Wow. Tell Me What You Did was wildly suspenseful. I loved the timeline jumps between the live podcast transcripts to the events leading up to Halloween night.

Tell Me What You Did is a popular podcast, where Poe interviews criminals and allows them to confess their crimes on her show. Evening’s going well, when a guest comes on her show and claims to be the man who killed her mother. It couldn’t be… because Poe has a secret, too. One that this horrible man threatens to reveal.

I think I audibly murmured, “ahhh” when the big reveal happened in chapter 95. I didn’t see it coming, and loved every second of this explosive ending!

I feel like true crime stories can get old - because the bad guy always comes over the show host, when they get too close to solving it - but this was fun because the crime was years and years ago, and hits very close to home for the host. It was eerie and suspenseful, and I couldn’t get enough!

4.5 stars

Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson is a psychological thriller about a true crime podcaster with a past no one knows about.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Poisoned Pen Press, and the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
  

My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Poe Webb hosts a popular true crime podcast.  Her producer, Kip, is her boyfriend.  Together they invite guests onto their show to anonymously confess their crimes.  She makes no promises as to what will befall her guests after they confess.   It could be the cops will arrive at their door, or a lynch mob, or they may just walk away feeling better for confessing.  Most of them just want the fame.

However, when a man who looks somewhat familiar wants to appear on her show, Poe's spidey sense kicks up.  So does Kip's.  This guy is weird.  He also wants to confess to the murder of Poe's mother.  But Poe knows he's lying, because Poe knows that the man who killed her mother is dead.  Poe killed him.  But no one, not even Kip, knows about Poe's past.  And this idiot wants the world to know it.
 

My Opinions:
WOW!  I loved this book.  This should be made into a movie.  The writing is so powerful, so vivid, that I could picture each event as it happened.  And a lot happened!  It was action-packed, and creepy....not horror creepy, just creepy.

Just be warned that the book does jump back and forth to different timelines quite a bit.  I think this may be my only problem with the book.

I loved the characters, they felt real.  I also loved the relationship that Poe had with her father.  Their dialogue was wonderful...a bit of lightness in a dark book.

I did figure out who the killer was, but it didn't matter.

As I said, this is a rather dark book.  The book is about revenge, trauma, secrets, lies.  Topics include serial killers, stabbing, poisoning, torture, and other methods of murder.  But the book is also about family, and what you are prepared to do for that family.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this to anyone who loves a good thriller.  I've read other books about podcasters, but this was an original story!  I loved the ending.

I have a couple of other books by this author, and I'm moving them up my TBR pile.

Tell Me What You Did is a true crime thriller featuring Poe who hosts a true crime podcast. This podcast is unique because it involves interviewing people who have never been caught for their crimes and on this podcast they confess to the crimes. Then one day, a man appears on her show who claims to have killed her mother. This upends her entire life because not only did she witness her mother's murder but she also killed the murderer years ago.
Unfortunately this didn't work for me. I thought that even though the concept was good and it did force me to think about a few things, the plot didn't have enough substance to carry any entire book. It felt repititive and unnecessarily dragged at times. Also at one point the author makes a religious comment which didn't sit well with me. So this one was not a winner.

The idea behind this book was really exciting, something I’d never read before. It started off well, but by the middle I felt like it was a bit drawn out, there wasn’t much character development from the main character Poe, we literally know nothing about her other than this secret he podcast guest is getting her to reveal to her listeners. Overall it was good but a bit drawn out and predictable

Surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. The idea of incorporating true crime podcasts into novels seems to have been quite the rage in the last few years. And honestly I’ve found it to be a fairly successful story vehicle so I was interested in reading Tell Me What You Did, but it turned out to be so much more than I expected. If possible I’d tell you to go into completely blind, but I know that’s not possible since you probably read the book blurb before looking at reviews. I’m sure when Poe started her confessions podcast, which features people confessing their crimes to her, that she ever expected to someone come and confess to crime that hits her personally. This is a wild, intense thriller. This is the best Carter Wilson book I’ve read…but then this is the first Carter Wilson book I’ve read, lol. I look forward to seeing if his previous books are just as good. I’d like to thank Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Tell Me What You Did.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RSFUZCZ3M3MOS/ref=pe_123899240_1043597390_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Dark, gritty, and absolutely unhinged—this book sinks its claws into you from the first page and refuses to let go. Twisting true crime obsession into a psychological thriller, Tell Me What You Did pulses with tension, balancing shocking confessions with a protagonist whose own past is just as haunting as the cases she explores.

