Hannah Mary McKinnon never disappoints with her story endings! It is always a shock and one you never saw coming. I love how she always ties everything up so you have closure, BUT always leaves a little something that is left to your imagination and where you can decide the ending. So keep that in mind if you are one that needs a definitive ending.
Another thing I enjoyed was her main character, Stella. I am always happy when reading about strong, independent women who can take care of themselves.

I love pod casts, so I was really excited to read this book, and it did not disappoint. It was a quick easy read and has short chapters which i loved and flew through quickly. The story is well written, and I love how it keeps you engaged and didn't want to put it down.

Stella Dixon snuck her teenage brother our of their parents house to a beach party. It was harmless fun, until he went missing. Never to be seen again. She has been searching for Max ever since. Six years later, she has a true crime podcast, Killer Motive, where her and a friend help solve cold cases. In a bid to boost sponsorship, they go on a radio show to talk but someone calls in asking about Max. Then a short time later, she begins getting the emails, inviting her to play a game and potentially uncover the mystery around his disappearance.

Oh the SUSPENSE!! Seriously, I flew through this second part as I just could not wait to find out what was going on. I honestly did not suspect any of the characters presented 😂 I'd clearly be a bad detective. It was such a suspenseful and thrilling read and the author has outdone herself again!

Thank you to @harlequinbooks for the ARC. A Killer Motive out 9/9📱🔪

I was immediately hooked and forced myself to put the book down Monday night at a reasonable time. That was out the window Tuesday, I was up way past my bed time in order to finish this one. I loved the characters who are all flawed and hyper realistic given their situations. I loved the aspect of a true crime podcaster investigating her own brothers disappearance when a mystery caller starts harassing her with information only her and her brother could know.

The story starts off slow, building up to about 45% through when all hell breaks loose and you cant turn the page fast enough. I can see this being a big standout in the genre with its secrets, twists, and red herring filled rollercoaster ride. Grab this one when it comes out, it will be the perfect start to spooky season!

Stella’s brother went missing several years ago and she’s done everything to find out what happened to him. Partly because of his disappearance she started a true crime podcast. Stella gets a call from someone who wants to play a game with her but she does not want to play. When her brothers best friend goes missing, Stella knows the person tormenting her is responsible. In a non stop action story Stella tries to save her brothers friend and find out what happened to her brother. The book is fast paced and plenty of twists. I didn’t want to put the book down!

Thank you to the publisher for a free NEtgalley.

Oh this was good. I flew through this book. I could not put it down even being on a Europe trip.

From the first page, McKinnon hooked me in and I had to know what was going to happen. The little clues along the way and the different ways we see the characters play out was well done. The pacing was perfect.

The red herrings were not overdone and the ending was really something.

I really enjoyed A Killer Motive by Hannah Mary McKinnon. It’s a well-crafted mystery with a clever plot that kept me guessing until the end. The pacing was solid, balancing suspense and character development nicely. I liked how the author built tension and revealed clues gradually without giving too much away too soon.

The characters felt authentic and the setting added a cozy but eerie vibe that worked perfectly for the story. While a couple of twists were a bit predictable, overall, the mystery was engaging and satisfying.

If you enjoy smart, character-driven mysteries with a strong motive at the center, this one is definitely worth a read.

The idea behind this book grabbed my attention and I felt hooked to the story for the first half. But somewhere along the way, the story kept looping and looping with the same information and I started to lose interest. I speculated about the ending and honestly, I thought the "reveal" of Max was expected and underwhelming, and also--didn't fit the momentum. It was just fine.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC!!

I was so excited to request this based on the synopsis alone. This book did not disappoint. You will be on the edge of your seat, biting your nails, and clenching every part of your body!!! The twist and end were also genius.

For most of this book I was tense. Stella was absolutely obsessed with finding her brother and I felt was pretty self destructive.
The main predator had Stella on a short leash and I thought Stella was crazy to do stuff to the extent that she did.
I also thought Stella was quick to blame people with only suspicions. I was not a fan of her mother at all.
I sort of suspected who the predator really was because I kept asking what if??
It’s a provocative read!

This book was another home run by Hannah Mary McKinnon! She had quickly become one of my favorite authors since reading Only One Survives last year, not to mention she is the sweetest human!

