“A breathtaking achievement. Reader, I devoured it.”
Reader, I Murdered Him
In this daring tale of female agency and revenge from a New York Times bestselling author, a girl becomes a teenage vigilante who roams Victorian England using her privilege and power to punish her friends' abusive suitors and keep other young women safe.
Adele grew up in the shadows--first watching from backstage at her mother's Parisian dance halls, then wandering around the gloomy, haunted rooms of her father's manor. When she's finally sent away to boarding school in London, she's happy to enter the brightly lit world of society girls and their wealthy suitors.
Yet there are shadows there, too. Many of the men that try to charm Adele's new friends do so with dark intentions. After a violent assault, she turns to a roguish young con woman for help. Together, they become vigilantes meting out justice. But can Adele save herself from the same fate as those she protects?
With a queer romance at its heart, this lush historical thriller offers readers an irresistible mix of vengeance and empowerment.
Featured in: Amazon’s Best Young Adult Books of the Month, Autostraddle, Buzzfeed, Electric Literature (interview), Forbes (interview), The Happy Writer (podcast interview), Parade Magazine, Paste Magazine, Sparknotes (interview)
“Captivating and delicious, READER, I MURDERED HIM is the sharp stiletto edge separating beautiful and horrid, sweet and bitter, gentle and gutting. Once you meet Adele Varens, you will never forget her. Just like your first love. Or your first kill . . . . A captivatingly written tale of vengeance, survival, derring-do, and the myriad complex forms of female love, READER, I MURDERED HIM is a breathtaking achievement. Reader, I devoured it.”
“☆Cornwell has reimagined legends and fairy tales; now she turns to classic literature in this fierce spin-off of Jane Eyre . . . . giving many of the women who spent Jane Eyre in [Rochester’s] considerable shadow the space to love, to speak, and, if they must, to kill. A delicious reconstruction.”
“☆Cornwell’s deep-rooted understanding of the inspiration material, paired with Adele’s characterization as a courageous and cunning protagonist, make for an enthralling examination of justice, revenge, and romance.”
“This story inspired by Charlotte Brontë’s classic is an engaging tale of female friendship, love, and vigilantism that does not pull punches in its study of the original, especially when it scrutinizes and wholly deromanticizes Mr. Rochester. Adèle shines as an astute, clear-minded, bisexual protagonist who is moved above all by her fierce love for her friends . . . . An absorbing and empowering tale.”
“A perfect Gothic read for a cozy night.”
“If you love gothic fiction, regardless of whether you’re more into Charlotte Bronte or V.C. Andrews, you should check this one out.”
“For those who turn from Jane Eyre with a desire for a queer heroine.”
“Rochester-haters, booklovers, and every old sport who can’t get enough of complex heroines and historical thrillers about fighting the patriarchy, allow us to introduce your newest obsession . . . . We truly can’t recommend this book enough, and we think you will LOVE it.”
“A twisty, dark, and intensely Gothic spectacle of a book . . . . superbly executed, bringing marginalised narratives to the centre and blending them into bloody new territory.”
“This page-turner of a thriller remains remarkably faithful to Bronte’s original while breaking new ground with its fascinating protagonist.”
“Entirely irresistible!”
“My Plain Jane meets The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue in this daring tale of female agency and revenge.”
“Deliciously wicked.”
“As a huge fan of Jane Eyre, and an even bigger devotee of Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea, I was immediately drawn to this book and was not disappointed. Like Wide Sargasso Sea, it struck the perfect balance of attention to the original narrative of Jane Eyre alongside a new storyline that follows a grown up Adele.”
“An excellent curative that captures the feeling of the original novel while being completely different at the same time. It’s extremely impressive. . . It’s sharp and funny and touches on issues that still face women today, while reminding us that we are never alone. I’d highly recommend this book for fans and critics of Jane Eyre alike.”
“I haven’t read a book that had a similar balance of grit and lyricism since maybe Six of Crows . . . . I was immediately captivated by Adèle and her story. I’ve never read Jane Eyre so everything here was completely new to me, but I was still able to picture it and keep track of the plot . . . . I enjoyed the sense of humour and found that the reveals and twists were a good mix of shocking and drawn-out intrigue.”
“My favorite historical fiction trope is the “girl who refuses to conform to societal norms” and this one definitely does not disappoint. This dark story is gorgeously told. The characters are complex and a pleasure to get to know . . . . it always kept me glued to the page. ”
“Reader, I loved this. What a great adaptation of Jane Eyre, giving Adele Varens, Rochester’s ward, center stage as she comes to England, and eventually uses her privilege to help her friends and other vulnerable women around her as a murderess and thief. I loved the focus on the female friendships between Adele and the Webster girls, as well as the pointed look that this gives to Jane and Rochester’s relationship, truly showing Rochester’s monstrousness to its full potential.”
“I never knew I needed this book until I got it . . . it’s wonderful . . . I fell in love with this story because Adele is a girl who grows into a young woman when she’s sent to finishing school and learns what it means to be a woman in her society. She learns what her limits would be, makes friends and grows into someone that will fight for what she wants, fights to save her friends, and best of all fights to have a future on her own terms.”
“I loved this book. It is such a strong feminist re-telling of a classic story . . . . I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an intriguing and feminist murder mystery take on a classic tale.”
“What an absolute treasure this story is!”