I wanted to love this book, I really did. This is the third in a series about FBI linguist Raisa Susanto and her partner, Callum Kilkenny. Raisa is from a VERY disfunctional family, in fact, her oldest sister murdered their parents and their brother when Raisa was a child. The novel revolves around the apparent murder of her homicidal sister while she was incarcerated. Both Raisa and her sister, Delaney, are caught up in their sister's web of intrigue, and they are hunting each other, and their sister's murderer.. I have not read the previous two books, I wonder if it would have helped my understanding if I had. I found myself flipping back because I had somehow lost the timeline or the character. There was a lot of bouncing back and forth in the timeline, and with the name changes of both the surviving sisters, I was occasionally lost. But I hung in there, and found the ending to be satisfactory (and all the loose ends were tied up). It was, for me, a solid 3-star read.

Brianna Labuskes’ By the Time You Read This is a gripping psychological thriller that dives deep into family secrets and the weight of the past. The story follows FBI forensic linguist Raisa Susanto, who receives a chilling letter from her imprisoned sister, Isabel—a convicted serial killer—claiming, “By the time you read this, I’ll be dead.” When Isabel’s death follows soon after, Raisa is pulled into a web of mystery, deception, and dark family history.

Labuskes does a great job building suspense, crafting a tense, atmospheric story filled with twists and emotional depth. The dynamic between Raisa and her sisters is particularly well done, adding layers to the mystery. While the multiple timelines and perspectives can be a bit tricky to follow at first, they ultimately add to the book’s complexity and payoff.

This is the third book in the series, but it works well as a standalone. If you enjoy psychological thrillers with intricate family drama and a protagonist you can root for, By the Time You Read This is definitely worth picking up!

I'm a first time reader of this author and i can say i will be watching out for other books by her. I love a good plot twist and this had you guessing at every turn. The only negative is you have to keep up with the timeline.

While it can be read as a stand-alone, I read the first two books in this series prior to diving into this book and I am glad I did! The result: this book felt like the perfect wrap-up and I'll miss these interesting (and some twisted) characters. I think reading the first two books helped me to appreciate the story and catch onto some of the nuance.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Raisa is a linguist for the FBI and going places with her career. One day, after wrapping up a case, she receives a simple note stating, “By the time you read this, I’ll be dead.” Then she hears the news that her sister, Isabel, died in prison. The cause of death is thought to be suicide. Or was it murder? Raisa has her suspicions and immediately starts her own investigation with the help of a fellow FBI agent and profiler, Callum Kilkenny. Their investigation leads them down a worm hole of twists and turns including groups who both worship and hate Isabel. Also included in that list is Raisa and Isabel’s other sister, Delaney. They all have a complicated past which comes out more during the investigation. There are so many characters at play here. It almost gets confusing who is who, but it becomes easier to keep them straight as you’re given more information. The book is a slow start, but picks up in the second half. I was able to guess the outcome, but not immediately. The author does have a talent for weaving a story. There were many details that may not have seemed significant at the time, but turned out to be important in pulling the story together. A good read when you have time to really focus.

This was an interesting and unique book that a liked a lot more than I expected to. It centers on Raisa, who is trying to track down what happened to her serial killer sister Isabel, who seemed to give her a heads up that she was going to die. There is also another sister, Delaney, that is tied up in the whole situation as well. Raisa and her compadres are trying to solve a string of current murders while also determining what happened to Isabel.

The book was really fast paced and I appreciated the way Raisa thought about things, and the glimpse into those thought patterns. Her dynamics with those around her felt really authentic. The mystery was sound, with lots of believable red herrings, and I was really surprised when the villain was revealed. It kept me guessing almost to the very end. One thing to note is that the timeframes between Raisa’s and Delaney’s stories are close to each other but not exactly the same- I was confused at one point and had to remind myself to pay closer attention to the dates to see how the puzzle pieces fit together.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read that was fast paced and twisty. It also takes place in the Pacific Northwest, a locale which I am familiar. I would definitely recommend this book to those who like mysteries and psychological thrillers. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I just want to preface this by saying I love labuskes. She writes great thriller novels. And I have very much enjoyed her newest protagonist. Typically, I do like the mysteries to be tied up in the personal lives of those trying to find the killer and especially the first book was fantastic. But this third book was bordering on, why is she still getting sucked into her sister's stuff? While the pacing and premise were a little off for me, I still enjoyed it. Worth a read.

I fid not realize tjus was the third book in a series. I have not read the prior two books but definitely will after reading thus one. Wonderful characters

I really enjoyed this book, how the author keeps you on your toes guessing how it’s all going to turn out. I loved the twist at the end, I didn’t see it coming!

I’m giving it four stars mostly because for the first half of the book I had a bit of a hard time keeping the characters and POVs straight.

I haven’t read the other books in this series yet, but adding them to my TBR!

FBI Linguist Raisa receives a message from her sister that says: By the time you read this, I’ll be dead. Scary enough, right? Well, her sister is also a serial killer who is locked up!! Wow. Raisa must use every skill in her toolbox to try and figure this out and it may be the most difficult case of her career.

"By The Time You Read This" is an entertaining thriller with plenty of twists, but it didn’t fully pull me in. The third-person perspective made it harder to connect with the characters, and at times, the pacing felt uneven. That said, the mystery was engaging enough to keep me reading. A decent read if you're in the mood for a quick, twisty story. Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC!

Dealing with the death of her serial killer sister, Raisa must follow the clues to find her sister's killer. Interesting story that uses linguistics to find clues.

I enjoyed this read! It gave Criminal Minds vibes which I adore. The relationship between Raisa and Delaney was portrayed so beautifully. Family tension and history played a huge role in their character development! The ending melted my heart when Kilkenny woke up.

This is the third book in a series, but can be read as a standalone. As someone who did not read the others, it was easy to follow this storyline and understand the characters within the first few chapters.

This follows the story of 3 sisters, one of whom is a convicted serial killer. When Isabel dies in prison, this sparks a chase to find out who killed her…and did they stop after only one kill? I was immediately drawn into this story and would easily go back to read the first two installments to get more of these characters.

Thanks NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC!

The description of this book really grabbed my attention, and I was so excited to be given the opportunity to read this ARC. I'm sorry to say that I was rather disappointed. I found the book to be confusing with the odd timeline of events across the two main characters. I also didn't quite understand the background/history of the three sisters. I thought the writing was a little repetitive and, at times, difficult to follow. Several times, I wanted to throw in the towel, but I persevered and continued on.

This is the 3rd book in a series, and I hadn't read the first two books. I'm wondering if I would have enjoyed the book more if I had.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

This book (along with book one and two) was absolutely amazing. I have really found a true love with the mystery/suspense/whodunit genre! The plot was amazing and I’d definitely recommend it to a friend or family!

This was such a fantastic novel! It is #3 in the series and while I've not read the first two, I had no problem jumping in

FBI forensic linguist Raisa Susanto thinks she’s through with the past now that her psychopathic serial killer sister, Isabel, is locked away forever. Then Raisa receives a letter from Isabel. It’s just a single message: By the time you read this, I’ll be dead. Soon after, she is found dead in her cell.

Raisa and FBI forensic psychologist Callum Kilkenny need to find out who killed Isabel and why. But they also need to track someone who appears to be following in her footsteps.

This was so clever in the way the story was told and different threads the author pulled together, revealing clues all the way. The third sister of Raisa and Isabel, Delaney, is also a vital part of the story and I found the whole psychopath element so intriguing! I plan on going back to read the other two novels soon. 4.5*

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for this gifted review copy.

This psychological thriller is gripping, suspenseful, fast paced and very entertaining.

The characters were well developed and believable. The plot was intriguing, and captivating, it will keep you on your toes the entire time.

Raisa is a FBI Forensic Linguist and her partner Agent Kilkenny a FBI Psychologist, and they are immersed on a hunting of a serial killer. Tell me no more! That’s all you need to know for now.

This is book #3 of the series, and even though it can be read as a standalone, I really recommend reading the other books first, I think there is a lot of good information. Plus why not?

Brianna did an excellent job with this book, and let me tell you, you need to read this series!

I highly recommend!

Thank you so much Thomas & Mercer, Brianna Labuskes and NetGalley for my eARC, opinions are my own.

A very quick DNF for me. I just really, really hated the way it was written and couldn’t keep my brain focused long enough to get into it. I know it’s a book but wow was everything about it soooo unrealistic.

This was my first read from Brianna Labuskes and it was AMAZING! This thriller has so many twisty family ties. It keeps you guessing the whole book!