Influencers Who Kill: A True Crime Collection: Real Stories of Online Fame and Fatal Consequences

by Madison Salters

From TikTok to YouTube, OnlyFans to Instagram, sink into nine bone-chilling stories of influencers who resorted to murder… or tried to. Thousands of followers. Rapt audiences. Splashy photos and videos that rack up millions of views, crowning the popular few who beat the algorithm “Online Influencers.” But what happens when the next reel on the slideshow of someone’s life… is death? Accidental or premeditated? In some cases, only you can decide. This book features 10 fascinating cases, Yuka Takaoka, Japanese bar hostess who stabbed her flirty host boyfriend Nasim Aghdam, YouTube Headquarters shooter Snow the Salt Queen, cosplay shooter who maintains her innocence David Katz, sports video game tournament shooter Samantha Wohlford, Mommy vlogger who tripped over her own lies in the interrogation room Randy Stair, supermarket shooter who produced—and dated—cartoons Trey Sesler, “Mr. Anime,” who murdered his family Pekka-Eric Auvinen, admirer of violence who carried out one of Finland’s few school shootings Abigail White, OnlyFans talent who bullied and killed her husband Influencers Who Kill will look behind the internet handles and the painted masks and dive into the minds and motives of serial killers and would-be murderers who bloodied their hands with the spotlight trained on them.

Genres: Audiobook, True Crime, Nonfiction

Kindle Edition

Published February 3, 2026

Reviews

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got the audiobook for review.

I appreciated that each chapter on the cases was long enough and didn't feel to short. But there were short comings on the book. the way the killers where portrayed sometimes made me uneasy. Like it went in debt trying to make the murders more human and understandable. I don't read much true crime or watch any true crime documentary so I'm not familiar how its usually done. Like a lot reviews already say none of the murderers are influencers or had a big following. Took me a while to latch on to the fact as I kept on being confused on hearing absolutely nothing about these cases before.

It was an okay book but felt like there where things missing and things that cous have been done in better way. But at this moment I don't really know why as I'm not familiar enough with the genre

[Marialyce]

I am not the audience for this one.

[AmdynReads · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 ⭐️
I am an avid true crime junkie but something about this book did not hit right for me. I can’t quite put my finger on it.

😊 Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an ALC of this book. All opinions are my own.

💭Some thoughts:

🤔(1) I’ve never read a true crime book that was so ideologically leaning before. Like I can tell exactly what the author believes and how they vote - not necessarily by anything they came outright and said, but how they say it. So this was a first for me. True Crime books are typically more neutral and don’t spend 15 minutes discussing which pronouns the perpetrators prefer. No hate. But I was wishing we could just get on with the stories.

🗣️ (2) I felt like the stories needed some expert opinions. I appreciated the focus on mental health, but maybe add in some psychologist’s opinions on cases. Or interview detectives that worked the case. The stories felt flat and almost like they were pieced together from what they found online. If there were any boots on the ground, type interviews of witnesses or victims, it seemed to be taken from someone else that did the interviews.

🥸(3) I enjoyed learning about the niche groups of people, the hobbies and interests that we typically don’t hear about. I liked that Madison Salters gave us insight into those worlds and explained the slang, nicknames and “culture” within each group.

😖(4) The ending was jarring. I even rewound it to see if I had missed something. I was expecting a conclusion chapter or even one paragraph to wrap things up. But it just ends with the last story and that’s it. This seems unfinished to me.

🎧(5) I did the audiobook and Alexa Elmy did a fantastic job. Audio production was perfect.

🙅🏽‍♀️Overall this story was just not for me. I think someone else may enjoy it though.

[Taylor Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I’ve seen reviews that claim the title is misleading. I can see where they’re coming from, but I also think it’s a fair title.
While the focus isn’t necessarily well known or super popular influencers, these people were “influencers” to at least some sort of audience, or trying to be.

It read (I listened to the audiobook) like a true crime podcast, which made it easy to follow along with. And I feel that there was a good amount of research and evidence brought into each story. I appreciated that this covered a range and wasn’t limited to a specific “genre” of influencers or even the US, it made it more interesting.

