Thriller writer channels anger into her books

Scarlet Clark, the lead character in Layne Fargo’s newest psychological thriller,
"They Never Learn," is not your typical English professor.

While she takes her studies and students seriously, for 16 years she’s also been on a
mission, to eliminate men at Gorman University she considers to be bad guys. By
planning carefully and keeping the murder rate down to one a year, she’s managed to
avoid discovery.

That is until her last killing — the poisoning of a star football player accused of rape —
doesn’t go so well. She posted a suicide note on the guy’s Instagram account, but it
turns out you can’t kill a star athlete without some ramifications.

Suddenly, the other suicide notes written by Scarlet are under review and her current
project — dispatching a lewd department head who also is her competitor for a
fellowship she desperately wants (not all of Scarlet’s killings are devoid of self-interest).
Trying to forestall discovery, Scarlet insinuates herself into the police investigation
while under pressure to get away with this next kill.

But it’s even more complex than this. After all, it is a Fargo book, and the Chicago
author who wrote the well-received "Temper" likes the complexities and power
struggles inherent in relationships.

In this case, adding to the drama is the transformation of Carly Schiller, a freshman
who has escaped an abusive home life and now immerses herself in studies as a way of
avoiding life. But when Allison, her self-assured roommate, is sexually assaulted at a
party, Carly dreams of revenge.

Fargo, vice president of the Chicagoland chapter of Sisters in Crime and the cocreator
of the podcast Unlikeable Female Characters, has a little bad girl in her too.
“I love the sinister title of 'They Never Learn,'” she said, adding that this, her second
thriller, has everything she loves in a book — sexy women, Shakespeare references and
the stabbing of men who "deserve" it.

Fargo was enraged at what she saw as the injustice of the appointment of a man
accused of rape into a high position.

“I channeled that all-consuming anger into a story where men like that are stripped of
their power, where they get exactly what they deserve,” she said.

Holy hell this book was fun! Set within the old-boys-club world of academia, They Never Learn is unsettling, smart and absolutely riveting.

Scarlett is an English professor who murders men who abuse and/or rape women for sport. But when the college decides to investigate the growing body count and she loses control with her most recent victim, she has to avoid detection and keep her secret life, secret. Meanwhile, Carly, a first-year college student, becomes obsessed with making her best friend’s sexual attacker pay.

As a protagonist, Scarlett definitely toes the line between vigilante and sociopath. I don’t think she’s exactly a vigilante because there’s no question that she doesn’t give a single care at all that she’s murdering people. But equally, I don’t think she’s actually a sociopath. She was capable of love and worrying about people other than herself, and not just in a how-will-it-affect-me sort of way. But that juxtaposition, Scarlett’s flaws and her back story, make her all the more intriguing.

Dark and twisted with a snarky, feminist serial killer protagonist. It’s everything I wanted and didn’t even know I needed. For fans of My Lovely Wife and Killing Eve, They Never Learn is full of feminist rage, hot lesbian sex, and sharp, edgy prose with a breathless ending and characters you’ll feel like you know!

If you like crazy, dark and twisted, then this is the book for you. Usually I am not one of those fans. UNTIL NOW! What a book!

Scarlett is a professor at Gorman College, but also has a unique side job. She is a serial killer with the sole purpose to rid the world of awful men. Let's just say she has definitely honed her craft.

Carly is an incoming freshman, an extremely bright girl who has lived a sheltered life. Until she meets her beautiful confident roommate Allison. With Allison by her side, her world expands more than she could have ever imagined.

This book flies, with short chapters alternating between Scarlett and Carly
The two separate storylines leaves the reader wondering how they will interact.

There are moments in this book that left we dumbstruck, mouth agape and in awe of the expert execution.

This is one wild ride. The writing is excellent. The author weaves a fantastic tale that draws you into the dark mind of Scarlett. You actually cheer for her as she rids the world of vile men. You ache for Carly, her awkwardness, her quest to fit in. This is a book consumes you.

