I was expecting a dark romance, filled to the brim with murder and blood, and spice. Instead, I found a heartwarming, sweet and darkly funny story of two people who are used to living on the edge of society. I loved watching Jake and Dodi fall in love. This had so many moments of chuckles and so many moments of tears. I loved all the side characters and how deeply they were fleshed out. I loved the murder podcast that was weaved through out. I am glad the author cleared up early the actual serial killer status of the main characters, though.

Thank you the netgalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC. All reviews are left voluntarily.

I really wanted to love this book and at the start I did! But as I got further into the book the story lost me. The characters were interesting but I kept getting taken away from the storyline by details that didn't make sense. I definitely think that this book is great for some people, but it just was not for me.

Serial Killer Games by Kate Posey is a fun, escapist read! It’s wonderfully full of dark humor, as you might expect of a story revolving around two young attractive possible serial killers.
Told from the alternating first person POV of Jake Ripper (!) and Dolores dela Cruz, the story follows them as they pass each other in the elevator and halls of their high-rise office building workplace. They verbally spar, and jockey for the upper hand in the shadowy world of death by predators. There are wickedly funny scenes punctuated with snarky dialogue. Conversely, they enjoy some sweet moments as these characters deal with losses and heartaches, nicely told with sensitivity and pathos.
Jake is an appealing character—attractive, sassy, and sardonic—his armor against a devastating secret he lives with. Dolores is more mysterious, glamorous in black, as she confounds and attracts Jake. Their lives intertwine with sometimes far-fetched situations, but I found myself enchanted and entertained by their antics. When faced with serious issues, they find support in some unusual ways.
4 stars for this dark, witty, rom/com that entertains, and concludes with a hint of more to come!

Thank you to Berkley Besties, and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

I absolutely over this debut book by Kate Posey! It was so fun and just when you think you might have it all figured out… another twist happens. But it was also so heartfelt and I loved the found family aspect of it!

Literary fiction rather than thriller or romance and excellently written. I would love this as a movie.

Jake Ripper has worked at a variety of temp jobs over the years. When a new female worker shows up and takes an office that had been unfilled, he is intrigued. She doesn't look like the usual business officer employee with her tattoos and black clothing. He feels she might be a kindred spirit and know the dark world of serial killers.
Dolores dela Cruz also finds Jake to be someone who is very like her in many ways. They start on a rather dark friendship and flirtation. Neither share any of their back story in the beginning. The alternating points of view with each chapter being labeled with characters name worked well for me. As the reader and characters get to each other better, Delores' name is changed to her nickname of Dodi.
Jake lives with a wealthy roommate named Grant. Grant tends to tire of his "love interests" fairly quickly and asks Jake to dispose of them. Are these really murder victims or something else for Jake to leave in strange places.?Jake asks Delores to help him on one removal which brings them closer.
The author slowly reveals the real story behind both protagonists and the reader gets a glimpse of what motivates them. This doesn't seem to be a romance story at all. Many of the typical romance tropes are used.: marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers, secret baby, found family, surprise inheritance. There is also the strange use of office politics and how to hide in plain sight.
This sometimes dark book is sure to surprise and engage you from the start.

@berkelyromance#berkleybesties

This book was such a chaotic, unhinged treat which i very much enjoyed! Dolores and Jake have the kind of weird, morbid chemistry I’m totally here for, but totally understand if the humor isnt everybodys cup of tea tbh 😅
Overall vibe for the book is bold, offbeat, and confidently strange in the best way and I’d say that if you love Brynne Weaver books, you’d also get a good kick out of this one!

This one gave me some mixed feelings because there were so many pieces I loved, and then some that were just ok. The genre blend felt a little off because I was expecting more mystery and then it was pretty romance focused. Also, for a book under 400 pages, it felt like two really long books made into one.

There is so much preventing the two leads, Jake and Dolores, from getting together, but if they had only been more open there might have been fewer obstacles between them. Also, the little kid was pretty creepy and honestly the character who was the most sociopathic to me. She should probably be monitored and studied.

