Everyone over at Thriller Book Lovers The Pulse is buzzing about this upcoming small town thriller! Thanks to @maggiegiles_ and @thrillerbookloversthepulse for an advance copy.
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I absolutely loved this book! From the very first page, it grabs you and never lets go.
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The story follows Alexa and her boyfriend, Dean, who accidentally cause the death of a girl they barely know. Instead of coming clean, they decide to cover it up. But something about the blood awakens a dark desire in Alexa. One she can’t seem to control. And more murders occur. Is there a serial killer?

Meanwhile, her best friend, Courtney, who happens to be engaged to a police officer, is determined to uncover the truth behind the string of murders shaking their small town.

It’s a wild ride as Alexa tries to hide her secret and Courtney is determined to figure things out. And the ending!!! Wow!
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Told from both Alexa’s and Courtney’s perspectives, this gripping thriller is impossible to put down. If you’re looking for a book that will keep you hooked until the very last page, this is it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Rising Action Publishing for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the premise for this book was intriguing, which is why I requested the ARC. I just couldn’t get into it, however. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t very good either. The characters didn’t seem to have much depth and I didn’t care for any of them, especially the two MCs. There wasn’t much emotion at all, even during scenes involving a lot of drama. The dialogue sometimes felt like it was written by ChatGPT. The interactions between the characters felt transactional and I didn’t care to find out what happened to any of them. Overall, 2 stars. I would not recommend this book and would not read another book by this author.

This is the first Maggie Giles novel that I’ve read and it won’t be the last.

I can see why my colleagues at Thriller Book Lovers The Pulse have liked this one. From a charged first page to a twisty epilogue, this was an intense psychological thriller involving two young women who are best friends, secrets, lies, dysfunctional families, and a series of murders in a small town. Told in alternating chapters of the two friends, the pacing was generally even, leading to a quick, easy read.

I liked that the two main characters were morally complicated and that their story questioned the limits of what we will do for our friends when there is a fine line between right and wrong.

Recommend this book for lovers of serial killer thrillers and toxic female friendships.

Thanks to the publisher for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

My ARC for this book was inexplicably grey letters on a black background and all justified to the right side of the page, making it nearly impossible to read. What I was able to read seemed like a fine story but it didn’t pull me in.

Literally, from the first sentence, I was hooked!

‘Blood crawled across the hardwood floor, oozing from the gaping wound in the dead woman’s head’.

That definitely grabbed my attention! So much delicious deviousness, and how can you go wrong with a murdery FMC?!

Alexa and Dean like to party. One night things get out of control and someone dies. This ignites a dark side of Alexa. She is drawn to the euphoria she feels from the bloody and gruesome scene. Will her ‘dark passenger’ return or is this a one time thing?

Courtney is Alexa’s long time friend and engaged to a local police detective. Bodies start showing up in their small town, including someone close to Courtney.

Friendships, secrets, lies, vengeful murder and an unlikely serial killer. And that epilogue!!

digital arc was provided by netgalley and the publisher

Well... the premise is promising, so I requested it. And it's not like it was awful, it's definitely not! The writing's solid, characterization-wise tho, I hope Giles stick to one pov idk to me double povs doesn't work here. Also, this isn't the whodunit thriller because we know from the start who and why and how. So I was just coming along for the drama. What I don't like is the portrayal of the killer. I also dislike (not surprising) Courtney, what a selfish cow.

Honestly, I struggled a bit with one.

Here is where this one fell a little short for me:
•Dialogue and action: stilted and repetitive. The book included many instances of “What happened?” and “Are you okay?” The characters also paced frequently throughout the story.
•Repetitive reminders of setting: Constant reminder that we are in Cedar Plaines.
•Ending: The final plot twist simply didn't work for me.

But the book is getting good reviews, so take my above-mentioned points with a grain of salt.
Read this if you like:
•Morally complex characters
•Complicated friendships
•Long Buried Secrets
•Vigilante Female Serial Killer
•Twists as the Secrets Unfold

📚 E-ARC BOOK REVIEW 📚

The Art of Murder By Maggie Giles
Publication Date: June 10, 2025
Publisher: Rising Action Publishing

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐✴️(3.75)
(Rounded Up To 4⭐)

Thank you to Thriller Book Lovers The Pulse, Rising Action Publishing, and NetGalley for this #gifted e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

📚MY REVIEW:

The Art of Murder is the perfect read for anyone who enjoys female serial k*llers and revenge thrillers!

