Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a fun, fast paced thriller from start to finish. Eve's mother disappeared without a trace 13 years ago, so when she finds a tape of her mother's musings, where she states she's about to be murdered, things are set in motion that can't be undone. I enjoyed the pacing of this book, and the twist was one I didn't anticipate! I would have enjoyed a bit more backstory for certain characters (even more info about Eve herself), and things felt too nicely wrapped up by the end, but overall this was a fun read that I would recommend to anyone who likes complicated characters, reminiscing about old technology, and serial killer mystery.

The Tapes- Kerry Wilkinson

“ If you’re listening to this I’ve been murdered”
Eve’s father has passed away and she is packing up all his belongings in his house when she happens to come across some tapes. Now these tapes have your name on them in your mothering handwriting; your mother that has been missing for 13 years. So naturally Eve listens to the tape and discovers that maybe her mother’s disappearance was more sinister than she thought. These tapes take on a wild ride of murder, intrigue, and she soon discovers that those around her are harboring secrets that she couldn’t have imagined in her wildest dreams. In this book where it makes second guess if you truly know those closest to you.

I give this book a 4 stars, I enjoyed the premise of the book and the ending completely blew my mind. I had my suspicions but was totally blindsided when I discovered who was responsible for all that chaos. The storyline was great and its a book that kept me interested and I wanted to get to the end to find out who was the killer. My only complaint would be that I felt like Eve’s character was a bit flat to me in the beginning but as the story goes on she does grow on you. So over all this was very enjoyable and entertaining read, if you like suspenseful, twisty thrillers then I would definitely recommend it.

Thank to NetGalley, Bookouture and Kerry Wilkinson for the advanced copy.

The premise of this book sounded very interesting, and I thought it would read like the book "13 reasons why." Unfortunately, we only get to read what was on 2 of the tapes, 1 of which is constantly repeated throughout the book. With the title centered around the tapes, I wish they would have be used more frequently to bulid the storyline. I also wasn't a fan of the excerpts from a book written about the girls that were killed by the serial killer, it just seemed like filler.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture, and Kerry Wilkinson for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback

The Tapes is Kerry Wilkinson's new twist filled, secret filled, fast paced, psychological thriller! It begins with a shocking discovery which has one woman on the search for the truth! She will encounter secrets galore, hostility, and roadblocks along the way!

Eve makes a shocking discovery while clearing out her father's home after his death. When she finds a box of cassette tapes, it is like getting a blast from the past! They were her mother's tapes and when Eve finds one labeled with her name, she decides to listen to it. Eve has her socks knocked off when she hears her mother's voice. A voice she had not heard in a long time. A voice which is telling her . ‘If you’re listening to this, I’ve been murdered.’ Now that is how to get someone's attention! Wanting, no needing, to know more, Eve goes on a mission to learn the truth about what her mother, Angela, who disappeared years ago knew about a serial killer! Plus, she wants to know if her mother became that killer's victim!

As I mentioned this book is full of secrets. It is also full of tension, mounting danger, revelations, and mystery. Why did her mother disappear all those years ago. What happened to her? If she was murdered as the tapes allude, who is the killer and why??? As the questions swirled through my mind, I did my best to figure out whodunit. I never succeeded and enjoyed the ride this book took me on. I enjoyed the pacing of this book and the murder mystery.

Another twist filled, shocking, and intriguing mystery from Kerry Wilkinson. This is the 17th book that I have read by Kerry Wilkinson. If he writes it, I am going to read it!

The premise of this book had me hooked right away, but the story didn’t completely sweep me off my feet.

Eve loses her dad and starts sorting through her parents’ things when she finds a mysterious tape with her name on it. On it, her mom calmly says that if she ever goes missing, she’s actually dead. Talk about a conversation starter. Naturally, Eve sets out to find out the truth about her mom, who vanished over ten years ago, and what she knew about a serial killer from that time.

Sounds like thriller gold, right? And for a while, it was. But the pacing in the second half slowed way down, and I found myself checking how many pages were left more than once. The ending landed well, but I’m still on the fence about whether it was worth wading through the middle.

Even so, if you’re into thrillers with a found footage twist, give it a go. This one just didn’t fully work for me, but it might be your next favorite.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC. All thoughts here are all my own.

The Tapes by Kerry Wilkinson is a gripping and original thriller that hooks you from the start. When a mother vanishes without explanation, the truth seems buried—until a set of mysterious tapes is discovered, holding the key to unraveling what really happened. Wilkinson masterfully uses this unique premise to build tension, with each tape revealing chilling pieces of the puzzle that were hidden in plain sight all along. The pacing is sharp, the suspense is relentless, and the twists are both clever and satisfying. This is a captivating read that leaves you wanting more in the best possible way, and a must-read for anyone who craves a truly twisted thriller.

3.75⭐️

I really enjoyed this! I read it in one-sitting and fired through it easily. Such good pacing and I found the book excerpts a really interesting way to split up the developing plot as well. Not a twist I expected which is always a win for a thriller, but even if I had guessed it I still really enjoyed the way the story unravelled and I don’t think that would have been a negative for me.

If you’re looking for an easy, quick thriller to sink your teeth into then this is a great option!

Thank you NetGalley and bookouture for the arc!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'm always very happy about an ARC and being able to give it a review! <3

This was my first book by this author and she definitely didn’t disappoint.

The blurb sounded super intriguing and the story had me hooked from the start. The tension was built really well, and the writing style was smooth and easy to read.

For me, though, there were a few too many characters, and I felt like something was missing from the storyline.

