A solid tale of mystery and intrigue bringing back together a group of old friends who haven’t seen each other for years. Whose recollections can be trusted?

I think that the students in our school library need to hear lots of diverse voices and read stories and lives of many different kinds of people and experiences. When I inherited the library it was an incredibly sanitised space with only 'school readers' and project books on 'the railways' etc. Buying in books that will appeal to the whole range of our readers with diverse voices, eclectic and fascinating subject matter, and topics that will intrigue and fascinate them was incredibly important to me.
This is a book that I think our senior readers will enjoy very much indeed - not just because it's well written with an arresting voice that will really keep them reading and about a fascinating topic - but it's also a book that doesn't feel worthy or improving, it doesn't scream 'school library and treats them like young reading adults who have the right to explore a range of modern diverse reads that will grip and intrigue them and ensure that reading isn't something that they are just forced to do for their English project - this was a solid ten out of ten for me and I'm hoping that our students are as gripped and caught up in it as I was. It was one that I stayed up far too late reading and one that I'll be recommending to the staff as well as our senior students - thank you so much for the chance to read and review; I really loved it and can't wait to discuss it with some of our seniors once they've read it too!

Echoes of Into the Woods here, but that's not to say it's not a novel with an original treatment. A good evocation of teenage friendships and fears, this book grew on me.

Intriguing premise, interesting set up. I do like a dual timeline/multiple voices. Unfortunately a bit too over long and unwieldy but promising.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Killer You Know but that has in no way influenced my review.

I absolutely love the concept of this book. A group of teenage friends gather one night as the end of Summer approaches. One of them, Will, is considered to be the odd kid in the group. So when he makes an off-the-cuff comment about being a serial killer when he's older, the others are shocked and a little unnerved by his bold statement. When Will fails to turn up to a group reunion many years later, it leaves his friends wondering, could he have carried out the unthinkable? When the friends check the very precise details he gave about the killings, they find reports of a suicide that matches...and then a second death. One report could be classed as a coincidence, but two deaths...? No, there's no question about it, there's something suspicious going on. Now all they have to do is find Will, and see for themselves. Particularly as Will threatened a third death, much closer to home...

Set in the late 90s and the present day, this book delivered shedloads of fantastic nostalgia. Now, I admit, I'm a little older than the characters in this book but the 90s were my decade. I loved the trips back in time where the bands of the day were discussed alongside the group's obsession with movies. Wonderful stuff!

The characters all stood tall each adding something to the story. Their personalities were all very different but when you live in a small village, you're thrown together with people you perhaps wouldn't necessarily choose as friends yourself. That added a very interesting group dynamic to the book. They all had their own very defined roles which weren't necessarily accepted by some members but rather pushed upon them - expected maybe. Leading to tension, rivalry and an undercurrent of bad feeling. It was interesting to watch a group of teenagers who, like many teenagers, think they're wise beyond their years, deal with some very adult emotions.

Despite my appreciation of the 90s vibe in The Killer You Know, I did prefer the sections set in the present day when the group are trying to track Will down. The mystery of Will's disappearance, the bubbling undercurrent of not really knowing who to trust anymore and the sense of foreboding made parts of the book a fairly tense read. The author takes time to set the scene, taking the reader back to 1997 and painting a very vivid, thorough picture.

Would I recommend this book? If you're a fan of slow-burn, suspenseful mysteries then you may enjoy The Killer You Know. I felt it could have been a little shorter as I found my attention drifting at times and I wanted something to hook me back in. I was able to guess where the story was going to go, which may not have helped my meandering attention. I also struggled a little with the writing style and had to re-read large sections to grasp what was happening and check I hadn't missed a key plot point - but that could have just been me having a bad day. A really interesting concept and I would happily read more by this author.

I chose to read and review an eARC of The Killer You Know. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

This book was one of those, just as soon as you think you have the plot figured out, whoops, along comes a twist that hits you against the head! Recommended.

The Killer You Know by S. R. Masters I just loved it. This brilliant book had lots of twists and turns throughout that will just have you glued till the end.

One morning ten years ago, the town Twin Rivers was shocked by the murder of Tyler of Tyler Washington, a star of the high school basketball team and son of the Mayor. A local lad called Ethan Hall was found guilty of the murder and brought to justice. His twin sister Olivia Hall has never believed he was the killer.

Ten years later, Ethan is still in jail and Olivia is still convinced he is innocent, a true crime podcast has taken up his case.
They explore whether Ethan was given a fair trial - and raking up the past in the process.

What do they find?

Did Ethan kill Tyler Washington?

How far will they go to protect the truth?

And how far will they go to keep their secrets safe?

This book is full of twists and turns with a great ending.......

Highly recommend this book.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins UK/Killer Reads, for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“The Killer You Know” is a fantastic, dark and disturbing début psychological thriller written by author S R Masters. It features five friends that lived in Blythe while they were in their teens and spent the summers of 1997 and 1998 together. Each one has their own problems and issues to deal with.

They all move on and don’t see other again until, in 2015, a nostalgic reunion is organised, so they meet up with each other and reminisce about good times past. Adeline, a successful film pod-caster along with Xan and Jon returns and stays at a hotel because she has a strained relationship with her mother. Adeline is the main narrator, however, Steve, recently divorced Dr Rupesh, teacher, Jen, and Will, the odd guy, all offer their own perspectives in both the past and the present.

When Will doesn’t show up at the reunion, the friends remember his preference for disappearing and the games they used to play about becoming an undetected serial killer and disguising murders as suicides.

The rest of the friends try to locate Will, however, two deaths that were deemed suicides have the four of them deeply concerned that Will may have carried out his grisly plan. Gradually, details of their pasts begin to emerge…

This was such a compelling read for me! It was so well plotted and a brilliant and fast-paced psychological thriller. Not only a thriller, but it was also a coming-of-age novel with all the angst, issues and dynamics that are part of being a teenager. The intense emotions, the desperate need to fit in or at least be tolerated or accepted, the jealousies and feelings of betrayal.

For me, S R Masters’ characterisation was incredibly skilful, although none of the characters appealed to me, nor were they particularly reliable as narrators. This however complemented the story. Far from being an average psychological thriller, I found myself totally fascinated by this book. I think it was Will's interest in serial killers that made it special.

I will be looking out for more by S R Masters in the future.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Little, Brown Book Group UK via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Some of us are lucky enough to form lifelong friendships when we are younger but more often or not friendships drift apart once we leave school and our lives go in different directions.

Adeline hasn't seen Will,Steve,Jen and Rupesh for fifteen years so she is equally surprised,shocked and intrigued when she receives an email inviting her to a reunion of her old gang. Adeline returns to the small,isolated village of Blythe where she lived during her late teenage years for the reunion - except Will doesn't show up.

As the group catch up and reminisce they suddenly remember a comment that Will made one night when they were younger. A comment that at the time they had all thought was strange but very funny.

`You need to kill at least three people to be a serial killer, right? So that's what I'll do`

Out of curiosity they search online for crimes that match the murders that Will described and are shocked to discover two murders that exactly match. Could their old friend really be a killer? Was he really being serious all those years ago?

Things take a serious turn after the gang start searching for Will, they start receiving mysterious letters,then someone close to them is seriously hurt. Someone is playing a sinister game and if the game don't play along....one of them could be next.

The Killer You Know is divided into four parts and flips back and forth between the gangs teenage escapades in 1997 - 1998 and their search for Will in 2016. The chapters are quite long and are voiced in the present day by Adaline in the first person perspective and in the past by all the members of the gang in the third person perspective. The five main characters were realistic and each one of them irritated me at one time or another as the stories in each time frame unfolded. I couldn't say that anyone of them was very likeable but I can definitely say that there was one of them that I definitely didn't like,not even one tiny little bit. I loved the vivid descriptions of the places around Blythe where the gang used to hang out. The fields of maize,the bridge and the train tracks all sounded like places I would have enjoyed exploring when I was a teenager. Places that were fun to explore during the day but had a creepy,sinister atmosphere once it got dark.

This is a very well written part mystery/part coming of age tale of young love,jealousy,friendship,manipulation,deception and people and things not always being what they appear. There is quite a few twists and turns and the story defiantly keeps the reader guessing throughout. Actually, even now I'm not 100% sure who the killer was. I really enjoyed this enthralling debut story and will definitely be reading more books written by this author in the future.

