I saw this book on Barnes & Noble’s website one day and immediately bought it simply for the title alone. After hitting the purchase button, I read the synopsis and decided my purchase was warranted. I love a cheeky female serial killer read, and that is precisely what I got in this story. It was a fun read, even though the ending fizzled a bit for me.

In this book, readers are taken on a wild and amusing ride alongside Claire, a part-time serial killer with a knack for keeping her murderous hobby under wraps—until a blackmailer threatens to expose her dark secret.

The story kicks off with Claire being accepted and then rejected from an art internship program she had been looking forward to. Unfortunately, her acceptance letter was meant for a different Claire. Having just finished with her father’s funeral, Claire is all in her feelings, and this news doesn’t land well, so she decides to look into the a-hole who rejected her and then proceeds to follow him and then stages a “meet cute” at a bar. This sets in motion a series of events that will change the trajectory of Claire’s carefully constructed life. Someone saw Claire leaving the bar with Lucas. They know she was the last person to see him, and they suspect she may have killed him, and now they have decided to blackmail her. As Claire’s world begins to crumble, the tension builds, and the stakes are raised as she races against time to eliminate the threat to her carefully guarded secret.

Wallace’s writing style is a delightful blend of sharp wit and unexpected plot twists that kept me fully engaged for the majority of the novel. Claire’s lack of planning in Lucas’s demise leads to a messy situation, but it was her resourcefulness in finding and then dealing with the blackmailer that I found most intriguing. She eliminates anyone who poses a threat to her, resulting in a few unintended casualties. This is the life of a serial killer on a mission, after all.

I especially loved the unique blend of English humor and dark subject matter. Wallace deftly balances the absurdity of Claire’s situation with the chilling reality of her actions, creating an entertaining and thought-provoking story. The characters in the novel are richly drawn and multi-dimensional, from the enigmatic Claire to her horrible mother and everyone in Claire’s grief support group. Each character adds a unique flavor to the story. While the side characters all add something to the mix, we spend the most time in Claire’s head, and is it weird to say it was a fun place to spend a few hours? Her internal monologue is hilarious, and I loved witnessing the thought processes behind her decisions.

Throughout the novel, Wallace explores themes of identity, morality, and the lengths people will go to protect their secrets. As Claire’s world unravels, readers are forced to confront their own assumptions about right and wrong, good and evil. Did Claire get herself in over her head? Absolutely. Were her actions extreme? I would have to say yes, but did I care enough for her that I wanted her to get out of this unscathed? Also yes – very much so. I think my only complaint with this one was that by the time I got to the end, I had started to lose interest in the chase. There were a lot of twists and turns along the way, and while the final reveal of the blackmailer made sense, it didn’t hold much of an impact. In the end, I was fine with how everything ended, but not blown away by anything.

Overall, I found this to be a darkly humorous and thrilling read that had me laughing one minute and cringing the next. Joanna Wallace has crafted a darkly humorous story, making this novel a must-read for crime fiction and dark comedy fans. While I felt the ending fizzled a bit, I still enjoyed the ride and would recommend it.