How To Kill Men and Get Away With It

This book caught my attention with its title. How could it not?

Sadly, the story beneath the cover page was disappointing. It started off with a cool writing style that made me think it was a mix of Finley Donovan and Dexter. You know, a lighter (albeit murderous) read that would have me giggling and have menfolk, upon seeing the cover, questioning if they want to get on my bad side.

But it's not that kind of read. 

In the beginning, the book had a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek vibe with a shallow but quirky main character. But the story changes to a darker satirical feel (satire is so not my jam) that was often outrageous and off-putting with a cast that is made up of well-to-do, self-indulgent, obnoxious socialites and at their centre is Kitty Collins. She's a debutante and social media influencer who happens upon the first couple of murders and then decides that she's going to be a vigilante and right the wrongs against women by murdering despicable, abusive men. I didn't mind that Kitty was unlikeable, but she wasn't all that interesting.

I loved the short chapters, but the story felt unbalanced and I'm not sure what this book was trying to be. The main plot - Kitty's murder rampage - is often overshadowed by the overemphasis of influencer and vegan culture. And despite the quirky vibe, the gore factor is very high with graphic torture scenes of people and animals, a few uncomfortable sexual scenes. Sexual assault is discussed several times with child sexual abuse briefly described as well. 

This was a quick read and despite the mounting body count, it was the mystery of Kitty's stalker that had me turning the pages. Dark, over-the-top, uncomfortable and a bit bland, this book wasn't a good fit for me.

My Rating: 2 stars

Author: Katy Brent

Genre: Satire, Suspense

Type and Source: Trade Paperback from public library

Publisher: Harper Collins

First Published: April 11, 2023

Book Description from GoodReads: 

Meet Kitty Collins. FRIEND. LOVER. KILLER.

He was following me. That guy from the nightclub who wouldn’t leave me alone.

I hadn’t intended to kill him of course. But I wasn’t displeased when I did and, despite the mess I made, I appeared to get away with it.

That’s where my addiction started…

I’ve got a taste for revenge and quite frankly, I’m killing it.

A deliciously dark, hilariously twisted story about friendship, love, and murder. Fans of My Sister the Serial Killer, How to Kill Your Family and Killing Eve will love this wickedly clever novel!