This is metafiction in a big way. Katie is a crime writer who has been kidnapped and is being forced to write crimes based on fairytales, which her kidnapper will then act out. Trying to solve the crimes is Senior Inspector Lyla Roddell, who has a connection with fairytale crimes and seems to know all about the fae.

But who is pulling the strings? Is it The Wolf, Katie's kidnapper? Is it Katie, through her writing? Is it Lyla? Or is it someone else plotting away?

Think of this book as a set of nesting dolls - every layer gives you more of the story - and it's very cleverly done. It does mean that some of the characters are lightly drawn and with so many layers, you do lose a bit of the detail along the way, but I enjoyed the metafictional elements. Perhaps a bit too gory for me at times - it veers into horror slightly FYI - but clever nonetheless.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Australia through NetGalley for this ARC.

Rating of 4.25.

I had a wonderful time reading one of the more unique murder mystery novels of 2025, the compelling and occasionally bonkers novel, Litte Red Death by bestselling author A. K. Benedict.

Little Red Death was a quite a fascinating read that went in some very surprising directions. While I was expecting a less conventional crime fiction book, I honestly wasn’t prepared for just how fantastical Little Red Death turned out to be, as Benedict loads in some memorable twists that change everything, while keeping the readers engaged with its compelling plot.

I felt that Little Red Death started off strong and provided some intriguing details that will hook most readers. The main plotline revolves around DI Lyla Rondell, who is called in to investigate a killing that has been inspired by classic Grimm fairytales. This case strikes Lyla hard, as years before the girl she loved suddenly disappeared with a classic fairytale plot device left behind. Receiving taunting messages apparently from the killer, known as the Grimm Ripper, as more vicious fairytale themed murders are carried, Lyla becomes obsessed with the case, hoping that she will finally find her missing friend. This initial storyline around Lyla is quite impactful in its own right, and Benedict ensures that the first half of the book is made further intriguing thanks to a perspective from a second major character, Katie, a mystery writer who has been kidnapped by the killer and is now being forced to write a series of twisted fairytale murder stories that the Grimm Ripper is using as a guideline for his crimes. These two major storylines blend quite nicely, and Benedict cleverly layers in some clues at the major events to come, which was very well done in hindsight. However, despite some hints about the unusual nature of events, nothing quite prepares you for the big twist at the centre of the book.

Now, I don’t want to give too much away about what the big twist is, especially as it is quite fun to find out on your own. I will say that Benedict does set it up nicely, and it fits the unusual nature of Little Red Death extremely well. While I can see some murder mystery purists not enjoying it, especially as it veers the story towards fantasy grounds, I personally liked it. I must admit that I did laugh like crazy when I initially discovered what was happening, because it is pretty out there, but Benedict really commits to it, and it makes Little Red Death really stand out. Because of this twist, the second half of Little Red Death has a very different tone to it, but it also allows for some great character moments, especially as the main protagonists discover more about themselves and are forced to come to terms with some very hard truths. It leads up nicely to a series of big twists and shocking moments at the end, which were quite clever in their way, although it did feel like Benedict was trying to make things too complicated at times. Still, it was a very fun ending, and I liked the sadistically satisfying and unique overall conclusion to Little Red Death, which is extremely meta and brings together a lot of fun references from the rest of the book.

Little Red Death proved to be a very exciting and outrageous book in the end, and I think that Benedict did a great job of introducing and utilising all her unique ideas to create a very distinctive story. As I mentioned above, the use of multiple character perspectives between Lyla and Katie worked very well to tell a layered narrative with some great added complexity, especially after the big twist showcases their unlikely connection. Benedict also has fun including a series of Katie’s twisted fairytales throughout the book, which allows the reader to see the inspiration behind the killer’s next murders. These stories, and other inclusions, add a great self-referential edge to the plot, especially as the characters discuss writing techniques and how to come up with elaborate murders which clearly emulate the author’s own personal experiences. It also allowed Benedict to showcase knowledge of the original Grimm fairytales, and she twists the classic tales into even darker scenarios. Benedict further adds to the mystery and darker elements of the story by including multiple subtle meta references and hints throughout the book. While a few of these at the start seem weird, by the end you realise that Benedict was trying something very clever, and they play in nicely to the book’s complex ending. I quite liked this fun way in which the author tried to make Little Red Death just a bit more memorable and zanier, and it ensures that you come away from the book really thinking about the full implications of the plot and what it means to both the reader and all the characters.

With a very out-there plot, a unique mystery and some intriguing characters, Little Red Death was one of the more distinctive novels of 2025, and one that I had an outstanding time with. A. K. Benedict clearly had fun coming up with this dark fairytale themed romp (or maybe not depending on how you see the final meta twist), and Little Red Death is really worth a read, especially if you enjoy unusual and exciting murder mysteries.

An abridged review of this book also ran in the Canberra Weekly on 6 March 2025:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2025/03/10/canberra-weekly-column-crime-fiction-6-march-2025/

For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/

Fairy Tales, Folklore, The Grimm Ripper,
Mushrooms
I dived right into this novel and was immediately intrigued by the premise. A kidnapped writer being forced to write murderous fairy tales for her captor to carry out. Horrifying!
I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, their backstories, their why's, the clues throughout the book (well I knew they were clues at the end but not at the time of reading - classic me).

There were some inception concepts to this book and unfortunately my brain does not compute these so I did struggle towards the end to understand what was happening but I still enjoyed the reveal at the end!
You'll like this read if you love mind bending dark fairy tales.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Conceptually, this book is everything you could ever want from a horror/paranormal/crime novel. The idea is solid - there are faerie tale crimes happening, and they are nasty, and they are escalating. I do feel like the plot as a whole lost where it was going though, unfortunately. It starts off strong, and it's really clear that the story was formulated around this. The twists and turns are complex, but to the point that the genre bending feels more like fatigue than anything else.

I think there's a really solid story and some really good characters in this book, they just need a little bit more teasing out and development to get where they need to be. I did enjoy some of the gore and the supernatural themes, but I think this book could use just a bit more of a straightforward path, both for the mystery and horror elements.

So if you took a bit of All the genres and threw them into a blender this comes out. Seriously, my best guess would ultimately be Horror-Paranormal-Fantasy-Parody-Agenda genre. Normally would dnf this type of book after immediately realising it was not the expected genre nor, quite frankly, anything close.
I was grossed out many times, couldn't eat for hours and took a couple days break from it, but was Determined to read the whole thing through to be fair.
What eventually helped was reading it out loud to my hubby and doing the voices for all the different characters lol That's what brought the parody to light because when read out loud it's actually quite funny.
I cannot rate this higher due to the Vulgarity, Gore, etc that im not a fan of. I expected a Mystery/Thriller and got something beyond words.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Australia through NetGalley for this ARC. xox

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. I was intrigued by the synopsis and liked the concept of the story. However, I'm not sure if I truly enjoyed it. It felt like something was missing for me, and I never felt fully immersed in the narrative. The back-and-forth structure caused some confusion. On a positive note, I did appreciate the fairy tale aspects and the stories woven throughout the book.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect from this book, but I was both intrigued and disappointed. The theme of fairy tale murders was unique and captivating but I felt there was just too much back and forth between characters & who each of the victims are and what they contribute to the story line. I was left confused at the cessation of this story with little understanding of what was actually going on. Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to love this book, it just missed the mark.