Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies

Join bestselling author Catherine Mack on a wild trip to Italy!

This was fun!

Eleanor has authored a bestselling mystery series for ten years. But she wants to kill off her book's main character and end the series. That character is based on her conman ex, who has been blackmailing her. When it looks like he might be killed in real life, Eleanor finds herself caught in an actual investigation. I laughed and sleuthed along with her as she embarked on a book tour in Italy with quite the (potentially murderous) entourage.

In her unique narrative style, Eleanor breaks the fourth wall, points out important events, and shares insights. Her commentary is often humorous and invites the reader to be part of the fun and solve the case. As this book starts a series, and most of the characters have shared history before we meet them, there is a fair amount of world-building and background, often presented as amusing footnotes. Hang in there initially because the relationships and past become clearer as the book progresses, and then the pacing really picks up. I did predict the culprit, but I still really enjoyed this as I was in it as much for the entertainment value as the whodunnit. The writing style is engaging, mixing comedic mystery with just a touch of popcorn thriller. The characters are colorful, and their secrets and resentments create plenty of motives and surprises. It's a perfect beach or vacation read. And the ending has me anticipating the next book in the series.

Fans of the Finlay Donovan books and Knives Out will want to add this to their tbr!

I paired the ebook with the audiobook. Narrator Elizabeth Evans was perfect for this! She nailed Eleanor's personality and humor and handled the footnotes so they came across as conversational. Evans also did a great job with the other characters and their inflections, quirks, and different accents, sometimes managing multiple accents in a scene. Excellent narration!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the free ebook and audiobook!

My steep was Shelburne Hotel's Dark Blend by Beach House Teas

A black tea with orange and lime peels. It's marketed as an iced tea, but I love it both hot and iced!

PUBLISHER'S SYNOPSIS:

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 rivals, 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.