I did find it interesting that each story ended in an “explanation” of the assailants wrongdoings in a way that seemed sympathetic to what they went through. Not really who I’d be worried about, but 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Samantha Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Madison Salters offers a quick look into 9 true crime cases in which the perpetrator can still recognized by their use of their internet platforms n sites such as TikTok, OF, YouTube and even Twitch. A lot of these cases were highly sensationalized at the time the crime took place and can still be sought out in great detail years later with a simple google search. I was initially drawn to this book because I thought it would follow a more in-depth look into parasail relationships and how pop culture can affect how we view individuals who commit horrific crimes, this is even something that seems to be hinted a in the intro of the book, however, other than the intro the discourse is lack luster. I found myself during the book googling the cases and finding more information than what was provided in the book.

The narrator Alexa Elmy did a wonderful job in her narration, I am really glad that she did not utilize that true crime monotone type voice that seems to take place in podcasts or videos in an attempt to bring a dark atmosphere to the story. I like that she differentness between the authors narrative and quotes that were provided in the book. Overall this read is good for someone who is looking for a fast rundown look at crimes committed by individuals who made attempts at being influencers, but if you are looking for in-depth looks at cases and all the legals procedures that took place afterwards this one is not for you.

I was provided all of this by NetGalley and would like to thank Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen and review this book.

[Faithe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Influencers who Kill by Madison Salters is a true crime collection of stories about online fame gone wrong.

This book contains stories about seemingly average people on TikTok, YouTube, OnlyFans and Instagram all of who resorted to murder. This audiobook features 9 cases including:
- Yuka Takoaka, a Japanese bar hostess who decided to stab her host boyfriend.
- Nasim Aghdam, you shot up YouTube headquarters
- Snow the Salt Queen, a cosplay shooter
- David Katz, sports Video game tournament shooter
- Samantha Wohlford, a mommy blogger
- Randy Stair, a supermarket shooter
- Trey Sesler "Mr. Anime", who murdered his own family
- Pekka-Eric Aubinen, Finish school shooter
- Abigail White from Only Fans

I love how audiobook narrator Alexa Elmy, made it sound like interesting murder podcast! This is a long book and Alexa had me coming back to listen again and again.

I received an audiobook copy of this book from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

[Chelsea is Booked · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big true crime lover, though will admit that I haven't read too many books on it. Most of my knowledge has come from documentaries (back when I watched TV) or podcasts. As a tiny, bookstagram influencer I felt drawn to this book. This book is a collection for influencers from various niches online, many aren't very big or wildly known. So it was refreshing to see some crimes I haven't heard of before. However, I wasn't super drawn into the book. The book focuses more on background and ideology than on the crimes themselves. It seemed that the author often felt remorse for the criminal. That there are reasons that led them to what they did and how it could have been fixed like mental health. Which I don't disagree but I personally like to focus more on the victims and crime than the attacker. I also would have liked to see an ending for this book. It literally juat ends at with the last story no wrap up or words for thought on the entirety of the book. I think I might stick with podcasts. I like the that format better.

[Deanna (she_reads_truth_365) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Madison Salters is an award-winning journalist, editor, writer, documentarian, and translator. Influencers Who Kill are short stories about influencers who make terrible choices and end up ruining their lives and others as well. Each story lasts between 30 minutes to an hour. I had not heard of any of these influencers or the crimes they committed. It was captivating and chilling at the same time.

This was my first book narrated by Alexa Elmy. I thought she did a great job of narrating each story. I listened at 1.75x speed.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the gifted audiobook and the opportunity to preview this book. All opinions are my own.

[Paula Kitsch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a crime podcast junkie, I love to turn my headphones on and tune out the world around me as I clean my house or just simply go for a walk around my quaint town listening to the who done it of the internet.
While this book was engaging and enjoyable I often felt the author went on long explanations that diverted you off topic to explain situations surrounding the murders itself to the point I felt that we were often on another murder/topic although then the original subject would then rear around.
Most of the crimes, I was unfamiliar with as I’m not up to date on influencers nor follow many people other the authors on social media.

[Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title says Influencers Who Kill and I went in expecting a deranged deep-dive into clout-chasing chaos, like if the cast of Love Island started a cult and live-streamed the bloodshed. Instead, I got a surprisingly sanitized collection of crime scene Wikipedia entries dressed up in ring lights and hashtags. It’s giving “I skimmed a Reddit thread and copy-pasted it into a term paper.” But make it vibes.

Now, I’m not mad at the premise. I love true crime. I love unhinged online behavior. I once spent four hours researching a woman who faked being a blue-haired trauma therapist for likes. I live for this. And honestly? Some of these cases are genuinely wild. Yuka Takaoka stabbing her boyfriend and then sitting next to his bleeding body like she was waiting for room service? Snow the Salt Queen giving cosplay shooter core? There is raw potential here. But the way the book handles it feels... flat. Like a Buzzfeed listicle trying to be a dissertation.

Let’s talk about the title, though, because whew. Influencers is doing some Olympic-level heavy lifting here. These are not people whose names trend on Twitter. These are people who maybe had a YouTube channel with a dozen views and a dream. There’s a big difference between being online and being an influencer. At least half of these folks had all the clout of a Tumblr reblog in 2012. Which would be fine, except the book hinges its entire identity on the influencer angle. That’s like calling it Celebrity Murders and opening with your cousin Greg who once went viral for slipping on a hot dog.

But let me pause the roast to shout out the actual shining star of this experience: Alexa Elmy. The audiobook narrator singlehandedly held this thing together. Her delivery is polished, measured, and honestly, a big reason I made it past story number four. She gives true crime podcast realness without sounding exploitative or ghoulish, which is a hard line to walk when your subject matter includes mommy vloggers turned murder conspirators. (Samantha Wohlford, girl, what were you even doing??)

The structure, though? Pure chaos. There’s no real flow. We bounce from Japan to Finland to Texas with the organizational clarity of a group chat after one person says “So anyway.” No thematic cohesion, no chronological build, no rising tension. Just nine disconnected vignettes that all seem to be like, “Anyway, they had a YouTube account, and then murder!” Cool. Cool cool cool. Where’s the analysis? Where’s the exploration of how social media warps identity, rewards narcissism, or fuels delusion? Don’t promise me Black Mirror and give me a SparkNotes write-up.

To be fair, the research is clearly there. Madison Salters did her homework. There’s a decent amount of detail on mental health histories, internet footprints, and background context. But instead of a compelling narrative, we get vibes of “here’s what happened, moving on,” like she’s reading a True Crime Mad Libs aloud. No emotional arc. No real takeaway. No exploration of victims either, they’re treated more like speed bumps than people whose lives were ended.

It’s not offensive. It’s not exploitative. It’s just kinda... mid. Like a Netflix docuseries you put on while doing laundry. And again, the audiobook does make this a much more listenable experience. Elmy’s narration gives the material the polish and pacing it desperately needed, and if I ever hear her read another true crime title with stronger writing, I’m all in.

Final verdict? 2.5 stars. One for the fascinating premise, one for Alexa Elmy’s performance, and half a star because I now know someone once made a dating profile for an animated ghost child before committing a mass shooting. That sentence was unfortunately not fiction.

Whodunity Award: For Making Me Suspect That Internet Fame Is Just An Elaborate Death Wish

Massive thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for letting me listen to this carnival of chaos with my ears. Y’all really said, “What if podcasts but more disturbing?” and handed me the popcorn.

[nia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ALC of from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was an audio book courtesy of NetGalley but goodreads don't have it as an audiobook so I'm doing it this way!

This is an interesting listen - I am the first to admit I have never heard of a single case, I couldn't work out if this was because I'm just oblivious or what but a lot of these 'influencers' are not big names. The author states that they had a few thousand followers which makes me wonder if the title is actually appropriate - these aren't influencers, like other reviewers have said, they were people online but that's not an influencer - and a lot of these cases were before influencers even became a recogniseable thing - circa early 2000s in some cases.

