Matty Darcy is a Criminology and Psychology student in the quaint university village of Ambleside. She has survived the normal dramas of student life such as shared living, assignments, heartbreak and friendships. But this year takes the drama to a whole new level when her fellow students start mysteriously dying.
Matty takes it upon herself to catch the killer with the help of local Police Officer, and heartthrob, P.C Nicholas Wilde and her ex-boyfriend Dean. It is a race against the clock to work out who’s killing students, and why.
Matty soon finds out more than she has bargained for… enough to make her the next target!
*I received a free DRC of this book with thanks to the author, Blossom Spring Publishing and Zoé of Zooloo’s Book Tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Fans of the old Point Horror/Mystery series of books will recognise the style of this mystery story, set amid a slightly older target audience of hard-partying, drinking, smoking uni students.
The main character, Mattie, is a psychology student and we get the whole story in her first person narrative viewpoint – a large part coming from diary entries she is writing to try to make sense of the events in her life, from multiple potential romances to a similar number of suspicious accidents and apparent self-harm incidents in her vicinity.
This direct perspective is great for allowing the reader to feel close to Mattie and understand her thoughts and feelings, but it does slightly lessen some of the tension around the events that are happening. It’s hard to feel as anxious about the danger she is in when you already know she survived to tell the tale!
That said, there is plenty of action to keep you on the edge of your seat and with plenty of suspects to choose from too, the story kept me guessing all the way up to the dramatic reveal at the end. I think I suspected everyone at one point, including Mattie herself, even though she was the one telling us the story! (What, you’ve never heard of Roger Ackroyd? Unreliable narrators? Sociopaths?!) And I think I was as intrigued by whether she would end up with bad-boy ex Dean, clean-cut climber Tommy, or handsome but unprofessional PC Nick, as by whether one of them might turn out to be the campus killer.
In short, this is an entertaining teen/YA murder mystery (with a touch of romantic intrigue on the side), which will appeal to fans of Diane Hoh, Richie Tankersley Cusick, R. L. Stine and similar.
This was an incredible book , from the outset you are hooked , you want to find out more about what happens and find out more about all the characters!
The main character in the book is Mattie , who is fantastic to read about , such an intriguing, interesting character to see the view point of . The story is the diary of Mattie , and trying to figure out the events in her life . The book 100% keeps hold of your attention , there are moments in the book that will get you on your edge of your seat.
I would definitely recommend this book to fans of young adult murder reads
Review for 'First Degree Murder' by M.J Weatherall.
Read and reviewed for M.J Weatherall, Blossom Spring Publishing and Zooloo's Book Tours.
Publication date 23rd November 2022. .
This is the first book I have read by this author.
I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and its fascinating synopsis and title. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Blossom Spring Publishing. I have yet to read a book published by Blossom Spring Publishing that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This book is based in Ambleside, Lake District, England 🏴 , UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. I actually live in Wales so am looking forward to seeing if I recognise any places mentioned.
This book is written first person perspective and the main protagonists is Matty (Matilda) Darcy(Matilda Darcy). The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them.
Diary entries
Wow!!! This book is fantastically written and had me hook, line and sinker from beginning to end. The descriptions were so in depth and vivid that the hair on my arms was standing on the ends and my heart was pounding throughout. The synopsis, title and cover were perfect for the storyline.
I was absolutely absorbed throughout this page turner. It is filled with tension, friendship, secrets, romance, alcohol, suspense and omg the twist!!! I absolutely loved the fact that it was written in a diary format which gave us so much insight into how Matty was thinking and feeling throughout. It also brings the reader close to her and pulls her out of the pages so it feels that she is sitting opposite you telling you her story over a cup of tea or glass of wine! The storyline was addictive and I just could not put it down leaving me reading it in one sitting. You lady have one hell of a talent and I cannot wait to get hold of your previous and future books. The storyline is filled with shocks, suspense, romance, tension and so much more! There was so much going on and it was very fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. M.J's writing style and depth had me so engrossed that when I looked up it took me a moment to realise I was even reading!! Clear your schedule before you start as I read this in one sitting as I could not put it down!! I was absolutely hooked!! I would absolutely love to see this turned into a movie!!!! I thought the murders were quite unique which is important to me in a book and I loved the explosive ending which I did not expect!!! Congratulations M.J Weatherall it is getting harder and harder to surprise me but just when I though t I had worked out who the culprit was everything was spun around again and I found myself completely wrong. I loved the side stories that went along with the main storyline meaning we had a bigger picture of everyone's lives and what they got up to and who they had feelings for. There is also the romances between Matty, her ex boyfriend Dean, her friend Tommy and PC Nick. I also loved the fact that she was a psychology student as I am absolutely fascinated by psychology and have studied it myself.