Poe Webb is the kind of character you can’t look away from—unapologetic, raw, and carrying a secret that makes her both hunter and hunted. Her podcast serves as the perfect stage for moral ambiguity, where the lines between justice and revenge blur with every confession. And when a caller claims to have killed her mother—seventeen years after Poe thought she avenged that very crime—the real game begins.

This book thrives on its suffocating tension. Even without constant twists, the sense of dread builds, making every page feel like a countdown to something explosive. The father-daughter dynamic adds an unexpected emotional weight, grounding Poe in a relationship that’s both flawed and deeply affecting.

Fast-paced, nail-biting, and brimming with the kind of morally grey characters that will haunt you long after the final page—this is a must-read for fans of true crime, psychological thrillers, and stories that make you question everything.

‘People will do anything for fame.’

Poe is the host of a top ranked true crime podcast called “Tell Me What You Did.”
She interviews people anonymously who have committed crimes, ranging from theft, arson, conning, and even murder. They have 15 uninterrupted minutes to tell their story.

But while she interviews people confessing to their crimes, Poe has a past of her own.
When Poe was thirteen years old, her mother was murdered. What no one knows is that she witnessed the whole thing.
And now one of her guests is determined to get the truth and force Poe to tell HER story.

This story alternates from present time and different past times. I love the podcast style writing for this kind of book!
Holy moly, this kept me on my toes!!
I was hooked from the beginning and never wanted to put it down.

Thank you @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for this early release!

Thank you to NetGalley, Carter Wilson, and Poisoned Pen Press for the ebook! This was a standout thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I’m a fan of books with a podcast element, and this one absolutely delivered. A must-read for thriller fans!

I listen to true crime podcasts all the time. I love when they are in books and this was no exception. I thought the writing and how the story was weaved was amazing. Will pick up more from this author.

EXCERPT: I look up at my screen and stare at the guest's name in the waiting room.
Ian Hindley.
Huh. Most guests choose unidentifiable usernames, like KOD4ever. Rare that it's a plausibly real name. But I'm sure it isn't.
'Anything I should know?' I ask Kip. My heart is definitely beating faster than usual.
It's a rhetorical question. Kip is the one who fields all requests for show appearances, and he's solely in charge of deciding who I talk to. I don't ever want to know anything about my guests before we start recording. I want to go in fresh, unbiased, and unprepared. It's what makes the show exciting for me, and as it turns out, it's also part of what's made Tell Me What You Did such a success. Asking Kip if there's anything I should know is just a habit, a good-luck charm. He never answers.
Yet, this time he does.
'All I gotta say is this guy freaks me out.'
Few things rattle Kip, so his saying this is unusual. A chill ripples over my forearms.
'Okay . . .' I say. I don't ask any more questions. Now I'm excited. Now I'm almost forgetting Kip quasi-dumped me.
I take another sip of my vodka, and we run one more mic check to test the levels. The door to my studio is closed, and the acoustic baffles attached to three of the four walls make my voice both soft and razor-sharp. I hope freaky Ian has a good mic.
I take my iPhone and place it in the holder of my ring light, then start recording video.
'Okay, let him in.'
'Roger that.'
The darkness on my screen turns to light as my guest connects to both audio and video.
And now I get my first look at Ian Hindley.
It's suddenly so quiet, I want to scream just to feel something.
And I know.
I just know.
This Hindley guy?
He's gonna have a hell of a story.

