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The Darling Killers
Fresh-faced ingénue Sofia Bencivenga arrives in Los Angeles long on dreams and short on cash. Alone, friendless, and broke, Sofia has almost resigned herself to the emptiness of her days, until a chance encounter brings her into the dazzling world of a charismatic group of authors—handsome, compelling Jaxson; bitchy Judith; and aloof, mysterious Alison—and their wealthy, successful, and amoral group of friends. But underneath the glamour of the writers' lives are secrets Sofia never imagined, and when Alison ends up dead on the rocks below Jaxson’s behemoth seaside gothic mansion, Sofia realizes that the cracks beneath the glittering surface of Alison's pretty little life ran deep.
And Sofia has a few secrets of her own… Equal parts love letter to Donna Tartt and Patricia Highsmith, The Darling Killers is a darkly funny, sexy, and sinister noir about the people we pretend to be around the people we want to become.
And Sofia has a few secrets of her own… Equal parts love letter to Donna Tartt and Patricia Highsmith, The Darling Killers is a darkly funny, sexy, and sinister noir about the people we pretend to be around the people we want to become.
326 pages, Paperback
Published October 25, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 27, 2022
BITCHIEST BOOK INDUSTRY FRIEND. KNOWS TOO MUCH. UNDERSTANDS NOIR TOO WELL. HELPED ME WEATHER THE FIRST ROUND OF THE PANDEMIC. TEN STARS OUT OF FIVE.
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August 19, 2023If you would kill your darlings (lol) to read a litfic satire of the YA publishing industry - read this book! If the LA season was your favorite season of You - read this book! If you really want to wallow in how gross and compelling it can be to watch strong, complicated women knowingly buy into the patriarchy - read this book!
Seriously - if you have ever thought of litfic and not experienced a full-body shudder - read this book! If you like to read about jaded people meeting other jaded people and becoming even more jaded - read this book! Or if you’re familiar enough with YA publishing or the publishing industry in general that a satire by someone who has previously written YA and now clearly has some stuff they want to say sounds fun and dishy - read this book! Go!
Okay - I LOATHED this book. Like - you’ve gotta be fucking kidding me with this!!! Why me?? Why this book?? Okay, my issues with it are listed below. Full disclosure - I DNFed this at 56%, plus I read the epilogue and the last few pages of the last chapter. So maybe something genius happened in between those two points! Only someone else, a person who has read this entire book, can know.
(1) GENRE
Look it’s not this book’s fault it wasn’t the noir thriller I was hoping it would be. I guess this is to some degree on me bc I saw “Killers” in the title and “noir” in the synopsis and was like “oh, noir killers, I love it” when it’s clearly a reference to a writing quote. Lol oops? But it was bleak (for me personally) to realize I had yet again stumbled into literary fiction and all of its worst attributes:
(a) CLASS
The MC is obsessed with worming her way into a higher social class? Check. Look, I guess as I’ve mentioned in past reviews (e.g., Saturnalia), the whole litfic “the MC mostly wants to up her class/social status, isn’t it fun to ooh and ahh and grimace as she sacrifices her morals to get there” thing is just…. Yeah, I have absolutely no patience for it. I. Just. Don’t. Care. Yet again, there is nothing relatable (or compellingly unrelatable) about this “struggle.” I guess the idea is that since she’s a grifter from a poor Midwestern background, we should be rooting for her against the establishment? Yeah idgaf. Name me one character in this book that it’s enjoyable to spend time with. One character. (Yep, that ringing in your ears is the sound of silence.)
(b) MEN BAD FYI
The book’s The Patriarchy Exists Ladies storyline is basically “that hot charismatic guy sucks - but he’s still hot so whatever will I do?” with a side of “Women are to blame for perpetuating the patriarchy too”? Check. Like… that’s IT? In 2022 when this book was published, that’s what the main message was? That’s the idea that needed exploring?? Idk maybe I’m being overly optimistic but this book is written for an audience that is supposed to love all the inside baseball publishing bits - I think you can trust they already know about the patriarchy and are looking for something a little bit more interesting than “what if antiheroes, but women”!