Clear your schedules before even looking at the first page as you will not be able to put this book down!!!!
It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.
I was completely invested in both the storyline and the characters. Each of the characters had their own unique personalities and I felt differently about each of them. Matty is a strong and determined woman who refuses to back down when her friends start getting murdered even when it puts her at risk. She is kind hearted and is much more caring and compassionate about her cheating scum ex boyfriend dean after he cheated on her even agreeing to be friends. I could not stand him and I think that he didn't deserve her at all after what he did to her. As the saying goes he made his bed so he should learn to sleep in it... alone!!! Tommy is another one caught in a romance with Matty as their friendship grows throughout the book. I liked Tommy and would have been happy and think they would have made a nice couple. Matty is lucky to have such a lovely and strong friendship group who provides her with support and shoulders to cry on with Dee being her closest female friend and then Tommy from how I could see them all relate. PC Nick comes into the scene and you can see the electricity fly between himself and Matty throughout the book. I personally think they would make a lovely couple but who does Matty decide on? Are there any surviving by the end? You will just have to pick up your copy today to find out!! Regardless of how I felt about each of the characters, they all worked perfectly to make this is a fun, easy and page turning crime mystery for teens and adults alike. i think anyone who likes crime and is over 13 would love this fantastic book!!
Congratulations M.J on a true page turner! This may be the first book I have read by you but it most definitely will not be my last!! Here's to your next success 🥂
Overall an easy to read, fun, addictive page turner that will keep you guessing throughout.
Genres covered in this novel include Mystery, Psychological Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Murder Fiction, Teen & Young Adult and Murder Thrillers amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'Gone Girl' , 'The Girl on The Train', Point Horror Books, 'The Wife Between Us', Point Mystery Books, Liane Moriarty, Lisa Jewell and anyone lover the age of 13 years old looking for an explosive crime mystery that will keep you hooked from the first page to the last!!
190 pages.
This book is just £2.50 to purchase on kindle and £8.85 in paperback (at time of review) via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
A well plotted book with believable characters and situations. Like many thrillers, the plot was revealed by the killer when it was unnecessary to do so (so four not five stars) I would recommend the book for the pace and the use of young protagonists.
I'm struggling to work out where to put it category-wise though. It's not your classic crime thriller with heart stopping moments or gore and it didn't creep me out at all - even though there were deaths and a serial killer. But, it equally isn't your nice, cosy mystery?
Matty returns to uni to complete the final year of her criminology course and finds herself sucked into the investigation as her peers start dying one by one.
Each death seems like an accident but Matty is not convinced and joins forces with the lovely PC Nick to work out the mystery and find the killer.
I really liked the plot. There was lots going on and I thought I'd figured out the killer pretty early on, so liked the little twist at the end, proving me wrong.
I loved all the characters. Matty was easy going and fierce at the same time - she would not stop until she'd solved the case! I loved that her group of close friends rallied round her to keep her safe, whilst also injected some fun into the script.
I think my favourite character was PC Nick though. Your friendly neighbourhood bobby, who risked his job to help Matty solve the case. The development of their relationship was lovely. Again, quite predictable, but I liked that about them.
I found this a really nice easy read. It held my interest throughout and I'm wondering if there could be more to come - maybe a what next for Matty in terms of career and love life....or Matty and Nick investigate?....
I devoured this book in one day, it’s not very long but the writing and the structure make this story so addictive that I just couldn’t put it down. It came at the perfect time as well because I was desperately craving a murder mystery so I ate this up.
