Book Review: Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack

 

In Eleanor Dash's first book, art imitated life. Now on tour in Italy, life is imitating art. Eleanor wants to write Connor Smith out of the book series he appears in. She's plotting the demise of his character. Now it seems as though someone has it out for Connor in real life. But who? And will they stop there? Join Eleanor, Connor, a handful of other authors, and a bus load of fans to find out.

I really liked Eleanor and her sister Harper. They have a good relationship. Eleanor narrates the book and is something of an unreliable narrator. She has a lot of good snark. Being a mystery writer, she is quick to see who might have a motive for what all is going on. It's like whoever organized the tour did so to maximize conflict.

The book moves along at a good pace with murder and attempted murder. The only thing that slows it down a little is the use of footnotes. Some of them are funny or informative. I found myself just skimming them after the first few chapters. I don't think I missed much. Another plot device used was the main character breaking the fourth wall and talking directly to the reader. Generally this works well, although it did slow momentum in a few places.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's well written and interesting. I partially figured out what was going, but not all of it. I liked the main character breaking the fourth wall, but wasn't keen on the footnotes. I liked enough of the characters to want to know what happened to them. If you like cozies with an author for the main character and some humor, this might be a good book for you.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack was published April 30, 2024 by Minotaur Books. This is the first book in The Vacation Mysteries series. I'm looking forward to the next book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my review.

Happy Book Birthday to Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack

 

Best wishes to Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack which is coming out today from Minotaur Books. This book looks like it will be a good, fun read.

From the publisher:

Ten days, eight suspects, six cities, five authors, three bodies . . . one trip to die for.

All that bestselling author Eleanor Dash wants is to get through her book tour in Italy and kill off her main character, Connor Smith, in the next in her Vacation Mysteries series—is that too much to ask?

Clearly, because when an attempt is made on the real Connor’s life—the handsome but infuriating con man she got mixed up with ten years ago and now can't get out of her life—Eleanor’s enlisted to help solve the case.

Contending with literary competitors, rabid fans, a stalker—and even her ex, Oliver, who turns up unexpectedly—theories are bandied about, and rivalries, rifts, and broken hearts are revealed. But who’s really trying to get away with murder?

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is the irresistible and hilarious series debut from Catherine Mack, introducing bestselling fictional author Eleanor Dash on her Italian book tour that turns into a real-life murder mystery, as her life starts to imitate the world in her books.

"Quick, captivating, and oh-so-much-fun! This delicious mystery is as spellbinding as Knives Out."—Elle Cosimano, New York Times bestselling author of the Finlay Donovan series