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How to Kill Your Family
- Author
- Bella Mackie
- Narrator
- Charly Clive, Paul Panting
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date
- 22 July 2021
- Run Time
- 10 hours 50 minutes
- Format
- x-book®
- Genre
- Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general, Narrative theme: interior life / psychological fiction, Family life fiction / Stories about family, Humorous fiction, Narrative theme: death, grief, loss
- Rating
- 4.7 (22 reviews)
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What to expect
**Pre-order Bella Mackie's new 2026 novel CLAWS OUT! now**
Grace Bernard is on a murderous mission… to avenge her mother, she plans to do away with every member of her family, one awful rich person at a time. And then she's imprisoned for a crime she didn't commit. Entertaining, shocking and deliciously addictive. THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER‘I loved this book’ RICHARD OSMAN
‘Funny, sharp, dark and twisted’ JOJO MOYES
They say you can’t choose your family. But you can kill them.Meet Grace Bernard.
Daughter, sister, serial killer…
Grace has lost everything.
And she will stop at nothing to get revenge.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-
‘Funny and furious and strangely uplifting. Grace is a bitter and beguiling anti-hero with a keen eye for social analysis – even in her most grisly deeds, you never stop rooting for her’ PANDORA SYKES
‘Deliciously addictive…brilliantly executed’ i PAPER
‘Addictive… Grace Bernard is one of the most intriguing and bewitching protagonists I've read in years’ EMMA GANNON
‘A funny, compulsive read about family dysfunction and the media’s obsession with murder’ SUNDAY TIMES STYLE
‘You’ll be gripped… Grace’s emotional detachment throughout will give you chills’ COSMOPOLITAN
‘Hilarious and dark’ ELLE
‘Ironic twists and caustic commentary on everything from liberal guilt to the consumerist con that is “selfcare” sharpen this debut novel’ OBSERVER
‘Brilliantly tongue-in-cheek stuff from the Vogue columnist’ IRISH INDEPENDENT
‘Witty, waspish satire of a murderer with no regrets’ GRAZIA
‘Original, funny, unique and such a refreshing read’ PRIMA
‘A deliciously dark debut novel’ RED
‘One very entertaining read’ WOMAN’S WAY
How To Kill Your Family was number 1 in the Sunday Times paperback chart on 26/04/2022
Critics Review
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‘Funny and furious and strangely uplifting. Grace is a bitter and beguiling anti-hero with a keen eye for social analysis – even in her most grisly deeds, you never stop rooting for her’ PANDORA SYKES
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‘I loved this book’ RICHARD OSMAN
-
‘I’ve struggled to recover my reading mojo since lockdown. This turned out to be the thing that sparked it back to life… Funny, sharp, dark and twisted, Grace is a character I found myself rooting for even as she committed the most vile misdeeds’ JOJO MOYES
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‘Addictive… one of the most intriguing and bewitching protagonists I've read in years’ EMMA GANNON
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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‘A funny, compulsive read about family dysfuction and the media’s obsession with murder’ SUNDAY TIMES STYLE
-
‘You’ll be gripped… Grace’s emotional detachment throughout will give you chills’ COSMOPOLITAN
-
‘Hilarious and dark’ ELLE
-
‘Ironic twists and caustic commentary on everything from liberal guilt to the consumerist con that is “selfcare” sharpen this debut novel’ OBSERVER
-
‘Brilliantly tongue-in-cheek stuff from the Vogue columnist’ IRISH INDEPENDENT
-
‘Original, funny, unique and such a refreshing read’ PRIMA
-
‘A deliciously dark debut novel’ RED
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‘This smart revenge comedy is told through the eyes of the Villanelle-esque anti-hero Grace Bernard… Chilling, but also laugh-out-loud funny. Another corker of a debut’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
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‘Deliciously addictive… brilliantly executed’ i PAPER
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‘Witty, waspish satire of a murderer with no regrets’ GRAZIA
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‘Darkly hilarious’ IRISH TIMES MAGAZINE
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‘Deliciously dark and twisted’ You magazine, MAIL ON SUNDAY
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‘Bella Mackie’s debut novel is by turns pitch-dark and laugh-out-loud funny, with an outrageous final twist’ DAILY MAIL
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‘hilarious… skilfully plotted’ Adele Parks The Sun
User Reviews
Book 4.7
Narration 4.8
-
4.0 4.0
Quite a fun listen, though the plot does get a bit silly. Frustrating ending, though I think that is intentional.
sardow 2025-12-01 -
5.0 3.0
This book is a real “page-turner”. Just about all the people in it are horrible, but nonetheless I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen next so ended up listening way past my bedtime. It also had a good twist.
The narration is mostly good but sadly let down by some mispronunciations of words which for me spoils the suspension of disbelief needed for such a story.JuliaCB 2025-06-02 -
4.0 5.0
Great narrator fits the character perfectly. This book is a bit of a rollercoaster, with the dark comedy really making you question revenge in a subtle way.
Certainly has oddities and consciences but a very good comedy overallGeorgeK 2025-04-10 -
5.0 5.0
Humorous, witty, with a flair for slightly gnarly dramatics. Quite a juicy plot twist too; added a good spice to the end which definitely ended the book on a high note.
Majka 2025-01-02
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5.0 5.0
Just simply brilliant, it's a genuine must read. It's in a different class from so many books I have read.
It stands head and shoulders above similar books.
It's now on my top 20 books.
I gave up on the Thursday murder club because it's rubbish compared to
How to kill your family. 😁😁😁👏👏👏Johnboy 2023-08-15 -
5.0 5.0
Awesome / quite the twist!
JENTHOMASPAINTS 2023-06-20 -
5.0 5.0
Great book ⭐
Eviecatmum 2023-06-04 -
5.0 5.0
What a great story, well thought out. I couldn't see any holes in the various plots. The narrator was excellent, such a clear voice with the emphasis so good. It was just like listening to a play on Radio 4!
We really couldn't fault this book. Disappointed to have finished it.
Now to look for another with the same reader Charly Clive.Rocketman 2023-01-02 -
5.0 5.0
Brilliantly written, very well narrated. Enjoyed every minute!!
JuanitaK 2022-11-14 -
5.0 5.0
I loved this book!! Funny and kept me hooked. I loved the twists and turns, I was disappointed when I got to the end
kama 2022-10-04 -
5.0 5.0
I was fully gripped by the storytelling and the narration is really funny and very self aware which I loved. I really enjoyed the precise and self- aware commentary on class and family wealth. Really recommend!
travelsinfiction 2022-03-14
Details
- Author
- Bella Mackie
- Narrator
- Charly Clive, Paul Panting
- Duration
- 10 hours 50 minutes
- Release Date
- 22 July 2021
- ISBN
- 9780008365936
- Format
- x-book®
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Genre
- Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general, Narrative theme: interior life / psychological fiction, Family life fiction / Stories about family, Humorous fiction, Narrative theme: death, grief, loss
- Rating
- 4.7(22 reviews)
- Narration
- 4.8(22 reviews)
Synopsis
**Pre-order Bella Mackie's new 2026 novel CLAWS OUT! now** Grace Bernard is on a murderous mission… to avenge her mother, she plans to do away with every member of her family, one awful rich person at a time. And then she's imprisoned for a crime she didn't commit. Entertaining, shocking and deliciously addictive. THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ‘I loved this book’ RICHARD OSMAN ‘Funny, sharp, dark and twisted’ JOJO MOYES They say you can’t choose your family. But you can kill them. Meet Grace Bernard. Daughter, sister, serial killer… Grace has lost everything. And she will stop at nothing to get revenge. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––- ‘Funny and furious and strangely uplifting. Grace is a bitter and beguiling anti-hero with a keen eye for social analysis – even in her most grisly deeds, you never stop rooting for her’ PANDORA SYKES ‘Deliciously addictive…brilliantly executed’ i PAPER ‘Addictive… Grace Bernard is one of the most intriguing and bewitching protagonists I've read in years’ EMMA GANNON ‘A funny, compulsive read about family dysfunction and the media’s obsession with murder’ SUNDAY TIMES STYLE ‘You’ll be gripped… Grace’s emotional detachment throughout will give you chills’ COSMOPOLITAN ‘Hilarious and dark’ ELLE ‘Ironic twists and caustic commentary on everything from liberal guilt to the consumerist con that is “selfcare” sharpen this debut novel’ OBSERVER ‘Brilliantly tongue-in-cheek stuff from the Vogue columnist’ IRISH INDEPENDENT ‘Witty, waspish satire of a murderer with no regrets’ GRAZIA ‘Original, funny, unique and such a refreshing read’ PRIMA ‘A deliciously dark debut novel’ RED ‘One very entertaining read’ WOMAN’S WAY How To Kill Your Family was number 1 in the Sunday Times paperback chart on 26/04/2022
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