Will I Be Next?

by Kerry Wilkinson

Six witnesses. Two are dead… will I be next?

Faith was never expecting the knock at the door. She hasn’t seen Jacob since they were little children at Sunday school together. And what he says makes her shiver. “Someone is picking us off.”



Because thirty years ago, six children at Sunday school gave evidence against their teacher. He was sent to prison for a terrible crime. Now, two of those children are dead. Accident, suicide – or murder?

And Faith receives a chilling letter… I saw you with your son today. He’s all grown up now.

Is her own child in danger because of her past? Can Faith really trust Jacob, suddenly back in her life? And is the truth about what happened back then much darker than she ever thought?



A completely addictive and unputdownable psychological thriller that will have you breathlessly turning the pages! Perfect for anyone who loves T.M. Logan, Claire Douglas or Shari Lapena.

352 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 21, 2026

About the author

Recent and upcoming UK releases:
24 October 2023: The Night Of The Sleepover
15 December 2023: After The Sleepover
2024: The Girl On The Side Of The Road
2024: The Missing Body

Kerry Wilkinson has sold more than two million books - and had No.1 crime bestsellers in the UK, Australia, Canada, South Africa and Singapore. He has also written two top-20 thrillers in the United States. His book, Ten Birthdays, won the RNA award for Young Adult Novel of the Year in 2018 and Close To You won the International Thriller Award for best ebook in 2020.

As well as his Jessica Daniel series, Kerry has written a trilogy featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter, the Whitecliff series, the Silver Blackthorn trilogy - a fantasy-adventure serial for young adults - plus numerous standalone novels. He has been published around the world in more than a dozen languages.

Originally from the county of Somerset, Kerry spent way too long living in the north of England, picking up words like 'barm' and 'ginnel'.

When he's short of ideas, he rides his bike, hikes up something, or bakes cakes. When he's not, he writes it all down.

Find out more at: http://kerrywilkinson.com or http://facebook.com/KerryWilkinsonBooks

Find out more at: his website or Facebook

Reviews

[Tia]

MY RATING: 3⭐
GENRE: Psychological Thriller
PUBLICATION DATE: October 21st, 2026

“Someone is picking us off.”

Thirty years ago, a group of six children were instrumental in sending away their Sunday school teacher for a terrible crime. Faith has worked hard at moving on and putting this dark past behind her. Until one of the Sunday School Six suddenly shows up at her door to warn her that two of their group are dead and the rest may be next….

🥳 What worked

Premise: I was hooked by the concept of a group of estranged friends being targets of an unknown assailant bent on revenge. The initial chapters started off with a bang and pulled me right in.

Atmosphere: Wilkinson does a great job in establishing the sense of dread and paranoia that Faith is feeling as she tries to navigate the fear and doubt. Is someone watching her? Are the deaths connected to their shared past or just coincidences?

Dual timeline: Told from Faith’s perspective both now and then, the little nuggets of information gleaned from the past were well crafted to keep that niggling doubt in my mind. How much of Faith’s memories could we trust?


🤔 Constructive thoughts

Pacing: This is a very slow burn thriller which I often struggle with. The initial momentum of the first few chapters slows WAY down until we hit 80% mark where it picks up again for the finale.

Cast: This had a very large cast of characters. Between the core six children, their parents, spouses and own children, it got a bit difficult to keep track of everyone. There were moments when I had to ask myself who a minor character was when their name was mentioned.

Ending: I struggled with the final reveal and didn’t fully believe the motivation. 😑


Final Verdict

This is a solid mystery with a great premise that keeps you guessing, although a slow-moving pace and an ending that requires a suspension of disbelief kept this from being a 4-star read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Kerry Wilkinson for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

[Sue]

Six children accused their Sunday school teacher of something horrific. Now, as adults, they fear for their lives.

I loved this latest book by Kerry Wilkinson. I have about eight books to read for review, but just had to read this one first! I was not disappointed. I admit I didn't even read the blurb before requesting! One of my 'go to' authors!
It was fast paced and twisty, and actually made me rethink what I remember from my childhood.
Not everyone has crystal clear memories. Faith certainly didn't.

We all know a conspiracy theorist. But what if their theory is correct? Jacob cared enough to warn his former friends of danger, and Faith was still sceptical.
The fact that Faith didn't even take the letters she received seriously did irritate me. And she doubted Jacob's claims as well, despite the events taking place that affected the rest of "the Six".

All in all, this is a terrific read. Every chapter just gives you enough to want to read the next. And the next.....