Thank you Gallery Books and NetGalley for
this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the whole deliciously wicked, twisted premise of this and how rapists and evil men got what they deserved. The writing was fast-paced and held my attention throughout. There were a few twists and turns and I liked the ending a lot but I wish that there had been one final punch to earn it 5 stars.

An incredibly compelling thriller. I’m sure this will garner some great comparisons. It is a little Dexter and a little You, but They Never Learn has an even more fascinating protagonist in Scarlett: a lucid, challenging female serial killer who owns her need to kill and channels it into a righteous quest for justice.

The book alternates between the perspectives of Scarlett, a tenure-track English professor who stalks and kills the most dangerous men on campus, and Carly, a shy, serious, freshman at the college who finds herself falling for her beautiful, popular roommate, Allison as she begins to come to terms with her bisexuality. Scarlett runs into trouble when a brilliant psychology professor begins investigating the spate of “suicides” of men on campus. Meanwhile, Carly is drawn more closely into her Allison’s life. This feels like a spoiler to me since it doesn’t happen until nearly the halfway mark, but since it’s mentioned in the book’s official description I suppose it must be fair game: after Allison is drugged and sexually assaulted at a party, Carly develops a deep, frightening desire to seek revenge. Both perspectives are well-drawn and cleverly paced, and the switches from chapter to chapter provided plentiful cliffhangers, which kept me glued to the book into the wee hours.

I did anticipate the first major twist (one I’ve only seen pulled off successfully once before—I won't mention the other book by name, as it was popular and would spoil They Never Learn, which honestly uses this particular twist to even better effect), but it was brilliantly conceived and executed. Figuring out a twist prior to the reveal isn’t something that bothers me—in fact, I enjoy seeing the clever architecture of a twist as I wait for it to come together. Subsequent twists were a bit more surprising and just as satisfying and well-executed. This is a stellar thriller, and I can't wait to read more of Fargo's work.

A tale of revenge among academia. Scarlett a professor in good standing a used to campus politics has a side job. She is a vigilante,she is quick and deadly . Among her students and are a group of young women who are facing the hard realities college students face as they look at their first love interests and its pitfalls. Only these ladies take no prisoners. They feel justified in their vengeance.

OH this book! What snarky twisted fun! I wish I could say more but I can't without ruining things! Seriously the less(in general) you know the better. Just pick it up and read. Especially if you love strong wicked female protagonists (Scarlett is that and so much more!) Carly is also well written and I really enjoyed both of them. They Never Learn has more than one brilliant (and I mean freaking ) twist- one I saw, and another not so much!

This book has two POV characters who are connected by the same university. The fictional Gorman University is located somewhere in Western Pennsylvania (there were some Pittsburgh references, which was pretty much the only thing I liked about this book). Carly is a freshman at Gorman and begins getting incredibly close to her roommate. The other character, Scarlett Clark is a professor at this college and in the opening scene, we see her do what she’s been apparently doing for a long time: killing a man and taking joy in watching him die.

Scarlett is a predator who kills other predators. When she hears about a man (and it’s always exclusively men that she targets) doing something truly awful and getting away with it, she takes matters into her own hands. She’s done this with a number of men in the past; to avoid being caught, she never duplicates her method, using something fresh each time, and always attempts to disguise the killings as suicides.

When she kills her latest victim - the man who dies in the first scene of the book - however, it draws unwanted attention. People start to catch on that there have been a LOT of suicides in recent years and maybe the administration should start to look into it. This is not great news for Scarlett, especially because she already has her eyes on her next victim - the big kahuna of the English department who treats her like complete crap. The investigation into the suicides is going to be a uh...factor in her planning.

So that’s the lay of the land. Let’s talk about my issues. First things first, there is no meaningful tension in the way the book is written. The opening scene (where the main character commits her latest murder) should be filled with tension and language suggesting the slow, creeping, predatory nature of the main character. But it reads in such a mundane way that Scarlett may as well have been doing her laundry.

Now onto my biggest issue (spoilers ahead): By the end of the book, Scarlett is applauded for her actions instead of condemned.

Let me say this, I hated the way Breaking Bad ended. Walt gets to go out on HIS terms when, by the end of the show, he’s gone far beyond trying to provide for his family and has actually become the villain? It was fan service at best, monster worship at worst.

And that’s what’s going on in this book. I do. not. care. whether these men are the worst men on the planet Earth. Committing murder is wrong. Serial killers are evil, regardless of their motives. Giving a serial killing a happy ending - and one in which they keep on killing and get the approval of the person they love? Despicable.

If I got even a WHIFF of satire in the whole thing, I’d be on board with this book. If I thought it was a criticism of the idea that two wrongs make a right, I’d be giving this book a standing ovation. But it’s so, so clearly not that. You shouldn’t murder people. Nor should you be made to feel- by fourth rate fiction- that you should admire a murder. Didn’t think I’d need to type that - ever - but, here we are.

A gripping, vengeful, absorbing thriller with a delightful amount of queerness to boot. I’ve been making it a habit to read thrillers by female authors lately; it feels like they can capture a certain need for reader catharsis in a way wholly unique to the issues that women face. I definitely wasn’t anticipating the twist where the two narratives converged, and it was absolutely fabulous. One of those books you don’t want to put down until it’s finished, with a very satisfying ending on top of it all. This was my first read from Fargo and it won’t be my last.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As a freshman wanting to major in English, Carly Schiller is struggling. It’s her first time away from her emotionally abusive father and codependent mother. While her sophomore roommate and theater major Allison is confident and carefree, Carly feels oppressive anxiety. She spends her time in the room reading or studying in the library. Until Allison pulls her to the campus party that changes everything.

As an English professor at Gorman , Scarlett Clark is a strong, smart, and caring teacher. She wants to see her students succeed, particularly her female students, because she understands how dangerous a college campus can be for them. She sees the male professors leaning in a little to far to their young students, offering extra office hours, encouraging their work. She hears the stories of the parties that got out of control. She herself knows what it’s like to have a man cross the line with her.

And that’s why she kills them.

One per year, not more, in case the local police get suspicious. She tries to make it look like an accident or like suicide. So far, she hasn’t been caught. The police haven’t even been close. Scarlett is careful never to leave DNA behind, but she understands that there is luck involved also. She does her research. She doesn’t let the killing get personal. Until their temporary department head becomes a threat to her professional success. Then she considers bending some of her rules. Because this one is personal.

They Never Learn is a complicated dark thriller with warmth and feminine strength. Told through the alternating lens of professor and student, this story of innocence and vengeance, of women seeing the men who think they deserve something and are not above taking it any way they can, is an eye-opening exploration of female rage. Author Layne Fargo, whose previous novel Temper took us to the extreme of psychological abuse in the theater, now takes us to the extreme of sexual assault on a college campus. And it’s just as forbidden and fascinating.

I was hooked in to this one from the start and raced through it only a couple of days. I thought I knew the book I was reading, thought I had the story figured out early, but then about halfway through there is a huge twist, and everything I thought I knew fell away. From there the story went places I couldn’t have imagined, and I hung on through every spiral, curve, and turn the story took. If you’re a fan of Killing Eve, you will devour this as well. Layne Fargo is definitely a writer to watch!

Egalleys for They Never Learn were provided by Gallery Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

This is my first Layne Fargo book and will definitely not be my last. It was so good. A page turner that will keep you wondering why. What drove this woman to become a serial killer.

Dr Scarlett is one tough woman. A very likable woman who has worked very hard to get where she is. She's also gone through a few things that will make you love her dearly. At least I did. I think she may possibly be my favorite female character ever.