The prologue pulled me in immediately and had me hooked in pretty quickly. However, the pacing of this one didn't feel consistent to me. Some parts of the story seemed were fast-paced, other parts seemed really slow and took a long time to get where they were going.

This story is told from dual POVs: Alexa and Courtney are best friends who bonded over family drama and teenage trauma years ago. They share a secret from the past, and they've been there for one another through everything. But as people around Courtney begin dying in violent ways, she begins to wonder if her best friend is really the person she thought she was?

While this book kept my interest, there were times I had to suspend my disbelief in order to stick with the plotline. There were parts of this read where I was really captivated and enjoyed what was happening, in the capacity of a revenge thriller. There were other parts of the book that seemed to carry on for longer than necessary and I found my interest waning with that particular storyline.

Though this book wasn't my favorite story to feature a female serial k*ller, this is definitely one you should read if that's a favorite trope for you!! It's good to see so many books featuring such badass female MCs lately, and this is another to add to your TBR stack!! Coming in June 2025.

#TheArtOfMurder #MaggieGiles #RisingActionPublishing #thrillerbookloversthepulse #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #ARCs #thrillerreads #thrilleraddict #thrillerlover #booklover #bookreviews #bookrecs #bookrecommendations

While this one was a little slower than I typically like it was pretty good for the most part! I’d recommend it for sure!

Scratch the thin veneer of peace and quiet in the town of Cedar Plains and you’ll find a seething mass of secrets and lies just below the surface. Best friends Alexa and Courtney are bound by love, loyalty, and lies, keeping a terrible secret between them. When a darkness is awakened in their small town and dead bodies start piling up, the bounds of their friendship will be tested.

My friends at Thriller Book Lovers the Pulse have been buzzing about this tense dual POV psychological thriller. It grabbed my attention right away when we meet the first dead body on the very first page! Perfect for fans of We’re All Lying and My Darlings by Marie Still and This Girl’s a Killer by Emma C. Wells, this one might be for you if you enjoy:
• Female serial killers
• Small town suspense
• Toxic female friendships

Many thanks to NetGalley and Rising Action Publishing Co. for providing me with an advance copy of this book.

2.5* Intriguing premise about what’s basically the making of a serial killer. We follow two POVs - one of which is the said serial killer (Alexa), and the other is her best friend (Courtney), who has no clue that her best friend has been behind the murders in their small town. The setup led me to believe this was going to be something out of an episode of Criminal Minds (which I loved) because in the earlier chapters took me into the dark mind of the killer and her messed-up thoughts about her urges to harm people.

Unfortunately, the book was more about the dark side of addiction / substance abuse rather than a murder thriller, because quite literally, there were more details of characters drinking / doing drugs than the actual murder plot.

But that wasn’t the main problem. While I thought the general plot was okay, what I really disliked most was how everything and everyone felt so, so, soooooo curated; characters were just transactional, and formulaic, and writing was monotonous and flat throughout. It felt to me like I was reading a news report.

I mean seriously, no emotions or feelings came through in what was said. Two perfects examples are, <u>and please note that as this is only an ARC, this quotation may be altered or removed in the final version of the book</u>:

1. The bride making a casual speech to her 5+ bridesmaids:
“Thank you all for being here.” I raised a glass of champagne to my guests. “I know some of you had to make arrangements to be here, so I want you to know how much I appreciate it, along with all the work you have been doing for the bachelorette.”

Thoughts: This could have EASILYYYYY been mistaken for a work event speech as oppose to a bridesmaids’ get together. Crazy flat and dry to the bones.

2. The groom upon receiving a call that his best man and best friend was brutally murdered, and his fiance asking if he’s okay (?????):
“Brett shook his head. "I don't really know what I'm feeling right now. I can't belleve he's gone. I can't believe he was murdered. These last few weeks have been nothing like what I thought our life In Cedar Plains would be."

Thoughts: ?!???? where’s the urgency? the shock?! ANY sort of reaction like the need to run out the door to get to the crime scene?!

I initially had high expectations from the title and high ratings, but this was, to say the least, an absolute bummer, on top of having an incredibly unsatisfying ending.

***

- Many thanks for NetGalley and the team from Rising Action Publishing Co. for allowing me to read this ARC!
- This book will be published on June 10th 2025.

What a wild read! A psychological thriller, starting out the gate with a trist gone wrong unleashes a dark side in Alexa.

From there it is a race to see how/when she will be caught and the destruction that will ensue between the beginning and the end. This was a fast, can’t out it down thriller.

The thing about secrets and what they destroy!

