I really loved the premise of Carter Wilson’s new book, Tell Me What You Did. With the rise in the last 5 years of true crime podcasts, Poe Webb takes a unique spin on the genre. Running a podcast where people confess to their crimes. It all goes a bit off script when one of the subjects claims to be the murderer of Poe’s mom.

Overall, I liked both Poe and her father. A few of the twists were predictable, but it was still an incredibly fun ride. Splitting the chapters up with the transcripts from the live podcast was a great idea. It gave me an urgency to keep reading. All in all, I really enjoyed this book. Taking one star away for the number of times I wanted to tell Poe to just stop contacting the “murderer”.

Thank you to Carter Wilson, NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are my own.

Poe Webb has always had a dark fascination with crime. She witnessed her mother's murder when she was thirteen -- a secret she has kept for seventeen years.

Now the host of a very popular podcast, she invites guests to spend fifteen minutes confessing their crimes to her. She has some rules (no child or animal abusers, no boring stories) but she has recorded hundreds of confessions and her dedicated fans have even helped identify some of the confessors and having them arrested for their crimes.

But her world and her system are turned upside down when a man confesses to her mother's murder. The thing is, Poe found her mother's murder seven years ago -- and killed him herself. But this man knows enough details about the crime that she is second guessing everything she ever knew, and breaking all her rules to find out more.

Chilling and full of tension, this was a really interesting premise and a solid read! Poe was a complicated character, and this was super unique in that it really only had four characters in it -- Poe, her producer boyfriend, her father, and this creepy ass guest. But despite this, there is enough there to propel a great plot. True crime fans will enjoy this one!

Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson

#firstbookof2025 #firstbookoftheyear #arc #tellmewhatyoudid

CW: death, murder, adultery, kidnapping

From NetGalley: Poe Webb, host of a popular true crime podcast, invites people to anonymously confess crimes they’ve committed to her audience. She can’t guarantee the police won’t come after her “guests,” but her show grants simultaneous anonymity and instant fame—a potent combination that’s proven difficult to resist. After an episode recording, Poe usually erases both criminal and crime from her mind. But when a strange and oddly familiar man appears on her show, Poe is forced to take a second look. Not only because he claims to be her mother’s murderer from years ago, but because Poe knows something no one else does. Her mother’s murderer is dead. Poe killed him.

My thoughts: Like everyone else, I listen to true crime podcasts. As such, I enjoy reading about podcasts and their hosts, and good thing I do, since there is a glut of books about podcast hosts over the last few years. And this is a good one. I read this book in less than a day, and it was a quick easy read with short chapters. The characters were interesting to me and I didn’t see the reveal coming. It wasn’t scary, more creepy, and I wish there had been more to establish the relationship between Poe and Kip so I could have been more invested in it. But overall, I enjoyed this one a lot and appreciated that Poe had a good, trusting relationship with her father, which often is not the case with mystery/thriller protagonists.

Thank you to @poisonedpenpress and @netgalley for the advance copy. (Pub date 01/28/25)

Oh my god, this book was just sooo good! I could hardly stand the suspense and had to keep on reading. Hindley was so scary and Poe was a fascinating character that I couldn't help rooting for even though I knew what she did. This book had me locking my door twice after reading it. Really a great book!

An awesomely unique novel. A narrative and transcripts from a podcast. Poe is the host of a hugely successful podcast. The premise of the podcast, callers confess their crime. Kip, Poe's  producer and boyfriend, handles the technical side of the podcast. When Ian Hindley comes on the show, he gives them major creeps. He confesses to murdering Poe's mother seventeen years earlier. The game of cat and mouse ensues. Hindley isn't the only one with secrets. A page turning psychological thriller!

5 Stars

"Tell Me What You Did" by Carter Wilson is a masterfully crafted psychological thriller that grips you from the very first page and doesn't let go. The novel centers on Poe Webb, a true-crime podcaster who invites anonymous confessions from her guests. The narrative takes a chilling turn when a man appears on her show, claiming to be her mother's murderer—a crime Poe believes she has already avenged herself.

Wilson's writing is sharp and incisive, creating a tense atmosphere that builds steadily as the plot unfolds. The dual timelines and multiple perspectives add depth to the characters, making their motivations and vulnerabilities palpable. The portrayal of Poe as a complex and flawed protagonist is both realistic and compelling, offering a fresh take on the thriller genre.

The pacing is impeccable, with each chapter revealing new secrets that keep the reader on edge. The intricate plot is tightly woven, leading to a climax that is both shocking and satisfying. Wilson's exploration of the dark side of love and revenge is unrelenting, making this novel a standout in its genre.

In conclusion, "Tell Me What You Did" is a twisty, unrelenting gem that will captivate fans of psychological thrillers. Wilson's latest offering is a testament to his storytelling prowess, delivering a richly satisfying read that lingers long after the final page. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a gripping and thought-provoking thriller.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced reader copy prior to publication.

Unfortunately, this one was not for me and I wished I'd DNF'd it when I initially wanted to move on. The premise drew me in and sounded amazing. A podcast where criminals confess? I'd listen to that! A twist where one of the guests claims they killed the host's mother and also knows her deepest secrets? I'm so in.

I appreciate the author acknowledging that readers may not like the main character, Poe, but hoped that we would be interested in her story. I was not. Poe was for me so deeply unlikeable that I didn't care about her story. She did not feel morally gray — she felt vapid and childish in a way that was not redeemable for me.

This story not being for me would not deter me from reading another of Wilson's novels. Fantastic premise, terrible characters.

Slightly disappointed in this as the premise was why I wanted to read it. I found the main character one dimensional and didn't really care for her. It was slower than I would have liked and I was expecting something more exciting to happen towards the end that just never came. I was able to tell pretty early on, who the person she was talking to was and had an idea of how it would end.

