I am not the intended audience for this book. I really struggled with the plot. However, if you love serial killers, murder and mayhem, and a heroine that doesn't follow all of the rules, you might really enjoy this story.

Absolutely love this book, the writing was witty, it had a strong female character and the story itself was very interesting! I would recommend to anybody that likes a decent thriller/mystery and or comedy.. considering the subject, serial killers, the book was actually very believable. Thank you to not galley and the publisher for this Arc in exchange for an honest review.
Definitely five stars!

I don't read many murder mystery books because I usually get super anxious with them most of the time in my real day to day life. This one is a game changer, so EPIC. I laughed so many times while reading and it was all so unexpected. I did not have this high of hopes for this because of the genre I don't typically gravitate towards, but it was SO GREAT! I want to be like Amber if I ever get kidnapped by a serial killer!! Actually, at the beginning of the book I was like this is exactly how my brain thinks and probably what I would be thinking if I was in a van getting taken to who knows where to get murdered. That is what stole my attention from the start. I cannot wait to get my hands on the physical copy of this and the sequel (apparently!). Thank you to the author's kid for suggesting the twist closer to the end, just pure epic. If you get the chance to pick this book up once it's published, I HIGHLY highly recommend. Total 5 star read.


Thank you NetGalley and the publishing team for giving me access to this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Killing Me
Michelle Gagnon
This book starts off with a bang, or perhaps that was the sound of the door of the white van slamming shut. Our heroine Amber Jamison is abducted by a serial killer driving a white van then she is rescued by a person wearing a ski mask.
Amber was on her way home when she was abducted. She found herself bound in a basement. She had been abducted by the Pikachu Killer (he dresses like Pikachu and sends the media the coordinates to where they can find his latest victim.) While Amber was of course frightened she handled it well, perhaps it was her psychological training or perhaps it was her personality, or perhaps it was the fact she was gripped at herself, but she actually had an upbeat attitude even though she expected to be dismembered. Grace to the rescue! Grace is a tall blonde woman wearing a ski mask that tracks serial killers. Amber escaped one serial killer to become the focus of another.
This book starts off with a bang, oh, perhaps that was the sound of the door of the white van slamming shut. Our heroine Amber is abducted by a serial killer driving a white van then she is rescued by a person wearing a ski mask. Amber and her rescuer chase the killer across the country.
You have to love Amber! She is sassy, snarky and sarcastic. She makes this thriller FUN. That’s right, this is a book about a serial killer and its fun. I found myself laughing, she has that type of personality. There are several characters in this book, and they all have the greatest personalities; they were all funny and the banter between them was fantastic.
Author Michelle Gagnon brings readers a fast-paced tale that will take the reader from Tennessee to Las Vegas to Los Angeles. The tale is told from Amber’s point of view. I loved the way you could read/hear Amber’s conversations with herself. It looks like this may be a new series. I highly recommend it. This book will be published May 2023.

This was a great book! I got into it super quickly and it was a delightful ride. I do think that unfortunately it kind of tapers off once you get to the interludes - it feels like the second half of the book is about trying to introduce a lot of doubt and plot twists, and I wasn’t fully sold with the ending: not enough to mark it any less than a 4, but still. Ultimately the book was a fun read though and I enjoyed it a lot!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! If fun/murder-mystery was a genre this would definitely fit that category.

The adventure begins from the POV of our victim/heroine ,Amber. She's just an average college student trying her best to keep her head down and nose clean ,at least for two months until she graduates. Oh, and she's also hyper aware that there is a serial killer on the loose. Surely,she's smart enough to avoid him..right??? Of,course not,the Pikachu Killer butt bumps her into his flower van and chaos ensues.

With a cast of mostly likable characters the story line takes the reader on a crazy ride into the zany underbelly of Vegas and into a twisted twin relationship that involves a sick game of "catch me." I probably am not doing justice to the scope of funny..but believe me there is lots of lough out loud moments.
I loved every moments of this comedic slasher novel. If you enjoy a thriller with a ton of sarcasm and a few twists grab this one!

