Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies

Clever, fun and light, this is a mystery with a little something different.

Eleanor Dash is a celebrated author of a mystery series that stars a character based off her former real-life love interest/now pain in the backside Connor Smith. With her tenth book in the planning stage, she and a group of authors and some bookish fans are whisked off on a ten-day tour of Italy. The trip doesn't go as planned when Connor is certain someone is trying to kill him. If Eleanor is honest, she wouldn't have too much issue with that since she is quietly plotting Connor's demise in her book series. 

Readers will immediately notice the original way the author tells her story. The fourth wall between reader and author isn't just broken, Mack (aka Canadian author Catherine McKenzie) smashes through it, giving readers a bird's eye view into the inner thoughts of Eleanor. Eleanor is a bit bumbling and flawed but endearing as she shares her thoughts and some clues through footnotes to the reader (more on that later). Paired with good twists, a large cast of potential suspects and a few dead bodies, this is a fun and humorous cozy-ish mystery that will keep readers guessing.

Ok, the footnotes. Argh. They are my only beef with this book. Initially, I enjoyed their unique and humorous addition to the story, but there are so many of them and they didn't work well in ebook format. They kept taking me out of the mystery so since they weren't essential to the story, at the halfway mark I opted to skip them. [Note: I hear they work well in audio format].

This mystery is the start of a new series and I'm eager to see where the author takes it. It was a fun adventure with themes of revenge, deception and good old-fashioned greed. With its original storytelling style, quirky cast, good twists and bookish focus in far off locales, this series will appeal to book lovers, travel enthusiasts and people who enjoy whodunnits. Make sure you read the epilogue which gives readers a glimpse into the next book in this cozy-ish mystery with a twist series.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Minotaur Books for the complimentary digital copy of this book which was given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 4 stars

Author: Catherine Mack (aka Catherine McKenzie)

Genre: Mystery, Canadian

Series: #1 in The Vacation Mysteries

Type and Source: ebook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Minotaur Books (SMP)

First Published: April 30, 2024

Book Description from GoodReads: 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.