So thrilling that I could not put it down. Who is the killer sister? I could not figure it out and I'm planning on rereading the book to see what leads I missed. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to review a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book review 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Sister, Butcher, Sister by K.D. Aldyn 📚
Pub Date: Jun 10 2025

Wow! This book was unexpected and I really didn’t see that ending coming. I just had my heart set on which sister was the butcher and ran with it. I kinda wanna reread some parts to see how the author got me to sway towards one sister. 🤔🧐

The author’s writing style was descriptive and easy to read, which I look forward to in my reads. Soon as I seen Karin Slaughter in the description of the book, I knew I would love it!

Synopsis: Three sisters. One killer. Which one is SHE?

The Rowling sisters have always been people you can understand – with partners and children, homes and dreams. And secrets, the sisters have those too. But when Kate, the eldest, finally returns to buy her late grandfather's home, the dark things each sister has kept buried soon rise to the surface.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy!

Add to your tbr!!

hree sisters. One killer. Which one is SHE?

The Rowling sisters have always been people you can understand – with partners and children, homes and dreams. And secrets, the sisters have those too. But when Kate, the eldest, finally returns to buy her late grandfather's home, the dark things each sister has kept buried soon rise to the surface.

Is Kate having unexplained visions tied to a past she can hardly recall? Is Aurora, the married mother of two, finally acting out in the face of her sisters' indiscretions? Is Peggy, the youngest and a recovering addict, able to move on from the memories that haunt her?

And then there's SHE.

SHE is one of them, but SHE is not like them at all. SHE is defined only by the carnage she lets the world see, the murders that have swept through their coastal community. And as the police close in on their newest serial killer, scrutiny lands on the Rowlings, forcing them to face their demons and reveal all they have kept hidden.

THIS BOOK!!! WOW!! I really enjoyed this read!

4.5

Sister Butcher Sister
KD Aldyn
Poisoned Pen Press
06/10/2025

Three sisters. One killer. Which one is SHE?

When you give me a tag line, like the above, I am going to run as fast as I can to get the book. Sister Butcher Sister is unyielding and macabre. In her debut novel, Alyden Immerses readers in a captivating psychological thriller where family ties, hidden truths, and relentless tension intertwine.

The author brings a unique narrative style to the story alternating between the three sisters, Kate, Peggy and Aurora as well as SHE. A very cryptic, and dark character who has a thirst for blood. Someone who death brings them joy. SHE feels as if the work she is doing, hunting and deconstructing bad men, is necessary and right.

As the story progresses, we get the background of the girls who have had anything BUT an ordinary childhood. Each one has their own perspective of events, but it is important to pay attention to each one’s memories and keep in mind that we all process things differently. I found myself cheering on SHE and believing her mission.

I’m utterly blown away by Sister, Butcher, Sister. From the very first page, this book seized my attention and never loosened its grip. The writing is razor-sharp, evocative, and unwavering, drawing you into a world where nothing is as it appears and every character harbors a secret. You will be thinking about this book long after it is finished.

I really enjoyed the premise of this story and the backstories of each sister, the story kept me guessing and even when I thought I had guessed which sister the ending surprised me. I often thought about this book when I wasn't reading it and would recommend.
Some may find the graphic content squeamish but I thought it was daring, the female characters were written well and had dimension. This is a fantastic debut novel by KD Aldyn and I would read further stories from her.

Sister, Butcher, Sister by KD Aldyn

This book reels you in from the very beginning!

This story follows sisters Kate, Aurora and Peggy and their complicated relationship. The oldest sister Kate decides to purchase their grandpas house in which they spend most of their childhood in. Troubled memories begin to emerge and each sister question why they spent much time at grandparents house.

There’s a killer on the loose targeting men and the 3 sisters are the main suspects.

Fans of Karin Slaughter will love this!

TRIGGER WARNINGS: sexual and child abuse

Firstly thank you to the publishers for my early access in exchange for a review.
I’ve reviewed a few of this authors books and this is definitely one of their strongest .
Thought provoking and well written

First off, thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the Arc. I wanted to read this when I saw the description (and the cover), and overall I am left with a middle of the road feeling. The story follows three sisters, who all come together after some time apart, but one of them is a killer.

First off the good: It is very well written, the characters are distinct, their world is flushed out, the passage of time felt realistic, and the killings were interesting. There was certainly a feeling of suspense for at least half the novel, and I was very engaged from the get go.

As for the not so great; I felt like there was a lot of repetition, as we would learn something from one sister and then in the very next chapter get the same information from another sister. The murderer would describe her murders, which I thought was great, reminded me a little of the character Dexter, but then we would get the description again from the detective. I just felt like "I know this already, why am I seeing this again?"

Also with only 3 sisters, at some point whoever the killer is going to be, won't be that surprising, as a reader the instinct is to guess or to figure it out, and hopefully be surprised, but it wasn't.

I honestly would be interested to read another thriller from this author, as the writing is fantastic, but needs to stick the landing (ending) a little bit better.

Trigger warnings of sexual and child abuse

So good, you’ll never want to put this book down. Highly enjoyable and unpredictable. This summers must read.

From the get I want to say that if you are sensitive to conversation about sexual violence and child sex abuse, it is wise to steer clear of this book.

Sister, Butcher, Sister by K.D. Aldyn follows three sisters- Aurora, Kate & Peggy- whose normal but separate lives are interrupted by unwelcome memories reemerging after the oldest sister Kate moves into their late (and beloved) grandfather’s home. All the while, “She” is a violent serial killer targeting problematic men. We find ourselves in the killer’s head through POV chapters, and find that it is filled with hateful, gruesome thoughts of gore and murder of which She is sexually gratified by. As the story progresses, we realize “She” is one of the three sisters, committing these increasingly gruesome murders during periods of blackout.

We follow along as these three women navigate their blurry histories and unstable relationships with each other, while inevitably unveiling which of the sisters is committing these crimes.

Sexual violence and the patriarchal response to it is a central theme in this piece. Aldyn includes a warning at the beginning of the book telling you so, which I think was a compassionate choice. The language she used describing the abuse (and murders) didn’t seem to be placed only for shock-value, but didn’t lack the ability to invoke a response in the reader.

Aldyn’s language in this novel is fantastic in my opinion- descriptions within the story whether they were meant to be beautiful and reminiscent (or shocking and disgusting) were done very well and painted a very clear picture of not only what our characters are engaging in, but the emotionality of what’s being described.

In terms of the pacing, I feel like unless you’re paying very close attention, it can be easy to get lost on what the timeline is throughout the story. Not necessarily between flashes of the past and present, but the storyline as a whole.

I can’t say the ending was a huge surprise given the buildup shining a harsher light of focus on the other two sisters- but part of me wishes the big switch up was that it wasn’t any of the sisters at all. Personally, I jump between wishing it was none of the sisters or even all three- and they never get caught. I think many victims of CSA/SA like to explore reclaiming their control and power over an inherently powerless situation whether it be through exposure, revenge or even violence- however I think there may be an implication in the “abused child turns into insane woman” concept that could potentially be seen as controversial.

Overall, I think it’s a well put together piece that feels like it may even be cathartic for some. Given the topic, I don’t think it will please everybody- but I do think it will be successful for the demographic I think Aldyn is actually trying to reach.

“ Don’t you think women are capable of evil?”
You gotta love women serial killers right? Especially women trying to scour evil men from the world..

This novel follows 3 sisters, and unraveling what happened between the past and now. The timeline could have been developed better, at some parts it was a little confusing. The book itself was great though, and the ending got me emotional.
*check your trigger warnings.

This was a 5 star book for me. I did not see that ending coming and was kept on my toes the whole time, grabbing whatever time I had to read. It was absolutely amazing

This was such a good book!!! It is a perfect psychological thriller with so many twists and turns. You never really know where the book is going. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I'm an enormous mystery fan, and I find myself exhausted by gimmicks in the genre such as amnesia being used as a way to create suspense. However, the structure of this novel couldn't be farther from a gimmick--it lends itself to deep characterization and wonderment at what trauma can do to our memories and our psyches. A truly thrilling and thought provoking ride!

This ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

“Which one of them did it???” Was the question running through my mind throughout the entire book. I had my suspicions but they kept changing. Beyond the serial killer thread, this was a book of crazy family drama false memories and questioning what memories could be real. I enjoyed this journey of the three sisters and what happened to them in their lives. Compelling and fun to try to guess the killer.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc.

Oh what a book! Debut crime from this author.and boy do they need to do more please.
I couldn't put it down. It was full of edge of your seat hooks. It was fast paced so you were tumbling over the pages to find out who was who. Bad or good?
And then there is the secrets. And the pasts of all our three sisters. And your constantly trying to figure out if these girls are OK. And or if they could commit murder, ha!
Brilliant twist at the end too.

Three sisters, three different stories that are all intertwined. This storyline had me hooked and guessing right up until the very end.
Featuring graphic content that some authors may stray from, strong and well written female characters, twisty murders, what more could you want?! I really enjoyed this book, this is a fantastic debut novel by KD Aldyn and I cannot wait to see future works.
While the format of writing was slightly confusing in the beginning, as the book went on it was easier to understand and I really enjoyed the multiple POV's.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sister, Butcher, Sister was such a quick read and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. I was able to guess the ending but had fun nevertheless,

Ahhh, where to begin with this review?! This was the first book from this author I’ve had the pleasure of reading. The story follows three sisters, all of whom are complex, flawed individuals, as well as a serial killer known as “she”. “She” is deranged, and cunning.

K.D. Aldyn created an expertly crafted plot, full of unexpected twists and turns. Just when you think you’ve figured out who the killer is, here comes a curve ball out of left field leading you astray. The point-of-view changes help to keep things interesting, especially since it gives such a personal look into the antagonists mind and inner workings.

While the plot overall was interesting, the timeline was a little unclear in parts of it, jumping forward suddenly in places. I think that could definitely be worked on in future novels.

Overall this is definitely a great psychological thriller read for the summer. I will be awaiting seeing what else this author comes out with in this genre!

This was a really well done psychological thriller novel, it had that suspenseful atmosphere that I was looking for and thought it worked well overall. I was engaged with the characters and how everything worked together to tell the story. KD Aldyn has a strong writing style and was glad I got to reading this.