You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a mixed read for me.
I liked the plot, I liked the style of the writing and the way it mixed in different social medias.
That being said, I did find the pacing a bit too slow for my personal tastes at times, I feel the characters weren't always explored that deeply and I ended up wishing I knew more, and towards the end I feel like it got a little bit preachy about the overall message the book was wanting to say.
Which, I can understand why, but that it came out of left field a bit, it really threw off the general pacing. Plus it was left fairly open ended and I, personally, really don't enjoy books all that much when there's not a clear cut ending the majority of the time.
I did enjoy the general plot and I found the storyline engaging but overall, from my points, it just wasn't quite the right book for me.
Favourite Quote - I've always been interesting, even if people didn't fully grasp that until now.
Favourite Character - Harper
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
It was the title, "The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair" that drew me in to wanting to read this book. Who doesn't love a serial killer/crime story? Especially when the killer is a glamorous 90 year old care home resident. This twist was definitely a draw for me.
Daphne is sharp, witty and unpredictable, with sass and secrets in equal measure. I was hooked from the first confession and eager to learn her story. Ruth is an aspiring true crime writer who is interviewing Daphne for a podcast. She is driven to find the truth but also has her own motivations for making a podcast about Daphne. I absolutely loved the dynamic between these two women.
I thought the podcast structure works brilliantly. It feels intimate, immersive, and a bit addictive. However I wasn't a fan of the Reddit threads and found them a little distracting and didn't add much to the plot. I would have liked to hear more about the victims to build emotional layers.
I enjoyed the ending and found it satisfying, some of the final revelations were predictable but others were not. So all in all I found this to be a strong debut novel and I'm looking forward to seeing what this author does next.
Thank you to Headline Books for providing an ARC via Netgalley
Daphne is sharp, witty and unpredictable, with sass and secrets in equal measure. I was hooked from the first confession and eager to learn her story. Ruth is an aspiring true crime writer who is interviewing Daphne for a podcast. She is driven to find the truth but also has her own motivations for making a podcast about Daphne. I absolutely loved the dynamic between these two women.
I thought the podcast structure works brilliantly. It feels intimate, immersive, and a bit addictive. However I wasn't a fan of the Reddit threads and found them a little distracting and didn't add much to the plot. I would have liked to hear more about the victims to build emotional layers.
I enjoyed the ending and found it satisfying, some of the final revelations were predictable but others were not. So all in all I found this to be a strong debut novel and I'm looking forward to seeing what this author does next.
Thank you to Headline Books for providing an ARC via Netgalley
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair is a novel which makes you question people. In it, we're following Ruth, who is interviewing Daphne (a nonagenarian who has just confessed to a series of murders) for a podcast about the various people she has killed, and why.
At the start of the novel, I wondered if Daphne St Clair was simply a woman pushed to the edge, who decided to take her revenge on some awful men who had wronged her. And that felt more justified - not that it would make killing OK - but definitely more palatable somehow. However, as the story continues, and the murders pile up, I realised that things aren't as clear-cut as they seem regarding Daphne and her thirst for killing!
Ruth chats to Daphne as she records her, posting the podcast episodes as she goes which quickly gain more and more traction. She takes listeners (and readers!) through Daphne's childhood, her various marriages and life in Canada and the US. We're never quite sure if Daphne is telling the whole truth, which adds some mystery to the narrative - and is Ruth hiding something too?
I really enjoyed this fun read. There are some darker parts, which is no surprise given the fact that Daphne has killed so many people, but it's also witty at times too. I always enjoy a mystery, and a novel with unreliable characters, and this book ticks both off!
It's a dark, engrossing novel which is very readable and, despite its dark subject matter, would make a great holiday read!
At the start of the novel, I wondered if Daphne St Clair was simply a woman pushed to the edge, who decided to take her revenge on some awful men who had wronged her. And that felt more justified - not that it would make killing OK - but definitely more palatable somehow. However, as the story continues, and the murders pile up, I realised that things aren't as clear-cut as they seem regarding Daphne and her thirst for killing!
Ruth chats to Daphne as she records her, posting the podcast episodes as she goes which quickly gain more and more traction. She takes listeners (and readers!) through Daphne's childhood, her various marriages and life in Canada and the US. We're never quite sure if Daphne is telling the whole truth, which adds some mystery to the narrative - and is Ruth hiding something too?
I really enjoyed this fun read. There are some darker parts, which is no surprise given the fact that Daphne has killed so many people, but it's also witty at times too. I always enjoy a mystery, and a novel with unreliable characters, and this book ticks both off!
It's a dark, engrossing novel which is very readable and, despite its dark subject matter, would make a great holiday read!
Just finished this book and I can’t stop thinking about it.
Meet Daphne: 90 years old, living in a care home… and apparently a serial killer.
Meet Ruth: true crime podcaster, desperate for her big break.
When Daphne confesses to a lifetime of murders, she chooses Ruth to tell her story. Each episode of the podcast dives into Daphne’s life — from surviving the Dust Bowl to living it up in 70s New York — all while leaving a trail of bodies behind.
At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. The characters took a few chapters to grow on me, but once they did, I was hooked. Completely obsessed. I couldn’t put it down.
Daphne is unforgettable — sarcastic, sharp, and darkly hilarious. Her commentary is brutal in the best way, and I was smiling through the most unsettling parts.
It’s not just a murder story. It’s layered, complex, and deeply thought-provoking. The structure is brilliant — part transcript, part narrative, with social media snippets showing the public’s reaction as the podcast blows up.
This book had me questioning my own judgment more than once. The way it touches on power, womanhood, and survival across generations is seriously impressive.
If you love morally grey characters, true crime vibes, and a plot that keeps you thinking, you need to read this.
MacKenzie Common — I need more from you, ASAP.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author of the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Meet Daphne: 90 years old, living in a care home… and apparently a serial killer.
Meet Ruth: true crime podcaster, desperate for her big break.
When Daphne confesses to a lifetime of murders, she chooses Ruth to tell her story. Each episode of the podcast dives into Daphne’s life — from surviving the Dust Bowl to living it up in 70s New York — all while leaving a trail of bodies behind.
At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. The characters took a few chapters to grow on me, but once they did, I was hooked. Completely obsessed. I couldn’t put it down.
Daphne is unforgettable — sarcastic, sharp, and darkly hilarious. Her commentary is brutal in the best way, and I was smiling through the most unsettling parts.
It’s not just a murder story. It’s layered, complex, and deeply thought-provoking. The structure is brilliant — part transcript, part narrative, with social media snippets showing the public’s reaction as the podcast blows up.
This book had me questioning my own judgment more than once. The way it touches on power, womanhood, and survival across generations is seriously impressive.
If you love morally grey characters, true crime vibes, and a plot that keeps you thinking, you need to read this.
MacKenzie Common — I need more from you, ASAP.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author of the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
Never let the truth get in the way of a good story. Daphne St. Clair may be a serial killer with a penchant of getting rid of husbands and lovers with poison (mostly) when she gets tired of them and then making off with their fortunes for a glamourous lifestyle in New York. I was enjoying the podcast, especially with Ruth hinting about her own troubles and looking for the truth about a certain death that she thinks may be the work of Daphne and the reddit posts plus the TikToks about fashion that Daphne may have worn during her various stages of killing through the decades. It was a good point to make about how we tend to glamorize serial killers, until they cross a certain line, but even then there will always be trolls on the internet wanting to use it to create chaos. I will say, sadly it kinda does peter out a bit and I was not quite sure how it was going to go but the end did redeem itself in a way with why Daphne confessed, how things worked out for Ruth and how people mostly are not interested in a woman struggling to make her way in the world, but add in that she was a serial killer, and everyone comes out of woodworks for more. A good point made but sad that that is how it is.
If you are expecting a thrilling read with glamour and murders and a serial killer not sorry for what she did, you get that for most of it but then it gets more serious and kinda darker and left me thinking about it. Not what I expected but I think it is a good book.
If you are expecting a thrilling read with glamour and murders and a serial killer not sorry for what she did, you get that for most of it but then it gets more serious and kinda darker and left me thinking about it. Not what I expected but I think it is a good book.
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
When 90-year-old care home resident, Daphne St Clair, confesses to being a serial killer, everyone wants to be the one to break the story. Why would someone who has gotten away with decades of murders suddenly confess? Podcaster, Ruth King, is the person Daphne chooses to tell her story, but as they get to know each other during the interviews, it becomes clear that neither of them are telling the whole truth.....
This is a great read! Daphne is a mix of an even more ruthless Scarlett O'Hara from Gone With the Wind, & Debbie Jellinsky from Addams Family Values - scheming & marrying her way out of poverty & disposing of her rich husbands when they outstay their welcome. Daphne also has a very droll sense of humour about it all & is really quite unrepentant. It neatly skewers the double standards back then & also highlights the constant pressure on women to make being the perfect wife & mother their whole personality, without complaint.
The author doesn't shy away from making Daphne completely unlikeable in a lot of ways, yet the reader can't help but tag along to see what she does next. Unfortunately Ruth suffers from being in the bright light of Daphne's all-encompassing personality & seems rather drab & dull in comparison. It was a fascinating look at a female serial killer, albeit a fictional one, which isn't afraid to look at the darker aspects of ordinary life.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Headline/Mountain Leopard Press, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.
This is a great read! Daphne is a mix of an even more ruthless Scarlett O'Hara from Gone With the Wind, & Debbie Jellinsky from Addams Family Values - scheming & marrying her way out of poverty & disposing of her rich husbands when they outstay their welcome. Daphne also has a very droll sense of humour about it all & is really quite unrepentant. It neatly skewers the double standards back then & also highlights the constant pressure on women to make being the perfect wife & mother their whole personality, without complaint.
The author doesn't shy away from making Daphne completely unlikeable in a lot of ways, yet the reader can't help but tag along to see what she does next. Unfortunately Ruth suffers from being in the bright light of Daphne's all-encompassing personality & seems rather drab & dull in comparison. It was a fascinating look at a female serial killer, albeit a fictional one, which isn't afraid to look at the darker aspects of ordinary life.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Headline/Mountain Leopard Press, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Murder
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
REVIEW
cw: murder, mentions of alcoholism, DV, child abuse, rape, misogyny, queerphobia
When ninety-year-old grandmother Daphne confesses to killing a number of men throughout her lifetime, she chooses struggling journalist Ruth Robinson to produce the podcast charting Daphne's humble beginnings from the Dust Bowl in Canada to her glittering life in 70s New York - and leaving a string of murders in her wake.
The public is hooked. Is she a feminist icon taking revenge on bad men? Or just a ruthless criminal? As the podcast finale approaches, it becomes clear that neither woman has been entirely honest with the other. Who has been controlling the narrative?
I was intrigued by the premise of this book as soon as I saw it on NetGalley, and it did not disappoint. The prologue hooked me immediately, and I loved the story's format, which combined podcast transcripts, conversations, social media posts, and the introspective musings of Ruth and Daphne.
Daphne was such a complex character, and the author did an admirable job of showing her duality. At times, I could empathise with her, especially when she was showing her fragile side, but then we'd get her vain and selfish characteristics. I won’t go into detail about each murder, but I will say I could see what drove her to some of them. However, the fourth murder felt cruel, and changed my overall perception of her, and the 'freebie' was hard to read, especially as we only ever had her version of the events.
Daphne was full of biting wit and irreverent humour, but you could also feel her mean side bubbling under the surface. The story of how Daphne's son, James, became estranged was well-told, and my heart broke for him on several occasions. Her twin daughters, Diane and Rose, were awful at the beginning, but by the end, I found it difficult not to have some sympathy for how much upheaval they went through in their childhood.
