Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was always going to like this book as a true crime podcast junkie but I absolutely loved it. One of the best things I’ve read in ages. Daphne and Ruth were great characters and I loved the ending.

Overall the story was good, giving Evelyn Hugo vibes which is a book I loved.
I didn't enjoy the HauteHistorie sections; ended up skipping past these. .

Daphne is an old woman who resides in a nursing home in Florida. She is telling her life story to Ruth who is making a podcast about her.
Why is Ruth so interested on one old woman's life? This is because Daphne has just confessed to murdering one of the other residents, and to being a serial killer! A woman who has got away with ,murdering several men over a span of around 50 years, with no one even suspecting that they WERE murders!
Ruth is searching for the meaning behind Daphne's confession, but also harbours a secret of her own regarding her reasons for wanting to interview the nonogenarian killer.
A brilliant read told from different viewpoints, and with secrets, lies, plus a touch of humour at times.

When Warren Ackerman dies at a senior living facility no one is surprised, until his elderly girlfriend Daphne confesses to his murder. The country is shocked when she declares that Warren wasn't the first man she'd murdered.

Female serial killer novels are a very popular genre at the moment and most of them are firmly tongue-in-cheek and filled with dark humour. With a tagline of "Meet Daphne St Clair: glamorous ninety-year-old grandmother, care home resident, and your new favourite serial killer" I fully expected The Six Murders Of Daphne St Clair by MacKenzie Common to be in the same vein. What transpired was something much more sobering and mysterious.

Word of Daphne's crime, and her admission that she has killed before, spreads quickly around her local area. Encouraged by her granddaughter Daphne agrees to tell her story for a podcast, a podcast that proves to be extremely popular, Most of the listeners have the same question. Why would a ninety-year-old, having gotten away with numerous murders, suddenly confess?

In charge of the podcast is Ruth, a struggling local journalist. As Daphne recounts her story we quickly learn that both Daphne and Ruth are unreliable narrators. Daphne's start in life was bleak. I found the details of the Dust Bowl in 1930s Canada informative and distressing. Considering her early life of desperation and abuse, Daphne's first two murders are almost understandable. By her fourth we learn that she relishes the sense of power she has, deciding who lives and who dies. In her heyday she was beautiful, clever, flirtatious and inscrutable, all of which made her attractive to rich men. However, she could be mean, malevolent and greedy, her only concern in life being her own well-being. The information she is prepared to share with Ruth, and the general public, is carefully curated.

Ruth's involvement initially seems obvious, she's desperate to enhance her flagging career. As Ruth delves deeper into Daphne's past it soon becomes clear that she has an ulterior motive.

I enjoyed the way in which the popularity of the podcast, and Daphne's crimes, were discussed on message boards, with ridiculous theories and desperation to know where Daphne lived. We also see some of the more bizarre behaviours on social media with Daphne merchandise becoming popular and even an influencer giving advice on how to dress like Daphne during the time period in which she committed each murder.

The overarching question remains though, what is the motive behind each woman's actions? The mystery surrounding Ruth eventually clears but what she hopes to achieve is still vague. As for Daphne's motive, you'll just have to read the book yourself to find out.

I really enjoyed this story both the story itself and the way the book was laid out with Ruth and Daphne talking, the bits that became the podcast and also their individual parts. And the interspersed 'online comments' was a nice touch.

Wannabe true crime podcaster Ruth Robinson may have just scored the break she needs to launch herself into a stratospheric career. I mean, how often do you find a serial killer when you need one?

And if 90 year old Daphne also turns out to be a pensioner in a care home who has fulfilled her other social roles as a woman, it can't get much more intriguing than that, surely? This story will more or less sell itself to listeners!

But as the podcast begins to garner attention, there may be cause for unease. Is Daphne really telling the truth about her exploits? For that matter, is Ruth?

An entertaining, dark and humorous look at the kind of lemonade that some women make when life hands them lemons, this gets 3.5 stars.

There’s been a not entirely unexpected death at a Florida senior home, Coconut Grove. A resident, Warren Ackerman, has died from apparently natural causes. But no one is surprised given his age and health. Amongst the largely female residents there is sadness at a possibly eligible man gone.
Until another resident, 90 year old Daphne St Clair, his girlfriend, calls the local police station and confesses to his murder by poison. Rose and Diane, her two twin daughters were embarrassed that she had a ‘boyfriend’ at her age’ and are about to be even more mortified at Daphne’s next revelation. Fasten your seat belts, girls, it’s going to be a bumpy ride!
She confesses to 5 more murders over 4 states, 2 countries over 7 decades and soon she is charged with first degree murder and placed under house arrest at Coconut Grove. She is shunned and ostracised by the staff and other residents but she’s tough, tougher than they think. As she puts it:

‘Jeez, you kill an old man and suddenly no one wants to sit at your lunch table.’

