This is my first Matt Witten book and a huge thanks to the publisher for my complimentary copy and all opinions expressed are entirely my own..

Killer Story is an ode of sorts to podcast lovers and true crime junkies. In the book we follow Petra an ambitious journalist who is about to get laid off another job so decides to pitch a true crime story in the form of a podcast. The unsolved murder is that of a Youtuber sensation who was killed in her dorm room. This story is personal as the Youtuber is someone Petra knows. Petra makes unquestionable choices and unethical decisions. Overall it is a good read for true crime junkies.

Petra Kovach''s life is..... precarious. Her relationship is struggling thanks to the constant moving required to try to keep her budding journalism career alive, so now, as she is about to be laid off again., she makes one last ditch effort to turn things around with a cutting-edge post cast.

I really enjoyed this one! It' s a quick read murder mystery with an interesting narrator and a whole cast of potential suspects. I really liked Petra's evolution (devolution?) as the story went on and she became more and more desperate to get to the bottom of the case and save her career and her life. About 3/4 of the way through it did border on Scooby Doo style with too many red herrings (I know she's an amateur but how many times can you get it so completely wrong?) but the writer kept it in check and the end wrapped it up in a surprising way.

Highly recommended for fans of quick reads or murder mysteries, but especially for those who love the true crime/podcast vibe!

First off I want to thank @netgalley, @oceanviewpublishing & @mattwilten for my free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was really interested in the storyline, I actually read almost until 50% but I just couldn't anymore. I was getting annoyed with the lead female character Petra and it was very unbelievable for some parts.

The writing was actually good and I feel this author really has potential. I guess this one just wasn't for me. I wasn't as invested in it as I would've liked to be.

As a camp counselor, Petra Kovach mentored young Livvy and treated her like a sister. Petra went on to become a print journalist while Livvy attended Harvard, started an alt right YouTube program and was murdered in her dormitory. Although someone was arrested for the crime, he was acquitted. In the troubled days of the newspaper business, Petra lost two jobs. Her next job offer finds her in the same city where Livvy was killed. About to lose this job, she makes a last ditch effort to save it by pitching a story about finally solving Livvy’s murder as well as hosting a podcast about it. As her career becomes more and more threatened, Petra becomes desperate to succeed. How far will she go, who will she hurt and is she willing to sacrifice her own personal happiness?

True crime podcasts have become a popular device in mysteries/thrillers. This story is riveting and raises many ethical issues as well as what people will do or say for clickbait. I found some of the characters not only unlikable, but difficult to believe. Whenever there was a minor clue or mention of another suspect, Petra jumped right on it and felt that she had solved the crime. Could she really be that naive to be so easily convinced? I also found it appalling that the editor of a supposed respectable paper would act as though it was a tabloid. As annoyed as I was with the characters, the story totally drew me in and I didn’t want to put it down.

Petra has always dreamed of being a journalist. Now she has her chance as she investigates the murder of an old friend. As she gets deeper in the investigation, she may need to break some ethics to get the killer story.

I finished this one in a few hours. I couldn’t put it down and basically devoured it. I saw so many reviews about how they hated the main character. I actually liked her and felt for her. She definitely had some poor decision making and hurt others, but I understood her drive to get ahead. I loved the ending and how it all turned out. This was a clever and insanely fast paced read!

“I had no idea that one day I would do everything I could to solve your murder, and it would make me just as famous - and infamous - as you were.”

Killer Story comes out 1/17.

With a lot of podcast type books hitting the shelves lately I think it becomes harder to fully capture the depth of the storyline. I really liked a few other similar type books and appreciated the investigative side it must take to tell the story to its full potential. I loved the prologue of this book. It really pulled me in as it was unusually long and I actually had a sense of what the story was about before it even started. The rest of the book dragged a bit and with the MC's hard to love personality it was hard for me to connect with her..

I did like the ending as it had a very unique twist and gave closure to all the unanswered questions.

Thank you Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I went in with very little expectation for the main character, even bracing myself for waves of frustrations and annoyance at her after reading the reviews here.

I was wrong.

I think she officially marks the bench for the most annoying main character ever. I’ve never read anything that made me go into burst of anger constantly.

Storyline: Separating the main character with the story, I loved it. The mystery, the crime, the finding-out, the bloody plot twist, which, smacked me right in my face when I least expected it. I thought the ending was going to be about Petra celebrating, but no. Thankfully it’s a no, cause I’m pretty sure I cannot stand the sight of Petra celebrating anything after all the shit she has put people through.

Though, I would love to also see whether Natalie got into trouble for her own share of investigation.

Character: God, Petra. She’s so morally gray, ethically gray, and everything something-ally grey. Like she’s a bad human being kind of grey. Throughout the book I was rooting for Jonah to leave her, like I needed her to be hurt. Her rationale for doing what she did was “solving the murder for Livvy” and “the truth will set you free”. Yes, she did that, but god, let’s not pretend that saving her career takes so much of that portion and solving the murder “for Livvy’s sake” is at the bottom of her list of reasons.

Overall, I think it’s a beautifully written piece; it’s well-written, the plot flows smoothly, the plot twist was definitely unexpected and it piqued curiosity enough to leave me wanting to get to the bottom of the case. The author captured us at every development because anyone could be the murder. But the character? No, thank you.

There's a lot of potential but I didn't care for Petra and the story didn't keep my attention.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

When she was a journalist student Petra Kovach mentored Olivia, a fourteen year old girl at journalist camp. They became friends and Petra kept in touch with her over the years until Olivia went to college herself. There she shocked Petra by making videos espousing alt-right views until she was found murdered in her college room. The murder of a popular blogger caused a sensation and although a suspect was charged, he found not guilty at trial, despite police being sure they had the right man.

Several years later, Petra is facing losing her fifth job as a newspaper journalist due to company down-sizing when she asks her boss if she can have two weeks to make a podcast about Olive’s death and take another look at potential suspects.

It’s not easy to care whether Petra makes a success of the podcast or keeps her job as she is so desperate on making her name with the podcast that she throws journalistic ethics to the wind, stepping across the line to needlessly destroy the lives of confidential sources and lie to those around her. She might have started out with the intention of getting justice for Olive but the number of clicks she gets on each episode of the podcast quickly becomes her driving force. Her skills as an investigative journalist are poor and her wild suppositions and theories would not realistically make for a good podcast without facts to back them up. It’s unlikely that such a podcast on an unsolved murder could be put together in two weeks without a lot of prior sound research and interviews. Although I thought this would make a great premise for a murder mystery, I was disappointed with the book and didn’t really enjoy reading it. My overriding feeling was that Journalism would be a lot better off without journalists like Petra.

Man, I struggled with what to rate this book.

On one hand, I hated the main character, Petra, a journalist that is about to get fired from another job. I connected with her personal struggle of not feeling adequate enough to hold a job in something she loved and willing to do anything to keep from losing another job. I enjoyed the beginning of seeing her trying to save herself and finding a story that she knows would help her but might also solve a murder.

After this point it seems like she starts to run through all of the seven deadly sins and chooses to take everyone with her along the way, She points the finger at many people for crimes they did not commit such as molestation, murder and outing a man just because it made the story better. I physically felt the cringe in my body as I read this story but could not stop reading what would happen to this morally corrupt person. Although, I do believe that Witten was trying to write a character that was unlikable, which he whole-heartedly was able to create. He did seem to try and make it seem like she realized her mistakes and learned from them by the end but I did not feel like that was true.

My last strike for Petra was when she was willing to do the unspeakable to make her career and reach the level of journalism that she has always hoped for. The novel as a whole had me debating a 2 star or a 4 star because while I could not put it down, I also felt so uncomfortable for the main character. I think a 3 star is a perfect mix for this novel and how it personally made me feel. I would love to see what else Matt Witten has on his backlist and what he has coming forward.

I do love a podcast within a murder mystery novel and this one worked really well.

I found Killer Story to be a very addictive and compelling read, with so many twists and turns it'll make your head spin! The author will be pleased to know I did not guess who the killer was.

If you love a good whodunit with a feisty female protagonist, short chapters, a killer story and a few red herrings thrown in, this is the book for you!

A big thank you to Oceanvew Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC. Expected publication date is 17/1/23

Petra Kovach is on the brink of being laid off from her third failing newspaper in a row, to save her job, she pitches a true crime podcast, and she knows exactly what crime to try solve. A young girl who was like a sister to her. As she looks for the truth, she burns bridges and breaks a few laws. Can she solve the crime and not fall into the killer's embrace and not be killed herself?

Matt Witten wrote a stunning crime novel, “The Necklace”, that put him on my list of must-read authors. His new book, “Killer Story”, is just as captivating.
Wanting to recover her career, investigative reported Petra turns to the new fad of podcasts, picking the true crime murder of her good friend in college. Years have gone by with plenty of suspects, but no definite answers. How far will a desperate young woman go to jump-start her sluggish career, and at what cost to herself and those around her?
A quick-paced and believably intricate story of who-dun-it, no matter who you hurt figuring it out. Thanks to Oceanview Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is January 17, 2023.

Compulsive page turner! This was a fun to read story with a great premise. Petra is trying to hold onto a journalism job after being let go too many times. On a whim, she pitches an idea to conduct an investigation of the murder of her protégé, Livvy, through a podcast. She uncovers some really ugly information and finds herself being threatened as she gets closer to the truth. I did find Petra’s methods despicable; publicly exposing rumors as truth and destroying reputations without batting an eye. I look forward to reading the next story this author comes up with! Thank you Netgalley, Oceanview Publishing, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is available for purchase January 17, 2023

Podcast to find a killer? Thriller

Petra, an investigative journalist, is close to losing yet another job when she comes up with the idea of doing a podcast about her friend who was murdered years ago, and no-one was ever convicted of. Her boss gives her 2 weeks to prove herself. All great except Petra exaggerated the information she has about the murder, and now she needs to find herself some material to save her job, and her self-esteem.

The lengths Petra goes to in order to get a good story, and save her job, are quite shocking, however the story is exciting and fast moving. Which of the suspects did it? How can Petra further her investigations and is she safe from harm herself? Which is most important to Petra, getting podcasts clicks, solving the murder, or behaving in a reasonable manner? Petra’s choice of methods to get information is emotive and enables plenty of twists and turns in the story. The great writing style kept me interested throughout.

There is plenty of discussion material in this thriller – great for a Book Club, indeed suggested Questions are given at the end. While I can’t say I enjoyed the story, because of Petra’s journalistic methods, I did enjoy the writing, the tension and the the story was a great idea. I was keen to see how it all ended, and was interested in the journalistic techniques included in the storyline.

This is the first thriller I have read by Matt Witten, I shall certainly be back for more.

Petra Kovach is like many of her generation: getting fired from failing newspapers in a time when newspapers are having trouble just staying afloat. Recently hired by yet another newspaper, she’s still going to struggle until she finds her own big story, which will, in time, be her safety net…if she’s not killed in the process. Author, Matt Witten, weaves a complicated, stay up too late, story of how the murder of Petra’s long ago friend will challenge everything she believes, what she will do to beat out her competition and how people with different motivations can eventually come together for the greater good. This was a very good book. I look forward to Matt’s next book.
Thank you to both Matt Witten and Net Galley for copies of this book in exchange for honest review.

I loved this author's previous book, The Necklace and I was so looking forward to reading his next book.