In my opinion, a 5 star read.

[Marlei]

⭐️⭐️⭐️¾

Will I Be Next? started strong and hooked me really quickly. The premise immediately had me curious, the pacing kept me reading, and there was enough going on that I genuinely wanted to know how everything was going to come together.

Faith was an interesting protagonist, although I did feel like she was missing a little personality at times. I didn't dislike her at all, but I would have loved to feel more connected to her.

I had suspicions about a few characters pretty early on and managed to work out part of what was happening, but thankfully I didn't figure out everything. There were still reveals that caught me off guard, which made the mystery much more satisfying.

I also really enjoyed Charlotte, mostly because her reluctance to get involved felt hilariously believable. Finally, someone in a thriller who seems to understand that investigating suspicious people yourself is probably a terrible idea.

My biggest issue was the ending. After such a strong build-up, everything seemed to wrap up incredibly quickly. I would have loved a little more time with the aftermath and for some of the reveals to have more room to land.

Overall, though, this was a fast, entertaining psychological thriller that kept me hooked and still managed to surprise me. Somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars for me, but I'm rounding up because I had a genuinely good time reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Jen]

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of this title.
The premise of childhood witnesses being targeted thirty years after sending their Sunday school teacher to prison is a great setup, but the execution struggled to hold my attention. Told entirely from Faith’s point of view in the present day with just a few brief flashbacks, the story involves a surprisingly cluttered cast. Keeping track of everyone was a chore, especially trying to remember which parents belonged to which member of the original six kids. That confusion made an already slow pace drag even more.
As a protagonist, Faith felt flat and lacked the distinct personality needed to make me root for her. With pretty much everyone in the book lying or hiding something, none of the characters ended up being particularly likable or sympathetic.
The mystery itself relies on a ton of red herrings, but they didn't pay off in a satisfying way. When the answers finally came, the explanations felt weak and hastily brushed aside rather than clever. Between the sluggish build-up and a main twist that was easy to guess way before the end, the final reveal just fell flat. It was an okay read, but ultimately too predictable to leave much of an impression.
If you like childhood secrets resurfacing, single POV mysteries, and lots of red herrings, then you may enjoy this book.
#NetGalley #WillIBeNext

Spoilers drop on release day at www.spoiltheplot.com. Until then, explore the site to find your next great thriller!

[Maja]

Thank you Bookouture for this ARC!

Kerry Wilkinson usually can not disappoint me, which is why I usually just dive into her books blindly.

Will I Be Next? is following Faith, who, as a child, together with five others, gave evidence against a teacher. She thought she did the right thing when the man ended up behind bars. But two of the six are dead now. It seems her past came back to threaten Faith... but why? Does someone want revenge? The truth? Or something way darker? And is her son in danger of what she had done?

This was another of those books I simply could not put down, because whenever I reached the end of a chapter, I was so hyped that I just had to turn the page and start the next one. 5 out of 5 stars!

[Mona Sami]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of *Will I Be Next?* before publication. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I really enjoyed the premise of *Will I Be Next?*. Thirty years ago, Faith and five other children gave evidence against their Sunday school teacher, sending him to prison for a terrible crime. Now two of those children are dead, and Faith is forced to consider whether what happened all those years ago is finally catching up with them.

What worked especially well for me was the uncertainty. When Jacob suddenly reappears in Faith’s life and tells her that someone is picking them off, she has no idea whether she should trust him or whether his return is part of the danger. That immediately creates tension because almost everyone connected to the past begins to feel suspicious.

The threat becomes much more personal when Faith receives a disturbing message referring to her son. I liked that this raised the stakes beyond her own safety. It is no longer just about understanding what happened thirty years ago; she is trying to work out whether her child is now in danger because of something she did as a young girl.

I also enjoyed the way the story gradually questions the original version of events. The idea that six children all gave evidence, yet the truth may have been more complicated than they understood at the time, gives the mystery another layer. I kept wondering how reliable those childhood memories really were and whether someone had been hiding something for decades.

There are some familiar psychological-thriller elements here, particularly the buried secret from the past returning to destroy the present, but the pacing and constant suspicion kept me interested. I liked the combination of guilt, memory and fear, and there were enough twists to keep me questioning what had really happened.

Overall, *Will I Be Next?* was a gripping and addictive psychological thriller with a very strong central mystery. I particularly enjoyed the connection between the childhood case and the present-day deaths, and the constant question of whether Faith could trust the people around her. A tense, twisty read that kept me turning the pages.

