First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, David Bell, and Berkley for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

David Bell does a masterful job in this novel, combining a well-paced thriller with hints of the writing process and the seedy underbelly of sexual harassment on college campuses. He is able to keep the reader committed throughout and reveals all in the closing pages when all the pieces come together. After an English professor publishes his first novel, he’s hoping for a great deal of praise. However, a former student—missing for the past two years—returns and presses him to admit that he’s used her thesis. This is the least of his worries, as the plagiarized piece includes details about a murder, as yet unsolved, that were never released to the public. Things spiral out of control as the police and college hierarchy begin to ask questions that cannot be dodged. Bell is utterly entertaining and captivating in equal measure.

Connor Nye enjoys his work as an English professor at a small Kentucky college. Having lost his wife and teenage son a number of years before, his work is everything. When Nye publishes his first novel, he is hoping for a great deal of praise and can all but guarantee tenure. Things could not be going any better for him, which fuels his emotions as he arrives home that night.

When he enters his home, Nye is greeted by one of his former students, Madeline O’Brien. This undergrad has been missing for the past two years and her surprise arrival here has Nye in a tizzy. However, things go from bad to worse when Madeline confronts him for using her honours thesis as his own novel. Madeline is keen to recoup her dignity and threatens Nye about coming clean, something that the previously faultless professor must consider.

If plagiarizing were not enough, the police are soon knocking on his door, citing that the premise of the novel resembles an unsolved crime in town from a few years before, including a number of details never released to the public. Now, Nye is faced with being changed as a suspect in the young woman’s murder. What’s worse, while Nye says that he does not know the victim, he can be played along her street many times, having used the area to walk his dog.

While the evidence begins to pile up, Nye is debating about telling the truth about his book, hoping that it will release much of the tension. However, there are more twists to come, some of which only make him look guiltier. With perspectives from Madeline in flashback chapters and a new student of Nye’s telling things in the present, the story takes on many topics as the truth is peeled back and the murder is better explored. Can Connor Nye escape the nightmare that was his attempt to get the academic pressure off his back? David Bell spins quite the tale and I could not get enough.

While I have read many books in the genre over the past while, David Bell has something that I am sure will stick with me for a lot longer than many. He has both a strong writing style as well as some unique approaches that envelop the story in both an entertaining read and educational tome on a few key subjects. The piece moves along well and keeps the reader guessing as the layers are revealed pushing the protagonist to flail between honour and truth. It’s a whodunit as well as a motive-seeking piece, which speeds along until the final few pages.

Connor Nye comes across as somewhat endearing, though his cheating a student out of her glory taints him early on. Suffering the loss of his family, Nye must keep it together as best he can, while also juggling the pressures of academia. When his lie snowballs out of control, Nye is not able to simply pull the plug on it, choosing instead to try explaining his way out of predicament. He’s determined to help his cause, while only making matters worse in short order.

Bell uses some wonderful supporting characters in this piece, as well as juicing it up with three narrative perspectives. As the story is closely tied to the murder, everyone plays their part and keeps the machine well-oiled and running in a single direction. Some characters complement one another, while others clash in needed ways to push the story’s plot along. It’s Bell’s mastering of development that proves to be the greatest accolade in this piece, fixing everyone together as needed to tell a captivating tale.

This was one of those books that took a bit for me to connect with, though when I did, it was pure magic. The plot gained momentum and I could not say enough about how the story flowed. With a mix of chapter lengths and perspectives, Bell gives the reader something they can thoroughly enjoy throughout and keeps them guessing. Plots are interwoven and twists occur repeatedly, offering the reader the chance to second guess themselves repeatedly. I have read some of Bell’s work before, but this was surely something even better than past novels, dealing with some real-life issues in academia, student rights, and the pressures of college campuses.

Kudos, Mr. Bell, for a great piece of work. I hope many find and read this in short order, as the messaging is on point and the writing easy to digest.

Wow!! David Bell the author of “Kill All Your Darlings” has written an intense, intriguing, captivating, and suspenseful novel. The genres for this novel are thriller, suspense, mystery, and fiction. The story takes place in an academia setting. The administration has high expectations for their professors, and the English Professors are basically required to be authors of a published book. There is competition amongst the teachers and a high amount of stress. The students also are expected to write their thesis’s to graduate. The author describes his dark, dramatic characters as complex, complicated, and flawed. I love how David Bell vividly describes his characters and events in detail. I also enjoy the “What If” that I somehow associate with David Bell’s novels. One of the professor’s Connor Nye is celebrating the success of his published novel, which is a thriller about a woman and a murder. Unfortunately, Connor didn’t write this novel. A student had written it as part of a thesis, and then disappeared. After the two-year disappearance, Connor comes home to find the student petting his dog, and threatening to expose him, if he doesn’t fix the situation. If Connor does correct the situation, he will lose his job and his credibility as a professor.

