The Tapes by Kerry Wilkinson is a gripping domestic thriller with a strong ‘90s vibe that hooked me from the start. The writing is easy and captivating, making it hard to put down. Eve’s discovery of her missing mother’s cassette tapes unravels a suspenseful mystery full of twists and suspicion. Though the pacing slows at times, the payoff is worth it. If you love psychological thrillers that keep you guessing, this is a great pick. Thanks to NetGalley, Kerry Wilkinson, and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Tapes opens on the days after Eve’s father’s death. She is doing her best to clear out all of the junk in his garage when she makes a startling discovery. Tapes, with a voice she hadn’t heard in 13 years. Her mother, who went missing all those years ago, now proclaims that if anyone says she disappeared, that is a lie. She has actually been murdered.

This was one of the best mystery novels I’ve read this year. I was focused the whole time, and I barely wanted to put it down to sleep. Every twist and turn and introduction of new evidence and characters was masterfully done. It did not only feel like Eve wasn’t simply a main character who puts her life on pause to pursue a mystery (as she herself says). We had to go along with her through interactions with her daughter, her boring job, and grieving both parents with an iffy support system. It also did not feel like a simple “going around town collecting clues”; everything we discovered changed Eve’s perception about her own life and those around her. Making her second-guess every interaction and everything she once took as gospel.

I really loved the mystery and how it developed, but my absolute favorite part has to be how she reacts to finding her mother’s tapes. The surprise is not only that her mother is claiming she was killed. It is hearing her voice again after over a decade. Of course Eve cares about it and wants to find out what really happened to her mom, but that revelation is not nearly as important as the last words: “I need you to know that I love you.” Eve, now an adult and a mother, cries herself to sleep while listening to those words over and over again. It is absolutely heartbreaking and so irrevocably real. The more she finds out about her mom’s part, she alternates between feeling closure on her mother’s disappearance and desperately hoping that, despite everything, she is actually still alive. It is heart-wrenching to experience along with her.

Another thing I absolutely love is the way the narrative is constructed. Chapters with Eve’s story alternate with excerpts from a true crime book about the victims of the Earring Killer (and it is about the victims, not about him!). At the same time as we learn more about the history of the town, these excerpts do a wonderful job of setting the tone for the upcoming chapter. I also really love the way the persona of the Earring Killer was constructed. Every new detail I learned about the crimes put me in full analysis mode.

I am very proud to say that I (mostly) solved the mystery and felt very proud of myself in the process. I do almost want to reread and search for clues about the last twist, because it felt sort of abrupt for me. Regardless, this was such a well-written and enticing story that I have no problem with rating it 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kerry Wilkinson, and Bookouture for the advanced copy. This review is left voluntarily and honestly.

⭐ 3.75/5

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘴, by Kerry Wilkinson, is a fast-paced mystery/thriller.

It's told through a single POV as well as Chapters from a book about the Earring Killer.

It's the first book I read by Kerry Wilkinson and it definitely won't be the last! I really enjoyed it and as it was pretty short (276 pages as an ebook) and fast-paced, it was just my type!

The plot was very interesting but the only thing I'd complain about is that I wish we had more to do with the tapes. It's hard to explain, but maybe add more of what was on the actual tapes and use that medium more, rather than just paraphrase what was said on them. I feel like there was so much potential with the tapes but that it wasn't explored enough. In my humble opinion!

I went in blind, as usual, and I was actually not expecting the plot twist! So that's pretty good!

To anyone looking for a quick read, this is it!
It's out now, so go ahead and try it out! 📖

Thank you so much for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion! ❤️

The Tapes delivers a suspenseful, emotionally charged mystery, using the cassette recordings as a clever and unsettling narrative device. The story builds with a slow-burning tension that pulls the reader in, while Eve’s character—relatable, flawed, and determined—keeps the emotional core strong. The twists are satisfying and well-timed, making the final reveal especially impactful. While the middle of the book occasionally loses momentum and repeats certain beats, the payoff more than makes up for it. Overall, this is a compelling domestic thriller with a sharp psychological edge that will keep you reading late into the night.

Thank you NetGalley for early access to this novel in exchange for an early review!

This book drew me in from the start and had me questioning who to trust. I did feel like the FMC was too trusting but other than that small frustration this book was a great read leaving me saying what?.

Highly recommend.

Eve's father has passed away, but clearing his house leads her to her Mum's tapes. But her mum disappeared 13 years ago, so why are these tapes telling a different story?

