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Fairy Tale Murders
Women are disappearing in Topeka and with each disappearance there comes another "special delivery" from a man who calls himself the Fairy Tale Murderer. Detective Kate Kingsley searches for her missing best friend, Kristen, while hot on the trail of an emerging serial killer. Is Kristen one of the killer's "princesses" or is she simply the bait to lure Kate to her own Fairy Tale ending?
292 pages, Paperback
First published June 26, 2013
About the author
Kelly Money
1 bookBorn in Topeka, Kansas, Kelly Money quickly learned that life in Kansas wasn't just tornado's and yellow brick roads. Although the tornadoes were real, her excitement came from using her imagination, writing stories and poetry. Inspired by the ominous and eerie mortuary next to her aunt’s home, a love for mysteries and suspense began at the age of 7. This passion led her to Bethany College where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and enjoyed playing Basketball. She has resided in Glendale, Arizona as a Realtor for over 20 years and is a Mother of 3 boys.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 18, 2015
Told with fascinating and convincing detail, Kelly Money’s Fairy Tale Murders is a dark tale of the birth of and search for a sick serial killer in Topeka. The story opens when Detective Kate Kingsley’s best friend leaves home with no forwarding message. A strange parcel contains an oddly inscribed children’s story. And a young man sinks into sexual temptation and evil.
The author’s attention to detail brings locations and occupations convincingly to life. But an equally detailed approach to her antagonist’s actions make this a novel best read by mature readers with strong stomachs, perhaps. Short chapters invite the reader to pick up and put down the book during a busy day. Leisurely, sometimes bumpy narration leaves time for extensive backstories. And dialog, though sometimes long-winded, keeps all the details in place for the casual reader. Meanwhile, the antagonist's mounting errors are carefully choreographed as the tale draws to a close.
Kate and her partner are pleasingly ordinary cops, with real world distractions and lives. They add a lot to this tale of a less ordinary young man whose life devolves into the surreal. The presence of a strong female lead deepens a tale of female loss. And “no stone” will be unturned as the investigation proceeds.
Disclosure: I was given a free copy and I offer my honest review.
The author’s attention to detail brings locations and occupations convincingly to life. But an equally detailed approach to her antagonist’s actions make this a novel best read by mature readers with strong stomachs, perhaps. Short chapters invite the reader to pick up and put down the book during a busy day. Leisurely, sometimes bumpy narration leaves time for extensive backstories. And dialog, though sometimes long-winded, keeps all the details in place for the casual reader. Meanwhile, the antagonist's mounting errors are carefully choreographed as the tale draws to a close.
Kate and her partner are pleasingly ordinary cops, with real world distractions and lives. They add a lot to this tale of a less ordinary young man whose life devolves into the surreal. The presence of a strong female lead deepens a tale of female loss. And “no stone” will be unturned as the investigation proceeds.
Disclosure: I was given a free copy and I offer my honest review.
September 15, 2015
Although this book had a very good structure to make an amazing story, it felt too cliche and the timeline of the characters didn't feel right. I feel that this story needed to be edited much more before being released. I did have several things I liked about this story, the perspective of the killer, the short chapters, how easy it was to read, some of the funny parts had me laughing and the sad made me tear up, how it changed so you can see the perspective of the victims as well.
I couldn't find myself giving this book more than a 2, and it had too much potential for me to give it less. We read this book in our book club and our group overall vote was close to what I gave this story as well.
I couldn't find myself giving this book more than a 2, and it had too much potential for me to give it less. We read this book in our book club and our group overall vote was close to what I gave this story as well.
August 19, 2015
I read this book for my book club and was sorely disappointed with it. It didn't have a very seamless story. It was repetitive and cliched. It had an interesting topic, but the follow through on it wasn't very good. It was very basic with no real depth to the characters. Most of it was grammatically solid, but the time line and all over realism wasn't very good. It left me questioning the way things happened and the believably of the actions taken.
