This is described as a "laugh out loud thriller". Well, maybe not "out loud" but it is certainly entertaining. If you are looking for sarcastic humor with a bit of mystery, Killing Me is the book for you. It won't make my Top 5 for the year but it made for some good chuckles.

Wow! There were so many great aspects to this book. We have the sarcastic and savvy Amber that gathers a whole group of unexpected friends. The feel is more 'Ocean's 8' except to hunt down serial killers. I would have preferred more character development mixed with the snark, but after reading the authors note that she will see us in the sequel, I can see why she held off in certain areas.

Wow - what a uniquely original story! I’ve read a lot of books about con artists/grifters, but this was a favorite!

The beginning pages of Killing Me had me hooked. You instantly feel connected to Amber, and her commentary during her abduction is hilarious and really relatable.

Amber is abducted one day (not a spoiler, this happens on page 1!), and with some “help” escapes her would-be death by a serial killer - but not before being shaved and painted blue. She goes on the run, when her past threatens to catch up with the life she’s created for herself.

She heads to Vegas, the land of the easy score. She ends up connecting with some extremely likable characters. You can’t help but root for Amber here, as she refuses to be the target of yet another serial killer.

What a fun read. One of the most witty thrillers I’ve read (I would consider this a fluffy thriller, with a fun little twist at the end!)

I read this in 5 hours, and literally had a hard time walking away from it to feed my family 😅a must- read for this summer!!

Not your average serial killer thriller/mystery.

Just when Amber was about to become the next victim of a strange Pokémon loving serial killer, she finds herself saved by a young woman. However, this near brush with death sends her on the run from her past, to avoid prying questions from the police.

She finds herself in Vegas and quickly makes friends with a few locals before stumbling into the young woman, Grace, who saved her from being murdered.

From here things get weird, and Amber finds out Grace is a serial killer hunter with superb expertise because, hold up, her brother is one of the most infamous serial killers of all time! And he’s never been caught. Now Grace is afraid Amber will end up on her brothers hit list, so they team up to take him down!

Overall this book was unique. The ending was lackluster though and left me wanting more, especially with such an unexpected plot. I would recommend this to crime/mystery readers.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy in return for my review!

Such a refreshingly original, laugh out loud funny, cat and mouse, serial killer vs con artist thriller. I loved every second of this tables turned, feminist murder mystery that kept me on my toes the whole time. Great on audio narrated by (new to me) Jaime Lamchick. Many thanks to @prhaudio for the complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review! Highly recommended for fans of books like Never saw me coming or Killing Eve.

This was great. I needed a funny fast paced read after a few heavier ones. I loved the characters and the location. I loved the banter and it was funny and quirky. I would so love to see this as a movie. I will eagerly await a sequel. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest opinion.
4⭐️

Killing Me was a unique thriller. It has the regular serial killer and small time sleuths but this one has something more. Gagnon has a sense of humor and spins a yarn that entertains and keeps you guessing, right down to that final question...who actually IS the serial killer? You've gotta read this one to find out! Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.

"Killing Me" by Michelle Gagnon was a RIDE; but it was definitely a fun one! Our main character, Amber, escapes from a serial killer, only to find herself in the midst of a game of chase between another serial killer and the woman who rescued her. The characters are all very entertaining and even a bit heartwarming. I sped through this one because I could NOT put it down! I will definitely be recommending it to anyone who wants a good fiction book that's entertaining but not a romance.

Overall, I really liked this book. There’s found families, humor, excitement and suspense. But…it was in no possible way realistic. If that’s something you can get past, read away! If you need a book that is grounded in the real world, maybe this isn’t for you.

Amber was kidnapped by a serial killer, and believe it or not, that’s not the worst or weirdest thing that has happened to her lately. A mysterious woman showed up just in the nick of time to save her – or rather, to stop the serial killer, as the woman seems pretty indifferent towards Amber. After Amber’s escape she phones in an anonymous tip and tries to go back to life as normal – but soon the FBI is sniffing around wanting to ask her questions, and the last thing she wants is the feds digging into her extremely questionable past. So Amber goes on the run, landing in Vegas – and somehow, getting tangled up with another, even more dangerous serial killer, which puts her new friends (A sex worker and the wannabe-amateur-sleuth owner of a sleazy motel) in the crosshairs. Now, it’s up to Amber and the disagreeable vigilante who saved her life to take out a psychopathic mass murderer before he gets them first.

This book is hilarious - I loved Amber’s clever, humorous, and distinct narrative voice - but it’s also a hell of a thriller. There were some plot twists I didn’t see coming. All in all it’s a fun read (if you’re okay mixing fun and serial murder.)

Representation: Lesbian main character and other queer characters, POC characters

TW: classism and racism, and (obviously) torture and murder

Most of my reading fare is quite earnest, but every once in a while – when I’m in the right mood – I sit down for something a little snarky. I grew up in Florida reading Carl Hiaasen and Dave Barry, so crime and comedy have always seemed connected. So I was pretty excited to get a preview of Killing Me by Michelle Gagnon. (Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the gift copy!)
Killing Me promises a novel full of twists and turns and Plotting. The story literally opens with our protagonist, Amber, sitting in the back of a serial killer’s van, and it only amps up from there. Somehow (I’m trying not to spoil, at least this early) she ends up in Vegas, hunting down a dangerous criminal. Along the way, she befriends a variety of women who support her quest (with differing levels of enthusiasm). We’re promised a funny, fast-paced adventure – so what does Gagnon deliver?
Women helping women
Killing Me features a motley crew of women pitching in to take down a serial killer. We’ve got Amber, our wily con artist who narrowly escaped a serial killer at the start of the novel. There’s her savior – who turns out to be more prickly and complex than might be expected. And then there’s Dot and Jessie and Marcella, the ragtag group of motel workers and sex workers who Amber befriends in Las Vegas.
Each of these women brings their own sets of skills and stories and connections to the table. And, strikingly, each volunteers her support – they don’t need a deal or a bargain to help out another woman in need. Contrast this to more traditional ensemble casts, which often require some form of monetary remuneration. It’s not that there’s no money involved – but that each instance seems driven primarily by the goal of support, not wealth. The women in Killing Me can rely on each others’ goodwill to help them through tight situations. Out of the crew, I found Dot and Jessie the most intriguing – their strength lies in their soft skills and connections, not merely their intellect or hard power. It’s refreshing to see a spotlight on feminine power in a dark comedy context.
A question of identity
Killing Me uses these women and their complex backstories to explore the importance of identity – in self-understanding and in forging relationships with others. Each character has layers to unravel, which inform how much they can (and should) trust each other. I’ll avoid spoilers here, but not all the trust given is fully warranted. It’s nice to see Gagnon exploring this in a way that can have real consequences for characters, and it better fits the tone of the novel. (It would feel off, somehow, for the core message of a dark comedy to be “always trust random strangers”.)
It’s certainly an interesting topic, and one that goes under-explored. We’ve known through literal scientific research that women form social connections differently for a long time, so it’s nice to see it portrayed as positive here. (Amber’s asides throughout the novel referencing her psych degree seem to similarly explain intuition that many women develop to fit social norms.) It’s a stance that subtly champions the power of women, without drawing attention from the plot.
That said, I’m not sure Gagnon fully builds out her characters to the depth needed to support this theme. It actually felt a little strange even framing the theme as “identity” – because while we know what different characters can do (and to some extent, why), we know little else about them. This means that we learn a ton more about the “useful” characters (Dot, Jessie, Amber, the mysterious savior) than others. Marcella is particularly underserved for someone described as almost magnetic. We’re told she’s charming, but have no idea why, or how, people learn to like her. Even with Dot and Jessie – we learn enough to trust them, but not necessarily enough to understand them.
Thinking about comedy
Beyond these ideas of identity and trust, the story didn’t have a core theme. It’s not that I need my comedy to have a moral…But so much dark comedy has A Point (think Promising Young Woman or Parasite). The best comedy roots its humor in highlighting uncomfortable truths about society and really exploring its ramifications. By forcing characters to voice the strange norms we often take for granted, great comedy shines a light on the contradictory and even unfair elements of society.
But Killing Me isn’t really set up for level of introspection. Instead, Gagnon draws humor from surprise and absurdity. A serial killer who paints his victims like Pokémon, or the reflections of a motel owner on running a motel. By necessity, the humor drops off when the plot gets going. As things get personal, there’s no room to drop in surprising tone shifts. Instead, any laughs come from the sheer shock / surprise of violence or other plot elements. This isn’t inherently bad – it’s just not my flavor of humor preference. I like my humor with a side of thinking, and this just wasn’t it for me.
Reader’s notes & rating (⭐⭐⭐✨)
This is a bit different from my usual fare – darker and more tense, but with more moments of surprise. While reading, I found myself glued to the page – I really wanted to see what would happen next. But once I finished, I personally felt the story was a little shallow in parts that I, personally value – particularly the character relationships. Even if I don’t read it again, I would probably recommend it to someone else for what it is – a fast-paced read with a heap of absurdity thrown in. 3.5 stars.
Read this if…
You appreciate female-centric dark comedy
You enjoy stories featuring complex / orchestrated plans
You’re in the mood for the absurd / surprising
Skip this if…
You would be turned off by descriptions of kidnapping and / or violence
You like stories with clear-cut stances on their characters
You most often read books for deep characterization and character relationships
Killing Me will be published on May 16, 2023.

I was a little surprised how much I could be amused while reading the inner monologue of someone who’s been kidnapped by a serial killer. This story quickly pulled me in. I was itching to find out exactly who Amber was & how she ended up in her situation. As facts of her past slowly emerge, I really came to appreciate how honed her survival skills were. I couldn’t help rooting for her. Even if she played a little loose with the law. The characters Amber meets are bizarre & interesting, the coincidences keep piling up, & more questions are raised than answered. Who should she trust? The blurb isn’t kidding when it says things got worse after her escape. Even after it’s revealed who the killer is, I couldn’t imagine how they’d escape, let alone stop the murders. There are some great twists. What a ride!

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read & review an advance copy of the book.

Killing Me by Michelle Gagnon grabs you on the first page and doesn't let go. The inner monologue when Amber finds herself kidnapped by a serial killer is so sassy and also totally relatable. Being rescued and then dumped by "ski mask" girl is just the start of the adventure in this almost all-female cast story. We get to learn about her background as the story progresses which explains her reactions to the situations she keeps finding herself in. Nonstop action and serious girl-power vibes keeps you reading to the end. I was so happy to read that Ms. Gagnon plans to write a sequel. I'm ready!
Thank you @netgalley for the eARC for my honest review.

Humor & serial killers (yes, that’s plural) are not two things I often see combined, but this book pulled it off well!
Short chapters
Snarky banter between Amber and “Ski Mask”
Colorful & lovely side characters, especially Dot
The only downside was Amber was a bit of an idiot lol
Don’t take this book seriously - it’s not that kind of story
If this gets a sequel, I’ll gladly read it

Thank you to @Netgalley and @Putnambooks for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

FOR NETGALLEY ONLY:
Posted to Instagram: April 18, 2023
Posted to Goodreads: April 21, 2023

🔪 REVIEW: Killing Me 🔪

SUMMARY: When Amber Jamison is rescued from the den of a serial killer by a masked vigilante, she assumes her troubles are over. But a conversation with the FBI prompts her to skip town, hole up at a seedy Las Vegas motel, and hide out from the unknown person who seems to be tailing her.

This book is BONKERS in the best possible way. The writing is great, the characters are interesting, and the hijinks are funny and wildly unpredictable.