[Barbara Schultz]

Title: Will I Be Next?
Author: Kerry Wilkinson
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Pub Date: October 21, 2026
My Rating: 3.75 Stars
Pages: 316

Winscombe, England thirty years ago, six young children- Faith, Jacob, Jenny, Paul, Charlotte were attending Sunday school and witnessed a terrible crime. They gave evidence against their teacher, Martin Yale, who was sentenced to prison. Jenny and Paul recently died. Paul died in a hit and run accident and Jenny is believed to have killed herself by cutting her wrists.

Faith now thirty-seven with a son as well as an ex-husband is surprised when Jacob is at her door. He is trying to contact the others involved as he believes they are in danger.
He tells her, ”I think someone might be picking us off.”
He adds that she was rather easy to track down- if he could find her anyone could.
Story is told from the POV of Faith-Now’ with few ’Then’ chapters, we follows the six children, their children, their parents, and spouses.
(Things got a bit difficult keeping track of all the characters- I was grateful for the Kindle highlight feature.)
Story slowed down but I was hooked. I have read other Wilkinson’ thrillers so knew things were going to get tricky.
However, I wasn’t completely shocked with the ending -true it was indeed weird!

I am a big psychological thriller fan and this is my ninth Kerry Wilkinson novel – “Party at No. 12” was my first – which was great- and is still at the top of my favorites !
A comment I made in my reviews after my first story was ~ I have a new fav author and am now looking forward to another of his stories!

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for October 21, 2026.

[Cobalt's Son]

*Will I Be Next?* kicks off with a really gripping premise. Faith is an immediately likable protagonist, even if she's the most "normal" out of the group of six. I do admit I wish we had seen more of Jacob. Before diving deeper into the plot, I have to give credit to the writing—it’s so smooth and addicting that I couldn't put it down, even though it uses a trope I usually dislike: dual timelines.
As for the actual plot, I loved how distinct the author made all six characters. Each had a captivating persona that could have been explored even further—and that's one thing I felt was missing. Faith carries the story well, but the others had personalities that really popped off the page (which plays into the mystery in a very clever, tricky way). My main concern was how the author would handle such a sensitive topic like the harassment and abuse of young people. He walked a very thin line here. I was anxious about what the ultimate message would be; while it didn't hit 100% right for me, it was handled decently, and it could have been far worse. Regarding the climax, I saw a few of the twists coming, though I think that's mostly due to the timeline structure (and my own writer brain overanalyzing things). A casual reader would probably be totally floored.
Overall, *Will I Be Next?* is a page-turner with twists that constantly make you want to read "just one more chapter." Despite dealing with heavy themes, the author did a solid job navigating them. I'm definitely keeping an eye out for his future releases—especially after reading that sneak peek for her next book!
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC.*

[risreads]

Will I Be Next? By Kerry Wilkinson
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thirty years ago, six kids helped put their teacher behind bars, but now two of them are dead—and the rest are starting to wonder if someone is picking them off one by one.

Review:
This is my first book (and first impression) of Kerry Wilkinson. I liked how every chapter (LITERALLY) is a cliffhanger – no other choice but to continue to the next page! I, just like the FMC could not, for the life of me, figure out the real culprit (not until the culprit presented him/herself ( 🤪). I think it definitely has potential, I just think the motive and the crimes done were a bit too much (for the lack of term) – it wasn’t convincing enough, for me. Other than that, it was such a good read! It was definitely a gripping mystery that makes the reader be suspicious of everyone in the story. Now that I’m writing this review, I think it’s missing an epilogue, I think one would definitely tie up the story.

Some Technical Notes:
There were a few typographical errors in the latter part (hopefully this will be corrected in the published copies)

Final Thoughts:
This book definitely falls under the “unputdownable” category. I really enjoyed this one! While I felt like it was a little lacking in some areas, the story was still gripping enough to keep me reading. Definitely worth picking up if you enjoy a good mystery with plenty of secrets and twists.

Thank you to Bookouture via NetGalley for an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read such an amazing book! All opinions are my own.

[Briony]

✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨

ARC - PUBLICATION DATE 21 OCTOBER 2026

3 ☆

『 themes 』
•deception
•manipulation
•childhood trauma
•revenge
•unreliable memories

『 plot 』
thirty years ago, faith and five other children, gave evidence that sent their Sunday school teacher to prison. but jacob, one of the six, is now at faiths door telling her that two of the six are dead and believes they’re being targeted. is their past really killing them off? who can faith trust? are they really in danger or is it just a coincidence?


