How to Get Away with Murder by Rebecca Philipson review
A punchy, intriguing novel about hunting down a serial killer.
How to Get Away with Murder by Rebecca Philipson: The key details
- Publish date: 12 March 2026
- Genre: Thriller
- Publisher: Bantam
- Available formats: Hardback, audio and ebook
- Series/standalone: Standalone
- Length: 368 pages
Blurb: Denver Brady claims to be the most successful serial killer of our time – and that’s precisely why you’ve never heard of him. But with the publication of How to Get Away With Murder, his manual for aspiring serial killers, that’s about to change.
When a copy of Denver’s book is found at a crime scene, DI Samantha Hansen is given the job of tracking down the elusive author. As Denver and Sam’s stories unfold and converge, it becomes clear that there’s more to both than meets the eye. And once Denver’s book goes viral, the pressure to find and bring him to justice brings Sam to breaking point.
But in this dark and twisted tale, who is hunting whom?
How to Get Away with Murder by Rebecca Philipson: The review
Denver Brady is a serial killer, according to the book he’s published. And with his book found next to the body of Charlotte, a murdered school girl, he’s looking like suspect number one. There’s just one problem: nobody has any idea who he is.
Off work after she was assaulted by a colleague, detective inspector Sam isn’t ready to return. That is, until she learns about the murder of Charlotte. She’s compelled to work that case and solve it.
There are many elements of How to Get Away With Murder to get to grips with. There’s coming to know Sam as a person, her struggles, her past, her familial ties with her boss at work. There’s Charlotte’s murder, and the police case built around that. Then there’s Denver Brady and the book he wrote. It’s a book you’ll be privy to, with chapters interspersed with those from Sam’s perspective.
As you’ll learn as you progress through How to Get Away with Murder, though, you can’t always trust everything you read. Philipson has woven a clever and ambitious narrative here, particularly impressive given this is a debut novel. You’ll be compelled to find the killer in Charlotte’s case, but you’ll also be as intrigued by the murders laid out by Brady. There are grizzly details here, written about so flippantly, so this is not a book for the sensitive.
Mixing police procedural with the perspective of a serial killer is always intriguing, and here Philipson has done it very well. We’re always left to question what we are reading, and even though Sam isn’t always the most likeable character, it’s hard not to root for her to catch the killer.
I feel like How to Get Away With Murder perhaps lost its way a little in its second half, with a lot going on and everything not gelling together quite as well as it should, but regardless I still enjoyed my time with this. It’s left me very excited for what Rebecca works on next: her voice is unique and punchy, and she’s not afraid to toe the line when it comes to writing about the uncomfortable. A rare trait, and one I can’t wait to see put to good use in the future.
Thanks to Bantam Books for providing a proof at Harrogate Crime Festival 2025, and to Netgalley for providing a digital copy.
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