And fwiw look…………. I’m sure tfw you want to fuck a guy but he’s an abusive manipulative dirtbag (but he’s still hot tho) is a real struggle for the bi/pan/straight ~girlies~ out there! My heart goes out to you in your time of need or whatever. But. My GOD do I hate reading about this as though it’s a real problem that exists. I’m sorry like….. this book is supposed to be about a murder! Please kill him and let’s all just move on!! How are there this many pages where I still had to read about this guy!! Idk this kind of thing is why I don’t read litfic. And please don’t say the fact that there’s also a female dirtbag in this book, and that the MC might ALSO be a female dirtbag, means that the book’s take is nuanced, actually. If you’re going to make your MC a dirtbag, go big or don’t bother tbh, this Talented Mr. Ripley ripoff is just not impressing.
(c) BAD PLOT
Part of this is that I’m gonna be honest, the twists were pretty much all easy to guess. And that takes a lotttttt of the fun out of (what I was hoping would be) a murder mystery.
I will say this is the kind of book where you can tell there’s a level of intelligence there from the writing quality so as you start to notice issues you’re hoping for some kind of plot twist that will make it all make sense…. But as you read more and more of the book the possibility of that happening becomes less and less. Truly the litfic “thriller” dilemma. (And idk, maybe this book got there! …you know, somewhere after 56% but before the epilogue …in such a way that it wasn’t referenced at all in the epilogue.)
Actually this book reminded me of Unbecoming by Rebecca Scherm, another crime thriller/litfic about a girl with a shady small-town past hiding out in a big city with a new identity. I really enjoyed it when I read it years ago! I remember finding the plot interesting, and really feeling the impact of the ending… So either it’s better than this book and you should read it, or I was on one when I read it and the truth is I would hate it if I reread it now lol.
(d) 90s NOSTALGIA
Look this book was published in 2022, characters are talking about marketing their books on TikTok……. But the vibe is 100% 1990s. This MC was talking about learning the words of ~luxury~ for the first time when she’s hired by Alison - like she wouldn’t have had instagram for years?? I hit my limit when the MC described Lana Del Rey as an anonymous “throaty-voiced chanteuse”. Look I don’t care how trailer trash this girl was back in Iowa or whatever, she would have heard of Lana Del Rey. Unbelievable to me. Literally unbelievable - like “I’m checking out of the story because the whole thing is a joke and I’m not laughing” unbelievable. It’s like somebody (this author) read The Secret History and was like “oh yeah, lemme do that again but in LA.” But I’ve already read The Secret History (and watched You) so… what does this book have to add?
And for the record, from the first mention of “Earl” I was like “oh so ripped straight from a Dixie Chicks song?” Idk, like clearly this is the biggest ripoff, but then is that fact supposed to be the real ripoff, for us, the audience, in a fun way? Like is the ~trick~ that this is a story about plagiarists happily getting away with it but actually the MC’s backstory is what’s being plagiarized, and the author is the one happily getting away with it with a big wink to the reader? It’s just…… I love me some meta but that one bit can’t be an entire novel. Like the novel still also has to be good. When I got to the section where the MC just lists off luxury things she’s learning about (“Tulum”)…. Why would this be worth suffering through? Seriously - why? If I want Goodbye Earl I can just spend 4 minutes listening to Goodbye Earl and then move on with my life! (If I want The Secret History - I would just read the first couple chapters of The Secret History and use my imagination for the rest bc the book really goes downhill after that, lbh.)
(2) NO
Idk I just hit the point where…. it’s kind of like when I recently discovered that past-me had subscribed to this local indie/alt music radio station’s New Music podcast and my phone had a bunch of the songs already downloaded, so I decided to listen to them so they would go away. Yes, a classic sunk cost fallacy-type situation, I know I have no excuse. So anyway, I started listening like “oh huh yeah okay, I can see that this is objectively sonically decent.” And then at some point it shifted, and I was just hating the music with every fiber of my being, like these bands could have made any type of music in the world and they decided to go with this fucking bullshit?? THIS?? My straight up fucking KINGDOM for something with a fucking BEAT, you know? So that’s how I feel about this book. I’m sure it’s a great to somebody but I’m looking for something with an actual beat.
