Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

Amanda Byrd's 13 Reasons for Murder: Politeness Kills is a psychological thriller. Britney Cage is a successful businesswoman, owner of the Passing Through temp agency. She places thousands of people in temporary jobs, making friends along the way. She parties with the rich and famous when she wants to, has friends she occasionally socializes with, but otherwise leads a solo life, just her and Minion, her little cat. What people don’t realize is that Britney is a collector. She sifts through her friends and her clients, through the people she places in jobs, looking for those she has a use for. You see, Britney is also the deadliest serial killer in Florida and she’s got an itch that needs scratching. And she’s got her sights set on the next victim.

Amanda Byrd's 13 Reasons for Murder: Politeness Kills is a strange book, weirdly compelling reading. Given the title, I’m assuming this is the first of thirteen books in the series, and it spent a lot of time setting the scene and building up the characters. The characters were well developed and we’re left in no doubt who Britney Cage is and what she’s all about, that’s for sure. We also get a snapshot of some other minor characters in the story and of Julie, Britney’s assistant at work. The plot is fresh and unique, a nice change to read something a little different but it isn’t a high-action plot. However, there is definitely a story here and I hope that in the next book there will be more action. Amanda Byrd does have a way of pulling you into the story and clearly has a vivid imagination; and she’s obviously done her homework on serial killers – that came across loud and clear. It was a good book and I do want to read the second one.