Book Review: To All the Men I've Killed Before by Katy Brent

Author: Katy Brent

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 384

Release Date: Aug 2026

Find it at: Amazon

Book Blurb

If a man hurt your best friend – like, really hurt her – what would you do?

1. Key his car?
2. Broadcast what a scumbag he is to everyone in his life?
3. Hunt him down and chop him into little pieces?

If you picked number 3, I think we could be friends. Because that is exactly what I intend to do.

I’ve tracked this lowlife to LA and brought my little sister Antoinette along for the ride. It’s like a girls’ trip, only with more knives.

It won’t be the first time I’ve killed for revenge. But it will be the sweetest.

My Thoughts!

First, thank you HarperCollins Canada and NetGalley for an advance review copy of this book!

I went into To All the Men I’ve Killed Before expecting something a little different—in a good way. The premise is bold: a revenge-driven female serial killer, a girls’ trip to LA, and a mission to take down a man who’s hurt someone close to her. It sounded like it could be dark, funny, maybe even a little “chick-lit but make it unhinged.”

The story follows Kitty Collins (our resident killer) as she tracks down a man who’s seriously harmed her best friend. She heads to LA—with her younger sister Antoinette in tow—for what is essentially a revenge mission disguised as a chaotic girls’ trip. And this isn’t Kitty’s first time doing this either, which kind of sets the tone for the whole book. This book is in fact the third in the Kitty Collins’ series, but even though I read this one without reading the previous two, I didn’t feel like I missed out on anything. It flows well.

To give credit where it’s due: this book is very readable. The writing flows easily, it’s fast-paced, and I flew through it because it genuinely kept me hooked. There’s also a strong sense of voice—Kitty is bold, unapologetic, and very much committed to her own version of justice. Antoinette, meanwhile, brings a more chaotic energy, especially as she starts getting a little too comfortable with the whole killing thing. The sister dynamic was actually one of the more interesting parts of the story.

But… the story itself (anddd maybe execution) didn’t quite sit well with me.

I struggled with how over-the-top and unrealistic a lot of it felt. There were quite a few plot holes, things that just… happened without explanation, and very little sense of consequence for actions that should have had major fallout. The characters also didn’t always behave in ways that felt believable, which made it harder to stay fully invested. I mean, I can believe the killers are obviously OK with killing people, but when you add at least 5-6 more characters that become aware of the fact AND they are OK with it - that frustrated me no end! If that’s the reality of this world, I would like to go live on Mars.

And then there’s the tone around revenge. I understand what the book is tapping into—frustration, anger, the whole “men getting what they deserve” angle. That part is real. But the way the story leans into violence as not just justified, but enjoyable, didn’t sit right with me. The moral line felt blurred in a way that wasn’t thought-provoking so much as… uncomfortable.

I get that this isn’t meant to be a serious, grounded thriller, and maybe that’s the point. It’s exaggerated, a bit chaotic, and probably meant to be taken with a pinch (or handful) of salt. And for the right reader, that might be exactly what makes it fun. For me, though, while I appreciated the original concept and the addictive writing style, the execution and tone just didn’t fully work.

Overall, an easy and compelling read with a standout premise—but definitely one that will depend heavily on your taste.

The Nanny by Gilly MacMillan

As you may have noticed, I am currently on a murder-mystery reading spree. I find this genre the easiest to get through and also the most exciting. That's how I found The Nanny as a recommendation on Goodreads. I found this to be the perfect thriller for someone like me - a grand mix of English aristocracy, armchair-detective whodunnit set in modern times, mysterious family dynamics and the gradual building of relationships that make your skin crawl.

Title: The Nanny

Author: Gilly MacMillan

Find it on Amazon: The Nanny

Pages: 400

Published: 2019

When I started reading this, it seemed eerily familiar with The Family Upstairs in terms of the concept of having strangers enter your family in minute, seemingly innocent ways and ending up ruining your life. Also with Sharp Objects with the protagonist dreading to come back to their home because of disturbed childhoods, but apart from the mild similarities there's nothing else common. The Nanny was unique in its concept, its narration from present and past times with different POVs, and it captured my attention grandly.

Jocelyn had been a seven year old at the Holt house when her beloved nanny Hannah disappeared suddenly. Jo's relationship with her parents remains strained, if not worse. She leaves the house as soon as she could when she grows up, and goes to live in California where she lived with her husband and ten-year old daughter Ruby. After her husband dies, Jo has no option but to take Ruby and return to the Holt house occupied by her mother. The story follows Jo's life in the present time, Lady Holt's increasing love for her grand-daughter Ruby, and Hannah's reappearance in their lives just after Ruby discovers a human skull in the lake on their property. 

