Somebody Worth Killing

by Jessica Payne

Meet Nadia Davis, a doting mom and loving wife who has a big she’s actually an assassin. And she really needs a babysitter who shows up on time.

Nadia Davis is living the dream as a successful working mom with a career she loves, two adorable little girls, and a devoted husband who has no idea that she’s secretly a hired assassin and psychopath who kills certified bad guys. So when Nadia finds out she’s been “mommy tracked” by her assassin’s agency and is no longer getting the bigger, more exciting jobs, she demands an important mark…somebody worth killing.

But it turns out that big kill is the last person she expects—her husband. How is the sweet, kind, teller-of-dad jokes she’s promised her life to an evil villain who needs exterminating? Has their whole life together been a lie? Now Nadia must choose between the two things she loves most in life, the career that keeps her sane or the family she thought she knew.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Family, Psychological Thriller, Thriller Suspense

Kindle Edition

Expected publication June 16, 2026

About the author

Jessica Payne lives in Washington State with her daughter and husband and an internet search history that would raise eyebrows. A firm believer in strong coffee and stronger women, she writes about mothers who know how to handle a sniper rifle and a carpool schedule with equal precision. When she's not writing, you'll find her trail running through the forests of the Pacific Northwest as she plots her next fictional murder. She is the creator of the Substack community One Tired Mother.

Her next novel, Somebody Worth Killing, is coming from Berkley/PRH in June 2026 and is available for pre-order.

Her other novels include Make Me Disappear, The Lucky One, The Good Doctor, and Never Trust the Husband.

Reviews

[Kaceey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stand by for a fun thriller!
Nadia is a full time wife and mother… and a part time assassin!
Betcha’ didn’t see that coming did you!?
But shhh!🤫 She keeps that little secret all to herself. Her husband doesn’t even have a clue.

To be clear, Nadia doesn’t go around randomly killing just anyone. Her handler gives her assignments to kill specific people. Individuals who…well, quite frankly deserve it!💁🏼‍♀️ They are bad people!😉
But Nadia isn’t satisfied with the jobs she’s been given. She wants to be assigned to a bigger, more high value kill. (You go girl!).

Careful what you wish for! Because once you accept the job…there’s no turning back!

This was fun! Every once in a while I enjoy a light thriller. Nothing dark. One that doesn’t take itself too seriously. A popcorn thriller! 🍿

This fit the bill perfectly. Loved Nadia as she battled her inner-self in only the way a sociopath can do!

Thank you Jayme for the book recommendation🙌

✍️ Jessica Payne
📄 304 pages
🗓️ Anticipated release date: June 16 2026
📈 4/5🌟🌟🌟🌟
👉 Thriller-lite, humor

Thank you Berkley Publishing via NetGalley

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dexter meets Good Girls. Such a great time! If you’re looking for something to get you out of a reading slump, look no further.

[Susan Z (webreakforbooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second book by Jessica Payne and I loved it.

It's crazy. It's good. It's crazy good! I couldn't turn the pages quick enough. Short snappy chapters propelled me forward. It was so entertaining.

I also loved the title and how it connected to the story! Quite creative.

Jessica Payne is a must read author and I am excited to tackle her backlist.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

To most people Nadia Davis looks like the typical suburban mom dropping her kids off at the drop-off line of their private school and then doing a Costco run in her Lululemon attire.
Behind her cover as a wedding consultant, she’s actually an assassin.
Unlike most assassins, she won’t just kill anyone.
She prides herself on her “morals” and will only kill particularly bad people (i.e. those who kill or cause some sort of serious harm to innocent people).

Despite killing people for a living (and satisfying an urge to kill that she’s had for her entire life), Nadia is a likable person.
In her line of work you don’t really have friends, but she definitely loves her husband, daughters and siblings.
She also has a particular special love for her grandmother, who has Alzheimer’s and only recognizes Nadia about half of the time.

Her husband Brian has a job as a management consultant and when someone asks Nadia what he does, as she tries to describe his job she realizes that she doesn’t really know what he does aside from wearing suits to work in an office building and regularly traveling on business trips.

This is a book where nothing is quite the way it appears and everyone has a secret or two.
I definitely had memories of watching Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in Mr. And Mrs. Smith as I read certain parts of this book.

I also love the cover of this book that perfect reflects Nadia’s “don’t F with me” personality.

This was a fun read and nearly every fairly short chapter ending in a way that made you want to continue on to the next.
Had I not been busy with other things in life I could have finished this in a day or two.
This would be a great start to a series, or is at least a primed for a sequel based on how it ends.
I definitely recommend this as an entertaining suburban thrillerish type read or for anyone who enjoys cat-and-mouse games.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for proving me with an ARC to review.

Pub Date: June 16, 2026 (which makes this a great beach read!)

[Cindy(groundedinreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nadia has created the appearance that she is an average working mom by volunteering at her children’s school and running her own business. But in the shadows, she’s a hired assassin! When she gets an offer on a big hit, she re-evaluates everything! The target doesn’t fit her criteria of only eliminating BAD people and soon discovers that she’s not the only one keeping secrets. Nadia’s passion for her job as well as her family shines through in this suspenseful thriller! I really enjoyed the fast pace and how Nadia craved for a balance of work and family. She’s a witty character and I would love this turn into a series!

[Christine M in Texas (stamperlady50) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somebody Worth Killing
By: Jessica Payne
Pub Date: June 16, 2026
Publisher: Berkley

I love all of Payne’s books, BUT this is my new FAVORITE!

This novel is based in Texas, which I loved because I recognized/loved the setting.

A couple who has secrets and they are CRAZY! The mom Naida is a mom by day and a secret assassin the rest of the time. She claims to only kill bad guys, but one day she gets hired to take care of someone she knows.

Her husband is the target! What the HECK! How can she do this? Her husband is a great person and is kind. She LOVES him, but when she hears something out of character, SHE has to PROVE he is NOT a good guy! She won’t carry out this unless she can prove he is not who she thinks he is.

He has his own secrets, and let me tell you I was completely stumped with who he truly was. I would love to see these characters again, HINT HINT Payne!

[Hot Mess Book Lover · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Somebody Worth Killing” had my attention from start to finish. Just when I thought I had it all figured out—and felt a flicker of disappointment—the story pivoted and proved me completely wrong. The plot is tightly woven with rich, layered characters, and the suspense builds to twists that truly deliver. Jessica Payne crafts a gripping thriller that will leave you craving more. 🔥📖

Thank you to Jessica Payne, Thriller Lovers The Pulse, Berkley Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read before publication day.

[Jessa Layne • readwithjessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somebody Worth Killing follows Nadia Davis, a loving wife and mom of two who secretly works as a hired assassin targeting certified bad guys. When her agency starts giving her smaller assignments, Nadia demands a bigger job, only to discover that her next target is the last person she ever expected. As she questions whether her entire marriage has been a lie, Nadia must decide between the career she loves and the family she thought she knew. I flew through this book and loved every minute of it. It was such a fun read and felt like Mr. and Mrs. Smith meets Dexter in the best ways. I loved how the author explored the chaos of balancing life as a contract assassin with being a mom of two young kids. There were great twists, family moments, things I did not see coming, and plenty of laughs along the way. I really hope this turns into a series!

Thank you to ThrillerBookLoversThePulse and Berkley Publishing for the gifted copy!

[Pav S. (pav_sanborn_bookworm) · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG, finally something fun and witty to dive into! Don’t miss out on this book that brilliantly combines Mr. and Mrs. Smith meets Dexter! I absolutely loved this read, and I’m so grateful to The Pulse for inviting me to explore this thrilling story.

Nadia Davis is a devoted mother and wife who secretly works as a hired assassin. While balancing her family life and career, she discovers that her agency has sidelined her from more significant assignments. Desperate for a challenging target, she requests a high-profile hit, only to find out that it's her loving husband who is actually an evil villain. Faced with the dilemma of choosing between her career and her family, Nadia must confront the truth about her life.

Meet Nadia, the ultimate no-nonsense mom and badass assassin you can’t help but want as a friend. She’s refreshingly drama-free and hides a fierce spirit beneath her calm exterior. Imagine a blend of Dexter’s calculated approach, mixed with a dash of Stephanie Plum and Finlay Donovan—two characters who take down bad guys while juggling the everyday chaos of motherhood. As you get to know her, you’ll find yourself rooting for her every step of the way. Even when she realizes she’s been overlooked just because she’s a woman and a mom, she still rises to the challenge when her assignment comes along—talk about intriguing!

This book is a thrilling ride for all you moms out there craving action, featuring a fun, edgy, and relatable strong lead character. The writing and characters are genuinely delightful, and it’s impossible not to cheer for our antiheroine. Nadia represents the ongoing challenge of suppressing her urges while trying to lead a normal life amid the demands of today’s world. She often finds herself in tense situations, which she navigates with remarkable grace and flair!

