Kill All Your Darlings
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-26 09:51:19
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：David Bell
- ISBN：0593198670
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Summary
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。
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。
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。
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。
Reviews
EsquiredToRead
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This one kept you guessing！ I liked the university setting！ Good themes throughout
Dutchie
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3。5 starsI was all set on giving this 4 stars but there were a few things that just took it down that half star。 Pros: I love David Bell's books， they are always well written and flow very nicely。 The mystery is always there that keeps you flipping the pages。 I kept saying one more chapter until I couldn't keep my eyes open。 Secondly， the plot was intriguing for the first half。 Both Part 1 and Part 2 were excellent。 Cons: It seemed like the book was longer then what it should have been。 I found 3。5 starsI was all set on giving this 4 stars but there were a few things that just took it down that half star。 Pros: I love David Bell's books， they are always well written and flow very nicely。 The mystery is always there that keeps you flipping the pages。 I kept saying one more chapter until I couldn't keep my eyes open。 Secondly， the plot was intriguing for the first half。 Both Part 1 and Part 2 were excellent。 Cons: It seemed like the book was longer then what it should have been。 I found myself losing interest in Part 3 and Part 4 。 Not that it was bad， it just seemed like it was taking too long to get to the conclusion。 Finally， the conclusion I could spot a mile away and it just didn't satisfy me。 It felt like it was obvious。 Of course， that's just me and I may read too much。 Overall it was a very good read and would recommend。 。。。more
Tami
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David Bell is at the top of my favorites…。。anything new he writes I’m reading！ The suspense he builds in his writing grabs my attention every time， in every book of his I’ve read。 Kill All Your Darlings has the academic vibe， which I’m not usually drawn too， university professors， students， but there’s murder and a stolen manuscript。 It all works and I really liked it， highly recommend。
Diane Dachota
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I think this is my third or fourth book read this year which deals with a person stealing another person's story。 Similar in some ways to The Plot and Who Is Maud Dixon， this book is about a college professor who steals the unpublished manuscript of a student whom he believes to be dead。 He publishes the book to some acclaim， only to have the student return demanding credit and payment。 Connor is the professor， unable to write and in despair over the death a few years earlier of his wife and son I think this is my third or fourth book read this year which deals with a person stealing another person's story。 Similar in some ways to The Plot and Who Is Maud Dixon， this book is about a college professor who steals the unpublished manuscript of a student whom he believes to be dead。 He publishes the book to some acclaim， only to have the student return demanding credit and payment。 Connor is the professor， unable to write and in despair over the death a few years earlier of his wife and son in a kayaking accident。 There is also a subplot here of the METOO movement and a couple of professors who think nothing of getting too close to their students。 Connors life becomes complicated when the police show up at his doorstep and tell him his book （really his students） has details of a real life murder which only the killer would know。 Part murder mystery， part political novel about professors and the power they have over their students， it would have been more interesting to me if it focused more on one thing rather than plagiarism， murder， sexual assault， grief and other issues。 I didn't find Connor to be a likable character but did want to find out what would happen。 The murderer is easy to guess here but there are subjects matters that are worth talking about regarding college morals and politics。 。。。more
talia ♡
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i LOVE a good plagiarism thriller and this one served。
Melissa
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This book was intriguing from the start and kept me wondering and wanting for the entire book！ When I read the synopsis， I was concerned it was going to be very similar to The Plot， but the books ended up being significantly different and in fact I enjoyed this one quite a bit more than that one。 I really liked that every part of this story had implications that affected something else。 The complexity of the story was high but the pacing was such that it was never overwhelming。 I thought I had t This book was intriguing from the start and kept me wondering and wanting for the entire book！ When I read the synopsis， I was concerned it was going to be very similar to The Plot， but the books ended up being significantly different and in fact I enjoyed this one quite a bit more than that one。 I really liked that every part of this story had implications that affected something else。 The complexity of the story was high but the pacing was such that it was never overwhelming。 I thought I had this one all figured out but it ended up being even more intricate than I expected。 I found most of the characters pretty unlikeable and frustrating but it didn't turn me off to the story at all。 There were some parts that would have gone easier for the characters if they had even one normal conversation， but the drama that results because they don't is necessary to further the story。 I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be recommending it to others。 Now I have to look into David Bell's backlist！ 。。。more
Meredith
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3。5 starsA decent read， but it didn't knock my socks off。Full review to come！ 3。5 starsA decent read， but it didn't knock my socks off。Full review to come！ 。。。more
Kat
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4。5 stars rounded up！ I really enjoyed the setting and execution of this book。 Unfortunately I did figure out who did it fairly early on， but the writing was awesome， hence the roundup。
Jen Ken
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Kill All Your Darlings is a gripping， intense thriller。 Without giving away any spoilers， this book is very well written and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end。 The author is to be commended for the way he cleverly created the realistic characters。 The plot is a nail-biting thriller。 It is full of twists and turns and the surprise ending was a real shocker that I didn’t see coming。 I rated it a high five。
L。B。 Sedlacek
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This book was hard to put down。 It was fun to read and a new take on the stolen manuscript by one writer by another。 I was able to guess part of the ending early on but I wasn’t expecting the other outcome。 Ultimately， it had a good twist to it。
Kathy
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Conner is an English Professor at a college。 His wife and son died in a terrible boating accident five years ago， and his life has gone all to hell。 To make matters worse， he has to publish something soon to be eligible for tenure。 So when one of his best students disappears after submitting a hand-written novel for her thesis， he eventually cleans it up and submits it as his own。 All is well， until two years later when she comes back， demanding the money for the book that is rightfully hers。 Co Conner is an English Professor at a college。 His wife and son died in a terrible boating accident five years ago， and his life has gone all to hell。 To make matters worse， he has to publish something soon to be eligible for tenure。 So when one of his best students disappears after submitting a hand-written novel for her thesis， he eventually cleans it up and submits it as his own。 All is well， until two years later when she comes back， demanding the money for the book that is rightfully hers。 Come to find out， that book closely details a murder that took place around the time she disappeared。 And when it is read by a police detective， she comes looking for him。 How to explain the book isn't his？ We end up with at least four suspects for what is now up to several murders。。。YOU decide who committed them， and why。 I guessed right， but there was still a bit of a twist。 。。。more
Sandi
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I found the flipping between past and present with all the characters to be a bit confusing at times。 It was an interesting storyline but felt rushed towards the end。
Wendy
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3。5 stars
Jordan Caldwell
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This was OK。 I think it was overhyped。 The story moved at a good pace but the writing was choppy and weird。 The author uses this line from the POV of a college female: “Stay in command of her faculties”。 I’m 31 and would never say that， so I don’t feel that fit the character as she was written。The author also seems very fixated on professors drinking with their students， and drinking in general， because that was a major part of the book。 It seemed like alcohol was a character which was a bit ann This was OK。 I think it was overhyped。 The story moved at a good pace but the writing was choppy and weird。 The author uses this line from the POV of a college female: “Stay in command of her faculties”。 I’m 31 and would never say that， so I don’t feel that fit the character as she was written。The author also seems very fixated on professors drinking with their students， and drinking in general， because that was a major part of the book。 It seemed like alcohol was a character which was a bit annoying。Overall， an OK read。 。。。more
Nicole Jain
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I really enjoyed this one。 It had me on the edge of my seat。
Mary Ann
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David Bell’s Kill All Your Darlings has a provocative title because it is a novel that shocks the reader repeatedly。 After protagonist Connor Nye’s wife and young son die， he scrabbles to keep a handle on his career as an English professor and write a novel that will secure his position with tenure。 Bell sets this up to comment upon today’s continual revelations of sexual harassment and misconduct at the hands of powerful men。Connor finally gets a thriller published， and it is quite successful。 David Bell’s Kill All Your Darlings has a provocative title because it is a novel that shocks the reader repeatedly。 After protagonist Connor Nye’s wife and young son die， he scrabbles to keep a handle on his career as an English professor and write a novel that will secure his position with tenure。 Bell sets this up to comment upon today’s continual revelations of sexual harassment and misconduct at the hands of powerful men。Connor finally gets a thriller published， and it is quite successful。 A subplot is built into the tale as a young female student who had been in Connor’s writing course two years ago had gone missing and now returns。 Bell works hard to juggle these viewpoints throughout most of the book。 Flashbacks offer glimpses into why this student disappeared two weeks after another female student was murdered。 Yes， many plot twists and multiple strands to keep moving are woven together in this book。 This is a wild read， but enjoyable。 A few parts I reread to keep the plot points straight。 I give this thriller a 4。7 out of 5。 Recommend。 。。。more
