3.5 stars for The Tapes!

When a woman finds tapes in her dad’s garage after he passes away, she starts listening. She finds her mother’s voice and the message “if you’re listening to this, I’m dead. I’m not missing, I’ve been murdered.” But Eve doesn’t know what to believe- her mother, chronically mentally ill, notorious for lying, and a self proclaimed kleptomaniac, sometimes just can’t be believed. Eve feels like something is off and the more she listens, the more she believes her mother has been murdered, and when she starts digging she starts to see those closest to her in a different light. One of them is the infamous earring killer and she’s going to find out who.

Twisty and captivating, The Tapes ropes you in and keeps you turning the pages until the very end.

There were some pieces that I would have liked better explained, some red herrings I would have had a deeper dive into for a better diversion, but all in all, the book was great- great twist and definitely not what I thought it would be.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this ARC in exchange for an honest review

A great thriller about a mother called Eve who is clearing her dad’s house out after his death and finds a box of old recordings on cassette that her mother made. Her mother went missing years ago. To hear her mother’s voice again brings back so many memories but one of the tapes the words her mother says chill her to the bone. If you are listening to this I have been killed. As she tries to find out the truth when everyone around her thinks she’s going mad or worse drinking again is she in more danger than she thought possible and did the truth get her mother killed all those years ago. A great read not to be missed!

This book had a phenomenal premise and so much potential, but unfortunately, it just didn’t deliver for me.

Eve is grieving the loss of her father when she stumbles upon a box of cassette tapes while cleaning out his home—tapes recorded by her mother, who mysteriously vanished 13 years ago. Naturally, Eve begins listening and uncovers some startling revelations...

Despite the intriguing setup, the story never really gained momentum. The pacing felt flat, and while the reveal was unexpected, it lacked the impact to make it truly memorable.

As always, thank you for the opportunity.

Sadly have to DNF this one for now.

I got about 25% of the way in and there was just nothing grabbing my attention. I was honestly having a hard time keeping all of the characters straight and the book wasn't giving me that shock factor I was hoping for. This might be because I've read about 5 thrillers in a row and my brain may need a break + I might have some unrealistic expectations. Who knows! I will be revisiting this in the future but for right now it's just not for me.

As always, huge thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback!

This book sounded phenomenal and had a ton of potential but just fell flat to me.

Eve lost her father and in cleaning out his house she discovered a box of tapes recorded by her mother. The kicker? Her mother disappeared 13 years ago. So of course Eve dives into listening to the tapes and learns quite a bit...

The story just never really built up and just seemed very bland. "Whodunit" was surprising but the wow factor just didn't work.

A 3.5 would be a more accurate rating. But we need to add lots of context for the rating in this case so let’s do that.
I’ve read many great books this year. My top 3 of favourites are all mystery/thrillers. So there is a lot of competition. Many might think it’s unfair to think about other books while rating each one individually but I can’t help if my brain works that way. I keep thinking that if I rated one specific book 4 stars and another one is good but doesn’t reach the same levels I look at when it comes to quality and entertainment, I can’t also rate it 4 stars. So that’s the situation here. I would totally understand other people rating this book higher having enjoyed it as much as I did.

The structure of the book was definitely interesting. Getting those extracts from the book Vivian wrote about the victims added a lot of context but also worked very well when it came to creating some red herrings. We’ll get back to the red herrings later because I have thoughts. At first, I thought we would concentrate just on the mystery of Eve’s mum and what happened with her. So seeing that we also got to learn about other victims and their stories gave a humanity to the book I really enjoyed. Because we saw them though the eyes of their loved ones and Vivian took a lot of care writing the book, making sure that they were more than “a number”. Once we learn more about Vivian, it makes so much sense and I thought that was a great addition to the story. It made it more nuanced. And it adds a bit of social commentary, which is something I always love.

A few subplots felt a bit random at times. Like we were adding them for the sake of adding more to the story. But I have to say I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that everything was an important piece to work out the whole story. I adore seeing either the twist or the reveal, or both, and then thinking back to all those small details and trying to see if it all makes sense. As I always say, I don’t mind authors taking some liberties so they can make a storyline more exciting. But I want it to make some sense too and for it to be more grounded, unless there are supernatural elements, which isn’t the case here.
The aspect I was not as sure about was using Eve’s past problems to make her feel like maybe she couldn’t be a reliable narrator. I feel the small hints about that we got sort of went nowhere. I’ve seen that done better but also, it’s not my favourite type of trope, if it can be called that.

