I was given an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for a review.

3.5⭐️ rounded up!

I loved the premise of this book. A set of old tapes found in a garage from a mother that disappeared? A potentially unreliable narrator? Yes please! I fully thought I knew who the killer was early on, and I was 100% wrong. It kept my attention and I stayed up too late reading it multiple nights. All wins in my book! There were parts that were a bit repetitive and probably could’ve used some additional editing, but overall a great story! I’ll definitely be picking up more from this author!

This book was so hard to put down — seriously, I flew through it. From the first few pages, I was completely hooked. It’s fast-paced, exciting, and just a really fun, easy read. You don’t have to overthink anything, but the twists and turns keep things interesting the whole way through.

One of my favorite parts was the old-school element of the cassette tapes — the main character finds tapes with her missing mother’s voice on them, and it was such a unique and creepy twist. Loved it!

I also really enjoyed the way the story was told, with chapters jumping between the main character’s POV and excerpts from a book written about the serial killer, including interviews with victims' loved ones. It added a true crime vibe that made the mystery even more compelling without dragging the story down.

Highly recommend if you’re looking for a suspenseful, fast read that keeps you guessing without being too heavy.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this.This is the first book I've read by this author, but it looks like she has written a ton of books. I enjoyed the storyline, it kept my interest and kept me guessing. I would be curious to read other books by this author. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the ARC. This releases August 11th 2025.

When clearing her late father’s house Eve finds a box of tapes from her missing mother. “If they say i’m missing, i’m not. If you’re listening to this, i’m dead.”
Eve is desperate for answers and try’s to seek them out while struggling with her own problems.

This was a captivating story from the start. I found the story to be unique and the writing was very refreshing.
I enjoyed Eves pov, she was a very realistic character. The tape idea was also very fun and i found that to be the most interesting part of the book. I also enjoyed seeing extracts from a fictional book in the story.

Overall, this was a very interesting read and i will definitely be checking out more from this author in the future. Thank you Netgalley and Kerry Wilkinson for the ARC!

Once I started The Tapes, I knew I wasn’t putting it down anytime soon. It has that addictive kind of pacing where every chapter ends in a way that makes you think, “Okay, just one more.” Before I knew it, I was halfway through and already making excuses to keep reading.
Even though I figured out who the killer was before the reveal, I honestly didn’t mind. The tension was still there, and there’s an extra twist near the end that kept things fun and unpredictable.
What stood out most to me was how natural the storytelling felt. It wasn’t overdone or overly dramatic. The plot moved with just the right amount of urgency, and the characters had enough complexity to keep me invested. It felt grounded, but still delivered those intense, thriller moments I was hoping for.
This would be a great pick for anyone looking for a fast, satisfying thriller that keeps you hooked the whole way through.

Eve‘s mother disappeared years ago, and Eve has always wondered- did she simply leave? It isn’t until Eve is cleaning out her recently departed father’s home and comes across the tape marked with her name that she begins to wonder something more sinister might have occurred.

The book was solidly OK for me. The plot is unique and the text is well written. Eve is sympathetic, if a little underdeveloped. Was also a pretty quick read! However, I just had a hard time connecting to the characters or getting as invested in the book as I would’ve liked. I also guessed the plot twist pretty early on in the book and never really wavered, so the ending felt a little anticlimactic. This book was a bit middling for me, but I’ve heard great things about the author and will likely try another one of her books in the future!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

This book was really good! From the first page to the last it kept me intrigued which i find is sometimes hard for me. I was investigating along side the fmc, but the ending was sooo different than i expected. very good read super easy and fast paced!

This book had me up at 12am to finish 🙌🏻
This story follows Evie who is thrown back into the past of her mums disappearance when her dad suddenly passes. With his house left to her it’s up to her to sort and prepare it for sale amongst the boxes Evie finds tapes of her mum voice recordings which included some interesting confessions relating to her disappearance. With plot twist and suspense this book will have you hooked!

📚 E-ARC BOOK REVIEW 📚

The Tapes By Kerry Wilkinson
Publication Date: August 11, 2025
Publisher: Bookouture

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this #gifted e-copy of this book in exchange for this honest review!