ABOUT 'TELL ME WHAT YOU DID': She gets people to confess their crimes for a living. He knows she's hiding a terrible secret. It's time for the truth to come out…

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: Intense. My heart is still pounding! THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

I read over half in the first sitting than finished the rest over a very lengthy breakfast. I COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN! So, if you're planning on reading Tell Me What You Did, and I sincerely hope you are, clear your decks because you are not going to want to do anything else after you start.

There was nothing I didn't love about Tell Me What You Did. I loved that we got to reconnect with Alice from Mr Slender's Girl. But don't worry if you haven't read that particular book - there's nothing you need to know from it that isn't explained here. But please do go back and read it because it's simply one of the best reads ever.

I love that Poe gets the tables turned on her. Instead of being the one asking the sticky questions, she's the one having to answer them.

I loved Poe's character, but wouldn't want to be her. She's edgy, always on guard and throws up a shield to stop anyone getting even remotely close to her. Except for Kip. And even him she keeps at a distance. She lives a purposely isolated life for the same reason. She fears being vulnerable. She is adept at lying. She even lies to her dog, Bailey. I love Bailey.

And Kip was right. Ian Hindley is creepy. He knows things. Things that he shouldn't know. Things that no one should know. Things that only the man who killed Poe's mother Margaret should know. Just who is he?

Beyond this, you don't need to know anything. Buckle yourself in and go into this read blind. Lock the doors and leave the lights on.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#tellmewhatyoudid #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: Born in New Mexico in 1970, Carter grew up primarily in Los Angeles. Throughout his life, Carter has journeyed the globe for both work and pleasure, and his travels have been a constant source of inspiration in his fiction.

Carter’s writing career began on a spring day in 2003, when an exercise to ward off boredom during a continuing-education class evolved into a 400-page manuscript. Since that day, Carter has been constantly writing.

Carter lives in Erie, Colorado in a Victorian house that is spooky but isn’t haunted…yet. (Source: carterwilson.com - abridged)

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Poe Webb witnessed her mother getting stabbed to death as a young girl. Now as an adult, hosts a podcast where she invites those that have committed crimes to anonymously confess them. She let’s them know that while she cannot guarantee that the police won’t come after the confessor, they do not have to give her their real name. Her producer Kip screens the confessors and there’s a rather strange one for this episode. When he gets on screen, the image of him only Poe sees, he looks vaguely familiar, he confesses to being her mother’s killer. Poe is shocked. She believed her mother’s killer to be dead because… she killed him.

Wow, this book is just wow. This was an instant 5 star read for me. I devoured this book is less than 24 hours. It is gripping and thriller, suspenseful and fast paced. The book starts out with a transcript of podcast and then there are some chapters in transcript form and some chapters in prose from from the recent past leading up to the current podcast. Then they meet up and we proceed from that point.

While there are a ton of podcast thriller books, this one is VERY different. The concept is fresh and it’s just written so well. From being able to get into the Poe’s psyche, to finding out Poe’s actions, to questioning if she had the correct person, Wilson was just so brilliant with his writing giving you everything to keep you interested without revealing too much. I didn’t know what was going to happen, how it was all going to play out. How it did play out didn’t cross my mind. So yeah, I was shocked.

Poe has the tables turned on her when her guest who claims to have killed her mother turns the tables on her and has her confess her crimes. But at what cost to her? I understand the ending, though I do wish it ended slightly different or we had a bit of clarity.

I don’t feel my review is really doing this book justice, as I can’t really think of a good enough way to describe this book. This has become one of my all time favorite thrillers and I will be screaming from the rooftops recommending this book.

This is the first book I have read by this author. I thought the premise was interesting, however I struggled with Poe as a character. It was very obvious that she was written by a man. The story definitely had some issues with length as it was much more drawn out than it needed to be. The story went backward and forward in time which really did nothing for moving the story along. This was just ok for me. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

I love the incorporation of podcasts into mystery/thrillers. This story follows Poe who has a unique podcast, a space for people to anonymously confess their crimes. Interesting premise, fast-paced and exciting.

Even through the chapters moved fast, the overbook was a little drawn out. It's a solid thriller that is best going in blind. It'll be worth it.
3.5 rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I wasn’t expecting this book, and it was best to go into this one blind and just enjoy the plot as it unfolds.
I was hooked right from the start with the short chapters and engaging writing style.
Although I could guess where the plot was going, I couldn't put my Kindle down because I wanted to see what kind of ending this story would have.

This book is told in dual timeline: the present time of the live podcast that changes Poe’s life, and the events from the past leading up to the present.
I liked the script interview format from the present timeline, which felt like watching a live podcast without knowing what’s on the minds between Poe and her latest deranged client.

Poe, the podcast host, is an intriguing and complex character, making this story much more than a simple thriller—it’s thought-provoking too.
Not everything is black and white; there are many grey areas where the author explores important themes such as guilt, revenge, justice, and redemption. It had me pondering what I would do in Poe’s position.

Overall, this is a fun fast-paced, plot driven novel, and I enjoyed my time reading it, even though the last few chapters toward the ending dragged a bit.
I'm definitely willing to try another book by this author and will keep an eye out for one!

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: Murder, stalking, blood, violence, torture, sexual assault, brief mention of animal cruelty

RUN DON'T WALK - READ THIS BOOK NOW!

This was such a fantastic book! I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen. I loved the Podcast element and I definitely will have to go back and check out the audio version of this book. I loved the FMC - Poe and don't' blame her one bit for what she did! If you love podcasts and crime thrillers, this one is definitely for you and you won't regret it!

I will definitely check out this author's other books!

DNF at 22%.

This book was vague and predictable.

I went into it blind, having not read the blurb. I couldn't even tell whether the protagonist, Dylan Poe Webb, was a woman or a man. There were no surprises or twists; everything was predictable. I didn't care about the characters, and even if I tried to, the writing was too flat and got in the way.

Thanks to Netgalley & Poisoned Pen Press for the e-copy.

Overall the book had a good premise and I thought I was really going to enjoy it. However, it did fall short for me. I really enjoyed the story but felt there were some plot holes and just some things that were a little far fetched.

This book is packed with suspense and intrigue, capturing the addictive vibe of a well-crafted podcast. As someone who binge-listens to true crime podcasts, I absolutely loved how this novel was inspired by a popular show, delivering just as much of that page-turning energy. I could not put this book down reading it in one day. Wilson does a fantastic job creating a morally complex female protagonist—someone who feels incredibly relatable but also holds that unpredictable, even unhinged side we all secretly wish we could unleash. I thought I had the ending all figured out, but I was pleasantly shocked by the twist! This book was exactly what I needed to break my reading slump!

*Thank you to Carter Wilson, Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

I would recommend going into this book blind!!

Ian is a creepyyyyyy guy, omg. I was so nervous for Poe and what would happen. I loved the suspense and creep factors, all while following such a morally grey FMC.

Love the SHORT chapters. You fly right through them because they’re so quick. But even without the short chapters, I was hooked.

The novel moves back and forth between the story as it unfolds and a podcast transcript a couple weeks in the future, until the timelines converge. I loved the podcast element, and it was so integral to this story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub Date: 1/28/25

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Poe Webb, in her early thirties, is a true crime podcaster famous for her show “tell me what you did,” where people anonymously confess to their crimes committed. Her show guarantees instant fame and anonymity while providing relief for confessing a heavy burden. Poe feels connected to these people because she herself has been harboring a secret for the past seven years. When a strange man appears on her show and claims to have killed her other 17 years ago, Poe is taken by surprise. Poe cannot believe this man is the killer of her mother, because she herself had found the killer and murdered him seven years ago.

Twisty, edgy, heart pounding, and nail biting! This is a story that grips you and holds you to the edge of your seat! Definitely recommend for fans of fast paced psychological thrillers!