'They Never Learn' by Layne Fargo is a gripping revenge thriller that follows Scarlett Clark, an English professor who takes justice into her own hands by eliminating men who assault and rape women on the campus of Gorman University. The story also delves into the life of freshman student Carly Schiller, who seeks revenge after her roommate is sexually assaulted and the university fails to take action. The book is praised for its fast-paced narrative, feminist themes, and unexpected twists that keep readers engaged till the end.
Genres:
Tropes/Plot Devices:
Topics:
Notes:
Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Triggers include emotional and physical violence, sexual violence, and themes of murder.
Has Romance?
While romance is not the central focus, there is a significant romantic subplot involving LGBTQ+ characters.
From The Publisher:
From the author of the "raw, ingenious, and utterly fearless" (Wendy Walker, USA TODAY bestselling author) Temper comes a dynamic psychological thriller about two women who give bad men exactly what they deserve-perfect for fans of Killing Eve and Chelsea Cain.
Scarlett Clark is an exceptional English professor. But she's even better at getting away with murder.
Every year, Dr. Clark searches for the worst man at Gorman University-professor, student, or otherwise-and plots his well-deserved demise. Thanks to her meticulous planning, she's avoided drawing attention to herself…but as she's preparing for her biggest kill yet, the school starts probing into the growing body count on campus. Determined to keep her enemies close, Dr. Clark insinuates herself into the investigation and charms the woman in charge. Everything's going according to her master plan…until she loses control with her latest victim, putting her secret life at risk of exposure.
Meanwhile, Gorman student Carly Schiller is just trying to survive her freshman year. Finally free of her emotionally abusive father, all Carly wants is to focus on her studies and fade into the background. Her new roommate has other ideas. Allison Hadley is cool and confident-everything Carly wishes she could be-and the two girls quickly form an intense friendship. So when Allison is sexually assaulted at a party, Carly becomes obsessed with making the attacker pay...and turning her fantasies about revenge into a reality.
"A gorgeously-written ragestorm of a thriller" (Wendy Heard, author of The Kill Club), They Never Learn is a feminist serial killer story that you won't be able to put down.
Ratings (24)
Incredible (7) | |
Loved It (5) | |
Liked It (4) | |
It Was OK (5) | |
Did Not Like (3) |
Reader Stats (74):
Read It (23) | |
Want To Read (41) | |
Did Not Finish (1) | |
Not Interested (9) |
2 comment(s)
LGBTQIA+!! Woman serial killer killing disgusting asshole men!! Say less!! We support women’s wrongs 🫶🏼🤭
Surprisingly good story and pretty well written. I had a great time reading it.
The main character of this story - Scarlett, is a serial killer. I have a big soft spot for the main characters who are murderers. I rarely read thrillers in which the main character tries to hide a crime they committed. And this is a theme that I like very much and which is a great change from the typical searching for an answer to the question of who killed the victim.
The book begins with a very powerful scene where Scarlett kills her latest victim. So the beginning of this book is really great. Somewhere around halfway, the action slows down a bit, but luckily it picks up pace again later. Short chapters make you read the book very quickly.
We have two storylines here - Scarlett, our murderer, and a young girl named Carly. It's basically two stories in one book. In my opinion, we find out too early how these two plot lines are connected. I wish it were one of the surprises at the end. So that I can work out the connection myself. Although I admit that I did not expect this answer, at least this early in the book.
I was a bit afraid of ending this story,
because very often when the main character is a murderer, s/he is finally caught and goes to jail at the end of the story. And I like from time to time when the killer outsmarts everyone and deceives the police.
Fortunately, my worries were unnecessary. I found the ending very satisfying.
The author outlines quite well the problem of consent and various dimensions of sexual harassment. Unwanted touch and sexual harassment are a very important part of this book. If you are particularly sensitive to such topics or cannot stand rape scenes, this may not be a book for you. In my opinion, the author shows very well what it means sometimes to be a woman among men, the belief that if there was no rape, nothing really happened, and that if a woman flirts with a man, it does not mean that she agrees to sex. There is something very empowering about this story.
Though I believe the men in this book have been portrayed a little too biased. Not every guy thinks only about one thing, there are no examples of “good” men in this story, they are all evil. The male part of the world in this book is very one dimensional. All women are victims, all men are sexual predators. In my opinion, this simplification weakens the message of this book.
This is a very interesting book. I would definitely recommend it, although it seems to be a book aimed more at female readers, men may find some elements quite frustrating.
What can you read after
They Never Learn?
About the Author:
Layne Fargo is the author of the thrillers Temper and They Never Learn. She's a Pitch Wars mentor, Vice President of the Chicagoland chapter of Sisters in Crime, and the cocreator of the podcast Unlikeable Female Characters. Layne lives in Chicago with her partner and their pets.
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.
