The Killer You Know

May 6, 2019
In British author Masters’s arresting debut, a group of friends begin to suspect that one among them is a murderer. In the summer of 1998 in the small Midlands town of Blythe, teenagers Adeline, Jen, Steve, Rupesh, and Nick discuss their goals for the future. “You need to kill at least three people to be a serial killer, right?” says Nick. “So that’s what I’ll do.” They separate after the summer. Flash forward to a reunion in Blythe in the winter of 2015. Everyone is there except Nick. Many drinks later, Adeline, Jen, Steve, and Rupesh start to speculate on what he might have been up to. They slowly begin to build up a case against him. The story slips back and forth between events of that long-ago summer and the at times terrifying winter of 2015 when a series of deaths and a kidnapping take place. Though repetitious conjectures about Nick slow the pace, this psychological thriller offers sharp insights into group dynamics and peer manipulation. Masters is a writer to watch. Agent: Joanna Swainson, Hardman & Swainson (U.K.).