The Art of Murder by Maggie Giles was so suspenseful and thrilling. I LOVED it and read it every second I had a free moment.
This makes you question how well you know people, especially your best friends and at what point is too far with keeping secrets?
This is told through alternating POVs of two best friends... Alexa and Courtney... they share a dark secret between them but one has even darker secrets ... When the other starts putting the pieces together, she has to decide: does she keep her best friend's secrets quiet or turn her in? Lots of small down drama, secrets, betrayal, lies, and MURDER...
I did not predict the ending either! SO so much fun. I highly recommend this book! Release Date: June 10,2025

This book starts off quickly, grabbing your attention and pulling you in. And quickly you learn about the nature of the main characters.
It is written from the viewpoint of two best friends, alternating their viewpoint each chapter. You learn that they have both been through a lot in their lives and that both have secrets they share and cannot afford to have publicized.
The common theme in the novel seems to be what are you willing to do to keep a secret safe? And although that is not the reasoning behind all of the actions that Alexa makes, it is a driving factor. And it is everyone in the town almost with their own secrets.

All said, the writing is compelling. I read this fairly quickly, wanting to see what would happen next. I was pleasantly surprised.

ARC review- 06/10/2025 pub date

I absolutely loved this book. This is a dual POV with 2 best friends telling their story. The book started off with a bang, sucked me in and honestly never slowed down. This is a must read to add to your list for 2025!

Thanks to NetGalley and Rising Action Publishing Co for the advanced copy to review.

This book has a lot of elements i like , toxic friendship, moral dilemmas, secrets, traumatic pasts but it didn't work for me. I usually like unlikeable characters but not in this case. I didn't like Alexa and her treatment of Savannah was too much, so things from the first kept turning me off. I made myself finish it but it never was worth it for me.

My oh my. Her dark desires sure know how to fix some problems though. Couldn't put this book down today. I just needed to know how it ended.

This was an ARC that was given to me by the author and Rising Action Publishing for my honest review. Pub day: June 10,.2025.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!! The author made me feel like I was actually witnessing some of the things Alexa got herself into. She made me feel the dread and anxiety all of the other characters felt, too. She kept me engaged and that epilogue, c'mon meow!

So short cliff notes, Alexa and Courtney have been friends since they were teenagers. They've witnessed eachothers up's and downs, and their loyalty to eachother runs deep. Then, people start dying. Is there a serial killer on the loose? What is going on?!?!? Two people can keep a secret if one of them is dead.

Also, loooooove this quote (disclaimer: this quote may be altered or removed entirely from the final publication):
It's always at the end when we question the beginning. It's then we wonder how we got there. It's a weird feeling, wondering if you made the right choices, if you'd done something different, how things would have changed.
-Alexa

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5 stars)

Would you speak up?

Told from two perspectives—Alexa Huston and her childhood best friend, Courtney Faith—The Art of Murder explores the weight of secrets, the fine line between loyalty and justice, and the messy complications of lifelong friendships. Set over just seven weeks, this psychological thriller takes readers into the seemingly safe town of Cedar Plains, where a body is discovered, shattering its quiet facade.

Courtney has built a life of stability, while Alexa is spiralling into chaos. When an accidental murder triggers a string of crimes, Courtney is forced to confront an impossible choice: turn in the person who has always been by her side or protect her and risk everything.

While I enjoyed the tension and the way Maggie Giles delves into moral dilemmas, the plot felt somewhat predictable. The twists, though engaging, didn’t fully surprise me. That said, the novel is still a gripping read, with a fast pace and an unsettling atmosphere that kept me turning the pages. If you love psychological thrillers with morally grey characters, toxic friendships, and ethical quandaries, this is worth picking up!

⚠️ Content Warnings: homicide, alcoholism, drug use, drunk driving, voyeurism, sexual violence, ableism, references to domestic abuse.

Thank you to NetGalley and Rising Action Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

ARC review • pub date 06.10.25

I really enjoyed this book. When I say it starts off with a bang and never lets up, I mean it!

Alexa and her boyfriend, Dean, accidentally cause a girl they barely know to die. Instead of confessing, they cover up the crime. But the sight of the blood unlocks something deep within Alexa, and she can’t seem to fight the urge for it to happen again.
Meanwhile, her best friend Courtney —who is engaged to a police officer — is trying to figure out why all the murders are happening in their small town.

Told in from POV from Alexa and Courtney, this book is impossible to put down, and you’re guaranteed to love it.

4.5⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and Rising Action Publishing and Thriller Book Lovers The Pulse for my ARC