This one is perfect for anyone who enjoys a fast-paced, heart-pounding read with a strong female lead who has a knack for tackling problems in unexpected ways. Mark your calendars for June—it’s the ideal vacation or beach read because it’s hard to put down! With short chapters that make it easy to binge. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to reach out to the author and plead for a sequel. I can't wait to discover the new adventures that Nadia will embark on next!

Thank you, ThrillerBookLoversThePulse Berkley Publishing and NetGalley, for the DRC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Becky • bookmarked by becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW. Add this to your summer TBR immediately. If thrillers are your ultimate beach read, this one is IT. 🏖️ 📖

Nadia Davis appears to be your average mom and wife… except she secretly works as an assassin. An ethical assassin, though. She only takes out the truly bad guys. She has rules. A code. Boundaries.

Until her next assignment completely shatters them. Her target? Her husband. 😳

I loved how quickly the story flips this sweet, loving marriage into a giant question mark. Nadia is forced to reexamine everything she thought she knew about the man she married. Good guy? Secret villain? Pawn in something bigger? I was completely stumped. Every single one of my guesses was wrong! 🙃

One of my favorite elements was the double-life tension. Nadia juggling PTA meetings, mom duties, errands, and contract kills? The contrast between suburban normalcy and lethal career was so well done. It added humor in all the right places without ever undercutting the suspense. Trying to “do it all” is exhausting - no matter what your job happens to be.

I did figure out who was behind the murder-for-hire plot, but it didn’t take away from the ride at all. This was layered, fast-paced, and totally bingeable.

Final Verdict👍: Wildly entertaining! Suspenseful with just enough wit to make it feel fresh. And maybe (pretty please 🙏) this is book one in a series, because I would absolutely preorder book two without hesitation. 4.5⭐️

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.***

This feels a little like Dexter meets Mr. & Mrs. Smith with a housewives twist. If you’re someone who needs every plot point to feel realistic and believable, this one may test you a little. There are definitely some convenient situations and moments where you have to just go with it, but honestly, it worked for me in the same way a Freida McFadden thriller does.

I did want a little more from the ending, but it seems like they may be leaving the door open for a sequel, so I’m hoping there’s more to come. Overall, if you’re a fan of quick, bingeable popcorn thrillers like Freida McFadden, this would make a perfect summer read.

[Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely amazing thrill ride of a suspense novel! It was hard to not love Nadia, with all her self-professed faults. I mean, it’s tough for a woman to excel in a man’s world and that’s no different when you’re an assassin who’s been “mommy-tracked”. I love humor in my thrillers and Somebody Worth Killing had some good dark humor peppered in. I also love that this is set in San Antonio, TX and the Texas bits were accurate. Side note, I hope we get a prequel about Gran. The story of Betty Dawson is a grand one.

[Christina Faris (books_by_the_bottle) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Berkley and Jessica Payne for the ARC! Another one of our favorite authors at The Pulse!

Nadia’s life is practically perfect: she has a loving family and a career she loves. It just happens that that career is an assassin. So not only is it kept secret from her family, her next mark is personal: her husband!

This author has quickly become an auto-buy author for me! Truly, every book is better than her last. In “Somebody Worth Killing”, I was on the edge of my seat. Everything about it just worked - it had perfect pacing, mystery and suspicious characters. I loved Nadia - she was a strong FMC, smart, and a badass assassin on top of being a mom! I mean, I know how hard it can be to juggle work and family but I don’t know how Nadia managed to do it - and keep her career a secret too. I was not ready for the book to end and I hope there is more to Nadia’s story!

“Somebody Worth Killing” releases June 16, 2026! This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

[Jenna Satterthwaite · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best thrillers I've read this year, Jessica Payne's newest was made to be devoured in a day--which is exactly what I did. This minivan-driving mom assassin is everything I didn't know I needed. Fans of Mr. and Mrs. Smith will adore the cat and mouse game between the sociopathic wife and her unsuspecting husband. All I ask is to be first in line to read the next one!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Netgalley ARC Review

Fun story but predictable villain.

Nadia is a wife and mother living in Texas but she’s also an assassin. She’s a self diagnosed Psychopath but she does care for her immediate family members and her friend/fellow assassin Ian. She has a “monster” inside her that urges her to kill at least once a month and she takes it by killing other bad people like Dexter.

When she realizes she has been getting easy hits in her own city and not getting more exciting hits like Ian she contacts her handler and discovers she’s been “mommy-tracked”. Even assassins are misogynists. She demands a bigger hit but realizes she bit off more than she can chew when the hit is her own husband.

