Kids Who Kill: Joshua Phillips

True-crime investigation charting the shocking child murder of Maddie Clifton. When police discovered a 14-year-old boy had hidden the body of his childhood friend under his bed for a week without anyone noticing, they had a lot of questions. How was he able to continue his everyday life as if nothing had happened? Why did his parents not realise there was something wrong when the corpse started to smell? And what was it that drove a child to kill his 8-year-old friend?

This is the first in indie author Kathryn McMaster’s new series ‘Kids Who Kill’. Like her previous books (Who Killed Little Johnny Gill and Blackmail, Sex and Lies), Ms McMaster shows off her talent for research and investigation. Using court documents, testimonies and police reports, she brings to life this horrendous murder and its effect on the individuals and families involved. The book drew me in with its fascinating and absorbing account and the author’s clever use of language that gives a feeling of immediacy and participation. It’s also worth noting that the nature of the crime demands a level of detail that some readers may find hard to bear.

With the next two books in this series already listed for pre-order, Kathryn McMaster has created an intriguing and captivating series that will thrill true-crime readers everywhere.