Anyway I feel a little bit bad leaving this review because I do think that someone (else, who is not me) would love this book wholeheartedly. Whereas I, again, to put a very fine point on it, absolutely hated it. Thus my litfic experience continues!
Seriously - if you have ever thought of litfic and not experienced a full-body shudder - read this book! If you like to read about jaded people meeting other jaded people and becoming even more jaded - read this book! Or if you’re familiar enough with YA publishing or the publishing industry in general that a satire by someone who has previously written YA and now clearly has some stuff they want to say sounds fun and dishy - read this book! Go!
Okay - I LOATHED this book. Like - you’ve gotta be fucking kidding me with this!!! Why me?? Why this book?? Okay, my issues with it are listed below. Full disclosure - I DNFed this at 56%, plus I read the epilogue and the last few pages of the last chapter. So maybe something genius happened in between those two points! Only someone else, a person who has read this entire book, can know.
(1) GENRE
Look it’s not this book’s fault it wasn’t the noir thriller I was hoping it would be. I guess this is to some degree on me bc I saw “Killers” in the title and “noir” in the synopsis and was like “oh, noir killers, I love it” when it’s clearly a reference to a writing quote. Lol oops? But it was bleak (for me personally) to realize I had yet again stumbled into literary fiction and all of its worst attributes:
(a) CLASS
The MC is obsessed with worming her way into a higher social class? Check. Look, I guess as I’ve mentioned in past reviews (e.g., Saturnalia), the whole litfic “the MC mostly wants to up her class/social status, isn’t it fun to ooh and ahh and grimace as she sacrifices her morals to get there” thing is just…. Yeah, I have absolutely no patience for it. I. Just. Don’t. Care. Yet again, there is nothing relatable (or compellingly unrelatable) about this “struggle.” I guess the idea is that since she’s a grifter from a poor Midwestern background, we should be rooting for her against the establishment? Yeah idgaf. Name me one character in this book that it’s enjoyable to spend time with. One character. (Yep, that ringing in your ears is the sound of silence.)
(b) MEN BAD FYI
The book’s The Patriarchy Exists Ladies storyline is basically “that hot charismatic guy sucks - but he’s still hot so whatever will I do?” with a side of “Women are to blame for perpetuating the patriarchy too”? Check. Like… that’s IT? In 2022 when this book was published, that’s what the main message was? That’s the idea that needed exploring?? Idk maybe I’m being overly optimistic but this book is written for an audience that is supposed to love all the inside baseball publishing bits - I think you can trust they already know about the patriarchy and are looking for something a little bit more interesting than “what if antiheroes, but women”!
And fwiw look…………. I’m sure tfw you want to fuck a guy but he’s an abusive manipulative dirtbag (but he’s still hot tho) is a real struggle for the bi/pan/straight ~girlies~ out there! My heart goes out to you in your time of need or whatever. But. My GOD do I hate reading about this as though it’s a real problem that exists. I’m sorry like….. this book is supposed to be about a murder! Please kill him and let’s all just move on!! How are there this many pages where I still had to read about this guy!! Idk this kind of thing is why I don’t read litfic. And please don’t say the fact that there’s also a female dirtbag in this book, and that the MC might ALSO be a female dirtbag, means that the book’s take is nuanced, actually. If you’re going to make your MC a dirtbag, go big or don’t bother tbh, this Talented Mr. Ripley ripoff is just not impressing.
(c) BAD PLOT
Part of this is that I’m gonna be honest, the twists were pretty much all easy to guess. And that takes a lotttttt of the fun out of (what I was hoping would be) a murder mystery.
I will say this is the kind of book where you can tell there’s a level of intelligence there from the writing quality so as you start to notice issues you’re hoping for some kind of plot twist that will make it all make sense…. But as you read more and more of the book the possibility of that happening becomes less and less. Truly the litfic “thriller” dilemma. (And idk, maybe this book got there! …you know, somewhere after 56% but before the epilogue …in such a way that it wasn’t referenced at all in the epilogue.)