Poe runs a popular podcast and lost her mother 17 years ago at the time when the book begins. She has a boyfriend, Kip, who is also her editor, and a loving dog and a wonderful dad with a grumpy cat. Being that there aren't a ton of characters in this one, I'd have personally liked a bit more definition to the characters that were included. I know Poe was meant to be morally grey, but that sometimes specifically reads as annoying when you're only reading from the one POV. I had some confusion because some of the plot points were treated as a mystery, but they were also listed in the synopsis so it wasn't like it took much to guess them? Overall, this was an enjoyable read. I think the mentioned factors could have elevated the plot, but I had a decent time with the short chapters and plot/ characters. Thanks so much to the publisher and author for the chance to exchange an honest review for an early copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen press for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a DNF at 25%

The FMC hiding the details of her mom's death just to be able to tell it to the world within a week was top notch realistic. Kip having super powers of knowing when people lie on camera was also very realistic.

The convos with side characters (like the small talk with the barista) was so cringey..

This was a thriller that had me on the edge of my seat! I feel like the ending was very satisfying and tied the whole book up.

Tell Me What You Did
Carter Wilson

This author knows trauma and thrillers. Strong female MCs are appreciated. Two are upfront and prominent here. I also appreciate male characters and authors that see women as beacons of power and light. I haven’t read this author before but I will again. It’s a cat and mouse game. Can you relive your trauma and trust your family and loved ones? It’s about trusting in your own strength and vulnerability. It’s about your pet being your closest ally. It’s about standing up, by and for who and what you believe in. It’s building hope, one step at a time. I highly recommend this book. I thank NetGalley and Poison Pen Press, an imprint of Sourcebooks for an advanced readers’ copy.

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks for the ARC!

WOW, this one was absolutely unhinged!! Very easy to read and the podcast format had me turning pages faster than ever.

While the story was addictive, it was a little too gory for my taste. That's a me problem as I assumed by the cover this was more of a domestic suspense, but it ended up being borderline horror in my opinion. And with over 170 F-bombs, it just became a huge distraction for me.

The ending was a little lackluster especially when the beginning started out so strong. I wanted a little more at the end, but overall it wasn't a bad ending!

A lot of people will definitely be delighted by this out of the box book. I'm sure this would be incredible on audio as well with the podcast element!

I really liked the unique format of the book with transcripts of a podcast where it was turned a bit on the host where she has to do an interview under duress.

While it wasn’t a thriller in the sense of having twists and turns, it did have the suspense of wondering how things would turn out. While I think k more suspense could have been reflected, I did enjoy the lead up.

I felt like the book was also one of self discovery for Poe the FMC. While I think it was longer than it should have been it was a fairly quick read as the book flowed well.


I am thankful to have gotten an eARC for free from the poisoned pen press through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

I loved the whole interview concept of this book. It was so entertaining and interesting to read about. Since the interview is happening currently and we go back into the past to find out how she got to that point.

I will say that this book didn’t creep me out at all but it keep me interested to find out how she got to the that point. It was a quick read mostly because the chapters are so short which I actually really loved.

The only problem that I had with this book was that it started to drag a bit towards the end and also I did not really like the way it ended, I feel like the author could of done it a bit differently since it was kind of just felt like it just happened.

But I do highly recommend everyone to read this book once it comes out!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange to an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Book number 103 of the year, and. the last one of 2024. A nice book to finish the year off. This was something new and intriguing. I enjoyed the setting and the writing style, as well as Poe’s father and Kip. And of course, little Bailey and Grimm. Poe however I felt fell a bit flat, and at some points I felt it was so clear at least to me, that Poe was written by a man. She also didnt behave the way I imagine someone would behave if they were in the situation that Poe was in.
Hindley however was a great character, well written, creepy, just what was needed. It could have been a bit shorter, and there weren’t really any twists that weren’t predictable.
At some point the author very randomly mentions something out of the blue, which made me immediately think that this was part of the solution and it was.
But all in all I think this was a nice, entertaining book, and I do want to explore more of the author’s previous works.

This was a crazy intense thriller. It hooked me right away. It definitely had that more scary vibe than just a mystery but I really could see it all playing out in my head and had to see what was going to happen at the end.

What a quick and fun thriller this is. Even though it’s 100 chapters, they are short. Poe is a podcast host who interviews criminals. She witnessed her mother’s murder and a guest on her show confesses to be the killer. However, Poe claims she already killed her mother’s murderer. Did she kill the right guy or an innocent man?

The podcast element was done well and added to the story. The plot was also easy to follow. The chapters shift between a future live podcast transcript with her and Ian, and the days leading up to the live podcast.

I enjoyed the characters, including the animals. Special shout out to Bailey! My favorite character is Poe’s Dad. He is a loving father who only wants his daughter to be safe. He and Poe make such a great team. Sadly, Kip and Poe’s relationship was lacking. I wish Wilson would have added more scenes of them together. I wasn’t seeing the romance between them.

I did question a couple parts of this story because they didn’t quite make sense to me. Overall, it’s a fun read, and I would pick up another book by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this eARC to review. All opinions are my own. This book is available on January 28th!

Read if you like:
🎙️ Podcasts
📃 Short Chapters
🤝Teamwork
🩸 A bit of gore

I have not had a murder/mystery that gripped my attention in a long time. What a ride. Even though I figured it out, I still could not put the book down. I will definitely look for this author’s next book.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

Potentially a 2024 favorite?! I know it doesn’t come out till 2025, but I devoured this!!! I read it in less than 7 hrs I think! I loved the writing style.