Dahlia Lighthouse and her brothers and sister were raised unconventionally. Her parents were obsessed with true crime and raised the kids to memorialize the dead. When Dahlia’s twin, Andy “runs away” at 16, she is devastated and leaves as soon as she can. After many years, Dahlia must return home after her father dies. Once there, Andy is found, murdered. Dahlia is not going to be able to rest easy until she finds out what happened but will the answers be the death of her?
The Family Plot was a fast paced, chilling read. The characters were difficult to like but I feel like that added to the isolated atmosphere that Collins was portraying. Relationships are the forefront of this story and they were all executed with a multitude of layers and emotions. Family Plot is a must read.

Megan Collins is a go-to author of mine and this novel left me speechless! This creepy storyline left me unable to put the book down as I followed Dahlia and her dysfunctional family story.

Ten years previously, Andy went missing. He was the twin to Dahlia who is now 26 years old. She has returned to her childhood home because her father has died. The children have been brought up in a strange household as there was crime memorabilia everywhere. Instead of fairy tales, the children were read stories about murders and newspaper cuttings were kept. When the grave is dug on their property to bury their father, another body is discovered in the plot.
This was an unusual and interesting story and I thank the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I liked the beginning, but then some plot points started to become more unbelievable, making it harder to buy and stay engaged. I did like the inclusion of true crime stories. It had more of a gothic than contemporary feel, which was a bit unexpected. Overall, it was okay, I guess, but not quite what I was expecting. Nothing to make me remember it after the last page.

The Family Plot is dark, twisted and filled with not very likable characters. Usually this would not be a combination I’d be drawn to and yet this story kept me engaged and puzzling out what was really happening to the very end.

I loved the concept and the basis of a family so obsessed with murder and death they become isolated from their community and their home becomes known as the Murder Mansion. The very messed up family dynamics are front and center and propel the story forward to their twisted conclusion. The journey along the way was surprising and when I didn’t think it could get any stranger it in fact did!

As I mentioned before I didn’t care for any of the characters and found it hard to have sympathy for most of them, yet I had to know what happened to them. And honestly that to me is a sign of a good story.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for a DRC in excavation for my honest opinion.

The only thing worse than a novel that doesn't try hard enough to hold your attention is one that tries too hard. The story follows the Lighthouse clan-mom is obsessed with true crime murders and names her children after the victims- (son Tate after actress Sharon Tate; daughter Dahlia after Elizabeth Short, christened "The Black Dahlia")- home schools the kids using the killings as "teachable moments" on how to protect themselves, and holds "Honorings" on the anniversary of these infamous deaths. The family lives on secluded Blackburn Island with-wait for it-an unknown murderer whose calling card is to display his victims in flowing dresses the color of the sea where they are often found. No wonder the locals think the Lighthouse's are a bunch of kooks. When son Andy (named for Lizzie Borden's father) disappears on the night of his sixteenth birthday leaving only a cryptic note behind, his twin sister Dahlia assumes he left to escape the horrors of their youth. But ten years have gone by with no word from Andy and now the remaining Lighthouse children (including eldest son Charlie- named for Charles Lindbergh's doomed baby), have returned to Blackburn Island after the death of their father (apparently of natural causes). The Family Plot does have some things going for it-the title is a clever twist on how the story unfolds, and the mingling of true crimes with the fabricated Blackburn Island murders significantly ups the creepiness factor. But what's good about The Family Plot is also its downfall-you'll spend more time googling the real life murder victims than caring for the fictitious ones. There's tons going on here-too bad The Family Plot never thickens to much more than lumpy gravy.

What a terrific book! Completely immersive from page one, the talented Megan Collins creates a unique and multi-layered novel that's part perfectly crafted gothic thriller, part brilliantly dark social commentary, and part riveting story. Just start reading this, you all, and see what I mean. It's incredibly well-written, seamless and haunting and unpredictable. You will not be able to stop thinking about this. And it will change the way you look at thee world. This is a real triumph.

Thank you to the publisher for a Netgalley copy of this book!

