You Killed Me First Review: Confusing, Unlikeable, and a Rare Miss from John Marrs

Look, I wanted to like You Killed Me First. I really did. John Marrs is one of those authors I typically enjoy — his books are clever, twisty, and always manage to surprise me. But this one? Unfortunately, it just didn’t land. In fact, I called it quits at about 60% in because I was too confused and, frankly, too bored to keep going.

The biggest struggle I had was with the characters. Now, I don’t mind a cast of morally questionable people — in fact, sometimes that makes for the juiciest thrillers. But here’s the problem: not only was no one likeable, but no one was even remotely relatable. I couldn’t connect with a single character, which made me feel like I was just spinning my wheels, trying to care about people I really didn’t want to spend time with.

To make matters worse, the plot itself felt tangled and hard to follow. I listened to this one as an audiobook, so sure, maybe that played a role in my confusion. But honestly, I don’t think reading it in print would’ve made much of a difference. The story just didn’t feel compelling enough to make me want to push through the confusion. By the time I hit the 60% mark, I realized I wasn’t invested in how things would turn out, and that’s when I knew it was time to cut my losses.

What makes this especially disappointing is that I know John Marrs can deliver. Books like Keep It In The Family are fast-paced, addictive reads that I couldn’t put down. But You Killed Me First felt like a tangled mess of characters and subplots that just didn’t come together in a satisfying way.

Now, if you’re a die-hard Marrs fan, you might still want to give this one a shot — maybe you’ll find something in it that I missed. But if you’re looking for a gripping, twist-filled thriller that keeps you turning the pages (or pressing “play” on your audiobook), this one might leave you feeling more frustrated than thrilled.

So here’s my advice: if you’re new to John Marrs, start with one of his stronger books. If you’re a fan like me, maybe keep your expectations in check for this one. And if you’ve read it and loved it, please tell me what I missed — because clearly, this one wasn’t for me!

VERDICT