Nadia begins to follow and investigate her husband to find what evil he has done to deserve to die all while doing school drop offs, trips to the zoo and Costco runs. She quickly learns her husband isn’t who she thought he was but can she kill the father of her children?

I quickly picked up who the villain was and who put the hit on her husband but didn’t predict who her husband really was or what he was doing.

Nadia is a bit of a dull character and her relationship with her husband was very blah. They have sex once a week. She loves him and her girls but they are a cover story.

This book does end on a mild cliffhanger with the villain still on the lose.

[Kay Daniels (Kay Daniels Romance) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nadia is a mother, wife, and assassin for hire and she's quite aware that she's a functioning psychopath who has adapted her emotions, or lack thereof, to fit into normal society. It's an interesting concept that not only is an assassin living among suburbia, but also going about her daily tasks of buying groceries, helping with the PTA, all while taking out the bad guys. This concept is certainly what made me pick up the book as I loved the combination of what made Nadia tick and the fact that she adored her kids and loved her husband.

When Nadia gets "mommy tracked" basically not getting the best jobs, since she is a wife and mother, she gets salty. At this "glass ceiling" moment I had to agree with her. I felt her saltiness in my bones, as a woman in the workforce myself and having experienced such moments, so it was interesting to see it in the assassin world too. Watching her spin out over what exactly she could or would do, considering there isn't exactly an HR to complain to, nor social media to call out such bad behavior, Nadia had only herself to stew with and that just exasperated her suffering. While Nadia, in the past, enjoyed working alone, it was in this moment that she realized being an assassin is a silent suffering kind of job and tragically also has the same pitfalls as the rest of society, at least where women are concerned.

Given the singular nature of Nadia's job, this book is mostly inner monologuing with one POV, but it works. With only one point of view it upped the mystery and kept the solitary nature of her job to just that...very alone and one sided. Nadia Davis, mommy, PTA mom. Costco shopper and assassin is quite the combination. This suspenseful satire was fascinating mixed with mom insight into mundane moments like shopping for more toilet paper to adventurous ones that involved sniping bad guys in between dropping off and picking up her kids from school. Nadia's job and psychological mind still found a way for her to adapt her emotions which allowed her to find love, which was nice character growth, and everything ended on a great twist. A 4.5 star read overall.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the advance review copy. This review is an honest and unbiased reflection of my thoughts after reading an advanced readers copy.

[Nannette Demmler · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC provided by Berkley Publishing via Netgalley for an honest review.

I just love an assassin thriller, and this one certainly fit the bill. It was fast paced, characters I could get behind and a bit of humor that takes the edge off. It was a really fun story, that was totally predictable, but I still really enjoyed it. I thought it was a stand alone, but if that ending is any indication there will be at least one more, and I am so looking forward to that!

Nadia is a loving wife and mother, who also happens to be a psychopath. But she handles that part of her life well, by being an assassin for hire. Nadia is the sole narrator for her story, and we get a very good glimpse into her head through her inner monologues. The author does a great job here with depicting the struggles of a working mom, shopping and taking care of the kids, while planning her next hit. It was very amusing at times. I also really appreciated getting to see how she sees herself and how she struggles to contain her urges to kill. Nadia is a great character and I really enjoyed watching her grow throughout this book.

There are some great secondary characters as well, that I hope we get to know better in the next book. Nadia had a very supportive family, especially her sister, who support her even though they don’t know what she really does for a living. Her grandmother was also a great character, and I really want to know her backstory. She helped Nadia when she was growing up and struggling with her inner needs to kill. I also really liked her husband, and never really believed he was a bad guy. She even has an assassin friend who I sort of liked.

The story itself was fast paced and a lot of fun. It was pretty predictable, but I was enjoying the characters so much that I didn’t mind that at all. I especially liked the final confrontation between Nadia and her husband. Lots of action toward the end, wrapped up much of the story, but we are still left with a cliffhanger. I hope we won’t have to wait too long for a sequel.

This is a solidly fun read, that I would certainly take to the beach or vacation. The short chapters are great as well, so when those pesky kids or husband interrupt you it is easy to put the book down. If you enjoy thrillers that are fast paced and have great characters this is a book to add to your TBR.

https://elnadesbookchat.com

[Carrie Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐲...𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲'𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞. 𝐈 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲.

