Scan barcode
A review by beate251
Everyone in the Group Chat Dies by L.M. Chilton
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for this ARC.
Thirty years ago, Peter Doyle killed a handful of teenagers at the annual Crawe Fayre in Crowhurst, a small town in Surrey, then threw himself off the cliffs at Staker Point. It's what Crowhurst is still mostfamous notorious for - that and sausage rolls.
Twelve months ago, a girl called Esme joined the four flatmates Kirby, Dave, Dylan and Seema who were calling themselves The Deadbeats in their WhatsApp group, at their run-down flat in Crowhurst, with the intent of investigating the spree killer via a true crime video site called ShowMe ("Tik Tok is so last year").
In the present day, Kirby and the others seem to have left Crowhurst behind, but suddenly a strange message hits the old group chat. It's from Esme - but Esme died a year ago. Slowly Kirby, the journalist, begins to piece together not only what happened twelve months ago but also 30 years ago. Is Peter Doyle still alive and now coming for the former flatmates? Because someone is killing them off one by one.
Unfortunately, I don't seem to be the target audience for this. I couldn't connect to the young hip characters and their constant need for validation via followers. The humour seems forced and childish and is certainly not laugh-out-loud funny. Also, calling a 42" TV a mega beast felt needlessly melodramatic.
I found the dual timelines confusing and irritating, and the present day killings didn't make sense as there seemed no need for them. Even the explanation we got seemed unhinged. We got some heavy hinting throughout (Fitbit! Broken necklace! Noisy, vibrating printer press!) but none of it pointed to something really important.
I liked the twelve months ago narration but every time I got into it, the timeline changed to the less interesting present day timeline. The whole thing strongly reminded me of slasher film I Know What You Did Last Summer so maybe read it if that is your thing.
Thirty years ago, Peter Doyle killed a handful of teenagers at the annual Crawe Fayre in Crowhurst, a small town in Surrey, then threw himself off the cliffs at Staker Point. It's what Crowhurst is still most
Twelve months ago, a girl called Esme joined the four flatmates Kirby, Dave, Dylan and Seema who were calling themselves The Deadbeats in their WhatsApp group, at their run-down flat in Crowhurst, with the intent of investigating the spree killer via a true crime video site called ShowMe ("Tik Tok is so last year").
In the present day, Kirby and the others seem to have left Crowhurst behind, but suddenly a strange message hits the old group chat. It's from Esme - but Esme died a year ago. Slowly Kirby, the journalist, begins to piece together not only what happened twelve months ago but also 30 years ago. Is Peter Doyle still alive and now coming for the former flatmates? Because someone is killing them off one by one.
Unfortunately, I don't seem to be the target audience for this. I couldn't connect to the young hip characters and their constant need for validation via followers. The humour seems forced and childish and is certainly not laugh-out-loud funny. Also, calling a 42" TV a mega beast felt needlessly melodramatic.
I found the dual timelines confusing and irritating, and the present day killings didn't make sense as there seemed no need for them. Even the explanation we got seemed unhinged. We got some heavy hinting throughout (Fitbit! Broken necklace! Noisy, vibrating printer press!) but none of it pointed to something really important.
I liked the twelve months ago narration but every time I got into it, the timeline changed to the less interesting present day timeline. The whole thing strongly reminded me of slasher film I Know What You Did Last Summer so maybe read it if that is your thing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol