My Murder by Katie Williams
Published by Riverhead
Publication date: June 6, 2023
Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction
Bookshop
When My Murder begins Louise is still getting used to her body, luxuriating in the smallest of its sensations. Every movement feels like a gift and in its way, it is. The real Louise, or the original woman, was one of five women slain by a serial killer and this Louise is a clone. The government has brought all five back to life and returned them to their grieving, shell-shocked families. For Lou it means being reunited with her loving husband and her infant daughter. It also means trying to piece together the final moments of her first life.
Author Katie Williams wisely chooses a time in the near future as the setting for the novel. There’s enough familiarity to lull the reader while the science fiction aspects sink in. Concepts like benightment, specs, live wall, and, of course, the ability to clone humans. New bodies, but almost all of their old memories. As Lou reintegrates into her life, including a support group with the other four murder victims, she’s also plagued by feelings that something is wrong or missing. It manifests itself in her work as a holder—a virtual reality mental health app, where the client can envision a location and a person, with Lou as an avatar of the person, and be held to whatever degree they want. Hands, hug, cuddling. Nothing sexual not talk therapy. Lou is very good at her job, until she makes a critical mistake. It becomes one more itch at the back of her brain pushing her to reconcile who she was with who she is now.
If you’re in the mood for a hybrid domestic thriller, murder mystery, psychological drama then My Murder is a good choice. It’s messy, but in a good way in that you have to keep reading for it to make sense. It’s like being dropped into the middle of a game of Clue and all you can do is continue to play. The good news is everything will become clear, the bad news is none of it is what you think it is. By and large, this works well, but there are plot points that triggered my judge-y mind enough that it kept the novel from being 4 stars. Still, I read My Murder in two afternoons so if you want a fast, well-paced novel that can’t be unraveled until the final chapter it’s an enjoyable read.
Looking for another funhouse thriller where nothing is as it seems? Try The Woman on the Ledge, a recent favorite of mine.
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