India, Oct. 11 -- Our favourite man-hating murderer is back! Kitty Collins returns in To All the Men I've Killed Before, the third instalment in author Katy Brent's series. This time, the anti-heroine is on a mission to avenge her best friend, who was left in a coma by her boyfriend, Adrian Ward. Adrian has fled England, but Kitty has tracked him to sunny Los Angeles, where she begins hunting him alongside her younger half-sister, Antoinette, who is quickly developing her own taste for murder. In LA, the sisters also cross paths with a serial killer targeting aspiring actors who have turned to creating adult content, a pattern the police appear determined to ignore. Brent's novel touches upon the spectrum of dangers women face, from everyday misogyny such as catcalling, unsolicited advances, gaslighting and verbal abuse, to graver threats including rape, physical violence, and murder. But instead of smashing the patriarchy with high-minded proclamations, her heroine is a Gucci-clad socialite on a messianic mission to rid the world of bad men. Not all men, of course; just the misogynists. If you haven't read the first two novels in the series, that's not a problem. Kitty's quick-witted and barbed, albeit frequently out-of-touch, narration is breezy and frothy, providing more than enough context to bring newcomers up to speed on her previous adventures. However, this also proves to be a double-edged sword. While reliable enough to orient a first-time reader, Kitty is deliciously delusional and painfully predictable, often failing to spot the plot twists lurking right under her nose. Her female rage lends an interesting layer to the novel, sitting at the intersection of comedy and violence. We know violence should not be funny, yet Kitty's inner monologue brings humour to crime fiction, a genre usually treated with a seriousness that sometimes borders on preachiness. The fact that Kitty has unimaginable wealth at her disposal certainly helps her remain focused on what truly matters: indulging in luxuries the reader can only sigh over while continuing her violent rampage against misogynists who, in her estimation, "truly deserve it". The novel will not have you burning the midnight oil as you race through its pages, nor will its climax arrive as a revelation. But Kitty certainly puts her enormous stash of money where her mouth is, flipping the script on the patriarchy and delivering the juicy wish fulfilment on which this feminist revenge fantasy rests. Title: To All the Men I've Killed Before Author: Katy Brent Publisher: HarperCollins Price: Rs.599...