This book was a very different kind of book. It was quirky humourus and wierd at times. Amber got herself mixed up with all kinds of different type of people in different town and places. But in the end dhe comes out the winner Hurray!!!

A Comedic Thriller set in Las Vegas 🤑

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the gifted e-ARC in exchange for this honest review!

↓ Similar Reading Experiences ↓
1. The Thing in the Snow by Sean Adams
2. Buried in a Good Book by Tamara Berry
3. How To Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine

Amber is absolutely livid, and more than a little embarrassed, when she realizes she has been abducted by a serial killer. One with a strange obsession with PokemonGO at that. Things only get weirder from there when she is saved by a masked woman who wields a cattle prod. Next thing Amber knows, she’s in Las Vegas reliving a past she swore she’d leave behind, willing her eyebrows to grow back ASAP, and running from yet another serial killer…

LOVE NOTES
I had no idea what I was in for with a book described as a “laugh-out-loud thriller,” but I have to admit that Amber as a main character was quite the dose of entertainment. Her inner thoughts and dialogue made me laugh aloud multiple times even as she found herself in deeper, dangerous waters. I loved seeing the lesbian representation, the unique lively setting of Las Vegas and the feminist commentary on the history of serial killings in the US. I can definitely recommend this book for the elements above, especially the humor.

LOW NOTES (vague as to avoid spoilers)
I would say that this reads more as a quasi-cozy mystery than a thriller. What would make it quasi is the fact that cozies don’t tend to go into serial-killer territory. We are told so many times that we need to fear the man hunting Amber, but we only see glimpses of him from afar by side characters, so I never felt that Amber was in real danger until the end. And, even then, their face-to-face encounter didn’t scream scary genius killer to me. Instead, I was more frustrated with Amber’s gullibility when, in reality, the evidence to make her question herself and those she was working with was very weak.

With that said, would I follow Amber on another insane adventure involving serial killers? 1000% yes.

*SPOILER SECTION to be added in Goodreads Review.

Wow! I just finished this book a little bit ago and can’t stop thinking it about it! The story grabbed my attention from the first page and I finished it in less than 2 days. I have never read a thriller like this before, escaping from a serial killer was the easiest part of Ambers situation and if that sounds crazy - that’s because it is! What happens next is a twisted tale of trying to find safety when she isn’t sure who to trust and what is true and not true anymore.

The twist was simple once you read in that it wasn’t shocking but it was so clever and intriguing I was doubting my guesses up until the very end.

I highly recommend going into this one blind and hang on for this crazy ride. I went in blind and was throughly impressed with this chaotic cat and mouse game that Amber got herself caught up in. She thought she escaped and survived one serial killer only to be caught in the crosshairs of another and it will take all of her skills and an unlikely bunch of comrades to help her survive again.

Killing Me is set in the backdrop of the less than shiny side of Las Vegas and with an eccentric cast of characters. This book is humorous, a little chaotic and definitely entertaining mix of what happens to the final girl when she can’t catch a break.



Thank you @ putnambooks and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

3.5 stars - The write-up intrigued me and I enjoyed the beginning humorous slant. Amber getting saved from a serial killer and then on the run from the FBI was not what I was expecting. I liked the characters in Las Vegas and the planning and set up for the end. The middle was slow and I struggled with it, but I'm glad I continued on because the ending has quite a few twists and I wasn't sure where it was going and at one point who the killer really was.

I received this advance review copy from from NetGalley & the publisher for my honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing me with an eARC of Killing Me in exchange for my honest review!

I had a blast diving into the bitingly dark comedy and endearingly flawed characters of Killing Me, a book that reminded me very much of the Finlay Donovan series (I'm a huge fan of those hilarious books, too). The brisk pacing made it a breeze to keep turning the pages and following the noir-inspired plot's zigzagging path. Going back to my Finlay Donovan comparison, Amber feels evocative of the likable messiness in Finlay's own life. She's dealing with a whole bunch of shit and she's fully capable of making mistakes, but she endures all of it with a sarcastic sense of humor and a determination that gets us to root for her.

