Review of They Never Learn by Layne Fargo

They Never Learn, published in 2020, is the story of a serial killer and revenge.

Scarlett is an English professor at Gorman University in Pennsylvania.  She’s a seasoned serial killer whose driving force is revenge.  She only kills men who hurt women, but all the men are connected to the university.  Even though Scarlett has made sure to make their deaths look like accidents or suicides, the sheer number of deaths over the years begins to worry university officials, who begin an investigation.  With the investigation looming over her head, Scarlett botches her next murder.  There’s no way to make it look like an accident or suicide, and Scarlett is sure she’ll be caught.

Carly is a Freshman at Gorman.  She’s a victim of verbal and emotional abuse at the hands of her father.  Although a loner, Carly becomes reluctant friends with her roommate.  When her roommate is sexually assaulted and the university will do nothing about it, Carly longs for revenge.  She begins to write stories of vengeance, and her hatred of men grows to rival Scarlett’s.

The connection between Scarlett and Carly is revealed half-way through the book, but I think the reveal could have been pushed later.  The clues were well-hidden, and the red-herrings did their job.  When the revelation came, it was a complete surprise to me. But I was a little disappointed because I would’ve liked to have read more before the big secret was revealed.  I would have happily waited until the end of the story to find out.  Nevertheless, They Never Learn is still a fulfilling thriller.