meat cute

What are the chances that two serial killers show up in the same office?

Temp worker Jake Ripper first noticed her in the elevator. She dressed all in black and kept to herself, using her phone as a sword to keep others at arm’s length. She doesn’t say much, doesn’t seem to have any friends at work, and doesn’t seem to miss a trick. Jake is intrigued, but he can’t help but wonder if she’s a killer.

Dolores dela Cruz is interested in killers. She listens to a true crime podcast and stays on high alert. So when the new temp started at work, she immediately wondered if he was a serial killer. He has those classic good looks, but dresses in beige, like he’s trying not to stand out at all. And when he follows her in the parking garage one night, she teases him about the body in the truck of his car.

Jake liked teasing Dolores about her interest in killers, but he was glad she hadn’t insisted on seeing in his trunk. But as the teasing goes on, the light back and forth, the flirting that turns to friendship, both Jake and Dodi (as he comes to call her) realize that their killer games may be hiding something more serious. So she helps him hide a body, and then he returns the favor, in their way.

But their flirtations hide deeper issues, and their new relationship can help with some but not all of their individual problems. But then it turns out that there really is a serial killer operating in the area, sending office workers off the top of buildings, and getting the pet name Paper Pusher. Could it be Jake? Could if be Dolores? Or is it someone else, who might be targeting them as their next victim?

Serial Killer Games is a clever rom com about complicated people who may or not be killers. Told in alternating viewpoints, this book is filled with secrets and twists that take readers to unusual and unexpected places. This is a slow burn romance, with serial killer based flirting, perfect for fans of true crime podcasts and documentaries, with lots of clever dialogue and a slow heat.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from this one, but I was drawn in immediately as Jake and Dolores felt each other out at work, trying to figure out who the other person was. And once we got a little further in, and saw more of what was happening in their lives, the story drew me in so much more. The impromptu trip to Las Vegas, the fights with HR, school pickup, Christmas—all of it was funny and smart and surprisingly moving.

I think you have to be a true crime junkie to really get the humor of this book, but if you’re one of us, with the favorite Dateline host and documentary recommendations when you log into your favorite streaming service and a bunch of social media discussion groups about your true crime podcasts, then you’ll find this rom com clever and refreshing and all sorts of fun.

Egalleys for Serial Killer Games were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.