My Best Friend’s Murder; a dark, compelling exploration of friendship

This is a book in which the toxic tension literally bounces off the page and hits you straight in the face time and time again. I was frequently physically wincing as I read this book. And I couldn’t stop reading it – I needed to know the outcome. But let me tell you, I wasn’t prepared in any way for the dark twists at the end…

At the core of My Best Friend’s Murder is a toxic friendship built on extreme passive aggression. It is compelling to read but also very uncomfortable at times, which ultimately makes it all the more compelling to read. The manner in which Polly Phillips writes about toxic friendship is so blatant. It is so taut, fresh and exciting.

Narrated from the point of view of Bec who has been best friends with Izzy from the age of eleven, My Best Friend’s Murder portrays the friendship over a series of eight months or so. This includes the last few months of Izzy’s life.

Izzy is one of these people who seems to have the picture perfect life; the loving husband, the beautiful child, the perfect house, looks, elegance and charm as well as a successful career. By contrast, Bec lives in a shabby flat with her boyfriend, never seems to succeed in her career and is always playing catch up to Izzy. So why is it that when Bec gets engaged, Izzy’s passive aggression goes into overdrive? Yet however toxic the friendship is, Bec cannot let go:

But you couldn’t let her go, could you? You’re like a fucking addict

I’ve got to be honest, I didn’t like Izzy at all. She is the ultimate bitch. I also struggled to trust many of the supporting characters including Rich, Izzy’s husband and Ed, Bec’s fiancé. I was striving for Bec all the way through but I also wanted to shake her for putting up with such disgusting treatment from Izzy. I was desperate for her to know her self worth. For that reason I loved Rob, Bec’s brother who gets frustrated and angry with his sister and can clearly see Izzy for what she is.

And then Izzy is found dead at the bottom of the stairs in her home. Was she pushed? Did Izzy push Bec into pushing her down the stairs? To find out you need to read this dark, compelling story…

If you love psychological thrillers, My Best Friend’s Murder is an addictive, sinister summer read. It is Polly Phillips debut novel which has also won the Montegrappa Writing Prize at the Emirates Literature Festival in 2019. It also had me guessing right till the last paragraph.

Thank you to Anne Cater for inviting me to take part in the blog tour to help publicise the publication of My Best Friend’s Murder which was released in paperback on 8th July. To read the reviews from my fellow book bloggers also on the blog tour, please see below.