Still, it’s a quick and easy read that’s perfect for in between and it definitely entertains!

3.5 ⭐️rounded up.

This is an enjoyable thriller about Eve whose Mum vanished 12 years previously. While clearing out her Dad’s house who has recently passed away, she finds a box of tapes that her Mum has recorded. The tapes are generally just of her Mum chatting away, and using the tapes as a diary. However, one of the tapes has a distorted message saying that if she has disappeared, she’s been murdered because she knows who the serial killer that has been terrorising their town is. There’s a slight complication in that Eve’s Mum was a kleptomaniac and was also a known liar, so is what her Mum says the truth?

Eve therefore goes on a quest to find out the truth, not knowing who to trust and whether what her Mum says is real or fantasy. Eve herself has a complicated past, but I found her a likeable character, and was rooting for her.

I found the thriller to be easy to read, it was fairly twisty and had a good pace so I didn’t get bored. The plot was different to the usual thriller, which I found interesting. A decent read by an author I’d not heard of before.

I really enjoyed this book! Love a good thriller and this one did not disappoint and I didn’t see any of the twists coming. I loved piecing things together as the book went on it definitely kept me gripped. I would recommend for anyone who loves an easy read thriller!

A cassette player and tapes found in a garage reveal more and more horrifying secrets the longer you listen to them.

Excerpts from a True Crime Book about a notorious serial killer slowly unravel the truth.

Uputdownable that’s how I would describe this book, it had me on the edge of my seat from the first page until the very last page.

I really couldn’t decide what had actually happened until the author revealed all and even then it had an unexpected twist!.

I really need to read more by this author, this book is by far the best thriller I’ve read this year.

Thank you to netgalley and bookouture for the opportunity to read this early! The cover immediately caught my attention. It’s bold, intriguing and made me click instantly. Then I read the description and knew I had to request it. I was thrilled when I got the acceptance email!

The story hooked me from the very first chapter, especially with that chilling moment on the tape: “If they say I’m missing, I’m not. I’ve been killed.” From there, it was a quick, fast paced thriller/mystery that kept me turning pages. I had my suspicions early on about who the Earring Killer might be, but I was never completely sure especially since I also suspected Eve‘s mom. The ending managed to surprise me and catch me off guard, which I loved

Overall, a great, gripping read that kept me engaged from the start to finish. I’m so glad I got to read this one early and I can’t wait to check out more from Kerry Wilkinson.

What I loved:
A chilling opening line, a fast paced mystery, and just enough twists to keep me guessing until the end.

One thing this book made very clear was that victims are often viewed as numbers or a part of a statistic. But to their loved ones, they are more than statistics, they are humans. This story was so moving despite how terrible the crimes were.

Did I read the same book as others? After getting through the first 30%, I couldn't bring myself to continue. The book moved SO slow and I kept falling asleep every time I tried to dig in. I couldn't get into the characters as a result. I was initially so excited about the premise too -- it seemed like a novel I'd immediately grab off the shelves.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Believe all of the other reviews. This was UNPUTDOWNABLE.
I couldn't stop once I started and to me, THAT is a five star read.

Eve, the main character, is clearing out her Dad’s house and she finds a box of tapes from her mum who disappeared 13 years ago. On one of these tapes, Eve’s mum states that if she goes missing that it’ll may have been the serial killer that was in the town years before. The serial killer is the backdrop for the story and every so many chapters we find out about one of the victims. Eve has her own troubles which we find out as she pursues her mum’s theory. As the story unfolds, I was questioning and second guessing every character. There are many twists and turns. I felt, we there could have a bit more detail at the end when everything was solved. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy for my honest review.

Eve finds a tape recording that her missing mother left her to find. On the tape her mother says she knows the identity of a serial killer. I loved the plot but I think the book was a little slow paced. It does have a nice twist in the end.

There was one thing that I found irritating in writing style. The chapter would end on a cliff hanger (.ie. someone appearing to be caught in a situation) but the next chapter would not pick up explaining the cliff hanger. I would have to turn back to the previous page and re-read to see if I missed something and nope, I didn't. It would be 2-3 chapters later that the cliff hanger was finished (they weren't caught.)

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC.

I really loved the concept of this book but it took a few days for me to really get into it. I haven't read another book like it so I think that's why it took me a bit to get into it.

I fell in love with how the main character was trying to solve a murder.

Thank you to netgally for accepting me for this arc.

I really enjoyed the idea of this book, however, I was left a little bit disappointed.

We follow Eve, who after her father's passing, goes through his and her mothers things to clear out some space, and she founds a tape labeled with her name, in which her mother says that in case she ever goes missing, she is actually d*ad. This sets Eve on a mission to find out what happened to her mother, who is missing for over a decade and to uncover what her mother knew about the serial killer that operated a decade ago.

On paper this sounds amazing, like my cup of tea, however, I was left wishing the story unfolded differently and also not vibing at all with the pacing. The second half of the book was extremely slow and I felt like DNF-ing this a couple of times. Yea, the ending was good, but was it worth the struggle of the second half? Debatable.

Even if this book wasn't for me, I don't think it's a bad book, and I would still recommend it for anyone who is into thrillers with found footage, which is my favorite subgenre.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion! Needless to say, as always, all thoughts are my own and I have not been influenced in any way.

Whilst I did enjoy aspects of the book such as the premise, the strong start and how the plot unfolded, I did find it to be quite slow place towards the latter half of the book and wished it would pick up a bit more speed to keep me completely engrossed. Loved the ending though so I would rate this 3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.