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American Injustice #1
She Killed Him First
It’s a smoky autumn morning when Kimber Clark gets the alert: her kindergartner’s school is on lockdown. She’s still drunk when she joins other parents outside the police tape, but not so drunk that she can’t pick up details: Zack Linzy, a high schooler, opened fire in the school cafeteria, killing four people. But that’s not possible. Zack Linzy is a freak, a boy who assaulted Kimber’s daughter, and Kimber killed him with a shovel two days ago.
The police are looking for the school shooter in the wrong place, and the real killer might get away with it. Kimber can’t tell the police they’ve got the wrong suspect without showing them where she buried the body. No—she has to solve a school shooting, absolve her daughter’s abuser, and make sure the real killer comes to justice. All without getting caught for the murder she committed.
The police are looking for the school shooter in the wrong place, and the real killer might get away with it. Kimber can’t tell the police they’ve got the wrong suspect without showing them where she buried the body. No—she has to solve a school shooting, absolve her daughter’s abuser, and make sure the real killer comes to justice. All without getting caught for the murder she committed.
231 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2021
About the author
S.M. Reine
114 books2,008 followersHi everyone! My name is Sara, and I write urban fantasy and paranormal novels as SM Reine. I collect swords, cat hair, and typewriters (which I do use for writing!). It's a good day when those three things have nothing to do with each other.
If you would like to know the instant my next book is available, you should enlist in my Army of Evil! We have a wicked cool secret handshake, but you'll have to sign up to learn it. ;) Check it out -- http://smarturl.it/armyofevil
If you would like to know the instant my next book is available, you should enlist in my Army of Evil! We have a wicked cool secret handshake, but you'll have to sign up to learn it. ;) Check it out -- http://smarturl.it/armyofevil
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 1, 2021
A must read suspense book, hits hard but keeps you gripped.
A brilliant story with very hard hitting characters, this pulled on my heartstrings in a way not expected, I really can't praise this book highly enough.
A brilliant story with very hard hitting characters, this pulled on my heartstrings in a way not expected, I really can't praise this book highly enough.
July 25, 2021
I got this book as an ARC.
Content Warnings for
alcoholic abuse
spousal abuse
sexual abuse of children
school shooting
mild sex
WOW- this book is nothing like Sara's other books in that it's not a fantasy book. However, it is very like her other books in that the heroine is a complex tough female character who doesn't give up despite all that life throws at her, and reader, it's a lot.
Kimber is not the easiest character to like or understand. She's complex, drunk, paranoid and tells an unreliable narrative. But I really ended up liking her. Felicia is also a hard character to like- she's a doormat, filled with repressed anger and generally not a nice person, though she'd think she was.
This book is filled with complex characters that you don't quite know what to do with, or who to believe. Other than Wyatt, the FBI agent, who is a steady good man, who kind of reminds me of Lincoln, from The Descentverse. Anyway this is not an easy read. Nor was it easy to guess the twist. I really liked that I wasn't sure. I couldn't put this book down. I wanted to know what happened and I was disappointed that it finished.
If you like Sara's other books, then I think you'll love this one too.
Content Warnings for
alcoholic abuse
spousal abuse
sexual abuse of children
school shooting
mild sex
WOW- this book is nothing like Sara's other books in that it's not a fantasy book. However, it is very like her other books in that the heroine is a complex tough female character who doesn't give up despite all that life throws at her, and reader, it's a lot.
Kimber is not the easiest character to like or understand. She's complex, drunk, paranoid and tells an unreliable narrative. But I really ended up liking her. Felicia is also a hard character to like- she's a doormat, filled with repressed anger and generally not a nice person, though she'd think she was.
This book is filled with complex characters that you don't quite know what to do with, or who to believe. Other than Wyatt, the FBI agent, who is a steady good man, who kind of reminds me of Lincoln, from The Descentverse. Anyway this is not an easy read. Nor was it easy to guess the twist. I really liked that I wasn't sure. I couldn't put this book down. I wanted to know what happened and I was disappointed that it finished.
If you like Sara's other books, then I think you'll love this one too.
August 4, 2021
Slow start turns out riveting
I had a hard time getting into this book and considered giving up but am glad I didn’t because it’s a compelling story once you figure out who is narrating which segments. The story tackles big issues like gun control, school violence, domestic abuse, alcoholism and other mental health problems. Pick it up and stick with it for a riveting story with a relatively happy ending
I had a hard time getting into this book and considered giving up but am glad I didn’t because it’s a compelling story once you figure out who is narrating which segments. The story tackles big issues like gun control, school violence, domestic abuse, alcoholism and other mental health problems. Pick it up and stick with it for a riveting story with a relatively happy ending
October 19, 2021
This is one of those books that you’re almost afraid to pick up, but then find impossible to put down. You know, like when you know you shouldn’t look when you pass an accident, but you find yourself looking anyway? Yeah, She Killed Him First was that kind of book. The kind that was painful, but riveting.