This book was super creepy. The whole Lighthouse family is an utter hot mess. One sibling is presumed missing and then found dead. Another is an alcoholic. One makes dioramas of crime scenes. And lastly, Dahlia (yes named for that Dahlia) is not rocking a healthy life either.

What Collins did so well in this book was the constant revealing of more and more secrets. Every time I thought we were heading towards knowing something, we would get another secret revealed.

My biggest gripe was that the characters felt a bit eh. Tate and Charlie's relationship felt almost awkward, as did most of Dahlia's reactions to anything.

Talk about obsessed with murder! This family basically had a home school curriculum based on true crime! I loved that idea as a wacky starting point but then was confused when no one in the family seemed too concerned about the serial killer in the neighborhood. Does this make sense or no sense at all? At any rate, it was an enjoyable book about a dark, quirky family with a lot of secrets. I wish we could travel because it would be a great vacation book.

Creepy and dark but not quite a horror story. Very entertaining story about a true crime obsessed family.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was captivated by this fast paced thriller. Dahlia's entire family is named after victims of legendary murder stories. That is NEXT level true crime obsession. It's almost like the family was destined for some kind of twisted fate. Unsurprisingly, Dahlia and her siblings couldn't wait to escape their weird upbringing and creepy childhood home. Understandably, everyone else in town fears them.
And the fact that the brother Andy's remains are found with an axe through his head and he's named after Lizzie Borden's father AIN'T A COINCIDENCE! Dahlia is the most devastated as she and her family now find themselves living out their own murder mystery. This book is haunting and bizarre. It was truly a dark atmospheric book. There are chilling moments and emotional ones. And don't forget the super dysfunctional family drama. These people were the definition of strange and weren't entirely likable which made them all suspicious. Collins does a good job of showing us how differently people handle tragedy,
The only real problem I had with this book was that a pivotal plot point was revealed a bit sooner than anticipated. It made things feel a bit rushed but never the less it kept my interest. This book is a unique homage to many infamous true crime stories and muderinos like me.
Thank you to NetGalley & Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. (PUB DATE: 8/17/21).

When you think of your childhood, you are hopefully filled with happy moments that flash through your mind. Loving parents, cherished childhood friends, snug reading nooks, and a cozy home. What happens if you are brought up in the Murder House? Living in an isolated mansion on Blackburn Island. The four Lighthouse children were brought up in a very unnatural way. They were homeschooled by their eccentric mother, the curriculum...murder. They were all named after famous murder victims, and every year they have an honoring for each. Not only are they immersed in murder, there is a serial killer right in their own backyard. The other islanders think they are responsible, how could they not be. They live in the Murder House!

It has been years since Dahlia has been back to her childhood home. She has been obsessed with finding her twin brother, Andy. Who left on the night of their 16th birthday. No one has heard from him since. She has searched high and low for him. Making her home right across from Blackburn in case Andy returns. The siblings are called home when their father passes away. When the gardener is readying their fathers plot, it is not empty! Could this be connected to the Blackburn Killer?

Plunging the family into a downward spiral of despair. Megan Collins character details pulls you deeper into the tragic story of the Lighthouses. As you dive into this dark, fascinating book more is exposed. Making you read faster and faster. Flipping the pages until you figure out what exactly happened on Blackburn Island. The deceit, lies, insanity, and tragedies, that this family endures makes you wonder how these children are even able to function. You think your family is crazy, think again!

I loved The Family Plot! It is masterfully written, in such a way that you are sympathetic to this dysfunctional family that keeps piling on the secrets and lies. It leaves you questioning if you would stick by your family, because they are all that you have. No matter what they have done. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books, for allowing me to read this thrilling, bone chilling book. This is a summer reading must have!

I read Megan Collins' book: "The Winter Sister" liked it and said I would read another of her stories..

This story starts when Daniel Lighthouse dies at the family home on Blackburn Island; his adult children Dahlia, Andy, Charlie and Tate are expected to return for his funeral. Dahlia has not seen her siblings in some time additionally she has not seen her twin in 10 years. She has lost all contact with Andy (her twin). However only Dahlia, Charlie and Tate are there ~ Andy is a no-show.
Hmm is he?
When they are about to bury Daniel in the family plot, they discover another body in his burial plot. The other body is believed to be Andy! …….Oh No! Really?

The Lighthouse family has an unusual hobby. They reenact true crime scenes.
Hmmm Does that sounds like loads of fun to you? (Assuming you are a somewhat normal mystery fan?)

In this family, the Lighthouse children are named after true crime victims.
Dahlia is named after “The Black Dahlia;
Andy after Lizzie Borden’s father;
Charlie, after the Lindberg baby;
Tate after Sharon Tate, (you remember she was murdered by the Mason cult).

This story had me sooo curious. I love psychology thrillers and trying to figure out ‘whodunit’
Is always a challenge I enjoy!
First step: Suspect Everyone!!
Yep I did that!
However…..
I wasn’t close!!
Definitely a surprise read for me!
Not going to give it away to readers!

But Yes! I will am excited and looking forward to reading the next [author: Megan Collins] story!

Want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional opinion,
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 17, 2021

This was good. If you like watching true crime documentaries, then I think you’ll enjoy this book. Lots of secrets and family drama are the dynamic of this story.

The first two chapters left me unsure about what I signed up to review. As I got deeper into this character driven book I began to get a feel for this story and my interest grew. Who was the Blackburn Killer? Are any members of the Lighthouse family involved? This is a family full of secrets that I began to feel sorry for. It's impossible to know who the killer is and I was surprised by the ending. I'm glad I stayed with the book. I'm still thinking about the characters and their motivations. I give this book a solid four star rating.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from Atria Books through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are completely my own.
#TheFamilyPlot #NetGalley

The Family Plot centers around an eccentric family, the Lighthouses. The parents named the children after famous victims of killings (Charles Lindbergh (Charlie), Sharon Tate (Tate), Andrew Borden (Andy), and The Black Dahlia (Dahlia)). They were kept isolated from the island community and were homeschooled on a….different….curriculum. It all consisted of true crimes, their victims, and their murderers. It was an unconventional upbringing.

The book starts with the death of Dahlia’s father, which brings her, Charlie, and Tate home. Andy has been missing for ten years. Dahlia, Andy’s twin, is hoping that he will show up. But that hope is dashed when the groundskeeper finds a body buried in what will be her father’s grave. That body ends up being Andy, and finding his body opens up Pandora’s box for the entire family.

Dahlia is determined to find out what happened to Andy. But her investigating uncovers a more profound and more disturbing mystery. That mystery is connected to a serial killer operating on the island. The more Dahlia digs, the more evidence she uncovers that Andy’s death is somehow connected to that serial killer. But how and why? What is revealed at the end of the book will shock even the most hardened person.

As I mentioned above, the main characters in The Family Plot are the Lighthouses. Charlie, Tate, Dahlia, and Andy with their mother, father (in spirit), ex-police chief, current police chief, Dahlia’s best friend, Andy’s girlfriend, and the groundskeeper being major secondary characters. Each one of these characters was written beautifully and had their voice that was heard.

Now, saying that I do want to touch on how messed up the Lighthouse family was. Each person had their issues. I will say that I thought Dahlia was the most “normal” person in the family. Tate had social problems. Charlie was an alcoholic (among other things), Andy had anger and cruelty issues (told through mini-flashbacks), and the mother, well, I am not going to say what they were because her problems are critical to the plotline. As the book goes on, the dysfunction in this family doesn’t lessen. Instead, it gets worse. I have never read a book where this happened, and I loved it.

As much as I loved the characters, I didn’t exactly like the lack of depth. The book is told in 1st person, through Dahlia’s eyes, but I felt that I didn’t get to know her. Same with Charlie, Andy, and Tate. This is the one time that I think that multiple POVs would have helped.

