With a title like “How to Kill Men and Get Away with It,” first-time author Katy Brent will stop you in your tracks.
Brent, a magazine journalist, wrote her debut novel about a British vegan social media influencer who murders bad men without repercussions. Kitty Collins, an incredibly popular Instagrammer, presents as blonde, sexually available, and completely non-threatening.
Beneath her veneer of a youthful, glamorous fashionista lies a hunger to settle scores with men who hurt women. Kitty’s privileged position allows her to proposition these men without raising suspicion and efficiently exterminate them.
Character Analysis
Main Characters
Kitty Collins
Henrietta “Hen”
Tor
Maisie
Charlie Chambers
Kitty Collins, a twentysomething heiress and influencer, knows the pain bad men can cause. Still, she enjoys making money by wearing designer clothes and schilling tea cleanses while residing in Chelsea. Kitty’s killing spree begins with an accident.
While Kitty researches and executes nearly flawless murders, she remains likable and relatable because of her close friendships with Hen, Tor and Maisie, three other wealthy influencers. They are her family as her family as her father, owner of Collins’ Cuts meat manufacturer, and her mother are both absent.
Hen, the neglected middle child of a successful music tycoon, is one of Kitty’s closest friends. The two attended school together, and Kitty’s an extended member of Hen’s family. Hen’s father, in particular, is very fond of Kitty.
Tor, the Black adopted daughter of a well-known hippie singer/actress, is another dear friend. She and Kitty travel to lavish hotels in faraway places together. She also helps Kitty become more receptive to attending therapy.
Maisie is the friend group’s unluckiest in love. She’s ghosted by a man who claimed she’s clingy and admits to it after Kitty confronted him. Maisie does show concern for Kitty’s past heartbreak and encourages her to connect with Charlie.
Kitty’s love interest, Charlie Chambers, serves as a foil to her superficial lifestyle. He is ostracized by his wealthy family for founding an international aid nonprofit and repeatedly shows up for Kitty when she needs it. However, he’s blithely unaware of her violent escapades.
Kitty also dispatches a series of dangerous and problematic men who disrespect and harm the women around them. These men only feature for a chapter or two, so they aren’t considered fully developed characters.
Plot Summary
Kitty Collins hides a lot of herself behind a public persona of a happy, well-to-do Instagrammer. She takes luxurious vacations, dresses the latest designer fashions, and resides in a well-appointed apartment in a relatively safe area of Chelsea.
In “How to Kill Men and Get Away With It,” the British socialite’s desire to protect herself and other women from horrible men is presented in silly and gruesome ways.
Her killing spree begins after she defends herself against an obnoxious drunk who followed her from the bar. He confronts her yelling insults, and things escalate until she shoves him and he falls onto a broken bottle and bleeds out on the ground.
Once Kitty confirms she’s escaped prosecution for her crime, she strategizes ways to kill rapists, bullies, and other men who threaten women. She uses the internet to read the news about recently released criminals and creates fake dating apps to meet up with the men.
Brent writes in somewhat disturbing detail about Kitty’s efforts to inject, restrain, and then cut her victims into pieces before driving most of them to the family’s abattoirs outside of London.
No one is aware of this aside from her unknown but frequent Instagram stalker. The faceless account threatens Kitty and lets it be known there’s a witness to her wickedness.
Despite her nasty extracurricular activities, Kitty keeps up appearances with her close friends–Hen, Tor and Maisie–and meets a new love interest-Charlie. The chapters are narrated in first person and titled by location for all activities. This allows a more cohesive flow to the story, particularly for non-British readers.
Kitty’s taste for killing interferes with her relationship with Charlie and also forces her to reflect on her repressed past. Is the heavy-drinking, pill-popping party girl avoiding addressing her accountability from her teenage and early adult years that make her prone to kill?
To sustain the suspense, Kitty’s murders become more elaborate until she accidentally murders an innocent man and almost overdoses in an effort to assuage her conscience. Her hospitalization and recovery bring Charlie back into her life and enable her to right previous wrongs.
Brent chooses to conclude the novel with a reference that Kitty’s desire to kill may only be paused. News reports of two women found murdered near her apartment stirs an old feeling.
Final Thoughts
“How to Kill Men and Get Away With It” is designed as a tongue-in-cheek response to the media detailing grisly details of violence against women.
From its attention-grabbing title and cute illustration to the alliterative name of its protagonist, Brent’s first novel aims to be a breezy read but timely read. The idea of a woman reclaiming more than the night through murders of menacing men is cathartic but also amusing.
Brent explains in her author’s note how she took inspiration from “Killing Eve,” “My Sister the Serial Killer,” Sweet Pea,” and other works released in and around the rise of #MeToo. She also chose to name her heroine after Ava Gardner’s character in “The Killers” from 1946.
“How to Kill Men and Get Away With It” is guilty of overstaying its welcome at nearly 400 pages. It also features a gratuitous number of murders and references to expensive champagne, high-end furniture, and illegal drugs that begin to detract from the main plot line.
While Brent’s debut suffers from some rookie storytelling mistakes, “How to Kill Men and Get Away with It” makes for a fun, entertaining read to reframe so much of the violence seen in the news.
It would make a delightful book club read or airplane read for women who enjoy contemporary women’s fiction with social commentary.
Rating
My rating is 3.5/5 stars.
Book Details
Book Title: “How to Kill Men and Get Away With It”
Author: Katy Brent
Year of Publication: 2023
Number of Pages: 369
Check out the “How to Kill Your Family” review for another tale of female revenge.
