How to Get Away With Murder

The novel alternates between two narratives. One follows Detective Inspector (DI) Samantha "Sam" Hansen, a Metropolitan Police officer in London, as she investigates the murder of a teenage girl and hunts for the author of a sinister how-to guide for serial killers. The other consists of chapters from that guide, a book-within-the-book titled How to Get Away with Murder, written under the pseudonym Denver Brady by a self-proclaimed serial killer.

Sam is on extended sick leave when the story begins, battling post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after Detective Sergeant Phil Lowry sexually assaulted her at work six months earlier. Her godfather, Detective Chief Inspector Harry Blakelaw, handled the incident by quietly transferring Lowry with a promotion rather than pursuing formal charges, a betrayal Sam struggles to process. Walking home from therapy one afternoon, Sam discovers that a fourteen-year-old girl has been strangled and posed beneath an oak tree in Holland Park. She immediately agrees to return to work.

At New Scotland Yard, Harry briefs Sam on the case. The victim is Charlotte Mathers, a high-achieving student who lived with her wealthy father, Nigel Mathers, and her uncle, Jack Mathers. Charlotte's initials and those of "Denver Brady," carved inside a heart on the trunk, were found at the scene alongside a copy of How to Get Away with Murder. Harry assigns Sam to lead a small team focused on identifying Denver Brady, while DI Tina Edris serves as Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) for the homicide. He pairs Sam with Adam Taylor, a Trainee Detective Constable from a fast-track program.

Sam begins reading Denver's book. His opening chapters describe two supposed kills: the drowning of a boy named Jono in a flooded quarry when Denver was twelve, and the strangling of a convent schoolgirl named Sarah during his college years. He places Sarah's death in 1997, allowing Sam and Taylor to estimate his birth year as approximately 1981. Sam compiles a profile from clues in the text, and Claire, a linguist, identifies Denver's dialect as northeastern English. Taylor tracks the book's printer to Brighton, while Sam traces the website's revenue through suspected intermediary bank accounts. Sam also adopts a stray dog, Toni, who becomes her constant companion.

The investigation accelerates when Nigel disrupts a televised press conference by throwing a copy of the book to journalists and accusing Denver of killing Charlotte. Harry tells the press there is no serial killer, a statement Sam recognizes as a catastrophic error. The resulting frenzy buries the team in false confessions. Harry makes Sam joint SIO alongside Tina.

Taylor discovers a cold case matching Denver's account of murdering an elderly woman named Elizabeth "Betty" Brown. Sam and Taylor travel to Newcastle to meet DI Neil Duggan, who has long tried to reopen the case, and Dr. Tweedy, the pathologist. Tweedy reveals that Denver claims Betty died quickly and her fingers broke accidentally, but the pathology shows she was tortured for at least an hour with all ten fingers deliberately broken. This proves Denver possesses unpublished knowledge and lied about his violence. At the station, Sam has a severe panic attack and loses consciousness. Afterward, she drinks heavily, and Taylor must call Harry to help get her home. Harry threatens to end Taylor's career if he speaks about the incident.

Sam develops a theory about Denver's identity by cross-referencing chapters. Betty's son, who drowned after his university graduation, matches the circumstances of Bobby's death as Denver describes it, indicating Bobby and Betty's son are the same person. Denver is Betty's nephew, and Betty is the one person he actually murdered. Sean Lister, a man Denver claimed to have killed, arrives at Scotland Yard alive, confirming he met Denver at a northeastern university.

A parallel lead follows the arson at Swinton's Printers. Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage identifies Andrei Albescu, a Romanian petty criminal in east London, as the likely arsonist. Harry insists Albescu is Denver Brady, dismissing Sam's theory. Albescu turns himself in and confesses. A search of his flat yields a manuscript draft, a laptop, and trophies described in Denver's chapters: Betty's sapphire ring and the diamond earrings of a woman named Melanie, whom Denver claims to have killed while framing her violent boyfriend, Richie Scott. Scott was convicted. Sam is convinced the evidence was planted. Amy, a professor who is the real Amy from Denver's book, describes Denver as pale, mousy-blond, and blue-eyed, the opposite of Albescu.

Sister Mary Louise, a nun, arrives with decisive evidence. She reveals that Sarah, Denver's supposed second victim, died by suicide, and that the nun herself carved only Sarah's initials on the oak tree. She also brings sealed letters written to Sarah by someone signing as "B.B." Taylor confirms Betty Brown's nephew is named Barry Brown: B.B.

Sam also pieces together Charlotte's murder. She realizes Jack Mathers killed his niece using Denver's book as a manual: Jack placed a tracker in Charlotte's bag, drugged Nigel to learn Charlotte's route, carved the heart in advance, and created alibis. Rather than claiming credit, Sam guides Tina toward the same conclusions, allowing Tina to make the arrest.

Sam confronts Harry over his determination to charge Albescu despite evidence the man is being framed. Harry argues the prosecution would advance both their careers. Sam refuses. Harry retaliates by suspending her, citing her panic attack, drinking on duty, and missed therapy sessions. Sam spirals into a depressive episode, sustained only by Toni.

When Sam recovers, she watches the aftermath unfold: Albescu pleads guilty and is sentenced to life in prison, while Scott walks free, his conviction overturned. She recognizes Scott's lawyer, Julius Windsor, a King's Counsel, or senior barrister, who also represented Albescu, by his distinctive tie. She realizes Windsor is Barry Brown, Denver Brady, using a changed name. Brown murdered Betty for her inheritance, built a legal career, and wrote the book to mask his single real killing behind a serial-killer persona. Sam confronts Windsor with her case, but he dismisses her as "a minor character" in his story. Sam leaves with a cryptic smile.

In the final act, Sam orchestrates events that blur justice and vigilantism. She helps Lindsay, Scott's new girlfriend whom Scott is already abusing, escape to Newcastle, but plants Lindsay's trackable phone outside Windsor's home. Scott, tracking the phone, attacks Windsor and critically injures him, then breaks into Sam's home. Sam has booby-trapped her staircase with a cable and loosened the landing light. Scott trips and falls; Sam beats him with a baseball bat and stages the scene as self-defense. He is left in a coma.

A final "Bonus Chapter" of Denver's book instructs readers on killing people they know: engineering self-defense scenarios, staging falls, and manipulating others into violence. Sam's actions mirror these instructions precisely. A reference to Harry's death from a fall along clifftops he frequented implies Sam pushed him, staging it as an accident. The novel closes with Sam calling Windsor's hospital ward, posing as his "Aunt Betty," and laughing at a television program. Her single-word reflection, "Maybe," about whether to contact Taylor, echoes Denver's own closing word, suggesting Sam has internalized Denver's methods and become the very thing she set out to stop.