The supporting cast is made up of other compelling characters, too, including hotel manager Dot, sex worker Marcella, and the masked woman who rescued Amber from being murdered in the first place. The importance that Gagnon places on companionship between women is another Finlay Donovan-esque aspect that I appreciate. The casual queer rep is superb, too.

My only major criticism is that the third act whips out a twist in a certain fashion that leaves me feeling like the book straight-up lied to me. There are proper ways to handle this sort of twist, especially when they involve an unreliable narrator, but I don't think it was smoothly executed here.

Overall, I'm officially rating Killing Me 4.25 out of 5 stars, which I'm rounding down to 4 stars on Goodreads. Apparently, Gagnon will write a sequel, so I'll be looking forward to that.

Stephanie Plum and Amber share a lot of similarities. This book had me laughing out loud in parts also while being quite twisty and kept me guessing. This is my favorite genre and the author did a great job with the pacing and character development. It started out with a serial killer bang with a lot of humor (pretty blue paint observation). It was just fun!

Amber, a former thief, wakes up chained and gagged in a van. Serial killers kidnapped her. Amber's angry, not terrified. She's furious at herself since she doesn't think she'd get herself into this scenario.
When she thinks a Pikachu-loving psychopath will kill her, a masked woman saves her and kills her captor. She leaves, leaving Amber to wonder who she is, where she came from, and how she discovered her. Amber, who has a history of defrauding people, must pack up and move to a new place with a new identity when the FBI knocks on her dorm room door.
She befriends Dot, a motelier, and Marcella, a sex prostitute, and things seems to be improving until her masked savior tells her she's in danger again. All these women must work together to stop another serial killer who is targeting her.
What a zany adventure. Humor abounds. These flawed characters are charming. I adored them. The zaniness of the settings and the emphasis on female companionship and support reminded me of Finlay Donovan. LGBTQ representation, too. These women are worth rooting for, and a sequel is likely. 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group-Putnam for this advanced reader's copy.

A queer and feminist dark comedy about a serial killer and the girl that escaped him Turing the tables to hunt him down? Sign me up!

Amber thought she was a goner… strapped down to a table, completely shaved and painted to look like Pikachu, she’s pissed that she’s about to die despite her street smarts. But when a mysterious stranger saves her and then disappears she’s more confused than pissed off. With secrets of her own, she doesn’t stick around to get mixed up with the police, she heads to Vegas on a seemingly innocuous series of hints. Upon arrival, she’s struck with the sense she’s stumbled into something she shouldn’t have in the town that never sleeps…. with another serial killer on the loose, and the unexpected arrival of her strange savior, Amber falls in with a Motley Crue of sex workers, motel managers and all the people that make Vegas work, all trying to solve a string of murders and hunt a serial killer. Laugh-out-loud funny, razor sharp with plenty of twists this book is wholly original and entertaining.

3.5 stars. This is not your average murder mystery/thriller/serial killer type book. This was alot quirky, a little bit of dark comedy, and graphic at times. What I felt was missing from the book was more character development. I think if I was invested in the characters more, I would have enjoyed this more.

Killing Me is a funny, quirky thriller about a queer college student who gets kidnapped by a serial killer, freed by a vigilante, and runs into a motley cast of Las Vegas characters along the way. This was a fun, fast-paced read and I hope there's a sequel. Definitely recommend! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this arc!

🎰 Thriller
🎰 Hunt for a Serial Killer
🎰 Humor
🎰 LGBTQ Rep

Amber finds herself kidnapped by a prolific serial killer but is able to escape with the aid of a mysterious woman she calls “Ski Mask.” She decides to abruptly leave her town before the police can learn about her past and she finds herself in Las Vegas. While in Sin City, she realizes a different serial killer is hunting her and she enlists the help of a bunch of ragtag Las Vegans and Ski Mask.

I actually really enjoyed this book! Amber somehow finds herself hunted by not one but two different serial killers in this book. Things get a little wild and weird from there and you can’t help but think she just has terrible luck! This book had some twists and turns that I definitely was not expecting and kept me hooked! The book moved pretty fast and I was engrossed in the plot the whole time. I loved all of the Las Vegas characters, and would honestly love a book from Dot and the rest of the Fatal Femmes! She just fascinated me!

Fantastic mystery romp as you follow the misadventures of Amber, a former con artist who just wants a chance at a second chance to have a “normal “ life. She goes from being kidnapped victim of the dreaded Pikachu killer even dealing with his having shaved her completely and painted her blue lol. Her rescuer is a mystery woman who really doesn’t care about her but through no fault of either woman’s they are now stuck with each other. The book is a fun read and it was a hard one to put down once I dove in. If you’re interested in noir, Vegas (where the story ends up), and chasing serial killers this book is a must read for you.

This was an absolute joy to read! The story was funny cleaver and full of badass women. This isn't your typical murder mystery/hunt it is so different from the normal perspectives and I loved it. I would recommend this to anyone who like cozy mysteries and powerful women.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the gifted copy. This book is out now and I suggest you run out and read it for yourself!

Killing Me is the story of Amber who is kidnapped by a serial killer and rescued by a serial killer hunter. This turns into a partnership to take a down another serial killer. Not only is Amber running from a serial killer but also from her past and finds friendship in the most unlikely places. This novel is thrilling, it keeps you guessing and took an interesting spin on the serial killer sub genre. It’s also full of heart and humor which makes the story feel less dark.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of Killing Me by Michelle Gagnon. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for this ARC.

The opening chapter of this book was so unexpected, and it really sucked me into the story. Amber's journey then went in a different direction, and I am not sure I was as engaged as I was in that first chapter. All around, it was a unique story, and I would recommend it. I give Killing Me 3.5/5 stars.

Thanks to Penguin/Putnam and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This ... was an interesting read. Definitely not your run of the mill mystery, and not exactly "funny," but definitely fast-paced. Grown up child of somewhat untalented grifter parents, Amber is already on her first fake name when she is captured by a serial killer, and then saved by a badass blonde. Great start, but things begin to get crazy-silly-difficult to believe after that. I will forgive a book that is not realistic if the story is really good, but this was just OK.

After her salvation, Amber gets texts from the badass blonde and ends up in Las Vegas. There, she embarks on an ill-advised romance with a sex worker (seemingly just because she's hot and also lesbian?) and ends up embroiled in another serial killer mess, as the blonde is the sister of a SK who has been on a rampage since his teens (but never caught, ofc) and since blonde saved Amber, now Amber and her new Las Vegas friends (who would go to any length for her after just a week or two) are targets of the brother SK. Um, OK!

<spoiler>Add to that the fact that their dad was also a SK and the brother's murders follow a specific pattern, spelling out the names of flowers planted over where the dad buried his victims in the yard. Oh, except when he's revenge killing people who actually mean nothing/very little to his sister.</spoiler>

It's quite readable, and it wasn't a total waste of my time, but it needs a LOT more going on (or possibly less lol) to be a worthwhile read. 2.5 stars rounded up

The book is light and funny, with a great setup. It felt like more of a screenplay than a book. The characters did not have much depth and mostly served to move the story forward. I would have appreciated more chemistry between Amber and Grace in the Odd Couple tradition. But still it was a good summer beach read.

Fast paced, exciting mystery. I love mysteries and this book did not disappoint. Just when you think things are settled and safe — guess again - one more thing happens. This book will keep you looking over your shoulder.

What a unique thriller! I’ve never read a thriller that was both funny and gripping in the way this one was. After being saved from a serial killer, Amber is placed in danger by a different serial killer. She enlists help from the killer’s twin, a motel owner, and a sex worker.