A Killer Motive will have you clearing your calendar because you will NOT want to put it down! The writing was incredible - I was suspicious of everyone, there were secrets spilling out constantly and I loved the podcast element. The reveal was so unexpected in the best way and the ending was simply perfect! Stella was someone I was rooting for from the moment she was introduced, definitely someone you’d want to have in your corner!

A Killer Motive comes out Sept 9th - make sure to make your calendar!!!!

Thriller lovers, make sure to add this one to your TBR! There's a reason all of us at The Pulse have been so excited to read it!

I did not want to put this book down! It was so fast-paced and twisty and full of tension! I loved the cat-and-mouse game that went on between Stella and her anonymous tormenter. The end had my adrenaline pumping and will stick with me for a while!

Of the four books I've read by this author, this one is my favorite!

Thanks to The Pulse @thrillerbookloversthepulse, @Netgalley, and @htpbooks for the #gifted e-arc!

A Killer Motive, by @hannahmarymckinnon
Pub Date: September 9, 2025

Hannah Mary is one of my favourite auto-read authors! Every newly penned book becomes my new fave. She just gets better with each thriller!!

In a Killer Motive, siblings to a hyper-vigilant and anxious parent, Stella 22 and Max nearly 18, sneak out to an end-of-year beach party. It’s a rite of passage that goes terribly wrong. Six years later, Stella continues to struggle to make sense of her brother’s disappearance. Her crime podcast fueled by her passion to find Max has become a hit. Stella is stunned when an anonymous caller taunts her with new information about her brother. What comes next is a series of having to make difficult and conflicting choices; all include deceit & danger, and Stella’s fierce determination to do anything if it can lead her to Max.

A Killer Motive takes readers down a rabbit hole and turns our conceptualisations of villains on its head.

What are the myths?
Our presumptions of who a killer is and isn’t?
And, how does our need to understand “why” shape and distort our preconceived narratives?

Hannah Mary has created a villain who is dripping with measured poisonous temperance. A villain who is aided by the sheer volume of resources and technology and apps readily accessible.
Why is there so much tech like spyware, trackers, software that can be so easily curupted!!??!!

There is a calculated edge to Hannah Mary’s characters that are horrifically enticing, likely because they are relateable and likeable, and that’s just .. so .. deeply disturbing.
And, awesome!
((As a reader - not in real life!!!))

I’ve met and spent time with Hannah Mary and she is wonderful. Sweet. Her being so lovely in person and so wicked in her books It is a testament to her craftsmanship! She can go from giving the warmest of embraces whilst creating characters whose blood runs glacial!

P.S.:
Hannah Mary has chatted about her writing space - a neat and tidy desk. After reading A Killer Motive, I now envision her writing while maniacally cackling!
And, I LOVE IT!

Thanks to @harpercollinsca and @hannahmarymckinnon for my gifted advanced copy.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. When Stella’s brother goes missing after he sneaks out one night with her, she is haunted by his disappearance. I loved Stella and related to her so much as she was determined to figure out, years later, what happened. And now it’s all a big game where if she plays right, the answers will be revealed but she can’t tell a soul. I loved the true dedication of her as a sister as she did everything she could. There were lots of twists in this one which makes it a really entertaining and easy to follow read!

3.5 rounded up
This is a very well written thriller. The concept and story are very engaging and it was definitely one you wanted to keep reading.

Like all books in the genre sometimes the characters actions are a bit silly but that’s often necessary to keep the story moving.

I’m not sure that I found the ending satisfying and that may have impacted my final rating.

Overall, this story is well written and interesting. This is my first book by this author but I look forward to reading more of her work.

I’m a huge fan of Hannah’s work. This was my third book by her (I have more in my TBR) & I was completely blown away. I could not put this down!!!

The book begins with Stella making a terrible decision one night that ends with her brother, Max, vanishing. Fast forward to 6 years later, Stella has a podcast to help get answers for families of cold case victims. She receives an email out of nowhere asking why she hasn’t investigated her own brothers disappearance & that’s when you fall down the rabbit hole where you have to be reminded to come up for air!

The twists & turns in this one were one after another, leaving you white knuckling your kindle & hanging on for dear life. If Valium didn’t make me so sleepy-I would’ve taken one to calm my frantic nerves while I tried to piece together every shred of evidence Hannah leaves throughout this book….but there was no time to be sleepy. I needed to see how this was gonna end!