The Nanny was absolutely thrilling and mysterious. I loved the suspense that was out there in the open - is the skull really mysterious? Is the woman calling herself Hannah really the Hannah that had disappeared? What happened to Jo's relation with her mother? Why do two grown women have such different opinions about their relationship and are unable to fix it?

It is a complex story of human ties that go really deep and have been weathered by changing dynamics within the family and society. More than a murder mystery, it is a story of love, revenge and desires. Despite having all this complexity, the writing style is simple, which makes the narration fast-paced and the book easy to read. I loved the way the revelations came slowly but surely, shocking the reader, yet it keeps going and makes us want more. The characterization is also fabulous - I could imagine Lady Holt, Hannah and Jo vividly as they experienced different things and grew throughout the book. I did find certain things as loose ends which would not make much sense in real life, but I did find the story stronger in terms of its holistic nature than only focusing on catching a killer. 

I would go so far as to say that this was my favourite thriller so far in this year - highly recommended with a 5/5 star rating! 

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Another Goodreads choice awards pick! The Silent Patient follows the story of Alicia Berenson, an artist accused of her husband's murder. Alicia did not speak a single word since she was found with the murder weapon and her husband's body. A psychotherapist, Theo, has been following Alicia's story since the event and feels the need to dig deeper as the years pass, because of his fascination and curiosity about what happened.

Title: The Silent Patient

Author: Alex Michaelides

Pages: 325

Published: 2019

Find it on Amazon: The Silent Patient

The book is narrated from two perspectives, one is Alicia's diary and the other is Theo's point of view. Alicia's diary narrates the story from when her husband gets her the diary to encourage her to write her feelings when she's overwhelmed. We get snapshots of her life and build up of the story along with Theo's POV narrating the current time - Theo finding a job at the institution Alicia stays at, and doing his best to try and get Alicia to talk.

I found the storyline and writing very engaging. The mystery about Alicia's silence unravels slowly while providing readers a complete backdrop of the past - Alicia's own personal troubles, her relationship with her husband as well as other characters who are linked in her life. As Theo continues trying to elicit a response from his patient, he shares with us his discoveries about things that seem to make Alicia respond, things that matter to her. 

Overall, I found myself flipping through the pages to get to the end and unravel the mystery. I did get a hint of the twist and the killer mid-way through the book, even though I found it exciting and wanted to read to understand how it could be! It was a fresh idea, it wasn't too predictable, and the setting was more contemporary than I've been reading lately. The suspense was built up throughout the book, so I didn't get bored. The little snippets and perspectives from Alicia's art was also something new to be found in this book - references to Greek myths, exploring storytelling through art and reading meanings through painted images. 

As for characterization, I felt like Alicia was the only character the author seemed to focus most on - perhaps because the story demanded it, but a couple of characters didn't seem to add much to the story other than being red herrings, I suppose. Otherwise, the plot and the narration was on-point for me. Also, a well-rounded and well-explained ending is a rarity these days in thrillers, so I was very happy with this one.

I would definitely say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading it - it was one of my fastest reads this year, and would surely recommend it for today's psychological thriller recommendations. I do feel it's now a bit over-rated, but highly delicious to read anyway!

PS - The book cover totally drew me in. 5/5 to this cover idea.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Title: Sharp Objects

Author: Gillian Flynn

Pages: 254

Published: 2006

Find it on Amazon: Sharp Objects

My Rating: 4/5

This was my second book by Gillian Flynn after Gone Girl. Flynn's characters seem to have some things in common - a disturbing past that has influenced these women in deep, unnerving ways that turn them into unreliable narrators. 

Camille Preaker is a reporter based in Chicago. She's sent to cover a murder and disappearance of  young girls, aged 9 and 10 respectively, in the small town of Wind Gap. She dreads returning to the town she grew up in and seeing her family after eight years - sure enough, as soon as we start reading about Wind Gap, a whole gothic, creepy vibe takes over the book and doesn't go away till the end.

Reading this story was highly uncomfortable. Everything made me uneasy - the dialogues, the people in Wind Gap, the kids, the police officers. It gives the air of something sinister hiding deep within the town, although to be fair, I can understand that Flynn made this deliberate to create a certain atmosphere, and it works. Right from the beginning as Camille enters her home town, you get the feeling that something is wrong. Camille's mother Adora behaves and talks in a strangely controlling way, her younger sister Amma feels unreliable and scary with her discordant personality, stories of how young kids behave and what they talk about in the town also have a dark tone to them.