Being a mom is hard work. Just ask Nadia Davis, mom of two adorable girls who juggles PTA meetings, school drop-offs, grocery shopping, and being a dutiful wife with her real passion: being a hired assassin. She's careful to keep her professional and personal life separate, and her moral code means she only accepts assignments for truly awful people. But when she finds out she's being passed over for bigger jobs that will take her further from home, she demands the bigger assignments--she truly wants someone worth killing.

Be careful what you wish for, right? Nadia gets her next mark, and to her astonishment, it's her gentle, teller-of-dad-jokes Brian. And with the huge bounty on his head, he must be an awful person. Nadia does some digging and finds some holes in Brian's past; even worse, some basic recon turns up some unsettling news. Nadia is torn between the people she loves and the career that keeps the darkness at bay.

This is no doubt the author's best work to date. Payne uses Nadia’s double life as a contract assassin and a mother of two young children to explore the exhausting balancing act of modern motherhood. Nadia’s devotion to her family is sincere, yet it exists in constant tension with the hyper-vigilance demanded by her work. The conflict is amplified by showing how Nadia’s efforts to be an attentive mother and wife are continually interrupted by the pull of her obligations imposed by those who control her profession. Nadia’s attempts to compartmentalize her identities illustrate how the pressure to “do it all” becomes unsustainable, and you don't have to be a hired assassin to relate to that. With its dark humor, relatable characters, and brisk pacing, you will this one impossible to put down. Many thanks to Berkley Publishing for the early copy that will release June 16, 2026.

[Larry H · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Thanks so much to Berkley and NetGalley for the complimentary advance copy of this book! I found this to be a total page-turner and I couldn’t put it down. (I also couldn’t stop laughing, so…)

Nadia is a happily married mother of two living in San Antonio. She has an event planning business and a loving husband. Actually, she’s a hired assassin and psychopath who kills people who are evil and deserve to be killed. And no one suspects a thing!

“Some people enjoy hiking. Others, playing cards or knitting an afghan. They’ll tell you that it just does it for them, that something about it makes their life complete. Well, killing people does that for me.”

She’s never questioned the assignments she gets offered, but she worries she might be getting short shrift because she’s a mother and wife. So she asks for a bigger job, someone who is really worth killing. She follows her mark one day and gets a huge surprise: she’s been hired to kill her husband, Brian.

How is it possible that her mild-mannered management consultant husband is actually deserving to be murdered? Nadia can’t believe it, but the pressure to kill him increases each day. She can’t kill him until she finds out if he’s truly evil—but if she does, what will happen to her and her daughters?

This was a twisty, cat-and-mouse thriller that ratchets up the tension little by little. I honestly had no idea how things would get tied up—and I didn’t know what I wanted to happen. But this was a great read.

The book publishes 6/16.

Check out my best reads of 2025 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2025.html .

See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.

Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/getbookedwithlarry/.

[Nikki B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those stories that is going to be stuck in my head for a while.
On the outside, Nadia appears as a normal everyday housewife, trying to run a business on the side as an event planner, taking care of the kids and trying to be present to all their school activities, seemingly a very involved mom. Dinner is ready when her husband gets home in the evenings. She has a pretty great relationship with her husband. But what no one knows is that when everyone sleeps at night, she is an assassin. But lately, she feels that as a woman and a mom, she isn't being given bigger more meaningful jobs and she's after a big one.
Her next big job finally comes in and she isn't supposed to know who he is or why they want him taken out. She is just to get the job done as fast as possible. But after doing some investigating and following, she finds out the next kill is her husband. Now, Nadia may be an assassin, but she takes out bad men. So this begins to make her wonder, what could he have done to make the list?? As she follows her target out of town, she finds him meeting up with other woman, which... I don't know how she held composure, I would have lost it. She's having a hard time making the decision to take him out because if she doesn't, the people she work for may come after her and her kids. But it seems they are in such a rush to take him out, and Nadia is taking too long, so they hire someone else to do it. Now, instead of taking him out, she has to try to protect him until she can figure this out.
The story had me wrapped up. I really enjoy the thrill of this one. I haven't enjoyed a story like I did this one, in a while. I devoured it!!!! It was giving Mr. And Mrs. Smith vibes.
This isn't one of the books to add to your tbr. This is a stop what you're reading and read this one now type of book. Highly highly recommend!!

[Krystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pure entertainment!

I can't tell you how many times I've been a part of discussions about the glass ceiling and the way it affects women and mothers in particular. The experiences are real and in some cases jaw dropping. Somebody Worth Killing uses the glass ceiling as a catalyst and that along with the sardonic voice of the main character Nadia grabbed my attention right out of the gate. Nadia is has diagnosed herself as a psychopath who strong arms those challenging traits into being an assassin. The author designed this character to be more likable by having her only kill "bad" people and showing her drowning in the sea that is motherhood. For example, no matter how much recon she gets done and how much she trains to stay in peak physical condition there is still the dreaded grocery run and of course a vomiting child. If you're a mom, you know this is gospel.