In this particular college, there are a lot of inappropriate things that are going on. In some ways, it seems to be more than a “party school”. There are twists and turns, many suspects, secrets, danger, and murder. I highly recommend this thought-provoking story to others.
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This one just didn't pull me in. I'm sure that we were supposed to feel sorry for Connor. He lost his family and his life fell apart. I didn't think it justified anything that he did.

The plot just seemed to drag on as Connor continued to wallow in self pity.
What was this student doing who returned to get where she was owed?


I did like that the author brought up important messages regarding sexual harassment. He also included that women are afraid to come forward for fear of the repercussions it would have on them. All VERY real.

This one just wasn't for me.

Admit you plagiarized your hot new novel or go to jail for murder? It seems like a no-brainer but, of course there is so much more involved in Kill All Your Darlings, this summer’s latest book by David Bell.
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Some of the best thrillers are great because they seem like they could be real. In the case of professor Connor Nye’s book, things are real enough that they could get him convicted of an unsolved murder. The police want to know exactly how he came up with his murder. All he has to do is admit he didn’t write the book, he stole the manuscript from a missing student’s thesis.
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Connor seems to make one bad decision after another and my heart went out to him, he had already tragically lost his wife and son and now he faces either the loss of his job, reputation, royalties and future or prison. It is a good thing he had his faithful dog, Grendel (isn’t that a great name!) by his side through it all.
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I suspected everyone at some point in this book so the ending didn’t come as too big of a surprise. A few twists along the way got me, though!
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This was a good thriller, told in multiple points of view over a couple of timelines that were easily defined. Short chapters always make for fast reading for me and I was always anxious to see what happened next.
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This one comes out July 6 so add it to your TBR if you are looking for a little thrill(er) this summer!
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An unsolved murder, a missing girl, and a plagiarized novel that just might be the key to solving both of these mysteries. But unfortunately this novel is also the key to our main character’s, Connor, tenure and financial stability.

Kill All Your Darlings is a fast paced thriller that pulls readers in from the very beginning. It was incredibly well written, i genuinely felt like I could not read this one fast enough! Without giving too much away, for me the stories strongest aspects were the short chapters, intriguing characters, and the overall themes woven into the plot.

This book is fun, it’s important and it is absolutely worth the read.

An English professor, Connor Nye, has been struggling for the past few years since his wife and son have died. So, when he needs to obtain tenure by being a published author, he uses the thesis of his college student, Madeline O'Brien. It's a great fictional piece about a murder of a young woman in a small college town. And, Madeline has disappeared, so no one will ever know, right? That is until Madeline shows up at the local library for one of Connor's book signings. She wants the money that is rightfully hers. And, the cops have started asking Connor a lot of questions because his book closely parallels the murder of a woman named Sophia Greenfield that died in the same local town right before Madeline disappeared. Connor faces a difficult choice: tell the truth about the book and lose his job and the money from the book, or keep quiet about the book but experience the possible fate of murder charges. This book is suspenseful and keeps you guessing as to who the murderer could be. Not sure if it's just me, but I think the title could have been a better fit for the book.

This is the kind of book that pulls you in from its first pages. It is a fast-paced read and full of surprises. Although you know that what Connor has done is wrong, very wrong, you can’t help rooting for him as he tries to prove he is innocent of murder. Connor and Madeline are both well developed yet somewhat tragic characters. They are complemented by a cast of diverse characters, with the true nature of several of them revealed only over time.

As the mystery unravels, you are exposed to real issues in the academic world – the pressure to publish or perish, the temptations of plagiarism, and most important – sexual harassment and the “old boys” network. Shining light on these issues gives this book added relevance on top of its page-turning quality.

If you enjoy mystery and suspense, you’ll want to add this well-written book to your TBR list.

I really, really enjoyed this book and I am not surprised. I wrote a review for The Request and I said "I really liked this author's writing and can't wait to read another". The writing and development are the stars here. I loved the premise and story within a story which gave it an extra layer of intrigue. David Bell did a marvelous job developing the characters and weaving a thoroughly engaging story...Few authors can tell a story this well. I think the mystery/thriller genre has to be one of the most difficult forms of writing, Mr. Bell makes it appear so easy.

I did guess where it was going just before it got there - but that didn't matter in the least, if anything it made me more anxious to see how the author would bring it all together...It was done beautifully. Incredible storytelling, I'll definitely be recommending this one.

Kill All Your Darlings was my first NetGalley ARC and ebook read on my new Kindle. I can officially say I’m obsessed with my Kindle and have purchased SO many new ebooks.

This book was a quick, easy read—I flew through it and finished it in one day. I thought the premise behind the book was unique and intriguing. I’m always excited to read books centered around academia.

At times, I felt like the characters were fairly simple and one-dimensional. The ending was also not a huge surprise (to me, anyway).

Overall, if you enjoy quick reads with an academia-focus, then you should give this one a try!

Thank you @netgalley, @berkleypub, and @getredprbooks for the #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

Imaging mourning the loss of your wife and child and having the added pressure of having to publish in order to reach tenure at your Uni. Imagine a star pupil of yours drops a hand written novel in your lap as her thesis but then happens to go missing and is presumed dead. Um, problem... meet solution. But solution becomes problem again when missing/presumed dead girl shows up at his house. INSTANT HOOK!

Y’all - the synopsis of this books tells a lot about the story, but not *quite* everything and the trio we as readers take us fun, fun, fun! Oh, did I mention that the book also describes a murder that happened IRL in detail and now he’s a suspect? EEP! We get Madeleine’s (not so missing girl) past & present POVs and Connor (widower and plagiarizer) & Rebecca’s (writing student) present POV. But can we talk about the true star, Grendel? I mean, pets are always the star, am I right? 😏. Whatever, he’s adorable and I love his name!

Look, Bell brings us yet another binge worthy thriller that touches on grief, writer’s block, plagiarism and the all too real issue of harassment of all kinds inside the academic world. With the different POVs, there’s overlapping stories which can feel repetitive but lends to the story itself. I do think it could’ve been trimmed down a bit but reads so fast that this is just being nit picky. I wasn’t expecting that final twist and I wish we got a *bit* more to make it more plausible but honestly, in thrillers, if the characters didn’t surprise us... well, what fun is that? 😏

The beginning of this book completely sucked me in! It was atmospheric and tension was running high! Unfortunately, around the halfway mark most of that was gone and I had it pretty much figured out. The characters were kind of plain which made me sad because they had a lot of potential. I really liked that it was fast paced, short chapters, and multiple POV’s. I still recommend thriller readers pick this up and give it a chance! 3.5 stars rounded up!

4.5 stars for Kill All Your Darlings but I will gladly round up to 5 stars for the ending I did not see coming.

David Bell never disappoints and Kill All Your Darlings is no exception.

Conner Nye still reeling from the death of his wife and son has a book published that is very well received but the problem is his missing student wrote it .

That missing student is Madeline and she is about to turn Connor's world upside down.

The pages turned themselves as I raced to see what the ending would be.

Thought I knew but David Bell surprised me once again.

Don't miss Kill All Your Darlings, put it to the top of your TBR pile and clear your calendar.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for a captivating read.

A massive thank you to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing Group for an eARC of David Bell's upcoming novel that publishes on July 6th - Kill All Your Darlings!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What's it about?
Professor Connor Nye publishes his first novel, a thriller about a young woman who is murdered, after struggling to write for years after the death of his wife and son. But the truth is...Nye didn't write the book. His missing student did. And when she comes back 2+ years later threatening to expose the truth, the story continues to grow darker and more complicated as it unravels. What's worse than being exposed as a plagiarist? The novel includes details about a real murder that took place in the town - details that were only known to the police and murderer.

Does Connor admit he didn't write the book and lose his job? Or keep up the lie and risk being a murder suspect?

My thoughts: Okay guys. I LOVED this book and flew through it. It did not feel like it was 400+ pages. I recommend going into this as blindly as possible - The full synopsis provides some spoiler details in my opinion. I love the originality of the plot and I was kept on my toes up until the very last page.

Read this one if you like...
⭐️Dark-academia thriller novels.
⭐️A main-character with a lovable dog (yes Grendel, I 💕 you).
⭐️multiple POVs and timelines. This was my favorite part of this book. The novel's chapters alternate between Madeleine's (missing student) past point of view, and Connor and another writing student Rebecca's present points of view.

I read some reviews stating that there was some repetition between the multiple POVs, but I found it all valuable to see events from different aspects as the truth is exposed.

