Everyone in the Group Chat Dies

Chilton follows Swiped with a disappointing comic thriller focused on failed journalist Kirby Cornell and her former roommates. The group proudly called themselves “the Deadbeats” when they shared a flat in the sleepy English town of Crowhurst and maintained a steady routine of reality TV and pub crawls. When they welcomed buzzkill Esme into their ranks, however, their bonds started to fracture. Now, a year after Esme’s death, Kirby has left Crowhurst for London. She’s pulled back to her old life, however, when the dormant Deadbeats group chat gets revived by a message that appears to be from Esme: “Miss me?” Then another of the former Deadbeats dies, and “Esme” threatens more victims to follow. Equal parts frightened for her life and aware that she has a juicy story on her hands, Kirby tries to figure out if the killings could be linked to a massacre at Crowhurst’s annual Crawe Fair 30 years earlier. While the concept is promising, Chilton’s two-dimensional characters and anemic stabs at humor—there’s only so much to skewer about lazy 20-somethings—squander it. This lacks the ease and inspiration of the author’s debut. Agent: James Wills, Watson Little. (Dec.)