I was intrigued by synopsis. I love true crime podcasts and the idea of a journalist trying to find justice for a friend sounded right up my alley.

Unfortunately, this book just did not do it for me. I really disliked Petra's character and her disregard for anyone else but herself. I found it hard to get past her ruining people's lives without a second thought. They way she jumps from suspect to suspect felt unrealistic.

I did find that the supporting characters were well developed and I liked that there was twist to to ending. It was just not enough to make up for Petra's character.

I would defintely be open to reading another book from this author as The Necklace was a favourite of mine.

Killer Story by Matt Witten
#seventysecondbookof2022 #arc

CW: Murder, rape, incest, unethical journalists, homophobia and forced outing, suicide and attempted suicide, gun violence, gaslighting, victim blaming, mischaracterizing PTSD

This book follows a journalist who’s trying to solve the murder of a former friend after the main suspect is acquitted. She’s also trying to make a name for herself and keep from being fired again. In the process, she turns into the worst person I’ve read about in quite some time.

I listen to a lot of true crime podcasts, and a lot about cold cases that were unsolved or wrongly solved, like Bone Valley. They take months and years of dedicated reporting. Cultivating relationships, follow up, wrong turns and dead ends, all lengthy processes. This book makes it seem as though you can do detective work along the way to the recording studio. It’s unrealistic and doesn’t show the long process that real journalists follow. The main character kept changing her angle through the entire book, and was always ready to ruin someone’s life. In the author’s note, Witten references Serial and Accused, so I know he knows the work that goes into these podcasts, and that the steps taken by his main character were not representative of real life.

That said, the story was propulsive and I kept reading, often to find out just how loathsome the main character (and many secondary characters) could get. I enjoyed it while rooting for the main character to finally get her comeuppance. It was an interesting mystery and I was not at all sure how it would end and who the killer would turn out to be. It is pretty of the moment and this was a definite page turner. I enjoyed the author’s previous book as well, so I’ll definitely keep his books on my list.

(One con of this e-arc is that bad formatting caused my copy to omit the first few words of each chapter, as well as text messages sent between the characters, but I was able to put together the gist based on context.)

Thank you to @netgalley and @oceanviewpub for the advance copy. (Pub date 1/17/23)

#killerstory

Will launching a true-crime podcast save a young journalist’s career….or will it cost her life?

Petra has already had and lost two jobs in print journalism due to shrinking revenues and increased cost cutting. When her latest editor calls her into the office to let her go, she counters with the offer to create a new podcast based on the recent murder of Olivia, a young far-right social media sensation. The hook? Petra was the victim’s camp counselor years ago, and had been a big sister figure to the girl for several years. Differing political views had strained their relationship towards the end, but Petra feels compelled to find justice for her friend. She tells her editor that she has new information, a slight exaggeration of her recent encounter with the victim’s inebriated brother, and promises that the podcast will be a huge hit for the paper. With her career in the balance, Petra is compelled to trade on her relationship to the victim and push the boundaries of journalistic ethics to secure the content she needs to fuel the podcast. When the first episode is indeed a breakaway hit, the pressure on Petra increases. Intraoffice rivalries further complicate the situation, and an attempted assault makes it clear that the killer is still at large, and is not happy about Petra’s ongoing investigation.

This latest book from author Matt Whitten, who has also written for television shows including Law & Order and Pretty Little Liars, delves into the worlds of print journalism and true crime podcasts, where ethics and ambition collide, and where achieving success is a never-ending quest. It is an entertaining read, with one possible perpetrator after another is produced and it is unclear till the very end just what happened to Olivia. I recommend Killer Story to those who enjoy a well-plotted thriller, are fans of true-crime podcasts, or understand the passion of print journalists to persist in a shrinking profession. Thanks to Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy.

This book took everything I had for me to finish. I found it very repetitive. Maybe this person is the killer! I figured it out! The main character was absolutely insufferable. The story was choppy and just…not enjoyable for me.