'Captivating, unsettling and filled with gasp-inducing shocks... plunges you into a fascinating and disturbing community' Sunday Times bestseller, B P Walter

The brand new psychological thriller for fans of T.M. Logan, Gillian McAllister and Lisa Jewell.

'A sinister and unsettling psychological thriller with echoes of Ira Levin at his best. I loved it.' Michael Wood, bestselling author of the Matilda Darke series

***

The village of Nether Appleford calls itself 'England's Kindest Village'. Overseen by the Kindness Committee, this close-knit community strives to live their lives with kindness at the heart of everything they do.

For Tessa and Andy, this sounds like the perfect escape. An opportunity to settle down and move on from a past that haunts them.

But what if the kindest thing you could do meant hurting someone? Then what would you do?

***

'Eerie from the outset, this surprising story grows darker and chillier with each page. A Stepford vibe elevates a thriller that entertains while posing fascinating questions about our humanity.' Jo Furniss, author of Dead Mile

Readers have been chilled by How to Kill With Kindness:

'I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece!'

'If you love a good smart book with subplots that look like there's no way they'll all be put together then you definitely need to read this book it is so good!'

'If you like Lisa Jewell you'll like this'

'I found it intriguing right from the very first chapter and it kept me on my toes and guessing throughout'

'A really interesting read... made me think about the morality of being good and how people justify their actions in relation to being good'

'Highly original and a unique masterpiece'

'Exciting with twists galore'

'Takes killing you with kindness to a new and almost claustrophobic level... Solid mystery with a cult-like feel'

A brand new chilling and twisty psychological thriller for 2024

About the Author
S R Masters grew up around Birmingham in the UK. After studying Philosophy at Cambridge University, he worked in public health. He currently lives in Oxford with his wife and children. His short fiction and novels have been published internationally. The Trial is his first novel with HarperCollins.

Reviews

'This captivating thriller hooked me from the start and drew me into this eerily perfect village, where all was very much not as it seemed. A chilling, twisty treat of a read.' Eleanor Ray, author of Everything is Beautiful

'The kindest village in England...or the creepiest? Such a great premise and an intriguing cast of characters; I thoroughly enjoyed this one and was never quite sure what was going to happen next.' Jackie Kabler, USA Today bestselling author

'I was blown away by this deeply disturbing portrait of a 'perfect' community - from the first page it is clear that a twisted view of kindness lies beneath the apparently idyllic Nether Appleford. A clever take on the world in which we already live ... exceptionally compelling characters' Heather Critchlow

'How to Kill With Kindness has an understated menace that simmers all the way through the book making it an absorbing read. S R Masters has drawn up an idyllic slice of village life that may not be so idyllic after all and I loved every menacing page' James Delargy

Praise for S. R. Masters:

'Pacy, dark and highly entertaining, with a real sense of menace' Sunday Times bestseller, T.M. Logan

'Brilliant ... a proper page-turner' Sunday Times bestseller, Laura Marshall

'Such a cool premise ... a page-turner that kept me gripped' Egan Hughes

'Full of twists and turns ... a wild ride I didn't want to end' Vanessa Savage

Book Information
ISBN 9780008520151
Author S. R. Masters
Format Paperback
Page Count 480
Imprint One More Chapter
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 320g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 33mm