I don't want to get too into the plot because of the way it unfolds is really unique and that is how you learn about the mystery, so all I will say is this was unique and for a debut, pretty decent.

struggled with this a little in the beginning. I liked the tone and the pace. And I loved the banter both between the characters and in their heads. I was just a little confused. Still not sure if I missed something or if it was supposed to be lacking details.

But part way through things became more clear and when I wasn’t feeling a little lost, I had time to enjoy not only the story but the banter I mentioned. It was dark, funny and a little bit witty.

These two might be the quirkiest characters I’ve read this year. While their lives, jobs and activities differed tremendously from myself, I found the way they were written, I could sympathize and found them relatable. It gave me thought that no matter how different you are from someone, there is definitely common ground.

Christian Leatherman and Dominque Salvacion really captured Delores and Jake and delivered on the dark humor and banter. I love when there is dual narration in a (quasi) romance. It really helps bring both characters to life.

I'm a big believer in judging books by their covers, but I ignored my instincts and read Serial Killer Games. I may be an outlier, but I was pleasantly surprised! Rather than being a humorous romp as the cover would suggest, this book is so full of satire and turns of phrase that it had my head spinning.

At first glance, it's about a spreadsheet-obsessed temp (Jake) and a co-worker (Dodi) who has watched one too many true crime podcasts. Jake has a penchant for wearing dark gloves. Dodi has a mysterious job, lots of red lipstick, and a tongue sharper than a blade. Each thinks the other is a kindred soul - a serial killer flying just under the radar. "...[Delores] plucks up the coffee labeled DOLLY from her desk, and holds my eye while she drops it in the trash. Which is fair. I wouldn't drink a coffee bought by me, either."

But when they stop their linguistic tango, they are left with each other. Neither wants a relationship. In theory. But when they are together, the real sparks fly: "My heart stumbles, cartwheels, and falls on its face."

This book is all the things: funny, sarcastic, mysterious, suspenseful, bittersweet, and full of love between hurt people. Oh, and serial murders. Did I mention there are bodies?

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for introducing me to this great debut novel from Kate Posey with an advance reader's copy.

An absolutely stellar book! I really enjoyed every second of it. I recommend going into this book totally blind and just letting it take you where it wants to. I was so sad to say goodbye to these characters at the end of the novel.

2.75 stars

This book started off with an air of mystery and some delightfully quirky banter, but quickly devolved into something a little too convoluted for my personal taste. I also don’t think that this is quite the story for unreliable narrators, as it felt more like plot obfuscation than amplification.

Overall, I think that some readers will appreciate the author’s attempt to create something outside of the box, but it didn’t quite work for me.

Mystery/Romance

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



✨The Highlights✨

. Dark humor 🔪

. Unhinged chaos 🎁

. Morally grey characters

. Twists & turns 🌀

. Workplace romance 🖇️

. Serial killer… adjacent?

. Slow burn 🔥

. Mind Games

. Dual POV



✨The Feels✨

This book is straight-up feral and so unique. Think modern Addams Family meets the true crime podcast fandom with a sprinkle of chaotic romance and a sex doll wrapped like a Christmas present. (Yeahhhh) I spent half the story wondering if the main characters were unhinged soulmates or two sociopaths playing a very long, very twisted game. Honestly? I didn’t care—I was invested.



The vibes are very Butcher & Blackbird-esque but swap out the spice for cryptic stares, secrets, and disturbingly casual chats about body disposal. There’s dark humor, magnetic tension, and just enough slow-burn weirdness to keep you wondering. It’s a wickedly fun blend of morbid humor and surprising emotional depth—a combo that’s as unexpected as it is delightful!



If you like your romance with a side of morally gray chaos, true crime undertones, and a “flirty macabre” aesthetic, The Serial Killer Games might be your next unhinged read. Honestly, I wish I could say more, but it’s one of those books that’s best experienced blind!



✨The Spoiler Free Details✨

Dolores dela Cruz has a peculiar hobby: spotting serial killers in the wild. She is sharp-tongued, quirky, and armed with an overactive imagination. So when Jake—the new temp with unsettling charm, quiet intensity, and a suspicious fondness for leather gloves—walks in, Dolores is sure she’s found her latest obsession. But what begins as a morbid little game quickly spirals into something unexpected.

