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

Item: Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies
Rating: 5
Author: BaronessMom

Posted May 21, 2024 by BaronessMom in Mystery, Review / 0 Comments

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies

by Catherine Mack

Series: Vacation Mysteries #1
Series Rating:

Published by Minotaur Books on April 30, 2024
Setting: Italy (Rome, Pompeii, Capri, Sorrento, Amalfi, Positano, Ravello)
Genres: Cozy Humorous Mystery
Pages: 344
Format: Audible Audiobook, Hardcover, Kindle, Paperback
Source: NetGalley
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Nook

An instant USA TODAY bestseller
An Indie Next List Pick (May 2024)
An Amazon Editors’ Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense (May 2024)
Library Journal’s Mystery Pick of the Month (April 2024)
One of Goodreads’ Readers’ Most Anticipated Mysteries & Thrillers of 2024
One of Criminal Element’s “Most Anticipated Reads: April 2024
”One of Crime Reads’ “10 New Books Coming Out This Week
”One of Jordy’s “10 Most-Anticipated April Books”

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.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack is filled with humor, self-growth, and mystery.

Will Eleanor figure out who is out to get her before she dies or ends up in jail?

I don’t think I have ever read a book with so many footnotes. At first, I was curious, then annoyed by them, but by the end, I looked forward to what the author had to say in them. The character dynamics are amazing. Oh, and the setting…Italy…what else can you say? However, the author’s writing style is so different and yet wonderfully witty and fresh.

The Cast

Eleanor Dash is the main character and our point of view. She went on vacation ten years ago to Italy and met Connor. They had a romantic affair, and she helped him solve a series of crimes. Eleanor then went home and wrote a book about it. She changed everyone’s names and descriptions except for Connor. Anyway, the book was a hit, and now she is working on the tenth book in the series. Her publisher has put together a tour for the anniversary of the first book and invited some fans and peers to join Eleanor in celebrating.

Eleanor is fantastic. She tries to be good and trustworthy, but underneath, she has secrets she doesn’t want anyone to know. Eleanor is frightened of success and failure at the same time. She is like a hot mess, stuck in her head but brilliant. I would so be her friend.

Connor Smith is the dashing star of the book series. He has a dark side that Eleanor is aware of but hides from everyone else. Connor is quite the playboy and fancies twenty-five-year-old women. She describes him as “like Captain America with a smirk.”

Let’s say Eleanor’s description of Connor would make me look twice, but I would like to think that even at twenty-five, I wouldn’t fall for his deceit. But…

Harper Dash is Eleanor’s younger sister. She takes care of everything when Eleanor writes and keeps her on track. Eleanor and Harper have a complicated relationship but love each other deeply. Harper, though, has some secrets she is keeping too.

Harper is a great character. She has a formidable job, and yet she does it beautifully. Maybe one day, she will be the star instead of the stage manager.

Oliver Forrest is Eleanor’s ex-boyfriend, and he hates Connor. So this tour will not be fun for him as he doesn’t seem to be over Eleanor.

Oliver is great, and comes across as a better person than Connor. Hopefully, Eleanor will figure that out.

Supporting Cast

Guy Charles was Connor’s partner in Rome before Eleanor’s book came out and made Connor famous. So Guy wrote a book about Connor, the person he knew.

Guy drinks his way through the tour and basically plays Mr. Negative.

Allison Smith is Connor’s ex-wife. They were married when he and Eleanor had their trist. Of course, he didn’t mention that he was married. She is also the author of a tell-all about Connor. So, she is invited on the tour.

I like Allison. She seems to have moved forward and past all the Connor. I also like that she has a good divorce attorney.

Emily Ma is another author. Her first book came out two months ago. It is a big hit, and the kicker is that her story is very similar to the plot of Eleanor’s first book.

Emily is a new version of Eleanor, completely upstyled and prominent on social media.

Abishek Botha is an author with Eleanor’s publisher. He is a mystery writer, but his books don’t involve Connor. He is just along for the ride.

I didn’t think much about him expect that he doesn’t fit in with the group.

Isabella Joseph. She is a young woman Connor picked up on the plane and invited along as his plus one.

Then we have the Bookface Ladies. They are fans of Eleanor and Connor. Each day, they wear a different T-shirt with their face and one of Eleanor’s books. It seems a bit cheesy, but I can see some people doing it. I don’t think I would, but for a trip to Italy? Maybe?

The Mystery

For Eleanor, it does seem like “Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies.” Just on this vacation alone, there are three deaths that Eleanor is aware of. Yet, in this mystery, she is simultaneously a target and a suspect. I love how Ms. Mack brings people from Eleanor and Connor’s past into this storyline. She does a fantastic job of mixing everything up, keeping secrets, and ensuring everyone has a motive and opportunity. She also manages to keep things light with the perfect inflection of humor.

Five Stars

My rating for Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack is five stars. I highly recommend this book. The author’s writing style is entirely different from most cozy mysteries—heck, even mysteries—yet I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack.

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About Catherine Mack

Catherine Mack (she/her) is the pseudonym for Catherine McKenzie, the USA Today and Globe & Mail bestselling author of over a dozen novels. Her books are approaching two million copies sold worldwide and have been translated into multiple languages including French, German, Portuguese, and Polish. Television rights to Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies and its forthcoming sequels sold in a major auction to Fox TV for development into a series, with Mack writing the pilot script. A dual Canadian and US citizen, she splits her time between Canada and various warmer locations in the US.