📚MY REVIEW:

The Tapes was an incredibly gripping psychological thriller about family secrets, mysteries, a serial killer who was never caught, and one woman's discovery of her mother's old cassette tape recordings that just might reveal the answers to questions everyone in this community has been asking for thirteen years.

Once I started reading this book, I didn't want to put it down! This was a multi-faceted thriller that packed a lot of secrets into its pages. The story begins with Eve discovering a box of her mother's old diary-style cassette tape recordings in the garage, which Eve is clearing out after her father's recent death. She finds a tape with her name on it and hears her mother say, "If they say I'm missing, I'm not. If you're listening to this, I've been murdered." Eve's mother has been missing for 13 years and no one has ever known what happened. Her mother goes on to say she thinks she knows the identity of a local serial killer that killed 8 women in the few years before Eve's mother disappeared. The problem is, Eve's mother had a history of involvement with local police for petty theft and some of what she says in these recordings doesn't seem true. Eve herself is a recovering alcoholic with a criminal past of her own. As Eve tries to figure out what happened to her mother, as well as what's true and what's not, is she coming awfully close to finding out the identity of the serial killer too?

Most of this story is told from Eve's perspective, whose difficult past leads to others questioning her emotional stability, which led me to wonder if she was a little unhinged about the death of her father dredging up the mystery of her mother's disappearance. But there were a handful of chapters interspersed throughout the book that were about each of the serial killer's victims too.

There were a lot of supporting characters in this read who provided a lot of possibilities for the villain, but they were also a lot of people to keep track of and there times I had to go back and remind myself who someone was. It didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the book, but it slowed down the read for me a little bit.

Overall, this book really maintained its intrigue and captured my interest as I waited to see how it was all going to play out. This was my first read from Wilkinson and I'm looking forward to reading more of her backlist because her writing style was filled with plausible marriages and consistent suspense. If you're a fan of cold case serial killers, missing persons, difficult family dynamics, and lots of family secrets, I think you'll really love The Tapes! Coming August 11th!

#TheTapes #KerryWilkinson #Bookouture #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #eARC #thrilleraddict #thrillerlover #psychologicalthriller #booklover #bookreviews #bookrecommendations #bookrecs

⭐️ARC review⭐️

When Eve is clearing her father's house after his death, she finds a box with tapes. Tapes with her mothers voice on it. And on 1 tape she is telling she knows something that will get her killed... From there, Eve is starting her own search for the truth.

At first, I didn't like this book. Couldn't get into it, it didn't get me. But after around 40% of the book, I wanted to read further. I wanted to know what happened and who we were searching for. But in the end I was kinda disappointed when I found out I suspected this person for a long time and was onto this person. After finding that out, there is another plot. This one is more unexpected.

This book is a good story, but there is a lot of side information which makes it kinda slow. Would I recommend it? Maybe, when you're start reading thrillerbooks. Maybe I read too much thrillerbooks, I don't know.

This was a Wow and really kept me turning the pages and guessing until the very end.

Lots of shocking twists and turns.

loved it!

An intriguing page-turner, with an unusual set-up. A voice from the past leads the main character to try and determine the truth about a serial killer, and a search for her mother. A well-written and absorbing story that is a very rewarding read.

First, this book gave me such a sense of nostalgia with Eve listening to old cassette tapes she finds while cleaning out her father's house. Eve hears her mother's voice on one tape labelled 'Eve' and it is her mother saying if you're hearing this, I have been murdered. From there on out Eve is trying to solve her mother's murder. I kind of wished her mother just said who it was while Eve was listening to the tapes, but I guess that would be a super short thriller. With that said, I could not put this book down. It was a page turner!

I got the privilege of being able to read this before release in exchange for a honest review. I wont give anything away and no spoilers. This is the first book ive read by this author. Normally i am into thriller/mystery books so this was intriguing based off the description. Overall this book was a hit for me, some details of the book were a bit confusing and im not 100% sure how they all add up to the final conclusion. I am a bit disappointed with the ending and wish it went in a different direction. I didnt hate this book but I also did not love it, does it keep you wondering ? Yes, absolutely. Def a unique story. 3.5 stars

✨📼✨

This was a unique story in the classic whodunnit mystery genre. If you grew up in the time of cassette tapes, you are the audience for this book.

