Confessions in the Dark

Millie Masters, our narrator, begins her story with a confession: she's killed before, and she's not sure if she regrets it. Her first kill was her abusive father, but that's not the story she wants to tell. Instead, she's recording her recent actions—illegal, violent, and, in her mind, justified. She's not seeking forgiveness, but clarity, and perhaps a little notoriety. As she pours wine and counts her sins, she frames her story as a confessional, a reckoning with herself and the world. The tone is darkly witty, self-aware, and unapologetic, setting the stage for a tale where morality is a shifting, personal code.

Message M: Night Rescuer

By day, Millie is a picture framer; by night, she's the anonymous force behind "Message M," a hotline for women in trouble. She patrols the city, picking up girls from dangerous situations, driven by a need to protect others after failing to protect her sister, Katie. The hotline is her penance and her purpose, a way to channel her rage at a world that preys on the vulnerable. Millie's interventions are sharp, sometimes violent, and always laced with her own brand of justice. Her actions blur the line between savior and vigilante, and she's acutely aware of the risks she takes.

Katie's Silence, Millie's Fury

Katie, Millie's beloved younger sister, is a shell of her former self after being raped at university. She's withdrawn, barely eating, and haunted by guilt and shame. Millie's love for Katie is fierce and protective, but also tinged with helplessness and rage—at the attacker, at the system, at herself. Their mother is passive, unable to confront the reality of what's happened. Millie's visits to Katie are fraught with unspoken pain, and her inability to "fix" her sister becomes the engine for her own descent into vigilantism.

The Vigilante's First Kill

Millie's rescue missions escalate when she intervenes to save a drugged girl, Rose, from a predatory man named Karl. The confrontation turns violent, and in the chaos, Millie pushes Karl down the stairs, killing him. She meticulously erases her presence, but the act is both exhilarating and terrifying. The aftermath is a mix of guilt, paranoia, and a strange sense of accomplishment. Millie rationalizes the killing—Karl was a predator, and the world is better without him—but the event marks a point of no return. She's tasted the power of retribution, and it's addictive.

Friends, Lovers, Liars

Millie's social circle is a mix of old school friends—Nina, Angela, Izzy—and new acquaintances. Nina, her best friend, is loyal and forgiving, but her new boyfriend, Hugh, raises Millie's suspicions. The group's dynamics are fraught with secrets, resentments, and the ever-present threat of male violence. Millie's relationships are shaped by her distrust of men and her need to protect the women around her, even as she struggles to maintain her own sanity. The introduction of James, a charming customer at the frame shop, adds a new layer of tension—he's kind, attractive, and, unbeknownst to Millie, a detective.

The Cost of Protection

Juggling her day job, Message M, and her personal vendettas, Millie's life becomes increasingly chaotic. She's haunted by the girls she couldn't save, the friends she's neglecting, and the mounting evidence of her own crimes. Her relationship with Katie is strained by secrets, and her friendship with Nina is tested by Nina's blind trust in Hugh. Millie's anger is both her weapon and her weakness, driving her to act but also isolating her from those who care about her. The cost of her crusade is high, and the cracks are starting to show.

The Spiral of Violence

Millie's vigilantism escalates. She targets Steven, a man who drugs women, and kills him in a calculated act of retribution. She pushes a stalker off a bridge, suffocates Hugh (after discovering he's scamming Nina), and bludgeons a would-be rapist and his complicit friend. Each act is justified in her mind—these men are predators, abusers, or enablers—but the violence is spiraling out of control. Millie is both hunter and hunted, her paranoia growing as the police begin to connect the dots. The line between justice and vengeance blurs, and Millie's sense of self is increasingly fractured.

The Wrong Man Dies

In her quest to find Katie's attacker, Millie fixates on David Cartwright, a bald, tattooed bouncer who fits the scant clues Katie provided. She breaks into his home and kills him in a gruesome, staged accident. Only later does she realize her mistake—David was innocent, his alibi ironclad. The guilt is crushing, and the realization that she's become the very thing she hates threatens to destroy her. The police, now treating the deaths as suspicious, close in, and Millie's world begins to unravel.

Guilt, Guts, and Gin

Haunted by her actions, Millie turns to alcohol and isolation. Her friendship with Nina is strained as secrets pile up, and her relationship with James becomes a dangerous game of cat and mouse. Katie's condition worsens, culminating in a suicide attempt that leaves Millie desperate and directionless. The weight of her guilt is matched only by her determination to finish what she started—find and punish her sister's real attacker, no matter the cost.

The Detective Gets Close

James, the detective, pieces together the pattern of deaths and begins to suspect Millie. Their budding romance is tainted by suspicion and mutual attraction. When James confronts her, Millie is forced to choose between confession and self-preservation. The confrontation is tense, charged with emotion and violence. Millie's world narrows to a single point: finish her mission before she's caught, or die trying.

The Truth About Hugh

Nina discovers that Hugh, her boyfriend, is a conman and a cheat. Millie, already suspicious, orchestrates his death by exploiting his nut allergy, ensuring he can't hurt Nina or anyone else again. The act is both protective and ruthless, a testament to Millie's loyalty and her willingness to cross any line for those she loves. Nina is devastated, but the truth sets her free, and her loyalty to Millie is unshaken.

The Bridge and the Bearded Man

A persistent male runner, Chris, stalks Millie using her running app. When he confronts her on a deserted bridge, Millie pushes him to his death, staging it as a suicide. The act is both self-defense and preemptive justice, but it marks another escalation in Millie's violence. The police find a wig at the scene, and the net tightens. Millie's methods become more desperate, her justifications more strained.

The Cycle of Revenge

Millie's quest for justice is rooted in her own history of abuse. Flashbacks reveal her father's violence, her mother's passivity, and the cycle of trauma that shaped her. Millie's first kill—her father—was both an accident and an act of liberation. The revelation that her uncle Dale, not a stranger, is Katie's attacker brings the cycle full circle. Millie's violence is both a product of her past and a desperate attempt to break free from it.

Katie's Letter

Katie, recovering in hospital, writes Millie a letter confessing that she knows the identity of her attacker but lied to protect Millie from herself. The letter is a turning point—Millie realizes she's been hunting the wrong man, and the true target is someone close to home. The revelation is both devastating and clarifying, giving Millie a renewed sense of purpose and a final target.

The Final Target

Millie confronts her uncle Dale, the man who hurt Katie and, by extension, destroyed their family. The confrontation is brutal, cathartic, and final. Millie stages Dale's death as an accident, but the act is less about justice and more about ending the cycle of violence that has haunted her family for generations. The police close in, and Millie prepares for the end—whether it's prison, death, or something else.

Nina's Loyalty

Nina, ever loyal, orchestrates a plan to frame James for the murders, using evidence Millie unwittingly left behind. The scheme is risky, morally ambiguous, and ultimately successful—at least for now. Nina's actions are a testament to the power of female friendship, the willingness to do anything for those we love, and the blurred lines between right and wrong. Millie is given a second chance, but the cost is high.

The Blaze of Glory

As the police close in, Millie sets Dale's house ablaze, nearly dying in the process. She escapes, aided by Nina, and the two women reflect on what they've done and what comes next. The story ends with Millie free but forever changed, her future uncertain. The cycle of violence may be broken, but the scars remain. Millie's story is one of rage, love, and the desperate search for justice in a world that offers little of it.

Characters

Millie Masters

Millie is a complex, deeply damaged woman shaped by childhood abuse and the trauma of her sister's rape. Her love for Katie is fierce, protective, and sometimes suffocating. Millie's moral code is personal and mutable—she kills not for pleasure, but for what she sees as justice. Her wit and intelligence are matched by her capacity for violence and self-destruction. Millie's relationships are fraught with secrets, and her journey is one of both vengeance and self-discovery. She is both hero and antihero, a product of her past and a force of her own making.

Katie Masters

Katie is Millie's younger sister, the "good one," whose life is derailed by sexual violence. Her withdrawal and depression are both a source of pain and a call to action for Millie. Katie's silence is protective—she withholds the truth to shield Millie from herself. Her eventual confession is an act of love, and her recovery is tentative but hopeful. Katie represents both the cost of violence and the possibility of healing.

Nina Lee

Nina is Millie's best friend, a successful lawyer with a big heart and a sharp mind. She is the only person who truly understands Millie, and her loyalty is unwavering—even when it means breaking the law. Nina's own romantic misadventures (notably with Hugh) mirror Millie's struggles with trust and vulnerability. In the end, Nina's resourcefulness and courage save Millie from destruction, proving the power of female friendship.

