First up is The Family Plot by Megan Collins. Right away, the plot caught my eye. I was very intrigued by the storyline and knew I’d enjoy this book. Imagine growing up in a secluded mansion with crime-obsessed parents?

Here’s what you need to know about The Family Plot:

At twenty-six, Dahlia Lighthouse is haunted by her upbringing. Raised in a secluded island mansion deep in the woods and kept isolated by her true crime-obsessed parents, she is unable to move beyond the disappearance of her twin brother, Andy, when they were sixteen.

After several years away and following her father’s death, Dahlia returns to the house, where the family makes a gruesome discovery: buried in their father’s plot is another body—Andy’s, his skull split open with an ax.

Dahlia is quick to blame Andy’s murder on the serial killer who terrorized the island for decades, while the rest of her family reacts to the revelation in unsettling ways. Her brother, Charlie, pours his energy into creating a family memorial museum, highlighting their research into the lives of famous murder victims; her sister, Tate, forges ahead with her popular dioramas portraying crime scenes; and their mother affects a cheerfully domestic facade, becoming unrecognizable as the woman who performed murder reenactments for her children. As Dahlia grapples with her own grief and horror, she realizes that her eccentric family, and the mansion itself, may hold the answers to what happened to her twin.

Coming out on August 17.

4.5 stars / This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com on 2 August 2021.


Think your family is dysfunctional? Wait until you meet the Lighthouse family. Mom, Lorraine, is obsessed with murder. After her parents were murdered, with the gun manufactured by their company, Lorraine’s life becomes all about murder. She moves to Blackburn Island to her parent’s summer home. There she meets Daniel Lighthouse. Together they have two sets of children - the oldest, Charlie, named for the young Lindbergh child and Tate, named for Sharon Tate, are the older two. Then there are the twins, born nine years later - Andy, named for Lizzie Borden’s father and Dahlia, named for the Black Dahlia. All subjects of tragic murders. The children are homeschooled in Lorraine’s strange way. They write murder reports and have honoring for the victims of crime. They do not socialize with anyone else on the island.

The summer home is now known to the locals as Murder Mansion. Blackburn Island has been home to a serial killer for decades, and the former detective Kraft was obsessed with finding someone in that house responsible for the serial killings. One by one, the Lighthouse children flee Blackburn Island and the insanity of their home lives.

Until Daniel dies. All the children are called home to inter their father in the family plot on the rear of the property. But when the groundskeeper is digging the grave, he finds something that will turn the entire family upside-down.

This novel is utterly creative and twisted and crazy in so many good ways. Dahlia is our narrator, and she makes a good one, while searching for the mystery of what actually happened on Blackburn Island, she finds out things about herself and her familial relationships that are eye opening. Each Blackburn child is tainted in their own way by their upbringing. Each child has unique character flaws directly attributed to this upbringing, and Collins does a wonderful job of bringing them to life.

I really didn’t want to put this one down. You’ll enjoy taking this wild ride with the Lighthouses.

Fans of creepy, suspenseful, atmospheric thrillers are in for a treat with this one.

I didn't know what to expect when I began this book, but only a few pages in and I was hooked. I thoroughly enjoyed following Dahlia as she worked to uncover the truth behind her twisted family and what happened to her twin brother years ago. Full of secrets and surprises, this story help my attention all the way through and kept me excited for each chance I got to read more.

Thank you to Atria Books and Megan Collins for the e-ARC!

The family plot is a psychological thriller about a family of 6 that is obsessed with murder. The 4 Lighthouse children grew up isolated and homeschooled, but their curriculum was not like normal kids, they studied famous murders. Like Andy Lighthouse liked to say “we are unnatural”.

After having left her childhood home, Delilah Lighthouse returns to mourn the death of their father, but things aren’t the same since her twin brother Andy disappeared on their 16th bday. Delilah never stopped searching for him, but when the groundskeeper digs up bones while preparing her fathers grave, her worst fear has been confirmed.

