Twisty, turny, dysfunctional, problematic, toxic fun. An engaging work of feminist rage and a trauma bond that bends and cracks under the pressure of a terrible deed and a dark secret. Will keep you guessing til the end!

An exciting debut thriller! Four best friends (Dylan, Priya, Isabel and Beck) have been close for a very long time. When Beck is murdered, the others believe that Peter Miles, a police officer who had been dating Beck, is guilty but is getting away with it. So, they hatch a plan to take justice into their own hands and get sweet revenge. Will they succeed, and if so, how do they deal with the aftermath? This is a fast-paced and intriguing read, one that has some great twists and turns and should definitely keep you turning pages. I definitely look forward to reading more from this author.

Peter Miles Has to Die has a number of twists and turns throughout the story. The action is steady, and while not explosive, moves along to an interesting ending. A solid tale.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine for the opportunity to read this ARC.

3.5, I really liked the premise - three friends set out to get justice for their friend who was murdered. I also really liked that it was set in the 90s, making the plan more simple to follow along with and to see if anyone gets caught without the help of cell phone pings. The dialogue was a little clunky at first, but around the 50% mark things started to gel better. I would definitely pick up another thriller by this author.

Thank you for to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy and a chance to read this early. All opinions are my own.

If you like revenge stories (as I do) you should definitely try Peter Miles Has to Die.

Three friends, upset that the police haven't arrested the guy who killed their friend Beck, decide to take matters into their own hands. That's all you need to know, because I think the synopsis of this gives too much away! This is set in the mid 1990s, with epistolary elements from the late 1990s, which makes for an interesting guessing game.

The story is twisty and surprising and really held my interest. Though I guessed one major element, that made the book more fun!

This is Katie Collom's first book and I'll definitely be on the lookout for her follow-up!

Peter Miles is not a good person. He has gotten away with a lot including murder. He also happens to be a cop. This is the story of the the close friends of one victim who are committed to making him pay. “This whole concept of justice. They tell you that you need to have faith. Faith in the system, faith that the bad guys will pay.” Who gets to be the judge? The story explores this question and more.

The outset was a little slow but about 1/3 of the way in, the book took off and was hard to put down. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance review copy.

Peter Miles DOES have to die, if you ask me.

Three women—a bartender, a nurse, and a student— plan to murder a corrupt cop who killed their best friend, believing revenge will bring them peace. But as an investigation closes in around them and secrets unravel, they discover that the real danger begins after the kill—and someone will have to pay the price.

This was a bingeable, voicey story of revenge and friendship. I loved the friendship between the women, their case to avenge their friend, and the cat and mouse game they fall into after his murder.

Fans of thrillers with close friendship and Good for Her moments will devour this one!

Three best friends are dealing with the murder of one of their friends and that her suspected killer is out with no plans for his arrest, and he's a police officer. When they are presented with a chance to get even they begin to plan his murder. I liked this book and that we saw the different characters points of view throughout. While we knew who committed the crimes through the book there were some twists and surprises. I want to thank NetGalley and Ballantine for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book! The title is true, Peter Miles has to die. This mystery is perfect for anyone who listens to true crime and ever wondered what they would do if someone they loved was murdered and the murderer got away with it. The story follows a trio of women who are greiving the loss of their best friend Beck. Everyone knows Peter Miles did it but no one will lock him up since he is a cop. This story is about what happens when good people feel neglected by the system. The only bad thing is I left the ending was a bit rushed but this is a shorter book so I guess that is to be expected. Overall I recommend this book.

3.5 Stars- In "Peter Miles Has to Die", a group of friends have lost one of their own to murder. Beck was killed by her ex-boyfriend, a cop named Peter Miles. Her three friends, Dylan, Priya, and Isabel have decided to take justice into their own hands when Peter is not arrested for Beck's death. The three friends think that they will be fine but the problem is that if a cop is murdered someone has to be arrested.

There was a lot to like about this novel. The three friends were interesting characters especially Dylan. She was strong and I liked how she took charge of many of the situations. I really liked the female cop Bree as well. I was rooting for her to be successful the entire book. There were also short chapters where the reader got the point of view of someone who was in prison. I enjoyed trying to figure out which character was arrested. The premise of the book did frustrate me a little because of the situation and the choices the characters made. I wanted a better outcome for all involved. There was a good twist but it was not the ending I was hoping for. Overall, this was a solid thriller with mystery elements involved. The premise was also not typical since you knew right up front that Peter Miles had to die.

Thank you to Bantam Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC.

Peter Miles Has to Die was a thrilling ride from start to finish, packed with twists and turns that kept me on the edge the whole time. One of the most compelling aspects of the book was the friendship between Dylan, Priya, and Isabel. Their bond felt so real and deep, but watching guilt slowly unravel each of them added a powerful emotional layer that made it hard to put down.

The Texas setting added another level of intensity, where sexism and discrimination are unfortunately alive and well. It made the stakes feel even higher for these women, especially when Peter Miles turns up dead and the chief is desperate for a quick resolution. That’s when we’re introduced to Detectives Bree Righetti and Mike O’Malley—total opposites in personality and investigative style, but both fascinating and dynamic in their ways. I especially loved Bree—strong, smart, and not afraid to challenge the status quo.

