All in the Family......

Brianna Labuskes presents the third book in the Raisa Susanto Series. I'd say to go back and at least pick up the first book in this series in order to get a feel for these characters. They are definitely not gumby stamped figures. There's a lot of backstories to be filled in with individuals who walk along sifting sands.

Raisa Susanto is an FBI forensic linguist who specializes in speech and written patterns that are forthcoming to clues about perpetrators and their crimes. Raisa knows this all upfront and personal. She's the youngest member of a family riddled with psychopaths. When you've grown up elbowing in next to unsettled minds, you can pick one up in a crowd in nano seconds.

Raisa arrives home late one evening exhausted as usual. There's a letter addressed to her with only sentence: "By the time you read this, I'll be dead." She knows immediately that it's from her sister Isabel, an imprisoned serial killer. A follow-up phone call validates the news. Raisa will take on the task of investigating her sister's death. Suicide or murder?

Next to walk in is Callum Kilkenny, Raisa's professional partner who is an FBI forensic psychologist. They've worked together on many cases. The last book had a developing storyline with these two in regard to their relationship. This time Kilkenny will be sidelined in a major way (sorry......not gonna give that away.) And this duo and this relationship suffers because of it.

Up next is Raisa's sister, Delaney, who adds some spark to this campfire. Her storyline is an interesting one. Delaney is seeking answers, too. Then we have the addition of podcasts lighting their way seeking the same answers as well. When a body is found, it has all the markings of an Isabel killing. Is this a copycat killer or a protege in the making? Stay tuned and buckle up for a rough ride.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to the talented Brianna Labuskes for the opportunity.

This was a great continuation in the Raisa Susanto series! Tons of secrets and unknowns, hard to put down with so much going on. The timeline was a little confusing at times. I recommend reading this series in order. I really enjoyed it!

Thanks NetGalley, Brianna Labuskes, and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC!

Dark and twisty, this psychological thriller explores grief, guilt, and buried secrets. The dual timelines worked well, and the mystery kept me guessing. While the ending didn’t completely shock me, it was still satisfying. Labuskes writes flawed characters well, and I appreciated how the story handled trauma without overdramatizing it. Well worth the read.

I loved this series! dark, messed up, and well paced. this family, ooppppphhhh, gotta be glad they aren't yours!!
thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This one was just okay to me. I wanted to know what happened and I kept the pages turning but it was pretty predictable so I ended up getting bored. It was an okay read, just didn't wow me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

I don’t know if there were too many names or what it was, but I thought this was confusing. Seemed like a lot of story.

This is the third book in the series and can be read as a standalone, but I do suggest you read the previous books before embarking on this one so that you understand the characters’ backgrounds as this will provide greater understanding and make it a much more enjoyable read for you.

Raisa Susanto is a forensic linguist, one of three sisters including Isabel and Delaney. In this book, Raisa receives a letter under her door with just a single line on it that states ‘By the time you read this I will be dead”. Raisa wonders that after numerous murders her psychopath sister has committed is she dead, she was finally locked up after all the death and destruction she caused to many people’s lives. Her death is soon confirmed. However, Isabel has achieved quite a reputation in the eyes of true crime addicts and her murderous antics have led several of them to become obsessed, pouring over her crimes.

Soon a body is discovered, and it has Isabel written all over it, but this cannot be true so is there a copycat killer out there and if so, what are their intentions. Raisa and forensic psychologist Callum Kilkenny begin working together to try to uncover the truth and to stop this person in their tracks. But things are about to be very complicated, and this will not be an easy journey for either of them. Meanwhile Delaney is in the background and Raisa also has her own misgivings as to what her other sister may be up to.

The pace is fast and there is a lot of ram packed action which will grab the reader’s attention and characters that are realistic and believable. One minute you think you know where things are going and then you are thrown another twist that leads things in a different direction. The ending may also surprise you. The only negative for me was the issues with the timelines and this was quite confusing at different points in the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book, all opinions expressed are my own.

This one kept me up late into the night. I couldn't put it down. Raisa and Kilkenny are such fantastic characters. I was just as invested in Delaney. I really enjoyed how everything involving Isabel has played out. There is so much suspense in this story. My heart kept racing. And that ending! Perfect.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

FBI forensic linguist Raisa Susanto is back and again thrown into her serial killer sister's world. When she receives a note that says By the time you read this, I'll be dead, it isn't long after that Raisa hears the news that Isabel is dead. Raisa cannot help but wonder what her sister's last plans were and what part her other sister, Delaney, has to play.

I wouldn't recommend walking into this one without some background knowledge of the characters and the sister history. So, at least read book 1( The Lies You Wrote) before trying to read this one. The mystery of the killer trying to honor Isabel was interesting, but I felt something was missing.. The relationship between Raisa and Kilkenny wasn't as strong, and Raisa frustrated me a lot in this book. On the other hand, the Delaney chapters were fantastic, and I couldn't wait to read more from her perspective.

Overall, I liked the book, but I did feel that it was missing the magic of books 1 and 2.


#BytheTimeYouReadThis #NetGalley
Expected Publication 27/05/25
Goodreads Review 15/04/25

I really enjoyed reading this book . I will recommend it

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read it

Thankful to have received this early to read! The title and the cover alone I knew I was interested in reading it! I end d up loving it. Sometimes it’s hard for me to get into a book but this one had me pretty early on

I enjoyed this book! I did however read this book without realizing it was part of a series! Oops 🫢
I feel like I may have been able to connect more with the book if I would have read the others first! However, I still enjoyed it without reading the others!

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