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How to Kill with Kindness Paperback – May 9, 2024
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length480 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherOne More Chapter
- Publication dateMay 9, 2024
- Dimensions5.08 x 1.3 x 7.8 inches
- ISBN-100008520151
- ISBN-13978-0008520151
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Product details
- Publisher : One More Chapter (May 9, 2024)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 480 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0008520151
- ISBN-13 : 978-0008520151
- Item Weight : 9.5 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.08 x 1.3 x 7.8 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #9,285,048 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
S R Masters grew up around Birmingham in the UK. After studying philosophy, he worked in public health. He now lives in Oxfordshire with his wife and children.
His short fiction and novels have been published internationally. Labelled as "a writer to watch" by Publishers Weekly, his books include THE KILLER YOU KNOW (Sphere), THE TRIAL (HarperCollins) and HOW TO KILL WITH KINDNESS (HarperCollins). His next book THE DROP arrives December 2025.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonTop reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2024Reading this book, you can’t help making a comparison to The Stepford Wives. A seemingly picture-perfect town that hides ugly secrets beneath its beauty. Tessa and her partner Andy make a slightly impulsive decision to move there for a change of pace after coming upon the village one day. They like the vibe and are looking for a fresh start, so they apply for a rare open property. After an unsettling interview with the Kindness Committee, they are approved and move in shortly afterward. The Kindness Committee pretty much runs the town, promoting their values, and encouraging participation from the residents. It’s just as weird as it sounds and it just gets weirder.
You know where this is headed – it starts out wonderful but there are little signs that everything’s not as it seems. Because of the reduced rent Tessa and Andy are offered, they’re expected to offer their assistance for free based on their particular skills. The few residents that aren’t as engaged and proactive are seen as outsiders and Tessa is encouraged not to spend time with them. It becomes clear to Tessa that if you don’t follow the rules of doing what they want you to do, then there are consequences. Terrifying consequences in some cases.
And when she turns to Andy for support, he surprises her by disagreeing and blowing off her doubts as ‘her typical cynicism.’ The village is widening the gaps in their relationship and she begins wondering if England’s Kindest Village is going to become her biggest regret.
I enjoyed the book, waiting to see how bad things were going to get, and wasn’t surprised by how far the villagers would go. There are some good surprises thrown in, others you will see coming. What I didn’t like was how such a seemingly close and secure relationship like Tessa and Andy’s unraveled so quickly based on the manipulations of others. That’s not a spoiler, it’s plainly obvious from the start. They’re not your typical stagnant married couple that’s grown apart. They’re the type that would have both come to the same realization and gotten the heck out of Dodge while they still could. Otherwise, it’s a fun story for anyone, especially fans of the old cliché that the grass is always greener, etc. This book will change your mind right quick!
- Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2025A young couple who are having a tough time of it stumble upon a quaint Oxfordshire village. The village, Nether Appleford, claims to be the kindest village in England, with an elected Kindness Committee ensuring the village lives up to its high standards. The committee also reviews all applications from potential new residents and approves those they think will add to their community. After several unsuccessful rounds of IVF Tessa and Andy know they need to make a big change in their lives, so they submit an application to the committee and ask to move to Nether Appleford. They’re shocked when their application is accepted and hastily leave London, and hopefully their heartache, behind. But life in their new village isn’t quite as Tessa expected. Andy seems to have made a good name for himself. Tessa, not so much. Life in Nether Appleford isn’t the tranquil, picturesque dream come true Tessa had hoped for. So much so, that it could become her worst nightmare…
How to Kill with Kindness is the third book I’ve read by S.R. Masters. I enjoyed the author’s first two books but this dark and twisted tale is definitely my favourite! It’s full of unexpected twists and turns. There’s a wonderful sense of menace running through the narrative as things begin to spiral out of control and I couldn’t look away! I just had to keep reading to find out what awful thing was going to befall our protagonist next. It really is one thing after another for poor Tessa. She’s not the most likeable of characters (no one in this book is!) but I did like how tough she was. The first half of the novel is a little slower in pace but stick with it because things really ramp up in the second half. All in all, a compelling, compulsive thriller that I couldn’t get enough of. As a resident of Oxfordshire I completely believed the setting. I’m pretty sure we have a few strange, little (although hopefully not as deadly!) villages hidden away somewhere in the county! Intriguing, engrossing and very difficult to put down for any length of time. Recommended.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2024loved the premise of the story and the characters were suitably creepy. I liked the veiled cultish aspect of the book and I wish it had been explored more. After the ‘secret’ of the village started to be revealed the book started to drag, and passages of people explaining past events went on too long. Sadly this book was not for me, but if you are looking for a book about how members of a group start to follow social mores, you might enjoy this one.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2024Is this story about kindness or a story about survival. This is a worthwhile quirky thriller based in a quaint private pretty little English village. The village tenet is kindness but all is not what it seems. Your kind deeds could end up getting you killed. There are sinister forces at play and there is a killer on the loose . Who will survive.
4 stars
- Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2024A chilling psychological thriller that explores the darker side of kindness, in a fascinating and disturbing world. Acts of kindness can have deadly consequences.
I received a gifted copy.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2024This is one of those oddly fascinating novels that keeps you in a labyrinth until the bitter end! Tessa and Andy move to Nether Appleford as it's a quaint village that promises kindness to all inhabitants; they discover there is actually a Kindness Tree where the locals thank each other by hanging notes from its branches. Initially they are impressed but as they meet each of the villagers they notice there are so many anomalies and odd things happening that it becomes clear nothing is as it appears! It's such a weird and wonderful look at a community that believes it's doing good, when in actuality it's doing the opposite. Hang on for the ride of your life1
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
Top reviews from other countries
- R.YReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book - loved it!
Another great book by SR Masters. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I couldn’t put it down! I really rooted for the characters and it was a real page turner. Definitely recommend and I can’t wait for his next!
- Cass83Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 3, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping and entertaining
Loved it - dark, pacy and original. Kept me guessing till the end!