Carly is a freshman just starting out with her life. She has a horrible father who it seems loves to treat her and her mother like they are less than human. He's the kind of man that we love to hate. He's also a cheat. But mostly he treats his daughter with so much disdain and coolness it's sickening. And you barely meet the man. Carly is very smart. She's also very shy and when she meets her roommate, Allison, she feels intimidated. Allison is very outgoing and the complete opposite of Carly. Carly and Allison become pretty good friends for a while. Carly is there for Allison when the unspeakable happens to her. She's there for her in many ways.

Scarlett is a professor at Gorman University. She is a hard working woman, never married and no children. She's very dedicated to what she does. She's a strong female who a lot of males feel threatened by. They are somewhat intimidated by her in many ways. She's trying for position at the Women's Academy for a fellowship program. She's worked very hard for it. For some man to step in and try to take this away is unthinkable. To try and steal what she has worked so hard for, impossible.

The bodies are stacking up. But no one knows until one goes off the rails. Not a clean kill at all. But hopefully it will be hidden in the aftermath. I promise you will root for the killer in this book. I sure did. I never wanted her to be caught ever. I love how the author weaved Dr Scarlett and Carly into this story. Each chapter is told from one or the other of their POVs. They are woven together is a great way and you will love it. This book held a few surprises for me but overall it's not really a who did it. It's one where you know right up front who did what. There are a couple of twists along the way though.

This was a very good book. I honestly enjoyed it from start to finish. One you won't want to put down.

Thank you #NetGalley, #LayneFargo, #GalleryBooks for this ARC. This is my own review. My honest feelings.

5/5 stars and a job well done. I recommend this one to all thriller loving readers.

Layne Fargo has become an absolute must read author for me - I loved Temper last year and just flew through They Never Learn. Scarlett is a college professor...who is also a serial killer of horrible men.

If you loved Dexter or Jane Doe - you absolutely MUST meet Scarlett Clark. This was exactly the story I was looking for. The one negative is that I felt the “twist” was pretty obvious - but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story. Highly recommend!!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook, I also purchased the audiobook.

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo is about Scarlet Clark, who is an exceptional English professor, but even better at getting away with murder. Thanks to her meticulous planning, she has avoided attention, until she loses control and puts her secret life at risk of exposure.

This was a very different & twisted mystery thriller. It portrayed clever characters. Will Scarlet finally be discovered? I recommend this book.

Thanks to Net Galley for providing me an advanced reader’s copy to review..

Did you love the Showtime show Dexter? If the answer is yes than you’ll love Layne Fargo’s newest release, They Never Learn.

Told through a dual POV, this is the story of one literature professor who get’s justice against the men on the Gorman University campus. These men aren’t saints though, they deserve it, at least in the mind of Scarlett they do. Scarlett is a killer. While she teachers English during the day, she stalks and hunts her prey at night. Some might consider her a sociopath, but is she really a vigilante since all her targets are men sexual assault, rape, and even beating their significant others. Honestly, while she scares me, I’m leaning more towards vigilante in this case. Scarlett’s rage can be felt through the pages, and well I don’t disagree. I mean I’m not about to murder anyone, but the depictions of college boys getting away with sexual assault because Universities care more for their reputation than a college girl’s mental and physical well-being isn’t exactly a stretch.

On the other hand we have Carly Schiller, who is a student at Gorman. When her roommate Allie is assaulted, Carly’s rage starts to turn her from a meek introvert into someone out who will fight for justice. Raised with a manipulative father, Carly already has a bone to pick with men, and Allie’s incident might just put her over the edge.

This book is a page turner and I read it in a night since I could not put it down. It’s dark, it’s twisted, and the characters are so vivid, I felt that I was actually in the story. While this book may be a bit dark, there is definitely some good humor within the pages. Fargo has really mastered the art of snarky humor and I am here for it! I also loved that while the killings were the big plot of the story, we meet some really exceptional women throughout the story. I’m just excited to read a story about women promoting women. All the women in this story are pretty badass and have no problem not letting anyone get in their way.