She Killed Him First could best be described as it is, a psychological suspense. There was nothing sweet or sugar coated about it. It was honest and raw. The characters were laid bare and nothing that they felt, thought or experienced was hidden from the reader. It was everything that I’ve come to expect and admire from this author, without the supernatural element. There were definitely demons though, but they were the personal variety.
As you may have guessed by now, this was definitely not an easy book to read, but it still drew me in. It was told from the POV of two women who couldn’t have been more different. I can’t say that I liked either one of them in the beginning, but I can say that I grew to at least understand and sympathize with Kimber. Felicia? Not so much. You’ll have to draw your own conclusions about these two women, but I can pretty much promise you that your opinions about them will change as you continue reading. They were the voices of the story as it was told, but they weren’t the only “players” within the pages. There were other important characters that drove the story and my feelings about them changed as the story progressed as well. There were more than a few twists turns and WTF moments to keep readers guessing until the very end.
Once again I walked away from a S.M. Reine book in total awe. Total fiction came way too close to reality and although She Killed Him First wasn’t a part of the Decentverse that readers are accustomed to, I’m fairly certain that they won’t be disappointed.
She Killed Him First could best be described as it is, a psychological suspense. There was nothing sweet or sugar coated about it. It was honest and raw. The characters were laid bare and nothing that they felt, thought or experienced was hidden from the reader. It was everything that I’ve come to expect and admire from this author, without the supernatural element. There were definitely demons though, but they were the personal variety.
As you may have guessed by now, this was definitely not an easy book to read, but it still drew me in. It was told from the POV of two women who couldn’t have been more different. I can’t say that I liked either one of them in the beginning, but I can say that I grew to at least understand and sympathize with Kimber. Felicia? Not so much. You’ll have to draw your own conclusions about these two women, but I can pretty much promise you that your opinions about them will change as you continue reading. They were the voices of the story as it was told, but they weren’t the only “players” within the pages. There were other important characters that drove the story and my feelings about them changed as the story progressed as well. There were more than a few twists turns and WTF moments to keep readers guessing until the very end.
Once again I walked away from a S.M. Reine book in total awe. Total fiction came way too close to reality and although She Killed Him First wasn’t a part of the Decentverse that readers are accustomed to, I’m fairly certain that they won’t be disappointed.
October 24, 2021
I really wanted to like this book but it just didn't grab me. I like Reine as an author but this one wasn't one of her best works. I didn't actually finish the book because the characters began to annoy me and there was holes in the plot.
September 29, 2021
I wanted to love this book, I didn’t. The story line was good but there were errors, the story was spotty and the whole thing seemed rushed.
September 14, 2021
I'm not sure I've devoured a book so quickly in years. She Killed Him First is as much of a page turner as the most popular thriller/mysteries, but it stands apart for three reasons:
1. There is no fluff. The themes in this novel are intense and heavy: addiction; physical, sexual, and emotional abuse towards children and adults; school shootings; gun control issues; self-loathing; mental illness. These things are not sugar-coated whatsoever, which makes it feel authentic. It's sometimes very uncomfortable, but I think the discomfort comes from how immersive and real the story is
2. The twists are satisfyingly difficult to predict. I thought I had it figured out, but I did not. However, when the truth to the many questions posed was revealed, I could see how the hints were there all along.
3. The characters, even side characters, had real depth. There are two POV characters who are both tremendously flawed, but there are also many side characters and each of them is complicated, well-developed, and unique. At first some may seem like cookie cutters, like the perfect and self-righteous neighbor, but every single one of them has layers that make them interesting and real.
I highly recommend this book, with content warnings regarding the themes I discussed above. It's a solid thriller and kept me guessing throughout. I stayed up WAY too late reading this, and I'm a lazy lump so for me to sacrifice sleep is a big deal.
1. There is no fluff. The themes in this novel are intense and heavy: addiction; physical, sexual, and emotional abuse towards children and adults; school shootings; gun control issues; self-loathing; mental illness. These things are not sugar-coated whatsoever, which makes it feel authentic. It's sometimes very uncomfortable, but I think the discomfort comes from how immersive and real the story is
2. The twists are satisfyingly difficult to predict. I thought I had it figured out, but I did not. However, when the truth to the many questions posed was revealed, I could see how the hints were there all along.
3. The characters, even side characters, had real depth. There are two POV characters who are both tremendously flawed, but there are also many side characters and each of them is complicated, well-developed, and unique. At first some may seem like cookie cutters, like the perfect and self-righteous neighbor, but every single one of them has layers that make them interesting and real.
I highly recommend this book, with content warnings regarding the themes I discussed above. It's a solid thriller and kept me guessing throughout. I stayed up WAY too late reading this, and I'm a lazy lump so for me to sacrifice sleep is a big deal.
March 15, 2022
Guns and shootings
Like the characters in the book, America has a conflicted relationship with guns. Some characters believe more guns keep us safe. Some wonder if having guns around children is ever safe. I know it's easier to kill someone with a gun. Or to be involved in a murder/suicide as someone I loved was. Guns are only as safe as the people who have them, store them, and handle them. How many shooters have impulsively taken a life, because of their bad day, bad moment or anger? I don't know, but, this book makes you think about it. How helpless we feel when someone else has the gun. How dangerous they are to have. Do they make someone safer? I don't know. I do know countless guns on the street make me feel less safe. That a bullet recklessly fired can take the life of someone I love. How do we balance rights with safety? All questions to ponder.
Like the characters in the book, America has a conflicted relationship with guns. Some characters believe more guns keep us safe. Some wonder if having guns around children is ever safe. I know it's easier to kill someone with a gun. Or to be involved in a murder/suicide as someone I loved was. Guns are only as safe as the people who have them, store them, and handle them. How many shooters have impulsively taken a life, because of their bad day, bad moment or anger? I don't know, but, this book makes you think about it. How helpless we feel when someone else has the gun. How dangerous they are to have. Do they make someone safer? I don't know. I do know countless guns on the street make me feel less safe. That a bullet recklessly fired can take the life of someone I love. How do we balance rights with safety? All questions to ponder.
November 27, 2021
Suspenseful!
There were so many twists and turns in this book that I never saw coming! I really enjoyed Kimber's character. Her tales made you wonder if she truly was in the right of mind with all of the alcohol. I was definitely hooked on this story and unable to stop
reading; I kind of thought maybe Sara put some paranormal in here and made Zach a zombie 😅 but this book truly touched on so many things that are truly happening today. And Kimber's character seemed to come alive in the pages. Can't wait to see what's next!
There were so many twists and turns in this book that I never saw coming! I really enjoyed Kimber's character. Her tales made you wonder if she truly was in the right of mind with all of the alcohol. I was definitely hooked on this story and unable to stop
reading; I kind of thought maybe Sara put some paranormal in here and made Zach a zombie 😅 but this book truly touched on so many things that are truly happening today. And Kimber's character seemed to come alive in the pages. Can't wait to see what's next!
August 30, 2021
I have mixed feelings. I feel for Kimber on one hand as a parent with a difficult child and with the fierce sense of protection a mother feels, but at the same time it was painful to read those feelings as well. Being human is hard and I really appreciated how difficult things were written in this novel. A really tragic story that went in directions I didn’t expect with lots of twists and turns. Not bad!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2025
Ugliness Begets Ugliness
The writing and the story line are good. Unfortunately none of the characters with the exception of the FBI agent who is peripheral, is likable. The story involves a school shooting and highlights the truth that ugliness and abuse beget the same. Can't say I was rooting for anyone here but the plot held my interest.
The writing and the story line are good. Unfortunately none of the characters with the exception of the FBI agent who is peripheral, is likable. The story involves a school shooting and highlights the truth that ugliness and abuse beget the same. Can't say I was rooting for anyone here but the plot held my interest.
August 25, 2021
Sara…. Wow! The first chapter choked me up, I had to stop and think as I sipped my 12 o clock wine.
Kimber is so fucked up, yet she is normal compared to the rest of them. I’m will be thinking about this book for weeks, if not months. Thank you again and again for another mind blowing read 💛
Kimber is so fucked up, yet she is normal compared to the rest of them. I’m will be thinking about this book for weeks, if not months. Thank you again and again for another mind blowing read 💛
October 18, 2021
was an awesome read love the twists in it
I want more couldn't put it down. the characters were well thought out and great how they came together in the end.
I want more couldn't put it down. the characters were well thought out and great how they came together in the end.
December 13, 2021
Wow. That was an unbelievable story. So many twists. I did figure out the main twist but not at first. I recommend reading this one.
Did Not Finish
October 16, 2022DNF at 45%
Just not doing it for me.
Just not doing it for me.
September 26, 2024
2.5 stars
Read
July 13, 2025I think I should begin by saying that the synopsis of this book was very misleading. Sure, it does have school shooting and yes she killed the kid who did it but the story that follows is a joke. It focuses more on the mom’s alcoholism, the gun thumping/attention deprived Kindergarten teacher than anything else. I called the “twists” in the first quarter of the book. It had a lot of potential to be a good story, but the juvenile style of writing left it as something to be desired. I almost DNFed it but miraculously finished with the hope it would turn around, only to be left disappointed.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews