Kill All Your Darlings - by David Bell (Paperback)

About the Book

"When a professor's student disappears and is presumed dead, he passes off her manuscript as his own-only to find out it implicates him in an unsolved murder in this new thriller from the USA Today bestselling author of The Request. After years of struggling to write after the deaths of his wife and son, English professor Connor Nye publishes his first novel, a thriller about the murder of a young woman. There's just one problem: Connor didn't write the book. His missing student did. And then she appears on his doorstep, alive and well, threatening to expose him. Connor's problems escalate when the police insist details in the novel implicate him in an unsolved murder from two years ago. Soon Connor discovers the crime is part of a disturbing scandal on campus and faces an impossible dilemma-admit he didn't write the book and lose his job or keep up the lie and risk everything. As the murders pile up, Connor must clear his name by unraveling the horrifying secrets buried in his student's manuscript. This is a suspenseful, provocative novel about the sexual harassment that still runs rampant in academia-and the lengths those in power will go to cover it up"--

Book Synopsis

When a student disappears and is presumed dead, her professor passes off her manuscript as his own--only to find out it implicates him in an unsolved murder in this new thriller from the USA Today bestselling author of The Request.

After years of struggling to write following the deaths of his wife and son, English professor Connor Nye publishes his first novel, a thriller about the murder of a young woman.

There's just one problem: Connor didn't write the book. His missing student did. And then she appears on his doorstep, alive and well, threatening to expose him.

Connor's problems escalate when the police insist details in the novel implicate him in an unsolved murder from two years ago. Soon Connor discovers the crime is part of a disturbing scandal on campus and faces an impossible dilemma--admit he didn't write the book and lose his job or keep up the lie and risk everything. When another murder occurs, Connor must clear his name by unraveling the horrifying secrets buried in his student's manuscript.

This is a suspenseful, provocative novel about the sexual harassment that still runs rampant in academia--and the lengths those in power will go to cover it up.

Review Quotes

Praise for KILL ALL YOUR DARLINGS

Grabs you by the throat and never lets go. Kill All Your Darlings will keep you reading late into the night with a twist you'll never see coming."--Liv Constantine, bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish

Sounds like Wonder Boys times Patricia Highsmith. Yes please!--Crime Reads

"A dark, twisty journey through the labyrinth of academia. This book has everything--a missing girl, a murder, a book-within-a-book and so much more! One of David Bell's most unique and engrossing novels."
--Samantha Downing, USA Today bestselling author of My Lovely Wife

An exceptionally gripping, lightning paced, deviously plotted thriller. David Bell is a mad genius. I could not put this book down."
--Michele Campbell, internationally bestselling author of It's Always the Husband

Only the diabolical mind of the talented storyteller David Bell could concoct this mind-bendingly twisty thriller! He manages to brilliantly weaponize college, students, teachers, tenure--and even the writing of novels. Smart, audacious and completely original.
--Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of The First to Lie

This compelling thriller about a professor, a student, and a stolen manuscript that closely mirrors a real-life murder will keep readers guessing until the very last page. Kill All Your Darlings is storytelling at its very best!--Wendy Walker, bestselling author of All Is Not Forgotten

"Compulsively readable and jam-packed with more twists and turns than a rollercoaster, KILL ALL YOUR DARLINGS is first-rate literary entertainment. Suspenseful and surprising, I didn't want it to end."--Richard Chizmar, New York Times bestselling author of Chasing the Boogeyman

Praise for the Novels of David Bell

David Bell is a top-notch storyteller....I flew through this twisting, riveting psychological thriller.--Cristina Alger, New York Times bestselling author of Girls Like Us

A terrifically tense thriller with a femme fatale who will keep you guessing until the very end.--Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of Home Before Dark

[A] suspenseful page-turning thriller.--Hello Giggles

"A whirlwind story about secrets, regrets, and sacrifice....a deliciously infectious thriller."--Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of The Wife

A compulsive, twisty, race-against-the-clock thriller...[a] smart and unrelenting page-turner!--Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of The Red Hunter

A tautly told, heart-pounding read...a page-turning whodunit where every character's a suspect and no one can be trusted. --Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Girl

[A] taut gem...a tale straight out of the psychological thriller territory blazed by the likes of Harlan Coben and Lisa Gardner.--Providence Journal

About The Author

David Bell is a USA Today bestselling, award-winning author whose work has been translated into multiple foreign languages. He's currently a professor of English at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where he directs the MFA program.