James Khan

James is a homicide detective who becomes both Millie's lover and her pursuer. Intelligent, principled, and genuinely kind, he is drawn to Millie's darkness even as he seeks to expose it. Their relationship is a dance of attraction and suspicion, culminating in betrayal and violence. James's fate is ambiguous—he is both victim and, through Nina's machinations, scapegoat. His presence forces Millie to confront the consequences of her actions.

Hugh Chapman

Hugh is Nina's boyfriend, a manipulative grifter who exploits her trust and generosity. His duplicity is uncovered by Millie, who orchestrates his death to protect Nina. Hugh's character is a commentary on the dangers women face even from those closest to them, and his fate is both a warning and a release.

Karl Tarneburg

Karl is a sexual predator who becomes Millie's first kill. His death is both an accident and a deliberate act of justice, setting Millie on her path as a vigilante. Karl's presence lingers throughout the story, a reminder of the darkness Millie is fighting against—and becoming.

David Cartwright

David is a bouncer who fits the profile of Katie's attacker but is ultimately innocent. Millie's murder of David is a turning point, forcing her to confront the reality that her quest for justice can have tragic, unintended consequences. His death haunts her, a symbol of the dangers of unchecked vengeance.

Chris (the Bearded Man)

Chris is a persistent male runner who stalks Millie using her running app. His death is both self-defense and a commentary on the everyday dangers women face. Chris's presence is a reminder that violence is not always dramatic—sometimes it's the slow, insidious threat that's hardest to escape.

Uncle Dale

Dale is Millie's uncle and, as revealed in Katie's letter, her true attacker. His betrayal is the ultimate wound, the final link in the chain of generational violence. Millie's confrontation with Dale is both an act of vengeance and an attempt to break the cycle that has defined her family.

Rose

Rose is a young woman Millie saves from Karl, a stand-in for all the women Millie couldn't save—including her sister. Rose's vulnerability and gratitude are both a balm and a burden for Millie, reinforcing her sense of purpose and her guilt.

Plot Devices

Confessional Narrative

The novel is structured as a confessional, with Millie addressing an imagined audience (or herself) through a series of recordings and internal monologues. This device allows for deep psychological insight, unreliable narration, and a darkly comic tone. The confessional format blurs the line between truth and self-justification, inviting readers to question Millie's motives and reliability.

Vigilante Justice

Millie's actions are driven by a personal code of justice, often at odds with the law. The plot explores the limits and dangers of vigilantism, the failures of the justice system, and the seductive power of retribution. Each kill is both a response to a specific threat and a step further into moral ambiguity.

Female Rage and Friendship

The novel foregrounds female relationships—sisters, friends, victims, and survivors. Millie's bond with Katie and Nina is the emotional core of the story, and the plot is propelled by acts of loyalty, protection, and, ultimately, complicity. The contrast between female solidarity and male violence is a recurring theme.

Foreshadowing and Red Herrings

The search for Katie's attacker is marked by misdirection, false leads, and the dangers of acting on incomplete information. The revelation that Millie has killed the wrong man is foreshadowed by her own doubts and the unreliability of memory. The use of red herrings heightens suspense and underscores the tragic consequences of vengeance.

Cycles of Violence

The narrative is haunted by the past—Millie's abuse, her father's violence, and the legacy of trauma. The plot interrogates whether violence can ever be redemptive, or if it only perpetuates suffering. Millie's final act is both an attempt to end the cycle and an acknowledgment of its power.

Dark Humor and Irony

Millie's voice is laced with dark humor, irony, and self-deprecation. This tone provides relief from the grim subject matter and invites readers to empathize with a deeply flawed protagonist. The humor is both a coping mechanism and a form of resistance.

Analysis

How to Kill a Guy in Ten Ways is a razor-sharp, darkly comic thriller that subverts the serial killer genre by centering female rage, trauma, and solidarity. Through Millie's confessional narrative, the novel explores the failures of the justice system, the complexities of vengeance, and the costs of taking justice into one's own hands. The story is as much about the psychological toll of violence as it is about the violence itself, interrogating the cycles of abuse that shape individuals and families. The novel's greatest strength lies in its unflinching portrayal of flawed, resilient women—Millie, Katie, and Nina—who refuse to be passive victims. Their loyalty, wit, and willingness to break the rules are both their salvation and their undoing. Ultimately, the book asks whether true justice is possible in a world stacked against women, and whether breaking the cycle of violence requires more than just retribution—it demands honesty, healing, and the courage to move forward.

Last updated: June 21, 2025