And her family have very mixed reactions, all of them negative. Rose thinks of the scandal as her husband is a senator while Harper, Daphne’s favourite grandchild, is excited at having a soon to be famous serial killer as a grandma. James, Daphne’s son, has apparently vanished and she has no idea where he is.
Daphne wants to tell her story her way and selects Ruth Robinson as an interviewer and publicist. She is a rookie podcaster and their interviews together begin. And so Daphne starts to publicly recount her life from her decision to run away from a harsh and dangerous home life in a small Canadian town to the well heeled ‘cushy’ life at Coconut Grove. She is unrepentant at her actions. She achieved all that she wanted; a life in New York, rich husbands, wealth but there’s always an itch nagging her. She kills from desperation, expediency and just because she wants to when her life wasn’t what she wanted at times and she missed the thrill of killing.
However, Daphne has no idea that Ruth and her might have a connection and that she has an ulterior motive in working with Daphne. Ruth was raised by a single mum and managed to find her father who acknowledge her existence and tried to bring her into his family before dying a mysterious death. Was he one of Daphne’s victims?
In the meantime, Daphne’s notoriety grows as online commentators weigh in and on TikTok Haute Historie begins to post carefully curated high fashion outfits inspired by Daphne. Dressed to Kill perhaps? She has become one of the most famous and reviled women in America – what will happen next?
This is such an assured debut novel. I liked Daphne. Although she wasn’t one of the most likeable of character, she was honest. She was also a survivor and had a lot of interesting, relatable and pithy comments to make on the ageing process and how it affects women and why she committed the murders. She had a definite voice and as I read her story I could visualise her so well as a cross between Iris Apfel and Judge Ruth. Daphne was determined not to go quietly into that good night or at least face it on her terms.
I really enjoyed the excerpts from Haute Histoire as I could imagine it happening only too well. Although the online commentators didn’t add much to the story they were entertaining.
Ruth is from the wrong side of the tracks and she’s been trying to get a writing career off the starting blocks for some years. This could be her stepping stone. But she has to keep changing the title of the podcast as another murder is revealed. She was a more muted character compared to Daphne who leaves her with a warning and the reader doesn’t know is Ruth heeds it or not.
I’ll be very interested to see what the author writes next and it’s perfect for a movie or mini series. Great cover too.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

Great idea for a book, recording podcasts and TikTok confessions of murders with clever twists which I will not divulge and spoil for the reader. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

I am in awe of MacKenzie Common's writing.

She is Ruth. A young woman who has been wronged and is grieving for the father she had barely known before his sudden death.

Her employment history has plummeted radically since then. Thanks to the family who did not want anything to do with daddy's secret daughter. Still the journalist in Ruth pushed through. Knowing her time would come.

The subject of her amazingly popular podcast turned out to be a ninety year old woman living out her final years in a Florida care home.

Daphne St Clair decided to come clean and admit to the murder of her very close friend, Warren. Whose death had been seen as natural in a man of his age, but Daphne proved her involvement and became a cause celebre. Especially when admitting that Warren was simply one of many.

Daphne, or Loretta, had grown up dirt poor and living in a violent abusive family. She wanted more so went in search for it. Eventually becoming extremely rich whilst leaving a number of bodies behind her.

The story of Daphne's life is told through Ruth's podcast.

MacKenzie' s writing comes over as true, allowing Ruth to ooze her own feelings out whilst Daphne tells her smug history.

This is a must read.

A fabulously written gripping story that was a pleasure to read. I would absolutely recommend this book, it was brilliant

Incredible read. I loved the style of the writing with a mixture of story, podcast and occasional fashion commentary. I was completely hooked by the no-nonsense attitude of Daphne and the gritty determination of Ruth to both tell and reveal their truths as they saw fit. I can't wait to see what is written next.

This was a deliciously 'naughty' read. Daphne is close to the end of her life and living in a care home. Everyone is stunned, when, at the ripe old age of 90, she confesses to murdering six people. She agrees to be interviewed for a podcast. Ruth, the podcaster, has secrets of her own to unravel.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book despite Daphne not being a particularly likeable character. She was however definitely intriguing and I found myself asking if she was a victim or predator as her story unfolded. I know what I decided? What about you?

Okay, I’ll admit it – I was drawn to this book by the cover, as a fan of vintage fashion, the glamorous image grabbed me, and then, the content held me! As this is the first book I have read by this author, I didn’t know what to expect – what I got was a clever and multifaceted tale of a unique woman, who is unapologetic in her harsh attitude towards most of the people in her life. She is quick-witted and extremely well versed in sarcasm – I was drawn to her immediately. In comparison, I found Ruth rather insipid, but the pairing really does work. As the tale progresses it becomes clear that Ruth has a hidden agenda, a very personal reason for pushing Daphne to reveal all about her life and the assorted murders she has committed.

