“Sweetpea”: A Serial Killer Dark Comedy

A review of C. J. Skuse’s 2017 novel

Photo from Goodreads

Although I usually prefer to read a book before watching its screen adaptation, I recently enjoyed the Sweetpea TV series. Despite not typically gravitating toward serial killer stories, I was fascinated by the tale of a meek young woman who transforms into a murderer.

Upon discovering the show was based on British writer C. J. Skuse’s book series, I had to grab a copy of the first novel at my local library. While I anticipated some differences, I was surprised by how much the book and show diverged. Once I accepted the novel was its own story, I had a lot of fun reading Sweetpea.

Despite surviving a notorious crime as a child, Rhiannon’s life appears normal. She lives with her boyfriend and dog, but works an unsatisfying job as an editorial assistant and listens to her friends drone on about marriage and babies. But she has a secret. She keeps a list of people she’d like to kill — and now, she’s ready to get her revenge.

“You have to play the system. They think you’re weak and girly? Act weak and girly. Use their own prejudices against them. Then when they’re not looking, cut their fucking throats.” — C. J. Skuse, Sweetpea

Sweetpea was a fun dark comedy with plenty of personality. Rhiannon was an entertaining…