The plotline for The Family Plot was fast-moving and well written. But it did lag in the middle. While the lag wasn’t enough to derail the plotline, it was enough to bog it down. Plus, I felt that there was too much extra at that point in the book. Honestly, I didn’t care about the stalkerish ex-police chief or his son, the current police chief. I also didn’t care for Ruby’s smothering grandfather. I get why the author did but still. It was a distraction. I wanted to know more about Dahlia’s upbringing. I would have loved to read a snippet of a murder report.

The mystery angle of the book was on point. The author threw out so many red herrings that I second-guessed myself over who the serial killer was. I also couldn’t figure out who killed Andy and why.

I do want to touch on the true-crime angle. I thought it was well written and inventive for the author to have it used as part of a homeschooling curriculum. I am a true crime fanatic, and I recognized several of the names used in the book (aside from who the kids were named after). But, there were also names that I didn’t recognize, and I had to google.

I was shocked at the events that led to Andy being killed than who killed him. I can safely say that I didn’t see it coming. I had to put my Kindle down to process the revelation and then keep on reading. My only complaint is that the confession and the aftermath seemed a little rushed.

The end of the book didn’t sit right with me. Like I mentioned above, there was a huge reveal, and then it just tapered off. I was expecting another twist or something like that to happen. That drove me nuts!!! I would have loved to see something bigger happen than what did.

I loved reading The Family Plot. It was an engaging mystery/thriller that kept me guessing who did it until the end.

I would recommend The Family Plot to anyone over the age of 21. There are numerous mentions of true crime stories. There are reenactments of how people died, often gruesome. There are descriptions of a serial killer and how the victims were killed. There are scenes of extreme grief.

I was really interested in reading this book based on the summary, but unfortunately, it wasn't what I was expecting. It seems unique but it took me a while to read it. These types of books usually hook me within the first chapter, but this one didn't. I do think some people will enjoy this though.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

This book had so much potential, except for one angle. A parent choosing to homeschool children with a curriculum of true crime in all its gory glory just made for a less-than-seamless mystery. I appreciate true crime as much as the next person (especially if that person listens to MFM), but this didn’t seem plausible. I can get that they might name the kids after famous victims (think Sharon Tate or the Black Dahlia), but exposing gory details to young children is just bizarre. Back to the book.

The Lighthouse family lives on an island (there seems to be at least one other family living on the island, too) in Mrs. Lighthouse’s family’s summer home. Mr. Lighthouse has recently died, so everyone (except for Andy) is together for the first time in 10 years. When his grave is dug, they discover the remains of a body already buried. And the body belongs to Andy. And he was killed with his own axe. (and he’s named after Andrew Borden, who was killed with an axe)

Also on this island, there have been multiple murdered bodies washing up on shore for years...until 10 years earlier. Which is also when Andy went missing. The plot thickens.

The mystery itself was pretty good and the whole book could have been a lot better without the murder curriculum thing. I don’t think it added anything positive and could have been left out.

My thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the premise of The Family Plot was good and the book seemed like it was going to be very good.

Unfortunately I disliked all the characters, there was far too much telling rather than showing, and it was just creepy, but not in a good creepy way.

I do think some people will enjoy this, but it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for granting my request for an ARC. My thoughts in this review are my own.

The Lighthouse family is obsessed with death and true crime and grew up on Blackburn Island. Home schooled by their mother, the four children write death reports about gruesome murders and are even named for famous victims – Dahlia, Tate, Charlie, and Andy.

Our narrator is Dahlia. Now in her twenties, she’s been on her own for a few years, but she still searches for her twin brother Andy. He disappeared on their 16th birthday and hasn’t been seen since. Dahlia returns to the island for her father’s funeral.

Secrets run thick on the island and with this family, including the never-solved murders of several women over the years. Even more gruesome is the discovery of a body in her now deceased father’s grave.

The family reacts in odd ways and in fact I found all the characters to be somewhat one-dimensional and not realistic. I found the character development lacking.

I really wanted to love this book. I have wanted to read this author for some time and this premise seemed perfect for a great read. It fell short for me in execution of a promising premise and flat characters that I never invested in. There’s was too much telling of the story.