# The Killer You Know # Netgalley
Interesting that someone wants to become a serial killer, yet his friends don’t take him seriously. Years later they hear about 2 murders that fit in with how he wanted to kill someone many years ago, now they start to look closer. Not really gripping for me. In places fell a bit flat. So overall. Not that good a book-not for me shame really it could have been executed better, and been a brilliant book alas but you have to make your own minds up

This is SR Masters dark and disturbing debut psychological thriller featuring five friends living in Blyth as teenagers, all with various problematic issues, who spent their summers in 1997 and 1998 together. They all disband to never see other until years later in 2015 when a nostalgic reunion is organised so they can catch up with each other and reminisce about the good old days. Adeline, who puts out a successful film podcast with Xan and Jon returns, staying at a hotel because she and her mother have a poor relationship. Adeline is the primary narrator, although Steve, Rupesh, recently divorced and a doctor, Jen, a failed actress now a teacher, and Will, the odd one out, the group weirdo, give their own perspectives in the past and the present. When Will fails to turn up to the reunion, the friends remember his detailed plans for the future and how he would disappear, becoming an undetected serial killer, disguising murders as suicides, but how they would be tell it is him because of the signs he would leave behind. A crass attempt at a joke to freak them out, right?

Except that with the 4 remaining friends at a loose end, they decide to see if they can locate him as 2 possible deaths, deemed suicides, have the group rattled, has Will put his macabre plan in action? Is one or more of them in danger? Gradually details of their past emerge, how Steve and Adeline felt an immediate attraction to each other on their first meeting, Jen and Rupesh's close relationship, Will's increasing status as the strange loner. However, nothing is as it seems, not in the past and not in the present. There is Steve's need to be the leader, organise adventures and games to keep them occupied, irked by Rupesh's challenge to his authority. Adeline's neighbour, Mr Strachan, his mistreatment of his dog triggers hatred and fear within the group. As each member of the group plans their dedication to ratify their commitment to each other, petty rivalries, intense personal dramas and emotional entanglements, typical of teenagers, shape the group. By the end of the story, as the pieces begin to connect, the toxic nature of the group becomes clear, nostalgia can be a disease, memories unreliable, and is Will really the killer of the group?

Masters certainly makes an impact with this well plotted and compelling fast paced psychological thriller. In part it is a coming of age novel, with all the themes and dynamics that factor into teenage life, the desire to fit in, jealousies, intense emotions, the varied machinations behind the scenes, drugs, feelings of betrayal and more. I don't think any of the characters are particularly likeable and none are reliable narrators. However, the characterisation is done with skill, you cannot help being pulled into the story, wanting to know how it all ends. For those that read plenty of psychological thrillers, there is much that is familiar about the format of the novel, it is Will's future plans to be a serial killer that differentiates this. One of the highlights of the book are the 1990s references to music, movies and culture. Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.

Chilling creepy dark a true page turner that pulled me in from the first pages.So many twists turns shocks a terrific dark read ,#netgalley #littlebrownuk

This is a cracking debut. From its startling prologue right through to its final page it had me completely enthralled.

Switching between 2015 and the late nineties, we are introduced to a gang of five friends - Will, Adeline, Steve, Jen & Rupesh. Each is given their own distinctive narrative voice while the time shifts provide a fascinating insight into quite how much life can enhance or impair who you are and more importantly what you will become.

The nineties storyline transported me down my own memory lane - creating a barrage of snapshots of my own teenage years and reminding me of that quintessential era of music, the sound of Nirvana and Oasis the backdrop then to everything that I did.

Both time periods are simmering with an underlying tension which offsets the warm thread of nostalgia as we realise there is much more to this group than we initially thought.

For me the success of The Killer You Know not only lies in the excellent writing that flows from every page but also from its series of small reveals that hit your nervous system one after the other causing a succession of gasps and lifting the hairs on the back of your neck. Highly recommended.

It’s Christmas 2015 and Adeline is leaving London to return to the small village of Blythe for a reunion with Jen, Steve, Rupesh and Will, who she hung out with as a teenager.