『 my thoughts 』
i really enjoyed the premise of this book, and the ‘now’ and ‘then’ from faith’s point of view really helped add more depth to the story, it had you questioning everything, believing one thing then being completely thrown off by the next chapter. i thought the tension and anxiety the characters were feeling was really well done and had me feeling anxious right alongside them, you really didn’t know who or what to trust. the themes in this book were quite heavy but i think they were written well. personally, for me, the build up of the whole ‘who done it’ was more exciting and better than the reveal of who it was. even though it was explained why the person was doing what they were doing, i was still left confused? it didn’t quite make sense to me.

but overall this was a great thriller, that was well written and kept me intrigued at every page turn, the atmosphere set by the author was done very cleverly and would recommend this

[Shawna Purnell]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This is my first book by Kerry Wilkinson. I’ll definitely read (or listen to!) kore of his in the future.

When browsing online, I was immediately drawn to the title. I also love every novel I’ve read that was published by Bookouture.

Really wish this one had a prologue that would instantly grip me! I thought it was slow at first, but I pretty quickly got interested!

Faith is a member of the Sunday School Six…a random group of children who were all in involved in a well known scandal resulting in their Childrens minister being convicted.

It’s now 25 plus years later, and Faith is shocked and appalled to find one of the other six at her front door.

The relative stranger, Jacob, insists that someone is coming to kill all of them.

Faith doesn’t know if he is just a conspiracy theorist, or if she’s in danger for her life.

Absolutely loved the flashbacks to “Then,” which made me keep turning page after page.

There was amazing character development; you kept guessing who to cheer for and who to hate.

The ending was shocking and action packed but also seemed a little too rushed.

I would definitely give this one 4 1/2 stars and would recommend reading it!

[Lumi]

Thirty years ago, six children gave evidence against their teacher, sending him to prison. Now, two of those witnesses are dead, and Faith begins to wonder whether their deaths are connected to the secrets they have all been carrying since childhood.

This book was so twisty, and I loved how the secrets kept being revealed one after another. Just when I thought I had an idea of what was happening, another piece of the puzzle came to light and made me question everything again.

What really stood out to me was how adults can manipulate and play games with children and how much damage that can cause. It was terrible to see how those actions could ruin so many lives, with the aftermath being suffered by so many people.

And that climax! I was genuinely amazed that I was wrong about who was actually the culprit, and that always makes me enjoy a thriller even more. I love it when my theories turn out to be completely wrong and the book manages to surprise me.
A twisty thriller filled with secrets and revelations that kept me hooked until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Roz]

This was a really interesting book and one I thoroughly enjoyed reading. The plot line was a good draw and I thought the characters were diverse.

Many years ago a group of young children accused their Sunday school teacher of abusing them. They become known as the Sunday School six. Although anonymous they became known to the local community and only one of the families stayed in the area when the teacher went to prison and subsequently died. In present day the six have had no contact for many years, but suddenly they appear to be meeting an untimely end in a suspiciously short time.

Interesting concept and a good amount of tension created which meant a quick read wanting to know the outcome.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Leanne]

This was a very gripping novel! I found it hard to put it down which is why I flew through it.

I loved the plot, it was intriguing and captivating and by the end heartbreaking and sad. I enjoyed the characters, because of the writing I found it easy to root for them in their quest to figure out what's going on. I enjoyed the variety of characters and I didn't find it hard to keep track of who they were, including minor characters. I think my only issue was the motivation for the perpetrator's reasoning; it made sense until It didn't - I kept thinking about that one and that's why it stopped short of 4 stars rather than 5. Everything else I truly enjoyed!

I highly recommend this novel, it's dark, twisty and captivating. I truly look forward to more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Mark]

Faith is one of the Sunday School Six, the tabloid nickname for the group of children involved in a child abuse case. Years later, she’s put it all behind her, but then members of the group suddenly start dying in mysterious circumstances. Faith reluctantly revisits her past and questions her memories of what actually happened whilst endeavouring to keep herself and her childhood companions safe. ‘Will I be next?’ is a well structured murder mystery that cranks up the tension as it builds to a shocking conclusion. Kerry Wilkinson not only manipulates the plot expertly, but he creates a cast of very believable characters. Faith in particular is well written and her search for the truth forces her to confront her own personal demons and insecurities along the way.

