it though, if you are looking for something to scratch that 90's slasher film itch this is a good one for that!

Ooh if you like slashers, you’ll love this fun gory read!! I loved the locked-room type of setting too!! 🙌

This one did have some great twists as well!! One I saw coming but it was still such a fun read! Definitely recommend to fans of slashers and locked room stories!! 👏

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

You Better Watch Out written by James S Murray and Darren Wearmouth. I listen to the audiobook and the Ebook. The book is about Eddie Parker, he’s on his way home for Christmas when he stops in a small town called Old Forge to get some snacks. This is when he sees an elderly couple who look like they’re wealthy and decides to rob them. At least when he wakes up that is the last thing he remembers. It seems he has woken up in a past version of old Forge, Not because he time traveled because he got kidnapped by the elderly couple. As he tries to get the lay of the land he hears a scream in the back room of the old saloon this is when he meets Trinity who is just woke up and Jesse who has yet too. Together they will try to navigate this strange place with Christmas decorations old Timey stores and you better watch out playing on the speakers throughout the little town and though yes the whole time trying to dodge a killer. They soon learn they all have something in common and that is all of them except Jesse has a police record but Jesse thinks she is there due to her addiction. The main three will find others and to learn it’s not just the person haunting them they need to watch out for. I’m going to stop the review here because there is so much to this book and it was so good. Some of these murders are so inventive and original I was amazed. I do want to say the part of the book where everything is revealed I felt a little letdown but once it got to the epalogue and it seems there may possibly be a second book I was so excited. This is a great isolated location mystery that I think most people will find hard to figure out. I want to say the narrator Barry Kreinik did an awesome job narrating the book setting the tone and had great character distinction. I have never read a book narrated by him but would definitely listen to another. This is a book any Thriller/Mystery/Horror fan will love, I know I certainly did! #NetGalley, #McMillanAudio,#Saint Martin’s press,#JamesSMurray, #DarrenWearmouth,#BarryKreinik,#YouBetterWatchOut,

Title: You Better Watch Out by James S. Murray, Darren Wearmouth
Publication Date- 10/15/24
Publisher- St. Martins Press
Overall Rating- New Favorite

Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: OMG this was so good. This is such a unique and creative take on the survival horror/ thriller genre. If you like the SAW franchise I think you would enjoy this, though it is much less gorey. Speaking of which, the kills in this book are interesting and creative (I know such a crazy thing to say). Because this book takes place right before Christmas, the town that the group is stranded in has Christmas decorations up and let me tell yall, that really added the creep factor.

In You Better Watch Out, we get to know a cast of characters that have all done something wrong, shameful, or an action to cause guilt. I found fascination in each character and enjoyed hearing their stories while watching them survive this f’d up game.

The pacing is on point. It moves quickly but not too fast such that you don’t get to know and understand the characters. I literally don’t have a complaint about this book. I was going to give it 5 stars until the ending made me gasp out loud, not joking. Please go read this book, it’s so fucking good.

I had so much fun reading this holiday slasher! The characters are abducted and wake up in a remote faux town with no idea why and where they are. There’s no escape and gruesome traps are set up everywhere.
You can expect
🔪Locked Room
🔪Gory Slasher
🔪Fast Paced
🔪Twists
That twist at the end though??? So good. Be prepared for gore and gruesome scenes!

First I expected this book to be a lot longer than it was. And I think it would have helped considering that I would have like to know the charaters more in order to care about the situation that they were in. Honestly, the twist was good but I really wanted to be more invested in these characters. If you like slashery books, this is a good one for the holidays.

I loved this book. I have been in the biggest slump for reading the last few months and I DEVOURED this is 2 days. I predicted the ending in a few ways, but I was still very surprised by the ending. The twists were good, and I look forward to reading more by these authors. My biggest complaint is that they could not keep the way that characters died correct, or would kill one off and then refer to them as the incorrect name. I also noticed that the book often changed up the weapons people were carrying randomly with no notice which caused me to be confused.

Stars: 4/5

This one will be out in time for Christmas, and I think some fans of "B" horror movies will find it fun. If a plotline is sort of over-used, but the characters win me over, I'm pretty forgiving. Unfortunately, and this is subjective as all reviews are, I didn't find a single character to care about in this one. The premise is pretty out there to start with, and the interaction of the protagonists (there are a bunch of them) didn't mesh for me.

I felt that it read more like an outline of an idea for a film (that I would absolutely watch) and less like a book where all the images have to be created with words. It was a fast-paced story, and I got through it quickly. Might work better for others than it did for me.

As a huge fan of locked-room mysteries, this one grabbed me right away. Jessica Kane wakes up, injured and confused, in a deserted town with five strangers who have all been attacked. Soon, they realize someone is methodically killing them off, and the tension doesn’t let up from there.

The setup is creepy, and the suspense builds beautifully. Murray and Wearmouth do a fantastic job creating an eerie atmosphere that had me hooked. The characters are well-developed, and the way secrets slowly unravel adds to the tension. When the killer’s identity and motives are revealed, I was genuinely shocked—I didn’t see that twist coming at all!

That said, I did feel like the book was a bit too short. I wanted more time with the characters and the story, especially since the setup was so intriguing. Still, it delivered exactly what I needed in a thriller: fast-paced, full of twists, and a satisfying mystery.

If you’re into thrillers with dark, suspenseful vibes and love a good plot twist, this one’s for you. Just be prepared for some gruesome moments—it’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s a fun, gripping read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

You Better Watch Out is a line from a Christmas song signifying that Santa Claus is coming to town. But the book You Better Watch Out is anything but a feel-good Christmas story. It might take place right before Christmas, but it seems more like a Halloween slasher story. You will be hooked from the beginning as this very creepy, scary, non-jolly horror story takes place. It was definitely creative in its gory content, and I was totally surprised by the ending and then even more surprised when I realized it wasn’t actually the end. It definitely left an opening for a sequel which I would love to see.

Thanks to St. Martin's and Netgalley for the pre-release copy of You Better Watch Out. Below is my honest review.

If you weren't sure before, this novel would have sealed your understanding that these two authors are movie and television writers, because this book felt like a fun, cheesy, gruesome horror slasher flick. The pacing, the deaths, the reveals... all felt very reminiscent of what you'd find in a Hollywood blockbuster, but on the page instead.

The deaths are quite gruesome, but you knew they would be going on, so don't pick this one up if that's a trigger for you. There's a lot of fun reveals along the way as well.

My biggest gripe? The blurb makes it seem like Jessica Kane is the protagonist, but really we spend the majority of the book inside the head of a character named Eddie. Just a weird little quirk that threw me off kilter a bit.

If you're a horror movie fan, give this one a shot. It's not breaking a ton of new ground, but it's fast-paced and a lot of fun for what it is, and I'd definitely recommend it.

3.5 stars rounded up. While I did enjoy this thriller, I do think it was a bit too short and left me wanting more. More Christmas, more backstory, more closure. I did read The Stowaway so the callback was a nice surprise but it clearly was gearing up for a sequel and I honestly wish it would have all been in one book. The twist most certainly got me, I DID NOT see it coming but it also almost felt out of left field. Everything felt so rushed and it went from gruesome murder to the group just casually walking around way too quickly for my liking. I went in blind and I think that is the best bet, the synopsis leaves you confused and when you read it after you've finished you realize why going in blind is recommended. Overall, it was a very quick read but again it left me wanting so much more so I don't necessarily think that was a good thing.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Fun read Interesting thriller .
Perfect thriller for the upcoming holidays to throw in with all the seasonal reading

Thank you, St. Martin's Press for the copy of You Better Watch Out by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth. I loved the beginning of the story and the surprising reveal. The rest of the book was hard to get involved with and some of the deaths seemed improbable. This could probably be a fun mini-series if the characters were fleshed out more. I think people would love the ending! 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!!

2.5 out of 3*s (DNF)
I tried really hard to get into this book. I love James Murray & thought his books would be really great. This one i struggled to get through and by 30% I just couldn't go on. The writing was poor & I was very confused about who was saying what most of the time. I didn't find this story all that thrilling, however that definitely could have changed as the story went on. Overall, this just fell really flat for me & I ended up losing interest.

Making a List and Checking it Twice - Let’s hope you aren’t on it!


James S Murray & Darren Wearmouth have once again come together to generate some of the most thrilling horror that I’ve had the pleasure of reading! You Better Watch is the latest psychological holiday thriller you NEED to read this year. Following a thief who decides in the spur of his last heist, the thief finds himself waking up in a deserted city. One seemingly lost to the ages and he isn’t alone. That’s when the chaos really sets in, because those who woke up in the town are being picked off one by one.

I could not put this down. Genuinely, I had to read this in one sitting because once I started it, I had to know how it ended. The writing hit such a spot within me that it’s just exactly what I wanted to read. It’s got all of the classic moments of a greys thriller, there is an unknown killer, there is a mystery to be solved, and once everyone’s secrets start to come to light, motives abound.

The action in this is also pretty nonstop. The gore is creative and unique. Seriously there are some sequences in here that had me squeamish and looking away. However, each time this happened I knew I had to know more!

One of the best parts of this story are the twists that the authors incorporate. I had my jaw on the floor. Some of them I think are easier than others to figure out. The clues are there (which I love because it lets the reader solve the story too)!

All in all, I am so happy to see James Murray and Darren Wearmouth back to give us another excellent story and not everyone is going to make it out alive.

PS - I would be 1000% okay with a sequel here!

This story is written so well. I loved the idea of waking up after being assaulted and having the realization that you’re somewhere unknown, uninhabited, and completely unfamiliar. Finding other people in the same situation? Even better. Reminded me a bit of Saw with the deaths being orchestrated.