You Killed Me First by John Marrs book review: An explosive thriller that keeps you guessing
You’ve never read an introduction as explosive as this.
You Killed Me First by John Marrs: The key details
- Publish date: 4th March 2025
- Genre: Thriller
- Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
- Series/standalone: Standalone
- Length: 399 pages
Blurb: It’s 5 November, and a woman awakens to a nightmare. Bound and gagged, she lies trapped in the heart of a towering bonfire. As the smoke thickens, panic sets in – she’s moments away from being engulfed in flames. How did it come to this?
Rewind eleven months: Margot, a faded TV star, and her long-suffering friend Anna watch as glamorous Liv and her flawless family move into their street. The three women soon fabricate the perfect pretence of friendship, but each harbours her own deadly secret – and newcomer Liv senses something is terribly wrong beneath the polished exteriors.
As cracks widen in the veneer of perfection and lies escalate out of control, tension ignites. Bonfire Night is approaching and someone is set to burn…But who will it be?
You Killed Me First by John Marrs: The review
I’ve heard only good things about You Killed Me First, so of course I had to find out what the fuss was about. Needless to say, it didn’t disappoint: it was the most explosive opening chapter I’ve ever read, and the rest of the book followed suit. It was my first book my John Marrs, and it isn’t going to be the last.
You Killed Me First is told from three main perpsectives: Anna, Margot and Liv. They’re all neighbours, forging a friendship — if you can call it that. It’s clear the women don’t like each other, and they’re all deeply flawed individuals in their own way. You’ll undoubtedly instantly despise Margot, the Stepford Wives-style character who is abhorrent yet hilarious thanks to Marrs’ excellent writing. As for Liv and Anna? They’re slightly more likeable, but they both have their secrets, too. Anna seems troubled, and Liv has a dark past she doesn’t want anyone to know about.
I’ll be honest: for the first half of the book, I had no idea where it was going. But that’s sort of the point. All three characters will allude to things you don’t yet understand, and an occasional mysterious fourth voice will raise even more questions. I found myself flipping back chapters at times, making sure I hadn’t missed anything important. But no: Marrs purposefully wants you hanging on by a thread. Margot, Liv and Anna will all occasionally mentiong something you don’t know about, and it’s done in such a way to keep you hanging on.
I can only imagine the fun John Marrs had writing You Killed Me First; the way he teases his audience and keeps them chasing a dangling carrot. But it’s done so well that it’s impossible to mind; you’ll rabidly turn pages, desperate to know what is happening. Come the second half, finally, many of your questions will be answered — but there’s still plenty to keep you guessing, and plenty more twists and turns to shock you.
Well written, explosive and with never a dull moment, You Killed Me First is an excellent thriller from John Marrs. It’s dark but funny, deep and twisty, and it kept me gripped from start to finish. Now I can’t wait to dive into Marrs’ back catalogue to see what other gems he has for me to find.
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