Review The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair

21 April 2026

I’ll admit, I usually avoid books with older protagonists. More often than not, they tend to fall flat—poorly written or simply not engaging. But Daphne St Clair is the exception in every possible way.

At ninety years old, Daphne St Clair is anything but ordinary. Sharp, unapologetic, and utterly captivating, she quickly became one of my favourite characters. When she suddenly confesses to murdering several men over the course of her life—some abusive, others simply inconvenient husbands—the obvious question is: why now? She’s gotten away with it for decades, so what’s changed?

Enter Ruth, an aspiring true crime podcaster, who is given the exclusive opportunity to tell Daphne’s story. As Ruth begins to unravel Daphne’s past—from her humble beginnings in the Canadian Dust Bowl to a glittering life in 1970s New York—it becomes clear that this is far more than a simple confession. Ruth, too, has her own motivations, and as the podcast unfolds, the lines between truth and storytelling begin to blur.

MacKenzie Common does a brilliant job crafting these two complex women. Their conversations feel authentic and layered, while the inclusion of online commentary adds a sharp, contemporary edge. You can almost see the true crime community hanging on Daphne’s every word, debating whether she is a feminist avenger or a cold-blooded killer.

Daphne herself is a fascinating contradiction—a woman who evolves from victim to predator yet remains deeply human. Her love for her son and the choices she makes in his name add an emotional depth that makes her difficult to dismiss, despite her crimes.

As the story builds towards its conclusion, the true motivations behind the podcast—and Daphne’s carefully controlled narrative—are revealed in a way that is both surprising and unsettling. The novel cleverly explores how easily people can be persuaded to sympathise with a murderer when the story is framed just right.

What stands out most is how Common manages to expose the darker truths about Daphne without ever completely alienating the reader. By the final page, you may find yourself doing the unthinkable—justifying the actions of a serial killer. It’s unsettling, thought-provoking, and incredibly well done.

This is a clever, dark, witty, and completely unputdownable read. If you haven’t added The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair to your TBR yet, you absolutely should.