If this thriller isn’t on your radar, well it should be. This was a ★★★★★ read for me.

I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on They Never Learn. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books. Huge Thank you to Gallery/Scout Press for my copy.

I loved this book so much!! The ending literally gave me goosebumps! I rated this book 5 stars, and honestly, every star was well deserved!! This book was so satisfying to read beyond the ' just finished reading it' satisfaction, or the 'I guessed many mysteries correctly' satisfaction. This story is so stunning in its honesty and boldness in the harsh reality of the setting, the morality of the characters, and the shared experience which is talked about that almost every woman in the world has faced. The setting, while fictional, is reflective of our society as a whole, and the story unfolds in such a way, that by the end, even though you know it to be fiction, you get a deep feeling of satisfaction of having been on such an exhilarating journey with the main character(s) and having been a witness to the kind of order that is so very lacking in our real world. Regardless of whether it's morally correct or not, I was definitely rooting for the main character(s) and even though it would highly looked down upon in real life, I wish our reality could have even a fraction of the justice payed to women that the book showcases.

Although I gave the book 5 stars, one thing I would warn potential readers on is the anxiety of reading about and through the eyes of victims of:
<b>*CW</b>: sexual assault, molestation, groping, non-consensual touching, domestic abuse, psychological abuse, emotional abuse, gaslighting, murder, incels, and rape. *There are no explicit scenes of rape, only mentions of such incidents. However, please pay heed to your own capability to read a book about such matters.
I was aware of these situations in the story, but at times, knowing what's coming because it has been alluded to; raised my anxiety as I was reading the book. THAT SAID, I loved reading this book so so much!! It was so good; the writing, the pace, the characterization, the storytelling, the style of writing, the settings, the details, and of course, the main characters; were all so amazing and well-thought out. I loved everything about this story, especially the amount of things I correctly guessed/hoped would happen; which just increased my respect for such a novel and the author!

I also absolutely ADORED the relationships between the women in this book. They were so well fleshed out, so well-written, and so well imagined, that it held the story together so well; otherwise the whole context could have been lost without that subtle nudge into the affirming love that the characters have. I also want to mention there are several bisexual women in this book which was AMAZING and so beautiful!! This is a queer-woman led story, with several other characters also queer, and I don't mean this to spoil the book for anyone, but rather to entice people to give this amazing book a shot! While the LGBTQIA+ community is not a focus or even a plot-point in this novel, the subtle way it is intertwined with the story makes it that much more special. Not because there shouldn't be a focus, but because the easy acceptance that underlies those scenes where it plays out makes it more nuanced in its inclusion rather than just a selling point for the book.

I enjoyed reading this book so so much, and I highly recommend it to everyone that enjoys genres such as psychological thrillers, serial killers, murder mysteries, women-led books, queer character-led books, bisexual women, and/or books with justice in sexual assault cases, etc.

<i>*Thank you so much to the publishers; Gallery/Scout Press, the author; Layne Fargo, and to Netgalley for my free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!</i>

Synopsis: Scarlett Clark is an exceptional English professor. But she’s even better at getting away with murder.

Meanwhile, Gorman student Carly Schiller is just trying to survive her freshman year. Finally free of her emotionally abusive father, all Carly wants is to focus on her studies and fade into the background.

Review: I read this one after receiving terrible news. I didn't think I could read or concentrate on anything, but miraculously I was able to read this in 2 sittings. If this can distract me on one of the worst days of my life, then this is one amazing book. I highly recommend this one to my fellow thriller lovers and those looking for an escape. Original, entertaining, and props for the mentions of my all time fave movie Eternal Sunshine. I am a Layne Fargo fan for life and I can not wait to read what she comes out with next.