When Will doesn’t turn up for the reunion, however, the group of friends’ trip down memory lane leads them to reminisce about the time he told them he aspired to be a serial killer. Back in 1998, Will was introverted, a bit of a loner and rather odd; the group laughed it off. Wondering what happened to Will since they all lost touch, the group decide to try and track him down.

Hot on his trail, the happy, nostalgic mood soon changes when the group uncovers two recent deaths that could be linked. It seems Will may not have been joking about becoming a serial killer after all, and it isn’t long before the friends realise Will’s playing a sinister game that harks back to one they used to play as teenages. Only as adults, they’re playing for their lives.

Told through a dual timeline, The Killer You Know is the story of five friends who spent a carefree summer roaming the countryside, watching movies at Steve’s house, and experiencing the highs and lows that are part and parcel of being a teenager – and the ongoing feud with Adeline’s neighbour, Mr. Strachan. Alongside this, there’s also the story of the friends’ search for Will and the is-he-or-isn’t he – as they suspect – a murderer.

Being a teenager myself in the 1990s, I appreciated the musical and movie references – and the sense of nostalgia regarding my own teenage-dom that they evoked. And from the start, I couldn’t help but be drawn in by the possiblity of Will being a killer; I’d be lying if I said I didn’t read both timelines with one eye looking for clues. Thankfully the author kept me guessing until the end!

With a cast of well-rounded characters, each with their own backstory; an adversary in Mr. Strachan and a is-he-or-isn’t-he mystery to keep readers invested, The Killer You Know is a stellar debut from S. R. Masters that I have no hesitation in recommending.

I was intrigued and compelled from the very first pages, with Will's chilling words. Fast forward to the present day, and the gang's fears that he has acted on it and it sets the scene for some worrying times for them. I enjoyed the narrative flipping between past and present, with the past throwing up lots of hints and foreshadowing of what may be to come. A really good read that kept me gripped throughout.

This was quite an intriguing book to read. It's about a group of friends who have a reunion 15 years later to see what they have done with their lives after one of said after killing 3 people, you are a serial killer, I might do that!

The book was well planned and thought out. Some thorough research was done for this book and it showed in the writing which was very descriptive and informative.

The book was written in the form of a chapter from the present, then a chapter from the past by one of the friends, then the present, then the past. I don't normally like books like this but this book did tell you if it was past or present etc.

I enjoyed the book, it made for interesting reading. Was one of them a serial killer or not?

The Killer You Know is a strong psychological mystery. It is gripping from beginning to end. The characters are well-developed and relatable. The 90s chapters are filled with nostalgia. And the twists and unpredictable. What more could you ask for from a mystery?

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Not sure if I can give any higher stars to this absolutely brilliant, fantastic book absolutely loved it.

I often pause to give myself time for reflection before leaving a review but I feel compelled to complete this one immediately after finishing it. I was intrigued by the premise of this book, the idea that someone you knew was a serial killer. The book switches between the past and the present driving the narrative forward, the present day narrated in the first person through Adeline and the sections in the past by an unknown, presumably the author. The only thing that I didn't like in the book was the 'voice' adopted for one of the teenage characters which was unnecessarily childish in the use of language. That aside the book captures the feelings of life as a teenager, the desire to want to fit in and plays nicely on the yearnings for that so called halcyon past. I liked the idea here that nostalgia is a disease alongside all the other conditions that include the -algia ending. The author carries the reader along in the story very easily leaving small cliffhangers along the way before reaching a peak in the closing sections. The chilling ending really does leave you thinking.
I have no hesitation in recommending this book for its interesting characters, interesting plot and for its easy to read style. This is an author I will look out for in the future after what is a marvellous debut.
#TheKillerYouKnow #NetGalley

3.5 Stars
I did enjoy this book but it didn’t have the ‘Wow’ factor for me.
The story centres around a group of friends and the chapters alternate between their childhood summer in the 90s and 2015.
The story starts when the group arrange a reunion but one of them doesn’t turn up.
They start to wonder about Will and remember that he said he was going to disappear at some point for a year and murder three people.
Google searches reveal some suspicious deaths and the group suspect Will was serious about murdering people.
Soon letters are being received by the group and events take a turn for the worse when someone close to them is hurt.
The final few chapters flew by and the book comes to a dramatic conclusion.
Thanks to Sphere and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.