⭐️⭐️⭐️ 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.

Daphne St Clair is a still glamorous ninety year old living in a retirement community in Florida when she confesses to the murder of a recently deceased resident. She then goes on to confess that this is not the first murder she has committed in her life, in fact she is a serial killer. Enter Ruth Robinson a journalists who creates a podcast and interviews Daphne to tell her life story. And what an incredible story it is.

I wasn't quite sure what to make of this book initially. It began, I felt as something of a satire and soon developed into a much darker and more complex read. The writing is very clever - quite witty in parts while disturbing in others. Daphne is a character like no other and I found my feelings for her changing throughout the story. It covers a broad span from Daphne's early years to the present. The format of the book with transcript of the interviews as well as social media responses make an interesting read. It also soon becomes clear that Ruth has secrets of her own. This is a twisty, edge of the seat read. It was engrossing from the start, though I found the Haute Histoire blog sections irritating

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Headline, for giving me the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

This book was much more in depth and full of character than I was expecting.

It was full of raw emotion in places, but cold blooded in others.

It was riveting from beginning to end.

There were many surprises along the way and it was written in an engaging and dramatic way.

I highly recommend this book and will definitely read more by this author if they’ve written more books. I shall be looking them up to see and will certainly buy copies if there are.

Daphne is 90 years old, lives in a care home and has just confessed to killing her ‘boyfriend’. And possibly several other murders. A good start. She takes on Ruth, who has her own problems, to interview her in a podcast series.

As the podcast unfolds, chapter by chapter, we learn more about Daphne and her motives for killing. Sometimes you empathise with her, a serial killer! But Ruth continually makes the point that no-one can take another person’s life. As the novel progresses it gets darker but as a reader I found it got repetitive in tone. It would be a spoiler to describe why.

I got fed up reading about Daphne and her life and the book slipped from 4 stars for me. Others will love it though.

I read an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publishers.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

An old man dies at a nursing home, nobody thinks anything of it. Until Daphne St Clair another resident of the home confesses to his murder and many more! Ruth a want to be journalist is chosen to produce a podcast on the murders and is shocked at the details Daphne goes into. Ruth also has a hidden agenda for taking this job!

The title and description of this were so intriguing I had to request it. And I was rewarded with a book I couldn’t put down. Daphne is such an unlikeable character, but at the same time I felt sorry for her and her life experiences. The book switches between the podcast back and forward conversations between Ruth and Daphne, and moments from each woman’s life. As well as sharing comments from online bloggers in response to the podcast. This gave the story a very real edge to it. The ending and loose ends felt very frustrating, but was the perfect ending to this story. Daphne hasn’t told the whole truth and we will never know it! This is one that is a must read!

The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair by MacKenzie Common is a gripping, darkly entertaining tale that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The premise alone is intriguing: a ninety-year-old woman confesses to being a serial killer, and a podcaster, Ruth King, is given the task of uncovering her story. Daphne's tale, spanning decades of abuse, manipulation, and murder, is as shocking as it is riveting.

The podcast format works brilliantly here, drawing you into Daphne’s confessions with the promise of more revelations in each episode. Daphne herself is a fascinating character—ruthless yet unapologetically human. Her cold pragmatism when discussing her murders and her indifferent attitude towards guilt make her an unpredictable, compelling narrator. The fact that she does not want to be liked makes her even more intriguing, and her motivations are both chilling and fascinating.

Ruth's role as the interviewer adds another layer of tension, especially when it becomes clear that neither woman is being fully honest. The pacing is excellent, building to a satisfying finale that ties everything together.

The only downside for me was the inclusion of bloggers’ comments after each podcast episode, particularly from the Haute Histoire blog, which I found a bit distracting and unnecessary. However, this didn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of the book.

Ultimately, this is a well-written, suspenseful read with a strong female anti-hero at its core. If you’re into twisted psychological thrillers with a deep dive into a morally grey character, this is definitely worth your time.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Daphne isn't your usual serial killer. For one she rings the police to confess even though nobody suspects her and secondly she's 90 years old. The story follows Daphne telling her story via Ruth's podcast.
This was a fast paced thriller which was easy to read and kept you engaged throughout. My perception of Daphne changed as the story progressed and her motivation for her kills were interesting to say the least. Ruth was a very different character and I enjoyed the fact that her reason for wanting to do the podcast were slowly fed to the reader. It's also always good to have a book that focuses on older female main characters as they're often under represented.
Overall a good read I would recommend to people who enjoy crime thrillers.