Reviews

Kill Show by Daniel Sweren-Becker

jens_book_nook's review against another edition

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dark informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

foxytroxy's review

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challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

nerdglasses08's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad

4.25

corimari's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Interesting take on the true crime genre/obsession but a little over the top with the philosophical and ethical implications of being a fan: relax, it's fine. Also Felix never would have done what he did at the end. Still, an entertaining read and a unique format.

jbkreads's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

csnurr's review against another edition

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2.0

Biased because I’m from Maryland but in no way is Frederick, a town of 80,000 people who live less than an hour outside Washington DC and Baltimore, considered “fly-over country” where all the food is supposedly smothered in gravy and it’s impossible to find ripe avocados. I would have let the half-assed setting fly if this author had placed the book fifty miles west in Allegheny or Garrett county but to set this book in a town that is populated by people who work in Washington and Baltimore and then act like it’s in bum-fuck no where is laughable. The attempts to add in references to Natty Boh and the Orioles felt incredibly forced and unnatural and this was so clearly written by someone from the West Coast who didn’t bother to do a research trip to the place he was writing about.

The plot was mediocre and I found that this dragged on despite the fact that it’s only 219 pages.

scnole2021's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

justinkhchen's review against another edition

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4.0

4 stars

The full-cast audiobook is the definitive way to devour this, Kill Show is a breezy, effective 'mockumentary' style novel focusing on the societal obsession with reality programming and true crime. Told through a series of interview excerpts (which is why the audio version really elevates my overall rating comparing to reading it physically), the story cycling through various participants who were involved in a live-broadcast of a kidnapping case with a tragic ending.

As someone who doesn't watch much reality TV, some of the personalities and character arcs are a little cliches and cheesy—but on the flip-side they are spot-on reflecting the tone of its point of reference. In addition to the commentary regarding the consumption of tragedy as entertainment, conspiracy theory, and mob mentality, Kill Show still manages to deliver a nifty mystery with more twists and turns than I anticipated. Overall, as a title that flew under the radar during its release, this is a pleasant discovery.

jeeebes's review against another edition

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meh. 

aintbraque's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

3.5

an interesting format with some good commentary on true crime as a genre and how people consume/interact. very guilty of the last line of the chapter being a clunky shock sentence. so many of the characters suck and undergo exactly 0 growth (to be expected as per the format: a posthumous interview with key figures of the victims life/case)
"and it goes without saying; i never meant for any of them to die" SHUT UPPPP