Katie Collom’s writing is impressively emotional and intense, especially for a debut novel. She nailed the tension, the inner conflict, and the messy complexity of loyalty and justice. I’m giving this a solid 4 stars and would read more from her in the future.

This is a fast paced, emotional debut novel with strong characters. It grabbed me from the first chapter and I could barely put it down through all the twists and turns that followed. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for an advanced reader copy.

I really liked the premise of this book. For me, it was a little slow at the start and didn't hook me until almost halfway in. Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy.

“Peter Miles Has to Die” is by Katie Collom. This book follows three women who decide to take matters into their own hands when their mutual friend is murdered by a corrupt cop who doesn’t get into trouble. Ms. Collom did a great job setting up the story - along with establishing the revenge and friendship. At times the pacing was a bit slow but it picked up around the 50% mark, which was nice for the rest of the book. There was tension in this book, but while engaging, sometimes the emotional scenes didn’t quite click for me. This was a fine book, but it somehow missed the mark. I would read another book by this author to get her another try, so that’s a positive.

Isabel, Dylan and Priyanka are still coping with the unsolved murder of their best friend, Rebecca.
Evidence seemed to point to Peter Miles, a cop whom she had been dating and broke up with, shortly before she was killed. The friends are convinced he did it and make a huge decision.
Peter Miles has to die.
To further complicate the issue, Dylan is on the edge of a relationship with another officer from the same force, Bree.
The characters are interesting and the invisible bonds holding their lifetime connection are easy to perceive as impetus in their decision.
But the reality of thinking and actually doing are very different and I found it hard to
relate as the story plays out, even knowing it is just a story.
The reasoning and planning just did not cone over as realistic in any way.
Could not compute.

Peter Miles Has to Die had strong writing with a sharp, polished style that showed the author’s talent—but unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to hold my attention. Despite the clever prose, the plot felt sluggish and lacked the tension or intrigue I was hoping for. I kept waiting for something compelling to happen, but the story never quite delivered. It just didn’t grip me, and I found myself losing interest as it went on.

I had a couple scenarios brewing from a few paragraphs as to how this story may go and I was dead on. What an interesting read indeed!

Imagine having four close friends with whom you’ve known most of your life and one of those friends begins dating a guy and she’s all giddy like a school-girl crush with the excitement of a new love abound and something goes horribly wrong. What do I mean by “wrong” you ask? After your friend discovers the guy she’s dating is not only a jerk, but also happens to be a police officer, who do you call when he has stalker-ish behavior?

If only Dylan, Priya, and Isabel could have saved their beloved friend, Rebecca, better known as Beck. Peter Miles, the police officer, has brought so much chaos to the girlfriends that all they can think about is getting even with him. He murdered their best friend and has gotten away with it. Where’s the justice in that?

Dylan wasn’t quite sure where Lady Justice went, but she knew how to rectify the current situation. There was only one conclusion for her to come to, Peter Miles must die. Sometimes you find when you wish for something so hard, wishes really do come true because Peter was found murdered. There wasn’t any love lost among the friends. The police were upset that someone murdered one of their own. Immediately they began questioning Beck’s family and friends because naturally they’d have a vendetta against Peter. But no matter how hard they tried, the friends weren’t giving up any information.

However, although the ladies wouldn’t cooperate with the police, there’s something to be said about holding on to secrets. Everyone isn’t cut out to deal with guilt. Some people, no matter how angry they are at a situation can't follow through with being on the wrong side of the law. Because let’s face it, these ladies didn’t have anything to hide, right? These friends were tested and then some.

At the end of the day, what these women found out is that some plans sound good in theory when you speak them into existence, but once they are executed, there’s no “do over” button. Real life just doesn’t work that way. I figured out the ending long before I got there, but it did not take anything away from the story.

I was immediately hooked by the premise of this one. I found myself torn between rooting for the three women and I felt their rage, their grief, and their desperation.I was shocked by how quickly their plan unfolded and how easy the murder seemed—until the consequences started closing inI didn’t expect the detective’s storyline to twist the narrative even further, but it added a whole new layer of suspense. I couldn’t stop turning the pages, needing to know who would break, who would survive, and who would pay the price.

This book had me hooked from the first chapter. I love the trope of women taking control and exacting revenge, and this story delivers that in spades. It has very Goodbye Earl vibes—in the best way possible. The main characters are fierce, clever, and done taking anyone's crap. Watching them take matters into their own hands was both thrilling and deeply satisfying.

The pacing kept me turning pages, and while a few plot points stretched believability, the emotional drive behind the characters made it all work. There’s a strong current of justice and loyalty that balances out the darker moments.

If you enjoy strong female friendships, and revenge that makes you want to cheer, this one’s worth the read. Peter Miles definitely had it coming.

Three friends are devastated after their friend is killed and the man responsible walks free because he is a cop. They devise the plan to end his life. I liked how you had so many different points of view and the author did a great job of portraying how the friends start to unravel after the crime is committed. I was shocked when it was revealed who went to prison for the crime.