Daphne St Clair is a still glamorous ninety year old living in a retirement community in Florida when she confesses to the murder of a recently deceased resident. She then goes on to confess that this is not the first murder she has committed in her life, in fact she is a serial killer. Enter Ruth Robinson a journalists who creates a podcast and interviews Daphne to tell her life story. And what an incredible story it is.

I wasn't quite sure what to make of this book initially. It began, I felt as something of a satire and soon developed into a much darker and more complex read. The writing is very clever - quite witty in parts while disturbing in others. Daphne is a character like no other and I found my feelings for her changing throughout the story. It covers a broad span from Daphne's early years to the present. The format of the book with transcript of the interviews as well as social media responses make an interesting read. It also soon becomes clear that Ruth has secrets of her own. This is a twisty, edge of the seat read. It was engrossing from the start, though I found the Haute Histoire blog sections irritating

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Headline, for giving me the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

This book was much more in depth and full of character than I was expecting.

It was full of raw emotion in places, but cold blooded in others.

It was riveting from beginning to end.

There were many surprises along the way and it was written in an engaging and dramatic way.

I highly recommend this book and will definitely read more by this author if they’ve written more books. I shall be looking them up to see and will certainly buy copies if there are.

Daphne is 90 years old, lives in a care home and has just confessed to killing her ‘boyfriend’. And possibly several other murders. A good start. She takes on Ruth, who has her own problems, to interview her in a podcast series.

As the podcast unfolds, chapter by chapter, we learn more about Daphne and her motives for killing. Sometimes you empathise with her, a serial killer! But Ruth continually makes the point that no-one can take another person’s life. As the novel progresses it gets darker but as a reader I found it got repetitive in tone. It would be a spoiler to describe why.

I got fed up reading about Daphne and her life and the book slipped from 4 stars for me. Others will love it though.

I read an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publishers.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

An old man dies at a nursing home, nobody thinks anything of it. Until Daphne St Clair another resident of the home confesses to his murder and many more! Ruth a want to be journalist is chosen to produce a podcast on the murders and is shocked at the details Daphne goes into. Ruth also has a hidden agenda for taking this job!

The title and description of this were so intriguing I had to request it. And I was rewarded with a book I couldn’t put down. Daphne is such an unlikeable character, but at the same time I felt sorry for her and her life experiences. The book switches between the podcast back and forward conversations between Ruth and Daphne, and moments from each woman’s life. As well as sharing comments from online bloggers in response to the podcast. This gave the story a very real edge to it. The ending and loose ends felt very frustrating, but was the perfect ending to this story. Daphne hasn’t told the whole truth and we will never know it! This is one that is a must read!

The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair by MacKenzie Common is a gripping, darkly entertaining tale that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The premise alone is intriguing: a ninety-year-old woman confesses to being a serial killer, and a podcaster, Ruth King, is given the task of uncovering her story. Daphne's tale, spanning decades of abuse, manipulation, and murder, is as shocking as it is riveting.

The podcast format works brilliantly here, drawing you into Daphne’s confessions with the promise of more revelations in each episode. Daphne herself is a fascinating character—ruthless yet unapologetically human. Her cold pragmatism when discussing her murders and her indifferent attitude towards guilt make her an unpredictable, compelling narrator. The fact that she does not want to be liked makes her even more intriguing, and her motivations are both chilling and fascinating.

Ruth's role as the interviewer adds another layer of tension, especially when it becomes clear that neither woman is being fully honest. The pacing is excellent, building to a satisfying finale that ties everything together.

The only downside for me was the inclusion of bloggers’ comments after each podcast episode, particularly from the Haute Histoire blog, which I found a bit distracting and unnecessary. However, this didn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of the book.

Ultimately, this is a well-written, suspenseful read with a strong female anti-hero at its core. If you’re into twisted psychological thrillers with a deep dive into a morally grey character, this is definitely worth your time.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Daphne isn't your usual serial killer. For one she rings the police to confess even though nobody suspects her and secondly she's 90 years old. The story follows Daphne telling her story via Ruth's podcast.
This was a fast paced thriller which was easy to read and kept you engaged throughout. My perception of Daphne changed as the story progressed and her motivation for her kills were interesting to say the least. Ruth was a very different character and I enjoyed the fact that her reason for wanting to do the podcast were slowly fed to the reader. It's also always good to have a book that focuses on older female main characters as they're often under represented.
Overall a good read I would recommend to people who enjoy crime thrillers.

This was a really great read. The story is very well written, the author has a really clever way of writing that ends up with you changing your mind about Daphne in more ways than one, this happened repeatedly throughout the story for me ( which personally doesn’t tend to happen to me).
So the story had a roller coaster feel so I thoroughly enjoyed it, the only downside was the message board points, (personally not a fan of these) .

Great read and I will definitely look out for more from this author.

The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair - Mackenzie Common - out 19 June.

Genre: Crime/Thriller

Brief Blurb: Daphne St Clair: glamorous ninety-year-old grandmother, care home resident, and your new favourite serial killer. Ruth Robinson: broke, depressed, aspiring true crime podcaster.

My thoughts: it took a couple of chapters for me to start enjoying and appreciating the characters and then I couldn't put it down. Daphne is a brilliant character and I adored her sarcasm and wit and cutting remarks about anyone and everything. Fun and amusing in places, sad and disturbing in others. Definitely recommend this.

If you enjoyed The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid you will love this.

4.5 stars.

It's the biography of Daphne St Clair aged ninety. It's like a historical drama reflecting how times and attitudes to women have changed over the decades. I found it interesting and enjoyable.

Excellent read, when a Ninety year old confesses to murders of several men in her life well there is a story to tell and Ruth gets the task, well to listen and report. Plus why confess now?

