A review by outsmartyourshelf
How to Kill Men and Get Away With It, by Katy Brent
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Kitty Collins is an online influencer, her life is a whirl of parties, brand launches, & posting photos on Instagram. Things look perfect from the outside but Kitty is feeling decidedly bored with it all. She hasn't really dated since she broke up with 'love of her life' Adam, but she watches her closest friends (Hen, Victoria, & Maisie) stumble from one bad relationship to the next. - being cheated on, lied to, & taken for granted. When she is followed home from a party & threatened with sexual assault, Kitty decides enough is enough & the guy ends up dead after falling on a broken bottle. The first death is accidental but Kitty takes that feeling & runs with it.
This was a very entertaining read with Kitty narrating & casting a very droll eye over the men in her life. Charlie, Kitty's love interest, seems to be a genuinely good guy but some of the others - oh dear. If you also have a dark sense of humour you'll probably enjoy this too. At one point Kitty needs a distraction & muses whether disemboweling a sex offender would help! The first half of the book is quite funny in tone considering the subject matter, but things take a grimmer turn in the second half. There's a sort of a Dexter-esque morality where Kitty justifies killing because she only kills bad people, but what would happen if she accidentally kills an innocent person?
There are some contrivances such as Kitty being rich & her family owning a meat-processing plant which comes in handy for disposing of dead bodies (Let's just say I'm glad I'm vegetarian!) There's very strong language, some of the killing scenes are very graphic, & there are some graphic sex scenes too. The book also deals with miscarriage, sexual assault, & infidelity, & a couple of quick memories about the family business & animal death. It's not for everyone but I loved it.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, HQ, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.
This was a very entertaining read with Kitty narrating & casting a very droll eye over the men in her life. Charlie, Kitty's love interest, seems to be a genuinely good guy but some of the others - oh dear. If you also have a dark sense of humour you'll probably enjoy this too. At one point Kitty needs a distraction & muses whether disemboweling a sex offender would help! The first half of the book is quite funny in tone considering the subject matter, but things take a grimmer turn in the second half. There's a sort of a Dexter-esque morality where Kitty justifies killing because she only kills bad people, but what would happen if she accidentally kills an innocent person?
There are some contrivances such as Kitty being rich & her family owning a meat-processing plant which comes in handy for disposing of dead bodies (Let's just say I'm glad I'm vegetarian!) There's very strong language, some of the killing scenes are very graphic, & there are some graphic sex scenes too. The book also deals with miscarriage, sexual assault, & infidelity, & a couple of quick memories about the family business & animal death. It's not for everyone but I loved it.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, HQ, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Gore, Murder, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Kidnapping, Animal death, and Torture