Actually this book reminded me of Unbecoming by Rebecca Scherm, another crime thriller/litfic about a girl with a shady small-town past hiding out in a big city with a new identity. I really enjoyed it when I read it years ago! I remember finding the plot interesting, and really feeling the impact of the ending… So either it’s better than this book and you should read it, or I was on one when I read it and the truth is I would hate it if I reread it now lol.
(d) 90s NOSTALGIA
Look this book was published in 2022, characters are talking about marketing their books on TikTok……. But the vibe is 100% 1990s. This MC was talking about learning the words of ~luxury~ for the first time when she’s hired by Alison - like she wouldn’t have had instagram for years?? I hit my limit when the MC described Lana Del Rey as an anonymous “throaty-voiced chanteuse”. Look I don’t care how trailer trash this girl was back in Iowa or whatever, she would have heard of Lana Del Rey. Unbelievable to me. Literally unbelievable - like “I’m checking out of the story because the whole thing is a joke and I’m not laughing” unbelievable. It’s like somebody (this author) read The Secret History and was like “oh yeah, lemme do that again but in LA.” But I’ve already read The Secret History (and watched You) so… what does this book have to add?
And for the record, from the first mention of “Earl” I was like “oh so ripped straight from a Dixie Chicks song?” Idk, like clearly this is the biggest ripoff, but then is that fact supposed to be the real ripoff, for us, the audience, in a fun way? Like is the ~trick~ that this is a story about plagiarists happily getting away with it but actually the MC’s backstory is what’s being plagiarized, and the author is the one happily getting away with it with a big wink to the reader? It’s just…… I love me some meta but that one bit can’t be an entire novel. Like the novel still also has to be good. When I got to the section where the MC just lists off luxury things she’s learning about (“Tulum”)…. Why would this be worth suffering through? Seriously - why? If I want Goodbye Earl I can just spend 4 minutes listening to Goodbye Earl and then move on with my life! (If I want The Secret History - I would just read the first couple chapters of The Secret History and use my imagination for the rest bc the book really goes downhill after that, lbh.)
(2) NO
Idk I just hit the point where…. it’s kind of like when I recently discovered that past-me had subscribed to this local indie/alt music radio station’s New Music podcast and my phone had a bunch of the songs already downloaded, so I decided to listen to them so they would go away. Yes, a classic sunk cost fallacy-type situation, I know I have no excuse. So anyway, I started listening like “oh huh yeah okay, I can see that this is objectively sonically decent.” And then at some point it shifted, and I was just hating the music with every fiber of my being, like these bands could have made any type of music in the world and they decided to go with this fucking bullshit?? THIS?? My straight up fucking KINGDOM for something with a fucking BEAT, you know? So that’s how I feel about this book. I’m sure it’s a great to somebody but I’m looking for something with an actual beat.
Anyway I feel a little bit bad leaving this review because I do think that someone (else, who is not me) would love this book wholeheartedly. Whereas I, again, to put a very fine point on it, absolutely hated it. Thus my litfic experience continues!
September 6, 2024
the bits that slap knocked me down (the ending, the descriptions of nice things, the descriptions of bad things, "she hangs out in bookstores waiting to be recognized by her fans-- i thought she wasn't famous?-- she waits a long time") the bits that got phoned in got phoned over alexander graham bell's personal original telephone (say fierce and dirty as many times as you want, this book doesn't care about wendy, nor any character save maybe alison maybe sofia, not even to be curious enough to make them tangible, and please for the love of god hit a faster-moving male target. i promise you can), i had a terrific time and i wish this had been somewhat more real a book
November 27, 2022
literally thee only person who has ever properly understood The Secret History. point taken off for ; point put on for , and additional point put on for a line about noir that I have laughed at every single day not exaggerating for two years.
February 23, 2026
In case you needed more evidence that writers shouldn’t be trusted! Killing your darlings indeed. This was a fun read and for anyone with even the tip of a toe in the writing world, or aspirations to be so, a pretty funny send-up of that milieu.
May 19, 2023
An amazing page-turner and the snark was next level
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews