An amazing, suspenseful story that kept me hooked from the first page. I was completely consumed and couldn't put it down!

"Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" by Eleanor Kelley is a gripping psychological thriller. Kelley's storytelling keeps readers on edge as the plot takes dark, unexpected turns. The characters are enigmatic and the suspense is unrelenting, making this a compelling and tense read for thriller aficionados.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This book was really strange. I didn't dislike it but I was left a bit bored and confused by the end.

Grateful to NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for the ARC but wow was this book awful. I did appreciate that the book was so short and full of 84 very short chapters or I’m not sure if I would have been able to finish it. The writing was almost childish at times and the random jokes throughout weren’t the slightest bit funny. The ending was disappointing and the author did way too much jumping around and getting off topic and that made the story very confusing at parts. Unfortunately, I can not in good faith recommend this book to anyone.

What an odd little book. It felt a bit like a couple of books and ideas cobbled together. It wasn’t bad exactly but it had a lot of moving parts that didn’t quite come together. I never got a good sense of the main character. I actually liked the bits with her dad a lot and how he kept seeing her husband. The rest of it was a little muddled. It made me wonder if the author had a father like that.

I found the book to be quite boring and uninteresting, as it failed to capture my attention and seemed to drag on endlessly. The main character also didn't appeal to me, which made it difficult to become invested in the story.

Really couldn’t gel with this writing style- felt very plodding rather than flowing and ended up being disjointed in a bad way.

This book started out as a regular family story but I soon realized there was more to this story. A mystery slowly started unraveling and once it did I could not put this book down.

This is a story of a relationship between a middle aged woman and her father, with her sister, with her best friend, and with her adult children. She is a very strong woman that is being gaslit by several people and it ends up becoming her trying to prove that the reality people seem to be living is not the reality she knows to be true. She fights hard to prove it. With the assistance of those closest to her she takes on an almost impossible task - to prove she knows the truth. Does she manage to prove it? The story is fast paced and you will not know the answer until the end,

Well written and I enjoyed reading this book.

I enjoyed reading this book, but it wasn't a stand out for me. The cover and title really appealed to me at first and I was very excited to read this book. While reading, I had to keep going because I wanted to know how the story would unfold in the end. However, there were a few things I didn't like. I had some issues with the writing style and at some point all the song references and sarcastic comments made by the characters in the book were just too much. That could have been toned down a little, in my opinion. The storyline had a lot of potential but in the end was not as good as I expected it to be. So.. this is an easy read and it had short chapters, which I like, and I enjoyed reading it.

Actual Rating: 2.6

This was very much one of those unreliable narrator stories — Kate was definitely not a likable character and with so many hints of violent behavior and her denying it, I was really expecting the plot to take a psychological turn.

The plot is as follows: When Kate returns from an Ireland trip to news that her ex-husband Harry had passed away, she goes around looking for answers, and not finding any. The mystery deepens when she and her acquaintances start claiming that they saw Harry walking around town. And then the police comes knocking at her door asking about the suspicious circumstances surrounding Harry’s death.

I was definitely really interested in the plot even though it didn’t go the way I expected and took some time to pick up. The most interesting parts were when there actually were developments for the mystery — this was one of those stories where I found myself constantly making predictions. In the end, I wish the pay-off was just a little more satisfying than it was; the final reveal felt a little underwhelming and I feel like there was more story to tell.

Non-mystery moments where we were learning about Kate’s life and personality, were pretty forgettable and I actually attribute that once again to Kate’s character generally lacking charisma and self-awareness, and thus being unlikeable.

Interestingly enough, her unlikeability wasn’t really a problem — as the book went on, it embraced it. It's interesting and makes you think, but it does create a distance between the reader and the main character, as it always felt like there was a disconnect between the real version of events and the defensive narrative we were getting through Kate’s eyes.

Everything else was pretty good. The side characters were okay — none were really memorable but as Kate’s supporting cast they did the job. In terms of writing style, I generally feel pretty neutral; it’s straightforward and understandable and definitely makes you ask questions.

Overall, I think this book was a bit of a cross between a contemporary and a mystery, and I’d recommend it to people who enjoy stories in that intersection.

Unusual but interesting story. The main character is very unobservant but has some good friends for support.

Kate is a middle-aged divorced woman who's been out of touch from her three adult children after his ex manipulated them against her during the divorce. Now the divorce happened only five years prior, which meant these children were adults already so it doesn't add up that they'd refuse to talk to their mom - unless daddy's money is their only safety net. But then again, from a narrative point of view, many things in this book don't make any sense. Kate is an unreliable narrator due to her alcohol consumption (not that again!🤮) so I didn't believe many situations happening in the plot. After a slow start I was intrigued after Kate's ex gets murdered; however, a rushed abrupt ending ruined it 😤 Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

A quick read with the most enjoyable element being the mystery of whether the ex was really dead. So that was a good twist on the usual who done it scenario.
Unfortunately the whole story of the relationship between the mother and her children never was convincing nor was it properly explained in my opinion.

Before the Devil knows you’re dead by Eleanor Kelley

At the beginning, I wasn’t too sure what to make of this. If I am being brutally honest, it did feel like it was a bit rushed but the writing style flowed really well and before I knew it I was half way through! This is very fast paced, full of twists and turns. A short one but more proof that good things come in small packages, and this one definitely packs a punch.
Kate, the main character, comes back from Ireland with her best friend to the news her ex-husband has died…maybe?! With her dad and neighbour seeing him several times since his death, Kate can be forgiven for thinking that someone had gotten it wrong, that Harry was still alive. After a series of very unfortunate events, sparking off some even more unfortunate erratic responses, Kate manages to place herself as the main suspect in the murder investigation of a man she is no longer convinced is dead.
I think mystery/thriller lovers will like this one, as well as anyone looking for a short fast paced read.

Kate is going on what should be a simple trip to spread her mothers ashes in Ireland, but when she returns home something doesn't feel right anymore. While Kate is in Ireland her ex-husband dies... or does he?
I was worried at first when I saw there were 84 chapters but what I didn't realise was they were short chapters, breaking up bits of the story nicely. By the last few chapters I was hoping there was much more left of the story. I'm the type of person who needs a resolved ending and I found the ending of Before the Devil knows you're Dead very ambiguous which bothered me but I'm also hoping it means that Eleanor Kelley has another book in the works perhaps? Even with the ending leaving me with so many questions, I thoroughly enjoyed Before the Devil knows you're Dead!

This was an intriguing mystery and I was excited to read it. I nearly put it down as the first several chapters were so slow and nothing much happened. The story got going and recaptured my attention. Some of the writing could use an editor but otherwise I really enjoyed this mystery.

Wow what can I say! This book is absolutely amazing and definitely worth the read! Couldn’t put it down once started

Eleanor Kelley has written a page-turner that keeps you wondering the crux of the mystery right up to the last page. You really like the protagonist, Kate, even with some flaws like impulsive reactions to small slights. You can sense the supportive and challenging relationships between Kate, her sister and her best friend. And you get a sense of warm family in which she and her sister were raised. The other characters are very flawed, manipulative, and seeking vengeance either for selfish gain or power over others. The story is built with details that make you believe you were there and sorting through which are important to the mystery and which aren’t.

For all the religion many of the characters have, there are no transformations or life reformations over the decades. As they were as youths, so they are as adults.

Spoiler: there is one plot flaw. I’m not sure why the antagonist goes after Kate and her sister when the better targets would have been Kate’s and her ex-husband’s kids who would have been the real obstacles to the antagonist’s goals.

2.75 ⭐ rounded up
This book is fast-paced and could be a good pick me up considering how short it is. It is a mystery that might intrigue you.
I was first intrigued by the premise of this book, but after reading it I don't think it executed it well. The book starts out by feeling like an info dump. And the plot doesn't really set in until 20% through. I felt like there were some things that just didn't need to be added, and some things that needed more description to. At the end I felt like I didn't get enough of a story and that it wasn't completely finished. I would recommend this book if you are looking for something to just fly by through because I finished it in a day.

I really enjoyed this book, the writing style was good and it had me hooked. Definitely not my favourite book as it fell a little flat for me but overall I enjoyed some parts and the characters were really interesting.