From the very first page, I was completely hooked—this debut thriller is dark, witty, and utterly unputdownable. MacKenzie Common has crafted a story that’s as clever as it is chilling, blending sharp humour with unsettling truths that kept me guessing right up to the final twist.
Meet Daphne St Clair: at ninety years old, she's a glamorous, unapologetic woman with a mysterious past—one that includes confessing to multiple murders over her lifetime. Alongside her, Ruth Robinson, a broke and somewhat disillusioned aspiring true crime podcaster, becomes her reluctant accomplice. The dynamic between these two women is fascinating; Daphne’s stories are vivid and provocative, revealing her humble beginnings during the Dust Bowl in Canada, her rise to fame in 70s New York, and the murders she claims to have committed along the way.
What truly captivated me was how the narrative toggled between Daphne’s confessional podcast episodes and Ruth’s perspective, along with snippets of online reactions. This multi-layered storytelling gave the novel a raw, real edge—making me feel like I was part of a genuine online conversation about the crimes. Daphne is such an unlikable yet compelling character—her ruthlessness and unapologetic attitude make her both terrifying and oddly sympathetic. I found myself questioning whether she's a feminist icon taking revenge on bad men or just a cold-blooded killer.
The relationship between Ruth and Daphne is complex, layered with secrets and hidden agendas. Ruth’s own backstory, her connection to the powerful Montgomery family, and her hidden motives add tension and depth. As the podcast episodes unfold, so do the revelations, culminating in a finale that left me frustrated but satisfied—perfectly fitting for a story about the elusive nature of truth and storytelling.
The ending was a masterstroke—neither woman is entirely honest, and the truth remains elusive, just out of reach. It’s a reminder that stories are often more about perception than reality. I loved how Common explores themes of feminism, power, and the stories we tell ourselves—and others. Daphne, despite being a murderer, is a fascinating paradox; she’s ruthless but also a survivor, fiercely independent in a world that often seeks to define women in limiting ways.
Overall, “The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair” is a refreshing departure from typical murder mysteries. It’s dark, witty, and deeply engaging—a perfect blend of character study and crime thriller. I appreciated the way it made me think about morality, storytelling, and the masks people wear. If you enjoy clever, thought-provoking mysteries with strong characters and a dash of dark humour, this is absolutely a must-read. I’m eagerly looking forward to more from MacKenzie Common!

This was a fun read that had a few twists along the way. It dragged a little in the middle but overall an enjoyable story.

Daphnes St Clair is living out the last years of her life in Florida. She's had an eventful life. Glamorous and mysterious, even her children are not sure who the real Daphne is. But that all changes when Daphne confesses to killing a fellow resident of the home she lives in. And just for good measure she's going to let everyone know who or rather what she is. A serial killer who's literally been getting away with murder for over 70 years. But she wants to tell the story her way so she joins forces with Ruth, a depressed writer who is sick of writing puff pieces for online clickbait sites. But Ruth wants to do better plus she's broke so a podcast with a real-life serial killer telling their story seems a great opportunity. It's a massive hit. But it soon becomes apparent that neither woman has been entirely honest. They both want to control the narrative to further their own secret objectives.

If I'm lucky enough to get to ninety I'd really love to be like Daphne St Clair. Obviously not the prolific killer but rather the ballsy old lady taking no shit from anyone. She really ought to be a loathsome character but I can't help but love her. Ruth's a bit whiny and frankly not that bright. She seems to.miss some awfully obvious hints to a mysterious death.

An enjoyable read all round if a bit predictable

Compelling..
A glamorous nonagenarian, a podcaster and a killer story. A dark and twisted tale, original and well woven with a deftly drawn cast of characters and an engaging and compelling plot laced here and there with wry humour. A premise that delivers in droves. Wholly engaging.

I quite liked this...seems to meander along at times but overall was engaging, with a nice twist! I didn't particularly resonate with any of the characters, but it's a good read.

Daphne St. Clare is a glamorous ninety year old Woman living in an opulent and exclusive retirement complex. On the evening that her 'man-friend' passes away, Daphne calls the police, and confesses to his murder..not only that, Daphne confesses to five other murders. With the help of true crime podcaster, one by one Daphne explains each murder in turn. The question on everyone's lips, and the one that Daphne won't answer is why confess now?..'If the world was a little less demanding of Women, didn't spend all of its time keeping them in line with a carousel of violence and judgement, and cognitive distortions, then there wouldn't need to be Women like Daphne St.Clair'...Read it! (And be mindful of that sweet old lady)

I'm about half way through, and I'll push on to the end, but I'm not enjoying it. I don't like the structure and not one of the characters feels real to me. Can't recommend on any level.

The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair was such a good and epic read and I was hooked from page one.

We follow Daphne's journey as she re-tells her life story to podcaster Ruth. I loved the dynamic between both of these characters and thoroughly think avid readers should give this novel a read.

It was very interesting to read about Daphnes life as she confessed to killing some people which is quite shocking.