The synopsis of this book really hooked me, but it was just so slow. It seemed like all of the action took place in the first 30 pages and then it just drug on and on. I also could figure out the twist within the first 25% of the book, but overall, it was an ok thriller, maybe more for those who are just starting out in the genre.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Their creepy and their kooky
Mysterious and spooky
Their all together ooky
The Lighthouse family

*Lyrics from The Addams family theme song

Yes! Strange and deranged and what a train wreck this was! I had to keep reading to find out more about this eccentric cast of weirdos!

The narrator, Dahlia (named after the Black Dahlia) was raised with her 3 siblings in a secluded mansion, tucked away in the woods on a island. The gossipy islanders called it the "Murder Mansion" because of the families obsession with crime. The kids are all named after victims of crimes. All homeschooled with a curriculum including watching murder documentaries. Their mom turned their home into something resembling a mausoleum.

When their father dies and they all return home for his funeral, more mayhem occurs and they are all having major meltdowns. The mother dives into a Martha Stewart role and continually bakes cookies, pouring flour and beating eggs in her little apron. She was quite the odd bird.

While I couldn't put this one down, the last third seemed like a missed opportunity to really bring the story to an explosive conclusion. What I did enjoy was the odd characters and their weird ways. I also liked the fact that the story wasn't full of graphic violence and gore (less is more my speed)!

Creepy, dark, intense, atmospheric and downright twisted but in the best way. This is how you execute a true crime story! Well done!
This is the heart pounding, mind blown story of a truly dysfunctional family who are obsessed with true crime-they literally live and breathe it thanks to their parents. They are even home schooled so that their mother can teach them everything they need to know after their grandparents were murdered in the factory where they worked. The family is especially obsessed with the Blackburn murders, which all took place on the island where they live. The kids are grown now and have gone their own ways, but have recently come back for the funeral of their father and when they come back to the shrine to the victims that the people in town call the “murder mansion” all the trauma as children comes screaming back. They all react differently-their mother turns into Suzy Homemaker in an attempt to rectify all the mothering she didn’t do when they were kids, Dahlia keeps looking for her twin brother who she hasn’t seen since he left the island all those years ago and her other siblings set up a memorial to share what their lives were really like with outsiders.
I’m rounding up from 3.5 to 4 stars bc I loved how messed up this story was, and I loved all the true crime aspects. However there were definitely some repetitive parts and the pacing started to slide a little closer to the end. That being said, true crime fans are gonna dig this one!
Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for my review.

There was a lot about this story that I liked and I could see myself and my fellow time-crime lovers in, both good and bad. The story of a family (a mother, really) obsessed with murder victims due to her own personal tragedy definitely explored the darker side of this kind of obsession. Before I hit the midway point, I found myself flagging a little, not loving or being able to relate to the obsessive nature of the main character and her feelings for her twin. While it still feels like there could have been just even a tiny bit more exploration of that and why it was that she felt such ownership, such connection to someone who clearly did not reciprocate, after I hit the halfway point, I couldn't put it down, waiting for the next twist and reveal to finally be explored.

“The only way out is to never come back.”

I don’t read mystery or trillers often so this was super suspenseful and fun.

Dahlia has been searching for her run away twin brother for 10 years. She is finally back with the rest of her (very weird) family for her father’s funeral and things just keep getting worse. I was invested with this story from the start but it was the family and their home, Murder Mansion, that intrigued me the most. Like I wished with all my might this place was real! They lived in Blackburn Island home of the Blackburn serial killer. Their whole lives they were surrounded by murder. Their grandparents where murdered. Their mother home schooled them and their education included old murder cases and serial killers. The Murder Curriculum, yikes. Each child was named after a murder victim. This family was more than quirky they were scary. So to not one’s surprise (but the family) the islanders hated them and were scared of them. They also had honoring ceremonies that resembled satanic ceremonies that scared everyone. With a made up prayer too! Honestly they were creepy af.

I digress.

This is Dahlia’s story, from her point of view. That was frustrating at times because she was so clueless and obsessed with finding her brother. She was also so young and her brother’s abandonment stunted her mental growth. I’m pretty sure the whole family was beyond messed up, as expected. But the mystery kept me going. Dahlia suspected everyone, including her own family, so I suspected everyone. The whole town had motive and then the timeline of the island’s serial killer was somehow connected. Honestly, this was full of family drama and so many toxic people, a whole island full. So it was very entertaining. A tiny bit frustrating but overall one crazy ride. If you like mysteries full of drama this is the story for you.

As a true crime fan, this book seemed to be right up my alley; a family obsessed with true crime/murders, ends up having murder knocking at their door?! While the start of the book was a little slow it did pick up towards the end, when all the pieces start coming together. The Lighthouse family is different and dysfunctional to say the least, with the kids all have lasting affects from how they grew up and as long buried truths start being revealed they begin to question everything they thought they knew. While this isn't a book I'd rearrange your TBR for, The Family Plot was an easy read that kept you guessing until the end.

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! This book had me frightened until the very end. It was creepy with lots of twists and turns. It had me on the edge of my seat for the entire story. Absolutely incredible. This is my third book by Megan Collins and I loved them all. This book comes out on August 17th! Be sure to pick up a copy. You won’t regret it!

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ebook ARC of this book in exchange for my review.

I'm not a fan of true crime or this sort of weird family life. IT's just not my thing. In reading the summary I thought it would be an interesting mystery/thriller, but it was just too weird.

1 star - I didn't like it, and it was a chore to finish.

I have no words. just finished this and will be thinking about this for a long time. This is a story of family ties, a family isolated by murder. The themes of murder and morality and identity are examined throughout the book in a very original and suspenseful way. Original story, original characters, insightful moments and beautiful language and while nothing like my life, Dahlia was easy to identify with. It kept me gripped from start to finish and while I guessed a bit of it, I had no idea how it would play out. I have read her other books as well, she is a must read for me

3 stars

After thoroughly enjoying Collins's _Behind the Red Door_, I was excited to jump into this one, especially after seeing the dedication. Murderinos, this one is for us! That noted, this piece as a whole read a little more like one of those unpolished/a little too drunk to entertain hometowns at a live show for me.

Dahlia, the m.c., grows up in a disturbing family that MUST appeal to most folks who pick up this book. She is one of four siblings, and each sibling is named after a famous murder victim because their mother has had some past trauma surrounding murder and their father - from what readers can tell - is just fine with that. The siblings grow up in a secluded location where their mom takes advantage of a personalized, murder focused home schooling curriculum. This is...a lot. As readers of even the back cover of this book will surely determine, these adult children are all disturbed in their own ways, and that seems totally understandable.

When the novel begins, the patriarch of the family has just died, and the siblings converge on their childhood home. Readers discover that only three of the four siblings have been in contact for the past decade, and everyone soon learns why the fourth has been missing in action.

If you are a Murderino, you're going to be EXACTLY RIGHT and be thinking I SAW WHAT YOU DID! and THE MURDER SQUAD should come for you! And many more pod-related quips. Unfortunately, the reason you'll be 'exactly right' is that you'll probably guess what's up really early on. I was disappointed to find myself in that spot, especially after enjoying the last Collins novel so much.

For me, this one was a bit predictable and the characters/setting were just too wacky for me to feel invested. For folks who spend ALL of their time steeped in murder, these characters are bafflingly bad at putting together some obvious pieces. Despite my feelings on this one, I will be excited to read more from Collins.

Wow what a dysfunctional family the Lighthouse family is! The story centers around the family coming together to bury the father, Daniel Lighthouse. The parents were obsessed with true crime and the children were home-schooled and taught a very unorthodox curriculum.

Dahlia Lighthouse arrives at their Blackburn Island home after not seeing the family at all for years. When the grave is dug it is discovered there is already a body in it - Dahlia's twin brother, Andy, whose skull was split with an axe. Her brother Charlie, an actor, and sister Tate, who creates dioramas of murder victims for social media, have already arrived after being away even longer than Dahlia. Some dark and horrifying secrets begin to be revealed and there are some surprises.

This was one of those books I couldn't put down. It was absolutely fascinating reading about how this family functioned and their rituals and the horrible murders of young women by the Blackburn Island serial killer who had never been identified. The story is narrated solely by Dahlia who is weird herself, but more likeable than the rest of her family. The book kept my attention all the way through.

Thanks to Atria Books through Netgalley for an advance copy. The book is to be published on August 17, 2021.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Family Plot by Megan Collins is an amazingly creepy mystery about a family that is obsessed with true crime. The story revolves around Dahlia Lighthouse, who is returning home to see her estranged family. Her family reminded me of the Addams Family. Growing up, Dahlia and her siblings were home-schooled by their parents and taught all about famous true crimes in history. They memorized the details of cases and participated in "honoring ceremonies" for the murder victims who they learned about. Soon after Dahlia arrived home, they discover the body of her missing twin brother Andy with an axe through his head. This means that someone murdered him, and whoever murdered is probably someone she knows on this island!

Here's is an excerpt of the opening lines of the book, when Dahlia introduces herself:
"My parents named me Dahlia, after the Black Dahlia - that actress whose body was cleaved in half, left in grass as sharp as scalpels, a permanent smile sliced onto her face - and when I first learned her story at four years old, I assumed a knife would one day carve me up. My namesake was part of me, my future doomed by her violent death."

This excerpt above demonstrates the creepy, slightly Gothic feeling that the book evokes. After they discover Andy, we meet a bizarre collection of characters who deal with Andy's death is various unusual and unnerving ways. While reading this, I was reminded of other books about creepy families that were released this year like House of Hollow and What Big Teeth. Although those books were YA fantasy books and The Family Plot is an adult mystery without any fantasy elements, I think it's a testament to the author's talent and ability to break out of the conventions of the genre. I literally cannot compare The Family Plot to any thrillers that I've read before. Instead of scaring you all at once, the book draws you in like a beautiful spiderweb until you're in too deep and realize you're trapped.

Overall, The Family Plot is an amazing, unputdownable 5-star mystery that is sure to become a bestseller this summer. The characters are deep and believable; the plot is creative and creepy; the twisty ending is insane and satisfying. I couldn't stop reading. I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I hadn't read any books from Megan Collins before. Now that I've finished reading The Family Plot, I will definitely be checking out her previous books and have added them to my TBR list. If they're anything like this one, I'm sure I'll enjoy them! If you are intrigued by the excerpts above, or if you're interested in creepy mysteries, you won't regret checking out The Family Plot when it comes out in August!

Dahlia grew up in a secluded home with her large family, not realizing how bizarre her upbringing was – shaped by her true crime obsessed parents with monthly rituals honoring murder victims and instilled fear of worldly dangers. She’s spent the past few years navigating the outside world on her own, and recovering from the betrayal that came when her twin ran away at 16. When Dahlia’s father dies, she’s brought back home with all her siblings, and to everyone’s shock, Dahlia’s twin brother’s body is found buried in the plot reserved for her father. Suddenly everything her family thought they knew is turned upside down.

This was just… too wacky for me. The family was beyond creepy, so much so that I felt it was too unbelievable to buy into. No spoilers here, so I won’t say what it was, but this book culminated with one of my LEAST FAVORITE murder mystery twists. I’ll probably continue to read Megan Collins’ books, because I enjoyed her first, The Winter Sister. I do LOVE true crime and enjoyed some of the creepy true crime elements and facts woven into this novel.

Dahlia Lighthouse is haunted by her upbringing. She was raised on an island in a mansion with true crime obsessed parents. She hasn’t been able to move on because of the disappearance of her twin, Andy.

After her fathers death, Dahlia returns to her family home to discover her brothers body buried in her fathers plot with an ax.

