Secrets, Stalkers, and Suspense: Review of When I Kill You by B.A. Paris #WhenIKillYou

In When I Kill You a woman with a hidden past fears she’s being watched as a murder she witnessed years ago resurfaces.

Acknowledgements:

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ARC of this audiobook. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

Summary:

Nell Masters is convinced someone is watching her—silent phone calls, an anonymous bouquet, and an ever-present sense of being followed—yet she desperately tries to ignore the fear as she hides a dangerous secret from her new partner, Alex, who has secrets of his own. Fourteen years earlier, under the name Elle Nugent, Nell witnessed a student, Bryony Sanders, enter a stranger’s car and later became obsessively determined to expose the man she believed murdered her, a fixation that led her down a perilous path. Now, as her past threatens to collide with her carefully rebuilt life, Nell must confront whether her new identity has been discovered, whether the hunter has become the hunted, or whether an even darker threat is closing in.

My Thoughts:

When I Kill You had all the ingredients of a thriller I’d normally gravitate toward: a chilling premise, a heroine with a hidden past, and the uneasy sense that someone is always watching. The story follows Nell Masters, who’s convinced she’s being stalked—silent phone calls, anonymous flowers, and a constant feeling of dread shadow her daily life. Fourteen years earlier, back when she was Elle Nugent, she witnessed a young woman getting into a stranger’s car and later became consumed with proving who was responsible for the girl’s murder. Now living under a new identity, Nell fears her past has caught up with her, especially as unsettling journal entries from an unknown stalker surface, each ending with the ominous line, “When I Kill You.”

As intriguing as that setup sounds, this one just wasn’t the right fit for me. The dual timeline structure and psychological twists were there, and I can see how they’d appeal to many thriller fans, but I found the story didn’t quite hold my attention the way I’d hoped. The pacing felt uneven, and while there were some well-written turns, there were fewer surprises than I expected from this genre. My biggest struggle was with Nell/Elle herself—I never really connected with her. Her thoughts often felt scattered, and her decision-making left me frustrated rather than invested.

The Narration:

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Georgia Maguire, and her performance was a definite highlight. She brought a steady intensity to the narration that kept me engaged even when the plot wavered for me.

Final Thoughts:

When I Kill You has a compelling concept and moments of tension, it ultimately fell into the category of “just not for me”—one of those reads where you can appreciate elements of the craft but still feel it didn’t quite click.