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An Ethical Guide To Murder

The darkly twisted debut thriller of the year

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An Ethical Guide To Murder

By: Jenny Morris
Narrated by: Nicky Diss
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About this listen

 How to Kill Your Family meets The Power in this entertaining and thought-provoking read, that asks: if you had the power between life and death, what would you do?

Thea has a secret. She can tell how long someone has left to live just by touching them. Not only that, but she can transfer life from one person to another – something she finds out the hard way when her best friend Ruth suffers a fatal head injury on a night out. Desperate to save her, Thea touches the arm of the man responsible when he comes to check if Ruth is all right. As Ruth comes to, the man quietly slumps to the ground, dead.

Thea realises that she has a godlike power: but despite deciding to use her ability for good, she can’t help but sometimes use it for her own benefit. Boss annoying her at work? She can take some life from them and give it as a tip to her masseuse for a great job. Creating an ‘Ethical Guide to Murder’ helps Thea to focus her new-found skills. But as she embarks on her mission to punish the wicked and give the deserving more time, she finds that it isn’t as simple as she first thought.

How can she really know who deserves to die, and can she figure out her own rules before Ruth’s borrowed time runs out?

‘Relatable, poignant, and filled with unexpected twists’ Jenny Hollander, author of Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead

‘Jenny Morris has taken the "with great power comes great responsibility" concept and applied it to someone who struggles to be responsible for her own laundry. A marvellous debut!’ Alice Bell, author of Grave Expectations

‘An Ethical Guide to Murder is the best type of book – one that’s as entertaining as it is thought-provoking. With Thea, Jenny Morris has created one of the most interesting characters that I’ve read in a long time’ Kellye Garrett, award winning author of Missing White Woman

‘Fresh and fun, I loved this original take on the crime genre. Combining ethics with a good old revenge story, I raced through this unexpectedly poignant novel. A fabulous debut!’ Sam Holland, author of The Echo Man Crime Thrillers Dark Humour Fantasy Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Magical Realism Thriller & Suspense Crime Exciting Murder

Critic reviews

‘A wonderfully hooky premise with the emotional depth to back it up, An Ethical Guide to Murder is a stellar debut from Jenny Morris. The Trolley Problem for the Uber age’ Callum McSorley, author of Squeaky Clean, winner of the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year 2024

‘A darkly compelling and brilliantly original take on power, morality, and consequence. Thea’s extraordinary gift is both a blessing and a curse, and watching her navigate the blurry line between justice and vengeance makes for an absolutely gripping read. With razor-sharp prose and wonderfully relatable characters, Morris asks the ultimate question: if you had the power of life and death, how far would you go? I couldn't put it down’ Amanda Cassidy, Irish Times Bestselling author of The Perfect Place

‘You do not want to miss this! A fresh, humorous yet thought-provoking tale of one ordinary, complex woman’s quest to put her superpower to good use. Thea’s dilemmas of who lives and who dies will keep you pounding through the pages with a smile on your face and an ache in your heart’ Graham Bartlett, author of City on Fire

‘A deliciously dark, entertainingly sincere Dexter meets Sophie's Choice. Loved it!’ Claire Wilson, author of Five by Five

‘An Ethical Guide to Murder is a thought-provoking whirlwind of a ride with unexpected twists, well-timed humor, and a propulsive plot. It kept me on my toes until the last page, and I'm still thinking about it!’ Gloria Chao, author of The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club and Ex Marks the Spot
All stars
Most relevant
I did finish it but I just didn’t enjoy the whole ‘ethical’ stance ..
The performance was a bit flat for me.
I’m sure there will be many who will enjoy this but it was more of a ‘summer beach holiday’ read for me and not my usual pick

Not my cup of tea

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I got really absorbed into this book. Narration and story were fab. Thought provoking but not on an exhaustive hard work way. Just a really nice change from the usual format. Would recommend.

Different and thought provoking

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Seeing all the negative reviews on this book made me curious to read this book and I am so glad I did. Let's face it, we can all put ourselves in the same position. People we would like to take revenge on and others we want to help, however we can. Read this book with an open mind. Enjoy it for what it is, a look at other people's minds and possibly what's in yours.

Gripping revenge

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Wouldn’t recommend this book. The main character is a monster, the writing is quite poor. It was a Book Club read and I would not recommend it. Too many inconsistencies and ridiculous characters. Narrator had a blocked nose which was really irritating.

Lazy prose and ghastly characters

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Great story with some moral turmoil, thoroughly enjoyed it and didn’t expect the ending to be so wholesome

Great story with a wholesome end

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