June 3, 2025
ok this went a much much different route than I thought by the title
April 5, 2015
"Fairy Tale Murders" Is An Uber-Creepy Delight
Kelly Money’s “Fairy Tale Murders” is a compellingly gritty crime-horror novel that explores the birth and growth of a monster, the “Fairy Tale Murderer.” Set in Topeka, Kansas, we watch as Stan, a terribly insecure young man who is constantly berated as a failure by his father, turn from a meek, almost mild figure, who exists only in the shadow of his father, into a full-blown psychotic with murder on his mind. Stan lives in a bizarre world of fantasy where he gains strength from his madness. His career starts as he finally has his “victory” over Daddy. It’s not so much a victory as a cowardly failure to act to save the man who has chastised him. Though most of us would act to save a dying man, Stan just waits and waits and then “assists” a bit with a pinch and then waits some more until he is certain Daddy can’t bother him again.
On that note, he takes some strength and moves to his next victim, at the first, not realizing he is moving that way. It doesn’t take him long, though, to move on and gain even more “strength,” at length seeing that he needs to feed his fairy tale fetish with victims who look like his “Sleeping Beauty.” Certain no one can match or defeat him, he leaves, like Hans and Gretel’s trail of crumbs, a trail of fairy tales clues from which he gains his grim nickname.
Stan’s nemesis is stalwart Topeka detective Kate Kingsley who, with the aid of her partner, unravels what seems to be an unsolvable case as the only clues the police have are the ones the young psychopath leaves. Driven by the disappearance of her friend, Kristen, Kate works tirelessly to find out not only what happened to her longtime friend but also to stop the fiend before he can strike one more time. To her regret, Kate fails to act quickly enough, she feels, to have saved more victims.
The whole novel plays out in a well-paced and excellent plotted manner that moves almost lyrically from one scene to the next. Money’s talent is undeniable and is easily shown by the seamless manner in which she constructs “Murders.” Her first effort, the author has created a riveting tale that keeps you reading, even when you know it is time to put the book down and go to sleep (I knew that it was time for bed but I kept on reading anyway until shafts of light appeared on the wall – then I did get some sleep).
Money’s style is clean and crisp. She knows how to construct characters who fly off the page and take on lives of their own. Her characters, such as the uber-creepy Stan and the indefatigable detective-hero Kate, are three-dimensional and real.
I am happy I read Money’s first work. She has such fresh, undeniable talent that, if her second book is as good as her first, will lead her on to a bright future as a writer.
Kelly Money’s “Fairy Tale Murders” is a compellingly gritty crime-horror novel that explores the birth and growth of a monster, the “Fairy Tale Murderer.” Set in Topeka, Kansas, we watch as Stan, a terribly insecure young man who is constantly berated as a failure by his father, turn from a meek, almost mild figure, who exists only in the shadow of his father, into a full-blown psychotic with murder on his mind. Stan lives in a bizarre world of fantasy where he gains strength from his madness. His career starts as he finally has his “victory” over Daddy. It’s not so much a victory as a cowardly failure to act to save the man who has chastised him. Though most of us would act to save a dying man, Stan just waits and waits and then “assists” a bit with a pinch and then waits some more until he is certain Daddy can’t bother him again.
On that note, he takes some strength and moves to his next victim, at the first, not realizing he is moving that way. It doesn’t take him long, though, to move on and gain even more “strength,” at length seeing that he needs to feed his fairy tale fetish with victims who look like his “Sleeping Beauty.” Certain no one can match or defeat him, he leaves, like Hans and Gretel’s trail of crumbs, a trail of fairy tales clues from which he gains his grim nickname.
Stan’s nemesis is stalwart Topeka detective Kate Kingsley who, with the aid of her partner, unravels what seems to be an unsolvable case as the only clues the police have are the ones the young psychopath leaves. Driven by the disappearance of her friend, Kristen, Kate works tirelessly to find out not only what happened to her longtime friend but also to stop the fiend before he can strike one more time. To her regret, Kate fails to act quickly enough, she feels, to have saved more victims.
