The Next to Die by Sophie Hannah is an intriguing British mystery about the search for an unusual serial killer.

The Major Crimes detectives are stymied in their investigation of a series of murders by a killer they have nicknamed "Billy Dead Mates". The four murder victims are two pairs of best friends, three of whom are women. The only promising clue is an unusual book each of the victims have in their possession at the time of the deaths. Following the death of her estranged grandmother, comedian Kim Tribbeck is dismayed to remember that she too received one of these books. However, she and the detectives are a little confused since she was given the book a year earlier. In the current cases, the victims were murdered with days of receiving the books. With feminist columnist Sondra Halliday writing vitriolic posts about the murders, she begins receiving missives that are presumed to be from the killer. Detective Constable Simon Waterhouse, Detective Inspector Gilles Proust and Detective Chris Gibbs assigned the cases and they soon have a couple of suspects in their crosshairs. But are either of them the killer?

Kim's part of the story alternates between pages from her manuscript about the murders and events in real time. She is a bit of a mess since she is recently divorced and dealing with her grandmother's death. Kim is a loner so she is somewhat confused about why she ostensibly received the first book. Why didn't the murderer follow through with killing her? Even more troubling is the discovery of new evidence that leaves everyone concerned that Kim might be the next victim.

DC Simon Waterhouse is socially awkward but highly intelligent. He is a crack investigator who tends to work by himself. Simon is making the most progress but he remains closemouthed about his discoveries and theories about the case.

Simon's wife Sergeant Charlie Zailler is not as focused on the current investigation as she should be. She is curious about her sister's secretive activities. Despite Simon's pleas for her to abandon her efforts, Charlie is determine to uncover the truth about what her sister is doing.

Although the premise of The Next to Die is unique, the mystery is extremely slow paced. Sondra Halliday's passages are long, rambling and slightly over the top. Kim is a sympathetic character with a sad backstory but she is her own worst enemy much of the time. Simon is an interesting addition to the cast and his analytical and methodical investigation is quite interesting. Sophie Hannah brings the novel to a somewhat dramatic conclusion but the "big reveal" is a huge letdown. ( )

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Culver Valley detectives have a difficult job on their hands. Four people have been killed. The only apparent connection is that they were two pairs of friends. Is there a serial killer murdering close friends? The killer is dubbed "Billy Dead Mates" and the case has dragged on for months.

Stand-up comedienne Kim Tribbeck has just lost her grandmother. While on the cancer ward visiting her grandmother Marion, Kim spots a little white book. As odd as it seems, it doesn't raise her awareness until she sees a news report about the murders and that the four victims were each given the same books within weeks of their murders.

Is Kim the next victim? Kim thinks not because, truth be told, she has no friends, never mind someone close enough to be called a best friend. But, she cannot let it rest and informs the police of her find. Kim is more than frightened for her life. If Kim is not to be the next victim, surely someone else will certainly die.

As detectives look for clues and suspects, they seek out any other similarities among the people murdered, but do not want to take Kim seriously. In any event, they pursue every possible angle, but suffer a terrible lack of clues. What they do find are differences such as sex, race and socioeconomic status.

This story was definitely exciting from the outset. However, it felt a bit too long with other factors included that didn't seem to connect to the case at hand. As things wrapped up, the conclusion was definitely a surprise. As the primary character was a comic, there was plenty of humor in this book, thus making an otherwise bland story a bit more interesting.

The Next to Die is the tenth book in the Spilling CID series. Although I had not read the previous titles, this book did just fine as a standalone.

Many thanks to William Morrow and to Edelweiss for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion. ( )

Ingenious plot in this psychological suspense novel featuring a serial killer, books and a comedian. A bit on the long side with lots of subplots that unfortunately don't get wrapped up neatly at the end, but the author plays fair with the clues. Enjoyable read. ( )

Five well deserved stars! This is such a good book for me - the witticisms, the sarcastic put-downs, as well as the hilarious musings and anecdotes, all help this book along for me. It’s nothing like any other novel that I can recall reading before and it is especially refreshing for a crime novel.

I love novels that feature out of the ordinary protagonists, so this one fits right into that category. The story is actually told from the points of view of two people - stand up comedian, Kim Tribbeck & DC Simon Waterhouse.

Quirky Kim Tribbeck has a dark side, and I really enjoyed the insight into her world as told through her POV. Her contribution is told through an autobiographical book called “Origami.” DC Simon Waterhouse, the other protagonist, is inspired, well respected, and talented as a detective and he doesn’t like public speaking. The story is also told via a number of newspaper articles and random emails.

The chapters vary between different characters, excerpts from “Origami”, the emails, newspaper columns, short stories, and letters. In addition to the burning question, “Who Is Billy Dead Mates?” (the nickname of the killer who appears to be targeting pairs of best friends), there is an obsessed journalist who claims the victims have been murdered by a mad misogynist. Before they die, each of the victims is given a small white book.

I particularly loved the chapters that were told from Kim’s point-of-view. For me, Sophie Hannah’s portrayal of Kim was brilliant. She turned this novel into something much more than a police procedural. In THE NEXT TO DIE, Hannah managed to combine a wonderfully clever and complex plot with some extremely unforgettable characters.

THE NEXT TO DIE by Sophie Hannah is a highly recommended, layered mystery with a surprising and fulfilling ending.

{Thank you to Edelweiss and William Morrow for the free copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.} ( )

The Next to Die by Sophie Hannah is a highly recommended, layered mystery and police procedural.

A Police task force from across England is fervently trying to find a psychopathic killer. They have given the killer the moniker of "Billy Dead Mates" because he appears to be targeting pairs of best friends. Before Billy kills them, he gives each of them a hand-made white book with one line from a poem in it. So far two sets of friends have been killed and the police are at a loss to explain why these two specific pairs of friends were targeted and any connection between them.

Stand-up comedian Kim Tribbeck hears about the search for Billy Dead Mates on the news and comes forward with even more puzzling information: she received one of the little white books at a gig a year earlier. She threw it away, thinking it was just something from a deranged fan. Then, after seeing the report, she remembers seeing another white book on the bulletin board of the cancer ward where her grandmother was dying. The police are even more baffled at Kim's information. Kim was not a friend to her grandmother and really trusts no one. Why would she be given a book? Why would she be targeted for murder?

The chapters alternate between several characters, excerpts from Kim's book called Origami, based on her experiences with the Billy Dead Mates killer, emails, short stories, letters, and magazine columns. Along with the major question, who is Billy Dead Mates, there are several other investigations ongoing and a rabid journalist who claims the murders are all femicide by a deranged, misogynistic man (never mind the one male killed). There is a lot going on in this book and not all of it has to do with Billy.

I liked the chapters that were excerpts from Kim's book and from her point-of view. Kim is a great character, interesting, funny, observant, quirky, and unique. She is really the glue that will keep most readers sticking with the novel. At first the various narrative threads from all the characters have the potential to seem a bit confusing, but eventually they all get sorted out and a larger picture will begin to emerge. Some of the various threads could have been left out, resulting in a much tighter plot (although readers of the Spilling CID series of novels won't have any issues keeping the characters separate.)

Hannah provides a complex, clever plot with some memorable characters in The Next to Die, which should please most readers. She excels at developing all the characters, while keeping you guessing about who the killer might be and why Billy chose the victims as his target. The final solution about who and why is worth the journey.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.

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