Now, as for the red herrings, I have mixed feelings. I think one of them was done very well. It really made me think we had our guy but then when it was explained why it wasn’t, it was like “ok, makes sense”. The other one…it felt very random at times. And it could have been a great distraction from the real clues to get our reveal. Also, the reveal was well done but it didn’t give me that feeling I usually get when we get a big reveal. It felt a big flat for me. And those are smaller details that a lot of people won’t care about but, for me, they can bring down the rating a little bit.

Again, the rating is very influenced by how amazing some of the reads from this genre have been recently. So it’s not as straightforward as usual. But this is a very easy to read thriller, with an additive plot that I would definitely recommend to people.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC of The Tapes!

Overall I would give this 3.5 ⭐️I was really intrigued by the premise of this story and I always love a good griping psychological thriller, which is what this book promised and delivered. This was my first Kerry Wilkinson novel and I enjoyed her writing style and the structure of this novel.

What I particularly liked about this thriller was how the narration was woven together with snippets of the casset tapes as well as the excepts from the novel about the killer, these added a dimension and depth to the story and how all the pieces of the mystery came together. I also found Eve’s narration to be questionable at times, in a good way. I love a good potentially unreliable narrator, especially in this genre. Is she going crazy? Are these things actually happening?

For me, where this struggled a pit was pacing. I felt immediately thrown into the story without a lot of context, and while I know this is a particular writing strategy, it didn’t work for me here. I felt like I was missing pieces. I also thought the ending was a bit abrupt. Although I did not guess the killer and the trait was good, the conclusion felt too fast, and again not a ton of context.

This is definitely a title I would add to my classroom library and recommend to readers who love a good thriller/mystery!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc of this book.
I liked this thriller. I thought the pacing was nice as the story takes place over less than a week. The excerpt of the book which talk about the previous victims was a nice way to learn about what happened in the past.
The ending was nice. I couldn’t guess who was the killer!

The Tapes- Kerry Wilkinson
I've read a few books now by @kerry.wilkinson and I have to say Im a huge fan. Officially obsessed with everything he writes. This book was so good and there were 2 particular plot twists that had me gasp out loud.
Eve is sorting through her dad's things in the wake of his death and preparing for his funeral when she stumbles upon cassette tapes that her mother, who went missing over a decade before, has recorded. One of them has Eve's name on it and when she listens, it has a very chilling message for her.
"If you're listening to this, I've been murdered."
Struggling with the death of her father, Eve now finds herself questioning everyone and everything in her life. The more she listens to the Tapes, the more she realises that there's so much she didn't know about her mom. She also begins to wonder if her mothers disappearance had anything to do with the notorious Earring Killer?

It was a great book that I could not put down and was eager to get to the end and figure it all out. I really liked that Eves story was interspersed with extracts from a book written about the Earring Killer. Gave real insight into that story too.
An all round great thriller. Congrats again @kerry.wilkinson on another super read.
So grateful as always to @netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC and to @bookouture who's authors always deliver the goods.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When I read the synopsis for The Tapes, I was genuinely excited. The premise had so much promise, and as a child of the '90s, the nostalgia hit immediately. I fondly remember recording the Top 40 from the radio onto cassette tapes, just like in the book's opening.

The story starts strong, jumping straight into the tapes themselves, which I really appreciated. There’s no slow build-up, we are right into the mystery from the start, and that immediately pulled me in.

As someone who enjoys mixed media elements in books, I found myself wishing there had been more of that here, transcripts or even a more immersive use of the tapes. Given that the tapes are such a key part of the story, adding those layers could have made the reading experience even more engaging and unique.

The beginning was promising and relatable, but around the midway point, the story lost momentum. I kept waiting for a twist or a big reveal that never quite arrived. At times, the plot jumped in ways that felt a bit disjointed, I even re-read some passages thinking I had missed something.

I also struggled to connect with the main character. All the characters felt flat. I would’ve loved more personality and emotional depth.

The mystery itself is a fairly standard whodunit. While the ending didn’t surprise me, I did appreciate that once the murderer was revealed, the story wrapped up quickly without dragging things out.

Overall, The Tapes had a nostalgic and gripping start, with a premise full of potential. I enjoyed diving into the story right away, but I was left wanting more depth and character development.

Thank you to the publisher Bookouture, Netgalley and the author for the ARC.

The book hooked me from the start. This is definitely a unputdownable book. You just need “one more chapter” and that twist!!! It was fast-paced, which I love, and very tense. A great thriller!

Thank you for the ARC of The Tapes by Kerry Wilkinson. The concept was great and the eerie vibe pulled me in right away. I liked Eve’s character and the overall atmosphere, but the middle dragged a bit and some twists felt flat for me.

