This book had a lot going for it: an intriguing premise, a narrator who has a normal job to deal with in the midst of the mystery-solving, the author's R.L. Stine-like ability to end every chapter on a cliffhanger. But it also had a lot going against it: weirdly little attention paid to the content of the Tapes the title refers to, a late-breaking revelation about a tape that stretched credibility to the actual breaking point, too many not fully fleshed out characters such that part of the big reveal just felt BAFFLING because it wasn't even breadcrumbed at all, the author's R.L. Stine-like ability to end every chapter on a cliffhanger that has an often unsatisfying payoff once the next chapter begins.

I enjoyed the experience of reading this book for the most part, but it all definitely crumbles a bit when look at as a whole. Still, reading this was not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

The Tapes by Kerry Wilkinson sounds like a terrific read, right? I mean, that summary makes you want to grab a copy and dive right in. And so, I did just that. However, the story itself wound up disappointing me rather quickly. I loved the idea of old cassette tapes revealing secrets to Eve about her mother. What I didn't enjoy were all the other little mysteries that seemed to crop up - they were too distracting and way too obviously connected to the secret on the tapes. Overall, this story was not my cup of tea. I just found the twists and turns too predictable. And, the characters were annoying - I didn't like any of them. As for the murder mystery, well, that was interesting, but not enough to stop me from skim reading. Oh well.

I would still recommend The Tapes to fans of Wilkinson - after all, you may enjoy the story in a way that I just didn't. To each his own, right?

unfortunately i did not enjoy this and only made it 20% in. i dont think the writing was bad, i just wasnt invested

This is a must read thriller. Lots of twists and turns that grip you from the beginning. I must admit that I did not guess the ending until the very last minute. I would thoroughly recommend this book and author..

I love this author and this book didn't disappoint. Whilst Eve is clearing out her fathers house after he died she came across a load of tapes. She remembers her mum used to love to make voice recordings of things she did before her mum went missing. Wanting to hear mums voice again she palyed a few and wasn't expecting to hear her mum say she wasn't missing but was probably killed. Eve decides to look into what happened but this has repercussions for her.
Loved it from start to finish.

Thank you NetGalley for my digital copy of this book. The opinions are my own and freely given.

Eve's father has died, and she is tasked with cleaning out his house and getting it ready for sale. She realizes her father has kept everything and as she weeds through it all she finds tapes her mother made as a diary. Her mother disappeared 13 years ago without a trace.
These tapes lead Eve to look into the disappearance of her mother; it appears she didn't just "run off". There is a reference to a serial killer and her mother says she knows who it is.

I really liked this book and have already recommended it!

3
I had high hopes for this book. The writing didn't jive for me. There were parts where I was confused. I feel like the premises and Idea were good, but could be executed better.

Wow, where do I even begin with The Tapes? This gripping thriller draws us into the life of Eve, who’s clearing out her father’s house when she stumbles upon a cassette player and an intriguing box of tapes. Amid her grief, a wave of nostalgia hits when she discovers a tape labeled ‘Eve’ written in her missing mother Angela’s handwriting.
But what starts as a sentimental moment quickly spirals into something chilling. As Eve listens to her mother’s familiar voice, her heart races at the shocking revelation: “If they say I’m missing, I’m not. If you’re listening to this, I’ve been murdered.” 😱
Eve is thrust into a desperate quest for the truth, armed only with the tapes that could unravel a web of secrets. Yet, the more she listens, the more she realizes that things aren’t as straightforward as they seem. With an unreliable narrator and a twisty plot that keeps you guessing, this book had my heart pounding until the last page!
I absolutely love a good thriller with unexpected twists, and The Tapes delivers on all fronts. The dual narrative structure, blending present-day events with the insights from the tapes, creates an irresistible tension that left me second-guessing everything. It’s a solid 4-star read that will keep you on edge and wondering who to believe. Trust me, you won't want to miss this one!

This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I needed to know answers, and just kept reading just to find the answers. The twists and turns in this book are excellent. Very easy to follow along. Well written! Would recommend!

One of the first things I noticed about The Tapes was its shifting focus. The narrative often moves quickly from one subject to another: Eve’s father’s death and the responsibilities of managing his properties, to the struggles with her daughter Faith, and then to her mother’s disappearance and the mystery of the tapes. At first, this back-and-forth can feel scattered, but because the book is written in first person, it works well with the mystery and with getting to know Eve. We’re placed directly inside her mind, experiencing her inner thoughts, tangents, and shifting priorities as she processes everything happening around her.

The excerpts from The Earring Killer book were particularly compelling. They not only added layers to the central mystery but also offered details and insights that Eve herself might not have considered or noticed, which enriched the story.

One of my favorite aspects of the book was its exploration of memory and perspective. Eve often reflects on how she saw her mother in the past versus how she views her now, and she also examines how she sees herself and imagines how others, especially her daughter, see her. These themes of memory and remembrance are woven throughout, and the funeral scene stood out as a powerful moment for reflecting on loss and the way we hold onto people who are gone, not necessarily dead, but gone from our lives.

The mystery itself is filled with red herrings, twists, and turns that kept me engaged. Memory and perspective don’t just serve as themes; they also play an active role in how the mystery unfolds. I had my suspicions about the truth around the halfway point, and while there was a big hint planted there, I’ll leave it at that to avoid spoilers.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Tapes. The writing style felt true to its narrator, the themes were thought-provoking, and Eve was a relatable and engaging main character. While some of the red herrings felt a little too plot-driven, they ultimately contributed to Eve’s background and character development, making her journey feel more layered and authentic. In the end, The Tapes is as much about solving a mystery as it is about piecing together the fragments of memory, grief, and identity. It’s a story that lingers, not only for its suspense, but for the way it asks us to consider how we remember, how we interpret the past, and how those memories shape who we are.

Well-paced, engaging thriller that kept me intrigued from start to finish. I found the narrative interesting, with just the right amount of suspense and atmosphere.

I was genuinely surprised by who the killer turned out to be. Wilkinson did a great job layering the clues and misdirection without making it feel forced. While there were a few moments that felt slightly drawn out, overall, the story stayed strong and delivered a satisfying conclusion.

Definitely worth a read if you're a fan of twisty, character-driven crime fiction.

The Tapes by Kerry Wilkinson is a tense, slow-burn thriller that hooks you with its eerie premise—a series of unsettling recordings that gradually unravel secrets and lies. Wilkinson does a great job of layering suspense, pulling the reader deeper into the mystery while keeping the atmosphere taut and unsettling. It’s the kind of story that keeps you guessing, with twists that feel both surprising and earned.

At times, the pacing drags slightly, and a few character moments could have been sharper, but overall the tension carries it through. With its intriguing concept and steady buildup, this earns a solid 4 stars—a gripping, well-crafted thriller that delivers on its unsettling promise.

The Tapes is a short, quick, satisfying read that I really enjoyed.
We follow Eve, who finds old cassette tapes that her mother had recorded years prior, which leads her to try to solve the mystery of whether her mother is alive or dead, and at the same time trying to discover if she was a victim of a serial killer. The story was well told and the length was actually perfect considering how short it is.
Along with Eve’s storyline, every few chapters there is an extract from a book written about the serial killer’s victims. This added another aspect to the book that supported the main story, it wasn’t distracting as I have found it can be when authors do this.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the arc for review.

Just the idea of hearing a tape of your mothers voice telling you that she didn’t just go missing, that she was murdered, is a hooking concept in and of itself. Couple that with the elements that Wilkinson throws in there – excerpts, the fingerprints on the gun, and a mother who had a fluid relationship with the truth, you don’t know what to believe!

What we do know is that there was a killer many years ago. We don’t know who it was, but Eve is determined to find out what her mother meant, which may mean that she is going to find out who the killer was. At no point in this book did I suspect who the killer was. I didn’t really have a good suspect in mind, maybe I had a person or two who I thought maybe it could be, but no one solid. So when it was revealed, I was shocked. Like, my jaw dropped to the floor kind of shocked. I love when that happens!

This book is fast paced and easy to ready. If you love a good puzzling mystery, get your hands on this book! I really enjoy this author, and if you haven’t read them yet, you really should!

What a well written, fast paced, incredible thriller of a book. This story had me hooked from the start, I loved the twists throughout and I was glued to the pages!

Eve returns to her parents’ house after her father passes away, only to find a box of cassette tapes recorded by her mother, who went missing thirteen years earlier. On the tapes, her mother suggests she was murdered. From that moment, Eve is drawn into a dangerous search for the truth. Each tape she listens to pulls her deeper into a tangled web of secrets.

What really impressed me was the structure. The combination of dated entries, news articles about the victims, and the retro use of cassette tapes created an unusual and engaging mix. It felt part true-crime podcast, part cold-case investigation, and that kept the tension high throughout.
Eve is an easy character to connect with. Her desperation for answers about her mother’s disappearance feels very real, even if her family relationships are messy. The detail about each victim missing a single earring added an extra layer of creepiness. It’s such a small, everyday thing, but it made the crimes feel eerily close to home.

This book is perfect for readers who love true-crime podcasts and tightly plotted thrillers. It’s clever, immersive, and full of twists that kept me turning the pages late into the night.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy.

Thank you @bookouture and @netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review. I’m a bit late to the party, so it’s available on Amazon / kindle unlimited now 🇦🇺

Eve is clearing her father’s house when she finds an old cassette player and a box of tapes.

One tape is labelled ‘Eve’ – in her mother’s scrawled handwriting.

The tape whirrs. A voice crackles. ‘My name is Angela’. Tears fill Eve’s eyes at the familiar voice – and the thought her mother recorded this message just for her. But the next words make her heart pound.

‘If they say I’m missing, I’m not. If you’re listening to this, I’ve been murdered.’

Wow. I was hooked from the first line! Highly recommended for fans of thrillers with unreliable narrators and lovers of mixed media stories. I’d imagine the audiobook is brilliant. The story had me guessing until near the end - but tied all the loose ends up nicely and was a twist that made actual sense! Not completely outlandish or ridiculous!

I’ve never read any of Kerry’s books before, but I’m off to find more!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#thetapeskerrywilkinson #bookreview #bookouture #netgalleyreview #booksbooksbooks #unreliablenarratorthriller #thillerrec #itsbookedup

Eve is a recovering alcoholic struggling with the death of her father and has been dealing with her mother missing for over a decade. She thought she had closure until she finds tapes that her mother had recorded prior to going missing, these tapes uproot her life and throw her for a spiral. I feel as though the reveal of the killer was a tad anticlimactic but the twist? Did NOT see it coming. Cannot wait to read more of this author’s books :)

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc. Eve’s father dies and she is cleaning out his house and finds tapes from her mother who has been missing for many years. Basically her mom says if she goes missing she was murdered so Eve finds herself trying to track down the killer. It was a good concept just didn’t keep me very enthralled but I did enjoy.

Thank you so much to Kerry Wilkinson, Bookouture, and NetGalley for this ARC of The Tapes.

While this is not a debut novel for Wilkinson, this is their debut to me! I found the premise of this book extremely interesting. Eve is cleaning out a house when she finds many cassette tapes in her mother’s handwriting. While many would cast these aside, they immediately intrigued Eve has her mother disappeared ten years ago. After listening through the tapes, Eve isn’t sure what is real and what is a lie. Eve is sure; however, that she cannot go to the police and that her mom may have been a victim of a serial killer. Eve puts her own safety at risk to figure out what her mom was trying to lead her to with these tapes.

The format of this book was really interesting and it wasn’t just chapters, it was also recordings, pieces of documents, and other mixed media. I feel like this book could lend itself very easily to being a very cool and well-done audio book. Some of the portions of this book were a tad dry for me and it did take me a little bit to feel interested in this book. It was a solid. 3/5 for me and I will definitely look for other books by this author.