The tapes will lead to murder, a truth behind a mystery and the answers to a serial killer; but there will be danger with every answer and no one you can trust.

Wilkinson gives us a narrative with confusion, reherrings and suspicion. I was accusing so many people as I read; I found myself paranoid. This is an interesting storyline using items from the past, such as tapes, as well as reflecting back on a non-fiction novel to find the answers to the present. This was well laid out and intertwined to an ending that I did not see coming.

This author has a brilliant way of drawing the reader in, making them feel involved with every page, and is an author I will always pick up again and again.

Release Date: 11th August  2025
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Mystery Level: ❓❓❓❓

The Tapes by Kerry Wilkinson is a thrilling tale about a young woman named Eve who lost her mother in an alleged disappearance over a decade ago. When her father passes, she is tasked with sorting through his effects when she comes across an old box of cassette tapes marked with her mother's handwriting. Alongside the box, comes the player. As Eve hits play on the cassette player, her mother utters a sentence that would send a chill down her spine:

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

Desperate for answers, Eve decides to listen to all the tapes for even the smallest clue of what happened to her mother. What she will find instead is the life of a trouble woman who found herself tangled up with the town's serial killer.

*

This was an easy book to get through with the mystery luring you in and sinking its hook into you to keep turning the page. I really enjoyed the intrigue of the premise and how Kerry wrote the build up of the mystery. It had me questioning everything along the way.
However, I did feel that the climax of the book fell a little flat for me. The build up and suspects were all done so well but the reveal and execution didn't hit as hard for me.

That being said, I appreciate how the book centred on the victims of the serial killer with aside chapters in between the narrative chapters. It didn't try to justify his actions or try to paint a sob story of a childhood. Instead it showed us who they were as people and how each loss affected their loved ones. The chapters were weaved in well together and I liked how it all came together in the third act.

Overall, this is a nice read and I recommend it to anyone looking for a mystery novel that also covers the small town life, grief, mother-daughter relationships and taking back the narratives from killers and true crime culture.

Thank you Kerry Wilkinson, Netgalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

When I read the premise for The Tapes, I knew I needed to read this book. Mysterious old cassettes slowly revealing secrets? Yes, please. I’m a sucker for that kind of storytelling. But while I tore through it in a single sitting (because mystery-thrillers are my catnip), it didn’t leave much of a mark.

The writing was fine, the plot was flat. The plot twist wasn’t exactly predictable but it also wasn’t the kind of reveal that makes you gasp and clutch your pearls. I think a big part of that is because outside of Eve, no other character really had enough depth to make the twist work.

I did like how the author ended most chapters with a juicy breadcrumb, it kept me turning the pages. But every time a chapter ended on a big nugget of info, the next would open with a completely different thread.

In the end, everything wrapped up way too fast. One minute Eve’s putting all the pieces together, the next she’s confronting the killer and then boom - done. For someone who had evaded capture for decades, the killer was caught way too easily. A little more complexity and tension in that final stretch would’ve gone a long way.

This is not a bad book and I do enjoy Wilkinson’s writing. But it left much to be desired and thus my rating.

Thank you for the ARC of this title. But I could not get into this book. I didn’t like the writing style at all. And found the story boring. I kept nodding off when I was reading it. I decided to DNF at 30%

Eve has just lost her father and us clearing out his house when she discovers lots of cassette tapes. These were left by her mother who mysteriously disappeared over 10 years ago.
As Eve listens to the tapes, she realises that her mum felt that she was in danger after uncovering someone else's secret. Not only that, but she also had her own secrets.
Eve decides to investigate further to try and get to the truth but this might mean that she is in danger herself.

This book had me intrigued from the beginning and kept me hooked throughout. It is fast-paced and full of mystery. Although I did have things figured out, I was then hit with a twist I definitely didn't see coming! Towards the end it was gripping and I could not put this down.
Highly recommend this book.

I went into this book blind, but what a ride it was! I was hooked from the very first chapter and couldn't put the book down!

The Story:
Eve is sorting through her father's things ahead of his funeral. All she wants is to get the things to their proper places before his home is sold. When she stumbles across a set of tapes her mum recorded, she is reminded of a past she has managed to bury. But the cryptic messages tell her that her mum is dead. With this frugal information, will Eve be able to put the pieces together? Given her mother's behaviour, is the message even true? The story follows Eve as she sorts through the half-buried truths and lies as she attempts to make sense of her mother's words.

What I Liked:
1) Eve - Eve herself has a not-so-satisfactory past. But she manages to put the past firmly behind her and look at facts objectively. She is a great definition of a strong heroine - one who has been able to conquer her addiction and hold on to her beliefs.

2) The plot - There were numerous twists and turns in the plot, but that is not the only reason I liked it. It is tightly written, and all the threads come together in the end.

3) The writing - The writing is easy and captivating: as I said in the beginning, I did not want to put the book down!

What I Disliked:
1) The story dragged in some parts. There is a lot of repetition where Eve goes over what she has found and what she is yet to find. While I understand that repetition is necessary to keep the readers involved, after a time, it tired me out.

Final Thoughts:

This is my first book by Kerry Wilkinson but certainly not the last! I will look forward to reading more by this author.

4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

When I first read the blurb, I was genuinely hooked—the storyline totally piqued my interest, and I thought, *yep, this is going to be a fast-paced page-turner*. But as I got into it, I realised it’s more of a slow-burn, which made it a bit harder for me to power through at times. The main character… oh, don’t get me started! Let’s just say there were moments where I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and scream, “What on earth are you doing?!” LMAO. Still, despite my occasional frustration and the slower pace, I pushed through to the end—and honestly, I did end up enjoying it. It might not have been the rollercoaster I was expecting, but it was still a pretty solid read.

It started really well with a mystery: finding old tapes containing your long lost mother's voice and her saying she's been murdered. Unfortunately I pretty much understood from the start where this would go due to not very subtle clues. All in all an ok book but maybe I found the main character a bit hard to like or relate to.

What a thrill!! I couldn’t put this down and it honestly got me out of my reading slump. I admit the beginning was a bit slow, but it really picked up around the middle and I just couldn’t stop reading it. I would recommend this to anyone who likes Freida McFadden or Holly Jackson.

i was so intrigued by the blurb but this book was so slow. i felt like i was fighting to get to the climax and when i did it didn't really pay off in my opinion. it was not bad but not really captivating the way i want in a thriller.

Slow burn thriller. The story line was very interesting. Just having a hard time finishing the book. I don’t like to dnf books but this one is gonna take me a little more time to finish.

After her father’s passing, Eve is clearing out his house to get it ready to sell. She comes across a box of cassette tapes, all labeled by her mother who went missing 13 years earlier. Most of it is just a verbal diary her mother kept about her days…until Eve finds a tape with her own name on it and hears a message that makes her blood run cold.
‘If they say I’m missing, I’m not. If you’re listening to this, I’ve been murdered.’
From that moment, Eve is consumed with trying to figure out what the message from her mother meant, all while trying to cope with the loss of her father. She quickly realizes that due to both her mother’s shady past and her own, going to the police for help is not an option.

This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. The protagonist Eve is a complicated character with a past and while I generally liked her and rooted for her, I was also frustrated by a lot of her actions and was unsure if I could trust her. That gave the book even more suspense to me and I really liked it. I also love a good dual timeline that brings the story together on multiple levels and this one delivered.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for providing me with this digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

A twisty story

I wish I had the audiobook! I think I would have found it more interesting, not to say I didn’t love it! I throughly enjoyed this.
A gripping fast paced thriller of a ride. Had me on the edge of my seat literally biting my nails.
Didn’t feel much connection to any character, but I don’t feel bad about it.
I would highly recommend reading the murder tapes if you are a thriller girly like me.

4.5/5 star!
Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this arc.
Definitely will buy a copy for my bookshelf.

The Tapes is a gripping thriller that had me hooked from the very first page. The mystery surrounding the discovered tapes is both chilling and brilliantly paced. Kerry Wilkinson creates a tense, atmospheric setting that adds to the suspense. The main character is relatable and well-drawn, making the unfolding twists even more impactful. I couldn’t put it down and highly recommend it to fans of dark, twisty mysteries.

Reading in Between the Wines book review #80/125 for 2025:
Rating: 4 🍷🍷🍷🍷
Book: The Tapes
Author: Kerry Wilkinson
AVAILABLE NOW!!

Sipping thoughts: This was such a cool concept. I loved the story of finding tapes, old school ones at that, which tell a story and could be behind the reason someone is missing. It gave me such nostalgia. I love Wilkinson’s writing style. He keeps me so wrapped up in each storyline, not wanting to stop reading.

Cheers and thank you to @Netgalley and @Bookouture for an advanced copy of @TheTapes.

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