I absolutely loved this book and now that I know this is a series, will be looking for the other three books.

Two families brutally murdered only months apart back in 1959. Two suspects have been convicted (but DNA testing proves that they were not the suspects). No further evidence has been found to the present day. Or has it.

Retired FBI agent Brigid Quinn is obsessed with not only her husband's deceased first wife, but with a neighbour that unexpectedly arrives and sends off a vibe that only she finds peculiar and decides to do a little digging on. Things start to unravel and get pretty intense, fast.

Better then I expected! These books tend to be better on the screen then in literature form for me; personal opinion. I find them to get a bit wordy and unable to hold my attention for very long because of it. I also feel because its in written word, the suspense and "Ah-Ha!' factor is never there for me as I ted to figure it out before it is explained on the pages. 'We Were Killers Once" managed to not be what I consider "too wordy", therefore it managed to hold my attention. I found it to be fascinatingly gritty, dark, and twisted; my type of thing!
The characters were pretty interesting in their own rights and their motives fit them. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author in the future when I'm craving a good thriller/mystery.

I enjoyed this version of the Clutter murders that happened in Kansas in the late 50's and that Truman Capote wrote about "In Cold Blood". In this version there is a third person involved who also commits a high profile murder in Florida around the time of the Clutter murders. This person becomes obsessed that someone is on his trail and this is where the story begins. I stayed up late to finish so I can highly recommend this version of the events that happened in Kansas and even more added to the story to add interest. I will highly recommend this book to my book club and murder mystery lovers.

I enjoyed the characters in this book. I really didn't understand a few of the details that we're repeated though out the story. Skip if you don't want anything revealed. But what does a short man with a limp and a large butt like a woman. How is a butt like a man or a woman's?? The story moved at a decent pace and kept me interested

I really enjoyed this book! I would stay up late to read, even knowing I had to get up at 3:30 am to get ready for work. I will be looking for more by this author!

PARTS WERE INTENSE! Ex- FBI agent Brigid Quinn and her Ex-Priest husband Carlo find how hard it is to escape your PAST!! Becky Masterman has written an excellent crime drama that can be read as a stand alone even though it is fourth in a series. Combine a Cold Case MURDER of the Walker family from decades ago with a murder publicized by Truman Capote's book IN TRUE BLOOD and find that questions are still unanswered. A copy of this book was provided by Mintour St Martins Press via Netgalley with no requirements for a review. Comments here are my honest opinion." COULD HAVE GIVEN MORE THAN FIVE STARS!!

I read IN COLD BLOOD by Truman Capote many years ago. When I saw this book WE WERE KILLERS ONCE and the description of how this was a spin on the Capote book, I just had to check it out. This is an excellent book. Even if you had not read the Capote book, there is enough explaining to make it readable without knowing all of the details from the first book. The writing is terrific, the narrative is plausible and very enjoyable. I love all of the characters.
Highly recommend this book.

Gritty. Dark. Dangerous. The story is a dark and twisty read. Stayed up late a couple of nights to finish it, some of the aspects of the book were too much at one and I had to take a break. I will be looking for more books by this author .
Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I am a working mother of two and find my sleep very important. So you know it was a good book when I chose the book over sleep.

Masterman’s writing took me a bit to get used to and with the different perspectives per chapter without naming who it was I found it sometimes difficult to follow along as whose perspective it was. But in the end it all made sense.

I was captivated by the mystery of the cold case from decades ago and the way the main character was effected by a crime she only heard about.

This is a perfect mystery, crime drama .

I couldn’t put it down! I read as constantly as I could, and was completely engrossed in the story that was based on the true crime legend, “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote. I loved the characters, and would love to read more from this author! Master level storytelling, highly recommend! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this advanced reader copy for free!

This was the first book of Becky Masterman's I've had the opportunity to read and I will definitely be back for more. We Were Killers Once is the story of a former FBI Agent, Brigid Quinn, who finds herself drawn back into a case from her childhood that happens to be one of the most famous cases of all time thanks to Truman Capote's In Cold Blood.

