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Kill All Your Darlings
By David Bell
Berkley, July 6th, 2021
415 pages
Thriller
Connor Nye has been through the ringer. His wife and young son are dead and he is struggling to survive. So, when an opportunity arises that will secure tenure for the college professor, he grabs it. The problem is that the “opportunity” comes in the form of a book written by a missing former student of his that Connor takes credit for writing.
The story would end there if it weren’t for the presumed dead student Madeline showing up- very much alive- two years later, on Connor’s doorstep.
And so begins a tale of blackmail, who-done-it and mind games taking the reader on a four hundred plus page thrill ride of twists and turns. When it comes to light that the book eerily mirrors another murder, Connor is faced with the choice of coming clean and losing all credibility (not to mention his job), or keeping quiet and being looked at as the prime suspect.
Who can he trust? Who will be the next victim? What will he do?
I thought Bell did a great job of hopping back and forth from past to present, slowly giving the reader bits of information to let us piece it together. I have to admit I did not see the end coming; I was pleasantly surprised. The book touches on sexual harassment in academia, with just enough to border on uncomfortable, but not enough to make you put the book down. His technique of telling the story through multiple points of view is a favorite of mine; I love seeing things from different angels. Straight lines are so boring.
A really solid read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!
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