Thursday, July 29, 2021

Book Review - Kill All Your Darlings; David Bell

TITLE/AUTHORKill All Your Darlings; David Bell

PUBLISHER:   Berkley Publishing

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2021

GENRE: Fiction / Thriller / Mystery

FORMAT:  eGalley LENGTH: 

SOURCE:  NetGalley and Berkley Publishers

SETTING(s):  KY

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:  When a struggling college professor decides to use a stolen manuscript as his own, he gets far more than he bargained for.

BRIEF REVIEW:  Professor Connor Nye teaches creative writing and has his tenure on the line unless he gets busy and gets published.  The problem is he is in a bad state after the death of his wife and son in a tragic accident.  When one of his writing students goes missing and is presumed dead he decides to pass her work off as his own and the book is quite successful.  Thinking he can relax a bit and no longer have to worry about tenure, his plagiarism comes back to haunt him in ways he never anticipated.  Not only is he being blackmailed but, the police are also interested in him as the storyline in the book he passed off as his own has similarities to a murder case of a local girl two years earlier.  Is there a connection and if not, who is the real killer?

This is a story that held my interest and kept me wondering. I liked the college setting and the issues typical in academia. I also thought the characters were well written with a few I liked and felt for and a few that were easy to dislike as well.  I though the multiple POVs worked well as well as the insights into what had happened in the past. This story is similar in some ways to a book I read earlier this year and also enjoyed called: The Plot by Jean Hanff-Korelitz in which a writer feels pressured by his publisher to write and steals "the plot" for his book from someone else.

RATING:  4/5

Thanks go to NetGalley and Berkley Publishers for allowing me access to this book in exchange for my unbiased review.


David Bell is a USA Today bestselling, award-winning author whose work has been translated into multiple foreign languages. He’s currently an associate professor of English at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where he directs the MFA program. He received an MA in creative writing from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and a PhD in American literature and creative writing from the University of Cincinnati. His previous novels include The RequestLayoverSomebody’s DaughterBring Her HomeSince She Went AwayThe Forgotten GirlNever Come BackThe Hiding Place, and Cemetery Girl.

24 comments:

  1. This one does feel very similar plotwise to that book The Plot. Funny how books can overlap like that. Which one did you like better?

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    1. It's a good question, I have to say that I liked both but had minor issues with both as well.

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  2. Which book did you enjoy more? This one or The Plot?

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    1. Actually, I liked both but had minor issues with both as well.

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  3. I like that setting too and it sounds good.

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  4. I liked this one but at the same time realized that I'm not enamored by campus settings in the suspense genre. Still, it held my attention!

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    1. Whenever I've read a campus setting lately, it seems like a thriller.

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  5. There are so many thrillers coming out it is hard to pick and choose but this was pretty good - not perfect though.

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  6. Glad you liked this one. My favorite book with a campus setting is The Secret History.

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    1. Me too Deb - I loved it - I can still recall reading it on the beach in Aruba.

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  7. Hi Diane,
    I'm so glad to hear that you liked this one. Yes, reminiscent of The Plot, which I liked as well, but I'm tempted to go for this one based on your thoughts about it. Will have to check when it will be published. Thanks!

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    1. Hey Judith, Hope you have been doing well (I miss your books/life updates). This was good but not perfect, but then, I also had a few issues with The Plot.

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  8. I thought the summary sounded a bit familiar, but couldn't remember where so thank you for reminding me of The Plot. Both books sound good.

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    1. Yes, both are good, perhaps The Plot was a tad more engaging (at least on audio).

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  9. It does indeed sound quite a lot like The Plot.

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    1. yes, maybe a storyline that was discussed at a party between authors in the past LOL

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  10. I have noticed the similarities between this one and The Plot. Both sound good though I think this one appeals to me a bit more. I've enjoyed previous books by David Bell.

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  11. Wow that does sound like the same issues as in the The Plot ... which did you like better? I'm still on the library wait list for The Plot.

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    1. Okay, if I had to pick I think I liked The Plot a tad better but perhaps it was because the audio narrator engaged me even more than reading the eGalley but, The Plot wasn't perfect either - yet enjoyable.

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  12. I enjoyed this one too, and I still need to read The Plot!

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  13. Sounds intriguing! Will have to check this out and The Plot as well.

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  14. This one is reminding me of another book (not The Plot) but I cannot think of it. I guess I'll have to read it :) Glad you enjoyed this one!

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