Q&A: L.M. Chilton, Author of ‘Everyone In The Group Chat Dies’

We chat with author L.M. Chilton about Everyone In The Group Chat Dies, which is a compulsively readable, surprisingly funny, and genuinely thrilling pageturner about a TikTok true crime investigator, a ’90s serial killer that may not be as dead as everyone would like, a text thread from hell, and long buried secrets that just won’t stay in the grave where they belong.

Hi, Luke! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

I’m a novelist who specializes in darkly comedic crime fiction. I’m always looking for new ways to weave modern technology into my books, like apps, cell phones and social media. There’s no escaping the digital world anymore, so why not make it deadly? Our phones know everything about us, our group chats are overflowing with secrets and gossip, and social media has turned us all into performers pretending to be someone else. That’s fertile ground for a psychological thriller, and it’s often way more terrifying than anything you’d find in a dusty old mansion!

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

In the best way possible: my parents reading to me every night with full character voices. I’d drift off to sleep with these stories playing out in my head like movies. My dad would improvise these epic sci-fi sagas on the spot (I’ve no idea how he kept track of the plot—I suspect he didn’t), but they’d also read classics like Huckleberry Finn and The Hobbit to me.

Quick lightning round:

• The first book you ever remember reading: Incredible Hulk #181.
• The one that made you want to become an author: High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

Your latest novel, Everyone in the Group Chat Dies, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Twisty funny scary WTF whodunnit.

What can readers expect?

It all starts when a message pops up on an old group chat, but the sender died a year ago… The book is like the cast of Friends wanders into I Know What You Did Last Summer. Friendship, betrayal, and plenty of murder in a small town drowning in secrets. (Also, the group chat from absolute hell.)

Where did the inspiration come from?

I’m in about seventeen different group chats, and we all know how annoying they can get—the endless notifications, the people who only communicate in GIFs, someone’s mum who got added by accident. So I wondered: what if someone unknown infiltrated your group chat and started threatening you? What if they know all your secrets? Then the thing that’s supposed to connect you becomes the thing that destroys you.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing?

The will-they-won’t-they romance between the main character Kirby and her flatmate Dylan is a fun thread throughout the book. I also enjoyed the clash between old media—Kirby works for her local newspaper—and new digital media, represented by their mysterious new flatmate Esme, a self-styled “social media sleuth” who thinks she can solve crimes through her TikTok videos.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

Juggling three timelines was tricky. There’s the present day, where Kirby is chasing down the masked killer targeting her and her flatmates, and  flashbacks to a year earlier, where the TikTok detective has gone missing.  But there’s a also an unsolved serial killer case from the 90s that may or may not be connected to current events. I had to set up a big corkboard covered in post-its like a proper crime investigation room.

What’s next for you?

My next book is called I Think We Should Kill Other People, and it’s about a woman snowed in at an airport with her ex, his new in-laws… and a serial killer.

Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to in 2026?

Tomorrow & Tomorrow & Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin was brilliant—it made me want to quit writing books and start writing video games! But it’s also a wonderful examination of how friendship can last and change over decades. For 2026, I’m counting down to Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister, it’s about a mother and daughter road trip that goes sour when the daughter disappears and the mom finds a mysterious ransom note.

Will you be picking up Everyone In The Group Chat Dies? Tell us in the comments below!