Nadia gets wind that she's being passed over for certain jobs because she's a mother. She contacts her handler and requests that he inquire about the truth of this and if possible, put her name up for the bigger contracts with higher stakes and massive payouts. She is granted a shot at a contract with a cool half a million pay day. The catch? The target is her unassuming husband. He's a pencil pusher and dad joke extraordinaire. It makes no sense. Unless the father of her children isn't who he seems and is instead Someone Worth Killing.

A fast-paced action packed read with snarky commentary, clever twists, relatable moments and a fun atmosphere that kept me turning pages with every moment I could spare. Jessica Payne's backlist and future releases just landed on my TBR mountain.

All the stars!!!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for providing an ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Shawna Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somebody Worth Killing by Jessica Payne
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The working mom struggle is real, even when your "9 to 5" involves high-stakes hits. 🤫💼

Nadia Davis is checking all the boxes: loving wife, mother of two, dedicated PTA member... and professional assassin. But when she’s passed over for major contracts because she’s a mom, she demands a seat at the table. Her reward? A half-million-dollar job that comes with a devastating catch: the target is her own husband. 😳 Now, Nadia has to decide if he’s just the man she loves, or if he’s truly somebody worth killing.

Why I loved it:

The "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" meets "Dexter" vibes: It’s a wild, addictive blend of domestic life and dark underworld dealings.

Relatable (Unconventional) Themes: I loved the commentary on women being overlooked in their careers. Nadia trying to "have it all" in such an extreme way was so entertaining.

Bingeable Format: The short chapters are a total lifesaver for those of us who hate being interrupted mid-chapter by kids’ needs! 😅

Oh and I super loved the mention of my favorite store in all of Texas H-E-B! Should be a sin to have a story based in Texas and not mention the best grocery story around!

My only gripe? That ending felt a bit rushed. I was left wanting so much more.. specifically, I need the full backstory on Gramm immediately.

Huge thank you to @berkleypub and @netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! 📖✨

⁉️ What would you do if your biggest career opportunity meant taking out your spouse? 🔪 Nadia Davis is giving a whole new meaning to "work-life balance." This thriller was such a fast-paced ride!

#SomebodyWorthKilling #JessicaPayne #NetGalley #Bookstagram #ThrillerBooks #PsychologicalThriller #ARCReview #MomLife #WorkingMom #BookReview #ShortChapters #MustRead

[MarilynW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somebody Worth Killing by Jessica Payne

I enjoyed this story so much! Being in the head of Nadia Davis was so much fun, so funny and so disturbing. She's the wife of a guy with a boring management type job, a mother of two cute little girls, and a career woman with a job she loves and needs way too much, that of an assassin. Yes, psychopath Nadia thrives on assassining bad people. Her body and brain demand murders and to absolve herself of too much guilt, Nadia will only kill people who deserve killing, that's her only criteria for the murders, that the people are very, very bad people.

Killing bad people and Nadia's husband, Brian, are the two things that keep her from going on a murderous rampage of killing everyone, good and bad. She's loves the feeling of killing but she also loves being a "normal" wife and mom and Brian gives her the sense of normalcy that keeps Nadia on the side (sort of) of being a normal person. Brian is handsome in a Clark Kent kind of way (glasses included), he's smart, he loves telling the corniest of dad jokes, and he keeps Nadia sane. Of course, he has no idea of her non-mommy/wife career and Nadia plans to never let him find out about that side of herself.

Then Nadia finds she's been mommy tracked as an assassin. It seems that the powers that be think she's too soft, too busy as a mommy, to be given the really good and challenging jobs, anymore. Demanding a very VIP mark, someone really worth killing, Nadia finds out she's been given her husband as her VIP mark, and she's assured that he is a very, very bad man. What to do, what to do? Kill the only person keeping her sane, kill the only man she can ever love? But if he's been keeping horrible secrets from her, doing very bad things, he's got to go. Only thing Nadia can do is try to ferret out if her husband is really bad!

I love how the story isn't too OTT. We get to see Nadia going about her mommy duties which are endless and nonstop. Luckily she has some good childcare options although they aren't always available. Nadia and Brian seems so good together, I didn't want this marriage to implode, explode, for Brian to be X-ed out because he is/was a bad guy. There almost seems to be room for another book after this one, there is certainly enough material for it with how interesting Nadia's grandmother is in all of this, but I also would not mind this being a standalone story, either. This book kept me up way too late with not ever finding a place to stop until the very end. This made for a very interesting buddy read with Jayme and DeAnn!

Expected pub June 16, 2026

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC

[DeAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 new favorite moral assassin stars

Nadia Davis became an assassin by accident. Now she takes assignments, but only to get rid of people who are awful. An assassin with morals who is also a terrific mom? Tell me more, Jessica Payne!

Nadia is a loving mother and wife. Her husband Brian looks great in glasses, works in sales management, tells dad jokes, and has no idea what his wife really does for a living. Nadia takes wonderful care of her daughters. Maybe this is compartmentalizing? She also calmly calls herself a psychopath. I had so much fun with this read, and I love this snarky character.

When she gets a new assignment, and the target turns out to be her husband, I thought, " Whoa, this one just got even more interesting!” Who is her husband, and what terrible things has he done so that he gets the bad label? It was fascinating to watch Nadia grapple with her feelings here. How could her husband be so terrible? Can she follow through with her job? How will her family survive?

I was really rooting for Brian and hoped there was some sort of big mistake here. Nadia tried to ferret out the truth while keeping track of her daughters. This was a fun and enjoyable read.

I’m hoping for a sequel or maybe a new story about Nadia’s grandmother next. I will definitely be checking out this author’s back list, too!

Marilyn, Jayme, and I had a great buddy-read discussion about this one. Did they love Nadia, too? Be sure to check out their reviews.

My thanks to Berkley Publishing for the opportunity to read and honestly review this one. Scheduled to release on 6.16.2026.

[Nancy W. (cabingirlreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

Nadia Davis is the perfect mother and wife who also happens to be a psychopath and a hired assassin. Nadia takes pleasure in killing bad guys because it allows her to let her “monster” out. When she finds out she was passed over for a huge hit because she is a mom and has children at home, she begs her handler to give her a big kill so she can prove she can do it all. When Nadia is finally given an important mark, she is shocked to find out it is her sweet and doting husband, Brian. What has Brian done that is so bad he has a hit on him. Can Nadia go through with killing her perfect husband?

There’s something about thrillers centered around psychopaths that pulls me in every time. Nadia is the definition of a bad ass! She’s calculated, lethal and so poised when it comes to taking out the worst kind of people. What makes Nadia’s character even more compelling is beneath the assassin exterior, she wants to feel love like a normal wife, but that emotional connection just isn’t something she is capable of. There are some surprising twists and turns throughout the book that completely blind sided me and I am usually pretty good at predicting at least one twist in a book!


At the root of the story is a deeper question can women really do it all? It also highlights the expectations placed on women to be a wife, a mother and everything in between.

I have read all of this author’s books and Somebody Worth Killing is hands down her best book! You don’t want to miss this one!

Thank you so much to Thriller Book Lovers The Pulse and Jessica Payne for the opportunity to read and review this one!

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a fan of Jessica Payne, so I was thrilled to be able to read this one along with the team at The Pulse!

Nadia Davis is living the dream as a successful working mom with a career she loves, two adorable little girls, and a devoted husband who has no idea that she’s secretly a hired assassin and psychopath who kills certified bad guys. So when Nadia finds out she’s been “mommy tracked” by her assassin’s agency and is no longer getting the bigger, more exciting jobs, she demands an important mark…somebody worth killing.

But it turns out that big kill is the last person she expects…her husband. How is the sweet, kind, teller-of-dad jokes she’s promised her life to an evil villain who needs exterminating? Has their whole life together been a lie? Now Nadia must choose between the two things she loves most in life, the career that keeps her sane or the family she thought she knew.

This was such a quick read that will suck you in right from the start and keep you hooked until the end. It’s fun, twisty, and hard to put down. I thought Nadia was a strong female lead character. It was interesting watching her try to balance her family and her career as an assassin. I actually felt bad for her husband until I found out he was deceiving her too. Then I was quickly turning pages to find out how everything played out. Jessica Payne is an auto read author for me and this book left me hoping for more. I will definitely be looking out for whatever she comes out with next!

Thank you to Jessica Payne, Berkeley Publications and NetGalley for this advance reader copy!

[Jayme C (Brunetteslikebookstoo) · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS is your next “Just one More Chapter” book!!

SO. MUCH. FUN!

Nadia Davis is a SNARKY, SELF-PROCLAIMED psychopath posing as a loving wife and doting mom to two adorable little girls. For the most part, she DOES enjoy those roles, as they keep her grounded between kills-

Until, she finds out that she’s been “mommy tracked” by her assassin’s agency who doesn’t believe she is capable of completing the BIGGER, more important jobs.

TRUE-she has always demanded that her assignments be for truly BAD people who deserve their fate but finding this out has made her ANGRY!

Her handler agrees to give her a BIG KILL but her target ends up being someone she would NEVER expect-Her sweet, teller-of-dad jokes husband and the father to her girls.

HOW could this be?

HAS their whole life together been a lie?

And, most importantly, WILL she go through with the hit?

Why haven’t I been reading more from Jessica Payne? Clearly, have been missing out! If you have been craving an entertaining psychological thriller-THIS IS IT!

It looks like it is setting up for a sequel, and although I would have preferred to imagine where Nadia’s life takes her rather than have it spelled out for me in a second book-I will definitely grab the next if that is what the author has planned!

A buddy read with Marilyn and DeAnn-were they as enamored as I was? Check out their reviews!

AVAILABLE June 16, 2026.

Thank You to Berkley Publishing for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!

[Reader R · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
This sounded like a good premise for a book. Nadia is a devoted mother of two small girls and loyal wife who is also a contract killer of what she believes are 'bad' people. Or at least that, and the fact that she's a psychopath (and everybody agrees she's a little different), is her justification. And then she's contracted to kill her own husband and is unable to do so until she establishes why he deserves it.
The author takes much too long with Nadia's indecisiveness and the story began to drag for me. Once I put it down, I was disinclined to pick it back up. I found the characters to be very superficial. Nadia is a hired assassin with just enough conscience to love her husband and children. Her husband is a ' management consultant' who frequently takes last minute work trips that she never questions in 10 years of marriage. I'm fairly sure that a hit man, or woman in this case, would have sharper powers of deduction in everday life to have noted something amiss. And her husband never notices anything slightly 'off' about his wife in all that time either? Nor do two small children ever discover her hideaway closet with all the tools of her trade in playing around the house. This and all the other situational conveniences in the story left me a little underwhelmed. The ending was a huge disappointment as it obviously left room for at least one sequel and possibly a series.
Readers of light mysteries and beach reads will enjoy this book. If you prefer something with more substance and believability, move on.

[Dea Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an addictive read this was! Nadia Davis looks just like every other perfect wife and mother. She's got two beautiful daughters, a handsome husband, a perfect marriage, and a successful career. Yet, she's hiding the fact that she's really a hired assassin and has been for years. Her next job is a big kill, worth big bucks. It turns out it's also her husband. There are not enough words to say how much I absolutely loved this book!!! Nadia, who normally is stoic and has no qualms about killing bad people, is thrown for a tailspin when her next kill is her husband. She begins to question everything, even though she's reassured that he's a bad guy. So now Nadia goes into recon mode, needing to find out for herself what type of man she really married. She finds out some pretty questionable things that throw her for a loop, but she's still determined to find out more. She's not convinced her husband is a bad guy. I admired Nadia's character so much!! She was a badass assassin, but also a loving mom and caring wife. She wore each of her "hats" so well. This story was entertaining, funny, and fast-paced. The ending did seem rushed and not quite finished, but I'm really hoping that means there's more to Nadia's story to come.

Thank you @jessicapayne.writer, @thrillerbookloversthepulse, and @berkleypub for my complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buckle up because this is Jessica Payne’s best novel yet!

Nadia Davis is like so many of the moms I know: she’s the default parent, an active member of the PTA, a caring partner and granddaughter who runs the errands and does the grocery shopping, and a woman who is stuck under the glass ceiling despite her plethora of professional skills because the patriarchy sucks.

The only difference? Nadia is an assassin.

So when she demands a tougher contract, the sort of work the men are getting in her field, she’s assigned a new target. And this one just happens to be her husband.

Now proving herself means destroying her life. Will she choose her family and sacrifice her job or choose her career and sacrifice her husband? These are the kinds of stakes even non-assassin moms are familiar with—how do we strike the balance between what we want for ourselves and what we want for our children? Does wanting one destroy the other? And how can we, as women, prove ourselves in a world that was created by men for men to succeed?

It is Nadia’s journey through this minefield of questions that form the heart of SOMEBODY WORTH KILLING, a must-read for moms who love smart women, twisty thrillers, and just want the school to call their husbands for once.

I hope we get to see more of Nadia soon! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy.