David Bell fans will undoubtedly be pleased as Kill All Your Darlings is yet another finely crafted mystery/thriller from this prolific, well respected author. This is a clever, original mystery that starts with an emotionally struggling English professor taking advantage of the excellent writing skills of his student who has disappeared, but the story spins out in several unpredictable directions.
Twists and turns abound as the publishing of the missing student’s manuscript (as if it were the professor’s own work) starts to reveal even more than Professor Nye was ever aware of. When that formerly missing student reappears, very much still alive, it prompts an avalanche of revelations and consequences.
The reader enters the story at something of a mid-point as the action will both move forward in time, but we also learn very significant information from the past two years as well. Bell does an excellent job of making these “time jumps” clear and easy to follow. It can be frustrating when authors move back and forth on a story’s timeline without giving the reader enough vital information to keep up, but you will find none of that here. Bell has given each character their own unique voice and perspective and switches narrators, dates, or times with purpose, always in service of the story. This technique is used to perfection to constantly build up the suspense and tension at the climax of this story.
In addition to a solidly built mystery, Kill All Your Darlings also speaks to several very real societal issues that many people face on a daily basis. Bell examines sexual harassment (particularly in the world of academia), the complicated ethics of professors socialising with adult students, and very universal issues like substance abuse, grief, and socioeconomics. Never in an overbearing manner, but instead all of these issues are woven into the story with grace and a deft hand.
A great choice for a first read if you are new to David Bell, or to the mystery/thriller genre, Kill All Your Darlings is a complex, well-written mystery with a unique plot and interesting, realistic characters.
Kill All Your Darlings is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
After years of struggling to write following the deaths of his wife and son, English professor Connor Nye publishes his first novel, a thriller about the murder of a young woman.
There’s just one problem: Connor didn’t write the book. His missing student did. And then she appears on his doorstep, alive and well, threatening to expose him.
Connor’s problems escalate when the police insist details in the novel implicate him in an unsolved murder from two years ago. Soon Connor discovers the crime is part of a disturbing scandal on campus and faces an impossible dilemma–admit he didn’t write the book and lose his job or keep up the lie and risk everything. When another murder occurs, Connor must clear his name by unraveling the horrifying secrets buried in his student’s manuscript.
This is a suspenseful, provocative novel about the sexual harassment that still runs rampant in academia–and the lengths those in power will go to cover it up.
