After reading and reviewing Matt Witten's The Necklace through NetGalley, I was excited to be approved of his next 'Killer Story'.

In a crux, I can say, Witten has indeed woven a 'killer' story. The plot and the characters, both were interesting and kept me glued to the book. Petra and Olivia, the female leads, have both strengths and flaws, and are definitely not one-dimensional. Thus, the conflicts created within the story are believable and relatable.

In the author's note at the end, Witten outlines what inspired him to write this story. Among them, 'clickbait-y' headlines, 'number of views' and 'alternate truth' (which is often a distortion of the actual truth) are something anyone who reads the news today is familiar with. Thus, I find the story very relevant to these times.

I love stories like this when a cold case is being investigated. So the main female character Petra is flawed but aren't we all? She is unapologetic about saving her career no matter the cost or risk. I really enjoyed this story from start to finish.

This is the second book I’ve read from this Author having reviewed The Necklace last year which I absolutely loved. I wasn’t disappointed with Killer Story which is a sensational, fast-paced thriller that keeps you on your toes at all times.

Our heroine is feisty journalist Petra Kovach who, having been let go from numerous jobs as a reporter feels under pressure to cling to her latest post at the Boston Clarion despite fierce competition from reporter Natalie, who would pretty much do anything to get a good story.

Having lost her own father and met and mentored young Liv before she got involved with a hard-hitting Forever America forum online which influenced her decision to become a controversial UTuber just prior to her murder. Liv certainly isn’t afraid of giving her opinion on immigrants despite her friendship with Eastern European Petra.

Liv was murdered two years ago, the Police having charged a Professor from her University with whom she was having an affair. However he had been found not guilty despite the public believing he was. So when Petra decides to investigate whether the Police got the right man through a series of podcasts, it opens a can of worms turning into a whodunit with every twist and turn and putting Petra’s life at risk.

The book is written beautifully and despite the shady behaviour that Petra stoops to in order to unveil the story that could change her career forever, the Author brings her character to life so artfully that you cannot help but love her and her flaws and want for her to succeed over her counterpart Natalie.

The authentic writing style is fast paced and totally page turning stuff and I certainly did not see the ending coming which was full of suspense, most definitely keeping me guessing with another twist throwing me off of the cliff edge and making me re-think my theories.
All in all, a brilliant read that I would highly recommend.

Book available for pre-order – release date – 17th January 2023:-

Killer Story: Amazon.co.uk: Witten, Matt: 9781608095247: Books

Date of review: 15th September 2022

DNF @ 20%. I had quite a few issues with this novel. The writing seemed immature to me, and included a lot of fluff that I skimmed through. I thought the character development was lacking - I had no connection at all to Livvy and was not invested in finding out who murdered her. I thought her introduction and then explanation of her YouTube video was really sudden and didn’t make any sense as a reader. Petra was an insufferable character - I really disliked her from the start and it didn’t improve during the 20% of the book.

Not a book that I’m interested in finishing or recommending to others.

An aggressive, ambitious reporter, a true crime podcast and multiple suspects for the murder of a young woman. I certainly hope reporters are not this desperate in real life. The author indicates that readers should question the veracity of the media; that is a very good idea. Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Killer Story by Matt Witten is a compelling and complex mystery exploring the length to which one woman will go to both track down a killer and further her own career. Petra Kovach is a talented and idealistic reporter on the verge of being laid off—again. In a desperate attempt to save her job, she pitches the launch of a podcast about a sensational and unsolved murder. Petra, having been a friend of the victim, is less than objective. In her passionate quest for justice and acclaim, Petra burns sources and breaks laws. With every step forward she still anticipates failure at every turn. Will she finally cross a line that could cost her all that she holds dear?⠀
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Killer Story is a powerful and exquisitely crafted contemporary mystery with limitless twists and turns that will have the reader spellbound until the very last page. The intricacies of the plot rival anything from the pen of the likes of Agatha Christie and other masters of the genre. The characters are expertly developed and multidimensional. It is not everyday one runs across a novel of this caliber with the power to consume and captivate. This novel is slated for release in January 2023, but in the meantime, grab one of Matt Witten’s other titles and begin exploring the works of this master storyteller.

I try to find indie novels to review because I know how hard it is to promote and market your work. Even if you do a fairly decent job at it there's always the challenge of overcoming your fears and insecurities. Oddly enough, Killer Story dealt with these issues on an epic scale. It was a great reminder that even though we may feel alone in our doubts and fears every single, solitary person has felt the same way at some point in their lives. It's a theme that, I dare say, will be relevant long after we're finished roaming this giant rock.

The twist in this story, what made it extremely relevant, was that it dealt with all the twists and turns of journalism and how social media and podcasts, in particular, play a part in how we report and receive news. I would imagine it's very hard to vet and verify a news source when everything has to be posted NOW and in soundbite format.

This story also brought up the ickyness of navigating morals and ethics in this soundbite era. I can believe it's hard to find the 'real' truth when there's a mad dash to be first. As long as it's not illegal, there's no consequences other than a few sleepless nights, then it must be okay...

All that matters are the clicks, right?

I will say I did have a little trouble reading this novel. I love characters with flaws, especially the main characters. It makes them human and more relatable. But the main character in Killer Story made me angry. If she were a real person and I met her on the street I would want to shake her until her flaws were a little less prominent. My favorite line in the novel was when another character told her, 'you have the self-awareness of a flea'.

I laughed out loud.

It seemed she just couldn't learn from her mistakes. And I suppose that's why I was so angry. I identified with her on a level that I haven't come across lately. It forced me to face my own insecurities, question some of the things I had done in the past - nowhere near as bad as what she did, though - and wonder if there are any facts or truth left in journalism.

I am the first to admit I don't trust anything I hear or read these days. I usually avoid any 'breaking' news story because I assume most, if not all, of what is being reported is inaccurate at best or a downright lie at worst. All in the name of views, clicks, and likes.

And you can forget about podcasts! Especially true crime. The only true crime shows I watch are the ones that come out years later. Mind Over Murder on HBO comes to mind...

I don't know, this whole attitude of it doesn't matter who we hurt as long as we get to the truth is just an excuse to explain away awful, hurtful behavior. It's a way to dismiss our morals and ethics as unnecessary and irrelevant. It's a way to shirk responsibility.

And that is why Killer Story is a must read. Not only did it have a who-dun-it theme with twists and turns and scary bits, but it also tackled a very concerning trend in how we report and disseminate information. It showed how personal responsibility is ever more important because we don't seem to have the oversight we used to in our journalism outlets.

It was my favorite combination of entertainment and enlightenment. It made me delve deeper into my own beliefs and behavior while giving me an outlet to explore why people do the things they do. It was the perfect example of how consequences always come home even if it takes longer than we thought it would.

So, if you're looking for a novel that will scratch your true crime itch while making you question why you're clicking, listening, viewing, and liking certain 'news' stories, Killer Story is the perfect book for you!

Thank you NetGalley for providing this book for an honest review. I have to say that I absolutely loved The Necklace by Witten. I was so excited about this book. Matt Witten is such a talented writer. This book will certainly keep you reading into the night. Petra was determined to find the killer at any cost. I hate that she lost herself in the process. Matt Witten always has another twist just when you think you are at the end. He does it again with this book. I am not sure if it was the ebook but the book was hard to read. There were missing characters in the words and I am not sure what happened with that. But I will say this is a must read!!

When Petra Kovach is called into her editor, Daves office where she works as a journalist at the Boston Clarion, the last thing she expected was to be fired, again! She’s worked so hard and had thought she was doing well so it came as quite a shock.

Thinking quickly, Petra told Dave she had a huge story. She had information on the murder of YouTube star, Olivia Anderson. Information that could possibly find the killer when the jury had failed to convict anyone.

Of course, it wasn’t just about the job in this case. Having known Olivia as a 14 year old, full of optimism at journalism boot camp, she felt she, as the young girls friend, needed to find answers. But did Petra have the right person in her sights?

I found myself drawn immediately into the storyline and found it hard to put down. There are so many theories of who the killer is with evidence to corroborate you are taken on quite a journey. In the end I’d not guessed who it was but as with Petra I’d suspected most characters at some point.

I found Petra quite a tough cookie and there were definitely moments when I was willing her to do the opposite of what she was planning to do. I’ve really enjoyed this book and will definitely check out more by this author.

meet petra kovach, a terrible person and even more terrible journalist. she'd ruin your life if she thought she could get 2 more clicks on her podcast. it would've been fine if she or the author acknowledged how fucking terrible she was but no we are supposed to think of her a shining champion of justice!
i had no interest in solving the mystery in the book because i wanted to slap the characters who were doing it. natalie, dave and petra make insufferable trio of people to read about.
side characters are much better but they are not focused on enough.
one minor itch i had was the numbers being thrown around in the book. like i can believe petra's podcast getting that many listens but it is hard to imagine an 18 year old talking personal opinions on politics and getting 5 million views. it didn't feel very realistic.

good things about the book were the first 150 pages when i still liked petra and she was yk desperate and kinda terrible but still relatable. one other positive quality is how readable it is. except for some of petra monologue it didn't feel insufferable to get through.
onr another minor thing i loved was oceanview publishing reader's note at the front. it was lovely. i wish more authors and publishing houses did that!
and i would read something from Matt Witten again because i think he has what it takes to write a great story.

Petra, a newspaper reporter is about to be laid off again from another Newspaper, the digital world has put a lot of Newspapers out of print or having them cut their staff to actually be a viable business.
So Petra pleads with her boss to give her two weeks, to investigate a cold murder case, one with which she was close to the victim. Petra’s boss gets really excited when she does her pitch about doing a podcast, his in, but it had better be good.
Petra will do anything to keep her job, an investigator is all she has ever wanted to do. She comes up with a murder suspect, or maybe a few as time goes on and is relentless in trying to solve this case, no matter what stands in her way.
Will she succeed or will it all unravel, not in her favour.
One thing is for sure, I bet she wishes she just took loosing her job, and went home to her fiancé.
Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for this eARC in exchange for a voluntary review.

I really enjoyed this story about a crime journalist who is desperate to solve the murder of her friend. Despite everyone being convinced they know who is responsible she believes she can get to the bottom of the story and stop her being made redundant in the process but as she risks her life and ethics to get the story how far will she have to go to get to the truth and is it worth it.

📖My Thoughts📖

Another fast paced gripping thriller by Matt Witten! He is such a talented writer, he had me hanging onto his every word. The second I picked this one up, I was all caught up in the incessant investigating that Petra had taken on. Though her determination was extremely admirable, I was a little put off by her lack of empathy towards those she left in her wake, but it sure helped make the story. I think my favorite trait about this author, is that just when you think it’s all been figured out, BAM! He hits you with yet another twist! Keep your eyes out for this one! He knows his stuff! If you enjoy gripping thriller/mystery books, definitely include this in your wishlist!
Thank you Netgalley, Oceanview Publishing and Matt Witten for the opportunity to read and review this book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I could not get past the first few pages of this book. The grammatical errors were absolutely atrocious & the writing style made it nearly impossible to follow.

Name of Book: Killer Story
Author: Matt Witten
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Pub Date: January 17, 2023
My Rating: 3 Stars!

I have read only one other Matt Witten story "The necklace' and was awarded an Orange pencil by Oceanview Publishers for my review.
In this story, protagonist Petra Kovach, is a struggling young journalist who comes up with the idea to create a podcast investigating the unsolved murder of college student Olivia Anderson.

Petra actually met Olivia when she was a teenager. Petra was her mentor when they met on a student journalism boot camp.
Now Petra pursues leads as well as editorial challenges as she attempts to uncover the truth and find who murdered Olivia.

I've read a few stories involving podcasts. This had me curious but right at the start when Olivia was at Harvard, I didn’t like her nasty language and certainly wasn’t a fan of how she felt about immigrant families, I wasn’t so sure about this story.
I hung in there as I like Matt Witten


Although I didn’t love this story, I did like that the acknowledgements and note from the publisher was at the beginning of the story.
I always enjoy reading the author’s notes and acknowledgements. In this case in Matt Witten's
‘Author’s Notes ‘ are at the end of the book which is typical. He tells us the basis for his inspiration:
 ~He loves crime podcasts and names the ones he likes an interesting.
 ~He has praise for those dedicated to going into journalism as there are many obstacles.
 ~Olivia was inspired by Tomi Lahren
 ~Petra was based partly on himself.

