Firstly, thank you so much for an early copy of this one. I have seen this book posted a few times and once I read the description, the concept drew me in immediately. I found this to be an easy quick read, but also felt like it dragged on at some points where it didn’t need to. There were a lot of characters, which ended up confusing me because I felt some characters had no development and weren’t necessary to have in the story.

The second half of the story picked up a lot and kept me interested, but completely felt rushed more towards the end of the book. I didn’t predict the ending, but I wish it went into a little more detail and didn’t end so abruptly.

This was my first book by Kerry Wilkinson and for a thriller book I was hoping for more of a thrill. The premise of the book intrigued me: Eve finds an old cassette tape while clearing out her late father's house and hears her missing mother's voice saying she's not actually missing but instead has been murdered. I loved the excerpts from Vivian's novel about the Earring Killer and the audio tapes. I feel like this would be an excellent audio book, but I just didn't get the thrill and anxiety that I usually feel from a thriller so it was definitely a slow burn.

I do love a thriller, I actually wanted to read this one based on her name.
I did actually really enjoy the book, gripped me perfectly. Not going to give any type of spoilers! I would just recommend 😉 I needed a good thriller after a load of romance reading. 4/5 🙂

"...I need you to know that I love you."

3.5/5 stars

The Tapes by Kerry Wilkinson is a fast-paced thriller that sucks you in right from page one. In this book, we are following Eve, a single mother who is tasked with clearing out her father's house after his recent passing. When cleaning the house, she discovers a set of tapes left by her missing mother, warning her that her disappearance may be involved with an old mystery --the identity of the elusive Earring Killer.

This book was a fun read. It was very fast-paced and I enjoyed the main character. There were some parts that were a little repetitive, but that didn't bother me a whole lot. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Eve and her daughter. I wish that was explored a little more in the book.

My favorite part of this book was the commentary around the serial killer. Certain chapters of this book are taken from another novel in this world that recounts the Earring Killer's crimes. Wilkinson did a fantastic job emphasizing that the victims of this killer were real people, not just numbers on his list. I really got to know the victims and the author character through these chapters.

I have only one major complaint with this book, and that's that a lot of events and plot lines go unanswered by the end. I won't go into spoilers, but it was frustrating to be introduced to an interesting sub-plot only for it to have no pay off in the end.

If you enjoy thrillers, I highly recommend this book! I will definitely pick up more from Kerry Wilkinson in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this eARC. This review is completely honest and voluntary.

Finding an old cassette tape while clearing out her dad's house, Eve finds her mother's audio diary. She remembers the tapes and listens to the mundane stories of life. One tape, titled Eve, captures her attention as her mother narrates robberies, car theft, and a clue the identity of a serial killer.

What is true? Eve's mother disappeared years ago. Was she still alive or is she another victim?

Eve listens to and follows the clues to figure out what ever happened to her mother and identify a killer.

I enjoyed the premise of this book and found the mystery compelling. The story started out strong. It was captivating and had me engaged. However, about a third of the way in, I became bored with the mundane dialogue. The content of the tapes was probably the most intriguing part of the plot for me, I was invested in unravelling this mystery and finding out what happened to the mom.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley.

The tagline alone makes this book interesting! Eve must fight against the things she’s always thought to be true to get to the real story. This book left me wondering who the murderer was and questioning my suspicions the whole way through. So many twists and great character development!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the eARC!

This was a really engrossing mystery. While a bit repetitive in places, there were plenty of twists that I didn't see coming. I also think Wilkinson made his narrator a bit unreliable in a really unique way. Wilkinson also did a great job of unraveling the case - the clues made sense, but so did the way Eve came to them. I'd definitely read another Wilkinson book!

The premise of this book using cassette tapes after the disappearance was great. However this one was a bit slower paced for me. I think the mystery was good but the thriller portion was a bit. The ending bit was also a bit of left field for me I think there could've been some better build up that would've help tie this story up better.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Tapes is a slow-burning thriller with a compelling premise: Eve discovers a box of cassette tapes in her recently deceased father’s garage, only to hear her long-missing mother claim to know the identity of a notorious local serial killer. As Eve begins to unravel the truth, the story moves between her present-day investigation and excerpts from a true crime book about the killer’s victims.

What I loved most was how the story explores complicated family dynamics and small-town secrets. The women in the novel flawed, strong, and determined are the true driving force of the narrative. Just when you think you’ve figured everything out, Wilkinson throws in a twist that makes you question everything all over again.

While the story kept me interested throughout, I did find myself wishing it had picked up pace earlier. The tension really ramps up only in the final chapters—but the payoff is worth it.

Fans of character-driven thrillers with layered mysteries and dark family secrets will find plenty to enjoy in The Tapes.

This books starts with the drama so quickly which is good however more character building would have been nice.

The Tapes hooked me from the very first cassette—Eve discovering a tape labeled with her name and her missing mother's voice warning, “If you’re listening to this, I’ve been murdered,” pulled me in instantly. The story unfolds through chilling audio confessions, flashbacks, and a parallel serial killer subplot that builds slow, haunting dread. The tension rises steadily, and the reveal hit me harder than I expected.

If you love layered mysteries with retro vibes, emotional stakes, and unexpected twists, this one’s a winner.

📼 The story follows Eve who returns to her late father’s house to sort through his belongings. While cleaning, she stumbles upon an old cassette player and a box of audio tapes. Among them one cassette stands out bearing her name: Eve. Curious, she inserts the tape into the player. What she hears sends chills down her spine. It’s the unmistakable voice of her mother who vanished years ago. Her mother claims that if Eve is hearing this, she isn’t just missing, she has been murdered. Haunted by this shocking revelation Eve becomes consumed by a need for the truth.

📼 Pick this up if you like/ don’t mind:
📌 psychological/ crime thriller
📌 slow burn
📌 single POV/ book excerpts/ cassette recordings
📌 small town setting
📌 short chapters
📌 books about serial killers/ whodunnit
📌 story that evoke nostalgia through the mention of cassette tapes
📌 unexpected twists and turns/ long buried secrets
📌 flawed characters
📌 binge worthy/ addictive

📼 This was my first time reading a book by this author and to be honest, I went in with pretty low expectations, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised. The premise immediately grabbed my attention, something about it felt fresh and I knew i had to give it a shot. As a 90s kid the mention of cassette tapes hit me right in the feels. There was a strong wave of nostalgia. The story kept me guessing, just when I thought I had figured things out, the author would pull the rug out from under me. While the twists didn’t necessarily have that jaw dropping, mind blowing effect, they still managed to surprise me in the best way, clever turns that I didn’t see coming.
Overall it was an entertaining read. I am definitely looking forward to explore more books by this author. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

The Tapes Kerry Wilkinson
I love how Kerry tells a story. The intricate details and the way the plot twists and turns- brilliant. This book was delicious from the start.

Eve was such a fantastic character. She had so much heart yet was flawed, and together, those things endeared her to me. She just wanted to be a good mom and resolve things from her father's passing.

She never anticipated finding a direct link to her past and did not expect those things to connect to her present. This was so well done.

The buildup was controlled, but the anticipation held me captive. When the reveal happened, I was gobsmacked. I did not see it coming, though it made perfect sense and pulled everything together beautifully.

This is one of the best thrillers I’ve read this summer, and this has been the summer of thrillers. I will always read a Kerry Wilkinson novel, and I was delighted with this one.

Publication day: August 11, 2025
Publisher: Bookouture

I got to read this through NetGalley for an honest review. Thank you! I would give 3.5 stars if possible. I think with the name of the book and what caused the searching that there should have been more readings of what the tapes said. I wish we got to know Angela a little more.

The twist in this book definitely threw me off. I kept guessing or thought I knew but I definitely didn’t. It kept me interested to keep turning the page so I could figure out the twist/mystery/thriller part of the book.