I was waiting for some sort of twist or turn which did not seem to appear but I would not disregard this book at all.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for allowing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is an extremely delayed ARC review of this book, but in all honesty, I am extremely relieved that this is the case! I opted to listen to this book in audio and pleasantly surprised to hear that this was set in a podcast style, which I did enjoy! 🥰 this very much follows the story of a woman who has just confessed to six murders (all her partners, ruled as natural causes in the past) and we go back to the tale of how it happened. I have to say that I did like the main character, and she is very well written, however, I do feel that cosy mystery style books are not for me at the moment (I am definitely more within my gory crime era!!) so I did struggle at times!
That being said, I will still recommend this, for those lovers of mixed media and of a mystery style book!

Entertaining thriller. Daphne St Clair is not her real name and noone is sure how many people she has killed., When a 90 year old suddenly confiesses to a murder in a care home a journalist decides to talk to her and make a podcast to explore her past. Only the journalist has an ulterior motive and everyone wants to know the truth. But is Daphne a reliable narrator. Well paced and interesting debut. Reflects on the true crime movement and podcasting generation in an interesting way. A good read.

The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair was a highly addictive read, full of intrigue, mystery, drama, secrets, lies, and betrayal. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Daphne was a great main character. She was strong, charismatic, smart, funny, and ruthless.
I started off loving her and then hating her, and then going back to almost loving her again.
There were a couple of the murders that were a bit hard to read, and while I understood Daphne's motivation, I definitely didn't agree with it.
Ruth was also an interesting character. It was good to see the story from both perspectives.
I didn't really like reading the followers comments or the fashion blogger either. I found them boring and unnecessary. That's really the only bad thing I have to say, though.

The storyline was compelling, clever, and unique. I was drawn in immediately, I just couldn't put it down. MacKenzie is a very talented author, and I'm keen to see what she comes up with next.

The ending, while it wasn't disappointing as such, it felt a little lackluster.
Overall, this was an entertaining read that I think I'll remember for a while to come.

I highly recommend.

4 stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley, Headline, Mountain Leopard Press, and MacKenzie Common for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this! Daphne is fascinating and her deadpan expressions whilst confessing to various murders was funny at times. She's certainly lived an interesting life and has picked up a few tricks along the way.

I can see why Ruth needed Daphne and her confessions and at time their conversations felt stilted. However, she's done her a big favour in the end so it all works out well 😉

It did seem somewhat justified at times although you can see Daphne used her poetic licence to only give away the bits she was happy with. She's a fun character. 🙂

Lucy was quite loathsome and I did guess what she was up to later on just as Daphne did. You can't help but feel sorry for Ruth at times but things do look up for her and she clearly considers things carefully before making decisions. It'd be interesting to see where she ends up next!!

Daphne St Clair is a ninety-year-old grandmother in poor health who lives at Coconut Grove Senior Home in Florida. Probably not anyone’s idea of a typical serial killer, but when another elderly resident is found dead in the home, Daphne calls the police and confesses to not only this murder but several more, spanning four states, two countries and seven decades. The police, Daphne’s family and the public are both shocked and intrigued – what could have made Daphne want to kill so many people? And why has she chosen to confess now, at this late stage of her life?

When the news of Daphne’s confession begins to spread, she is contacted by journalists and reporters wanting to be first to tell her story, but she turns them all down – except one. Ruth Robinson hopes to start a podcast about Daphne’s life and even has a title ready for it – The Murders of Daphne St Clair. Something draws Daphne to the younger woman and she agrees to be interviewed for the podcast, but as her story unfolds she begins to discover that there’s more to Ruth than meets the eye. Who is Ruth Robinson and what’s the real reason for the podcast?

I had never heard of MacKenzie Common (it seems she has previously written a YA mystery novel, although this is her first book for adults), but I was attracted by the elegant, eye-catching cover and the premise of a ninety-year-old serial killer who had spent her whole life literally getting away with murder! I did enjoy the book, with a few reservations which I’ll mention later in this review, but overall it was quite an entertaining read.

Daphne’s tale begins in Canada in the 1930s, where she grew up on a farm near a small town in Saskatchewan. After a difficult childhood, Daphne runs away from home at the age of sixteen and makes her way to Winnipeg, where she meets the man who will become her first victim. He’s an unpleasant, violent man and his death is more of an accident than a murder, so at this stage of the book, Daphne seems a sympathetic character. This quickly changes as Daphne’s actions become more senseless and inexcusable and she shows no repentance for what she has done. I disliked her more and more as the novel progressed, but at the same time, she’s a clever, witty narrator and her story is engaging.

The structure of the book was a problem for me. Daphne’s narrative is broken into short sections, some of which are written in her own first person perspective and some in the form of dialogue for the podcast. These are then interspersed with chapters from Ruth’s perspective as she carries out some investigations of her own into Daphne’s background and one particular murder that is of special interest to her. I felt that the switches from one character to the other happened too quickly and too often, which stopped the story from flowing as well as it could have done. On top of this, there are also frequent interruptions from true crime fans discussing the show on Reddit and speculating on who Daphne is going to kill next, and a fashion blogger on TikTok who imagines outfits Daphne may have worn at key moments in her life. I could have done without these as well, but they do illustrate the moral issues of treating criminals like celebrities.