Book Club members will also like the ‘Book Club Discussion Questions’.
Actually even if you are in a book club the questions will make you think!

Want to thank NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for this early eGalley
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 17, 2023

Petra, a journalist on the verge of being laid off once again due to downsizing, starts a podcast investigating the unsolved murder of her onetime friend. In doing so, she breaks every ethical rule in the book to keep the podcast afloat. Killer Story has a great premise, but ultimately suffers from one too many implausible scenes, stilted dialogue, and a host of highly unlikeable characters, especially Petra, who’ll stop at nothing to save her career, regardless of the consequences. It was a slog to get through this one, highly disappointing. I received an arc of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Petra Kovach, a talented and idealistic young reporter, is on the brink of being laid off from her third failing newspaper in a row. To save her job, she pitches the launch of a true crime podcast about a sensational, unsolved murder.

Years earlier, an alt-right YouTuber was killed in her Harvard dorm room, and the case went cold. Petra knew the victim—she was once her camp counselor and loved her like a little sister, despite their political differences.

Petra’s investigation gets off to a rocky start, as her promising leads quickly shrivel up. In her passionate quest for justice—and clicks—Petra burns sources and breaks laws, ultimately putting her own life on the line. Even as her star rises, she worries it could all come crashing down at any moment if her actions are exposed.

When her machinations start to backfire, there’s only one way to fix everything and solve the murder—even though it may cost her everything she loves.
A gripping thriller that starts on simmer and builds to a boil. Dazzlingly clever, twisting and constantly surprising. An unputdownable rollercoaster of a read.

I am giving this novel 3 stars.

Matt Witten’s writing is fast-paced and I hung on his every word. I loved the idea behind trying to uncover a killer through a true crime podcast. I have read one other book with that idea as the premise and that novel fell very flat for me so I was very excited to receive a digital copy of Killer Story in hopes that this one would be a better reading experience. So why only 3 stars?

For starters, I felt that there wasn’t much in the actual novel that wasn’t in the description of the book. So for me, it felt like a lot of pages I didn’t necessarily need to read. I also was a little bummed that there wasn’t that much “podcasting” throughout the novel, it was more drama regarding Petra keeping her job and personal life in check and a few fun plot twists. And those characters!! I’m sorry… I don’t care that your job is on the line, Petra, so many unethical things were done, I could not cheer for her, which was morally unsettling for me, considering she was supposed to be the heroine working on gaining justice for an old friend. The supporting characters - Natalie and Dave - made me cringe. Their values were crap and again, to keep your jobs and gain fame should not be more important than being decent human beings. And quite frankly, the final pages with the big “twist” fell extremely flat for me and just sort of came out of left field.

So why not LESS than 3 stars? Because Witten has a way of keeping you gripping his novel, needing an answer to, “What’s going to happen next?” And “Ok, so who really did it?” There are also certain political aspects and violent scenarios that I believe only Witten could have described so thoroughly and precisely that I physically cringed. And back to the plot twist at the end - I may not have thoroughly enjoyed it, but I didn’t see it coming, which is what an avid thriller reader is looking for!

Trigger warning: for anyone looking into checking this novel out, beware of multiple triggers, including talk of sexual assault and suicide.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for the opportunity to read a digital copy of Killer Story!

Killer Story
Matt Witten
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Trying to find your best friends killer, and you don’t give a care about who you hurt along the way? Another girl trying to still your thunder…. This book definitely kept me invested!!! I wanted to know the true killer probably more than what the author did! Matt Witten, you have an evil mind that makes you write the most amazing books!!! Just like the necklace this one was hard to put done, and that ending!!!

How Far are you willing to take it to make it big ?
As a true crime fan, The premise of this book caught my interest. I will say the beginning of this book starts out pretty slow, a huge info dumb. It does pick up after that. I love getting lost in the madness of a character and I felt like I was in the story trying to find out the truth along with Petra.