So Ruth does she have her own secrets she certainly has troubles but she gets the chance of her live to change everything or does she. The podcast is a hit and the story we read is fantastically well put together. The history of Daphne is Intense and well the start is one thing the unfolding may not be what you expect well it would be boring if it was and this is not boring I highly recommend this.

There are a lot of characters those from Daphnes life and several from Ruth that add spice and suspense to this tale. So all I can add is why not get it I think you'll be pleased you did.

The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair
Ninety year old Daphne a care home resident in Florida admits to murdering one of the male residents and other men during her lifetime. The police not sure where to put her leave her in the care home under house arrest until she is charged as a serial killer.
Ruth, who has her own agenda is given permission to broadcast podcasts of Daphne’ life and murder confessions. From the start of her dirt poor awful childhood Daphne tells her story through each of her relationships and the men she has killed. Shocking, emotional and also at times amusing Daphne has certainly had a life full of highs and lows, changing her identity many times and accessing as much of the riches of her husbands as she can.
Riveting as Ruth unravels Daphne’s story, Daphne is not a woman who wants you to like her and makes no bones about the fact that she feels no guilt, she did what she did to survive and for her children.
An engrossing entertaining read but some of the bloggers comments that were posted after each pod cast episode I found really annoying particularly the Haute Histoire blog.
Well written and engrossing the finale was revealing and very satisfying.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

Daphne St Clair is 90, and lives in a care home.

Ruth Robinson wants to be a true crime podcaster.

And Ruth is the person Daphne chooses to bring her story to the outside world...

Daphne is a killer...

But is she telling the truth? And is what Ruth is presenting the truth?

Excellent

I loved this book.. It is both dark and delicious and really is an interesting read.

Daphne confesses to being a serial killer and Ruth, podcaster is the one to tell Daphnes story.

I loved the modernity of this book and the two women wer great characters. I loved that Daphne was too old to really be worried about confessing and the story unfolded beautifully

Anyone with a grandmother should read this book.
The writing is sharp, the structure inventive, and the story had me questioning my own morals more than once.
Daphne’s character arc is flawlessly executed, and Ruth ties everything together in a way that feels both powerful and personal. I adored the subtle nods to fashion and evolving womanhood across generations.
It’s realistic, resonant, and I’m still thinking about the core message long after turning the last page.

I devoured in one sitting The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair by MacKenzie Common.

I loved everything about this book. The artwork on the book cover commanded my attention - the stylish 1950s red twin-set, elegant white gloves with just a splash of blood. The title itself had me hooked - I wanted to know more about Daphne St Clair!

The book opens boldly with 90 year Daphne St Clair confessing to killing her beau in her care home. Not only did she murder him, but she admits to being a serial killer.

The police don’t really know what to do with Daphne, they need to investigate, but they also need to find a facility suitable to her needs. So, she is placed under house arrest. During her confinement, she enlists Ruth Robinson, a down at heel journalist, to create a podcast on her life and murders.

The story moves along at pace covering Daphne’s life through the Great Depression, World War II, the stylish 1950s, the swinging 1960s, the disco-era 1970s, the 1980s and through to the present day. She survived life in the Dustbowl in the Depression and learned at a young age that you have to do what you have to do to stay alive.

The format of the book is interview transcripts from Ruth’s interviews with Daphne, as well as from the point of view of Daphne and Ruth - both of whom are holding back truths. It also features social media posts as the news of Daphne and the success of the podcast grow - and in the age of social media everyone has an opinion on Daphne.

I devoured the story in one sitting - I just had to understand why Daphne at 90 years of age confesses. She was a survivalist who evolved into a successful serial killer, in that she hadn’t got caught. Why would a successful serial killer confess? I just had to know why.

This book will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I can’t wait to read more books by MacKenzie Common!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Headline, for making this e-ARC available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Many thanks to netgalley, the author and the publisher for approving my request to read this book.

90 year old Daphne St Clair confesses to murder after a fellow resident in her care home dies unexpectedly. Keen to tell her story she enlists the help of podcaster Ruth to tell her story to the world.

Very swiftly the country becomes hooked on the podcast eagerly awaiting the next episode to learn more about the mysterious St Clair.

This book is highly engaging, well written and had me laughing out loud at points. I loved seeing how Daphne's life unfolded throughout.

I highly recommend you give this book a read!

I was immediately grabbed by the title and cover and was so pleased to have been able to download it straight away. Within a couple of pages, I was hooked and read this in two sittings. It is written in a clever way, partly as the story progresses but also with podcast episodes, chats and the honest truth from Daphne St Clair.
Daphne has just called the police and confessed to being a serial killer, a woman with many identities and a life of crime spanning decades. The truth and timeline of her life and these murders is shared via podcast with Ruth. Ruth doesn’t know just what this will cost her but she is engrossed in the story and the traction her podcast is gaining. People are obsessed with Daphne and while some rightly view her as a murderer, others are more sympathetic to her tough start in life and her ability to fend for herself, especially when it is discovered that her first two victims were horrible, wife beaters. Perhaps she was right to rid the world of their terror.
Regardless, as the story of Daphne’s life continues, there is so much depth to her and so much she does for her children and their futures.
Ruth is also hiding a secret, that slowly emerges as she spends more time with Daphne. Their stories cross paths and Ruth is awaiting the moment when Daphne admits to a secret murder…but what will the outcome be?
Threats, stalkers, bold police behaviour and sleepless nights rock Ruth’s world and she is torn between finding the truth and being deemed sympathetic to a serial killer.
This was an intense story and one that I absolutely adored. Daphne is a formidable character and her life through the decades is incredible, so too are how and why she murdered so many!
Not quite cosy crime but I was certainly hooked and needed to discover more! Absolutely brilliant!