Book Review: "You Killed Me First" by John Marrs

Check out some of my other reviews of John Marrs' books. These aren't all of them, but they are two you might want to read:

And so I'm back at the psycho-dramas of John Marrs. These are thrillers that border on the insane and You Killed Me First is no exception to the rule. Margot and Anna are surprised to see that someone new is moving in and wants to get to know her better. Margot takes a bottle of wine, Anna takes some mince pies for the holiday season and they go to their new neighbour wanting to make friends. Liv says she's opening a wellness centre and initially is inviting to both of them before she sees the horrid way in which Margot treats Anna. Alongside this story is another one that is far more mysterious, one that involves murder and suspense in ways that don't become fully clear until much, much later...

Margot is a woman who used to be a pop-star in a group. Now she's a stay-at-home mum with two step-children trying to figure out what the term 'non binary' means whilst also not respecting her step-child's new pronouns as they/them and still dead-naming her as 'she'. Margot also has a horrific secret that she doesn't want to share with anyone and it is directly connected to her husband, a man she apparently stole from someone else. Atop of this, the woman he was once with got so upset it practically ended Margot's star career. Between that and being very snooty towards her new neighbour, Liv, and being incredibly possessive over her creative and friendly neighbour, Anna - Margot is far more complicated than she seems. Perhaps that's why things go the way they do for her, especially when it comes to a man named Drew. Oh, and Drew isn't her husband.

Anna is a creative woman, friendly and nice with secrets of her own. She makes jewellery and sells it online. When she first meets Liv, Liv gets her to show off her creations to her and her influencer friends. Anna is grateful but also knows that Margot can be difficult with the both of them. Liv is definitely trying to save Anna from Margot's horrid influence and comments about everything from her dress to her looks. It is clear that Liv is the new girl but it is also clear that she is over-confidently trying to understand the friendship between Margot and Anna. There's something deeply wrong here and Anna begins to withdraw ever so slightly. When things start to unfold, Anna's past begins to catch up with her in the worst way. Especially those terrifying secrets - especially one to do with a man named Drew.

Liv has just moved into the neighbourhood and wants to open her wellness clinic. She has her doubts about Margot when it comes to the type of person she is. She's married to a man named Brandon and has two young kids. Her house is about to be renovated and she gets rid of the old decor which she thought looked terrible - one that she knew Margot had chosen for the previous occupants. She seems almost hell-bent on making Margot's life a little bit of a misery one inch at a time but it is justified to her since Margot is so horrible to Anna. There are some things that Liv doesn't understand but she is hiding secrets of her own, secrets that she cannot tell anyone which also involve the wellness centre she is opening and why she's even moved here. But worst of all, Liv is about to be pulled into the twisted world of Margot and Anna - and there's murder involved too, so that's going to be awful.

John Marrs writes a great book which opens with a woman tried to a bonfire about to be set alight because she was someone who killed first. In a twisted and horrific, murderous thriller, this centres on three women who try to constantly save face, constantly one up the other and atop of that, they need to hide their pasts at all costs. But when they start to intertwine their presents, things go awry very quickly.

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