The Killer You Know by S. R. Masters

Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Killer You Know by S. R. Masters! Thanks so much to Anne for organising the tour and don’t forget to check out the rest of the stops!

The Synopsis

You need to kill at least three people, right? So that's what I'll do.

When Will jokes about becoming a serial killer, his friends just laugh it off. But Adeline can't help but feel there's something more sinister lurking behind his words.

Fifteen years later, Adeline returns to Blythe for a reunion of the old gang - except Will doesn't show up. Reminiscing about old times, they look up the details of his supposed murder spree. But the mood soon changes when they discover two recent deaths that match.

As the group attempts to track Will down, they realise that he is playing a sinister game that harks back to one they used to play as kids. Only this time there are lives at stake . . .

My Review

The way Masters has written The Killer You Know is simply excellent, the plotting is tight, well-paced and compelling while the combination of the present day and the childhood of the characters provides plenty of twists to keep you guessing as well as creating a real sense of nostalgia. (I thought that the film references were a really nice touch too.) While the premise seems simple at first, it’s a really original book and there’s a lot more going on than it first appears. It’s such an addictive and thrilling read and the twists had me questioning everything every time. Every single one of the characters is beautifully developed and multi-layered which was really impressive. What I loved most about the book though was that it has such an atmosphere and really got into my head, leaving me thinking about it for a long while after I’d finished it. Overall, I’m giving The Killer You Know 4.5 out of 5. It’s atmospheric, compelling and so original. A stunning debut.

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​About the Author

S. R. Masters studied Philosophy at Girton College, Cambridge before working in public health and health behaviour for the NHS. He is a regular contributor to UK short fiction anthology series The Fiction Desk, having won their Writer's Award for his short story Just Kids. His story Desert Walk was included in Penguin Random House USA's Press Start to Play collection and he continues to have short fiction published in a variety of magazines. He grew up around Birmingham but now lives in Oxford with his wife and son.
The Killer You Know is his first novel.
You can find him on Twitter @SRMastersAuthor or on his website http://www.sr-masters.com/​