The whole novel plays out in a well-paced and excellent plotted manner that moves almost lyrically from one scene to the next. Money’s talent is undeniable and is easily shown by the seamless manner in which she constructs “Murders.” Her first effort, the author has created a riveting tale that keeps you reading, even when you know it is time to put the book down and go to sleep (I knew that it was time for bed but I kept on reading anyway until shafts of light appeared on the wall – then I did get some sleep).
Money’s style is clean and crisp. She knows how to construct characters who fly off the page and take on lives of their own. Her characters, such as the uber-creepy Stan and the indefatigable detective-hero Kate, are three-dimensional and real.
I am happy I read Money’s first work. She has such fresh, undeniable talent that, if her second book is as good as her first, will lead her on to a bright future as a writer.
June 14, 2014
Fairy Tale Murders has a strong enough concept that seeds a pretty dark story. It plays upon the very trendy subject of fairy tales which have become very popular in recent years. The basic set-up of killer and detective works smoothly with plenty of suspense that builds as each of the character’s story opens up. The elements that have predator selecting and taking his prey does at times feel a bit too convenient and concise, eliminating any real chance for horror to permeate in the scenes. If it were a television series or movie then Fairy Tale Murders would be more Lifetime or NBC. Not that the story Money gives us is bad, I just like my thrillers a bit more exploitative or darker. The author tends to err on the milder side when describing the murders or victims suffering.
The novel does develop nicely, giving us well rounded characters and the situations are in scenarios that bring the creepy to common locations. The character of Stan seems only partially complete which is kind of annoying. Some of his logic and behavior doesn’t really feel authentic at times. It isn’t enough to kill the character or harm the story completely, I just felt that Money could have went deeper and darker into the mind of the killer, with more understanding of how a killer thinks. I guess I would have liked Stan to have read more scary. ON the other hand detective Kate Kingsley was totally believable. Her character seemed to be developed with more care. I did feel that the relationship between the protagonist and antagonist felt contrived at times, but for the most part the story pit them perfectly in a classic, entertaining, cat-n-mouse game.
Overall, Fairy Tale Murders is a nice, PG-13 thriller (in my personal opinion) with a standard set-up. Minus the few moments where the story moves a bit slow, the novel creates a thrilling story with a creative concept. Certain moments where the “fairy tale” m.o. are addressed do seem forced but the connection never feels continuously forced, most moments the concept fit nicely and feel authentic. Fairy Tale Murders is creative novel that should entertain most readers of serial killer/crime fiction, and with the strong female character of Kate Kingsley, the story fits the contemporary design that flows in this genre both in literature and live-action scenarios.
The novel does develop nicely, giving us well rounded characters and the situations are in scenarios that bring the creepy to common locations. The character of Stan seems only partially complete which is kind of annoying. Some of his logic and behavior doesn’t really feel authentic at times. It isn’t enough to kill the character or harm the story completely, I just felt that Money could have went deeper and darker into the mind of the killer, with more understanding of how a killer thinks. I guess I would have liked Stan to have read more scary. ON the other hand detective Kate Kingsley was totally believable. Her character seemed to be developed with more care. I did feel that the relationship between the protagonist and antagonist felt contrived at times, but for the most part the story pit them perfectly in a classic, entertaining, cat-n-mouse game.
Overall, Fairy Tale Murders is a nice, PG-13 thriller (in my personal opinion) with a standard set-up. Minus the few moments where the story moves a bit slow, the novel creates a thrilling story with a creative concept. Certain moments where the “fairy tale” m.o. are addressed do seem forced but the connection never feels continuously forced, most moments the concept fit nicely and feel authentic. Fairy Tale Murders is creative novel that should entertain most readers of serial killer/crime fiction, and with the strong female character of Kate Kingsley, the story fits the contemporary design that flows in this genre both in literature and live-action scenarios.
March 21, 2015
Serial killer pleasure and a quest to capture the murderer
If you like horror films, and are not intimidated by blood killing details than Kelly Money will provide you great detail on a series of murders not for the faint of heart. In Fairy Tale Murders lead character Stan will emerge from a shy introverted young man to a serial killer. With his mother's death when he was young, she became the only reflection of love and care he would know. Though he and his father worked together in the family run Country Haven Mortuary, his dream of becoming a doctor would be overlooked by a critical dad.
