I loved this. A totally different twist on a murder mystery where the murderer is a 90 year old woman who decides to confess. Why? We read on to find this out and what a back story she has to tell. Going back in time we learn that Daphnes treatment at the hands of certain men turn her into a strong and clever woman who ends up taking No nonsense. Ruth gets to tell her tale in a podcast and we learn that she has a hidden agenda in speaking to Daphne. I so enjoyed hearing of Daphnes life journey, the only thing that stopped me giving 5 stars wer the Reddit snippets which I ended up skipping as they just got annoying. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this early copy, and I will definitely be looking out for books by this author in the future. .

The Six Murders of Daphne St. Clair is a dark, atmospheric mystery that hooked me right from the start. MacKenzie Common creates a haunting setting and an intricate plot, weaving together suspense, character drama, and emotional depth. The slow unraveling of Daphne’s story was compelling, and I loved how the narrative played with memory, perception, and truth.

I did like the historical biography of Daphne St Clair. However, the novel is ruined by the TikTok/Reddit sections that add nothing but to break up the story. I felt no empathy to Ruth and very little to Daphne - or, indeed, to any of the characters. The chronology change towards the end is confusing. The end itself is beyond disappointing. There is definitely the nugget of a good book here, but not as currently written.
I’m grateful to the author, the publish and NetGalley for proving me with an ARC in return for this honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t really know what to expect but it captivated me and I polished it off in a day. Thank you to the writer, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me the chance to read it.

Firstly, thank you to the publisher for letting me read a pre-release copy.

I loved the concept of this book. Anything that turns the stereotype of aging on its head is a win with me and this did that in spades. Daphne is a great character who just doesn´t care about anyone but herself -we can see why when we hear her back-story - and I thoroughly enjoyed her re-telling of her life to Ruth.

Ruth, on the other hand, I found problematic and is the reason this book only got 3 stars from me. She has been cast as the flawed character but the unfolding of her back-story was just too stilted and predictable. Add to this that her being charged with her fathers murder is unrealistic - she had the most to lose? -and we get into 3star territory.

I am excited for what this author will come up with next in terms of a concept and hope that her character progression becomes more defined as her experience grows.

This book surprised me. As it started out in the care home, I thought I wasn't going to be gripped. But as we started to peel the layers of Daphne apart, I became engrossed with her life. I really didn't know how it would progress and wondered why she had confessed. I loved the historical elements over in Canada, and then the sights and sounds of New York.

Daphne was written beautifully, the narcissistic backbone that sent little shivers down my spine.

I thought Ruth was less thought out as a character and she felt a little flat for me. but that might have been intentional. And some of the additional pieces (the clothing influencer) didn't really float my boat.

But overall this was a page turner and Iended up staying up late at night to finish it. Thank you!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 ok stars.

I found the book to be quite slow going and felt the social media post sections were not needed - I ended up skipping these.

Nothing really shocked or surprised me and the ending was disappointing.

This sounded an interesting premise, and while it does live up to the title (in that we do learn about the six murders Daphne carried out), I kept waiting for something a bit more - I don’t know, engrossing? Surprising? A twist? Sadly that didn’t come. There’s a bit of vague mystery about what Ruth is trying to get answers on, but I spotted who was likely the killer there with my eyes closed. There’s little mystery regarding Daphne, who tells us (via Ruth) about the men she killed. There are some Reddit comments which don’t really add much, and some haute history filler periodically where some unknown character describes outfits they’d suggest for recreating each historical period of Daphne’s life - pure filler as they do nothing to advance the story along and then it even peters out when the character says they probably shouldn’t glamorise a serial killer (bit late for that, by then!).

Overall it’s OK, but not particularly mysterious and not helped by none of the characters being very likeable either!

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

This is a murder mystery with a big difference and I loved it. Ruth has grown up as the child of a single parent. She has trained as a journalist but success has passed her by. Then, she is given the opportunity to create a series of podcasts in which she interviews a ninety-year-old woman, Daphne St Clair who has confessed to committing a series of murders, some of which have made her a wealthy and independent woman. The story is told from the points of view of Ruth and Daphne and both women are keeping secrets that gradually emerge as the podcasts progress. Ruth's secret is connected to the rich and powerful Montgomery family who are unhappy about the interviews and Daphne is not telling all about her murderous past or her motive for confessing her guilt. In the end, truths are revealed which change Ruth's life forever. It is refreshing to read such a different mystery novel and I am keen to read more from this author.

Loved the character of Daphne- the epitome of a strong woman who took no nonsense. The format of using an episodic podcast to gradually reveal Daphne's truths is a clever vehicle to allow different facets of her voice to be heard from the public facing podcast answers to her private recollections. A great read!

What an interesting premise: A 90 year old woman confesses to being a serial killer - in a podcast no less!
In "The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair", we follow the story of Daphne, who admits to having killed several men over the course of several decades. But why is she confessing to the murders now of all times? And what are podcaster Ruth's motives for listening to her?
"The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair" is dark, twisty, and highly engaging. Definitely recommend!

Ruth Robinson needs something to put her back on track, and interviewing a 90 year old female serial killer is going to do just that. Daphne definitely isn’t the cuddly grandmother type, quite the opposite, in fact it’s very difficult to like her, and Ruth doesn’t want to try.

This was an interesting premises, as female serial killers don’t come by very often. It all felt very plausible, but I don’t know if I actually enjoyed the read or not. It’s well written, but I feel the trolling dialogue was not as good as the rest, including Daphnes interviews with Ruth. At times Ruth felt a bit one dimensional but this got better as the book went on. The ending was good, everything resolved, one way or the other. I’ll also keep an eye out for whatever this author writes next. 3 1/2⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved this book and couldn't put it down. Daphne is a great character, and her story is painful, funny and definitely thought-provoking. This is a brilliant read (and would make an excellent film!) I will definitely be recommending this book.

Daphne is 90 years old, lives in a care home, and confesses to being a serial killer. This is her story, as told to podcaster Ruth - and to the rest of the world.
A really different, dark and fascinating tale. I enjoyed reading it immensely and was totally drawn into the story. I did expect more of a surprise or twist at the end, which didn’t really happen, but other than that I wasn’t at all disappointed.
I will definitely be recommending this book to friends and family, and send my congratulations to the author.

The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair

When Daphne confesses to killing a number of men throughout her lifetime, she chooses Ruth to produce the podcast reporting her story. Each episode charts Daphne's humble beginnings from the Dust Bowl in Canada to her glittering life in 70s New York - and a string of murders in her wake. Daphne tells her story . Ruth listens and edits it .

Loved this book . Which out of the two was the main character ? Hard to tell !
Great characters in both ladies . Ok maybe not totally believable , but a great read nonetheless .

A little dark, a little twisted, but really witty and well-written. If you’ve enjoyed Bella Mackie’s style, then this one is for you! Thanks Netgalley for an ARC

90 year old Daphne has confessed to being a serial killer following the death of her boyfriend at the care home where she resides. She decides to tell her story to Ruth King, a podcaster. Ruth has her own motives for giving voice to her story.

As Daphne details the background to each ‘murder’ your views of her change. Her first murders you could almost understand as she was badly treated by the men in her life - she was a victim. But later? At no point could Ruth work out what motivated her to confess.

Ruth speaks to her daughters, visits her home town, meets her one surviving sibling and begins to bring some perspective to the story.

Throughout the book Ruth is careful to keep her own motivations and background secret.

However her secret and Daphne’s motives are revealed as the date for her court hearing approaches.

Amusing in places but sad and disturbing in others.

A book which will stay with me.

Love the idea of this book. Love the layout and the podcast & TikTok’s. I won’t lie, I did struggle a bit with the pace of this book & found it very slow.
I wasn’t able to connect with any of the characters.
Obviously Daphne was supposed to be unlikeable, so that came across well, but I didn’t really like Ruth or anyone really.
Love the ending- the voice note from Daphne to Ruth, I felt that finished the book off nicely.
I was glad her son came back before she died too.

Overall, it was a good read.

This is what you get if you cross 'The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hugo' with a serial killer. I started off thinking Daphne was quite entertaining and ridding the world of men that where a waste of breath but my view of her started the change the more I learnt about her story.
I thought this might be a five star read and there was going to be a big surprise at the end but I found the ending a bit Anti climatic, ambiguous and dragged a bit. Still enjoyed it, but its not quite as good as I thought it would be.

Absolutely fantastic. Clear echoes of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but it does its own thing. Daphne St Clair is a brilliantly spiky character and this is an excellent read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.