[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"work-reviews-detail-mrs-shim-is-a-killer-jh8f":3,"work-reviews-list-mrs-shim-is-a-killer-jh8f":138},{"id":4,"slug":5,"title":6,"original_title":7,"description":8,"first_publish_year":9,"original_language":10,"primary_cover_url":11,"cover_3d_url":12,"cover_blurhash":13,"preferred_edition_id":7,"community_rating_avg":14,"community_rating_count":15,"page_count":16,"estimated_reading_minutes":17,"shelves_added_this_week":18,"enrichment_status":19,"community_depth_avg":7,"community_momentum_avg":7,"community_atmosphere_avg":7,"community_craft_avg":7,"community_impact_avg":7,"community_spice_avg":7,"is_non_fiction":20,"is_romance":20,"is_indexable":21,"rating_distribution":22,"authors":24,"genres":31,"characters":44,"places":58,"subjects":68,"series":85,"editions":86,"enrichment":116,"community_distribution":7,"default_edition":135,"faqs":136,"reviews_count":15,"contributions_count":23,"quotes_count":18,"photos_count":18,"created_at":137},"01knktkj33krvsrdrcgqsg2yjw","mrs-shim-is-a-killer-jh8f","Mrs. Shim Is a Killer",null,"Mrs. Shim needs money. She has lost her husband and her job, and there are three mouths to feed at her kitchen table; if she doesn't find work soon, she and her children will lose their home. So when she answers a vague ad for the Smile Detective Agency, she assumes it's a cleaning position, until the interview consists entirely of questions about her years as a butcher and what she can do with a cleaver.\n\nToo frightened to refuse, Mrs. Shim takes the job, and discovers that killing is not so different from butchery. She rises quickly to become the agency's finest contract killer, but her talent draws envy from rivals and colleagues alike, and soon the knives are pointed at her. When she's finally sent to eliminate the head of a rival agency, she finds a shockingly familiar face at the end of her blade. Told through a kaleidoscope of perspectives, Kang Jiyoung's bestselling Korean thriller is a pitch-black comedy about survival, family, and a very unlikely assassin.",2026,"ko","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.seekquel.app\u002Fstorage\u002Fcovers\u002Fcontributions\u002Fwork\u002F01\u002F01knktkj33krvsrdrcgqsg2yjw_69d4e7fe1388b.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.seekquel.app\u002Fstorage\u002Fcovers\u002Fworks-3d\u002F01\u002F01knktkj33krvsrdrcgqsg2yjw.png?v=fe380e197b","L4S~x5~q~q~q_3j[xuj[~qWBD%of","3.50",2,320,364,0,"pending",false,true,[18,18,18,18,18,23,18,23,18,18],1,[25],{"id":26,"slug":27,"name":28,"role":29,"bio":30},"01knktkj7g21dnw5w0vnpgpt80","kang-jiyoung-9qpv","Kang Jiyoung","author","Kang Jiyoung is a South Korean author who writes dark thrillers and suspense fiction. She is best known for her novel Mrs. Shim Is a Killer, which follows an elderly woman with a secret history of violence. Her stories often focus on the hidden lives of ordinary people caught in dangerous situations.",[32,36,40],{"id":33,"name":34,"slug":35,"is_fiction":21},5,"Thriller","thriller",{"id":37,"name":38,"slug":39,"is_fiction":21},119,"Humor","humor",{"id":41,"name":42,"slug":43,"is_fiction":21},44,"Crime","crime",[45,50,54],{"id":46,"name":47,"description":48,"role":49,"is_spoiler":20},"01knktkj8b9435p2fhnq6mw03e","Mrs. Shim","A widowed former butcher who becomes an unexpectedly gifted contract killer to support her family.","protagonist",{"id":51,"name":52,"description":7,"role":53,"is_spoiler":20},"01knktkj8cn7zy1kkmtwxd9m80","Leader of a rival agency","antagonist",{"id":55,"name":56,"description":7,"role":57,"is_spoiler":20},"01knktkj8d32kdrq2zcavzaj3n","Mrs. Shim's children","supporting",[59,62,65],{"id":60,"name":61,"description":7,"is_fictional":21,"real_world_location":7},"01knktkj8q7x8r1k0sq60h9gfy","Smile Detective Agency",{"id":63,"name":64,"description":7,"is_fictional":20,"real_world_location":7},"01knktkj8r8bjg2ns9t023sgh1","Butcher shop",{"id":66,"name":67,"description":7,"is_fictional":20,"real_world_location":7},"01kk44p91qrzw5xe41sqym55fh","South Korea",[69,73,76,79,82],{"id":70,"name":71,"type":72},"01kjq7cgzpvgfzthz60sbhzqw7","Thrillers","subject",{"id":74,"name":75,"type":72},"01kjq6w9ktk5m1zj9kgh1zrtx6","General",{"id":77,"name":78,"type":72},"01kjq809wxhwax5nz1qdvefv9k","Family Life",{"id":80,"name":81,"type":72},"01kjq7gwe6t2q7xpeqzvc9bhsm","Humorous",{"id":83,"name":84,"type":72},"01knktkj80et536p2spgdqyxbd","Dark Humor",[],[87,101,109],{"id":88,"title":89,"edition_name":7,"format":90,"format_label":91,"page_count":92,"audio_duration_minutes":7,"narrator":7,"publish_date":93,"cover_url":94,"cover_blurhash":95,"isbn_13":96,"asin":7,"publisher":97,"language":98,"quality_score":99,"submission_status":100},"01knktkt9jep783wm64vxh79e2","Mrs Shim Is a Killer","unknown","Unknown",368,"2026-04-23","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.seekquel.app\u002Fstorage\u002Fcovers\u002Feditions\u002F01\u002F01knktkt9jep783wm64vxh79e2.jpg","LFRe6L?9~gxG:Xo0JAahX|N2$zt3","9781529957518","Transworld Publishers Limited","en",10,"approved",{"id":102,"title":103,"edition_name":7,"format":90,"format_label":91,"page_count":16,"audio_duration_minutes":7,"narrator":7,"publish_date":104,"cover_url":105,"cover_blurhash":106,"isbn_13":107,"asin":7,"publisher":108,"language":98,"quality_score":99,"submission_status":100},"01knktkt9yqws7zacdq2kxyqb5","Mrs. Shim Is a Killer A Novel","2026-04-21","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.seekquel.app\u002Fstorage\u002Fcovers\u002Feditions\u002F01\u002F01knktkt9yqws7zacdq2kxyqb5.jpg","LORlm.wdy3w^yCn%jFWV*DW;Rlod","9780063457348","HarperCollins",{"id":110,"title":6,"edition_name":7,"format":111,"format_label":112,"page_count":16,"audio_duration_minutes":7,"narrator":7,"publish_date":104,"cover_url":7,"cover_blurhash":7,"isbn_13":113,"asin":7,"publisher":114,"language":98,"quality_score":115,"submission_status":100},"01knktkj7p8za34pkm00bggx4s","hardcover","Hardcover","9780063457324","HarperCollins Publishers",7,{"summary":117,"pace":118,"complexity":119,"complexity_score":120,"audience":121,"mood":122,"themes":128,"setting_period":132,"content_warnings":133},"When a middle-aged widow loses her job at the butcher shop, she has three children to feed and no way to pay the rent, until she answers a vague ad for the Smile Detective Agency, which turns out to want her cleaver skills for a very different kind of work. Mrs. Shim reluctantly becomes a contract killer, and to her own alarm, she's brilliant at it. A darkly comic, bestselling Korean thriller told through a shifting cast of neighbors, rivals, and family.","fast","moderate",4,"adult",[123,124,125,126,127],"dark","funny","tense","satirical","gritty",[129,130,131],"anti-hero","morally-grey","multiple-povs","Contemporary",[134],"graphic-violence",{"id":88,"title":89,"edition_name":7,"format":90,"format_label":91,"page_count":92,"audio_duration_minutes":7,"publish_date":93,"cover_url":94,"cover_blurhash":95,"isbn_13":96,"asin":7,"publisher":97,"language":98},[],"2026-04-07T11:17:53.000000Z",{"data":139,"links":164,"meta":165},[140,155],{"id":141,"slug":142,"title":143,"user":144,"work_id":4,"is_draft":20,"verified_reader":21,"featured":20,"body":7,"overall_rating":120,"depth":7,"momentum":7,"atmosphere":7,"craft":7,"impact":7,"spice":7,"spoiler_level":151,"locale":7,"feed_item_key":152,"like_count":18,"comment_count":18,"top_likers":153,"viewer_can_reply":20,"created_at":154,"updated_at":154},"01kwdwy6e6fga37m7dnmjsbzv1","review-of-mrs-shim-is-a-killer-by-patient-bookworm","Review of \"Mrs. Shim Is a Killer\" by patient_bookworm",{"id":145,"name":146,"username":147,"avatar_url":148,"is_system":20,"published_reviews_count":149,"books_read_count":150},575,"Patient Bookworm","patient_bookworm","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.seekquel.app\u002Fstorage\u002Favatars\u002F575.webp?v=1782877720",369,461,"none","rv-01kwdwy6e6fga37m7dnmjsbzv1",[],"2026-07-01T03:53:05.000000Z",{"id":156,"slug":157,"title":158,"user":7,"work_id":4,"is_draft":20,"verified_reader":21,"featured":20,"body":159,"overall_rating":160,"depth":7,"momentum":7,"atmosphere":7,"craft":7,"impact":7,"spice":7,"spoiler_level":151,"locale":7,"feed_item_key":161,"like_count":18,"comment_count":18,"top_likers":162,"viewer_can_reply":20,"created_at":163,"updated_at":163},"01kr80y27njxgazgm8zcdyhm9s","review-of-mrs-shim-is-a-killer-by-deleted-258","Review of \"Mrs. Shim Is a Killer\" by deleted_258","Not entirely a crime mystery like it seems from the title but was more into a slice-of-life and survival theme that was told in multi-POVs premise following Mrs Shim; a widow and mother of two who just lost her job at a butcher shop and had to opt in accepting the offer from Smile Detective Agency after she answered their vague job ad. She initially thought that it would be a cleaning job at the agency, only to realize it was similar to her previous work as a butcher which led her to become the agency’s top contract killer soon after. \n\nI liked how the story unfolds the backstories from each of the characters giving glimpses to how and why it all started till their lives crossed path with the agency and Mrs Shim— bit quirky with mostly morally gray characters in their reality-hit tales that observed on one’s hardships, lifestyle, morality and the unsettling expectations or choices one need to make for the sake to survive. \n\nThough I did not fond much on losing the narrative of Mrs Shim and only be getting a peek to her dynamic in between the other perspectives before I could get to her chapter again, the exploration and progress were not really underwhelming much for me— loved its familial observations as well how the characters connection go thrillingly twisty esp on the later part where the mess of incidents dragged the scene into a tense confrontation. \n\nIt was fairly enjoyable thoughout and surprisingly bit cozy on the tone for me; mundane at times but still engrossingly told for its blend of light crime, social commentary and personal stories arc. Loved the ending a lot. \n\n**thank you Times Reads for the gifted review copy!",3,"rv-01kr80y27njxgazgm8zcdyhm9s",[],"2026-05-10T04:04:41.000000Z",{"first":7,"last":7,"prev":7,"next":7},{"path":166,"per_page":167,"next_cursor":7,"prev_cursor":7,"has_more":20},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.seekquel.app\u002Fapi\u002Fworks\u002F01knktkj33krvsrdrcgqsg2yjw\u002Freviews",20]