I loved this psychological thriller! This one had surprises and twists at every page! Very well written, although the ending seemed a little rushed. But overall, I really enjoyed everything about this book!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy of this. I was behind on my reading and ended up listening to this one from the library.

This was a unique premise about a family on an isolated island who is fascinated with the murder history on the island. I found the story just to be okay and was kind of bored with it! I don't know if I'll read any more from this author. The characters seemed so unrealistic like they were almost fake.

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 cannot 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.

Three things I liked about this book:

—The whodunit aspect! At one point, I suspected four different characters of committing murder. I kid you not; my opinion on the murderer’s identity shifted every other chapter. That’s good stuff!
—Collins’s choice to write about siblings raised in a secluded place where their mother homeschooled them with “serial killer” curricula. The kids wrote reports about cold cases. They studied famous crime scenes. It added to the creep factor of the crimes big time, especially Tate’s miniature replicas of murder scenes.
—Pacing is spot on with this book. I didn't want to set this one aside! The twists & turns were relentless.

If you’re looking for a quick, accessible thriller, give this one a go!

I loved the build up throughout The Family Plot. It kept me guessing and on my toes the entire time.

The Family Plot by Megan Collins

This book was very unique and unlike anything I have read in a while. I had to sit on my thoughts because I wasn't sure where I landed once I finished. I think this book may have not been for me. I found I had a hard time juggling the bizarre quirkiness of the characters. I also found the middle a bit repetitive. I appreciated the author's execution, though.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this eARC

Dark and atmospheric, this gothic mystery grips into the reader and doesn't let go. The family member characters and their dynamics are memorable and the mystery is good. There are hints of the solution throughout the book and early on, I just wish there had been more to it.

Dahlia Lighthouse, her twin Andy and their older siblings Charlie and Tate grew up in a secluded island mansion deep in the woods where their crime-obsessed parents kept them isolated. She returns to the island when her father dies. But when they find her missing twin in their father's grave, Dahlia decides to solve the crime. She blames multiple people for her brother's murder, but the truth may lie closer to home.
From page one, this book grabbed my attention. I fluctuated between liking and hating Dahlia. In the end, I understood her and her family better, and their story broke my heart.
Multiple clues led to the murderer, but I only saw that after the fact. This book kept me guessing and surprised me. Wow. Amazing!

This was an okay read. I found the family very odd! I did not connect with any of the characters and felt like this kept me from enjoying the book more. I didn’t find any of the surprises to be too surprising, but did not figure them all out. All in all a decent, quick read.

Like others, the premise of this book is what drew me to the book and I was disappointed. The writing was a bit dark for me but I still had a hard time putting it down. For anyone that likes mystery and suspense I would recommend this book!

This story had so much promise, but didn't fulfill it. The unique story of siblings who were raised by parents who were obsessed with true crime tales; when a serial killer starts claiming victims nearby, the siblings were taught to write reports on the murder victims. So creepy! Vocalizing what the main character Dahlia tells us is one way to relay the facts, but a dual timeline or carefully crafted flashbacks would have been much more effective.

I truly enjoy books that delve into family dysfunction, perhaps it is because I can see a bit of my own. Talk about an atmospheric, transportive read...I loved reading about and getting to know all the siblings in this book, and the family homestead! What is it about books that feature a home in such a way that it too is a character onto itself? I loved all the tidbits of info I learned as well about true crime. I actually just bought this book for my Mom as I know she too will love it, and I fully intend to read it again.

The Family Plot is an incredibly dark, creepy, atmospheric, gothic mystery!

After ten years, Dahlia is returning to her family home on a secluded island after her father's passing. She grew up with murder-obsessed parents who home schooled her about tragic crimes and held honourings for past murder victims. When her twin brother Andy disappeared at sixteen, Dahlia fled and hasn't been back since.

I loved the eerie island setting and the descriptions of the Lighthouse home, or the "murder mansion". This family is completely eccentric, and though not always realistic, the characters truly come to life. Dahlia's older brother Charlie is set on turning the mansion into a Lighthouse Memorial Museum to honour his father. Her Sister Tate creates very life-like dioramas of various murder scenes with careful detail. The mother cannot stop baking as she deals with her grief. It was total chaos and I enjoyed the family's interactions most!

There are a small group of characters in this story, so I had considered most possible versions of what happened by the time the twist came around. The major reveal happens early on, and then there is a big focus on Dahlia learning about the truth of her relationships and coming to terms with her upbringing. It is definitely not the most realistic story, but it is SO dark and twisted and I couldn't put it down at times! I love Megan Collins writing. The descriptions of the ocean and what it represents here were very vivid. I could see this making a great movie!

Thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

So murderinos, true crime lovers, will recognize the names of the Lighthouse siblings. Dahlia (The Black Dahlia), her twin Andy (Andrew Borden) , Charlie (Charles Manson, and Tate (Sharon Tate).
Their parents named them so because their mothers parents were murdered and then she herself became obsessed with crime and murder. She homeschooled her children and the main subject was true crime.

Raised on an island in a mansion, there is a murderer in their small coastal town of Blackburn. Appropriately called The Blackburn murderer, he/she is never caught.

Andy disappears when he and Dahlia are sixteen. She stays in the family house waiting for him until she feels like it’s time to go. But even in her life off the island, she does nothing but hunt for Andy on the internet. Her friend Greta, a true crime enthusiast, helps her.

When dahlias father passes away, she and the rest of her siblings go home after years away. A discovery is made really early on in the book and the rest of the story centers on the investigation.

I loved the atmospheric setting, and even though I was not surprised by the big twist, the smaller ones really surprised me and kinda broke my heart. Overall a great read. Though I couldn’t like any of the MC, I did like Ruby a lot.
Thank you to the publisher and author for my copy to review, my opinions are my own.

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. I really enjoy the writing style, and loved the premise of the story, but I did figure out the “mystery” pretty quickly and I felt the disjointed relationships between siblings were a little strange. Overall I did enjoy the read though and would recommend for a quick thriller.

What a dysfunctional family! A rich father dies, and his family comes back to their mansion to grieve. The locals call it the murder mansion, but those are just rumors right? When they go to bury their father they are shocked to realize someone is already buried on the family plot. Does their father have anything to do with this?

This novel begins with a death in the family and a return home for our main character, Dahlia, but it soon spirals into a mystery that will upend everything that Dahlia has believed to be true.

I do believe the reader is best served by going into this one knowing as little as possible about the story. Just turn to the first page and prepare to be mesmerized by the family you’ll find between the covers. They are dysfunctional and a bit freaky. Their lives are filled with secrets and lies. You’ll gasp with each revelation.

Megan Collins is an auto-buy author for me. She always entertains and never disappoints, and I think this one is her best work. It’s a thrill-a-minute reading experience. Enjoy.

Twenty-six-year-old Dahlia Lighthouse had an unconventional childhood. She and her three siblings grew up in a fairly isolated mansion in the middle of the woods. Their mother, who was obsessed with serial killers and their victims, homeschooled Dahlia and her siblings, further isolating them from the outside world. Dahlia and her twin, Andy, were just sixteen years old when Andy ran away from home. Dahlia spent the next ten years looking for Andy in every corner of the country. Only returning to the family home when their father died unexpectantly. When they discover a body in The Family Plot, Dahlia and the rest of the family have to figure out who it is and if they are a victim of the Lighthouse Killer that has plagued the island for decades.



The Family Plot features a family, The Lighthouse family, who are odd. Given the way they grew up, I am not surprised that the children all turned out a bit odd. This is where I got bored. It was obvious who the body was in the plot. It was also obvious who was the Lighthouse Killer. There was one part of the "reveal" that was an unexpected twist, but mostly the story was predictable. CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS



Bottom Line - The Family Plot has an interesting premise that had a lot of promise. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me.



Details:

The Family Plot by Megan Collins
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Pages: 320
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: 8/17/2021
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley for the book in exchange for an honest review.

The Family Plot is my first Megan Collings book and I am intrigued.

The Family Plot focuses on the strange and murder-obsessed Lighthouse family. They have lived on an isolated island (that just happens to also have a serial killer) with the townspeople judging and accusing them of wrongdoing. Now, the adult children raised to study serial killers and their victims have returned for their father's funeral, all except one that was presumed to have run away many years ago. You know what they say when you assume. Well, that applies here as well Their brother Andy's body is found in a shallow grave where they are to bury their father. Is this the work of the island's serial killer? Is the killer someone they know?

Based on the synopsis I was expecting a creepier and more exciting thriller. What it was instead was a slower-moving mystery focused more on the dysfunctions of the family. It wasn't a bad story but not was I was hoping for.

I will suggest this to our patrons looking for a darker mystery.

Dahlia Lighthouse and her siblings had an unusual childhood. They lived in isolation in a mansion on a secluded island. Their mother was obsessed with unsolved murders and incorporated these stories into her children’s education, even requiring them to write essays about the victims they were named after. As the children reached adulthood they all left the island and twenty-six-year-old Dahlia hasn’t returned for more than five years. But, her father’s death and the still unresolved disappearance of her twin, Andy, when they were sixteen, has compelled her to come back.

The Family Plot is a dark, family drama pierced with murder and secrets. The characters are flawed, unlikable, and dismal, and the atmosphere of the house and the island is almost overpowering at times. The story is original and unique, with twists that will make you gasp out loud. But, there is also quite a bit of repetition that makes the story drag. I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would or should. So much of it seems so implausible that it was hard for me to suspend my disbelief.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

I have to admit I read this months ago (& forgot to review it) yet it still stays with me. I loved Megan's Behind the Red Door, so I knew I had to read The Family Plot.

The Lighthouse family takes crime-lover obsession to a whole other level, with each of the Lighthouse kids named after murder victims. In their island home, dubbed Murder Manor by the locals, the kids are homeschooled, with their education pretty much consisting of studying true crime stories and murder. This, of course, only adds to the rumors and mysteriousness surrounding the family in their small island community.

Dahlia and her twin brother, Andy, were set to leave just before their 16th birthday, but Andy disappears just before, so Dahlia leaves without him. When she returns 10 years later, after the death of her father, she's shocked to learn that Andy was killed years ago, his body found in her father's plot, his skull split open by an ax. Gone for all these years and she never knew...

Creeping, dark, chilling, and haunting best describe this story. Incredibly unique plot and nothing like anything I've read before! A page-turner that I couldn't put down and so spooky, I couldn't get it out of my head! A highly recommended, fabulous book about one family's unexpected history and gruesome secrets.