A lot of these cases are people who WANTED to be famous but were not inherently, they had online profiles, a few youtube channels maybe a twitter account or in one case an OF, but not famous. Like others have said it makes the title feel off, it could easily be edited to be more accurate.

The cases listed are very odd, we jump between different years, cases and countries, there doesn't seem to be any chronology and the author goes as far to give a warning before starting saying how they try to keep humanity without apologising and yet there does seem to be almost apologising? It's very strange, there is no level of psycho analysis or critical thinking, arguably this is good because then the listener can draw their own conclusions but it also leaves a lot of these cases just floating in the air.

While these cases are clearly well researched - reaching out to defence lawyers to gain more insight and that is more impressive than just summarising what articles have said. This is one of the major strengths of the book. The other major strengths are the research for the areas, such as the esports stats - yes its a google search but as someone who has worked in esports I appreciate the author not just brushing it off.

The narration is well paced and neutral which makes it easy to listen to while multitasking and I appreciated that the narrator is very impassive - I think this helps the listener really develop their own opinions.

This is an interesting book for overviews of these cases - especially if like me you either don't remember them or were unaware of them entirely, but the title doesn't quite fit the mark 'real stories of online fame and its consequences' is also quite misleading - they weren't famous for the majority first, they were wannabes who utilised the internet to their advantage. Very different things.

[Freddy G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d normally rate this book 4-4.5, but I’m giving it a 5 just because some of the other reviews here are so unhelpful. Nonfiction or crime isn’t your genre? Why review this. For those of us who actually read and enjoy true crime, this is exactly what it says it is on the tin. It’s a number of stories of influencers (some more niche, but they still qualify in my opinion) and the ghoulish crimes they committed. It’s clearly a collection of different stories and not an arc between them all, but there didn’t seem like anything was missing from the chapters by not their being told as short stories. Every chapter was couched in context and I really enjoyed the sense of place in each one. Granted, not every story hit for me, but I didn’t mind a few that engaged me less to be introduced to ones like Yuko and Snow. I think it’s crazy those two people have big followings even after what they did. I thought the book was exceptionally well researched and some of the crimes were really chilling like the abusive mommy blogger, while others were more like social looks at issues like the male loneliness epidemic and were a bit drier. The narratives focused on being unbiased and pushed to highlight / empathize with victims, which I don’t see a lot of as a big documentary person these days, cause victims don’t like to be identified a lot. Maybe this hits different if you read it versus do audio, because I felt the pacing focused on enough information outside of the crimes to keep me engaged. I liked reading a chapter and setting it down for a bit rather than in a straight shot, which worked for me as a palette cleanser. I tried googling a few of these cases after and didn’t actually turn up a lot of information, so it wasn’t stuff that you’d be able to just look up. I didn’t know about any of them but the YouTube shooter before reading, so I personally enjoyed the fact that it introduced me.

Again, if crime nonfiction isn’t your thing, skip. If you’re like me and want to hear about bizarre niche cases involving internet belles and wannabes, this will be your jam. You won’t hit the end without encountering a killer who makes you say WTF? out loud leaving a lasting impression. Dude who dated cartoons gave me the heebies, and I don’t read a lot of nonfiction that talks about violence against men too.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐ 3.75 stars
I don’t usually rate non-fiction, so this score is based purely on the audiobook experience and narration—and on that front, Influencers Who Kill delivers a solid, engaging listen.
Narrator Alexa Elmy kept me entertained and focused throughout. Her delivery made the audiobook feel very much like a well-produced true crime podcast, which worked perfectly for this format. I could listen while working, cooking, cleaning, or exercising without ever feeling lost or like I’d missed something important. That’s a big plus for a true crime audiobook, and it made the overall experience smooth and accessible.
The book explores nine unsettling cases involving influencers whose online personas collided with real-world violence. From TikTok and YouTube to Instagram and OnlyFans, the stories examine what happens when people chasing attention, validation, or notoriety spiral into something far darker. The cases range from accidental versus premeditated killings to shooters and murderers who cultivated online audiences alongside their crimes.
Some of the featured cases include:
Yuka Takaoka, a Japanese bar hostess who stabbed her boyfriend
Nasim Aghdam, the YouTube headquarters shooter
“Snow the Salt Queen,” a cosplay shooter who maintains their innocence
Mommy vlogger Samantha Wohlford, whose lies unraveled during interrogation
And several others whose digital lives masked disturbing realities
What stood out most was how interesting and compelling the stories were when paired with the narration. While the book doesn’t necessarily break new ground for seasoned true crime readers, the audiobook format elevates the material, making it feel conversational and immersive rather than dense or overly analytical.
Overall, Influencers Who Kill is a strong pick for audiobook listeners, especially those who enjoy true crime podcasts and want something they can easily listen to while multitasking. The narration does a lot of the heavy lifting here—and that’s exactly why this earned a 3.75-star rating from me.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received an ALC for this book through NetGalley.

