Kirby Cornell is back in the town of Crowhurst, where she worked as a local journalist when things went awry in London. She made good friends with her housemates, though they’re not necessarily a group you’d place together, but things take an odd turn when a message in their group chat pops up – that everyone in the group chat will die. Kirby thinks back to the arrival of their newest housemate, who, though wasn’t there for very long, made a lasting impression. Moreover, the text came from that most recent housemate… who died a year ago. Cue much investigation as she uses her skills to figure out who’s responsible and how she can avoid being killed.

We follow Kirby in two different timelines. She used to live with some good friends and when we meet her she is in a dead end job, but what happened in between?

I loved this book, it was clever, the friendships were relatable and in amongst it all there is a slasher/horror/mystery/thriller! You truly couldn’t ask for more.

The author has weaved a story that starts with a new housemate and ends in secrets, lies and a serial killer.

Truly brilliant and definitely one for anyone that enjoys thrills with a really good story.

I received this eARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review, which this is.

Part slasher horror, part thriller. A group of flatmates/friends drift apart after an incident with their surprise flatmate Esme, until a year later when a mysterious message in their group chat brings them back together to investigate. Until they start leaving the group chat just before they die. The twists and turns along the way kept me guessing how it would end and it was not the ending I would have predicted. There were themes around the death of print journalism, the rise in social media, civilian investigators and true crime junkies. It was a fairly light hearted read so even so it didn't delve very deep into social commentary. The story jumps between past and present as the mysteries unravel. It was a nice easy read and an entertaining story overall.

Thanks to the Aria & Aries team and Netgalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was unsure of this initially. It kind of felt too Tik Tok generation but I was pleasantly surprised by it. It’s a good whodunnit with decent characters and a good twist.

It would make a lovely read for holidays or on a flight.

This was a quick read which went between present day and 12 months before, and follows Kirbys story. I much preferred present day Kirby, her a year before was rather annoying. It's got some funny moments and quite a few deaths but I wasn't the biggest fan of the ending.
3.5 stars rounded up.

I started reading this during my lunch breaks at work and about a third of the way in, I regretted the choice immediately because I wanted to continue to read and not put it down until the next day. I was surprised -- but in the best way -- at how much I really enjoyed the story and the characters and the pacing of it. If there is one thing this book isn't, it's boring. The fast pace keeps you wanting more at the end of every chapter and the twist is something I didn't see coming and almost audibly gasped out loud at the reveal. The characters are likeable and if not likeable, then certainly interesting enough to keep going and I really enjoyed the past and present POV -- it really helped with telling the story.

Would absolutely recommend this book!

This is the second book by L.M Chilton and I would highly recommend both books. A dark, funny modern day story, that had me hooked throughout. It's rare these days to find a good psychological thriller that makes you scared and giggle simultaneously, but here it is. Highly recommended xx

I really enjoyed this read. Very Gen Z and Morden- day. I kept thinking I guessed the killer but didn’t, even until the killer was released at the end.
Love the relationships the ‘deadbeats’ had.

I found lm Chilton last year and have been waiting for ages for a new book. I love the writing and story and whilst not 100% my go to genre, I loved every second of this story.

I just love how quick witted this author is, it’s not laugh out loud funny but it’s highly amusing and kept me gripped throughout.

I may be bias because I just love this author, but I thought this book was phenomenal. Already eagerly awaiting the next release!!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the advance copy to read and review.

Sadly, I think this is a case of me being the wrong audience for this book. I can certainly see why loads of people would enjoy this. It's fun, well-written, has an intriguing setting with plenty of supporting characters... but it didn't work for me. The humour was too heavy-handed for my taste and became cringe quickly. I saw another reviewer compare this to a 90s sitcom and that's very accurate. It often felt like we were pausing for a laugh track. But maybe it's just not the tone I gravitate toward. Multiple times I felt like this would have been served better as a YA novel... then perhaps some of my grievances with it would be forgiven. But as an adult book, I couldn't get on board.

This book will find its audience. "It's not you, it's me."

A fun thriller with some dark humor slotted in, made for an entertaining read!
I was convinced I knew who The Crowhirst Killer was, only to be proven wrong in the final few chapters
I enjoyed some of the nostalgia that was added in there, references to video shops and floppy disks made me smile!
I had a couple of laugh out loud moments whilst reading, there were some great one liners in there.
I also loved the phone conversation Kirby has with her mum a litter later in the story.

Everyone left the group chat, is the story of Clare Cornell aka Kirby, and her flatmates 'The Deadbeats' . The group live in Crowhurst, Surrey and the story follows the 'Crowhurst murders' of a group of teenagers in 1996. The arrival of Esme and her interest in the Crowhurst murders, spells trouble for Kirby and the deadbeats, as one by one, everyone in the group chat dies.

The book has a dual timeline and we go back and forth between now, and twelve months before, with Kirby telling the story.

I enjoyed the concept of 'Show me' an online/app similar to tiktok. I felt the book was in line with current trends, and the impact and dangers of having an online presence.

The story felt a little slow to start, but did give a very good background of the characters, and gave a great insight into what had happened. Although the pace felt slower for the start of the story, it held my interest and I was keen to read on to find out exactly what was going on!

The book picks up around halfway, and the story really became interesting. I was completely unsure of who the Crowhurst killer actually was. From the clues that were given, the story could have gone in several directions, and I enjoyed trying to work it out. I was also completely surprised about who the Crowhurst killer actually was! I completely overlooked that character as a suspect!!!

I enjoyed how well the book flowed and how easy it was to read, as well as the subtle humour.

L M Chilton added a reference to his previous book Don't Swipe Right, which I have read, and I really liked that there was a story link there, very clever.

Thank you to Netgalley and Aria & Aries and Head of Zeus for the advance egalley copy to read. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the ARC

A fast-paced and captivating thriller mystery. It was fun, I actually laughed several times during it and was kept on the edge of my seat. Entharlling and thriller.

I absolutely loved this book. Way more than I expected to be honest. A definite hidden gem

The book follows Kirby Cornell in a duel storyline. Kirby lives in small town Crowhurst with her flatmates the deadbeats. Their flatmate Esme a social media sleuth who is re-investigating Crowhurst's serial killer from 30 years ago. Esme goes missing and is found dead. In the other timeline Kirby receives a text from the deadbeats group chat and it's from Esme but it can't be, she was killed 12 months previous.

This book made me laugh out loud, I loved the dual storyline, the texts and I liked all the characters. I would love to read another book about Kirby. She was a character I really enjoyed. I will definitely be recommending this book to everyone.

Thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the opportunity.

I loved this book! I was lucky enough to get an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley - thank you!

The plot was a lot of fun and I liked the two timelines within the book, revealing just enough at a time to make it intriguing. I liked the characters, they were well fleshed out and interesting. I love the concepts of weird insular towns where everyone knows each other’s business and keeps their weird traditions, the Wicker Man references were fun! I wasn’t sure where the ending would go and it wasn’t what I expected! A fun read.

This was a fun read with a lovely combination of humor and 'proper mystery'. The initial concept is great and the author then lives up to it. Recommended.

A fun, fast paced thriller that was an enjoyable read with genuinely scary moments. A great read for October.

I loved this!

We meet Kirby Cornell in this dual-timeline book, set in a little town named Crowhurst - famous for the murders of a group of teens at the town’s annual fayre some 30 years ago.

When a message pops up in the group chat from Esme, things take a dark, twisting turn and lead Kirby & her flatmates (The Deadbeats) on an interesting journey. Because Esme died, twelve months ago - and they watched her.

This book felt really relevant - probably through the heavy inclusion of social media. And so relatable because who is turning 30 and hasn’t lived in a dump of a flat but with the best of friends!

I really wanted this to be a 5* read for me, but I just wish there was less needless dialogue between the flatmates and the book definitely should have been released as an autumn read!

Kirby is shocked to receive a message from ex flatmate Esme, especially considering she died twelve months ago! Is it really her or is it somebody’s idea of a sick joke? At first, Kirby ignores the message, but when another ex flatmate leaves the WhatsApp group, only then to be found dead…alarm bells start ringing.

The book alternates between past and present, from the events of twelve months ago to now. Esme seems to appear in Flat Four’s lives rather suddenly, with one mission in mind - to prove that the ‘Crowhurst Killer’ of 1996 is still alive. Kirby herself gets sucked into Esme’s amateur sleuthing, and when Esme disappears into thin air, Kirby is desperate to uncover the truth. As readers, we know that whatever happened to Esme, she ended up dead. Fast forwards to twelve months later and somebody knows something, and one by one, the housemates of Flat Four are dying. Can Kirby get to the bottom of things before it’s too late?

I loved the chatty tone of the book, with it being written from Kirby’s POV…she was sassy and sarcastic and it added a good dollop of humour to the narrative, and a sense of comic relief to the darker storylines. There were times I wanted to shake Kirby for running into what was so obviously going to be a dangerous situation.

I liked the incorporation of social media and the use of technology as it made the book so relevant and realistic. We truly are a generation of sofa sleuths so this book could not be more apt! Great twists - I didn’t see them coming, didn’t guess the ending which is always a good sign…a fun, twisty, mysterious read!