Murder Your Darlings
Jenna Blum
Harper Publishers
January 2026
Murder Your Darlings by Jenna Blum has the author venturing into the thriller genre. Formerly known for her historical novels, she still maintains some semblance by making her female lead, Simone “Sam” Vetiver, a historical novelist. This suspenseful novel had love, grief, and revenge.
“This is my first thriller. I am known for historical fiction. I had this story about murderous writers in my head, pushing the ideas for the historical novel away. It was a such a joy to write a thriller because I did not have to do any historical research. In writing thrillers, I felt like I was putting together a puzzle. All I had to do is unpack my life since I have been a career writer since I was sixteen. I married my own experience with the publishing world and a mid-life women writer at the crossroads. It was so much fun to write.”
Readers meet Sam who is finishing up a book tour while searching for some ideas for her next plot. She then receives a fan letter from best-selling author William Corwyn who shares the same publisher. She is appreciative of his offer to help her write the next novel but refuses. Instead, she decides to give up everything for the right man. And it appears William is that man. They start out as friends, but it moves quickly to a steamy relationship. Yet, something does not appear as it seems. Although William at first seems like a dream come true, as time goes by the relationship becomes less promising and sentimental.
It seems Sam and William are opposites. The author wrote Sam as “sweet and hopeful. In the beginning of the book, she is despondent because her career has not gone as she hoped. She is trying hard to be optimistic. Sam is a survivor of a traumatic background, so she does not trust her own instincts, which makes her wildly co-dependent. She is vulnerable, desperate, and is looking to do something different. I think Sam is also charming, reserved, paranoid, funny, and tenacious. She is nuts in the way a lot of writers are nuts, spending most of her time with imaginary characters.”
“William is a malignant narcissist. The only research I did for the book is looking up what is a malignant narcissist. I find narcissist characters have a view of themselves that is ironclad and is not the way the rest of the world sees them. It makes William amusing and frightening to watch. He is a terrible cad. He is chauvinistic, charming, unreasonable, egotistical, moody, arrogant, ambitious, lonely, and a bully.”
Regarding their relationship Blum noted, “Narcissistic and co-dependent people often complement each other. He manipulates her so much and she allows that to happen. Readers might want to say to her, ‘snap out of it.’ She is totally co-dependent. I am also in recovery for co-dependency. I am hoping through Sam’s actions readers who are co-dependent do not feel alone and see there are ways around it. Other readers might want to shake her and to say to her, ‘can you not see this guy is terrible for you.’ Through Sam I wanted to shine a light on this issue. The relationship is 100% dysfunctional, following a traditional narcissism cycle of love bonding, disappointment, the person being dumped, and then that person being pulled back in.”
To add to their woes William has an obsessive stalker who he dubbed the Rabbit. She appears to have Sam in her cross hairs. Through some investigation Sam is wondering if her loneliness led to trusting the wrong people.
“I love the Rabbit. I had the most fun writing her and William. She is gritty, determined, loves books (her saving grace), she has determination, and speaks truth to power. She got her name from William because the person has a terrible over-bite and does not have very many lovers. This is a moment when his misogyny is completely on display, being so judgmental. My favorite line is when the Rabbit reveals her real name.”
Readers take the journey with Sam as she tries to navigate her different emotions and wonders who really has a dangerous obsession. Told in the perspective of the three characters: Sam, William, and the Rabbit, people begin to realize things are not as they seem, wondering who the good guys are and who are the bad guys.
The plot is riveting and will have readers not wanting to put the book down.