I don’t like giving true crime a star rating because it feels wrong to “rate” someone’s demise. My rating is NOT for the crimes, but the way that this book was researched, presented, and for the narration.

I have never heard of any of these influencers and I would consider myself to be chronically online and well versed in true crime. If these are influencers, they’re part of a niche that I don’t associate with. Some of these cases are from before TikTok and instagram time and so that may be the reason why these names didn’t jog my memory. With that, I think these ‘influencers’ were individuals trying to become famous but I don’t think many could be classified as what we know as influencers.

Firstly, these cases are just horrific and unsettling. This author has thoroughly done their research beyond internet and news articles. I appreciate the background information and the timeline of events leading up to the murders. This really helped me to understand some of the cases because like I mentioned, I’ve never heard these names and I’m not interested in their category of influence. I did find that dates and times jumped around a bit and wasn’t as chronological as I would hoped. I also found that this author spent a significant amount of time discussing the motivations for crime. Some of the cases were quite long and some of the backstory could have been chopped. I found at times I was getting distracted.

The speed and pacing of the narrator was perfect. Some have mentioned the narrator was “dull” and not “exciting” enough for them. I disagree, for true crime I think it would have been very offending to sound chipper and elated while describing true crime. In my opinion, this narrator was an excellent choice for the type of content in this book. This book read like a true crime podcast.

[Kai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Dreamscape Media for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. I reviewed the audiobook narrated by Alexa Elmy.

This book covers nine cases of online celebrities who ended up killing, some by accident, others in deliberate, chilling acts. More than just a description of the event, the author also goes into what led up to it and delves into possible explanations and context regarding the online celebrity. This makes for highly interesting and enjoyable reading, providing insight into what was going on in the killers' minds in this book and how deliberate or malicious their acts were. Interestingly, the author also goes into the aftermath of the killings, not just for the victims and the killer themselves, but also, where appropriate, for the family/families left behind and the communities they inhabited.

In terms of the narration, I would rate this a 2/5 for me. Most of the following comments are subjective and purely based on my preferences. The narrator, Alexa Elmy, has a particularly hard, sibilant S sound that negatively affected my listening experience, especially during the first case, where I noticed it most. It eventually faded into the background, but whether this was because I adjusted to it or because there were fewer hard S's in the text, I am not sure. I also found the narration to be a little too monotonous for my enjoyment. Even when reading true crime with little character narrative, I prefer more tonal shifting, which was absent. This is not to say the narrator did a bad job; I did listen to the entire book; however, her narration was not my personal preference.

Overall, a good true crime book that takes you into crimes you may not be familiar with and the potential consequences for some people of increasingly online identities.

[Hope Stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love true crime, and I don’t need the cases to be famous. In fact, obscure is usually better. Give me weird, forgotten, deeply unsettling stories any day. Influencers Who Kill should have been that book. Instead, it mostly features people who were aspiring to be famous in the same way I’m aspiring to be a morning person.

Calling many of these individuals “influencers” feels generous at best. A handful of followers, a vague social media presence, and big dreams of clout does not an influencer make. The title promises one thing, then delivers a lineup of people who were tangentially online and desperately hoping someone would notice them.

What really tanked this for me, though, was the tone. A surprising amount of each story felt like it was bending over backward to explain, if not outright justify, the horrific things these people did. Yes, they had struggles. Yes, social media can be toxic. But at the end of the day, they made choices. Violent, irreversible choices. The book often seems more interested in sympathizing with the perpetrators than holding them accountable, which is a choice.

The writing itself reads like a summary of articles you could skim online, without much depth, analysis, or insight into the psychology of fame-seeking behavior. Instead of interrogating how internet validation intersects with narcissism or violence, the book just kind of shrugs and moves on to the next case.

Interesting idea, misleading title, and a strangely apologetic approach to people who absolutely do not deserve it. True crime fans can safely skip this one, unless you’re really into almost-influencers being treated with kid gloves.

[long2 -`♡´-]

Influencers Who Kill: A True Crime Collection: Real Stories of Online Fame and Fatal Consequences (audiobook) explores a series of real crime cases connected to online presence and niche internet fame. Rather than focusing on widely known influencers, the book centers on individuals who had smaller audiences or were attempting to build one, offering insight into lesser-seen online subcultures, slang, and community dynamics. The cases span different countries and backgrounds, which adds variety and keeps the collection from feeling repetitive. The overall presentation resembles a true crime podcast, making it easy to follow, and the research behind each story is evident. While some readers may find the title a bit broad, it is not entirely misleading given the book’s focus on influence within specific audiences.

That said, the execution feels uneven. Many stories rely heavily on recounting events without incorporating expert perspectives such as psychologists, investigators, or firsthand interviews, which leaves the narratives feeling flat at times. The analysis of the perpetrators’ motivations often leans toward explanation without offering deeper examination of how online attention or social media dynamics may have shaped their actions. Structurally, the book lacks a strong thematic flow, and the abrupt ending without a concluding chapter makes the collection feel unfinished. The audiobook narration by Alexa Elmy is a standout, delivering a polished and well-paced performance that elevates the material. Overall, it is an interesting but imperfect true crime collection that merits a solid three-star rating.

₊˚ʚ Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC.

[Bethany Hanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is great for true crime lovers. It delves deep into stories that you likely have never heard elsewhere. I listen to a ton of true crime podcasts, and all of these stories were new to me!

The narrator carried the book. She kept the tone engaging and added in voices when necessary.

I don’t think the title fits. These people aren’t influencers. They are people with pretty typical social media followings or are aspiring influencers.

The stories themselves start and end abruptly. There is no analysis or introduction. The book ended suddenly too without any sort of wrap up chapter. It’s often best to leave personal opinions out of true crime, but some sort of wrap up would be nice. I wish there was more to the stories themselves. There is a ton of background information given that is unnecessary like the history of the town or family. Quote a bit of the stories have language that seems to excuse the perpetrator and rationalize the behavior. I was hoping there would be more discussion on the cases themselves. Evidence. Depositions. That type of thing. While definitely well researched, I don’t agree with the author’s choice on what to include and exclude from the stories.

Overall, a great read if you’re looking to dive into some true crime stories you’ve never heard of. Skip it if you’re looking for actual influencers or to hear about the legal process.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ALC in exchange for an honest review*

[locallibrarygirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

Influencers Who Kill is an enticing premise for anyone who enjoys true crime. Each chapter details another case, keeping readers invested in each story. The author writes with compassion, seemingly not overly embellishing stories, and including interviews that humanize both the killers and their victims. I find that much of true crime is compelling enough without needless sensationalism, and Madison Salters understood that perfectly.

My only critique is that this book may get frustrating for younger readers. While I can understand that some audiences would require explanation for influencer "lingo" might mean, as a reader in her late 20s, I found the explanations to be distracting from the book as a whole. At times, I found that there could be over explanation of things that were not necessarily the most relevant to the story brought me away from the core aspects of each chapter. For example, in the first chapter the in-depth understandings on the intricacies of the cosplay community may have expanded the world around Snow, for me, it also took away from the crime, and the victim.

