I absolutely loved this take on fake true crime. This book centers around the kidnapping of Parcell (not real) on the 10th anniversary of her disappearance and the key people in the investigation are interviewed for this book.

This was a great satire on true crime with some laugh out loud funny moments along with depth and intellect on the genre.

Earlier this month, I'd tried and failed to read Bright Young Women because of various reasons but this was definitely a winner. I loved the characters, the plot and the interview format definitely worked because it made it both fun and easy to read.

I'd highly recommend it to fans of both mysteries and true crime. Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the e-copy.

4.5/5

I really enjoyed this book which read like a reality script - an unusual concept but it really worked and exactly fitted the genre of this book. We follow the story of Sara Purcell, a young talented, well-liked schoolgirl who goes missing from a small town in America. The story intrigues a Californian producer who hightails it to mid nowhere to follow the story and make dynamic reality tv. The events unfold like a tv drama with many voices: family, friends and townspeople together with Cassy the producer and Felix the detective. This is an easy quick read, which shouldn’t take away from the talent of the writing. The added bonus is that long after the book has ended I’m left with some moral conundrums.

Before starting this I have to admit that I hadn't heard of this author, so I had no idea whether I would like his writing style. I'm happy to say that I did!
The blurb had me interested with it saying it was about a reality/true crime show and I was hoping that we would get some mixed media used in this. Whilst there wasn't any of that, I'm pleased to say that this book had me invested from the start.
It is told like a transcript from a true crime documentary and I loved that. It really made the plot flow so fast and I couldn't put it down as I wanted to see how it would all play out.
I enjoyed how it all unfolded and I found it tense and gripping and I was fully invested throughout.
This is an author to watch for me.

On a crisp April morning, Sara Parcell disappears without a trace. No one saw a thing.
Desperate, her family agree to take part in a reality TV show following Sara's case. Cameras swarm the house. Viewers tune in. The addiction begins... As the show gains traction, what began as a small-town crime becomes a global sensation. Everyone who knew Sara is questioned on camera - but the producers want more. Hungry for twists, they delve deeper into the story - and soon, it takes on a life of its own. Where is Sara? What do her family know? And how far will any of us go to create a good show?

I am sorry to say that this was my first DNF of 2023 and from the current reviews, it looks like I might be the only one not enjoying this story. I gave it right up until the deadline but I just couldn’t do it. I enjoyed the idea behind it but reading a script does not allow you to form any kind of judgements or opinions regarding each of the characters. I had to keep flicking back to the start to remind myself who people were and it made the story very clunky for me.

I loved the format of Kill Show. The structure of the interviews and conversations made it feel like reading a true crime documentary which draws you more into the plot. Definitely recommend..

A killer story in a twisty package, KILL SHOW is a sensational page-turner! I loved the interview style format, the different voices and the gripping narrative. It was like reading the best Netflix true crime documentary ever. A must-read!

3.5 STARS

An easy read - flew through in a couple of sittings. I thought the writing style was sharp, witty and gripping and I real liked the format of the book

I think what let it down and perhaps led the story to drag a little was the depth - I think the plot needed more ''meat on the bones'' and it felt quite predictable.

I could not put this down and read it in a couple of days.

I love this kind of format, similar to Eliza Clark's Penance (my favourite book this year) of a kind of oral history of an event,

I just wish this book had given me a bit more. I've seen other reviews talk about how it almost, not quite, grapples with the ethics of true crime and they doesn't quite get there.

I also didn't love the "reveal" and the plot progress after this point. I've said before I'm not a big thriller fan so I think this is probably a me-issue.

However a fun quick read, perfect for the beach.

4 stars

This book is so modern and on the money right now
As we are all obsessed with true crime and reality tv.
This story brings both to the fore when a young irl goes missing.
And interview style book the plot is well paced and the mystery
Captivating.
Really brilliant

In a small US town, 16-year-old Sara goes missing. Her parents are distraught; the police search far and wide; the community rallies round; and a reality TV show films it live.
Ten years later, everyone involved contributes to a book about the show and the police investigation. The novel is set out as if we are reading this true-crime book.
Main contributors are the parents - Dave Parcell and Jeanette Parcell; the TV producer – Casey Hawthorne; and the lead detective – Felix Calderon.
We also hear from Sara’s younger brother, her grandmother, two school friends, her music teacher and the school principal; the TV studio boss, the associate producer, the editor, and a cameraman; the district attorney and the local news reporter; a neighbour, Sara’s boss at an ice-cream parlour, the widow of a car mechanic, the school bus driver and her father’s colleague; the founder of a Sara Facebook fan group and a conspiracy theorist; a pop culture critic and a sociology professor.
This sounds like a lot of characters to keep track of, but the way the writer headlines each section and has the characters refer to each other in their contributions ensures the reader doesn’t get lost.
As well as being unusual, the style is conversational and fast paced. Although we know from early on the outcome of the case, there are still shocks and suspense along the way.
It’s a missing persons mystery, but it’s more of an exploration of the manipulative power of reality TV.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

FROM THE COVER📚

THE NATION IS OBSESSED. WHAT HAPPENED TO SARA?

A MISSING GIRL 
On a crisp April morning, Sara Parcell disappears without a trace. No one saw a thing. 
A NATIONAL OBSESSION
Desperate, her family agree to take part in a reality TV show following Sara's case. Cameras swarm the house. Viewers tune in. The addiction begins...
A HIDDEN AGENDA
As the show gains traction, what began as a small-town crime becomes a global sensation. Everyone who knew Sara is questioned on camera - but the producers want more. Hungry for twists, they delve deeper into the story - and soon, it takes on a life of its own. 
Where is Sara? What do her family know? And how far will any of us go to create a good show?

REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Kill Show is presented as though it is a non fiction account of a missing teenager and the events that followed her disappearance through statements from the main (and some minor) characters involved. It is presented as only this dialogue with no interjection. Layout is interview transcripts with the people involved in a missing girl case and the aftermath of that for book examining the crime and nature of true crime in the media, in way it reads like academic text.

The plot was interesting, we are told the aftermath of what was a very unusual case and of the true crime television program the family took part in- this was in fact in real time , the family were filmed like a reality Tv show while the case was on going instead of the usual documentary style examination- This along with the expert analyst bits added depth to what was well used type plot line( missing girl not all as it seems bla bla) the analytical parts really made you think of the morals of reality Tv and true crime. Makes a good read with interesting points. The different way it was presented added a new element I am not sure if would have worked as well as novel as there are loads of plots like this but the presentation allowed for the “experts” to examine the case and aftermath so elevated it into something really good making you question your own morality around true crime podcasts etc.



There are certainly plenty characters but not too many that can’t follow who is who. . It relies very heavily on dialogue and I found that a bit of a struggle at times as it dragged out what was at times a fairly obvious plot… I worked out the TWIST a very early on.

There is a lot of this style of writing around at the moment, I really like it, while I liked this book and how it was written I feel it would have benefitted from newspaper clipping etc rather than just the transcript dialogue.

Fans of Cara Hunter, Lisa Jewell and Liane Moriarty will enjoy this. I also think it would make a great Netflix show, people without knowing the background would easily believe it was in fact a true crime doc and not a work of fiction.

Thank you for the ARC

I am not sure I agreed with the writing style but I still enjoyed it. It was interesting but yet still predictable. Some may really enjoy it but I found it mediocre.

This wasn't for me. I love true crime, I love YouTube docs, I love crime books but I don't really like crime books written to be like a YouTube documentary or interview. I'm also not one for script style books either so that's purely personal preference. The plot was good, there are certainly plenty characters and it's all laid out like a true crime investigation. It relies very heavily on dialogue though and I find that a struggle when there's no action to go aling side it. Its very well written for what it is though and I've no doubt will appeal to plenty who do enjoy reading things in this format. I just prefer books to read like books I guess but that's no reflection on the author or the story hence the 4 stars

Kill Show iis presented as though it is a non fiction account of a missing teenager and the events that followed her disappearance through statements from the main (and some minor) characters involved. It is presented as only this dialogue with no interjection.
How well it works for a reader will, I think, depend on three aspects:
1. How well the story works,
2. How well the concept works
3. How well the dialogue works (as that is all there is).
For me it was a fast read: taking out everything but 'transcript' style dialogue means there is little superfluous detail and virtually no descriptive elements one would normally expect in a narrative.
The plot was interesting enough if (without giving any spoilers away) familiar in the detail for anyone who has read much crime fiction. There are a couple of turns, if not twists.
I wasn't quite sure about the 'hook' of the book and the transcript style approach - as to whether it was supposed to be a set of recordings, an 'oral history' style or a tv/ documentary. (Are there many non-fiction books with NO author interjection/ explanation or that conceal plot vital facts in the way a novel does like this? Maybe it's overthinking it, but there is a legacy of fiction portrayed as non-fiction in the crime genre and some of this - such as characters responding to other characters statements that pulled me out of the artifice.

So the dialogue does all the lifting here and it's a considerable challenge to have @20 different characters with differentiated voices and 'character'. (Obviously by having each character name and their role in the story for ever piece of dialogue helps you place them,).

Overall it's a timely take on the true crime drama fixation that, if never actually convincing as a faux non fiction piece, will, I'm sure appeal to a lot of readers.

A great pop corn suspense book. Did I guess all the twists. Yes. Did I have an amazing experience reading the book. Yes. Plus I loved the format and think it could be an amazing audio book.

Compelling, Edgy..
The whole nation becomes obsessed with the search for a missing teenager following the involvement of a real time true crime show. Small town interest goes to national and then global as the show gains momentum and the internet blows up. What is the story and how on earth will it pan out? Compelling and utterly involving from the off, the tale unfolds entirely through edgy character interviews and doesn’t let up until the very bitter end. An expose and a condemnation of the worldwide obsession with true crime and, at the same time, an immersive and very creative mystery.