Taking place inside the twisted and murky mind of a serial killer, Bella Mackie’s first novel forces you to view the world through a refocused lens, as everything from the mundane to the extraordinary in life is shaken up, and put into a worryingly clear perspective. Through the critical eye of a cold-blooded killer, Mackie creates characters more vividly than a movie could ever aspire to. Every subtle observation from their clothes to how they dot their ‘i’s is never without a snide, sarcasm-riddled thought which means a guaranteed giggle on pretty much every page.
Incredibly Mackie, a freelance journalist, managed to make me feel sympathy for Grace Bernard, a murder-motivated sociopath, hell-bent on retribution. This is a story of a woman striving to bloom from the thorns of a difficult childhood, but with some very unconventional methods…
Although a highly enjoyable read, it wasn’t as exhilaratingly page turning as your average crime thriller with classic steady inclines before a gripping free-fall of action and plot twists. Instead, the anachronism broke up the storyline somewhat, making it more of a casual pick-me-up-whenever kind of read. However don’t be fooled. Slight placidity is not by any means predictability; guaranteed you won’t see this ending coming until the very last page!
Witty, modern and hilariously sarcastic, How To Kill Your Family remains delightfully light-hearted throughout the course of prison, strife, and several grisly murders. Just think, an excellent crime novel devoid of the usual despondency. What more could you want?
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