Despite being disturbing, this book absorbed me. It was compulsive and I found myself reading this every free minute, reading late into the night till my eyes screamed shut in protest. I dreamed about it and kept thinking about this strange story where two young girls get murdered and have their teeth removed. As Camille learns more and we get a glimpse of her past, dots begin to join a little. Commonalities in both murders are discovered, leading to the possibility of a serial killer, possibly someone local. 

As we gain different perspectives, including a great (yet dark) view of small town gossip and interactions, things seem to get more sinister. And when we realise we have reached a satisfactory (and disturbing) conclusion, we read on to find there's more. That's what I liked best - tricking me into believing something only to find out there's a lot more to it! Lately I've been finding thrillers to have unsatisfactory endings because there's little explanation, however with Sharp Objects I have no such complaint! It lives true to its promise as a thriller. I would recommend this as a mysterious, fast read. However, it does have gory details related to self-harm (cutting) and psychological issues due to an unconventional and disturbed childhood.

Did this book have an impact on me? YES

Did I enjoy reading this book? Hell YES

Will I recommend it to you? Absolutely!

Buy it here.

Enjoy!

Peril at End House and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie

A sketch of Hercule Poirot

Hercule Poirot is a Belgian detective, a short, sharp man popularised by Agatha Christie in her many novels. I hadn't read a lot of her books before. Only a couple of Miss Marple books and a handful of general ones. They were fairly enjoyable, till the time I read The Murder on the Orient Express, and getting introduced to Hercule Poirot. I began to think of it as the best Agatha Christie book I'd read! Recently I grabbed Peril at End House and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, wishing to savour some more of Poirot's adventures. I'll talk about these two books in the paras below:

 

Peril at End House: Hercule Poirot is on a holiday with his loyal friend (read sidekick) Hastings when he meets a young girl called Nick who seems to have had three escapes from death in the last three days. Poirot is intrigued, especially when a shot is attempted at Nick right in front of Poirot! Poirot convinces Nick that she is in danger and she asks him for help. Nick lives in End House, a dilapidated old house left to her by her grandfather. The story goes on to introduce Nick's relatives and friends, all of whom are suspected by Poirot. The result is an intriguing whodunnit that makes a reader's suspicions flow from one character to the next.

I enjoyed reading this book and thinking along Hercule Poirot as developments take place. Sometimes I paused to reflect on the quality of writing, which didn't seem all that great. Add to it the expressions of stereotypes on women, and it became a bit of a bother, but the story nevertheless took over. Perhaps because I had The Murder on the Orient Express to compare with, but I did not find Peril at End House as good as expected. The main character, Nick, seemed too unreal in the way she behaved. Still, I'd give it full points for the OMG factor and the unexpected ending. The minus point? You feel like you HAVE to read the book again to figure out how the crime was committed, but you usually don't have the time for it. And you know this fact.

Buy Peril at End House: Amazon

Pages: 287

First published: 1932

As for The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, I loved reading it much more than Peril at End House. Roger Ackroyd is apparently one of Christie’s masterpieces. Here, Hercule Poirot has "retired" and gone to live in a small town where he hopes to hide his identity (and ends up being thought of as a retired hairdresser, thanks to his fabulous waxy moustache!). Of course, mysteries follow detectives. Soon, there is a suicide and a murder, and Hercule Poirot is called to help.

This story was interesting right from the beginning. The narrator is one of the townspeople, a doctor, who takes the place of Poirot's friend Hastings (as much as a stranger is capable, that is). The narrator, Dr Sheppard, had been to dine with Roger Ackroyd, one of the rich men in town. Ackroyd had been tense and had wanted to share a secret with Dr Sheppard, but he is prevented from doing so. Later that night the doctor receives a phone call that Ackroyd has been murdered, and a most intriguing story follows.

What with Poirot’s methods of working and so many clues and suspects, the readers just can’t get enough of the story. It’s no wonder the book is considered wonderful. It just is. For a change, I’m quite at a loss for words to describe the book. Towards the end, I began to feel apprehensive about the ending, and I dearly wished it to not be what I thought it would be, and it was a disappointment when it turned out to be exactly what I dreaded. Again, that feeling of wanting to re-read the book!

Buy The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: Amazon

Pages: 368

First published: 1926

General comments

Poirot seemed to resemble Sherlock in the sense of arriving at the solution by thinking. However, Poirot is a proponent of utilising one's "little grey cells" (of the brain) and has the habit of arriving at the solution by taking into consideration every single truth/fact and going by "method". He is great at human psychology, which makes his problem-solving all the more alluring!

The best thing about these books is how they are so hard to put down! I have never had more than a few hours' break while reading a book by Agatha Christie. It's true even when I find some things tiresome or the writing 'basic'. The story just keeps having interesting developments, which obviously is testimony to the fact that the stories are real gold. They may seem simple on the surface, but I just love how the author plays around with it!   

I recommend these books to fans of mystery and crime novels. Now I’m going to read some more Agatha Christie.

PS—Poirot is the only fictional character to be honored with a front page obituary on The New York Times. No wonder!

PPS—The print and text quality of the books that I bought needs to be commented upon. It was so disappointing to find that the text had clearly not been proofread or looked at even once before the book was sent off for printing. Gross errors that greatly put me off while reading: sentences ending in a comma instead of a full stop, sentences with either beginning or ending quote marks missing, words spelled wrongly (weeek instead of week! The name Ursula written 'Ursual'). I'm sure the publishers wouldn't have bothered with it considering the brands--Agatha Christie and HarperCollins. Who would bother with typos? And I wasn't even surprised that the book was "For sale in the Indian subcontinent only". Who else accepts such books? 

Review: Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

Dan Brown

Book title: Angels and Demons (Robert Langdon #1)

Author: Dan Brown

Published: 2000 by Corgi Books

Pages: 620

Find it at: Amazon

My Rating: 4/5

Angels and Demons is the first Robert Langdon thriller in the amazing series by Dan Brown. I feel silly not having read this before despite having a copy since ages! Brown's DaVinci Code and The Lost Symbol had been immensely satisfying reads, and Angels and Demons was just as enthralling. I love books that demand all your thoughts, emotions and intellect to be concentrated on it at all times. I've been guilty of reading Angels and Demons while at work and way past my bedtime. It is a book that engages one's intellectual curiosity and provides for thrills, adventure, mystery with scenes that can leave one breathless.

What's inside?

Robert Langdon is an art historian teaching at Harvard. He finds himself at CERN, the biggest scientific research organization located in Switzerland, after the Director shows him an image of a brutally-murdered CERN scientist. He had been "branded" with a mysterious symbol. Robert Langdon finds the situation impossible: he had done some research on the Illuminati and the symbol indicated their resurgence.

Religion and science have always been at loggerheads with each other. The fabled intellectual group that called themselves the Illuminati have resurfaced after decades of hiding, thought to have been extinct by the world. And they have their target in sight--Vatican City, the holiest church. Langdon and Vittoria, the murdered scientist's daughter, leave for Rome to locate the canister of antimatter--that which was stolen after the scientist's death--to prevent it from vaporizing Vatican City! 

One of the book covers

How is the book?

Fantastic. The one thing I love about Dan Brown's books is how the stories are set in such short time spans. Angels and Demons covers Langdon's day beginning at 5.30 am till a little after midnight--packed with historical information, action, suspense and a symbologist's quest towards an impossible answer that could save the world. Readers will inevitably be drawn to Rome's culture and rich art history apart from the marvellous secrets buried within the Vatican.

The story, a race against time as the antimatter countdown nears zero, is intense and quick-paced, Brown's writing style adding to the effect. No words are wasted. The words are chosen carefully. The chapters ending with cliffhangers are the best! I tried to guess the ultimate villain and failed thrice. The book isn't a literary star, but it is totally absorbing. There were some things that seemed a bit unbelievable to me, like how so much could happen within minutes, but I'm not complaining. I was hooked onto the story and felt as much in Vatican as Robert Langdon, decoding answers in popular churches and artwork, trying to stay a step ahead of the enemy and using all possible knowledge to find answers to save the Vatican from being evaporated.

The short chapters moving from one scene to the next, in different areas and different POVs add to the quick-paced nature of the book. It has also been done seamlessly with no scope for reader disorientation. I liked the background stories for all characters--they brought about more depth in the characters. Robert Langdon is a unique character, one of those whose image you can affix in your mind with just a brief introduction. He's intelligent, witty and a little bit wacky. He gets into tough situations because of his curiosity and a sense of responsibility, and it is fun to watch him deal with the new people and circumstances as they arise. 

Coming to facts, I've seen a lot of readers criticising the book because it does not include proper facts and is "anti-Christian". I'm not much aware about those facts, but I do know that it is a fictional story that uses some pre-existing facts to base itself upon. Reaching the end, I did feel that it threw a somewhat negative light on the Catholic Church, but that was because of one of the characters. The book ended with a clear message (according to the author anyway) of what religion/Church stands for and how it is to be seen as separate from blind faith or belief on the basis of fear. This is something I feel a lot of religions deal with.

