Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded interesting to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have
decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

My friends raved about his debut The Necklace, but I wish I would have able to read the trigger warning prior to requesting. This one was not for me. DNF.

After reading the previous novel by this author “the Necklace” and loving it I was more than excited to get an advanced copy of this book.

Unfortunately this was not what I was expecting. The dialogue was weird and the characters were so unlikeable especially the main character.

It didn’t work for me, but I hope someone else enjoys it.

So, despite hating the main character, I really enjoyed this book. I read it over 2 nights and got caught up in the mystery. There was a lot of questionable decisions made by Petra and the way she justified them was pretty terrible. But hey, it is fiction so just go with it.

Petra is a journalist and has been made redundant more times than she likes to remember. And it appears that it is about to happen again, until she bluffs an idea to her boss. He gives her 2 weeks to make it work. Now she needs the information. She has told her boss that she has a big lead in the murder of You Tube influencer, Olivia Anderson. Only she really doesn’t. Then begins the hunt for clues and interviews. Oh and the boss wants a podcast.. no biggie right.

Thanks to Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. Published January 17th

Petra has had a rough go of it, from witnessing her father’s murder to getting fired from each of her jobs following college. The tragedy she can’t get past? Olivia Anderson’s murder. Petra met Livvy when she was just 14, at a summer journalism camp, and in the years following became very close with her…or so she thought. Now, two years after Olivia’s alleged murderer goes free, Petra is determined to keep her current job by finding Olivia’s true murderer and finally getting justice for her family…

TW: incest, gaslighting, rape, sexual assault, gun violence, suicide

This storyline had so much potential and just did NOT meet the mark. I could sit here and write an essay about everything I found wrong with this novel, instead I’ll just give some of the major points.

I expect obstacles, what is a book without a conflict? There were none. Even the “conflicts” were non-starters because there was not an ounce of elaboration in these scenes. “Petra argued with Mateo” but there were no insights to the conversation that took place other than it was a “bad argument.” Being a journalist, I expect Petra to put herself in dangerous situations, have to dig in places nobody wants her to, and she did…kudos. But every single one of these were far too convenient and not at all intertwined with each other to make the investigation flow.

Petra had so much character growth waiting to happen - being in a bad way and making a grand comeback from her immoral decisions. Instead of this, it’s almost like she’s slowly losing what mind she had to begin with and continues to dig herself deeper even at closure. She doesn’t sever just one relationship, but seemingly ALL important and unimportant. She took the path of complete self destruction which was not necessary to, or enjoyable for, the storyline. It fed my annoyance, made me question my reading choices and it made me dislike this book.

The cherry on top of this not-so-great sundae?The lack of tact used to approach sensitive topics, the use of outdated stereotypes, and the disrespect to marginalized groups. We are well beyond the times where it is okay to include, and not address, outing individuals, pitting female characters against each other over a job (or anything, really), and providing commentary on who can or cannot be sexually assaulted based on their stature, gender, etc.

Thank you NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for the free digital copy of Killer Story.

Killer Story is a fast-paced investigative procedural following a reporter solving an alt-right YouTuber's murder. The reporter, Petra, knew the victim, Olivia, prior to her extremist turn and feels it is her duty to seek justice and the truth (while also saving her own career).

While I understand the path the author intended the story and commentary to follow, the narrative became tone-deaf. The main character Petra, depicted in first person POV, is selfish scum and falls so far from her original goal of justice.

She has no qualms about stomping over any possible suspects or victims. This includes exposing her discoveries and their sources, after they explicitly ask her not to share:

1. Possible incest with stepfather
- with no concrete proof, thus wrecking a stepson/stepfather relationship
- attempted suicide attempt follows with no remorse from the MC

2. Outing a college football player
- after he went to her in confidence to share information
- Petra has a gay best friend and she considers how he'd respond to her outing someone else (though this only happens within a single paragraph), then she decides her fight for justice is more worthwhile.
- The actual discussion/fight with her BF is skipped over, though it is referenced a couple times afterwards. This was disappointing since it could've been a real moment of growth for the character.
- There is a paragraph for this outed character near the end of the book that was actually disgusting.