Is this book on your summer TBR??! 📚

English professor Connor Nye is up for tenure, except that he has nothing written and without it, he can’t get tenure. He’s been struggling with handling life since the death of his wife and son in a tragic accident years earlier. So when one if his students comes to him for help with her thesis, a thriller novel, he helps and then he goes back to his teaching. However, after she’s been missing for 2 years and he’s about to lose everything he has left, he turns in he book as his and takes all acclaim and paydays that go with it. Now he has to live with the catch 22 of the whole thing-he wither admits that he plagiarized the book or that he knows more than he’s saying about the story the book is based on.
This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed his writing style. It was sharp, fast paced & had lots of twists-some were predictable and others were not and the characters were well developed and it was easy to feel sorry for Connor and the mess he’d gotten himself in. Well done!
Thanks to Berkley Publishers and Netgalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Woah.

Get ready for a pulse-racing thriller this summer!

Kill All Your Darlings follows a college professor who has recently published his first novel...but the book was actually written by a former student who disappeared two years prior. When she returns for revenge, a series of events uproots secrets a sleepy, small Kentucky town harbors.

David Bell has a true understanding of how to construct a well-paced novel. Every chapter felt purposeful and quick, which made me turn pages like no other. I instantly felt for some of the characters, while others I kept a close eye on. The overall twist was a bit much, but this book entertains from all aspects and ends well. Bell is an auto-buy author from here on out.

I enjoyed the university setting, the publish or perish issue that creates an atmosphere of professional jealousy, the blurred lines between mentors and students. that adds to plot possibilities. I wanted to connect to the characters more than I did. But perhaps I'm not supposed to. This is only the second book by Bell I've read and I would definitely give his next a try.

Connor Nye is an English professor who has writer's block after the death of his wife and son. When one of his students turns in a thesis then disappears, Connor turns it into a book and releases it. The only problem is now he is a suspect in a murder! This story has lots of twists and turns and is told by Connor and Madeline, Connor's student who wrote the original thesis. I enjoyed this book and I actually didn't see the ending coming!! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

What I loved:
- the plot and general premise
- the varying timelines and narrators
- the red herrings and bread crumbs to solve the mystery
- the murder mystery

What I didn’t love:
- the dialogue felt forced and inauthentic
- I didn’t connect to the characters at all
- the book was longer than it needed to be
- pieces of the mystery were fairly predictable

This was a fun read about a professor who steals a student’s book and must face the consequences when the plot seems to closely follow undisclosed details of a murder in the town. Loosely it was very similar to ‘The Plot,’ but the murder mystery aspect made it different enough that I was also able to enjoy this book even though I read ‘The Plot’ quite recently.

I liked how the author used various timelines and narrators to let the mystery unfold. Much of the plot of the novel seemed to follow the plot of the book the professor stole as well. None of the stolen book was incorporated into the story but it may have been fun to read some chapters of that book to add another piece to the puzzle.

It took me a while to read this one and it felt a little repetitive and drawn out in parts, however, I suspect most people will be able to fly through this one and really enjoy it. If you enjoy a good murder mystery with enough clues to actually figure out, this is one I absolutely recommend.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this novel.

Two years ago, Sophia was murdered. Then Madeline disappeared. Now she is back, and no one knows except her former professor, Connor. Now he is a prime suspect in Sophia’s case. He is desperate to clear his name, but it will come at a cost. He will soon find out everything is harboring secrets and they’ll do anything to keep them hidden. With so many twists and airing of dirty laundry, you will not see the ending coming.

There are two reasons this book caught my eye:
The beautiful cover.
The unique plot setup.
If you didn't read the synopsis, this story centers on a Professor, Connor Nye risks it all by plagiarizing a student's work in order to secure a book deal and tenure. Aside from the moral issues of making that decision, Connor becomes a prime suspect in a murder, given that the story he claims to have written, is exactly how a local murder was committed.

As the reader, it would seem obvious that Connor should just come clean about not actually writing the book, making the true author, Madeline O'Brien, the prime suspect. Only issue is that Connor is the only one who knows Madeline has returned to town, having disappeared two years prior. So, would anyone really believe him?

Like many thrillers, I didn't agree with the protagonist's decision making. It was reckless and most of the time, only made him look more guilty. But in the end, his quest to get answers as to who was the killer of Sophia Greenfield, ultimately saves him.

What I liked about this story was that the truth was much more complicated than I expected. It wasn't just about the crime, but a downward spiral of incidents that led to the crime. Who is behind it and why it all went down had some "me too" vibes. While I'm glad the truth came out, it was tragic the wake of bodies it left behind.

This book was engaging as I tried to solve the mystery yet wasn't able to put it all together (this is always a plus for me). As this was a new-to-me author, I will definitely be checking out more of their work.