This book is great!
I love a good thriller but not one that is really dark and depressing!
If you like serial killers and murders but also comedy then this is the book for you!
I loved the writing and just devoured this book pretty much in one sitting
SO GOOD

What a story! This was such a different story than I’ve read in a long time. Every time I thought I was ahead of the twists, something else happened and kept me on the edge of my seat. I really liked all of the characters and how they were developed; they all felt very organic.

Where do I begin?! Ok, this is a strange book and I am glad I gave it a shot. This unbelievable story starts with our main character, Amber, being rescued from a serial killer. Yes friends, this is actually the first chapter. Amber is saved by a very intense new main character named, Ski Mask. Trust me, when you read it you will understand. The chase across country, and the elaborate game of cat and mouse between the hunter and the hunted starts off with a bang!
Along the way, you meet more eccentric friends that poor Amber just drags along for the ride. The ode to old school Las Vegas, and how even the seedy underbelly has amazing people that will go to great lengths to help a friend in need. The ending was almost predictable with just enough variation to make the reader go, “That wasn't quite what I was expecting, but cool!” Its definitely an acquired type of writing. The sarcasm that is obviously a defense mechanism and the undertones of, “oh gee what am I actually going to do next” balance each other out.
I laughed a lot and enjoy the banter between the characters. They each had their unique personalities which could be hard to keep track of, but the author does this almost seamlessly. The gallows humor and quick whit are not for everyone, however if you are down with this sort of thing, this is clearly a quick and easy read. I almost want to see how things would go, now that i've closed my book kindle and finished the story.
Take note, if you are not into this type of humor, or storytelling, this will absolutely grate on all your nerves. The events are so far fetched it clearly a fiction book, not that this is a problem for some. Others will find a hard time being submersed in a story that they just do not see happening somewhere at some point. If you fall in this category, again, not for you! But if you decide to give this book a shot, I feel confident enough in saying that, “there really is just a little bit for everyone!”

If you are a fan of genre mashups then this book is for you.
No, seriously, it's amazing but you have to be willing to consider a chick lit cozy thriller with a side of true crime with some Sapphic romance, but I highly recommend that you do so, right away.

Killing Me is one of the most creative books I've read in a while. I loved how real every character was, regardless of their over-the-top nature. There's everything from a queer female con artist, to a hot, blond serial killer to a bi sex worker, with a couple of femme fatale noir types who own hipster running to seedy, off the strip Vegas hotels for good measure.... and a lot in between.

The novel's structure is energetic and fast-paced, dropping you straight into the story when our MC (the queer, female con artist) is kidnapped and being prepped for demise by a serial killer (not the hot blond one, either). From Tennessee to Las Vegas to LA, the plot moves fast and convincingly in first person POV, and contains some of the cleverest internal dialogue I've read in a long time. My only concern at the end was for our intrepid MC to quickly cash in all that crypto for something more stable.

5 enthusiastic, read-it-in-a-day stars.

For mystery readers looking for something fun and different. Fast-paced and funny, it features a very appealing new amateur sleuth who as the child of a couple of grifters, thought she knew every trick in the book. It turns out that she doesn't, which is how she gets herself into trouble in the first place. I truly look forward to recommending this title.

OK.......let me start with WHAT DID I JUST READ?!!!

Killing Me is ABSOLUTELY INSANE. I thought Mona Awad's Bunny was the craziest book I ever read, but Michelle Gagnon has snatched that crown away from Miss Awad. While reading Killing Me I kept thinking: Is this real? Am I going crazy? Did this actually just happen? Where am I?

This story starts off with the main character getting kidnapped, and as disturbing as that is, I was laughing the entire time because of her thought process, it’s EXACTLY what I would be thinking in that same exact scenario. It was surreal.

I honestly don't want to say anything more than this because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone and it's best to go into this one pretty much clueless. I don’t think I have ever laughed so much OUT LOUD while reading a murder-mystery thriller. Please trust me and give this book a chance. I am STILL thinking about it and even want to do a re-read.

Absolutely 5 stars. READ THIS BOOK!!!

The story was about a girl who gets kidnapped, saved at the last minute by another girl and then gets targeted from another serial killer. This all seems farfetched and sometimes, unbelievable but in the end, well I don't want to tell you spoilers. But I did enjoy this book and I wasn't sure "who done it" until the end....maybe. Anyway glad Michelle is writing again, I've enjoyed all her previous books. Look forward to a sequel.

Ooh I absolutely loved this one!! The plot is constantly evolving, making this book such a fun and enjoyable read. I really loved the character development, especially Marcella and a few others that I won't spoil. Michelle Gagnon did such a good job writing these characters, as they were funny, but not to the point where it became cheesey. Perfecting a murder-comedy can be so tough, but Michelle Gagnon is just so good. This novel was very well written and was super funny at times. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

Amber Jamison finds herself kidnapped by a notorious serial killer, yet she is more annoyed at herself rather than scared for her life. That is, until she escapes with the help of an anonymous heroine who keeps her identity locked away. When the FBI is hot on her tail, eager to ask questions about her involvement, Amber takes off for Las Vegas where she meets a motel owner and a hooker. Although the two may seem like unlikely candidates, they befriend Amber as she embarks on a mission to catch yet another serial killer with the heroine that saved her from one.

Too jokey for my taste. Main character a cypher, too many Macguffins, kind of all over the place. Thank you for the ARC.

If you ever think you're having a bad day, it's nothing compared to the day Amber Jamison is having at the start of Killing Me. Just a few months shy of graduating with a degree in psychology, Amber is abducted on her way home from class. When she regains consciousness, she's tied up in an unfamiliar basement. She knows what's happened: she's the latest victim of the serial killer known as the Pikachu Killer, who sends news outlets GPS coordinates to find the bodies. Amber is, of course, terrified, but at the same time has a plucky, almost upbeat attitude when confronted with her upcoming fate of being dismembered by an insane killer. Luckily, before that can happen, a tall blonde woman enters the situation from nowhere. It turns out that her savior, Grace, spends her time tracking down serial killers -- anonymously. This is just fine with Amber, who doesn't want to speak to the police due to some questionable events from her past. When Amber has to quickly leave town, it becomes apparent that her interactions with Grace have caught the eye of the most dangerous serial killer of all.

When the book started out in nearby (for me) Johnson City, TN, I was excited to read a book set in this area. However, soon after escaping the Pikachu Killer, Amber and all the action moves to Las Vegas. Once in Vegas, Amber, Grace, and an assorted group of colorful characters set out to trap a serial killer, without becoming his next victim. I really enjoyed the suspense of the book and the somewhat humorous tone, which lightened up the serious and violent subject matter of the book. There is something of a twist at the end that leaves the reader guessing about all that has happened up to that point. The afterward by the author promises a sequel, so I am looking forward to seeing what Amber gets up to in that one!

This is a story of friendship and “Fatale Femmes.” Okay, and a serial killer 😡

“Killing me” had a killer opening (no pun intended), it immediately sucks you in; I couldn’t put this bad boy down.

A few things I loved:
👉 Amber is a conwoman!!! We love to see it 👏
👉 Lovably flawed characters, you’re really rooting for them all.
👉 Amber made me so mad throughout the entire book, but in the best way. Every bad decision she made, I was STRESSED. And that’s exactly how I want a thriller to make me feel.
👉 Really great pacing, and the fantastic twist in the middle (that I absolutely did not guess) picks it up even more.
👉 There’s a trick of a twist at its climax (and I loved it) with a satisfying ending.

Final score is a 4.5/5. You guys, it’s really *really* good.

This book doesn’t come out until next May and you can bet your last dollar I’m not going to shut up about it from now until then.

This was pure and utter brilliance. Mystery/thriller and comedy is a hard line to walk and Gagnon did it *immaculately*. From the first chapter’s hilarious opening to the concept of a serial killer vigilante, to the seedy Vegas underbelly and it’s beautiful cast of characters - I loved every dang second. Plus don’t get me started on the perfection of the plot climax — I didn’t know who to trust or what to believe, which Gagnon set up perfectly. And then despite all the chaos and brutality amongst these pages, those last couple pages left me with the goofiest grin. No spoilers though because everyone deserves to experience this book in all its glory.