Thank you @laynefargo for the welcome distraction and proving me with this ARC. Please check this one it is available every where today!

Layne Fargo's They Never Learn is the best thriller of 2020. It's the dark build-up of emotions and revenge, making a compulsive read I could not put down.

This was the perfect book to come out on the heels of The Night Swim by Meg Goldin. Scarlett Clark is a stellar English Professor by day and serial murderer by night. Once a year, she murders a man who got away with rape, physical abuse, or other abusive acts committed against women. Scarlett was a complicated character. On one hand she moves through the world with ease as she secretly finds her next victim. But not he other hand, she's never allowed herself to get close with anyone emotionally since this anger and drive to kill surfaced. She struggles balancing the two and is worried, rightly so, that this could be her undoing.

The setting of a college town took this book to the next level. I'm not sure what it is about scandals in a college/university setting, but I love them. Considering the subject matter, it's also the perfect place for this to take place. When you're worried about money, the status of the star athlete, and reputation of your university and let those outweigh the well-being of survivors, it makes an abundant hunting ground for someone like Scarlett.

If it says anything, I finished this book in 24 hours. The structure and plot of this novel was so seamless - the alternating chapters mirrored each other frequently, making it seem as if history was repeating itself. I can't sing the praises of this book enough. Today is a pub day filled with amazing books and if you only buy one, make sure it's They Never Learn.

They Never Learn
By: Layne Fargo
Available Today

I’ve been crushing on @laynefargo since I discovered her debut novel Temper last year. Then I found her Instagram page @readyourlipstick and my love for this badass woman grew! When I got my hands on the digital arc of They Never Learn I was thrilled!! (See what I did there...thriller...thrilled...I’m so punny)

Scarlet the protagonist in They Never Learn is the embodiment of a badass woman! She’s fierce, intelligent, sexy, and hell bent on vengeance. Every year Scarlet, a professor at Gorman University kills one man who had it coming. He might have abused his wife or significant other, committed sexual assault, or preyed on his student or subordinate, whatever his transgression, Scarlet will make him pay. She’s surprisingly efficient, has flown under the radar for years exacting perfect revenge on the men around her.

They Never Learn is a completely different type of thriller. We know who the killer is from the beginning. What we don’t know is how and why. The story is told from 2 perspectives, English professor Scarlet and student Carly Schiller. Carly is a freshman at Gorman, she witnessed her room mate being sexually assaulted at a party. Carly is angry and does everything she can to protect her room mate. Ultimately Carly ends up struggling with some very dark and violent thoughts. She doesn’t want to see this frat boy get away with sexual assault and continue preying on the girls on campus.

I love the dual POVs, especially when the move they plot forward and provide back story at the same time. The setting was perfectly atmospheric. This novel was a binge read for me, filled with tension and rage. The beauty of this story is that I left the novel feeling EMPOWERED and not defeated. Scarlet epitomizes the strong female character! She is iconic, and I hope we will see her again.
My rating for this one is ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, don’t miss this book everyone, it’s difficult subject matter but reading it feels like taking your power back!

Thank you @netgalley @laynefargo @scoutpress and @gallerybooks @scoutpress for my advanced digital copy of the book to review.

#theyneverlearn #laynefargo #femaleserialkiller

They Never Learn, by Layne Fargo

Short Take: Murderous blows and fabulous clothes, that’s what this girl is made of.

(*Note: I received an advance copy of this book for review.*)

Y’all, it’s been a while, and I don’t have any good reasons or witty (if lame) excuses for being away for so long. But the air outside has a crisp fall bite, and alllllll the channels are showing scary movies, and we’re coming up on my favorite holiday: Unlimited Reese’s Cups Night (aka, Halloween), so let’s shake off the funk, consume copious amounts of sugar, and talk about a new book from a deliciously wicked author, shall we?