Stan, seemingly criticized daily by his father learned to hold his emotions inside. It was his father's heart attack at home after another bout of criticism that made Stan aid in his death with pleasure. From a shy introvert would spring forth life in Stan and he would find himself gaining pleasure at the sight of blood squirting from his victims.
Call it suppressed anger, hatred, or psychotically disturbed but Stan would begin a series of killings naming each woman from a fairy tale memory and the pleasure he got as a child when his mother read these to him. With each murder he would seem to gain great satisfaction naming them Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Ariel, and Belle.
Detective Kate Kingsley has a special interest in these killings as her best friend Kristen was murdered and sent a note by Stan to her. It will be a daring chase while Stan basks in his cleverness with trails of clues left behind on the murders. If you enjoy crime books mixed with vivid horror killings then I recommend this to you. It has easy readability and clarity and will continually keep the reader wondering what will happen next.
If you like horror films, and are not intimidated by blood killing details than Kelly Money will provide you great detail on a series of murders not for the faint of heart. In Fairy Tale Murders lead character Stan will emerge from a shy introverted young man to a serial killer. With his mother's death when he was young, she became the only reflection of love and care he would know. Though he and his father worked together in the family run Country Haven Mortuary, his dream of becoming a doctor would be overlooked by a critical dad.
Stan, seemingly criticized daily by his father learned to hold his emotions inside. It was his father's heart attack at home after another bout of criticism that made Stan aid in his death with pleasure. From a shy introvert would spring forth life in Stan and he would find himself gaining pleasure at the sight of blood squirting from his victims.
Call it suppressed anger, hatred, or psychotically disturbed but Stan would begin a series of killings naming each woman from a fairy tale memory and the pleasure he got as a child when his mother read these to him. With each murder he would seem to gain great satisfaction naming them Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Ariel, and Belle.
Detective Kate Kingsley has a special interest in these killings as her best friend Kristen was murdered and sent a note by Stan to her. It will be a daring chase while Stan basks in his cleverness with trails of clues left behind on the murders. If you enjoy crime books mixed with vivid horror killings then I recommend this to you. It has easy readability and clarity and will continually keep the reader wondering what will happen next.
March 16, 2015
The story is told from the points of view of the serial killer and the detective trying to find him. We first meet Stan, the shy son of a mortuary owner who yearns to do more than inherit the family mortuary business. When the opportunity arises, Stan finds a way to be free of his overbearing father and take control of his life. He uses memories of his mother reading him fairy tales to find his own princesses to feel powerful and confident. Detective Kate Kingsley desperately searches for her missing best friend, Kristen, while hot on the trail of the murderer. She hopes against all hopes that she will be able to find her friend alive as the number of women disappearing continues to increase.
Stan had what I would call a psychotic break when he tries to help his father by doing CPR and his father berates him. I was not surprised that he decided to let his father die, it was a response of a sensitive soul that had been oppressed and unhappy too long. It is sometimes easy to forget that although there are no physical marks that emotional abuse can still leave ugly scars. The characters are engaging and I really liked the detective character who was tough and relentless in her search for the killer. It is an enjoyable read but caution it is a little morbid.
Stan had what I would call a psychotic break when he tries to help his father by doing CPR and his father berates him. I was not surprised that he decided to let his father die, it was a response of a sensitive soul that had been oppressed and unhappy too long. It is sometimes easy to forget that although there are no physical marks that emotional abuse can still leave ugly scars. The characters are engaging and I really liked the detective character who was tough and relentless in her search for the killer. It is an enjoyable read but caution it is a little morbid.
February 6, 2015
Given To Me For An Honest Review
Fairy Tale Murders by Kelly Money is such a must read it's unbelievable.
