Haven't Killed in Years: A Novel by Amy K. GreenPublication Date: November 18, 2025
Pages: 368
Add on: Goodreads
Rating: ★★★★
Source: From the Publisher
Genre: Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
Publisher: Berkley / Penguin Random House
In this fascinating and propulsive thriller, a serial killer’s daughter, who is determined to live a normal life, gets wrapped up in a murder investigation that makes her question whether she can ever fully move on from her past.
Marin Haggerty, daughter of a world-renowned serial killer, spent her early childhood training to follow in her father’s bloody footsteps, before she developed her own sense of right and wrong. After his arrest, she’s put in witness protection and happy to take on a new identity, that of harmless office worker Gwen Tanner. Even if keeping everyone at a distance is a little boring, at least she—and society—is safe.
But when someone starts sending body parts to her house, the message is clear: I know who you are. To keep her identity secret, Gwen has to take on the highly inconvenient (but kind of exhilarating?) role of hunting down the killer herself, a journey that will take her from the twisted world of true crime fandom to drug-fueled house parties to an unlikely person from her past. She’ll learn she is capable of deep, human connections after all . . . and that she’s not the only one with secrets to hide. But is finally opening herself up going to help her catch the killer, or will it put her and others in even more danger?
Story Locale: Boston, MA
REVIEW
Amy K. Green’s Haven’t Killed in Years takes the serial killer thriller and turns it on its head, blending biting wit with genuine suspense. Marin Haggerty, now Gwen Tanner, has spent her life hiding from the shadow of her infamous father, serial killer Abel Haggerty. Years after her father’s arrest, Marin’s carefully constructed anonymity collapses when someone uncovers her past, and a new string of murders drags her back into the world she tried to escape.
The story crackles with tension as Marin is forced to juggle secrets, survival, and the bizarre subculture of true crime obsessives. Green isn’t afraid to poke fun at the morbid fascination people have with killers, all while keeping the reader guessing and grinning in equal measure.
At the heart of the novel is Marin herself: challenging, haunted, and impossible to pigeonhole. She’s not trying to play hero or antihero, she’s just someone desperate for an everyday life, caught between guilt, fear, and the ever-present lure of notoriety. The plot never lets up, but it’s the psychological depth and the sharp, satirical edge that make this thriller shine.
Green’s writing is brisk and clever, with twists that come exactly when you need them and humour that cuts through the darkness. The book occasionally juggles a few too many surprises, but it’s a wild ride that most readers will tear through in a sitting.
Haven’t Killed in Years stands out for its originality, its pitch-perfect protagonist, and its fearless send-up of true crime fandom. If you like your thrillers smart, funny, and just a little bit unsettling, this one’s a must-read.
