VALENTINE DAY MURDER: HOW TO KILL A GUY IN TEN DATES by SHAILEE THOMPSON

Shailee Thompson makes a spectacular entry into Australian popular fiction ranks with her genre blending debut novel, How To Kill A Guy In Ten Dates (Atria, 28 January 2026).

Combining the familiar tropes and themes of the slasher genre with the light-hearted spirit of a classic romantic comedy, How To Kill A Guy In Ten Dates delivers a wild and unpredictable reading experience. Nicely balances genuinely funny moments with scenes that will have you grimacing in shock, it keeps you constantly on your toes all the way to the bloody conclusion.

When cinephile Jamie Prescott attends a speed-dating event in an old, multi-level club, she expects to meet some mediocre men and have a laugh with her best friend Laurie. What she does not expect is for one of her dates to have his throat slit at her table during a blackout. When the lights come back on, there are more bodies on the floor and the doors are locked. Armed with makeshift weapons and her extensive knowledge of what not to do in a slasher movie, Jamie must figure out how to make it out of the building alive. But as the night progresses, and the bodies mount up, she begins to suspect that the killer is committing the slayings to woo one of the daters. She also finds herself distracted by the charms and sex appeal of the surviving guys, one of whom may be the killer.

Jamie’s witty, genre savvy banter moves the story along at a brisk pace, and the frequent flashes of violence maintains the suspense at a high level. The tongue-in-cheek narration is kept in check by some gruesome moments, and by the mechanics of a clever plot that help to ground the book’s high-concept central conceit. The cast of characters are mixed and nicely sketched, although some only have cameo roles, and there are enough twists and surprises to keep the story interesting all the way to the unexpected blood-soaked finale. Jamie is an engaging and nuanced central character and her relationship with Laurie has real warmth and texture to it, which adds to the enjoyment of the book.

In all, How To Kill A Guy In Ten Dates is a fun read that I enjoyed far more than I was expecting to!

How To Kill A Guy In Ten Dates was released in Australia on 28 January 2026 and in the United States on 3 February and in the United Kingdom on 12 February.