And the acknowledgements saying we’re getting a sequel? Sign me up right this instant. This. Instant.

Recommended if:
- you’re a Murderino, and someone from the publisher better send this book to Karen and Georgia stat
- you like the Finlay Donovan series and the way it genre-bends!
- you loved that Netflix movie “I Care A Lot”, which, by the way, I look forward to Rosamund Pike ultimately playing Grace when “Killing Me” gets picked up for film

I can’t begin to describe how amazing this story was. I was taken on a wild ride, through dark turns, and taken into the killer’s lair, and I loved every minute of it! A must read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Do want an easy read that’s vaguely like gay Dexter or Killing Eve fanfiction? Do you find bad writing funny or entertaining? Do you like a book that should be satire, but is instead fully serious.

Pre-reading:
Still on my murder book binge.

Thick of it:
Can we have one serial killer book that doesn’t mention Ted Bundy? I hate Bundy. He’s such a bad serial killer in that he’s bad at it, not that he’s scary.

Of course, it was a van.

Funny! Book’s a vibe.

You know I’m reading along, I’m like wow, fun satire thinking it’s still gonna be in the realm of creepy…no, there’s Pokémon.

Campy, huh? You don’t say.

Bad donuts are the worst. Anything high calorie with little to no taste payoff-the devil.

This book is bonkers.

If my summary isn’t would you like gay Dexter fanfiction…

Is this enemies to lovers? (It’s not.) Repeat-this book is bonkers.

The chapter titles are fun. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that bothered to do that.

I hate passive-aggressive people.

Shots fired lol.

They’re gonna track your ATM use. They’ve caught serial killers that way. And like they’ll just put a BOLO on your car?

You don’t fill with $20 haha.

See, BOLO. Ha, and the gas price comment. Okay, book.

You could drink whole if you wanted to.

Detritus. Sin.

Lamm like on the lam. C’mon.

Why would you assume that Pokémon murders are related to strangled sex workers? There’s zero link.

That is not my definition of locals only.

Strawberries and linen would make a great candle.

How does Dot not react to THAT? Also, don’t give or take pills from strangers.

Not a labeled interlude lol.

Oh, not a Gemini lol.

How are conspiracy theorists so painfully dumb?

Not bitcoins just lying around. Oh my god, I hate this book sometimes.

I don’t think it counts as her ghosting if you’re the one who left.

SOTTO VOCE. In this book? Bye.

This author either loves or despises Keats.

That’s not jokingly being a bit of a perv. That’s straight-up assault. Let’s not make it a haha funny.

This book is annoyingly woke. Like there's representation, and then there's tokenism.

It’s just fundamentally untrue that serial killers are always organized.

I literally do not know how to schedule a text to send. Am I stupid for this?

I don’t know, I feel like they could just SWAT this place and be done with it.

They’re so clearly just taping his confessional with a fake death.

That is the most inelegant way I’ve ever had a book try and trigger a slow-mo panicked montage scene in my mind.

Do you know how many serial killers confess to more victims than they did though? I don’t think the FBI is getting wet over a sentence like that in a video that they don’t know the authenticity of lol.

But like she literally would be a gen Z.

Oh good, I’m done.

Post-reading:
This book is bad, but somehow I’ve read so much worse that it didn’t really make me bat an eye. It’s bonkers and semi-entertaining. If you like Wattpad or Fanfiction caliber writing, but not the romance stuff, you’d probably like this or at least not hate it. Plenty of millennial/gen Z references to go around. I wish this book was satire of the genre rather than just trying to be quirky and fully serious. It takes no brain power to read. Has some yucky undertones/bias against sex workers though.

Who should read this:
Campy, easy reader mystery fans

Do I want to reread this:
No

Similar books:
* Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson-annoyingly quirky mystery
* You Can Run by Rebecca Zanetti-easy read mystery
* The Sun Down Motel-ghosts and murder in hotels
* Deadly Waters by Dot Hutchison-virtue signaling, annoying protagonist, revenge murders
* How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie-campy murder book
* A Tidy Ending by Joanna Cannon-caricature narrative voice for a protagonist
* Middlegame by Seanan McGuire-sibling vs sibling