It was an easy, enjoyable read overall with a pretty good twist. I would recommend this book to anyone who lives a good thriller. I’ll be checking it more books by this author as this was a first for me.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and author Kerry Wilkinson for the ARC.

The concept behind The Tapes is great. A woman finds old cassette recordings from her missing mother, and the mystery slowly unravels from there. It started strong and kept me interested, but I never felt fully invested in the characters. The plot followed a familiar pattern, and nothing really stood out in terms of twists or dialogue.

It’s still a solid read. The pacing moves along well and the premise is compelling. I’d recommend it to fans of Freida McFadden or anyone who enjoys a quick, straightforward thriller.

I was super excited about the premise of this book! I loved the concept of tapes driving the mystery, but I feel like they weren’t as big of a part as they should’ve been. The tapes were mentioned frequently, yet only one truly drove the plot. I found the ending to be predictable for the most part, with the exception of one small twist. The book kept my attention though, and I enjoyed reading it. I wish it had more of that cliff hanger, page turning vibe though!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Eve returns to her childhood home to bury her father and is confronted by multiple tapes recorded by her mother, who went missing and has never been found. The tapes imply she was murdered, and she was also aware of that fact- so we follow Eve as she listens to the recordings and chases down clues, attempting to solve the question of "where did my mom end up?" once and for all. This book is pretty well written- to me, it's quite obvious the author knows their way around the thriller genre. This was fun, engaging, but unfortunately it didn't go too deep past a somewhat surface level. I really did enjoy the nostalgic moments, and the tapes format was so interesting. I looked forward to those tidbits, alongside with the "victim" blurbs that were written throughout. I think The Tapes is perfect for fans of Freida McFadden and fast paced thrillers. Thanks so much to the author and Bookouture for the chance to read this eARC!

Thank you to Netgalley for the eArc of this novel, which releases August 11, 2025!
I have never read a Kerry Wilkinson book so am unable to compare it to his other books. The publisher's description is accurate to the actual plot of the book. This is a 3.5 rounded up for me.

What I liked:
- The main character, Eve, is middle age. She is in the position where we learn about her relationships with both her mother and her daughter
-I definitely had feelings about some of the characters- a few made me so frustrated, which I felt was good writing to make me have such intense feelings
-I enjoyed the small town setting
-the cassettes ("podcasts" according to Eve's daughter, lol!) gave me nostalgia
-I liked some of Eve's observations about generational differences; they were observations without being rude or judgemental
-The chapters from the Earring Killer book interspersed throughout, which had some character crossovers in the main plot
-the characters had enough unique personality traits to easily remember who is who

What could be improved:
-trying to not give spoilers, but I guessed a few things early on
-there are a few clues/ observations that make Eve suspicious of people who end up not being the killer, but are also not explained in the end
-a lack of explanation on a few things about the killer's relationships and motives
-was frustrating at times for certain events from the past to be referenced multiple times before actually being explained.
-I would've appreciated more year references. This book takes place over 30ish years and there is a lot of "13 years ago", "7 years ago", "3 years later" (when referring to something that happened 20ish years ago); was just generally very difficult to keep a precise timeline and what order everything happens

Overall, this was a quick thriller that kept my attention. Thriller/ mystery writers always have that extra challenge where they need to create a mystery that wraps up nicely, while giving twists that aren't obvious but also aren't so unbelievable. I would read another book by this author (it seems that he has published a lot!). This is neither a positive or negative, but it felt very British to me as someone in the US where owning, shooting, holding a gun, etc are very commonplace (not saying that is a good thing at all). I had to keep reminding myself that interacting with guns is much less common in other countries.

I was a little worried that this book would be TOO scary for me, but I really enjoyed the level of thrill/ scariness.

A solid 3.5 stars for The Tapes by Kerry Wilkinson. It was refreshing to read a mystery that was just that, a mystery, without absurd twists.