Rating: 4.0/5

John Marrs consistently writes clever, entertaining novels and "You Killed Me First" is no exception. When proceedings open with a woman finding herself tied up inside a burning bonfire, you know that someone is going to find themselves confronted with a dark, sticky ending. What isn't clear at this stage is who that unfortunate victim is, nor who it is that put her in that predicament. The answers to these questions will become apparent later, but there is an engaging journey of discovery for the reader to take before we get to that point.

Following this intriguing opening, the narrative goes back in time and we are introduced to the three key central protagonists: Anna, Liv and Margot. The story is told from the alternating perspectives of these three ladies and John Marrs deserves credit for producing such well-defined characterisation. There is also a fourth perspective, written in italics, which provides a darker element to proceedings. These chapters seem out of kilter with the humorous "best of frenemies" relationship of the three women. It takes a little time to figure out precisely how this fourth element relates to the overall plot - although it is clear that it must. For the sake of avoiding any potential spoilers I will say no more on the subject.

Although it has some dark themes, the overall impression of "You Killed Me First" is simply that it is great fun. There are twists aplenty, some of which you may see coming, others that you are less likely to foresee. On a slightly critical note, I would have to remark that some of the developments stretch credulity and are certainly at the convenient end of the plotting scale. The author also comes perilously close to pulling a rabbit out of the hat at one point (always a cardinal sin in my book), but just about stays on the legitimate side of the line. Fluently written and a fun way to spend a few hours - just what you have come to expect from John Marrs, really.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

It’s always an exciting time when John Marrs has a new book out, and we’re especially spoilt when he has a psychological thriller AND a speculative fiction out in one year. And since I’ve been kindly gifted this book by John, this makes my third new read this year. 2024 really was the best!

From the very start, this book had me hooked. With a fire at the beginning, somebody about to die (but who?), somebody getting payback (but who?), with the threat that “You killed me first” (but how?). So many questions, so much to unravel!

As with all of Marrs’ books, the characters are brilliantly written and fleshed out, the story is clever and twisty, and the tension is certainly hot, hot, hot!

The only reason I haven’t rated this the ultimate 5-stars is because there’s nothing worse than rich bitchy women, and we have three of them here, so it’s only due to a personal preference! But I just couldn’t believe that these three women wanted to be in the same room as each other. And while I liked their conflicts and how these played into the story, I just felt it wasn’t believable and sometimes a little coincidental. So that’s just me being picky!

But the more unbelievable twist, I believed and loved! There are a number of chapters weaved in between the three women’s perspectives which add another side to the story. They were really confusing for a while, but I loved questioning what the hell was going on! It was definitely a lot of fun!

Overall, you can’t go wrong with a John Marrs thriller. He is top-tier, and this is definitely one to look forward to!!

NetGalley Review — my rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

“You Killed Me First” by John Marrs is another twisty-turny psychological thriller from his brilliant mind!

This novel switches POV between Liv, Margo, and Anna — three women, all hiding something from one another. Every time you think you’ve got it figured out, you don’t.

This was so good! I will say, I think it lost me a couple times but it came together nicely in the end (as long as you keep your mind open!)

Catch this new release on March 4, 2025! Big thanks to @netgalley and #thomasandmercer for this ARC! #netgalley #youkilledmefirst #johnmarrs

This is the 500th book I have reviewed on Netgalley and what a book to reach that milestone with.

Marrs is one of those authors who conceives of ideas beyond many authors and generally pulls them off. From the blurb, and the opening chapter here, the reader is drawn in to the story of Margot, Anna and newcomer Liv. Margot, former disgraced pop star, and Anna, nice but meek, welcome Liv into their beautiful housing estate.

We know from the opening chapter that a major event takes place on Bonfire night, where one of the women is trapped by another in the middle of the bonfire, almost certainly facing a gruesome death....but who is the victim...and who is the perpetrator?

Marrs then takes us back a year and moves forward to the present day, drawing out each woman's secrets and lies setting up the big reveal.

I won't say much more for fear of spoilers but the twists never stop coming and the ending is perfect!.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A woman wakes up in the centre of a lit bonfire on 5th November, how did this happen?

Three women all living in the same cul de sac are brought together, call it fate, karma or a devious plan. All of them carry dangerous secrets and put on a show to the outside world. Who will make it out alive and just what secrets do they all strive to hide behind well practicised personas?

I loved this book, full of delightful twist and turns. I really didnt see the end coming. All of the main characters are deeply flawed and i found myself shocked at who i was drawn to most.

In typical Marrs fashion the book is well written and paced. The characters although awful at times are all well written and truly believable.

5 stars must read!

Wow! I did not see that coming. John Marrs does it again with this thrilling page turner. Leaving you on edge wondering what will happen next.

Had me hooked from the first page and the short chapters however I got confused with all the different characters and timelines. This won’t stop me from reading more books by the same author though!

I love this author! Love all the twists an turns and I never guess the ending.
I love the writing style and character depth and development. Only criticism is it ended too soon!

An unputdownable book about the most love-to-hateable people. This is John Marrs’ thriller-writing at his finest, with just a dash of humour in there for levity. This book was the most WILD ride from start to finish. The pages flew by, and I just loved every minute of it. With 3 POVs going on, every woman’s character still felt distinct — Margot is going to be your favourite character of 2025, guys. In Marrs’ fashion, one was full of twists and turns, and every time I thought he couldn’t surprise me any more, he twisted again — we’re talking audible gasps several times.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy of this one to review! I LOVED this one, my favourite John Marrs to date, and I can’t wait for every to meet Margot and her neighbours soon!

This book had me on edge the whole time. John Marrs always seems to convince me that the story is going one way then completely changes the twist.

Another amazing book by John Marrs! Love his page turners and always guessing what is going to happen next. He does well building characters and the storyline.

I was absolutely FLOORED with this book. Twist after twist and was not disappointed. I devoured it in less than 2 days - if only my body didn’t need sleep to survive I would have finished it in one! The mind of John Marrs is fascinating. The stories he creates are addicting and “You Killed Me First” will be my main recommendation for 2025!

This was a fun book with a lot of great twists. I was enjoying the drama between these women for the first half of the book and then in the second half things got dark. There were a few twists i thought were pretty out there and didn't work for me but nevertheless it was an entertaining read and every thriller reader would enjoy it.

I did wonder how John Marrs would pull off a all-female cast, but I needn't have worried as he knocked it out of the park. I love multiple POV novels--esp when we aren't sure who to trust who who is leading us astray and this one did just that. A killer opening and a page-turning treat that had me guessing right up to the end.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an advanced copy.

Another banger from our king John Marrs. This one was really good fun! A real catty, bitchy experience that read like an episode of desperate housewives. I really enjoyed it.

The way this man writes characters is PERFECTION.. I mean don’t get me wrong these women were all vile..every single one of them is completely self obsessed and blinkered to the truth by their egos. But still.. they were perfect portrayals of those kinds of women. I LOVED the dynamic between them all.

The first chapter completely hooked me in. The foreshadowing for something that was going to happen later on in the book really helped build the drama.
The story as with all John marrs books is multilayered leans unravels beautifully.

Thank you very much for letting me read it early

This is my first read by John Marrs and now I don’t know why I waited so long! I’ve seen his name all over online book groups, singing his praises and recommending his books. And let me just say, it’s all justified! This book, You Killed Me First, will hook you from the first page. It’s full of twists, turns, surprises and characters you’ll love to hate! This definitely won’t be my last John Marrs read! 5 stars from me.

While this wasn't my favourite by Marrs, it was still entertaining and had lots of his trademark plot twists.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Title: You Killed Me First and John Marrs
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 399

What's it about?
Three women. Three smouldering secrets. Who will make it out alive?

It’s 5 November, and a woman awakens to a nightmare. Bound and gagged, she lies trapped in the heart of a towering bonfire. As the smoke thickens, panic sets in – she’s moments away from being engulfed in flames. How did it come to this?

Rewind eleven months: Margot, a faded TV star, and her long-suffering friend Anna watch as glamorous Liv and her flawless family move into their street. The three women soon fabricate the perfect pretence of friendship, but each harbours her own deadly secret – and newcomer Liv senses something is terribly wrong beneath the polished exteriors.

As cracks widen in the veneer of perfection and lies escalate out of control, tension ignites. Bonfire Night is approaching and someone is set to burn…But who will it be?

What did you like about the book?
What didn't I like? This isn't my first John Marrs read, and it certainly won't be my last. To me, John, is the king of thrillers, as he never disappoints. I loved all the twists and turns, and I never expected the ending. I love the characters, Margot had to be my favourite, just because of her attitude, funny comments, and her whole personality. Some of the things she says, made me laugh out loud.

If you like being on the edge of your seat, short chapters, and being surprised - read this book!

What didn't you like about the book?
I don't think there was anything I didn't like about the book. I do wish that Brandon, Nicu, Frankie and the other kids were more involved in a way. As I think they would have been really good to include more of, but then again, maybe it's best they weren't, as I wouldn't want to miss out on Margot, Anna, and Liv, because they are the story.

Would you read another book by this author?
A thousand times, yes!

Your star rating.
4.5

This was bloody brilliant. I've read some of John's books, but none of his thrillers and now I feel like I need to get to them asap, because if they're anywhere as good as this one I've been missing out.
From page one, I knew this was going to be a 5* read. I couldn't get enough of it and sped through it so quickly. Who knew that a story about three catty suburban housewives could be so thrilling? Definitely keep an eye out for this one in 2025.

This book was wild! It took me so long to remember all of these people and what significance they had to the story. There was so many moving parts, so many lies, so many dark secrets, and just so much deceit. Everyone seemed to have dirt upon dirt on each other, and I don’t understand how they collected it. The way that everything unfolded was just series after series of unfortunate events. Just when you think they’ve completed screwing eachother over you’re hit with another twist. John Marrs did great with this one.