There were times when I did want more high stakes but I had to remind myself that this was YA not the brutal hardcore crime fiction I’m used to reading but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story and trying to piece together the mystery. I didn’t guess the killer which surprised me in a really good way. The short journal entries from Matty were a really nice touch, I love mixed media in books.
First Degree Murder was an easy and a quick read. It was very light hearted while equally thrilling… it maintained a steady pace with incredibly written and interesting characters.
I really enjoyed reading this book, all of the characters were likeable and I felt a little like a part of their gang, once something bad happened I needed to know what and how.
Always playing the detective my thoughts lay heavily on what Matty would later come to conclude and I was as shocked as she was, to find just how wrong I was.
This book is an excellent read for anyone who loves a good thriller, or someone who is just coming to grips with the genre.
Oh I absolutely adored this YA crime novel and became completely hooked. Aa the characters I’d say this is aimed at the higher end of YA and even NA range of ready but it was very enjoyable to read as an adult.
One of the things I enjoyed was a little bit of nostalgia from my own uni days. I think the author captures the youthful energy, thoughts and feelings of a person of that age really well in her characters. The experiences of parties, bars and getting together with your housemates really brought back some amazing memories for me and I loved it!
Matty is a really likable character. She’s intelligent, fun and very sarcastic but her relationship with Dean shows a softer, vulnerable side too. She was so quick to start putting pieces together and top realise things were not right and from there her determination to solve the crime shone through.
The pace of the plot is pretty fast moving as this is a short book and things get off to a quick start. The descriptions and events aren’t particularly graphic or gruesome – more like a cosy mystery – but there’s plenty of suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat. I found myself completely caught up in the plot and it is such a great book to play along with.
First Degree Murder is a fun, clever novel and I enjoyed trying to solve the crime and figure things out. I highly recommend it for a suspenseful, exciting read.
TRIGGER WARNING: recreational drug use Matilda Darcy returns to her university course and shared house after the Christmas break. She split up with Dean just before the holidays and is looking to party to heal her broken heart and show him what he is missing. But another student dies during a party game and other deaths follow... First Degree Murder is a murder mystery set in Ambleside in northern England. I think the book is probably aimed at older teens and young adults due to its shorter length and style of writing. It has a Dear Diary style at the beginning of each part and is written from Matty's first person perspective throughout. The tone is very chatty and I felt that Matty's character felt authentic as I was caught up in her student dramas (it did make me feel rather old, remembering that I finished uni 21 years ago!) The drinking game death and the subsequent one are traumatic and emotional due to Matty's experience of trying to help the victims. There are lots of twists as Matty suspects many of her friends and enemies of being a killer. The ending was a little extreme but certainly dramatic! On the softer side, Matty has her on-off relationship with Dean and the whole host of emotions this causes. Her growing friendship with PC Nick Wilde is full of humour and possible hints of a future relationship (hoping this is the first book in a series...) First Degree Murder is an entertaining murder mystery aimed at young adults.
A great book that draws on the nostalgia (for me at least) of student life, with a likeable and relatable protagonist who’s juggling the usual struggles of a young adult and investigating the mysterious string of deaths in the otherwise quaint town setting of Ambleside. The characters and setting are thoughtfully described, and the sketches which accompany the chapters bring a lovely added charm.
It will keep you guessing and reads with a lovely flow, transporting you back and forth between it’s light-hearted “Dear Diary” format and scenes of high tension that will have you on the edge of your seat.
It’s a real page turner - I would highly recommend a read!
This is a very good easy read. The book got my vote as soon as I saw the little map, the sketches and some of it is written as diary entries. I read this in a day, it was a short book but it was jam packed with action. The writing just flowed easily. I thought I had worked out the killer in the middle, but the author tricked me, I definitely didn’t see the end coming. I would say that young adults would love this mystery book, fantastic story, great characters and just a brilliant read.
I LOVED THIS BOOK. The writing is good, it is full of well developed characters that were believable, relatable and likeable and the storyline is absolutely gripping right from the start. It was full of twists and turns and even when I thought I had guessed one I was completely wrong so there is a good level of unpredictability too. I couldn't put it down and really want to see what else the author has done