Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Runtime: Approx. 1h 30m Rotten Tomatoes+1
Director / Writer: Logan Giese Rotten Tomatoes+1
Key Cast: Brittany Underwood (Natalie Johnston), Eva Igo (Gwen Johnston), Ainsley Burch (Wendy Novak), Nicole Weber (Sadie Chandler) etc. Rotten Tomatoes+2Bloody Disgusting!+2
Premise & Setup
The Book Club Murders kicks off with a simple but promising hook: a book club whose seemingly cozy gatherings hide dark secrets. Members start receiving threatening letters that reveal their most private pasts, and soon people start turning up dead. Natalie Johnston, one of the members, becomes desperate to unmask the culprit — especially as her daughter edges closer to becoming the next target. Rotten Tomatoes+1
So, it’s part domestic drama, part whodunit, with a Lifetime-movie sensibility (i.e. relationships, secrets, emotional stakes) meeting mystery thriller tropes.
What Works Well
Engaging Setup / Mystery
The idea of a book club is a clever façade — it suggests intimacy, trust, sharing — then those very things are subverted. Anonymous letters revealing secrets are a classic but effective device, creating tension and suspicion within the group. Rotten Tomatoes+1
Over-the-Top Killer Reveal
The reveal of the killer is dramatic, theatrical in a good way. Reviewers point out that while some of the plot gets messy, the final unmasking and the villain’s monologue are satisfying and contribute to the film’s tension. Rotten Tomatoes+1
Solid Cast Doing Their Best
Even though some characters are underwritten or somewhat familiar in trope, the cast delivers. Brittany Underwood and others bring a mix of sympathy, fear, and suspicion that helps the viewer stay invested. Bloody Disgusting!+1
Good Moments of Suspense
Scenes such as the asphyxiation murder are well directed, making the audience feel the horror without overdoing gore. There are moments where the film catches the viewer’s breath and leans into suspense. Bloody Disgusting!
Where It Stumbles
Overstuffed Plot & Red Herrings
One of the biggest criticisms is that there are just too many subplots — the parents, the teens, back-stories — and the film tries to juggle them all. Because of that, some threads feel thin or unresolved. Clues, red herrings, and character motives are spread so widely that some payoff feels under-whelming. Bloody Disgusting!
Character Depth / Emotional Connection
While the cast works well, not all characters are developed enough. Some seem to exist mostly to raise suspicion or deliver secrets rather than to feel like full people. This reduces the emotional weight when a character is threatened or killed. Bloody Disgusting!
Villain’s Motivation is Messy
The killer’s motivations are considered somewhat convoluted and emotionally overdrawn. The script tries to combine betrayal, past trauma, and current jealousy, but the net effect is that some viewers find it less believable or compelling than intended. Bloody Disgusting!
Tonality / Pacing Issues
Because of the number of elements, the pacing sometimes feels uneven. Early scenes build tension well, but mid-film there are lulls; the tension seems diluted by switching between the adults’ dramas and the younger sideplots. Also, some action / violence feels under-polished in execution. Bloody Disgusting!
Verdict
The Book Club Murders is a solid Lifetime-style thriller: cozy, secretive, and with enough twists to keep you watching. It probably won’t re-invent the genre, but if you like your thrillers with emotional stakes, interpersonal drama, and the classic “who among us is lying?” setup, it delivers more often than it disappoints.
If I were to rate it: ★★★☆☆ (3 out of 5)
It’s best approached with modest expectations. Don’t expect deep character arcs for every supporting figure, but go for the tension, the reveal, and the guilty pleasures of secret exposure in small-town settings.