I previously reviewed Layne Fargo’s Temper, and duckies, do I need to tell you that I was positively purple with excitement to read her new one? Does the pope poo in the woods?? So I cleared up all my other commitments, put on extra socks for the inevitable blowing-off that was about to happen, and curled up with They Never Learn.

And…. meh. Yeah, I wasn’t feeling it. I mean, we meet Scarlett, the glamorous if slightly sociopathic professor of literature at small-town Gorman College as she’s mid-murder of a football star/occasional rapist. And YES, it’s fun and YES, someone needs to start taking these guys out more often, because the conversation needs to change drastically. Who else is sick of hearing that sexual assault something victims should have avoided, not that perpetrators shouldn’t do? We have got to do better as a society.

Ahem. Sorry, a soapbox snuck under me for a second there. But my point stands.

Anyway, Scarlett is an avenging angel of sorts, taking out the scummy predators and making it look like a suicide or accident every time. But her latest victim’s “suicide” is drawing more attention than she’d like, and even though she’s not about to stop until the rapists do, she can’t resist flirting with another brilliant professor who’s starting to put the pieces together. Or maybe she just likes the thrill of being almost-caught?

And that’s all well and good, but we also meet Carly, a stereotypical introvert, socially awkward and friendless, who’s paired with the stereotypically popular and gorgeous roommate with a stereotypical party-girl lifestyle, Allison. We see Carly getting pulled into uncomfortable situations by Allison, and it’s beyond predictable that something will Go Terribly Wrong, and that Carly & Scarlett’s paths will cross in some way, and the expected will happen from there.

So there I am, mentally forcing myself to slog through and wondering how the author who wrote the unexpected gem that was Temper would do something so trite, and this review is going to be painful to write and then

OH MY STARS AND GARTERS. When our two main characters collide it’s one of those things that I want to say a whole freakin lot about but I don’t want even a sniff of a spoiler because it’s that good.

From there, the tension builds, as Scarlett has one last name on her list to finish off before the authorities catch on and Carly gets pulled into ever more dark and dangerous places with Allison. It’s a fun bit of cat and mouse, but the rest of the book felt a little flat after the aforementioned [spoiler]. I honestly don’t know how it could have been any better though, the [spoiler] is one of those things that would be a high point in any book of any genre, and anything that follows it would of course suffer by comparison.

So what it comes down to is that They Never Learn is a great book, but one part of it is just TOO good, and that’s a really strange complaint, isn’t it? Oh well, just read it, you’ll be glad you did.

The Nerd’s Rating: FIVE HAPPY NEURONS (and a big ol mug of hard cider. Happy Fall, Y’all!)

I recently heard an interview with a couple of authors discussing how books like "Gone Girl" and many of the current thrillers on the market have set the bar high for readers' expectations of suspense. Well, you can add They Never Learn to the list! I thought Layne went to some really dark places with her sadist/sociopath Malcolm in her first book Temper. But Scarlett, the psychopathic professor in They Never Learn has Malcolm beat by a long shot!

In this book that explores the boundaries between men and women, women and women, Layne tells the story of two women leading parallel lives. Scarlett is a university professor whose rage against the injustice of men getting away with rape leads her to kill, without questioning her own morality. Carly is a university student whose emotional growth has been stunted by a psychologically abusive dad, who becomes protective and obsessed with her new roommate.

In alternating chapters, we see similarities in the lives of these two women, as the character development increases along with their outrage. As one develops an attachment, so does the other. As one is wronged by a man, so is the other. As one rejects a lover, so does the other.

The book reaches a crescendo almost half way through that literally made me gasp out loud!

Even though the pacing slows down a bit after the mid-point, you will still be invested in finding out if Carly makes a connection with anyone, or if she finds the strength to assert herself. You'll want to find out who Scarlett's next victim is, and why, and see if she makes a mistake that will be the end of her killing spree. And you'll want to root for her no matter how evil and twisted she is, because in the end, she's a victim as well.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for an advanced reader's copy of this thrilling read!