Dahlia automatically assumes it the serial killer that has haunted the island for decades. Her brother Charlie creates a family memorial museum highlighting their strange upbringing, her sister Tate recreates dioramas of the deceased including Andy and their mothers behavior has become strange. As Dahlia grapples with her own grief she realizes her eccentric family and mansion may hold all the answers she needs to find what happened to Andy.

This was by far the best of Collins work. It starts off slow but creepy as the characters develop and the mysteries start to unfold. Now at first I was a bit bored BUT about half way through BAM 💥 the books turns and WHEW!!! It gets goood!!! This plot is one of the most unique I’ve read in awhile. It is twisted and so suspenseful I literally broke a nail 😆 Megan has written a story of the strangles of family bonds and the betrayals that can leave lasting scares. I really enjoyed this! Definitely creepy and twisty just how I like it!

Thank you @netgalley for my copy in exhibition for my review !!!

Growing up, Dahlia Lighthouse's family was like no other. Obsessed with true crime, her parents isolated the family in their secluded island mansion. When her father dies, a body is discovered already in his grave - Dahlia's twin brother who disappeared when they were teens. Now Dahlia must dive deeper into her eccentric family to learn what happened to her brother.

Truth be told, The Family Plot is just plain weird ... and not in a good way. Everything was unrelatable from top to bottom - the characters, the circumstances, the true-crime obsession. Instead of being intrigued by the quirkiness, I was annoyed by the irredeemably flat characters and the bizarre story. I honestly can't believe I wasted as many hours as I did reading this terrible book instead of DNF'ing it.

Dahlia Lighthouse was named after a famous murder victim. So were all of her siblings. They were raised in a family obsessed with infamous murders, studying them like other kids studied history or literature, as part of her parents’ way of memorializing the victims while warning their children of the dangers of the world. Unsurprisingly, each of the children left home as soon as they turned eighteen – or, in the case of Dahlia’s twin brother Andy, sooner. Andy disappeared without a trace on his sixteenth birthday, leaving only a note behind. It’s assumed he ran away until ten years later, when the family is gathered to bury its patriarch – and Andy’s remains are discovered in his father’s grave.

I should preface my review by saying I don’t really get the whole “murder obsession” thing, personally. Maybe if I did, I would have liked a whole family of murder-obsessed people more, or found them more sympathetic. All of the characters annoyed me at the beginning. The book is half mystery novel, half examination of a profoundly dysfunctional family. I liked the mystery novel part – that was the part of the premise that made me pick it up in the first place - but considering how much the characters and their self-absorption annoyed me, the family dynamics part was less interesting, up until it intertwined with the mystery plot. But when the two were woven together, it was really quite well done, and I found myself feeling a lot more sympathetic. Many of the weird quirks of the family and the characters suddenly made more sense when placed into the context of what really happened.

There were a few twists I found predictable, but overall, I enjoyed the story.

Wow, this book was dark! The Lighthouse family grew up completely surrounded by the stories of murder victims. This was true in their home, as their home schooling curriculum, and in their family celebrations. This separated them from everyone around them and left them as a very insular unit. The two oldest children left home when they come into their substantial inheritance only to be quickly followed by their younger brother Andy running away from home, leaving a cryptic note behind. His twin sister Dahlia spent her life searching for Andy and wondering what would make him disappear without her. When their father passes away, the whole Lighthouse family (minus Andy) returned home to bury him on their family property. Andy’s body was discovered buried in the ground intended for the grave.

So many questions arose! What happened to Andy? Is someone in the family the infamous serial killer that stalked the town years before? What made the Lighthouse family so obsessed with murder? This book moved at a fast pace as different twists and possibilities were introduced. Ultimately the ending was satisfying and made sense to the plot but continued to be so very dark. This was a solid mystery but also a fascinating look at family dynamics. I might recommend reading this in the fall for the spooky setting and plot!

Thanks to Megan Collins, Atria Books, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.