“The village of Nether Appleford calls itself ‘England’s Kindest Village’. Overseen by the Kindness Committee, this close-knit community strives to live their lives with kindness at the heart of everything they do.

For Tessa and Andy, this sounds like the perfect escape. An opportunity to settle down and move on from a past that haunts them.

But what if the kindest thing you could do meant hurting someone? Then what would you do?”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of How to Kill with Kindness by S.R. Masters. How to Kill with Kindness was published by One More Chapter on 9th May 2024 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free eARC of How to Kill with Kindness but that has in no way influenced my review.

Before I go any further with this review there’s something I need to tell you. If you’ve been visiting the blog over the last couple of months you will be aware that I’ve been on a bit of an unplanned, six-month hiatus following surgery. Unplanned because all of a sudden my blogging mojo hit the floor. I was reading lots of brilliant books, I just wasn’t reviewing anything. And then, after a while, my reading mojo took a hit too. So this book, How to Kill with Kindness, I actually read in April 2024. I do remember the book well and I did take notes but this review, and many others you’ll see over the next few months, will be A LOT shorter than my usual, going-on-for-days (🤭) reviews! A short review is better than no review at all, right?!

A 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.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of How to Kill with Kindness. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

How to Kill with Kindness by S.R. Masters was published in the UK by One More Chapter on 9th May 2024 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

S R Masters grew up around Birmingham in the UK. After studying Philosophy at Cambridge University, he worked in public health. He currently lives in Oxford with his wife and children.

His award winning short fiction and novels have been published internationally. Labelled as “a writer to watch” by Publishers Weekly, his books include THE TRIAL (HarperCollins), THE KILLER YOU KNOW (Sphere), and the forthcoming, HOW TO KILL WITH KINDNESS (HarperCollins).