I didn’t realise when requesting this that it was book 4 of a series and whilst the book was ok and can probably be read separate from the series I did find that I was missing much of Brigids family past.

The story however Is good, an intriguing mix of crime thriller with true crime. I will definitely look to read the earlier books to fill in what I felt I needed to know.

We Were Killers Once is book 4 in the Brigid Quinn series by Becky Masterman. Now a private investigator the former FBI agent is looking into a cold case from Florida 1959.

I loved this book, I raced through it. I would definitely recommend it and will be reading more from this author!

An amazing story based on a true crime. Gripping real and intelligent. Absolutely outstanding. Highly recommend xx

This is a book about a detective who gets involved in a decades old case of the murder of a family. I believe that this is a book in a series about this detective and that the murders are very well known in America. But I felt that I needed to have read previous books and be at least aware of these murders to care about what happens. I think the author relies on the reader being interested in the murders and the story is not that absorbing if you don’t know about them. I also couldn’t get to grips with all the angst that she feels about her husband and his dead wife - again the author relies on assumed prior knowledge. So I don’t recommend for the novice UK reader but it is competently written and the story does move along at a good pace.

I have been fascinated with the Clutter murders ever since I read In Cold Blood over twenty years ago. So when I saw that this novel offered an alternative look at that case and one that was linked to it I couldn’t wait to read it.

Brigid Quinn was just six-years-old when she first heard of the Walker family murders when her police officer father and his work buddies were discussing the case as she sat on his knee. Since that night she has been haunted by the unsolved case. Sixty years later she is a former FBI agent living with her husband, Carlo, in Arizona unaware that the case that’s been her obsession is about to affect their lives in unexpected ways.

Jeremiah Beaufort is being released after thirty three years in prison. But before he can enjoy his new found freedom he has business to take care of. Business that has threatened to catch up to him for most of his life. As he follows the trail of a confession by an old acquaintance, he is led to Arizona and a former priest named Carlo DiForenza. What he doesn’t realise is that it has also led him to the man’s wife, Brigid, who is passionate about finding the same answers that he’s trying to bury forever.

The author has created a perfect amalgamation of true crime and crime fiction with this gripping and believable novel. I love both genres and loved how she brought them together. I admit that part of my enjoyment of this book came from my fascination with the Clutter murders. Both main characters are connected to the infamous case in different ways and I loved the alternative version that was explored in this novel.

One potential drawback of this book is that both of the main characters aren’t likeable. Beaufort is unlikable in the right ways; we aren’t supposed to like the bad guy. He sees himself as intelligent and being called stupid or evil are his pet hates. Despite all he’s done he thinks he can’t be a bad person and justifies most of his actions. His many years in prison have made him an alien in the modern world and I thought that this aspect was written particularly well and allowed for some much needed humour at times. Brigid’s character could have been likeable but I found her obsession and jealousy of her husband’s late wife tiresome and felt like instead of humanising her, it undermined her intelligence and made her appear whiney. It is good for a character to be flawed but I felt this flaw went a little too far. I did like that she maintained an understandable suspicion of people and would do anything to protect those she loved. She clearly has a great gut instinct and isn’t afraid to follow it.

We Were Killers Once is an intriguing, absorbing thriller. I didn’t know when I requested it that it is book four in a series and didn’t feel like I missed anything reading it as a standalone. A mix of fascinating fiction with tantalising fact reimagined and woven through the pages, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves crime fiction and true crime.

Thank you to NetGalley, Orion and Becky Masterson for the chance to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley for this book. I did not enjoy the first 75% of this book and the only reason I continued with it was because I wanted to establish what Jerry had done. If these chapters were not there I would have given up very early on as the perspective from Brigid who is a jealous self centred whinger really made me hate the character. However the book was saved by the ending and around the 80% Mark became an interesting and compulsive read. I am unsure of I would read anymore from this author of they are written in the same vein regarding Brigid.

We Were Killers Once is the fourth book to feature former FBI agent turned private investigator, Brigid Quinn, but each instalment can be read independently of one another as the main plot is self-contained. The only parts you will not be privy to is Brigid's family matters but they are rather boring, and that continues here as she compares herself to her husband and ex-priest Carlo's dead wife; it was a tad irritating and quite unnecessary. Nevertheless, this is a rather intriguing fact-meets-fiction thriller, and Ms Masterman has done a great job of amalgamating the two sides.

The murder of all four members of the Walker family in Florida in 1959 shocked America to the core, and to this day it remains a cold case with no one convicted despite there being close to 600 suspects. Quinn recognises that this case bears extensive similarities to another brutal family murder, this time of Herbert and Bonnie Clutter and their two children in the same year in Kansas. The investigation and eventual justice for this crime were captured in Truman Capote's masterpiece In Cold Blood. Two people were eventually convicted of the Clutter murders but could a third killer have managed to get away with it?