Once you open up to page one it will grab you and hold you down as you watch the pages turn and turn some more until you reach the last page. This book is unique and spell binding. The writing is so vivid and powerful that the reader feels as if they are a part of the story. Detective Kate Kingsley's friend has disappeared and no one knows where she is. Kate along with her partner, Harper are determined to find her. A young man transforms himself into a serial killer using his fairy tale obsession. You will be kept on the edge of your seat as you try to figure out the ending. This book would be a great choice to add to your reading collection. I read Fairy Tale Murders in one day. It's a definite re-read story. I loved it and I'm sure you'll enjoy it too. I highly recommend this book to everyone especially if you enjoy reading crime thrillers. I look forward to more from Kelly Money.
Fairy Tale Murders by Kelly Money is such a must read it's unbelievable.
Once you open up to page one it will grab you and hold you down as you watch the pages turn and turn some more until you reach the last page. This book is unique and spell binding. The writing is so vivid and powerful that the reader feels as if they are a part of the story. Detective Kate Kingsley's friend has disappeared and no one knows where she is. Kate along with her partner, Harper are determined to find her. A young man transforms himself into a serial killer using his fairy tale obsession. You will be kept on the edge of your seat as you try to figure out the ending. This book would be a great choice to add to your reading collection. I read Fairy Tale Murders in one day. It's a definite re-read story. I loved it and I'm sure you'll enjoy it too. I highly recommend this book to everyone especially if you enjoy reading crime thrillers. I look forward to more from Kelly Money.
May 16, 2015
This book isn't bad by any means, but I can't help feeling that something was missing. The plot and characters were fine, but I never really felt engaged in the story. One of my main draws for reading it was that it's set in Topeka which is where I'm from. It was nice to be able to recognize specifically where or what the author was referring to in regards to location, and I'm friends with a couple funeral directors, so that aspect of the plot was familiar to me, however I still wasn't drawn into the story. At least part of the problem was the dialogue. It often wasn't written in a conversational manner and therefore seemed rather fake. Overall this was an ok read that I believe would benefit from better editing.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 13, 2014
Detective Kate Kingsley is hard at work chasing down criminals. When her best friend, dealing with the loss of her mother, disappears, Kate is determined to find her. In the meantime, a man is transforming into a murderer with a fairy tale obsession. FAIRY TALE MURDERS is pretty light for this genre. Kate is a well-developed character, but she seemed to flounder a bit during her investigation, which was frustrating at times. I don’t think the killer was as developed as he could have been, perhaps because of the milder tone of the entire story. FAIRY TALE MURDERS struck me as a enjoyable classic mystery.
April 16, 2014
Thank you to Good Reads for the opportunity to read this riveting book. From the very beginning you know the murderer & you are on a roller coaster ride from the first to the last page. The murders are horrendous & what's so very awful its just possible that these crimes could actually happen. I caught myself holding my breath & hoping the detectives would just ask the right questions & see what we the readers could see. If you want an exciting, edge of your seat, keep a light on book, do yourself a favor and read Fairy Tale Murders. You won't look at childhood stories the same.
April 16, 2015
I received this book for an honest review. When I started reading a Fairy Tale Murders I was a bit "put off" by the repeating of the serial killers activities, but then something about the detectives, Kate and Harper, that really drew me in. Their connection to the victims, their ways of "thinking like a killer" really kept me reading this book. There is some graphic descriptions in here, so I wouldn't recommend it for the faint of heart. All in all a very good writing of a first book for the author. Kudos to you Kelly Money. A job well done.
June 23, 2015
A mother reading favorite fairy tales, takes a very bad turn once her son, Stan, is older and out from under his fathers rath. The comfort he found from his mothers reading turns into a nightmare for local women he images as his princess fitting different fairy tales.
One of the police officers is close to the case, perhaps too close. Will there be a happy ever after?
Good read.
One of the police officers is close to the case, perhaps too close. Will there be a happy ever after?
Good read.
September 8, 2015
Great mystery
It has been a long time since I read a book so fast. Itreallykep
It has been along time since I read such thrilling book. It kept me on the edge off my seat I couldn't get to the end fast enough. Kelly Money great writer
It has been a long time since I read a book so fast. Itreallykep
It has been along time since I read such thrilling book. It kept me on the edge off my seat I couldn't get to the end fast enough. Kelly Money great writer
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews