“We can’t restore your life, but we strive to restore your memory.”

What a spellbindingly creepy family! Not only was Dahlia named after a murder victim, her whole family studied them. Raised by a mother obsessed with murder, they wrote murder reports on the killings by the serial killer who haunted their island and held Honorings where they lit candles on the anniversary of each death - her way of keeping her family safe from the darkness without. It wasn’t until Dahlia left home at age 19 with no idea how to make friends - except for one true crime obsessed woman - that she realized just how twisted her upbringing was.

Now their father’s dead, so three of the four siblings return home, Dahlia for the very first time. The fourth, Dahlia's twin Andy, hasn’t been seen or heard from since he left a cryptic note at sixteen. But then his body is discovered buried in their father’s plot in the family cemetery. Suddenly, everyone Dahlia grew up around is a suspect.

Filled with twists and turns and chilling facts, this book was impossible to put down. The characters were just as real and gripping as the plot, something that’s often lacking in thrillers. I was fascinated by elusive Instagram influencer Tate, bitter cynic professional actor Charlie, the mom who switches from murder obsession to cookie baking obsession when tragedy strikes, and vulnerable, left-out Dahlia, who doesn't seem to fit in anywhere without her twin.

This book is perfect for every lover of true crime podcasts and those fascinated with the secrets we bury deep within.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book.

3.5 stars.

Never have I been so fascinated with a family dynamic in a book, but the Lighthouses were a dumpster fire I could not get enough of. The build up was so good, but the twist was just "meh" for me, I wanted so much more! Ultimately, though, I had a hard time putting the book down, and isn't that what it's really all about?

Thank you to Megan Collins, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The heroine of The Family Plot is called Dahlia, after The Black Dahlia. Her brother, Charlie, is the namesake of Charles Lindbergh, who was kidnapped and murdered as a baby. Older sister Tate is named after Sharon Tate, famous victim of Charles Manson. And her twin Andy, from the father of killer Lizzie Borden.

You might be wondering what kind of psychopath would choose names for their darling babies amidst such horror and cruelty. Dahlia's mother is a "special" soul - obsessed with the murder of her parents, she raised her children on a steady diet of victimology, true crime stories, dead body reenactments and charming details like someone being shot in the head and their brain looking like a "roast chicken" on the floor. Settled on an island that is also home to a famous serial offender, The Blackburn Killer, who dumps women onto beaches wearing ice-blue dresses and with branded ankles - the kids grow up mired in the muck of crime scenes, with more knowledge of victims' names and birth dates than they do of the periodic table or Shakespeare.

Suffice to say, this isn't the Brady Bunch, and all the children flew the coop as soon as was humanly possible - with Andy being the most mysterious.

Dahlia's been searching for her beloved twin since he left in the dead of night, over a decade earlier. But when she returns to the family home for her father's funeral, a grisly discovery is made - Andy's skeleton, the fractured skull split apart by an ax. Andy is suddenly not just a ghost on a Sri Lankan beach or a face in the crowd in Paris - he's truly gone, not to be found on social media or a message board or by combing the streets of nearby cities. Dahlia is set adrift by the news, and deep in mourning, she begins to try to piece together what exactly happened to her brother. In doing so, she stumbles upon evidence that The Blackburn Killer might be closer than anyone ever dreamed...

The Family Plot was the first novel I read by Megan Collins. The premise is wonderful. I love listening to true crime podcasts ("The Murder Squad" is my favourite) and armchair detectives are actually out there solving cases these days - combing through evidence with the kind of meticulousness that most exhausted, overworked detectives just don't have the time or manpower for these days.

My main sticking point here is that the characters are utterly irredeemable. There wasn't one person I was rooting for in the entire sorry bunch. Dahlia is a wet rag. Charlie is an obnoxious drunk. Tate is infuriating and more concerned with her Instagram art than her sister's obvious grief. Their mother - I mean, where do I begin here? She needs serious, serious help. I also - with the exception of Tate - didn't find any of them believable as actual human beings.

Toward the end, the revelations come in thick and fast, and I felt the main, overarching theme was lost - the victims. The women who were murdered for someone else's sadistic pleasure. They are just blobs in an image or stick figures in one of Tate's dioramas. None of the characters seemed to feel genuine grief over what had happened to them, and genuine horror at who had contributed to their suffering and the abrupt cleaving of their lives.

So while The Family Plot was entertaining at times, I couldn't feel any of the gravitas I had hoped for. There was a real chance for the author to "honour" the victims the way that the family purported to do all of their lives, but as it turns out, their prayers were just soap bubbles, amounting to nothing more than empty words, floating away into the sea and sky.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review. Appreciate it!

Author of The Winter Sister and Behind The Red Door is back with another twisty, shocking thriller!

Twenty-six-year-old Dahlia Lighthouse is returning to her family home. A place she hasn’t been back to for years. Taking the ferry across to the island she was raised on with her twin brother Andy and much older siblings, Charlie and Tate. Their father has died and they are all coming home to bury him.

Not that they particularly want to. Raised in a mansion in the woods, the neighbors called it the Murder Mansion. Isolated and home-schooled, Dahlia is unable to get past the terrible things that happened here. Totally unprepared for life and afraid to live.

The mother is obsessed with true crime. The father goes along with it and the four children are brought up on the ABC murders instead of the alphabet. The house is filled with murder memorabilia. The town thinks they are insane. The police chief is suspicious and keeps hanging around. Everything about this place is creepy and just not right.

Dahlia spends all her time trying to find her twin brother who went missing on their sixteenth birthday. Dahlia knows he ran away because of their unnatural home life.

When they are all together there is just something not right with her sister or brother. What are they hiding?

As the handyman digs the grave for the father he is shocked, along with everyone else, to find the bones of Andy. With an ax. Every one of them handles this so differently. Dahlia knows someone killed him and she isn’t going to stop until she knows the truth.

I think you should find out the rest on your own. This was a disturbing story. My favorite kind. The mother was doing murder reenactments and the sister makes dioramas of the victims for Instagram. The brother, well he’s just nuts.

There were so many suspects in this. There is also a sub-plot going on as well. Also about murder. I stayed up way too late reading this. It was worth it!

NetGalley/ August 17, 2021 Atria

The Lighthouse siblings... don’t come from your average family. Homeschooled on crime scenes and serial killers in an attempt to prepare them for the outside world (gee, thanks mom 🙄) could anyone be surprised when they all run as far as possible from their childhood home? The siblings return for dads funeral: well most of them. Andy, the youngest son, disappeared 10 years prior leaving only a mysterious runaway note. However, when prepping Dads plot for the burial, a body is found. 😳 who is it? Why are they buried in the plot destined for Daniel Lighthouse? And where the eff is Andy?!

Friends, I devoured this book. I PERSONALLY accused at least 7 different characters of awful, awful crimes (sorry Fritz). The twists in this story were wonderful; some I expected but others shocked me. The way the author weaves in real life victims, that any Crime Junkie or Murderino would recognize, was exciting and fun. (Have you ever called a book about murder “fun”? 😂)

Overall, I highly recommend if you love a goooood, dark thriller. Releases on August 17, 2021.

WOW. This mystery, full of suspense and an underlying sense of unease, was truly excellent. I love when a mystery goes a little more in depth into backstory or family dynamics - and this did both, perfectly. Dahlia and all of her family members were captivating in their own ways, and each uniquely haunted by their unusual upbringing and the horrors that had happened so close to their home. I've found myself thinking about each of the characters (though I have to admit, I've though of Dahlia and Charlie the most) in the days since I finished the story. I can't stop thinking about how well this story was written, and how masterfully the author weaved the twists in among the Lighthouse family and its drama.

Megan Collins has written a suspenseful mystery that reads much like the Addams Family. The children are schooled in murder lore and live on a island in a house dubbed the Murder House by the locals. Very ookey and spooky.

A good read except that the twist was revealed much too early causing the story is drag near the end. Reading the book did spark an intense internet search spree on the murders included in the story.

I do appreciate the opportunity to read this early. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The true crime aspect of this novel really drew me in initially. I very much appreciated the sinister and unsettling plot and setting. The family dynamic was masterfully presented, but the twist was revealed much too early and severely jumped the gun.

Following this disclosure, I struggled to continue and sadly found the remainder of the book to be a bit underwhelming.

I rate it 3.5 stars but also acknowledge that many other reviewers absolutely loved this book. I recommend giving it a read for yourself.

My thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This will be in stores on August 17, and you’re going to want to grab your own copy.

I enjoyed this book. It kept me coming back for more—I finished it in two sessions. I did find the family dynamics a bit unrealistic, but on the whole that didn’t keep me from needing to know what would happen next.

Dahlia and her family have never been normal. Her mother surrounded them with murder victims, and raised them to become experts in everything having to do with murderers. Dahlia, her twin brother Andy, and her older brother and sister were homeschooled in their creaky old home, kept away from the locals with only each other for company. They had all been named for murder victims, while their mother’s murder curriculum had them memorizing death poses and serial killer facts. Everything in their lives revolved around real murders and murderers. Dahlia felt she had a special closeness with Andy because he was her twin, so was devastated when he ran away the day they turned sixteen. She spent three years waiting for him before she moved off the island.

Though it had been 10 years since she’d left, Dahlia had never given up searching for Andy. When her father died unexpectedly, the siblings reunited. When their father’s plot was opened everyone was shocked to find Andy’s bones in the gravesite, murdered by an ax wound to the head. Dahlia is desperate to find out who killed him but, the more she searches for suspects, the more mysteries she uncovers.

As Dahlia works her way through her memories and a list of suspects, it becomes clear that many people could have killed Andy. She also begins to realize she didn’t know Andy as well as she’d thought, because he’d kept his own set of secrets. Collins carefully doled out secrets for each page of this whodunit. I was shocked when his killer was finally revealed, because I did NOT see it coming!

Recommended for Adults.

I received an advance reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Lighthouse family lives on Blackburn Island. The four children were named after murder victims and were homeschooled with a crime curriculum.

This sets the stage for this novel. It was written well enough to keep me reading to see where it was going, but the story just wasn't for me. I appreciate the fact that it is a unique read, but it was very weird. All the characters were strange and all had issues.

I appreciate Netgalley and Atria for allowing me to read and review this book.

I want to preface this review by saying Charlie is one of my favorite characters ever - only because his sarcasm and dark humor reminded me soooo much of David Rose from Schitt’s Creek. It was a dark and serious book, but anything from Charlie made me smirk. I’d be happy to hear more from his loud and messed up life.

That being said, Megan Collins does it again. I have read all of her books, and each one has been this deliciously gothic atmospheric beauty. I can always find myself in the environment she creates, and it adds so much to the story.

This is a solid thriller about a family whose homeschool curriculum is based on the expansive history of serial killers. It’s a neat perspective. We all like to armchair sleuth, but getting to read about a family who honors slain victims is a unique perspective.

I HIGHLY recommend this one. For such a dark subject matter, it was a fun read. I realize that sounds morbid, but you’d be lying if you told me you never looked up crime scene photos. Okay, maybe not a liar, just a little too normal lol. Read this!

This book was incredibly creepy and a thriller I could not put down - will definitely be recommending it to library patrons!

I wasn't prepared for this at all. It began one way and ended in a way I didn't expect! If you want surprises and family drama then read this book.

To be honest, there wasn’t much expectation riding on this. I didn’t even request it originally when it came up on Netgalley. I read the author’s previous book Winter Sister and found it thoroughly mediocre. But then the publisher sent the direct link and I was like, oh why not, it is, after all, such a nice cover. And what do you know…second time’s the charm. This book was a dramatic improvement upon its predecessor. The writing, the plotting, the character development…all so many levels up, you’d think you were in a different video game altogether. I certainly wouldn’t have attributed both books to the same author without knowing that to be the case. I mean, maybe the overly emotional ending showed some similarities, but that’s about it.
So, here’s something new and original to set this book above the homogeneous sea of same sort of thriller. This is a story of a family obsessed with true crime. And sure, true crime is a national obsession, even SNL just spoofed the neverending murder docuseries trend, but this family is extra crazy about it. It’s really their mother’s obsession, but since she’s the one with the finances to raise her family in a sort of minicult of six on a secluded island in an isolated mansion, that’s exactly what she did. People with money, right…Anyway, so this (let’s call it like it is, the book doesn’t seem to) lunatic of a woman marries a man of her dreams who seems to do nothing but hunt and they make four babies, two close in age older siblings and a younger set of twins. Their place that looks like a giant shrine to murder victims, the kids are all named after famous murder victims and they live on an island that has famously had a never apprehended serial killer. Not quite normal, is it…no small surprise the kids bail out as soon as they become of age and get their inheritance. But one of them has never come back. And his devastated twin has spent the last decade trying to find him.
Now their father’s death brings the family together once again and a body is found in the family plot. And with those bones, many tragic and ugly secrets from the past get unburied also. Slowly, but inexorably, the Lighthouses, the family who lived for so long in the dark and ritualistically worshipped it from a safe distance, will find just how close the darkness has always been.
This worked well on many levels. From an authentically creepy original premise to excellent representation of the variously mentally scarred characters (and it stands to mention again how normalized the mother was in this novel, considering, WTF) to the expertly sustained suspense. For a while there were several credible culprits and you really had to work to try to figure it out.
The things that didn’t work perfectly were few. The main reveal comes (not too surprisingly) at about 75%, which is pretty early on and creates for a too long of a denouement. Although there was one last great twist thrown in in the last 25% to make it worth it. The ending did get slightly too sentimental, considering how messed up the rest of the story is, but it worked. I liked the way it played around in the morally grey zone, instead of confirming to the rigidity of black and white moral presets.
So yeah, good, almost great even. This novel goes as dark as you’d want from a work of psychological fiction, with a positively gothic scenery and a clever commentary on the national obsession. It was entertaining, exciting and fun. I enjoyed it very much. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

This book was unique and different and I liked that about it. The characters were interesting and I do like the way the author pulled the story together at the ending.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I was invited by netgalley to read this book and leave a review. Wow this was a really good suspenseful mystery. Talk about a dysfunctional family!!! I had a hard time putting this one down. Most of the characters creeped me out, and the storyline was quite disturbing but it was a definite page turner! I highly recommend this one if you like mystery/thriller books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Please visit my Goodreads or Instagram account to read more of my reviews.
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the_book.look
THE FAMILY PLOT by Megan Collins
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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Mini synopsis: Who is the Blackburn serial killer? This book takes you on a crazy journey of one strange, murder - obsessed family's desire to find the killer in their small town. And he/she might be closer than they think.
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This book is for fans of true crime and the Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered podcast! True murderinos, this is for you! I liked the action and details in this plot! Also, the family drama, dynamics, and batty characters are an added bonus.
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Overall, I felt like this book didn't fully develop. I was waiting for a big twist and plot development that just didn't happen. This book was disappointingly predictable, yet the quirky family stuff helped compensate. This wasn't a heart-stopping thriller for me, but still worth the recommendation.
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Check this one out this August! Thanks @netgalley for my copy!

Twisty and maybe a little predictable but an enjoyable read.

This story is a little disturbing but crazy. There are so many ways to tell you to read this story but be weary of some aspects that are questionable. I guess there are people that live like they do in the book. Then again there are people who love way worse lives.

My son better be happy I’m not teaching him all about serial killers and their victims. I just have him watch all of the fiction and nonfiction crime drama/serial killer stuff I watch.

The Family Plot is an EXPLOSIVE and addicting read. From page one I was drawn in with the uniquie beginning. As most of us are, I am a serial killer aficionado, so they characters names were AMAZING. This book is creepy, dark, intense an absolutely enthralling read, that I found myself up until about 3am with the lights on. The family dynamic in this book is so insane, and the psychological thriller aspect of this read is uncanny, and Megan Collins is now an official autobuy author for me.

While the plot twist is revealded quite early I still enjoyed the book, as it does contain one more great twist that is artfully put together. The town thinks the whole family is weird, and there are rumors, and whispers about the whole family. Four siblings living in a secluded mansion in a town where an infamous serial killer has gone without being caught, and with their mom and da,d who are more interested in re-enacting death scenes, and studying crime scenes. The children are patiently waiting for their inheritance to leave the Island, and escape thr rumors. Dahlia was hesitant to leave, she has been waiting for Andy to return after he leaves when he and his father fall out.

When Andy's body is discovered where their dad is going to be buried, Dahlia is left reeling. Her twin, and her link is gone. Everyone is a suspect, and the answer will leave readers reeling!

The Family Plot is aa 5 star thriller, that will send a shiver down your spine, and make you look at your siblings a little closer.

Thank you to ATRIA books and Netgalley for the Advanced Copy in exchange for an honest review!