3. Perpetuating rape culture and victim blaming
- exposing sealed records from when a character was a minor (after illegally obtaining them)
- The victim of rape is described in a more detailed manner than many other characters, especially her size (tall and strong rowing crew member).
- The public perceived her allegations as false due to her size, and the MC believing the character's size would be a boon as a murder suspect

Petra's inner monologue, plus regular dialogue clearly demonstrates that her character is written by a man. There were many clunky and cheesy moments of her realizing what her next step is or breaking down a clue (that was clear from the previous dialogue and unnecessary). She is also pitted against another reporter at her newspaper, which perpetuates patriarchal beliefs. Only one woman is worthy in the eyes of their boss or their podcast tech assistant, depending on what information they've uncovered.

Though the novel read quickly, that is because every single discovery point is just so incredibly convenient and unbelievable. "I need to find this witness/victim... Oh, look he posts on Twitter that he's always at X location on Thursday nights OR oh look, he's sitting in the window of the café I'm just walking past.

There was no real tension build-up and all I felt was rage towards the story. The story was not about the search for justice and discovering what can turn a young woman towards extremist views. I don't even have the capacity to list off all the other repulsive characteristics and actions of the MC.

Killer Story absolutely missed the mark and could use sensitivity readers.

CW: incest, murder, gun violence, blood, gaslighting, toxic relationships, homophobia, racism, rape, outing, child abuse

After reading and loving Witten’s previous novel The Necklace, I was so excited to obtain an ARC of this one. Unfortunately I was highly disappointed.

The dialogue was weird and didn’t feel real. The characters were awful. People didn’t know how to send a text message. (I’m sorry but nobody signs off on a text - especially with someone you’re dating). It was abnormally sexual. The girl-against-girl work environment was gross and should not be a thing in 2022.

Though I normally don’t mind awful characters in thrillers, I need the MC to have some redeeming quality. And I can’t think of one.

I really really wanted to like this one more.

I absolutely loved Matt Witten’s other novel ‘The Necklace’, but unfortunately this one just didn’t live up to the expectation. Unlikable characters and scattered story, just not my cup of tea.

DNF - but had to read the last few chapters. Our MC Petra is just 100% terrible. Like, literally no redeeming qualities. Usually, this can work in a thriller, but it's a little harder when it's a main character that we're supposed to be cheering for. The way she treated everyone around her, always thought she was entitled and correct, and just made stuff up / lied all the time was unbearable. I don't like the girl v girl workplace drama, there was a storyline with part of someone's personality that was very cringy, and I am not really here for a storyline where a white guy is writing an immigrant female MC.

Despite a promising premise this book didn’t work for me, and I couldn’t finish it. It was clear a male author was writing, even though it was a female MC. The dialogue was bothersome and I really grew frustrated with Petra’s decisions throughout the story.

Parts of this book were good but I really couldn’t get into the dialogue and didn’t love the characters.

You follow Petra as she tries to solve the murder of someone she mentored when she was younger. The suspects change often. It was hard to keep my interest with this one.

Petra is a struggling journalist about to made redundant yet again when she pitches a story about the murder four years ago of Olivia, an alt-right influencer and Harvard student. Petra mentored Olivia at a teen journalism camp and thus has a tie with her. Petra is given the go-ahead to start a podcast on the case and throws journalism ethics and all common sense out the window in her pursuit of the story and making her podcast a success. Although I despised Petra, and story is compulsively readable and the mystery did suck me in.

About to be laid off , journalist Petra Kovach convinces her editor that she has a new lead on the unsolved murder of Olivia Anderson, an alt-right YouTube influencer. Petra had been Olivia's camp counselor at a journalism boot camp but gradually lost touch as Olivia's views changed. Now Petra has two weeks to announce a major breakthrough on the case in her first podcast. As she pursues different leads, how far will she go to keep her job? Does she care about the impact on people's lives as she broadcasts stories not based on proven facts? Interesting look at the moral challenges facing a reporter in pursuit of a story.
#KillerStory #NetGalley

5 enthusiastic stars! I adored this authors first novel so I was super excited to see this one pop up and it did not disappoint. Fast paced and creepy. This has a unique plot that takes you through some crazy unexpectedly dark places. Many jaw dropping moments while you turn pages at breakneck speed. This will leave your heart pounding and your mouth dry. When you reach the end you will be left in disbelief. A fantastic must read!

At the 30% mark I was already struggling with Killer Story, but NetGalley reviews gave it 4 stars so I decided to keep going, figuring it had to get better. I got to the 45% mark, skimmed until 60% and finally gave up. As much as I want to know who really killed Olivia (assuming it's actually uncovered in the end), I couldn't deal with Petra anymore. She has no regard for anyone other than herself, she has questionable morals, gives the journalism profession a bad name and did horrible things in the name of saving her job. I know this is a work of fiction, but I couldn't stomach all that she did and no ending was worth reading (skimming) the remainder of the book. I am a big fan of true crime, podcasts and solving old cases, and for those reasons was very excited about this book. I am clearly in the minority with my thoughts and opinions so fans of Matt Witten and those that think the synopsis is intriguing should still give Killer Story a try; hopefully it works better for you than it did for me.

When Petra Kovach was a camp counselor,she befriended a young girl and they stayed in touch. However, the girl became a radical alt-right you tuber and Petra always wondered what caused her to change.

Now Petra is a struggling reporter on the brink of being fired from her third job reporting job. She learns that the young girl she had befriended was murdered in her dorm room and the case had gone cold, Petra pitches the idea to her boss to start a podcast and find out who killed her friend.

Things with the podcast go really well at first, and Petra is able to flesh out several suspects. However, things start to backfire on her when she accuses people on the podcast and uses questionable means to get her information. Add in that her boss wants to bring in her nemesis to help with the podcast and things start getting even worse.

This is a great story and I highly recommend it!

Petra Kovach, an aspiring investigative journalist, finds out she is about to be terminated from her job at at a Boston newspaper. Petra pitches a plan to investigate a cold case. Petra had a friendship with the victim and convinces her boss she could solve the murder. He agrees to keep her on for a trial period and they decide to use a podcast to report the progress of her investigation. So Petra is off and running, blindly working to solve the murder as she crosses ethical, moral and legal boundaries and alienates her partner and her best friend. She bulldozes the reputations, careers and lives of the lives of the suspects. The book delves into Petra's self-talk and rationalizations of her very bad decisions as she gets deeper and deeper into the muck of lies and cover-ups. She continues to believe the end justifies the means. I found myself routing for Petra to get caught, get fired and deal with the fall-out. The book is a page turner, but pushed plot believability. Wouldn't the newspaper protect itself from the criminal behavior of staff? One would hope. Thank you Netgalley, publisher and author for the opportunity to read a digital copy of Killer Story.

Petra, the main character, has been laid off from three jobs in her short career as a newspaper journalist. In order to avoid losing yet another job, she pitches a story investigating the tragic death of a friend she met at camp. Her desperation leads her to lie to her boyfriend, her boss, the media, potential suspects, coworkers, and herself. I so strongly disliked her moral choices--enabled by her pushy boss and work rival--that I often wanted to throw the book across the room.

Instead I found myself staying awake past my bedtime, reading chapter after chapter. I hoped Petra would grow and change. I hoped her boss would do the right thing. Her boyfriend Jonah was the only likeable person in the book because he seemed to see things more clearly than anyone else.

If you like Hank Philippi Ryan's bestselling thrillers featuring investigative reporters you will probably also like this one. Witten is a skilled writer who knows how to keep the pace moving.

I read a lot of mysteries and thrillers, so I have pretty high standards. Even though I enjoyed this winding, twisty story of a journalist obsessed with solving Livvy’s murder, I struggled with tons of components of the story. The main character, journalist Petra Kovach, behaves in an incredibly morally gray way, which makes it hard to root for her throughout the book. There are also so many red herrings that by the time readers make it to the end, they’re just frustrated. It wasn’t a satisfying ending for me, although the correct killer did end up brought to justice. It’s just a somewhat aimless book with an unlikeable narrator, so I struggled a bit.