“If you picked up this book because you truly want to get away with murder, you will not be disappointed. Simply turn the page and we’ll get started…

Denver Brady claims to be the most successful serial killer of our time – and that’s precisely why you’ve never heard of him.

But with the publication of How to Get Away With Murder, his manual for aspiring serial killers, that’s about to change.

When a copy of Denver’s book is found at a crime scene, DI Samantha Hansen is given the job of tracking down the elusive author.

As Denver and Sam’s stories unfold and converge, it becomes clear that there’s more to both than meets the eye.

And once Denver’s book goes viral, the pressure to find and bring him to justice brings Sam to breaking point.

But in this dark and twisted tale, who is hunting whom?”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of How to Get Away with Murder by Rebecca Philipson. How to Get Away with Murder is published by Bantam Books today (that’s Thursday 12th March 2026) and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free eARC of How to Get Away with Murder but that has in no way influenced my review.

DI Sam Hansen is dutifully attending her appointments with her therapist, hoping to be signed off for another few weeks, following a breakdown at work. On the way home from an appointment, she stumbles across an active police investigation. Putting the pieces together, Sam discovers the victim is a fourteen-year-old girl called Charlotte. Immediately, she knows it’s time to return to work. This is her case; she is determined to discover who could do such a terrible thing and make them pay. But it’s not as easy as that. HR and her boss, DCI Blakelaw, don’t think Sam is quite ready. So she’s made to join the team under the control of another DI. Her remit is to look into a book that was left at the crime scene with the body. The self-published self-help guide is called ‘How to Get Away with Murder’ and is written by Denver Brady, who claims to be the most successful serial killer of our time. Could Brady have inspired a budding serial killer? Or could Denver Brady be Charlotte’s killer? As the book goes viral, the pressure mounts. Partnered with Trainee Detective Constable Adam Taylor, it’s down to Hansen to work out whether the book, and its author, are the real deal…

How to Get Away with Murder is a rip-roaring, highly engaging police thriller from a debut author to watch. There’s so much to like about this book. I mean, the book within a book approach never gets old (and if you think it does, are you really a true book lover…?). It’s done particularly well here. Chapters alternate between Sam’s POV and sections from ‘How to Get Away with Murder’. Both voices are distinct and felt genuine, delivering a cat-and-mouse feeling to proceedings. Denver Brady shares his own personal experience of how to commit the perfect murder, whilst humbly boasting (there’s not an ounce of ‘humble’ to any of his sections!) his way through the manuscript. Our intrepid lead protagonist attempts to find hidden clues in the author’s kills. Something the MET can use to work out who Brady is or where he’s based. An almost impossible task, you would think. After a few false starts, Sam and TDC Taylor are making a small amount of progress. However, things just don’t add up…

There is quite a lot going on in this book. Sam’s investigation runs alongside the main murder enquiry, and it feels to the reader, at times, that she’s being side-lined a little. There are a number of complicated relationships within the team, including DCI Blakelaw being Sam’s godfather. There’s a whole lot of history there that the author handles extremely well. I loved how this particular plotline unfolded over the course of the book. No loose ends whatsoever. There’s so much more, but to mention anything else would take us into spoiler territory and we don’t do that here. Just know that with How to Get Away with Murder, you get a lot more than you ever bargained for.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. How to Get Away with Murder is a gripping, engaging and highly entertaining debut that I loved every single moment of. The characters are so wonderfully written and completely believable. DI Hansen is a superb, multi-layered creation, and I loved her journey. Watching her strength return over the course of the book. She’s the kind of character I would want to go for a coffee with! The mystery aspect of Charlotte’s murder was fairly easy to predict, but I don’t think that’s really what this book is about. For me, it was more about what happens later on in the story. The bits which aren’t mentioned in the blurb. The plot moves at a great pace, keeping the reader engrossed. All in all, this is a standout debut from an author I am excited to read more from. Beautifully dark on multiple levels, some expertly written moral ambiguity, utterly captivating from the get-go and quite possibly one of my favourite books of the year. Highly recommended.

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

How to Get Away with Murder by Rebecca Philipson was published in the UK by Bantam Books on 12th March 2026 and is available in hardcover, 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 |

Rebecca Jayne Philipson grew up in a mining town in County Durham, where she still lives. Educated in a small convent, she deferred her university degree to set up her own business at 21. Rebecca went on to become North East Young Entrepreneur of the Year and won the Artemis Award for inspirational women in business.

Having sold her business in 2020, Rebecca is now devoted to her writing career. She graduated from the University of East Anglia (UEA) Masters Program in 2024 and won a scholarship to Liverpool University where she is reading for a PhD in Creative Writing.

Her debut novel, How to Get Away With Murder, was pre-empted within 24hours by Transworld in the UK and Minotaur in the US for publication in March 2026. Other territories include: Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Ukraine and China.

In her spare time, Rebecca enjoys all things book-related, netball, travelling and spending time with friends and family. She loves heavy metal music, gothic architecture and tea that’s made well.