This is quite a different story to the sort I read and I have to say I'm not really a fan. The storyline explores a lot of difficult themes including drug and alcohol abuse, abusive relationships, secrets, lies and murder all in a small so called safe town. The murders are quite brutal so not for the faint of heart. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was my first book by Maggie Giles and after this one, I am interested in checking out more of her work.

This is a great book for those who are a fan of murder , dark themes, and morally complicated characters. Alexa and Courtney were interesting characters to read as their personalities were not entirely likeable, their friendship toxic and it's a fun change of pace to read about characters who it's hard to root for. It was also a nice change from the usual who dunnit books, since we have that answer right away. Looking forward to checking out more of her work!

Thank you to Maggie Giles and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a solid read with a few standout elements that I appreciated—especially that it's set in Ontario! I loved that Collingwood was the inspiration for the small town in the book, giving the story a familiar and eerie backdrop.

The Art of Murder explores the secrets people keep within friendships and how far they’re willing to go to protect them. The alternating POVs between Courtney and Alexa worked well to show the depth of their history and emotional baggage. The character development was strong, particularly when it came to their complicated bond, but I didn’t find either of them especially likeable—and that’s okay. In a murder thriller like this, you’re not always meant to root for the main characters.

The gore was intense and impactful, and the descent into madness was handled in a way that felt chilling and believable. The author didn’t shy away from brutal moments, and some of the character exits were shocking and timed well.

I think fans of small-town serial killer thrillers will enjoy this one. It’s dark, disturbing, and will leave you questioning the people closest to you.

A few quotes I highlighted:

“It's always the end when we question the beginning.”

“Everything is so final in death.”

The Art of Murder is a dark story involving two best friends, one is straight as an arrow, the other has dubious activities at the other side of the law. The story is told from different points of view, it's engaging although a little bit predictable, but it's good entertainment!
I thank the author, her publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

Alexa and Courtney have been friends forever, having both grown up in their small town with unhappy home lives. Alexa's mum died in a car accident, leaving her dad grieving until her mum's best friend helped him find happiness again. When she also left, he took to the bottle and Alexa was forced to become the financial rock, also drinking and taking too many drugs to cope with a local 'bad boy'. Courtney's life also hasn't been easy. Her dad went to jail for beating her 10 years ago and she can't believe her mum took him back when he was released. She knows he's beating her mum again and hopes to convince her mum to leave him for good. At least Courtney's life is on track - she lives with the man she loves and they plan to marry soon.

When the body of a young woman is found murdered, it appears Alexa and her boyfriend may have known her. Courtney's dad is found dead, only a few days after he beat her mother. When Alexa's boyfriend is also found murdered, the police are baffled that so many crimes have happened in their peaceful little town. Suspiciously, all the victims are connected to Alexa and Courtney in some way. Courtney begins to wonder if her best friend could possibly be responsible however she's torn between speaking up and looking out for her bestie who has always kept the secret she also harbours.

I love books set in a small town and this one had quite a cast of unlikeable characters. I'm not sure it's the type of town I'd want to move to anytime soon. The murders are quite brutal so be warned however the victims won't be missed by many. The storyline explores some difficult themes including drug and alcohol use, abusive relationships, secrets, lies and murder. A fast-paced, easy read with a few extreme characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Rising Action Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #RisingActionPublishing for the book #TheArtOfMurder by #MaggieGiles. I thoroughly enjoyed this book filled with friendship, abuse and murder and it is amazing. Courtney and Alexa have been friends for a while. But when murders start happening in their town, it seems that Alexa is tied to them. The killings seem to be people that deserved it but Courtney is struggling if she should turn her friend in. Should she confront Alexa or hide the truth? The plot twist is a whirlwind.

This was a quick and entertaining read that I finished in a few hours.
A well written story that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
The characters draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.

This thriller had an intriguing premise and started off strong, pulling me in with a dark, twisty setup. There’s definitely potential here, and the pacing kept things moving at a decent clip. However, as the story progressed, some of the suspense lost its edge. The character development felt a bit thin, making it hard to fully invest in the stakes or emotional moments. A few of the plot twists were predictable, and others felt slightly forced. It’s not a bad read by any means more of a quick, entertaining mystery that doesn’t quite dig deep. A decent pick for fans of lighter thrillers looking for something to pass the time.

This book started with a bang, literally. I was surprised at how quickly I was pulled into this world and the way Alexa had me enthralled in her life. I did enjoy the dual POV and it being the two best friends. I felt for what they both went through and really enjoyed the storyline. The twists were semi-predictable. I did have tears stinging my eyes by the end of the book.
Thank you, NetGalley, Rising Action Publishing, and Maggie Giles for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Rising Action Publishing, NetGalley & Maggie Giles for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 2.5 stars.
Genre(s): crime, mystery/thriller.

Overall impression: a very dark and twisted crime novel written from the perspective of the serial killer. The characters were complex and flawed with lots of secrets and cover ups for previous crimes, which suited the themes of the book really well. They were a bit hard to connect with and relate to, and I had a hard time finding a 'good' character to root for which made me feel a bit disconnected from the events happening in the book. But I liked the unique take of seeing the world through the eyes of the criminal as not many thriller books do this. The only downside was that the plot was highly predictable because we knew who the victims would be, the motives and when the murders would happen. There weren't really any surprises or twists which is something I usually look for in thrillers.

Tropes:
➵ Small town
➵ Female serial killer
➵ Trophies from victims
➵ Cold blooded or vigilante
➵ Chapters from killer's POV
➵ Everyone has secrets
➵ Deeply flawed characters
➵ Drugs, alcohol & sex
➵ Police cover ups
➵ Mental illness representation
➵ No happy ending

⤷ Plot:
The story was very predictable. We knew from the first page that Alexa was an accomplice in an accidental murder and cover up, which then quickly spiralled out of control and led to her killing many more people. The main bulk of the plot focused on Alexa's revenge killing's and Courtney's wedding planning. There weren't really any twists or turns from the reader's perspective since we knew all of the information all the time. I found the ending to be quite unsatisfying. As someone with a very strong moral compass, it always irks me if I feel like there was no justice by the end. And that's how this book felt to me.

⤷ Characters:
Alexa was a deeply flawed character right from the start. She had a raging drug and alcohol problem, and quickly went from being fascinated with death to an active serial killer within a few chapters. This is the first book that I've read where half of the chapters were from the murderer's POV. It was eerie seeing the world through her eyes and witnessing the planning, execution and cover up of the acts. Besides the obvious reason, I found her character really hard to connect with because even when she was putting up a front and pretending to be innocent to her friends - she was so callus and emotionless that it was really hard to feel any sort of empathy towards her or understand her perspective. I also had a hard time believing that Alexa could get away with so many murders given she barely covered her tracks and had obvious connections to all of her victims. The police were beyond hopeless and given how out of control the situation was, you'd think professionals would have been called in at some point.

I didn't particularly think any of the characters were likeable. They had all done horrible things and had no remorse. Instead of worrying about the effect of their actions on their victims, they only cared about the consequences of their secrets being discovered. None of them underwent any character development either, which made them even more unlikeable. In the end, I didn't really care which of them survived because they were all sucky people.

There were a lot of generalisations in this book too. The author played into the 'small town' stereotype with all of her characters having dead-end jobs and raging drug and alcohol problems. Now I can't speak for what Canada (where the author is from) is like but as someone that grew up in a small town in Australia and would move back there in a heartbeat - this is a damaging and unrealistic portrayal of what small towns are like. There wasn't a single redeeming character in her book and it made it less enjoyable because of that.

⤷ World-building:
I had a hard time picturing Cedar Plains. I'm not sure if the town was typical of Canada but as an Australian reader, I found it really hard to believe that a tiny town with seedy bars, a raging drug problem and seemingly no other sort of development in the area, would also have million dollar mansions. Why would anyone with that kind of money want to actually live there? We only got to read about a few locations and they were described in an okay amount of detail but I just couldn't picture the town at all. It didn't feel like a real place.

⤷ Writing:
The pacing was a bit on the slow side and I think the story would have been more enjoyable if it were shorter and more concise, given how repetitive the plot and dialogue was. The actual writing style and language used was very enjoyable though and it was an easy book to sit down and binge.

Alexa is a deeply disturbed young lady. When locals in a small Canadian tourist town start dying, The scenes are clean of any evidence that can link the killer. Told through a dusl point if view, you get a glimpse into the mind of the killer. The twist at the end is great.

At the start of the book, Alexa and her boyfriend Dean’s wild night goes wrong when a girl ends up dead. As they attempt to cover it up, something dark is awakened in Alexa and she can no longer control the “monster” within. As bodies start piling up, and her best friend, Courtney, becomes suspicious, it becomes more difficult to hold onto the secrets that they have both been keeping.

