NEGALLEY BOOK on my phone/PETER MILES HAS TO DIE BY KATIE COLLOM / Pub Date Aug 12 2025

   AMAZON LINK

Pub Date Aug 12 2025 | Archive Date Oct 12 2025

Ballantine | Bantam

ISBN	9780593974612

 Talking about this book? Use #PeterMilesHastoDie #NetGalley

 Four friends became three. Only murder will set things right.

An emotional "what would you do?" thriller debut about revenge, the bonds of friendship, the reverberations of a small-town crime, and the limits of justice.

Peter Miles has to die. And Dylan Darcy, Priya Shah, and Isabel Guerrero—a bartender, a nurse, and a student—have to be the ones to kill him. As they see it, this local cop deserves death for murdering their best friend and getting away with it. All they need to do to pull off the perfect crime is stick to their carefully prepared plan.

So that's exactly what they do. Murder, it turns out, is surprisingly easy when you're fueled by revenge. What comes after is the hard part.

As the dry Texas heat gives way to cooler weather, their blazing rage is replaced by a chill fear. Because there’s a fallout that comes from settling the score against someone like Peter, and it could cost them more than they’ve bargained for. When the lead investigator on the case starts sniffing around for a cop-killer, the three friends are not feeling as confident as they did on that fateful night. And when they start receiving death threats, it weakens their resolve even further . . . but it’s too little too late.

What they don’t realize is that this detective has her own reasons for wanting to get to the bottom of Peter's murder. Reasons that don’t involve them at all. The investigation ramps up, and so does the pressure, leaving Dylan, Priya, and Isabel to wonder if ending his life may end up costing them theirs. 

As the guilt of what they've done settles in their bones, they realize there's no going back. Someone is going to have to take the fall. 

Sent TO KINDLE

MY REVIEW-   titled: I just have to read it again !

Rebecca Grant was murdered ! Her best friends know it ! It's a cold case now.  And the Chief wants it solved pronto. And he doesn't seem to really care who did it. No one seems to care who the victim, Rebecca really was ! But her friends do ! Now, they have a conflict of interest !  They wanted to pay Miles,  they just don't want it to be them. They begin to have regrets about the murder but not right away. But the chief wants it solved now and off his desk pronto. Its a mess he says. He has NO idea just HOW messy it's about to become. Enter Detective Bree Righetti  and her partner Detective Mike O'Malley.  Totally opposites but both interesting in their different personalities and police methods. Loved them. Especially how Mike didn't' try to sexualize her, look down on her or dismiss her.  He has sworn off new tech, like his pager which does make things more difficult.  Unlike fellow Detective Taylor who was  in their squad room.He didn't mind making things more difficult for Bree. No sure, not one bit.  I disliked him right away. And the author did such a good relating of Bree's distaste and how I felt about him too ! That's not easy to do.  

BOTH Bree and Mike each hold interesting secrets and I liked how over time they unfolded. This is a Serious story. Hey, it's a Murder. But it's also got some Humor in it too. 

There are several recurring good questions that pop up the story. Like, "Is Bree a friend or not?"  Several good reasons for this question too ! This intense story just keeps going in the best way and never let me go. Speaking of intense. Dylan Darcy. Intense, controlling, smart and secretive. Wow, what a lethal combo. I didn't like her at first. But as things began to unfold more, I liked her, sympathized with her and over her. I didn't want her to get caught ! I didn't want any of them to get caught !!!

There is an infrequent flash back to the 1990's which at first I found confusing but it didn't take too long to think, Oh I get it now. It's The Before and After in the story. Each person shares there own point of view in the book. And it was needed and emotional and intense also. 

The ending comes with  STUNNING TWISTS. Emotional, tearful, and I think I just might have to read it again to catch some of the subtle parts of the story. 

In the end I loved it !  

 

 

 

 

 

ADDITIONAL NOTES NOT ADDED TO MY REVIEW  :

I LIKED HOW MIKE BROUGHT BREE coffee each morning at work along with food because he was worried about her and to feed her to make up for all the weight she lost and was losing.  

(AKA BREE LIKE THE CHEESE WAS HOW SHE WAS NICKNAMED BY SOME)