Dark humour, interesting story

4 stars

The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair was a fun, dark, sarcastic reflection of the life of an octogenarian and why she committed so many murders. 

Reminiscing with Daphne, said octogenarian, after she confesses to the police that she killed multiple men over the years, was a pleasantly dark affair. She doesn't suffer fools lightly and more often than not that would include Ruth, the host of a podcast exploring Daphne's murders and what led her down the path of a serial killer. From rags to riches, with an acid tongue, Daphne tells all...or does she? Ruth suspects there is something Daphne is leaving out and wants to encourage her to confess all in her past. Ruth has her own secrets and it takes quite a while for that to be made clear. Hints aplenty abound but as strange events occur, Ruth is keeping it to herself. Also of interest are the posters commenting on the running podcast. Their insight and conversation added an extra level complexity and humour.

Initially I liked the sparky attitude of Daphne and felt sympathy for her. As her story progresses, that feeling wains ever so slightly. I felt neutral toward Ruth with no emotional investment until the end, when I felt we understood her more. By then my empathy for Daphne also comes back online and we see a more human aspect to her closely manufactured persona.

All in all a fun ride. More touching than I expected as most characters undergo some form of transformation that makes them more rounded.