This book is filled with secrets, lies, morally gray characters, and toxic friendships. Combine that with a female serial killer targeting those who she feels deserve to die, and you have one entertaining and dark thriller! I enjoyed the alternating points of view between Alexa and Courtney and the small town vibe that connected the characters to each other. I also liked that this was a different kind of thriller because even though the reader knows who is committing the murders, it was still twisty and suspenseful! This is definitely a dark thriller with very descriptive murder scenes and brings to light the question of how far people will go to keep their own secrets buried when faced with a moral dilemma.

This was my first book by this author and I’ll definitely be reading more!

A unique take on the serial killer genre of thriller/suspense that asks, “how far would you go to protect the ones you love the most?”.

If you love mystery and murder… this book is for you! Kept me guessing until the very end. Wow! You are going to want to take this on your summer vacation, just make sure to sleep with the lights on!!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Thank you @risingactionpublishingco for my complementary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Best friends Courtney and Alexa share a dark secret, and they seem to have put it behind them as they prepare for Courtney’s wedding. But then, a string of gruesome murders causes Courtney to suspect Alexa, and their fragile trust begins to unravel.

As the murders escalate, Alexa's increasingly erratic behavior leads Courtney to question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. With each new clue, the line between loyalty and betrayal blurs, forcing them both to confront their darkest fears. Will their friendship survive the revelation of long-buried secrets, or will the truth tear them apart forever?

MY THOUGHTS: While the exploration of Courtney and Alexa’s friendship and the nuances of their bond could have been deepened, the thrilling elements of the story will appeal to readers who enjoy a suspenseful read. The look into the mind of an unhinged killer adds an extra layer of suspense, making this a good choice for readers looking for a page-turner filled with drama and unexpected twists. If you're a fan of dark thrillers, this book may just be what you're looking for. This one is recommended by my friends @thrillerbookloversthepulse.

This is a fun thriller, of the 'when will the serial killer get caught' variety. Folks who enjoy books like John Fowles's The Collector may enjoy this book.

Thank you to Maggie Giles and Rising Action Publishing for the ARC! Another winner over at Thriller Lovers the Pulse.

The idyllic town of Cedar Pines is shattered when a dead body is discovered. For Courtney, who is engaged to a police officer, it hits especially close to home. Meanwhile, her best friend Alexa accidentally ends up in a deadly mess of her own.

I love a small town setting with BIG secrets! This one is just that, starting with a bang with tension that does not let up! Told in dual points of view, the alternating perspectives of the two best friends worked well. I liked getting to see where both of their minds were at, as they truly were working against each other in a way! Courtney especially was put in an impossible position. With it's fast pace, psychological thriller fans will enjoy this one.

“The Art of Murder” releases June 10, 2025. This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

This book cracked open my cozy small-town dream and stuffed it full of secrets, lies, and MURDER.

Set in Cedar Plains—where nothing bad should ever happen—this story spirals FAST when a body turns up and two best friends find themselves on opposite sides of a deadly secret. One’s hiding the truth, the other’s uncovering it… and I was flipping pages like my life depended on it.

Friendship. Betrayal. Twisted choices. This one had me holding my breath, questioning everything, and wondering just how well we really know the people closest to us.

If you love dark twists, buried secrets, and morally gray “wait… did she really just do that?” moments—grab this book and cancel your plans. 4.5 ⭐️s

Thanks to Rising Action Publishing | Rising Action for this advance copy via NetGalley for my honest, voluntary review.

This book had a slow start for me. But once all the past lies started unraveling and the bodies started piling up it really picked up.

🌟🌟🌟🌟
💀🔪 BOOK TOUR 🔪 💀
"THE ART OF MURDER" by Maggie Giles

BFFs and Buried Bodies!
Thanks to Thriller Book Lovers for putting this twisty little gem on my radar! I'm adding my review to our team's growing list of raves. Mark your calendars for June 10, thriller aficionados, because this one delivers. 👀📅

Courtney and Alexa are BFFs with benefits of the murderous kind. These two are bound together by friendship and shackled by some seriously dark secrets.

They’ve taken different paths in life, but they share a mission: keep the skeletons buried. ☠️ This book has everything: toxic friendship, long-buried secrets, and that deliciously creeping tension that compels you to turn just one more page and then five more!

Giles knows how to keep the suspense simmering while serving up a storyline that's as juicy as it is twisted. 🔥

Don't miss this one if you like sharp, secretive, and slightly sinister thrillers!

Thank you to the author and Rising Action for this ARC provided via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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