Thank you Berkley Pub for the free book and thank you PRH Audio for my #gifted listening copy! #SerialKillerGames #KatePosey #PRHAudioPartner #PRHAInfluencer #BerkleyBookstagram #berkleypub #BerkleyIG #berkley

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐲
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐧
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟐𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

𝟒★

This book was nothing like what I anticipated but I ended up really enjoying it. It was almost a dark rom-com with so many twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. The slow burn chemistry between Jake and Delores was perfection and I literally listened to this entire book in an afternoon because I was so hooked I had to know what this was all about. This book is so quirky and I really enjoyed Jake and Delores. I loved how the book evolved and I really appreciated the found family aspect. This book was not what I expected going in, but I ended up sticking with it and enjoying it!

✂️Dual POV
✂️Dark Humor
✂️Terminal Illness
✂️Family Secrets
✂️Enemies to Lovers

🎧Narrated by Christian Leatherman and Dominique Salvacion, I thought these two were absolutely perfect for Jake and Delores. The way they brought their two characters to life and captured the quickness of their characters so well was nothing short of amazing. This was my first time listening to both of these narrators, and I would gladly listen to them both again!

Posted on Goodreads on May 7, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around May 7, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on May 7, 2025
**-will post on designated date

Love this debut! It’s such a surprising and unexpected read. There’s a lot of depth, and it’s silly but poignant, creative and fun.
There were a couple of times that I got a little confused with the storyline and where it was going but that was intentional and part of the fun. There was so much humor throughout that had me cracking up, but it also had its emotional moments. I loved the quirky characters and their banter, and all of the plot twists. It was one of those books that at the end I thought to myself “what did I just read/listen to?”, but in a good way 🤣 I absolutely love Kate Posey’s descriptive writing. I definitely recommend going in blind!

Read/listen if you like ⇣
•Dark humor
•Mystery
•Reverse age gap
•Workplace
•Enemies to lovers
•Marriage of convenience
•Found family
•Fade to black romance

Thank you Berkley Romance, NetGalley, and the author for this arc!

This one was quite unexpected and unique! I really appreciated the cat and mouse game that took place and the romance that slowly formed! This novel definitely gave 𝗠𝗿. 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗿𝘀. 𝗦𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗵 meets 𝗬𝗼𝘂 vibes! I truly had no idea what I was getting into but loved the dark humour and banter that the two MCs had. It’s definitely a fun read if you are looking for an office romance trope with a nod to serial killers.

This story had a unique premise, though ultimately was hard for me to follow. There were a lot of characters and the theme was darker than I thought it would be based on the summary. The pov is told from both Delores and Jake, which does add an extra element of interest to the story. The author used a lot of humor and I think people who are into darker true crime will enjoy this book.
Thank you to Berkley for the opportunity to read an early copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 rounded to 4 of 5 stars
Based on the title, I didn't know what to expect from this novel. I was surprised by the actual plot. Dolores dela Cruz believes the new temp employee, Jake Ripper, gives off killer vibes. She gets close to him and likes the dangerous feeling that he gives her. But, they both have a secret which is affecting their lives and their ability to commit to a relationship. It was funny at times, and also had moments that tugged at your emotions.
A cute romance with a killer game story.

I wasn't expecting all the different emotions this weirdly charming book would inspire, but I loved every minute. It's about the unique core of someone recognizing it's emotional twin and what to do with the spiral of feelings that won't be denied. It's about found family and the beauty that can be created with love and acceptance. It's about discovering your inner strength, courage, and the determination to escape the trauma inflicted by tormentors. All of this is wrapped in a delightful package of dark humor, dry wit, quirky characters, and very unusual circumstances, and tied up with a not so perfect, but extraordinary bow that could potentially be used for nefarious purposes in a sordid but loving game of twisted possibilities.

4.5 stars. I love the relationship between Dolores and Jake! They were like kindred spirits- they are both dark and twisted and perfect for each other. Love the mix of mystery and romance. The cat and mouse aspect was entertaining and the chapters were not short, not long, but I felt were just right.