This story was very intriguing, I liked the premise a lot and it keeps you on your toes, guessing and failing again and again.

Sadly, after a few chapters I kind of lost interest, it felt like a forced relationship, where you go out with someone cause in paper they’re perfect, but the spark is not there, you know what I mean?

I couldn’t find myself enjoying the characters. They were all insufferable, especially our MC. That’s the risk with an unreliable narrator I guess, I rolled my eyes a few times and wanted the plot to go on without being in the protagonist’s head.

The twists were great, I was fascinated by her relationship with Dick, a serial killer whom she helped trap and then kept visiting in jail. The ENDING, OMG that was crazy! But yeah, all in all I don’t think I would reread this one.

I loved this book, it was the perfect amounts of comedic and darkness that made it a very addictive read.

This book was unusual, witty, dark but clever

A very easy to read book and a few surprises for sure

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books

Thank you to Tam Barnett, Boldwood Books, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The cover instantly grabbed my attention. But there was something about it that I just didn't like. I found myself reading and having to reread what I was supposed to be reading because it wasn't holding my attention.

But with that being said, it did surprise me to find out who the killer was.

The first bits with Kellie and her obsession with serial killers and murder shows and taking the test to see if she qualified as a psychopath were quite entertaining and had the right comedic touch. Even her continued communications with the serial killer she caught awhile were good. However, when the new killer came on the scene, it got a bit darker than I was ready for, with Kellie trying to figure it out and rise again in fame over that awful Dick Grayson who was always spouting headlines at her (so annoying he was!) and deal with the possibility it was someone she knew, or even herself.

It was a fast read and different than I was expecting, especially that ending and the twists but I liked it, even if I wasn't really a fan of the main character (she did have some interesting thoughts though).

As someone who loves a book that will keep me engaged until the very end, this book did exactly that. Every time I thought I had figured it out, the author put in another twist that I did not see coming. It was interesting having the main character not be a hero of the story, and I did have some mixed feelings about them, but I also think that is why I enjoyed this book as much as I did. It was fun, entertaining, and the perfect amount of mystery.

I found this book really easy to get into. Also a huge plus that the main characters name was Kellie (my name is Kelli), I almost never read a book with that name. I’m not usually a huge fan of serial killer books but something about this book, I just found it very interesting. There were some really great twists and turns, I found myself guessing and asking myself questions throughout the book. I would definitely recommend this book.

I loved the premise of this book, especially with the unreliable narrator as the POV. The first 100 pages were intriguing and a bit unsettling—I couldn’t wrap my head around how the FMC was so enamored with a serial killer. But as the story unfolded, it became clear that she was far more complex than she initially seemed.

The middle dragged, making the book feel longer than its 274 pages, and by the last couple of chapters, I had already guessed how it would end. While the book had some great moments of dark humor and mystery, the predictability of the conclusion dulled its impact.

Bottom line: no one truly got away with murder.

How to Get Away with Murder by Tam Barnett is unexpectedly hilarious. The last one can expect in a crime novel, right, but it suits very well the character and the story, and especially the voice of the main character.

The local curiosity and obsession with searching for the culprit may take tragi-comical turns, an example of both provincialism and limitations of the human nature. Thus, in addition to the search for the key of the crime, we are at the same time offered an exposure of a more generic nature that has to do with the human nature in general.

Barnett has an original voice and ideas that makes a difference in the literary landscape of crime writing. I was delighted to discover the book and spend time in its company, as made me think about how many options there are to write a crime novel, including by using the best of dark humour for challenging the ready-made ideas about writing crime novels.

Tam Barnett will have his readers laughing out loud with his darkly comic, pacy and entertaining novel, How to Get Away with Murder.

Kellie is passionate about true crime. Obsessed with the darker side of human nature, Kellie listens to every single podcast and watches all the documentaries. She simply cannot get enough of true crime and is thrilled when she discovers there’s a murderer on the loose right where she lives. Kellie cannot believe her luck – even if her reputation as a true crime aficionado has preceded her and her neighbours think that she is in fact the killer!

Is Kellie’s passion for murder and mayhem merely an unhealthy fascination? Or something much more sinister? Is Kellie a fan of the genre with far too much time on her hands? Or a dangerous psychopath with a deadly agenda? Kellie’s obsession is about to get her in a whole load of trouble. But she might just end up getting away with murder…

Tam Barnett’s How to Get Away with Murder is a fun crime novel that is so brilliantly compelling readers will devour it in one sitting. Quirky, wickedly witty and tension-filled, How to Get Away with Murder is a must-read for crime aficionados looking for something different that will keep them up all night.

Thanks to NetGalley, publishers, and author for an ARC of How To Get Away With Murder.
4.5 stars
From the second I picked up this book, I was hooked. Following Kelli, obsessed with true crime but also haunted by true crime, this book had me suspecting every character we meet.
My only negative is that the book could have done without the last chapter.
Highly recommend

Bish bash bosh! Reflects the start middle and end of this book - well the end is a bit more bang! What a book! True crime journalism tick - "what happened" history themes tick - serial killer in our midst tick! Highly paced, highly character driven and highly entertaining. Would recommend, so as long you know a good read when you see one. Thank me later!

8/10

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I was hooking on this story from the first page. I love an unreliable narrator and this story is full of trickery. I wish there would've been one or two characters that felt likeable but I loved this story anyway!

I've seen a mixed bag of reviews for this, Barnett's debut and I swear they've all been reading the wrong book, because I absolutely loved it!

I read the prologue and immediately knew it was the book for me. It's not every day someone decides they're taking a 'clinical psychopath test' is it, although I think I could be tempted; my curiosity would get the better of me.

It's a fun, twisty read and has some great, memorable characters. Kelli being a girl after my own heart, I too love anything true crime.

For me it was witty, wonderful and highly entertaining.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from Netgalley. This was a well-paced and compelling read, but I found Kelli a frustrating and unlikeable narrator. Although Barnett kept the reader guessing, in some ways, the story was quite predictable. That said, the final twist was shocking and left me wanting more.

I was going through the reviews for this book on goodreads and one of the reviews mentioned that this book seem to be going through an identity crisis and I agree. The book is trying to be both comic and dark and in it's quest to do these two things, it's unable to do either. It started on a promising note and initially it did capture my interest. I mean we did have a main character obsessed with true crime and she had a sort of friendship with a serial killer. This isn't something that i have personally read in books. So I was looking forward to read where the author was gonna take it and how dark it was going to get. But slowly it started going downhill and most of the twists were so predictable, almost every single one of them. Pretty much all the characters in this book were unlikable and unreliable, which just didn't work for me. If you are someone who does like books which are filled with unreliable narrators and unlikeable characters and you are also someone who likes books which read very much like true crime and involve serial killers then maybe you can try this book. Otherwise I will not recommended it.

This book was a fun twisty book. I want to start by saying i did not care for the main character.

It was awesome to think that you are so obsessed with serial killers that you think/wonder if you could be the one committing the murders. So funny and kept me engaged the whole time.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
-
Unfortunately, I do not think this book was for me. I found it hard to read the main character and it was hard to follow the plot of the book at times, especially at the end of the book. The last few chapters, along with the big reveal, felt extremely rushed and didn't make sense to me in the end. This book was fast-paced and could be enjoyed by those really into true crime and its iterations.

3.5⭐
Genre ~ crime fiction
Setting ~ UK
Publication date ~ January 27, 2025
Publisher ~ Boldwood Books
Est Page Count ~ 274 (p+ 40 chapters)
Audio length ~ 9 hours 3 minutes
Narrator ~ Imogen Church
POV ~ single 1st, present tense
Featuring ~ debut, unreliable narrator, serial killer obsession

Kelli has always been fascinated with serial killers. Not a serial killer himself, but her own father was convicted of killing a man when she was young, so her obsession goes far back. Recently she’s famous for helping catch the notorious The White Widowerer. She even frequently visits him in prison as she pens a book based on him. They have quite the odd relationship. When new bodies begin to turn up in her own back woods she’s on the hunt to figure out who The Nailer is.

Kelli is as unreliable and unlikable as they come. She thinks she’s the cat’s meow and she’s anything but. Speaking of cats (view spoiler), which I didn’t care for. She seems to know alot about US killers, which was great and showed research, but she does quite a bit of name dropping. Pretty much all characters were unlikable.

There’s a nice amount of humorous one liners throughout. I really liked this one ~ ‘I’d never hit you, he says, turning to look at me. Bless his innocent cotton socks. ⬅️ that sentence cracked me up!

One thing that bothered me a little is that she barely acknowledged her mother, but when she received a sad diagnosis all of the sudden it seemed like finally she had time to spend with her.

Overall, I liked the concept and the pace was pretty steady. I was surprised about the killer, so that was nice. The author already has his sophomore book coming out this year, so I’ll probably give it a whirl.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'How To get Away With Murder' by Tam Barnett

This is Tam's DEBUT novel, not that you would ever think that!!! I cannot wait to get stuck into his next guaranteed success and I just hope he is busy writing it as I write this!!!

OMG!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE, LOVE ,LOVED THIS BOOK, AN ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, GRIPPING AND PAGE TURNING EXPLOSIVE MUST READ!!

The first thing I have got to say is an absolutely HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to the amazing author Tam!! I was absolutely mind blown when I had finished this epic page turner and realised that it is actually his first and only book!! What an absolutely EPIC debut novel !! If THIS is what you can create for your very first book then I just cannot wait to see what on Earth you will come out with next!! This is definitely THE BEST DEBUT book I have ever read and it is also one of my favourite crime thrillers of all times!!! You seriously have to grab your copy of this twisty and gripping crime thriller today!! Just OMG!!! The uniqueness, the suspense, the characters, the absolutely MIND BLOWING TWISTS AND TURNS!!! This book NEEDS to be turned into a movie and I hope to God he is busy writing his next book because I need it in my life now. The looks I was getting from my partner because of the amount of times I shouted out 'WTAF!!' , 'OMFG!!' and 'No FLexking way did THAT just happen' I seriously lost count. I mean seriously I cannot describe just how AMAZING this book is!!! There are just no words. I mean I'll try but my advice is stop reading this review and GET YOUR COPY NOW!!! If you love thrillers, crime, unique, mind blowing, action packed ... Do you know what...whatever you like to read just give this a go and you will NOT regret it!!! As you can tell I absolutely LOVED this addictive and explosive page turner!!! I honestly loved absolutely everything about it from the start to the end. It was just one heck of an amazing read!!! Filled with suspense, revenge, torture, drama, crime, violence, murder, heartbreak, humour, tension and everything and more that you could ask for in a book you wont be able to put down! I absolutely love, love, LOVED the unique storyline!! I have read so many books that it is getting harder and harder for me to find a truly unique plot but Tam absolutely smashes it out of the park with this one!! There was no way I could put this book down until I had finished it. I picked it up and even though I kept telling myself just one more chapter I just could not put it down as every time I went to something happened which meant I had to read just one more again until I ended up reading it in one sitting having been glued to my kindle for a few hours!! Tam's evocative writing skills and descriptions really brought the storyline to life and I just cannot wait to get hooked into his next book!!! I have just never come across a book or movie anything like this one and I doubt I will again!!!! I just genuinely love, love, LOVED IT!!! This book will suck you in and keep you gripped in the pages until your thrown out at the end with a racing heart!! A truly unforgettable one in a million page turner!!!! Get ready to pick your jaw up from the floor at the twists that you will NEVER see coming!! An absolute must read that I wont be forgetting about anytime soon!!

I hope your busy writing your next book Tam as I just cannot wait to see what bombshell twist and explosive storyline you have up your sleeve for us next!!!!

Do not start this book until you have cleared your schedules as you will not be able to put it down!!

The characters were all realistic and strong and I was completely invested in them throughout. I absolutely LOVE the fact that our protagonist Kelli is so flawed as it makes her unique, intriguing and fascinating to get to know. Tam's evocative descriptions really makes each of the characters jump out of the book and come to life in front of the readers eyes. The fact that this is Tam's debut novel yet he has managed to create these amazing, unique and strong characters is just absolutely amazing!!! All of the characters were multi layered with complex personalities which definitely made them all the more interesting to read about!!! Unfortunately, I really can not say anymore as I don't want to spoil it for future readers. Regardless of what I thought about who, each character worked perfectly to make this page turning psychological thriller!!! I just cannot wait to see what characters this amazing author comes up with next!!! Hint hint Tam 😉 !!! I genuinely loved getting to know all the characters and was completely invested throughout!! It just goes to show how fantastic Tam's writing skills are as she completely brought them all to life for me. An absolutely fantastic selection of unique characters that all worked together perfectly to create an absolutely twisty, humorous, gripping and addictive page turner!!!

This book is one of the BEST crime thrillers I have ever read !!! This book really is a truly unique page turner that I picked up this morning and had completely devoured it in a few hours!!! When the hell is this being made into a film and when are you bringing your next book out Tam as I need my next hit!!!

Overall an absolutely unputdownable, action packed, intriguing crime thriller that will keep you up at night on the edge of your seat with a pounding heart!!

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