I liked the format of the book and thought that the inclusion of comments from people listening to the podcast was a brilliant offshoot. All in all, The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair is both thrilling and darkly entertaining - it kept me captivated from beginning to end. Highly recommended.

even from the front cover i loved this book. i mean just look at it.
i instantly wanted to know Daphnes story. i shouldnt have been so intrigued by someone that says she commit so many murders. but i was. because what starts with her confessing to killing a man in a care home, quickly unfolds to her wanting to tell her story of how she is actually a serial killer. i mean dont we all just want to read on for her to reveal her story.
and this isnt just any telling of a story we read in a book. because Daphne enlists someone else to help her tell. she enlists a journalist to create a podcast of it all. there is so much more to Daphne than murders. and she is about to expose it all.
the story then shows us her world through such a great timeline. we are taken through some of the great times on earth in terms of changes and moments many of us can touch upon. right up until the present day as we learn this is a woman who was thinking she was doing all she needed to in a world that told her she had to in order to survive.
we get not only Daphne podcast type scripts but also more points of view of Daphne and Ruth. both have their own secrets. both .have been still holding back.
we are of course in the age of social media. and so there is insights into what others are saying...and we all know how that can go. yikes.
i adored this book. i mean why get to so old an age to say she was a murderer. and how did she get to this point!?( no im not saying there is ever a "backstory" to why people murder) but boy there is alot to this woman that we want to know. do you ge to an age where you have to let these things out? there is that thing to do with not wanting to go with things left unsaid or darkening your soul as you leave. is this what Daphne is doing?
brilliant book. just brilliant.

Ninety year old Daphne confessed to killing her gentleman friend who died in his sleep in the retirement home they live in.
When the police arrive she admits to multiple murders but do the police believe her or think she's a rambling old lady
Ruth comes along to do a podcast on Daphne's life and reveals all her secrets and murders.
Just couldn't put it down I loved the characters and especially Daphne's granddaughter.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.

A really enjoyable book that grips you from the start, I thoroughly recommend this book. I found it hard to dislike Daphne, despite her being a serial killer, much preferring her to the rather less engaging character of Ruth. I wasn’t keen on the sections from the bloggers and thought they detracted from the story, particularly those concerning fashion, but realised at the end the reason for them.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review and to the author for such a good story.

For me this one didn’t quite hit the mark. It sounded like it was going to be brilliant but felt a little flat. Whilst I enjoyed reading her confession I just found myself waiting for something to happen. I can definitely imagine this being a brilliant read for some people though!

Oh I loved this book. Daphne Ct Clair is a fantastically well written character. Both sinister and funny at the same time. Although I couldn't help liking her. She wasn't going to be anyone's walked over housewife! I do believe there was also some heart to her character though and I loved the ending. Highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for this ARC.

Daphne St Clair, 90, lives in Coconut Grove senior home, Florida. When an elderly resident dies she suddenly confesses to having poisoned him and others. In a series of podcast interviews with Ruth Robinson, 32, she talks about her life, from a sketchy start in Dust Bowl Saskatchewan as Loretta Cowell to years in glamorous New York, from her husbands and children to a series of murders that span four states, two countries, and seven decades of her life.

Ruth tries to find out why Daphne would all of a sudden confess to all those murders that she got away with for so long. But is that her only motivation? She almost seems to be beaten by life, as if a great injustice had been done to her. What is it and what has it to do with Daphne and the rich Montgomery family?

I liked how the story developed but wasn't overly taken with the online forums and the fashion TikTok, which I found completely superfluous and skipped entirely. I also don't think we got any reason for the last two murders or maybe there wasn't one?

90 year olds generally have some tales to tell but Daphne's are more shocking than most, although she is an unreliable narrator. Daphne starts out likeable and then becomes horrendously selfish over time, just taking and never giving. Yes, it was difficult to be an independent woman, and sexism was rife, so some actions and frustrations were understandable - others really weren't. I didn't like the open ending as I really wanted to know what Ruth decided to do, but I liked how Daphne's actions had an influence on Ruth's life, maybe as a small act of redemption.

Ultimately, it is a unique and well-written premise tackling how women were treated over the decades and how one woman decided to deal with it. I would say it is more literary than thriller and has a passing resemblance to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, while not quite achieving that book's greatness.

I have LOVED this book!!!! This has to be a huge success!!

I was hooked from the first page and I have been engrossed throughout.

This Author is fantastic, I loved all the characters and the way the story develops is amazing.
Just what a good page turner needs to be.

I loved that it started on such a high and never dipped into mundane. The story is great, the dynamics of the characters is great and the humour is spot on.

Great book, better than expected.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for this unforgettable read.

Definitely 5⭐️