24 hours later I can tell you that everything you THOUGHT was gonna happen-did not. I mean mind blowing, didn’t see that one coming, “shut up-no way” out loud plot twist!

Synopsis:

When Stella Dixon takes her teenage brother, Max, out to a beach party, she thought it would be harmless fun—until he disappeared without a trace. Six years later, Stella’s family is still can’t let go of her guilt. The only thing that keeps her going is helping other families find closure through A Killer Motive, her true crime podcast.

When a mysterious caller invites her to play a game, with the promise that if Stella wins, she’ll get information about what happened to Max, she thinks it’s a sick joke…until Max’s best friend vanishes. And she’s given new instructions: tell nobody or people will die. Desperate and unable to trust anyone, Stella agrees. But beating a twisted, invisible enemy seems impossible when they make all the rules…

My Thoughts:

This is one fast paced action-packed thriller! It had me guessing throughout and the twists kept coming. It is so cleverly written and the short chapters made it so easy to read. If I had the time, I could have read it in one sitting. I was quickly turning pages trying to figure out who was behind the calls. I loved the podcasting and true crime elements and the back and forth between Stella and the sick twisted caller will keep you hooked!

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and MIRA for a digital copy of this book. The opinions are my own and freely given.

Stella's teenage brother vanishes without a trace from a beach party one night. She, being the older sister, snuck him out of the house and took his while he was grounded. So the between her mother not talking to her and the guilt she feels is oppressive. Fast forward 6 years and Stella, with her best friend Vivian, have started a podcast, A Killer Motive. Now Stella is receiving odd emails and is being watched. She receive a burner cell from someone who calls themself "Anwir" and in playing a game with him, she will receive information on the disappearance of her brother.
This is a novel that shows what guilt can do to one's soul and how they can make a deal with a "devil". I loved this story

Whoa!!! A Killer Motive was a gripping, thrilling, suspenseful story that will have you at the edge of your seat!. I couldn't put this down and devoured this in a day!

Stella sneaks her younger brother, Max, out of their parents house for a night of partying on the beach. But after one too many drinks, Stella falls asleep and when she wakes up, Max is no where to be found. 6 years later, Stella has her own true crime podcast called A Killer Motive. She helps families find closure or bring attention to cases again. On an interview, Stella says that if she just had one clue, she'd find Max and bring justice to whoever hurt him. And someone took those words as a challenge. Now Stella finds herself caught in a killers web with time running out as Max's friend is now kidnapped and missing as well. She certain if she finds who took Max's friend is involved with Max's disappearance and she will stop at nothing to get the answers she needs about her brother!

This story was absolutely amazing. This has to be one of the best thrillers I've read this year. The psychological aspect of the story was great. But the tension, the build up, the suspense... everything, was just so good! I didn't see the twist coming and never suspected the person that was behind it all! I highly recommend giving this a read! You won't regret it!

𝑰𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒅𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆? 𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒔? 𝑹𝒆𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆? 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒔? 𝑾𝒉𝒚, 𝒚𝒆𝒔, 𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒂. 𝒀𝒆𝒔, 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒇𝒖𝒏.

Hannah Mary McKinnon is back with her next thriller that pulls you immediately from the first chapter. This is a thriller that cuts deep as it explores the crushing weight of guilt and the burdens that come with carrying it.

Stella Dixon and her brother Max grew up with extremely strict parents. Stella is grown and out of her parents' house, and Max is on the cusp of leaving, about to enroll in college. When she and her boyfriend sneak Max out of their parents’ house for a beach party, it was supposed to be harmless fun--maybe a few too many beers being the biggest transgression, but Max disappears without a trace.

Six years have gone by, and Stella aches to find some sort of closure through 𝑨 𝑲𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓 𝑴𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆, her true crime podcast. When the podcast begins to flounder, she's desperate to pick up sponsors, so she appears on a local radio show, making the bold claim that if she had just one clue about Max's disappearance, she'd bring whomever was responsible to justice.

Someone listening takes Stella at her word. Someone has been waiting to ensnare Stella into a twisted game that will have her questioning everyone and everything, even those closest to her. And when Max's best friend goes missing during her investigation, she knows she's running out of time.

The plot develops steadily at first then peaks to a near frenetic pace as more pieces fall into place. The character development was superb, down to the portrayal of Stella's parents and how one night of innocent fun changed their relationship forever.

Many thanks to NetGally, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse for this thrilling early copy. Look for this one September 9, 2025.