Overall, I found this book to be both insightful and entertaining. The narrator of the audiobook did a wonderful job for the story, despite the difficulties of narrating explanations of TikTok's. As someone who enjoys true crime podcasts, I am sure other people who also do so will enjoy this book.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook of Influencers Who Kill and overall found it to be a really interesting listen. First off, the narrator deserves a shout-out — she did a fantastic job. Her delivery kept me engaged throughout and made the darker subject matter easy to follow without feeling overwhelming.

The concept itself is compelling, but the structure felt a bit disjointed at times. The book jumps quickly from case to case, spanning different countries, without a clear pattern or progression. I initially expected to recognize at least some of the influencers discussed, but I hadn’t heard of any of them. They felt more like micro-influencers to me rather than widely known social media figures. That said, it still worked — in some ways, not knowing the cases made it even more interesting and unsettling.

What I did appreciate was the effort the author made to provide context behind each crime. Rather than just presenting the events, the book explores why these individuals may have committed their crimes, digging into background, psychology, and circumstance. It’s clear that real research went into the writing.

Overall, while the pacing and structure weren’t always smooth, the audiobook kept my attention, and I found it to be an engaging and thought-provoking listen. If you’re interested in true crime with a modern, social-media-era twist, this one is worth checking out.

[Billi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Influencers Who Kill: A True Crime Collection: Real Stories of Online and Fatal Consequences by Madison Salters

My first non-fiction pick of the year. I do want to preface this by saying there is graphic content and I really appreciated the author noting triggers before the start of each case.

One of the things that stands out to me was that it had a collection of cases. I felt like each story was a little rushed but I get that there were several different cases to cover and that it was a collection. While these influencers were not widely known or “famous” they did have an “audience” of some kind or were trying to build an audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC of this book.

This read very much like a true crime podcast. The narration was really well done and seemed very well-produced. The speed and the pacing of the narration and the book felt very deliberate and well done. Definitely an excellent choice of narration.

There were a few things I didn’t quite understand or feel like fit in the book but I do feel like each case was researched well. I do think if you enjoy non-fiction and true crime podcasts then this audiobook would definitely be up your alley.

[Zackary Ryan Cockrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out my full thoughts on this book and more here: booktube reviews :)

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Audio Review: I loved the audio and would highly recommend, the narration is smooth and fitting.

Review: I really enjoyed this book. I've seen a lot of reviews saying that the people people included in the book "weren't very famous," and saying that the book is misleading and I disagree. The first couple of cases I already knew about because the people were either very famous or the cases themselves were famous and the individuals had some sort of social platform. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions that's why a lot of us review books and read reviews. I just wanted to address that because from my point of view it feels a bit unfair to the author. I felt like this book was deeply researched and very respectful toward many different social and political issues (without it being a political book). I just thought this was an outstanding non-fiction and want to read the authors other book. I would highly recommend "Influencers Who Kill."

[Silvia RoMa · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, this is not what I was expecting. This is not about Influencers or even very popular people. I was actually expecting an in dept analysis of the influencer culture that led this people to kill and this is not it.

The book is interesting don't get me wrong and some of the stories are wild, and some of the women here did had some YouTube channel or tried to influence people on their behalf but I wouldn't call them Influencers per se. The book is a bit misleading because the book hinges its entire identity on the influencer angle.

Another thing that made a bit difficult to follow this book is the lack of structure, the book is pure chaos, with no real structure or cohesion between the stories and no analysis, just a raw story.

What I liked the most was the amazing work the audiobook narrator did, Alexa Elmy made this feel like a podcast of a friend you are listening to, and that made the experience much more enjoyable.

Overall, I enjoyed the nine stories and some were wild but I think this book should have been marketed differently, since the title can be very misleading.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC of this novel, all opinions are my own.

[Krystle Hasapis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, Madison Salters, for this ARC of Influencers Who Kill: A True Crime Collection: Real Stories of Online Fame and Fatal Consequence out February3, 2026.

This was an interesting read, but it wasn’t quite what I expected. I went in thinking it would feel more like the true crime podcasts I love, with more storytelling and narrative buildup. While it was clear a lot of research went into each case, it didn’t hit with the same impact or immersion that a podcast does.

I did like that each story was different and that not all of them were based in the United States, which helped keep things from feeling repetitive. I can also understand why some readers felt the title was a bit misleading. None of the people covered were really well known “influencers” in the traditional sense, but they were still individuals with an audience or some level of notoriety.

Overall, an informative and interesting concept, just not quite the format or delivery I was hoping for.

⭐️Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️💫

This novel was provided by the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for my honest review.

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for this ALC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I think the term “influencers” is used very loosely here, as I hadn’t heard of a single one of the people mentioned. Coming from someone who both creates content and consumes a lot of true crime, that says a lot. It would have been more accurate to describe them as people who wanted to be famous or become influencers.

The cases are thoroughly researched, and the narrator does a solid job of outlining each one. However, I would have liked more insight into the crimes themselves rather than a heavy focus on the motivations behind them, as this left the narrative feeling lacking in context. There also didn’t seem to be a clear chronological structure; the cases jumped between different years and countries, which made the overall flow feel disjointed.

Overall, it’s a decent overview of lesser-known cases, but if you’re looking for a more in-depth analysis, this probably isn’t the book for you.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars rounded down to 3 stars.*

I love true crime and this title looked like a netflix documentary turned into a tell-all.

I had not heard any of these bizarre and tragic stories, other than the school massacre in Finland. I was unaware that the perpetrator was an influencer at the time of that crime.

This book lays out the details of 6 horrible crimes committed by young, mentally ill people. They all had at least a semi-impressive presence in social media or in the non-IRL world (gaming, Only Fans, etc).

I thought the stories were well researched, but I was distracted by the fact that the narrator either didn't know a number of words and mis-pronounced them or the author used words that don't make sense in her telling.

A good guilty pleasure read for fans of True Crime.

*with thanks to NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for this honest review.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced audio edition of Influencers Who Kill by Madison Salters.

Where are my true crime fans at! If you're interested in true crime AND influencer culture, this book will disturb and fascinate you.

A few notes on this book. First, most of these influencers were not the mainstream type making kissy faces for the camera like we're used to. Most of them are niche, diving deep into anime, violent, or alt-right material. Only one or two of them had a widespread audience.

The storyteller also had more of an edge than I would have preferred, and wasn't very objective when it came to either the murderer, or their victims. It rubbed me the wrong way. Also, some of the chapters were just way too long, and ended strangely abruptly.

I did learn some things, but if I knew what I know now, I probably would have passed on this.

[Coco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for allowing me to enjoy this ARC audiobook.
The cases covered are interesting and intense, despite the perpetrators being influencers and having more media access I was not familiar with most of the cases and victims. I appreciated the vast research and background for certain topics that related to the killers and their situations that lead them to their motives. During each case I googled their names and was surprised how some of the cases had limited information so the author did a really good job getting details. It is shocking that the perpetrators Snow and Yuka were still able to go on with their online personas in the aftermath of what they did with no remorse.

“Too much sympathy for the devil drowns out those he put through hell.”

[Tel79 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Influencers Who Kill I listens to the audio and it was such a smart choice. This one translates perfectly to audiobook and kept me hooked from start to finish. The pacing is sharp, the tension builds fast, and the influencer culture angle adds a deliciously unsettling edge that feels way too real because it is!!!

The narration was engaging and clear, making it easy to follow the twists, timelines, and shifting perspectives without ever feeling lost. I loved being able to just press play and get completely absorbed — it felt like listening to a true crime podcast but with the payoff of a tightly written true crime thriller.

[Jordan White · Rating 4 out of 5]

[3.5 STARS]

The six “influencers” featured in “Influencers Who Kill” had relatively small social media followings or spent significant portions of their lives online, such as gamers or vloggers; they were not well-known lifestyle content creators. (The only similar news headline I know of — a TikToker who killed his partner — was not part of this book.) All of these stories were new to me, and I learned a bit about different niches in internet culture, such as cosplay.

The audiobook narration was crisp and engaging. This is for fans of true crime podcasts or Dateline.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced audiobook copy of #InfluencersWhoKill.