The ending of the novel leaves an important question unanswered; we can decide for ourselves what happened (or what we would have liked to have happened) but I would have preferred to know for certain! This wasn’t a perfect book, then, but not many are and there were definitely more things I liked than disliked.

I'm not sure even what I would classify this book as, but I sure did enjoy it.
Ruth decides to start a podcast by interviewing an old lady, Daphne, who has just confessed to murdering her boyfriend. Over the course of the podcast episodes, more secrets are revealed.
This is part feminist revenge story, part murder mystery, and it was super interesting to read at which point people started to turn against Daphne, if at all.
I liked Ruth as a character, but I felt myself drawn to Daphne. I'm not sure what that says about me, but she was just so likeable.

This was a riveting read that I enjoyed for the most part but didn’t fully connect with the characters and the plot.

I thoroughly enjoyed this - the fauxtobiography is one of my favourite genres, and the author did a masterful job on this one! Perfect for fans of the latest Emily Henry, or Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Enjoyed how the podcast transcript and the narrative were interwoven, enjoyed Daphne's razor sharp personality and the way the stories slowly unfurled.

There's so much to enjoy in The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair: it takes several crime fiction tropes and gives them a few unexpected twists. There's a serial killer — only it's a woman, she's 90, and right from the start she contacts the police to confess her murders. There's an 'investigator' — only it's a podcaster and she has been hired by Daphne.

---

One of the most compelling aspects of The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair is its structure. (I’m a sucker for a well-structured narrative!)

Having admitted that she murdered a fellow-resident of the care home where she lives, Daphne is ready to tell all… but only to Ruth Robinson, a broke and depressed aspiring true crime podcaster. This sets the stage for a narrative that is a well-paced, suspenseful and dynamic combination of podcast episodes, interviews and personal reflections from the characters. It’s a multi-layered, engaging approach, that gradually reveals both the crimes themselves and the characters involved.

Thanks to this structure, The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair is not just an exciting crime read. It allows for a gradual, in-depth exploration of Daphne’s character.

Daphne St Clair is a complex and interesting character, at once a cold-blooded killer and a sympathetic figure who has endured hardships and injustices. As the narrative progresses, we learn more and more about why Daphne has killed people, challenging our perceptions of right and wrong, truth and deception. She does not present herself as a victim, but her life story is quietly heartbreaking. She has known all sorts of abuse and oppression and her murders… well let’s just say that while you might not condone them, you can see what got her there.

Her life story is a testament to her resilience, but it’s also a stark reminder of the lengths to which people will go to survive and thrive. Daphne’s confessions raise questions about morality and justice. Is she a feminist icon taking revenge on bad men, or is she simply a ruthless criminal? The novel does not serve up any easy answers, and this ambiguity is one of its greatest strengths.

Ruth Robinson, on the other hand, is relatable and easy to like. It’s easy to empathise with her struggles with depression and financial instability. A lot is hanging on her podcast, which she hopes will pull her out of financial difficulties and professional obscurity, and you’ll find yourself rooting for her success. However, she’s not without her flaws, and her own secrets and deceptions add layers of complexity to her character.

The dynamic between Daphne and Ruth is cleverly presented. Neither woman is entirely honest with the other, both are unreliable narrators, and the tension between them keeps you on your toes.

---

The novel also explores the phenomenon of true crime and its impact on society. The public’s fascination with Daphne’s story raises questions about the ethics of true crime storytelling. Is it exploitative, or does it serve a greater purpose? If you’re a fan of true crime podcasts, it might well leave you feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

Finally, the novel is written in taut, elegant and accessible prose that make it a deceptively easy read, belying the dark themes. And its sharp dialogue is authentic and often funny.

In conclusion, I have to admit that in some ways I’m not really sure why I liked this so much. Was it the elegant cover? The female serial killer? The 90-year-old protagonist? The modern twist on narrative structure, largely through podcast episodes? The abuse-survival theme? None of these elements is unique or original, but they come together in a unique way in The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair. If you appreciate a well-crafted story, I highly recommend it.

Daphne St Clair is a sassy ninety year old , she lives in a care home and has a secret .
The secret is that she is a killer a serial killer .
After a male resident in the same care facility dies Daphne decides to confess to his murder and also the other murders she has committed throughout her life .
Ruth is chosen by Daphne to record a podcast , little does Daphne know that Ruth has her own reasons for doing the podcast too.
This is a fantastic read , the writing is excellent and it makes the pages turn themselves .
A memorable read !
Looking forward to reading more from the author.
Thanks to NetGalley and Headline .

This book kept me entertained all the way through. The plot was intriguing and original and the writing was great. I loved the character of Daphne, even if she was a serial killer, and I am happy that her life ended as it did. Some of the characters were unlikeable but all were interesting, and I enjoyed the smattering of humour throughout (from Daphne). The only thing I’m disappointed about is that I wanted Ruth to be able to prove who killed her father so that they could get their comeuppance. Oh, and I wasn’t keen on the online forum bits. This was a really good read which I can heartily recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.