No One Was Supposed To Die At This Wedding

This follow-up to Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies has Eleanor Dash at the impromptu wedding of her BFF after the movie adaptation of Eleanor's first book wraps. The wedding is on beautiful Catalina Island except there's a tropical storm on the way, everyone's stuck on the island and the bodies start piling up!

The story picks up a couple of days before the last book left off to give readers a heads up about where things ended (although I strongly recommend reading the first book to get your bearings). This locked room mystery features a large cast (and their complicated relationships) who were a challenge to keep track of but if you're reading on a Kindle or Kobo, using the search option will help remember who's who. 

This is an easy-going whodunnit but it lagged in a few places for me. This sequel was a little less funny, less engaging and a touch too chaotic and despite feeling like it never quite grabbed my attention, the reveal was a nice surprise. 

I really enjoyed the first book and like that Eleanor continues to be a flawed but endearing character. The footnotes (and their delightful snark) make another appearance and were handled without distracting this reader and added some levity. 

If you're in the mood for a mystery, check out this new addition to the series where Mack provides some wedding drama and decent twists for readers who enjoy a story with a bit of a quirky cozy mystery vibe.

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

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Catherine Mack

Genre: Mystery, Canadian

Series: The Vacation Mysteries 2

Type and Source: ebook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Minotaur Books (SMP)

First Published: May 13, 2025

Read: April 15 - 21, 2025

Book Description from GoodReads: The second in a witty, USA Today bestselling series following author Eleanor Dash as she goes from wedding guest to murder mystery investigator at her best friend’s wedding on Catalina Island.

Attending your best friend’s wedding should be a piece of (wedding) cake, but not for Eleanor Dash, bestselling author of the Vacation Mysteries series. Because murder seems to follow her every time she goes on vacation and is definitely her uninvited plus-one to the special occasion.

Emma Wood, Eleanor’s best friend since childhood, is starring in the movie adaptation of When in Rome, Eleanor’s first novel. Emma is also marrying Fred Winters, a major movie star and Emma’s co-star, who just happens to be playing Connor Smith, Eleanor’s ex and leading man of the series.

Filming wraps and they invite the whole cast and crew to their wedding at nearby Catalina Island. There may be a storm headed their way—because of course there is—but nothing will stop their nuptials . . . that is until Emma receives a note that says “Someone is going to die at the wedding.”

Eleanor is a professional at this point, and she’ll do everything she can to uncover the murderer so true love can prevail . . . before it’s too late for her and the rest of the storm-trapped wedding party.