Kill Me Now

By Author / Illustrator

Helen Price

Genre

Suspense & Thrillers

Age range(s)

14+

Publisher

Chicken House Ltd

ISBN

9781917171144

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

12-02-2026

Synopsis

School golden boy Riley North had it all - talent, charm and a stellar future. Now he's dead. Guy 'Reaper' Mortimer, the funeral director's son, stands accused of his murder. Keen to clear his name, Reaper teams up with cute new girl, Samira; sweet but naive Betty; and Riley's two best mates, Bunsen and Snake.

Together, they unravel the twisted layers of school, where secrets hide and deception is rife. But what starts as a search for answers soon becomes a fight for survival. Because the killer knows the truth and is determined to expose it - one deadly sin at a time. And Riley North is just the first ...

A gripping YA crime thriller from debut author Helen Price Think first crushes, nasty school cliques, and a tense murder mystery wrapped up in a high school setting. For fans of Cynthia Murphy, Sue Wallman and Holly Jackson.

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Reviews

Clare

The school crime thriller genre remains an ever-popular popular field and Helen Price's spiky new addition will certainly please fans of Holly Jackson, M A Bennett et al. Set in a rigidly religious catholic school in deeply pious Langbury, Kill Me Now follows Guy 'Reaper' Mortimer's journey from shy mortician's son to possible serial killer.

When school golden boy, Riley North, is found dead all eyes turn to Guy. Bullied mercilessly by his former friend, his desperate retaliatory threats are taken seriously by the school community and the police. Especially when Riley's charred remains are discovered. Potential salvation comes in the form of mysterious new girl, Samira 'Sam' Jewell, and as Riley's friends reluctantly realise that Guy wasn't involved, an unlikely alliance emerges.

Trying to unravel decades of secrets and 'sinners', the pupils of Our Lady's soon find themselves and most of the school in danger. Who is sending the threatening messages? What exactly are the 'sins' behind the ritualistic killings? And when and where will the murderer strike again? Thrust into the unlikely role of hero, it's down to Guy to unmask a killer.

Friendships, crushes, cliques and bullying - all the usual school tropes are here but the crime is satisfyingly complex and Guy makes a brilliant unlikely hero. Kill me Now is a decidedly sinister take on the school killer/thriller theme and is an ideal next read for the (many) fans of Karen McManus' teen crime behemoth, Once of Us is Lying.

352 pages / Reviewed by Clare Wilkins, school librarian