Karma Never Sleeps by R. John Dingle
Does karma really exist, or is it just an excuse we use to explain the cruel twists of fate? In Karma Never Sleeps, R. John Dingle thrusts readers into a chilling exploration of buried secrets, murder and revenge in the seemingly charming New England town of Kendalton.
When two members of a lifelong friend group turn up dead, FBI agent Gus Wheeler steps in and finds his investigation spiraling into a sinister maze of deception and a cat-and-mouse hunt for an elusive killer bent on revenge.
When a second victim, Sarah Nelson, is found murdered just 6 months after her friend Laurie Turner, Gus and his partner Vanessa are called from their Boston office to the small town of Kendalton to track down a potential serial killer. A chilling clue planted near Sarah’s body points them to Rebecca Munroe, a teenage girl who took her own life 25 years earlier.
A Dark Past That Connects Them All
Convinced that Becca’s tragic death is connected to both murders, Gus and Vanessa are led to the remaining members of the posse — Jules, the group’s alpha leader, along with Mel, Maria and Lizzy — who were not only Sarah and Laurie’s lifelong friends but also Becca’s former classmates.
As Gus and Vanessa peel back the layers, the posse’s friendship begins to crack. It becomes clear that these women are bound by more than childhood memories — they share a secret they’ve kept hidden for decades. Meanwhile, cyberstalking, break-ins and escalating threats hint that the killer might be closer than anyone suspects.
As tension rises and suspicion shifts within the group, Gus and Vanessa are forced to re-examine Becca’s supposed suicide and the dark history that links them all. Can they uncover the truth before more blood is spilled?
Writing That Draws Readers In
What I appreciate about Dingle’s writing is his cinematic approach that draws readers into the fictional world of Kendalton. Through his sharp attention to detail, Dingle turns every setting — from foggy supermarket parking lots to eerie woods and fading small-town libraries — into a character of its own.
The scenes mirror the characters’ emotions and balance the characters’ internal monologues with tightly crafted suspense. Whether it’s Mel silently battling grief behind the wheel of her Jeep or Jules plotting her next move from a dingy motel room, Dingle makes sure the reader is always in step with the characters’ spiraling emotions.
The dialogue is crisp and realistic, especially between Gus and Vanessa; their dry humor and rapport add levity to the increasingly dark plot.
I also enjoyed Dingle’s characterization. The characters are very complex and emotionally scarred. Mel, for example, is a woman fractured by loss and trapped in a cycle of grief and guilt. Jules, on the other hand, is a masterclass in manipulation and survival, constantly calculating how far she’ll go to protect her reputation.
Even Gus is multifaceted beyond the typical profiler archetype and wrestles with his own past wounds while navigating the town’s labyrinth of lies. Each character in this book feels like a product of their environment — haunted by past traumas, loss, old resentments and fractured loyalties.
The Perfect Slow-Burn Thriller
Thematically, Karma Never Sleeps meditates on guilt, complicity and the corrosive nature of secrets. Dingle dives deep into how trauma reshapes people, especially when left to fester. The idea of karma looms heavily as characters confront the ripple effects of past actions they believed were buried forever.
The novel asks hard questions: How long can loyalty mask complicity? Can redemption ever outweigh the damage already done? In the end, Dingle suggests that karma doesn’t just “never sleep”; it lies in wait, demanding reckoning.
Overall, Karma Never Sleeps is a slow-burn thriller with psychological depth, driven by morally gray characters and haunting small-town secrets. While the ending left me reflecting on the ripple effect of past sins, it also made me question whether closure is ever truly attainable, or just another illusion we cling to for survival.
This story is perfect for readers who prefer character-driven mysteries over cheap thrills. Fans of psychological thrillers like Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies and Kate White’s The Secrets You Keep will be captivated by Dingle’s exploration of fractured friendships, hidden pasts and the sinister forces lurking beneath small-town life.
R. John Dingle is the author of mysteries and psychological thrillers set in New England. He and his wife currently call a small island in Mid-Coast Maine ‘home’, both living, writing and boating from their restored 200-year-old house. The psychological thriller, Karma Never Sleeps, is John’s first novel.