Ruth was interesting in her own way, though the big secret behind her involvement meant that she felt less well-developed early on. Around a third of the way, we started to get the first hints about how Ruth and Daphne's lives were intertwined, and I thought Ruth's secrets were woven well into the storyline. I felt for her when she described the way Ruth's father's family treated her.
My heart ached for both Daphne and Ruth at different points in the book, but especially when they each recounted their difficult childhoods and the way they were perceived by their peers.
The Reddit threads felt hilariously authentic and added much-needed levity, especially after some of Daphne's early recollections. HauteHistoire's posts were also on the nose, especially when they saw the tide turning and pivoted to another egregious trend, and there was an interesting critique of the morality of consuming true crime media.
I won't spoil anything, but the various subplots and supporting characters added to the intrigue, and I think the author did a great job at developing the claustrophobic atmosphere as Ruth grew more and more paranoid about threats to her safety from various angles. While the final third worked well at tying up all of the loose ends, I had guessed a couple of the identities quite early on. Still, I loved the ending.
The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair was an engaging read, and I will definitely read more from this author.
Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️.5
*Thanks to the publisher for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair is published on the 19th June in the UK*
cw: murder, mentions of alcoholism, DV, child abuse, rape, misogyny, queerphobia
When ninety-year-old grandmother Daphne confesses to killing a number of men throughout her lifetime, she chooses struggling journalist Ruth Robinson to produce the podcast charting Daphne's humble beginnings from the Dust Bowl in Canada to her glittering life in 70s New York - and leaving a string of murders in her wake.
The public is hooked. Is she a feminist icon taking revenge on bad men? Or just a ruthless criminal? As the podcast finale approaches, it becomes clear that neither woman has been entirely honest with the other. Who has been controlling the narrative?
I was intrigued by the premise of this book as soon as I saw it on NetGalley, and it did not disappoint. The prologue hooked me immediately, and I loved the story's format, which combined podcast transcripts, conversations, social media posts, and the introspective musings of Ruth and Daphne.
Daphne was such a complex character, and the author did an admirable job of showing her duality. At times, I could empathise with her, especially when she was showing her fragile side, but then we'd get her vain and selfish characteristics. I won’t go into detail about each murder, but I will say I could see what drove her to some of them. However, the fourth murder felt cruel, and changed my overall perception of her, and the 'freebie' was hard to read, especially as we only ever had her version of the events.
Daphne was full of biting wit and irreverent humour, but you could also feel her mean side bubbling under the surface. The story of how Daphne's son, James, became estranged was well-told, and my heart broke for him on several occasions. Her twin daughters, Diane and Rose, were awful at the beginning, but by the end, I found it difficult not to have some sympathy for how much upheaval they went through in their childhood.
Ruth was interesting in her own way, though the big secret behind her involvement meant that she felt less well-developed early on. Around a third of the way, we started to get the first hints about how Ruth and Daphne's lives were intertwined, and I thought Ruth's secrets were woven well into the storyline. I felt for her when she described the way Ruth's father's family treated her.
My heart ached for both Daphne and Ruth at different points in the book, but especially when they each recounted their difficult childhoods and the way they were perceived by their peers.
The Reddit threads felt hilariously authentic and added much-needed levity, especially after some of Daphne's early recollections. HauteHistoire's posts were also on the nose, especially when they saw the tide turning and pivoted to another egregious trend, and there was an interesting critique of the morality of consuming true crime media.
I won't spoil anything, but the various subplots and supporting characters added to the intrigue, and I think the author did a great job at developing the claustrophobic atmosphere as Ruth grew more and more paranoid about threats to her safety from various angles. While the final third worked well at tying up all of the loose ends, I had guessed a couple of the identities quite early on. Still, I loved the ending.
The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair was an engaging read, and I will definitely read more from this author.
Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️.5
*Thanks to the publisher for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair is published on the 19th June in the UK*