While it was the connection to In Cold Blood that initially drew me to the book, as I am a huge fan, it was Masterman's depiction of the characters that made me fall in love with the book. Brigid Quinn is a former FBI agent who is retired from the FBI under less than ideal circumstances, but Masterman doesn't let Quinn fall into the tried-and-true FBI stereotypes. Quinn is a living, breathing human being with insecurities and strengths that balance out her weaknesses. Other characters are just as fleshed out, including what are often minor characters, like Quinn's niece Gemma-Kate.

I won’t post this online. I was intrigued by the title, cover and main story line however twenty four pages into it I’m done. Characters seem shallow and the pace of the story is forced.

This is a contemporary setting with young characters? Hell’s Kitchen hasn’t been hell in 40 years so it seems background information is contrived. This reads like a first novel and the editors didn’t do their basic fact checks.

Becky Masterman entices us with We Were Killers Once, by creativity exploring the innermost thoughts of Hickock and Smith and the alluded to third killer based on In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.
It is a fascinating take on the third killer and how he will go to any measure to keep from being discovered.
Unfortunately for him, he’s up against Bridget Quinn and she’s a no holds barred 60 year old badass.

Dark gritty chilling.Characters that come alive a story that kept me turning the pages .I was immediately drawn in .Looking forward to reading more by this author,#netgalley#st.martinsbooks.

This was a good book that was gritty and deep with flawed but believable characters.
It had a good fast paced plot and was just a good read
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

Quickly I realized this book was not for me. I had a really tough time following the story. I did not connect with the characters or the storyline for that matter. Thanks to the NetGalley and the publisher for this book for my honest opinion.

Following the perspectives of retired FBI agent Brigid and ex-con Beaufort, We Were Killers Once is a pacy, gripping crime thriller which immediately draws you in. Gory and creepy, the book doesn't hold back.

The characters are well-drawn - especially criminal Beaufort. We Were Killers Once really highlights what it means to be human: stupidity, insecurity, ruthlessness and all.

I hadn't read the other books in this series before, but that didn't hamper my enjoyment or understanding - Becky Masterman is a genius and I will certainly be reading her other thrillers.

I could not get into this book. Did not like the authors style of writing. Others will probably enjoy it, but not me.


Will also review on Amazon, in June after book is released

The first thing to remember, when reading a fictionalized version of a true crime, is just that. The author has taken dramatic license with the story, in order to supposedly make it more entertaining to readers, rather than just present cold, hard, facts.
If you can go into this novel with that in mind, it's an exceptional read.
However, I had a very hard time connecting with the former FBI agent. It is not quite believable that she would behave the way the author presents her. Just because you're retired, doesn't mean you lose all of your training.
Otherwise, the characters are well-rounded and the story is an interesting twist on how things could have been.

This is a terrific riff on the events surrounding and possibly related to the famous murder of the Clutter family, as described, with a lot of editorial license, by Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. We Were Killers Once speculates about another horrendous family butchering, the still cold case of the Walker family, in Osprey, FL, which, for many years, was suspected to have been perpetrated by the killers of the Clutters, who were, in fact, in the vicinity.

Apparently this book is one of at least two featuring the fictional retired FBI agent and profiler, Brigid Quinn, now married to a former priest, and living in Tucson (where I currently live, making the book even more fun). There’s not much that can be said about the story without getting into spoiler territory. In brief, Brigid’s husband, Carlo, comes to possess an alleged confession about a third party being involved in the Clutter murders.

When Jeremiah Beaufort, a hardened criminal who just might know something about this confession, is released from prison after 30 years, he makes his way to Tucson to find the priest and the confession, so as to “close the book” on crimes he might have been involved in. He casually (that is, calculatedly) acquaints himself with Carlo and Brigid. Jerry Nolan, as he calls himself, thinks he is very smart (something he tells himself frequently), but he’s really not, and he has no idea what he’s facing once Brigid is on the case.

This delightful page turner is full of suspense until the very last word. Becky Masterson does a masterful job of developing characters, from Brigid to Carlo to Jeremiah and Gemma-Kate, Brigid’s “on the psychopath spectrum” niece. Even the bit part characters are well rounded, as are the three dogs in the story. I can’t wait to read more from this author. She made the true story of the Walker murders as compelling as Truman Capote’s story of the Clutter family murders. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.