[Nicola Richardson]

Many years previously, there was a court case involving 6 children from a Sunday School class which is alluded to from the very beginning. Faith gets a knock at her door and sees one of the others standing there. He has come to warn her that 2 of the 6 have died in mysterious circumstances and he thinks she may be in danger. She goes along with him, even though she worries that he may be involved in the killings. There are many twists along the way, and one big reveal that changes the course of the plot. It moves slowly in places but quickly in others, and none of the characters are particularly likeable yet I still became invested in what happened to them. It is quite suspenseful and very readable.

[Louise Allan]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

Years ago, the Sunday School Six , sent a man to prison. When one of the six visits Faith and tells her two are dead and someone is hunting them down, she doesn’t know what to believe. Drawn into an amateur investigation she’s not sure things are as they seem.

An exciting page turner, where nothing is as it seems and nobody can be trusted. This kept me interested the whole way through and the reveal when it came was a shocker. I’d begun to suspect the outcome but the whys with it came from nowhere. This was a really good read as always from this author. Highly recommend.

[Rick Molitor]

This is a psychological thriller that will keep you entranced and guessing right up until the end. Faith was one of the Six who had reported their Sunday Scholl teacher for abuse. Now thirty years later, two of them are dead under suspicious circumstances. This story leads you along a great race. First to see if they were really murdered. When two more of the Six seem to die, the race is to figure out who killed them before it is too late. There are lots of twist and turns and a surprising twist or two at the end that will really keep you off balance and guessing who is responsible and exactly what they are responsible for.

[Sandy Barrera]

Thirty years ago Faith was one of six children who testified of sexual abuse by their teacher. That accused teacher went to prison and later committed suicide. One day out of the blue, Jacob, another one of the six, shows up at Faith's door. He tells her that recently two of the others were killed and he thinks they will be next. Their deaths were ruled accidental and a suicide, but were they? Faith and Jacob are on a mission to find the others in their group before it's too late. Will they find them? Will they find who is killing them before it's too late? Read this page turner and find out for yourself. Thanks to @NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I enjoyed it!

[Cc Readsss]

Release: Oct 21, 2026
Author: Kerry Wilkinson
Publisher: Bookoture

Rating: 4.25★ 

Will I Be Next? was a tense and engaging psychological thriller with an intriguing setup. I really enjoyed the mystery surrounding the six childhood witnesses and the fact that decades later, their past was coming back to haunt them. The threatening messages and escalating danger kept me invested, especially as the threat became more personal for Faith. I suspected a few things along the way, but there were still enough twists to keep me guessing. Overall, this was an entertaining and suspenseful 4.25-star read.

[Amy West]

Kerry Wilkinson’s new thriller Am I Next? hits the ground running and never lets up. I was so completely gripped by the suspense that I finished the entire book in a single sitting. The narrative features a highly unique and atmospheric backdrop centered around deep-seated childhood secrets linked to a church the main characters attended as children. Wilkinson’s writing style flows beautifully, making for an immersive, fast-paced read. The story culminates in an ending that was a complete, logic-tight surprise. I highly recommend this to any fan seeking a deeply suspenseful, tightly written psychological thriller.

[Debra Gape]

Dropped everything to read this, Kerry Wilkinson never lets me down.
Something terrible happened to Faith when she was a child but has time blurred the truth?
So many twists in this tale i could hardly keep up.
I just love the way this author writes, ordinary people leading extraordinary lives'.
Fast paced hard to put down read.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.
Just sorry i finished it so fast.

[Britney Ireland]

I really enjoyed this read a lot. It had me interested from the very start to finish. I felt like it started off as an I Know What You Did Last Summer type vibe. The storyline gets deep when the six start dying one by one. So the rest try to figure out what is happening and who is behind the deaths. Definitely was on the edge of my seat and didn’t put this down till the very end. It had a really good twisty conclusion. I’ll be recommending.

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC.

[Claire]

From the synopsis, this book sounded great. I expected a great psychological thriller, building tension with each chapter. In reality, I found the book to be quite a slow burner and overly long. I can’t say I loved the ending either but I was compelled to keep reading. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

[Missy Torres]

This was a good thriller read! I enjoyed the plot and it kept me hooked, wanting to know more and to figure out what was happening to the 6. Great suspense and easy read. I would definitely recommend this one to anyone who loves a good thriller and an easy read 

[Christine M in Texas (stamperlady50)]

Will I Be Next
By: Kerry Wilkinson
Pub Date: Publisher: Bookouture
Pub Date: October 21, 2026

Present day- Jacob finds Faith to let her know their past is coming back.
Past- Children in Sunday school sent their teacher to prison.
Present-now some are dying. Was it intentional? What secrets will come out?