An easy enough read which kept me interested. I wasnt keen on the way the main character was written, unfortunately, which felt like a female being written by a man. Thanks to Netgalley.

This book is perfect for fans of true crime!
Pretty detailed/gory 👀
I think it was well written. I seen a couple things coming, had some guesses that were wrong! 😅
Overall, I enjoyed the book and the ending.

I love an unreliable narrator. Kell is obsessed with true crime. She caught one serial killer and now that there has been a murder close to her home she is ready to get into action again. The writing and the way the story was told was unique. I was so deeping invested in this book. It was dark and psychological. There were good twists and the ending was satisfying. I highly recommend this book!

I started off hooked and addicted to this one. It had me captivated from the very beginning and had great potential. However unfortunately
for me it got a bit too complicated in the middle of the book with too many stories. I would however recommend this one as I know some fans of true crime / thriller books will love this one. I didn't hate it but I feel it lost its vibe.

"I guess rule number one of committing the perfect murder would be convincing everyone you weren't contemplating murder at all."

So says Kelli Amari, obsessed with serial killers, a journalist who rose to fame when she herself caught a serial killer. Now firmly back in her small town in the British countryside, having fallen short of the meteoric career she was hoping for after her big break, Kelli is frustrated and more than a little bitter with her life's trajectory, So, when a body is found in the woods behind her house, Kelli is understandably delighted. This could be, after all, her second chance to prove herself, her redemption!

"How to Get Away with Murder" was on the shorter side and fast-paced, which made it an easy, quick read. And props for a shockingly high number of twists in relatively short a book - though most of them were predictable, including the red herrings, I appreciated their placement in the story and thought they were well done.

That being said, while the book started out strong and with some of the dark humor promised in the blurb, it did not live up to its promise for me. Let's start with our unreliable narrator Kelli, who is not only absolutely unlikeable, but - much worse in a book such as this - not nearly as clever as she thinks she is. She constantly makes stupid decisions, one of them being to continue a disturbing relationship with the murderer she "caught" (no thanks to her own skills, though), another one being binging on seriously dark serial killer materials instead of going to therapy, and then being too afraid to go upstairs to bed. And don't even get me started on her actions during the actual murder investigation. That is all well and good - not all characters have to be likeable and/or clever, after all - until, in the second half of the book, we are suddenly told something about Kelli's background that seems meant to not just make her more likeable, but also explain her actions (spoiler alert: it didn't, and it only made me dislike her more, because whyyyyyy was there such a weird cover story that just dragged someone else into the mess?). Something traumatic was made to feel like a cheap plot twist, which really irritated me, even more so because it felt both entirely unnecessary to the plot and ineffective. A redemption arc for Kelli, this was not!

The book itself seemed like it was equally confused about what it was going to be - a darkly comedic take on our society's obsession with murder and true crime, or an intense, suspenseful thriller? While the first half of the book is somewhat humorous, the second half takes itself much too seriously, and by trying to be both, "How to Get Away with Murder" fell flat for me. Finally, it was so procedurally frustrating (not just filled with inept police, which is almost a mandatory requirement in stories like these, but there was no understanding of criminal procedure), it took me right out of the book.

Overall, this would have been closer to a 2.5 star read for me, but the final twists - though not unexpected - were satisfying enough to elevate my rating to 3 stars. This was a debut novel, and it definitely felt like one at times, but I would read more books by this author.

TW: murder (duh), torture, domestic abuse, substance abuse, child sexual abuse, attempted rape.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"How to Get Away with Murder" is slated to be released on January 27, 2025.</i>

First, thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book and exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Kelli, a journalist and true crime fanatic who has already cracked one case and is ready to take on another when her boyfriend is accused of murder. Overall, How to Get Away With Murder is an engaging read, although it was darker than I anticipated. I actually often enjoy dark books, so this did not affect my rating, but I will note that it was a bit darker than I expected from reading the back cover. This is a quick read, and there are definitely twists and turns along the way. However, I really struggled to connect with any of the characters, and this made it hard to care about them. And although I will leave this vague to avoid spoilers, I will admit that my overall rating went down by a star when I got to the very ending (which left me frustrated rather than shocked).

Overall, I would give this book a 3.5 and will round it to 4. I wish I could go back and simply not read the last chapter haha, but I would recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for a quick, twisty-turny thriller.

This book was not for me. Noe of the characters were particularly likeable, and the main character was just annoying. All the actions were farfetched and really didn't make any sense. It's a no from me dog.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the Arc. This did not influence my review or my rating.

Honestly, this is the first time I did not guess the murderer so that was cool. This main character is an awful person and also a completely unreliable narrator and I really enjoyed it. The fact that no one was a good person made me pretty happy since I think that is pretty rare. The author did not attempt to make the characters good and the characters didn’t pretend to be good. I think true crime fans have a glorified way of looking at crime. A lot of these crime journalists are not sane or even morally good. In fact there should be more conversation around how victims and their families are treated by the media.

Anyway since the book is not out yet I will not spoil anything but I think it’s worth the read because it is an easy thriller to read.

I really liked this book!! I do love the format and the unique way the writing was. I was entertained and intrigued the whole way through, and I really enjoy the way this authorwrites, I recommend this book!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

***advance review copy received from NetGalley in return for an honest review***
A pacy murder mystery that would be perfect for readers who enjoyed A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. I will admit that I twigged the killer ahead of the reveal, but the final ending was so good that it earned the extra star for me. A very satisfying read.

Release Date- 27th January 2025.
thank you to NetGalley & ps published for gifting and allowing me to read an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest rating and review.

˚୨୧⋆｡ 4 ☆

Our main character in this novel is Kelli, and similar to Pip from aggtm she is a small town journalist that is obsessed with true crime and documentaries. in this novel we learn that Kelli had caught a prolific serial killer and had her section of fame through being featured in a documentary. Kelli wants more from the criminal action for her to get stuck into, so when there is a murder close to her home, Kelli can’t refuse this chance.

Through most of this book I was thinking “this is a nice cozy comedy mystery” and then bam! we get to the second half of the novel (150 pages+) and we got into thriller territory. I personally did not see any of the twists coming and I absolutely love thrillers and it’s so fun to try and discover who it is, and like per usual I was incorrect. I was completely shocked by the correct and guilty perpetrator. Some of Kelli’s actions I did predict as she was subtle and I feel like there were many suggestions leading up to that.

Overall, this was such an enjoyable and fun arc read and I loved it.
First book of 2025 💫🎊

I can't remember the last time I skim read a book but this one drove me to it.It started well but then desends into a hot mess,nothing seemed to flow right and there was a lack of detail at crucial points.
Normally, you can take to at least one character in a book, but there just weren't any likeable ones in this one.
The plot line went from rushed to slow, and it was hard to engage. There was a big chance for this to be a really good, interesting read, but the writer has sadly missed the mark for me.
I hope others enjoy more.
Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the Arc.

A great read! Twisty, witty and just a little bit unhinged!

Meet Kelli, a small town journalist who is obsessed with true crime. After she caught a prolific serial killer and had her 15 minutes of fame, Kelli has yearned for more criminal action to get stuck into, so when there is a murder close to her home, Kelli is all in!

Kelli is a brilliantly unreliable narrator and her antics absolutely grabbed my attention! Is she an amateur sleuth, or a deadly psychopath?

Tam Barnett cleverly builds up the suspense whilst casting suspicion on a number of possible killers. There's plenty of dark humour and some jaw dropping twists, which lead to an exquisitely shocking ending. Loved it!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Tam Barnett and Boldwood, for an ARC in return for an honest review.

First, I want to thank @NetGalley, @boldwoodbooks and @tambarnett for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I would like to admit I should not rate books when I finish them right before bed (LOL)

Originally, last night I rated this book a 3.5 but then I realized the .5 was definitely a “me” issue.