Nevertheless, I would recommend Angels and Demons to fans of thrillers and to those who enjoyed DaVinci Code. Some language, scenes and gory descriptions/killings might not be suitable for younger readers. Here are a few quotes from the book:

“Nothing captures human interest more than human tragedy.”

“Faith is universal. Our specific methods for understanding it are arbitrary. Some of us pray to Jesus, some of us go to Mecca, some of us study subatomic particles. In the end we are all just searching for truth, that which is greater than ourselves.”

“Science tells me God must exist. My mind tells me I will never understand God. And my heart tells me I am not meant to.”

“Skepticism has become a virtue. Cynicism and demand for proof has become enlightened thought. Is it any wonder that humans now feel more depressed and defeated than they have at any point in human history? ” (This comes from a long speech delivered at the Vatican in the story.)

What do you think? Have you read the book or watched the movie?

Review: Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben

Author: Harlan Coben

Published: 2016 by Century (Penguin Random House)

Pages: 387

Find it at: Amazon

Genre: Psychological Thriller/Mystery

My Rating: 4.5/5

Blurb

You think you know the truth. The truth is you know nothing.

If your husband was murdered,

And you were a witness,

How do you explain, seeing him on your nanny cam?

You thought you trusted him.

Now you can't even trust yourself.

Dark secrets and a terrifying hunt for the truth lie at the heart of this gripping new thriller.

My Thoughts~

It was the blurb that had me inclined to read this book. I hadn't read any book by Harlan Coben before, but after reading Fool Me Once, I'm sure I'll read some more of Coben. Fool Me Once is a thrilling read, a book full of suspense, complicated twists and turns, and mind-boggling answers.  

It opens with Joe’s funeral. Maya was there when Joe died, so how can Maya possibly explain having seen Joe on the nanny cam she installed after Joe's death? It is one of those freaky moments when you need to pause and gasp for breath because you can't understand how it could possibly be! (Even though it wasn't really a "surprise" twist.) What follows is Maya's search for the truth. She collects all possible information, follows the leads, manages being questioned by the detectives, and goes around in search of answers, while trying to make sure her two-year-old daughter is safe. What complicates matters is her own past in the military, which looks like a big enough reason to cause catastrophic events and wreaks havoc in her (and the readers') mind. 

Following Maya's story soon turns into a chase with many clues but also many assumptions. The narrative is in third person, written in an easy-to-follow style. The sentences are simple and short (which is something I've seen is used a lot in thrillers). The characters used in the story have not been explored in detail, so I couldn't really connect with anyone much, let alone figure out who could have carried out the murders. It does become a bit complex in the later half of the book, when I felt “unintelligent” because it was hard to follow. But that only makes it guarantee a re-read. The twists and turn follow you to the end. There isn't a moment when something isn't happening.

I liked how the story had a female lead character with a military past, and who's struggling with a civilian life. It was good to gain insight about what makes the ex-military live their lives differently, how, when they look at things with a suspicious perspective, it's not just paranoia or after-effects of shock or trauma. It could just be a part of their nature.

I did feel sometimes that the descriptions lacked balance—some parts were explained unnecessarily, while some were left too early. The story has multiple layers of mystery. You could sit back and think about how one thing led to another, if you went back all the way and "connected the dots". Like with an unnerving number of books, I didn't feel enthusiastic about the ending. It wasn't exactly "wrong" but it also wasn't the only way. 

Some things also made little sense to me. I won't go into the "why"s of characters' actions, because it is human to make errors of judgment due to emotions. I'm going to let those inconsistencies get away. I could write more if I dug deeper for flaws, but I'm not going to. I liked reading this. It made me feel things. I read it my way through work, through travelling, and through the night. Not all books make you do that.

Fool Me Once is a gripping and compelling page-turner. It has the ability to turn your head, mostly because you don't want to stop reading. It just STAYS in your head all the while you're not reading. It was impossible to keep the book down. I ended up sneakily reading it while at work. It has a good story, good plot twists, and good suspense. Though it has some flaws, Fool Me Once is a great fix for thrills.

Some quotes that I liked:

“When you can see the stakes, when you realize the true purpose of your mission, it motivates you. It makes you focus. It makes you push away the distractions. You gain clarity of purpose. You gain strength.”

“Your fellow soldiers had to know that you had their back. That was rule one, lesson one, and above all else. If the enemy goes after you, he goes after me too.”