My Murder by Katie Williams is a twisty thriller that blends science fiction with a classic whodunit. The story centers around Lou, a woman brought back to life after being murdered by a serial killer. Along with other resurrected victims, Lou wrestles with her second chance while trying to uncover the motive behind her death.

The novel offers a unique perspective as Lou investigates her own murder. It's a dark comedy at times, but also explores themes of identity and what it means to be alive. If you're looking for a suspenseful read with a sci-fi twist, My Murder is definitely worth checking out. However, be prepared for some complexity, as the plot can get a little confusing at times.

Reminding me of one of my favorite novellas of all time (Mem by Bethany C. Morrow), My Murder creates a sci-fi murder mystery that made me question what makes up a person. How do we become who we are? Is a clone the same as the original? Williams created a twisty, character-driven, complicated, messy portrait of humanity. And she made it entertaining too! I'll look forward to more from her brain in the future.

This was so creative! I was totally engrossed in the first half of the book. There's a shift in the book about 75% in that I didn't love. I think it worked for some -- just not the direction I wanted it to go. I'm glad I read it. I could see a lot of fan fiction coming from the world this author built. It's so similar to ours, but so different. It didn't feel like too much of reach to think that this could be our world someday. I was intrigued by the support group and all the possibilities for discussion there.(scroll down to view minor spoiler)

Even with my annoyance at the ending, I think it was worth the read. I will look forward to reading more books by this author.

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I struggled a little with how civilization had become so advanced that we could clone humans with memories in tact, but we couldn't treat postpartum depression or use forensic science to solve a crime, but sometimes you just have to let that stuff go for the sake of the story.

The victims of a serial killer are cloned and the clone gets to live the life of the victim. This was fascinating, strange, twisty and surprising.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an electronic ARC of this book and the opportunity to provide feedback.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing. an advance copy of this title in exchange for honest feedback. None of the blurbs do this book justice, a gorgeous meditation on motherhood, marriage, and also a critique of true crime.

My Murder is a very original story. Technology has progressed to the point that artificial intelligence and virtually reality allow experiences that are way more realistic than now, and a part of life. The story centers on a group of five women who were killed by a serial killer. Edward Early was caught and convicted. When Lou becomes the fifth victim, a recent mother and employee at a virtual strip mall hugging center, it becomes national news. All five women are cloned and returned to life with all but their short term memories intact. A federal government replication commission selected them for this honor and now, they are returned to their prior lives and lifestyles with a serial killer survivor's group to help them. Naturally, there is a lot of attention on them,

I note there is a real range of opinions on this novel. I found the pace of the book, the writing, the characters and the plot spot on. I read it in a night before bed and when I got up sitting. It has a mystery to solve, plenty of clues, families and babies trying to figure out how to handle the introduction of their loved ones back into their lives and some great twists. I highly recommend "My Murder."

[4.25 stars]

I've never read Speculative Crime Fiction before and I loved this highly unique genre mash-up. In My Murder, five women who were murdered by a serial killer were brought back to life as clones by a government project called the Replication Commission. The Replication Commission is not a secret, so the clones of the five women get to re-enter their lives. BUT…all is not as it seems. The story is set in a near future world that includes a heavy virtual reality element, clones (obviously), and self-driving cars...but, is pretty similar to ours beyond that. The first half of the book is very “WTF is going on” and, beyond that, the story takes a bit to get to the central point of what it’s truly about. But, things do become clear and the pace takes off in the second half (though I do wish the pace had been a bit more even throughout). Williams asks interesting questions about motherhood, marriage, and the “right” type of murder victim that gets the general public motivated to fight back. And, the ending completely surprised me - was way out of the realm of anything I would’ve guessed. A perfect pick if you're sick of run-of-the-mill crime fiction.

Suffers from the same problem that so many Riverhead books do: they have a really compelling jacket description that isn't reaaaaally the plot of the book. Williams does some interesting work contemplating death and mourning here, not to mention second chances, but the actual plot is thin on the ground and feels at times grafted on in order to give the musings some room to breathe.

2.5/5 stars - fascinating and engaging until the ending. Murder victims cloned back to life, talking about their own murders and who decided they were worthy enough to clone, etc. Killer questioned, a video game of the serial murders, then a dumb ending imho, which ruined it for me.

I don’t usually gravitate towards sci-fi, but I enjoyed this! Sci-fi with some mystery/thriller mixed in. I’ve never read anything like this; everything about it was completely unexpected. When I thought I knew where things were headed, something would happen that threw me off! The ending was a shock - I’m still processing that!

Katie Williams takes you on an unpredictable ride that you don't want to end in My Murder. Readers are introduced to Lou, who is happily married and the mother of a toddler. She was also murdered and is part of a program that clones murder victims. As Lou re-familiarizes herself with her life and routine, she also begins to ask questions about what happened to her and the other victims of the serial killer who murdered her. Can Lou fully trust her new life? Not really. Lou begins to question who she is, what happened to her, and who she can trust.

Murders would be much easier to solve if the victims could share their story, right? This story takes a look at that when the victim of a serial killer is brought back to life and picks up right where she left off.
Except this time, the picket fence lifestyle isn't enough. There is something dark lurking underneath the surface that is threatening to break through.
A darkly comedic twist on murder mysteries. The pages of the book will have you laughing and asking yourself some questions you may not be ready to answer.

This book's premise works so well - so well, in fact, that I'm still thinking about it weeks later. While no one else in the book club I facilitate enjoyed this one, I loved how Williams' delved into tough issues - what it means to be a person, to be a mother, and to still cling to who you are while being told you're something other - and feeling like you're something other. Trying to retain who you are after being brought back from the dead as a new version of you is a heavy, mind boggling topic, but the writing style and the direction the plot takes really helped cinch the big reveals Williams' throws at the reader later on. My Murder also deftly handles such tough topics as our obsession with technology and with true crime as a society very well, and it made me deeply uncomfortable examining those obsessions in this book as someone who enjoys both those things. While written in a way that makes it confusing, I think that adds to the plot, and helps the reader identify with Lou. Lou's story feels like an episode of Black Mirror in the best possible way, and it really has made me question everything I feel about what it means to be, well, me.

My Murder is a lovely, twisty murder mystery with a slightly futuristic, sci-fi element. Track Lous as she tries to remember and solve her own murder. If you enjoy true crime shows and fast reads this one is for you.

If you’re a murder-mystery fan looking for a very unusual story, this is it. With some vibes of Lovely Bones, but otherwise a wholly unique and captivating premise. I found this a bit slow to start, but once I was in, I was hooked. This one is 2023’s The Maid.

A futuristic novel in which Lou and the other victims of a serial killer are cloned from their remains so they can be brought back to life. Creative premise and an interesting twist--very imaginative and a great read.

The plot took far too long to get going and it was not what I thought it would be. I didn't think it was much of a thriller or a mystery. The idea is good, it just wasn't for me. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

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

I selected this book since it was about "murder," and while that plays an important role in the story, this book is really about what makes us "human."

Louise has been murdered. She and several other women are victims of Edward Earley, a serial killer, who has killed them and then posed their bodies with their shoes removed and prominently displayed nearby. The women are now in a serial killer survivor support group together, moderated by Gert, a representative of the Replication Commission, who has brought each of the women back via cloning. They each have memories, families, lives, and a second chance.

Lou knows about who she was before - a woman in the grip of post partum depression, who thought about harming her newborn and had a go-bag at the ready, stashed in the closet (even if her husband, Silas, doesn't know). That's not who her new self is, but when strange things start happening that make her question the narrative of her death, Lou must find out for herself who she can trust, and what actually happened when she died.

This is sort of a mystery and sort of speculative fiction. In this world which has embraced cloning (under certain circumstances, of course), there are driverless cars to taxi around in, hyper use of screens and a Google glass-esque product, not to mention plenty of VR, both for gaming and for emotional services. It's pretty compelling stuff, and very readable. I found myself going back to this book repeatedly (I usually have 3 books going at once) because I was so interested in where the plot would go next. Very keen to see what Williams writes next.

Beautifully written, very unique story. Reminded me a lot of Clara and the sun in terms of the tone. I really loved this one, definitely recommend it.

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of My Murder by Katie Williams!