This story follows journalist Kelli Amari, who is a self proclaimed true crime enthusiast that is so intense it borders on its own version of psychopathy. Who is also afraid of the dark, hmm. From the prologue, this book had me hooked and invested. Kelli finishes up a documentary on John Wayne Gacy (American serial unaliver), and when she turns to Twitter (I will never call it ‘X’, just like Kelli), the algorithm suggests a post:

Are you a clinical psychopath? Take our free test and see….

OKAY! I am in! Full disclosure, I am a psych student so true story or not, psychopathy is fascinating to me!

Kelli has formerly participated in the capture of a serial unaliver and now she has the itch. So when another one strikes, she wants that rush again. The “me” issue was there were a LOT of references to real serial unalivers and I knew only 3 (Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy and Son of Sam) so I found myself googling every single one to find out what they did, what was being referenced (this was NOT necessary, I am also a true crime enthusiast so it was definitely a ME issue) as long as you realize they are referencing other serial unalivers to compare character traits and MO’s, you will understand the story and it will still be engaging.

Through most of this book I was thinking “okay this is a great comedic mystery” … then we get to the second half … we got into thriller territory. I did not see any of the twists coming, I was completely shocked by who was guilty. Some of Kelli’s actions I did predict because I feel there were many suggestions leading up to that.

All in all … highly suggest for mystery, thriller lovers who also don’t mind a laugh or two to lighten the mood.

This grabbed me from the get-go. The minute I finished the prologue with its talk about doing a 'psychopathy checklist', I knew this was a book I was going to enjoy. Although I found the story slow to start, it certainly starts to pick up the pace halfway through. I read the last 60% in an evening.

The story follows the pov of Kelli, a journalist with an obsession for all things true crime that stems from witnessing her dad being sent down for manslaughter. After helping to capture the notorious serial killer known as ' The White Widower', she finds herself a bit lost in life with no real direction insight. When a dead body is discovered close to where she lives, something ignites within Kelli, and she can't help but get herself entangled with another killer on the loose.

As the story progresses, you realise that kelli isn't all she seems, and you realise how unreliable and a little unhinged she is. I've read a few books now with this format, and I really enjoy how it makes you question and doubt everything you think is going on with the plot. Her back story is interesting, and we learn how it has moulded her into the person she is today. I can't say I liked her. She makes you uncomfortable.

I really enjoyed the plot and how it cleverly played out. It is full of unpredictable twists and misdirection. It kept me guessing. What an ending. It didn't even cross my mind. It was one of those OMG moments for me.

It's dark, witty, and clever with a satisfyingly good ending. A killer of a debut to add to your tbr this year!

Thank you to Tam Barnett for my advanced copy through Boldwood Books and Netgalley.

My opinions are my own

“Rule number one of committing the perfect murder would be convincing everyone you weren’t contemplating a murder at all.”

This was a great read! It was a bit slow to start but once I got into the guts of the book, this was so gripping and kept me questioning the entire way.

As someone who notoriously guesses the plots of books early on, I was pleasantly surprised to not know who the murdered was until just before it was revealed. While this may be a silly point for some, it was a breath of fresh air for me.

Well rounded characters, a very well thought out and complex plot, I would definitely recommend this one.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this review copy.

I enjoyed this mystery a lot and had a hard time putting this one down. There were plenty of twists and turns and the main character was complex and left me not quite sure how to feel about her. I wasn't sure who the actual killer was until reveal and I loved the ending. It was quite satisfying. Will definitely recommend this one to others in my book club!

I enjoyed How To Get Away With Murder, it was fast paced with twists and turns, it keeps you hooked!

This is the perfect book for anyone who loves true crime and crime thrillers in general. The opening is one heck of a hook! Kelli was a very interesting and entertaining character who I had a lot of fun following during this book. I would give this more than 5 stars if I could. I could not put it down.

This book was so good! 4 stars for me! I was hooked from the beginning and was kept guessing the whole time! I was not expecting the end though! I normally am not a fan of unreliable narrator but I like the way it was done in this book! I can’t say I honestly liked any of these characters but it made it that much better. Highly recommended! Thank you to the author/publisher and NetGalley for an ebook ARC.