It has the same murder + comedy energy as the Stephanie Plum series or Finlay Donovan is Killing It, but instead of your typical heterosexual lady turned crime solver, the main character is a queer former con artist in her early 20s just trying to make it out alive.

Also, the cast of characters is 90% female, and all I could think while reading it is @hellosunshine — Reese Witherspoon’s production company known for backing this type of thing — needs to GET ON IT. It has “all-star ensemble cast” written all over it.

This book comes out May 16, and all y’all are going to want it in your beach bag this summer.

Thank you to @netgalley @putnambooks and the author for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

⭐⭐⭐⭐.25

It sounds weird to say, but this serial killer thriller is at times laugh out loud funny. That’s due to the snappy sarcasm found throughout. There’s a cast of colorful characters, and some creepy ones, too. I’m wishfully hoping this could be the beginning of a series. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

This story sucked me in immediately! Killing Me features a unique premise, hilarious main character, and compelling storyline. I never thought I would read a book featuring multiple serial killers and a team of vigilantes that would make me laugh out loud.

I received an advanced copy via Net Halley but I plan to purchase this to read it again!

4 stars!

KILLING ME begins with MC Amber, minutes after being abducted by a serial killer. Her inner monologue here is absolutely hilarious. While scared, she is PISSED. And man, is it entertaining.

After escaping The Pikachu Killer (you need to read the book to figure out why he's called that - I don't want to spoil it) with the help of an unknown female, Amber finds herself in the middle of the police investigation, which she simply can't have. She has spent the last several years running away from her past and she cannot afford to be caught now. So, off she runs again.

Amber ends up in Vegas, merely a pitstop on her way to California, but here she meets an incredible cast of characters that don't make her so eager to leave. But nothing good lasts forever, and she ends up intertwined with another serial killer who has been adding to his body count for years without the police even catching a whiff. Amber has no choice but to pair up with someone she 1. cannot trust and 2. cannot stand to stop him before anyone else dies.

Let the chaos begin.

This book was FUN. Right from the beginning I was cracking up while simultaneously intrigued. Gagnon found a way to weave humor into suspense, almost effortlessly. While I did absolutely love this amazing cat-and-mouse game, it wasn't my favorite part of the novel - it was the chemistry between Amber and her Vegas friends. Everything seemed so genuine, so authentic, and of course, so hilarious. I have my fingers crossed in hopes for a sequel where we can meet this wild crew again.

I've never read a book like this before and if you love a good mystery with a heavy dose of humor, this one is for you. If you set a cozy mystery in the wild land of Las Vegas, KILLING ME is what you get. Highly recommend this read!


Thank you so much to NetGalley & Penguin Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I can honestly say that I have never read a thriller quite like this one, and I still can’t decide if that’s a good or bad thing. This story follows Amber, a former con artist turned college student who is almost killed by a serial killer but is saved by a random woman. Soon after she leaves two and drives states away just to end up on ANOTHER serial killers radar who is connected to the strange savior woman. While staying in Vegas, amber becomes friends with a hotel owner and sex worker who somehow assist her with finding the second serial killer.

This book was chalked full of sarcasm, which I must say I enjoyed the banter between two of the main characters, and unbelievable events. There really wasn’t a twist aside from one or two things along the way, that were predictable or didn’t hold up. However, I went into this knowing it wouldn’t be a full blown thriller, but I was still skeptical after the first few chapters. The pacing seemed a bit off too.

Overall I didn’t hate the book, but I also didn’t love it, which is okay because it really just not be my style of writing! I’m still thankful to NetGalley and the authors team for allowing me early access in exchange for an honest review.

Killing Me by Michelle Gagnon had me on the edge of my seat till they very end. I did not want to put this book down at all, and when I did, I couldn’t stop thinking about the book, and what could possibly happen next. I truly loved this book, and I’m pretty sure this is my first five star rating for a book this year. Thank you so much to Michelle, for creating characters such as Amber, and Grace. I saw a little bit of myself in the both of them. Last thing before I finish this review, THAT ENDING!!