Jane
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Kill All Your Darlings by David Bell delves into the world of academia。 The life of a professor consists of publish or perish， while also trying to teach classes， mentor students， and navigate department politics。 But， English professor Connor Nye is one of the lucky ones。 As his tenure decision approaches， he publishes his first novel。 The only problem is that he didn’t write it。 It belongs to one of his students who disappeared several years before。 Now， the student has reappeared and she want Kill All Your Darlings by David Bell delves into the world of academia。 The life of a professor consists of publish or perish， while also trying to teach classes， mentor students， and navigate department politics。 But， English professor Connor Nye is one of the lucky ones。 As his tenure decision approaches， he publishes his first novel。 The only problem is that he didn’t write it。 It belongs to one of his students who disappeared several years before。 Now， the student has reappeared and she wants Connor to give her the money from the book royalties or she’ll reveal that he plagiarized her work。 And that’s not Connor’s only problem。 The book is about the murder of a young woman and the details are very similar to a real-life murder。 The police want to know why。Kill All Your Darlings is a good read with strong characters。 The plot moves between several time periods and also has several points of view。 The pace is good and it’s not hard to root for Connor as he tries to do the right thing – even making sure his dog， Grendel， is well-cared for。 There are enough twists to keep it interesting and when I thought I had it all figured out， the story swerved into new territory。I enjoyed this latest book by David Bell。 It’s a good thriller that will definitely entertain most readers。Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review。 。。。more
booksbikesbooze
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4 stars。。。。My first David Bell novel & I enjoyed it！First of all， this cover is absolutely stunnnnnnning - even more so in person。 The bluish -violet-pinkish cotton candy sunset is perfect！ Anyways， I really enjoyed the atmospheric academia setting， as well as the twists。 My only complaint was that it was a little long and drawn out， at almost 400 pages。 I will be reading more from this author！
。:Veronica:。
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Truyện này nói về cái gì ấy nhỉ？ Đọc đến đâu quên đến đấy。 Nhân vật = nước lã。DNF。
Jessica Frank
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Very predictable。 The college professors were unprofessional。 The flashbacks fleshed out the story， but the plot definitely dragged on。
Erin B。
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There was a little bit of a similarity to the Plot for me or at least it reminded me of it。 Only this was a tad more complicated as far as who stole what from who。 Very much enjoyed the pacing and characters。
Lisa Albright
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I am thoroughly enjoying this book。 The short chapters and the way they go back and forth between past and present add so much to the tension and atmosphere of confusion about what's going on now and what really happened then。 The pacing is spot on and I love the way little bits of the truth are slowing coming to light。 This is my first David Bell book and I can't wait to read his other books too！I received a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review。 I am thoroughly enjoying this book。 The short chapters and the way they go back and forth between past and present add so much to the tension and atmosphere of confusion about what's going on now and what really happened then。 The pacing is spot on and I love the way little bits of the truth are slowing coming to light。 This is my first David Bell book and I can't wait to read his other books too！I received a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kristen
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DNF。 This author just isn’t for me。 The main character makes the most stupid decisions ever。 To many coincidences and unlikeable characters
Kathleen
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In Kill All Your Darlings， author David Bell takes the reader behind the scenes of a riveting thriller as college English Professor Connor Nye tries to clear his name after he plagarizes a novel that is eerily similar to an unsolved murder， while engaging in a dangerous and deadly cat and mouse game with the real killer。 Kill All Your Darlings is a riveting thriller that easily draws the reader in from the start。 The author provides the reader with a fascinating， multi-layered， and richly detail In Kill All Your Darlings， author David Bell takes the reader behind the scenes of a riveting thriller as college English Professor Connor Nye tries to clear his name after he plagarizes a novel that is eerily similar to an unsolved murder， while engaging in a dangerous and deadly cat and mouse game with the real killer。 Kill All Your Darlings is a riveting thriller that easily draws the reader in from the start。 The author provides the reader with a fascinating， multi-layered， and richly detailed story set in the small college town of Gatewood， Kentucky。 This exciting story takes the reader on an exhilarating roller coaster ride as the reader follows Connor's struggle to move on with his life since the traumatic deaths of his wife and son five years ago。 Connor needs to gain tenure to keep his job， and after the disappearance of college student Madeline O'Brien two years ago， he takes her manuscript as his own， and it is published by a major New York publisher。 But there is just one little problem， Madeline shows up in town after the book is published and wants Connor to make things right。 And if that's not enough， the police take an interest in Connor after his （Madeline's） novel is eerily similar to an unsolved murder that occurred two years ago。 