An Ethical Guide To Murder

was really excited by the premise of this book and it played out so well! It read like the trolley problem on steroids - there was a surprising amount of philosophical thought going on in my head whilst reading this. The plot was fun, straight forward and easy to read. The characters are all a bit flawed, which are my favourite type of character. I kept guessing how I’d thought it would end right until the very last pages, it wasn’t what I expected but it was a satisfying conclusion. A great read.

I don’t even know where to start with this… other than I absolutely LOVED it and I’ve recommended it to everyone I’ve seen since!
Some fantastic characters, the story was both shocking and funny in equal measures. This book really makes you think about people on a much deeper level… who is considered to be good or bad? What makes one person better than another? And what would you do if you held the power to take and give life to those around you?
Brilliant brilliant brilliant!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC of this wonderful book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this ARC.

Thea is a normal 26 year old who hates her boss Zara and loves her gay BFF Ruth. Her parents died in a car accident when she was eight, and she was brought up by her lovely Grandad who has always tried to instil the difference between right and wrong in her.

One day when she touches Ruth's arm she suddenly gets a flash telling her that Ruth will die tonight at a specific time. But that's not all. When Ruth gets a head wound in a bar that night Thea accidentally touches the man who shoved her over and transfers his remaining life into Ruth. He dies and Ruth lives.

What do you do when you discover you have the ability to play God and redistribute lifespans, either by killing someone or decimating their given years to pass on to other people?

Thea reacts by creating an Ethical Guide to Murder, with the premise of only killing really bad people and giving their years to really good, deserving people. Every chapter starts with an excerpt from this guide, justifying her reasons.

But how do you know whether someone is all good or all bad? Thea's superpower creates all kinds of ethical dilemmas and unforeseen repercussions, because people aren't always what they seem. A case in point is what happens when Thea finally finds the person responsible for causing the fatal car crash in which her parents died. Oh, and the charity guy who seemed so deserving at first.

This is an at times uncomfortable book that constantly makes you examine your own morals and question what you would have done with this ability. I didn't find a lot of dark humour and I felt this book was very different to my usual revenge or serial killer reads. There is an undercurrent of rage at the unfairness of life, which seems to reward a lot of undeserving people while punishing deserving ones. So why not redress the balance?

The premise of the book is intriguing but then it gets bogged down by moral questions and some inconsistencies in how Thea's talent works, slowing the pace down. There weren't a lot of characters I actively liked, except Grandad. Especially manipulative lawyer Sam and the awful guy we first think is a hero are pretty hard to stomach, but everyone else is flawed too.

I can't say that I saw the ending coming and I'm not sure how I feel about it. At least Thea is consistent in how she approaches retribution and making amends. If you're expecting a deranged serial killer, this isn't her. She honestly tries to do good but it becomes a curse to her.

I liked the writing style and that the book makes you think. It's a very unique story examining what would happen if we could suddenly decide other people's lifespan and why. Points for originality in this interesting debut novel!

"Right and wrong are not mutually exclusive concepts. Having a good reason to do a terrible thing doesn’t make it any less terrible. Especially if you’re the one deciding what’s moral and what’s not."

3.5 stars