Well, that is very much what Masterman explores in this novel. It is the perfect crossover of crime fiction and true crime and will appeal to fans of both genres. It's well written, believable and compelling and the possibility of a third person was never discounted from the real-world investigation they just could never identify this person. It's definitely more slow and steady as opposed to anything fast-paced and frenetic, however, this allows the time to build up the characters as well as the tension which is ratcheted up nicely as the story progresses. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

The plot was interesting and the book is well written.
Unfortunately I found it quite slow and it wasn't my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I haven't read the previous books in the series,and am now left wondering if Quinn was as obsessed with her husband's first wife in them.... it was a slightly distracting plotline.
As with most people I've read In Cold Blood,so this was an interesting storyline,that there as a third person involved in the murder..... 
It was a relatively easy read,but quite slow in pace... lots of build up.
Nothing wrong with it,just not a huge amount stood out about the book either.

I really loved Becky Masterman’s previous books in the Brigid Quinn series so I was over the moon to receive her new novel to review via NetGalley. I couldn’t put it down and read it in less than 48 hours it was that good!
‘We Were Killers Once’ is loosely based on a true story about two sets of murders that took place in Kansas and Florida in the late 1950s. In fact the killers of the first set of murders , Hickock and Smith, were caught and the story was made into a book by Truman Capote. However there were some anomalies and it was not proven that they committed the second set of murders.
I’d never heard of the Capote book or the murders but found the whole true crime and fiction idea fascinating. By combining fact and fiction Becky Masterman has come up with a great story which is both compelling as well as interesting.
Brigid is a retired FBI agent married to Carlo, an ex priest and retired philosophy professor.
The story is told from the viewpoint of Brigid, alternating with a newly released elderly prisoner who seems to be on a mission to destroy any evidence connecting him to a crime committed when he was a boy.
Somehow the stories link up when Jerry, the ex con, connects Carlo to his quest.
Brigid is a great protagonist, strong, brave and funny although she really she shows her insecurity when hearing about Carlo’s past and his love of his dead fist wife, Jane.
Their strange niece Gemma-Kate also plays a role and although she lacks empathy and Brigid describes her as having a psychopathic personality, she is happy to help when things get tough. She definitely has a soft spot for Uncle Carlo so is she really on this spectrum?
This is a cleverly written and plotted book. The author has obviously researched the true life murders and managed to cleverly weave this information into her fictional story.
Although I knew nothing of the Clutter and Walker murders it intrigued me sufficiently so that I had a quick look online after finishing the book.
The end was great and my only negative is that I will have to wait a while for the next book in the series.
Five stars from me but I am definitely a Brigid Quinn fan- I’d love to meet her in person!!

A slow moving tale with its roots in murders made famous by the writer Truman Capote in his book, "In Cold Blood".
In 1959, the Clutter family were murdered in their home in Holcomb, Kansas. One month later, a similar murder of the Walker family took place in Florida. Two men - Perry Smith and Dick Hickok - were found guilty and executed for the Clutter family killings. But what if there was a 3rd man involved in the deaths of the Clutter family and the still unsolved murder of the Walker family?
The story opens with the release of an elderly man, Jeremiah "Jerry" Beaufort, who has spent several decades behind bars for drug crimes and is worried about modern forensics discovering that as a 15 year old boy, he had met up with Smith and Hickok and took part in their killing spree.
In Tucson, retired FBI agent Brigid Quinn is enjoying newly married life with her husband Carlo, a former priest and university professor. Unbeknown to her, Carlo had worked as a prison chaplain and among his possessions is a sketch, a self portrait by Dick Hickok, which he plans to give to Brigid as part of their upcoming wedding anniversary, knowing that she has always been fascinated by the Clutter murder case.
Meanwhile, Jerry Beaufort believes a dying confession made by Hickok to a Catholic priest might implicate him, so. he decides to track down a police detective and others still living who were involved in the Clutter case.
The paths of Jerry Beaufort and Brigid Quinn will soon cross as Beaufort is determined to ensure any evidence which might connect him with the Clutter and Walker murders will be destroyed.
In the early parts of the book, the plot meanders along with no great sense of urgency and half way through we are treated to a lengthy diversion dealing with the major insecurities felt by Brigid concerning Carlo's dead wife Jane. Brigid constantly measures herself against Jane who she describes as "a saint". I felt this only served to slow the plot still further. Despite this, the book did hold my interest and the tension finally mounts as Jerry plans to kill anyone who might link him to those long ago killings. My thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group Limited for a copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.