How to Get Away with Murder by Rebecca Philipson

 This debut thriller is so convoluted and twisty that it will take a close analysis for any reader to figure out the whole of it before the final reveals. Definitely a book that can’t be skimmed if you want to understand the whole picture of this book within a book.

DI Samantha Hansen is coming back to her job at Scotland Yard after suffering a breakdown when she’s thrown into a murder investigation. The victim is a 14-year-old schoolgirl with some disturbing items at the crime scene. One of those items is a book titled “How to Get Away with Murder” written by Denver Brady. Sam is assigned to the task of reading the book and finding the author. While Sam and her trainee are tracking down this info, the secondary narrative pops up in this dual perspective novel and it is actually the text of the manual in the voice of the author. It’s not too long in that Sam and TDC Adam Taylor are finding that the book is not exactly a diary, nor is most of it the truth. And what does this book and its author have to do with Charlotte Mathers, the dead girl. Who is Denver Brady and is he the serial killer he claims to be or is there a copycat at work. 

I don’t want to give any spoilers but this was very entertaining and clever. I loved trying to anticipate the answers and put the clues together as the investigation and action ensued. I liked the protagonist, Samantha Hansen, and some of the other characters in the book, particularly Adam Taylor. The writing was good and I had a great time putting the puzzle together. I wonder if we will see more of Sam or if this is the one and only. I’m not a huge fan of endless series so I’m fine with imagining how the rest of Sam’s life will play out. Definitely recommend this one to all crime fiction lovers. 

I was able to listen to the audio book while also reading along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. It was refreshing and fun. The narrators, Tamsin Kennard and Michael Geary, were fabulous in their roles and created unique voices and personalities for all the characters. This created a very immersive experience and definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Genre and tags: meta fiction, book within a book, crime fiction, police procedural, Scotland Yard, murder