The pace of the story was just right that it kept me engaged in the story. It was a quick read, and I managed to finish this book within a day.

The main character was well-developed. I was able to connect to her story. I felt some of the other characters needed a bit more detail. I would have liked more information on the brother for example.

I was able to figure out ‘most’ of the twist, but was still satisfied with the ending.

If you like twisty thrillers, I would recommend it. It was a great bingeable story.

This was my first book from this author, and I will definitely look into her previous and future books for other quick reads.

I received this book as an ARC. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for sending this book for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kerry Wilkinson, and Bookouture Publishing for the ARC!

The book starts strong by hooking the reader with a captivating premise - the FMC is cleaning her late father’s house out when she finds tapes from her mom who disappeared many years prior, the tapes have her mom’s voice stating that she isn’t missing, she was murdered. I found the middle portion of the book was convoluted at times, but maybe that’s the point to keep the reader a bit confused as to where plot may twist next? For me the last 5-10 chapters make up for this by keeping you reading as the mystery unfolds. I also found I didn’t connect with many of the characters because we only got glimpses of so many of them, wish we got to see more of characters like Dina and Owen. Overall, an easy, fast-paced, one-day read with an interesting storyline! Probably would give 2.75 ⭐️ rounded up to 3⭐️

This book had a really interesting concept. It kept me hooked and i wanted to keep on reading. The ending was also nice, it would've been nicer if they explored why the killer was the killer though(like a short backstory).

I loved the nostalgic throwbacks in this book. It was such a great trip down memory lane,I remembered how I'd tape the Top 40 on a Sunday from the radio (those were the days).
Eve is a great main character, relatable,strong, and determined to uncover the truth no matter how painful.
The story slowly unravelled with plenty of twists and clever cold case twists with long buried secrets bubbling to the surface.
By the time I reached the ending, I was totally hooked. The final reveal was a surprise and one that I was halfway right about
A must-read for anyone who enjoys a solid mystery read with a unique angle on cold cases
RECOMMENDED
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

Ahhh THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD. It was definitely a dark horse that I did not expect to fly through anywhere near as fast as I did.

The plot was brilliant - as if finding old cassette tapes that completely changes what you thought about your mother disappearing doesn't sound so good. Throw in the aspect of a serial killer and you totally have a winner.

Told through the POV of Eve and chapters about the earring killers victims, i felt that i was desperate to find out the connection and what truly happened to Eves mum. There are quite a few suspects and the author delivered more than a few shocking twists! Everything happens pretty fast and the pace of the book doesn't let up until the very end, while at the same time being suspenseful enough to have me literally HOLDING ON to every word written by our author until the very end.

Overall this was a wild, addictive, shocking & satisfying thriller. If you like uncovering secrets and true crime, with a touch of nostalgia - this book is for you! Add to your TBR ASAP and read this when it releases 11th August!

Thank you Bookouture & Kerry Wilkinson for this read & for having me part of the book tour. The cover got me alone and the writing totally sealed the deal!

The concept hooked me straight away, mysterious tapes, a vanished mother and an uncaught serial killer. The story starts out intriguing but loses some steam along the way.

⟡ Rating and Review ⟡
3/5 ⭐️
Thirteen years after her mother’s disappearance, Eve uncovers a box of cassette tapes recorded by her mother while cleaning out her late father’s home. The recordings are mostly diary entries but one contains an outrageous claim. If she’s ever gone missing, she’s been murdered. She also claims to have identified the Earring Killer, a serial murderer who has never been caught. And Eve sets out to unravel the truth.

The book opens strong with the tapes immediately pulling us into the mystery. That format had so much potential to drive the plot and I wished this element would have been used more to push the plot along.
However, the story also includes regular excerpts from a book written about the Earring Killer which gives background information on the past victims. This didn’t work as well for me. This pulled me out of the story more-so that it immersed me in it.

Overall, this was a good and solid story but it wasn’t the page turner I hoped for.

I received a free ARC for this book. All thoughts are my own.