Solid read for fans of slow-burn family thrillers — just not as punchy as I’d hoped.

Thanks again for the chance to read early!

The Tapes is an unputdownable psychological thriller that grips you from start to finish. It masterfully weaves a haunting story through a unique transcription-style narrative that may feel unconventional to some, but ultimately adds to the immersive and chilling experience. The story unfolds with atmospheric, slow-burn tension, as each cassette tape reveals deeper and darker layers of mystery. The emotional stakes are high, anchored in the raw grief of family loss, which gives the thriller a powerful and personal resonance. Wilkinson’s twisty and unpredictable plotting keeps you guessing at every turn. It's the kind of book that fuels midnight reading marathons, as readers feel compelled to unravel the truth before dawn. A gripping, emotional, and cleverly structured read that stands out in the genre.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc copy of The Tapes in exchange for an honest review.
Eve finds a set of cassette tapes which reveal more than one would think. "If you're listening to this, I've been murdered."
The Tapes is an absolutely gripping thriller which is sure to leave you on the edge of your seat. The pace is perfect, it is fast and full of unexpected twists.
Kerry Wilkinson really knows how to draw a reader in, I was hooked from chapter one and couldn't put the book down, I needed to know what would happen next, I was desperate for answers.
I particularly liked Eve as she was relatable in the sense that she was given a lot of character development and we are shown that she is not perfect which makes her feel more realistic especially when it comes to her relationship with her daughter Faith and how she deals with life as a single mom.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves psychological thrillers and insane plot twists.

This was a very dark and twisty story where you question everyone in the story just to find out whodunnit. I enjoyed this book on a deck of a cruise through the Caribbean. It was quick and engaging.


Read this is you like:
➡️ twisty stories
➡️ domestic thrillers
➡️ an unreliable narrator

Thank you Bookouture, Kerry Wilkinson and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Tapes 📼

Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Genre: Mystery
Pub Date: August 11, 2025

Eve discovers a cassette tape labeled with her name while she is cleaning her dad’s house out. The recording is the voice of her mother who disappeared several years ago. Eve is shocked to hear her mom say, “if you are listening to this, I’ve been murdered”

The intro to this book grabbed me immediately. What a mysterious and quick start to the book! Ultimately this one just didn’t work for me. It was extremely slow moving and I had a hard time staying invested since so little was being revealed. I also felt a disconnect with all the characters. I didn’t get enough depth with them and felt they were just sort of skimmed over. The ending was alright, it made sense and didn’t come out of left field. I’m sad to say this was a miss.

While it was not quite what I was hoping for, it was a good read. It was quick and twisty.

Eve is clearing her father’s house when she finds an old cassette player and a box of tapes. Though grieving, she smiles at the spark of nostalgia.

One tape is labeled ‘Eve’ – in her mother, Angela’s, scrawled handwriting. She disappeared for good more than ten years ago.
The tape whirrs. A voice crackles. ‘My name is Angela’. Tears fill Eve’s eyes at the familiar voice, at the thought this message is just for her. But the next words make her heart pound.

‘If they say I’m missing, I’m not. If you’re listening to this, I’ve been murdered.’

Desperate for answers, Eve has no one left to ask – only a box of tapes that could lead to the truth. But the more she listens, the more she realises she can never go to the police…
Because Eve’s mother had her own secrets. But what if her killer is still out there? And what if Eve is next?

It was a unique vibe.

This book was, without a doubt, unique and exciting. Throughout the reading I remained unable to get my theory right, which changed frequently with the twists and turns of the reading, and I felt extremely dumb for the entire duration of the book.
I finished it in two days, five hours of reading that flew by due to the author's genius and the way this book was written. I loved it.

Slow start. Good ending.

I had a hard time getting into this one. This might just be one of those books you have to read in a physical copy, not an online version. It took me about halfway through the book before I really found myself needing to know what happened next. By the end, I was very engrossed in finding out who was responsible! I only gave it three stars because of the format not flowing as well as I’d have liked, and also because it took me so long to be engaged with the story. I love thrillers, but this one was a slow burn. I’d like to read more by this author in the future, though! Her overall writing style is great!

I received this as an ARC from our good friends at NetGalley!

Eve's dad has passed away. Her mom disappeared years ago. During her childhood and teen years, the was a serial killer in the area called the Earring Killer.As she is cleaning out her childhood home, she finds a box of cassette tapes from her mom. On one of the tapes, her mom states that she knows who the Earring Killer, and she is going to be murdered. 3 stars