Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies by Catherine Mack

3.5 Stars from me

Surely the perfect beach read? I read this as part of a book club – not something I’d have chosen otherwise as it is a little light and frothy for me – left to my own devices I tend to seek out darker thrillers that are heavy on the crime, sarcasm and often in a dreary location.

That said, this light and refreshing read was enjoyable and had some delightfully whimsical touches that made it all the more enjoyable.

Personally I wasn’t a fan of the footnotes – maybe one per chapter would have worked but by the time I got to them they didn’t make any sense in isolation which meant either skipping them or trying to navigate back to the reference point so they made sense. Neither seemed a particularly good approach.

Lots of characters but not so many that I lost track of them, lots of nods to other writers and tropes, plus a smattering of other cultural references all helped the author repeatedly break the ‘fourth wall’ which again was a refreshing style.

I can see this is the first in a series but am not clear on how it leads naturally to this progression, however I am a fan of softer TV shows such as the Madam Blanc Mysteries and maybe this can work in a similar style – time will tell.

Blurb: 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.