Connor has to decide between the risks of coming clean with what he's done or keeping silent， while also unexpectedly discovering a series of covered up sexual harrassment by professors towards female students。 Connor and senior college student Rebecca Knox find themselves in a very dangerous cat-n-mouse game with people who want to keep everything buried at all costs。 There is enough drama， secrets， deception， tension， and surprising twists and turns that definitely will keep the reader sitting on the edge of their seat， and guessing how this story will turn out。 I loved the drama and complexity of the multi-layered story told in the past and present timelines with alternating first and third person narratives by Connor， Madeline， and Rebecca。 The reader can't help but feel for Connor， Madeline， and Rebecca as their stories unfold。 The interweaving of the tension and drama， coupled with the unexpected twists and turns that Connor encounters as he goes down the dangerous path of putting the pieces of the puzzle together， while taking the risks that it put on his own life and career is so intense that it keeps the reader on edge until the surprising conclusion。 It just doesn't get any better than that！Kill All Your Darlings is a well-written， fast paced， and intense thriller that will leave the reader wanting more！Disclaimer: I bought a copy of the book from my monthly Just The Right Book！ subscription。https://jerseygirlbookreviews。blogspo。。。 。。。more
Julie
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Very good story。 I enjoyed the characters and getting to know them。 Good character development and plotting。
Molly
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I read this after Plot and I liked Plot so much more that I don’t feel quite fair reviewing this。 I did love Grendel…。
Jeremy Stewart
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📚ⒷⓄⓄⓀ ⓇⒺⓋⒾⒺⓌ📚Title: Kill All Your DarlingsAuthor: David BellNumber of Pages: 431Genre: Psychological ThrillerPublication Date: 07/06/2021Rating: 📕📕📕📕（4 stars）This is the first book I've read from this author。 Thank you get red PR for my gifted copy。 I absolutely love the cover。So in this book we follow English professor Connor Nye who polishes his first novel， a thriller about the murder of a young woman。I definitely enjoyed reading this one。 I will preface by saying there is sexual harassment i 📚ⒷⓄⓄⓀ ⓇⒺⓋⒾⒺⓌ📚Title: Kill All Your DarlingsAuthor: David BellNumber of Pages: 431Genre: Psychological ThrillerPublication Date: 07/06/2021Rating: 📕📕📕📕（4 stars）This is the first book I've read from this author。 Thank you get red PR for my gifted copy。 I absolutely love the cover。So in this book we follow English professor Connor Nye who polishes his first novel， a thriller about the murder of a young woman。I definitely enjoyed reading this one。 I will preface by saying there is sexual harassment in this so if that is a trigger please proceed with caution。 David Bell has a unique writing style， in which he gives correct amount of details in the story to keep you emotionally invested。 He constructed a plot that had a good flow to it。 This might be the first book I've read from him， but it certainly will not be the last。 。。。more
Mayar El Mahdy
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2。5/5The cover is so pretty！ The book。。 not so much。 I said before that David Bell's writing style feels like a Republican writing a "woke" satire。 The observations about sexual harassment and police misconduct are on point。 These are very problematic subjects， yeah。 The way people talk about them in the book feels so forced。The plot reminds me of The Plot。 Professors need to do better。 I think it wasn't as exciting or unexpected。 It wasn't bad， but it's nothing to write home about。 2。5/5The cover is so pretty！ The book。。 not so much。 I said before that David Bell's writing style feels like a Republican writing a "woke" satire。 The observations about sexual harassment and police misconduct are on point。 These are very problematic subjects， yeah。 The way people talk about them in the book feels so forced。The plot reminds me of The Plot。 Professors need to do better。 I think it wasn't as exciting or unexpected。 It wasn't bad， but it's nothing to write home about。 。。。more
Brenda
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This is one of my favorite authors！ He manages to pull you into a story and then twist and turn the plot until the very end。 I could sort of see where he was going with this one， but I couldn't be sure until I finished。 The chapters are short （which I like） and the story moves along at a good pace。 The main character was likable and a good storyteller。 Looking forward to the next one by David Bell！ This is one of my favorite authors！ He manages to pull you into a story and then twist and turn the plot until the very end。 I could sort of see where he was going with this one， but I couldn't be sure until I finished。 The chapters are short （which I like） and the story moves along at a good pace。 The main character was likable and a good storyteller。 Looking forward to the next one by David Bell！ 。。。more
Sherri Thacker
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When David Bell writes a new book， I run， don’t walk to get it。 I love most of his thrillers and this one hit it out of the park！！！ Connor Nye is a college professor who steals a thesis from a student who goes missing and gets it published under his name。 Oops， only she shows up after being gone for 2 years then all kinds of things start happening。 This grabbed me from the very first sentence and I devoured this 400 page book in just a couple of days！！ It’s that great！！！！
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Kill All Your Darlings
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Kill All Your Darlings&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft