True crime fans will enjoy the "easter eggs" in Megan Collins' latest, The Family Plot -- characters named after famous murder victims, a sister who is famous for her murder scene dioramas, a missing brother, a dead father, a mother obsessed with honoring victims, it's all here in the twisted tale of the Lighthouse family. Their story is an intriguing one, filled with weird traditions of honoring their namesakes on their birthdays and children who become grownups with severe trust issues, as the passing of their father brings to the surface several dark family secrets that just couldn't stay buried. For all of the true crime intrigue, though, there were predictable aspects of the plot and a few twists that should have felt "twistier". But overall the story kept me turning pages as the slightly unreliable narrator "comes of age" by learning her family's secrets and this is definitely a story with "October feels", best read by a nice, warm fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa.

I felt the book moved a bit slow. The last 25% it really picked up and I couldn’t put it down. The twist was not real surprising, just kinda ok.

This story was so bizarre.. I mean if I was part of this family, I would have run.. far away and I would never look back. Dahlia Lighthouse, comes home to an island she left many years ago, to bury her father. The family is mourning his death and seem to all be a mess. Back on the island , in the mansion in the forest, Dahlia finds herself remembering her brother who ran away and can’t help but wonder where he could be. Her family was always obsessed with true crime murders and things with this family start to play out like a true crime mystery. Her mother and her siblings are all acting strange in their grief. Every day something else is discovered and Dahlia wants to get away from all this madness. The story was well written, the characters were interesting and disturbed and yet I didn’t love this book.. But I also didn’t give up on it. It was like a train wreck and I had to keep reading. Overall I would recommend it, it may be somebody’s cup of tea. Megan Collins definitely has some imagination and I would read more of her books.

I went into The Family Plot not knowing much about it – I didn’t read the back cover blurb, and I’m glad I didn’t. It doesn’t give too much away, but I liked going into this one totally blind. Here’s what you need to know going in – Dahlia is the youngest of four kids who grew up in isolation on Blackburn Island in a family obsessed with true crime. Her twin brother ran away a decade ago, and she’s been searching for him since. The book starts when she returns home after the death of her father.

If you like true crime (the dedication: “For the murderinos”), psychological thrillers, and family drama – this book is for you. I loved all the twists and turns as Dahlia navigates her brother’s disappearance and tries to find out what really happened to him all those years ago. There are a few different fictional mysteries going on, and plenty of real true-crime references sprinkled in throughout the book. This is a fun page-turner that is perfect for fall reading.

Enjoy this book and ssdgm, my fellow murderinos.

I was going to wait for October to read this one, gave in and read it in September. The Lighthouse family is a bit odd and creepy. The four siblings were all named after victims of murder from the past, and were raised in a secluded old mansion on an island deep in the woods. There were all kinds of rituals and celebrations while they were growing up to honour the dead. Twenty-six year old Dahlia Lighthouse has returned to the home she avoided for years, for her father's memorial. She has felt adrift and alone since her sixteen year old twin, Andy disappeared ten years earlier. The groundskeeper digs the grave that was to be her father's only to find someone already buried there and it turns out to be her brother. Interwoven into this mystery is also the story of a serial killer who had plagued the island for years. Can the sheriff figure out who killed Andy ten years ago?

This was one of the more strange and bizarre families I have read about. Talk about dysfunctional. They are obsessed with murder and its victims, are very eccentric and just plain odd. The kids all fled the island as soon as they could and I totally understand why. Their parents were dark, and a bit twisted with their obsession of true crime and its victims. When Andy's body is found, the way the various family members reacted was interesting. I enjoyed the idea of this book and the characters including the house itself were all very interesting. As secrets were revealed, the story became more intriguing. This is a mystery at its core, but also a story of a dysfunctional family and how secrets can destroy one another. This is a well written book with so many layers that even with all the clues, it was hard to figure out where the story was going next. I thought I had it figured out, but with red herrings, I was never positive. There were several twists, but as the story progressed, it got a bit too far out there. I enjoyed this story, but as a reader, you just need to go with it and enjoy the ride.

So many loved this book. I'm not entirely sure why. It's not a bad book, but it definitely isn't at the top of my list of books I would recommend.

The book was slow moving. The characters didn't leave a lasting impression on me. I wasn't all that interested in what was going to happen or how it ended.

Maybe it was the writing. This book really wasn't a book for me. I'm in the middle on this one.

So much potential but fell short for me. The kids being named after famous murders (Dahlia, Tate…) and the true crime parts were truly fascinating. But other than that…the story was just okay for me. Dysfunctional family, weird dynamics, bad blood - it could have a great story.

..."the only way out is to never come back."

Blackburn Island -- the Lighthouse family has called this place home for many years. The four siblings left and had not been back to visit for a decade. But they've returned now to bury their father and try to comfort their bereaved mother. Dahlia is hopeful, perhaps her missing twin, Andy, will finally come back so they can all be united. The two older ones, Charlie and Tate, are grim and determined not to sink back into the roles they played in their unusual upbringing -- home schooled in true crime and isolated in their mansion. With a serial killer on the loose on the island throughout their childhood, the family is a bit obsessed with murder. As they tiptoe around each other and no Andy in sight, a gruesome discovery is made -- bones are found in the plot set aside for their father. To Dahlia's shock, the remains are identified as Andy's. What happened to her twin? The secrets are going to be revealed and the lies are coming out. No spoilers.

This was absorbing and the author dangled plenty of red herrings, but it wasn't too long before I had it figured out. I can't say I cared for any of the characters -- to say they are "unnatural" is even a bit of stretch. Just totally freaky weird and understandably, quite messed up psychologically. I enjoyed all the true crime references and can see how someone could go a bit overboard with it, especially if they have a bit of a connection (that twist). It was a quick and entertaining read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this e-book ARC to read and review.

I had a feeling I would enjoy The Family Plot by Megan Collins immediately after reading the dedication: "For the murderinos"

True crime lovers will find this one interesting as it mixes in a fictional family with real-life murder cases. The Lighthouse family had an unconventional upbringing, studying true crime intimately.

Dahlia Lighthouse was sixteen when her twin brother Andy disappeared. He left a note saying goodbye, but it has tortured Dahlia for the last decade, and she has spent all of her free time searching for him. She returns home for the first time in 10 years after the passing of her father. The family reunion that results brings back painful memories, dark secrets, mysteries, and lingering questions...

Read if you like creepy vibes and family secrets!

The Lighthouse family knows everything there is to know about murderers and serial killers. They were home-schooled by their mom. She had been obsessed with true-crime since her parents were murdered. Hence her children are named after murdered famous people. They are proficient in how murders occurred as well as placement of the murder victim’s body. This is how the Lighthouse children grew up. So needless to say, living on a secluded island where everybody knew everybody and where a serial killer was murdering young women, the family was a bit notorious.

Dahlia Lighthouse knew her family was different and did not fit in. How many families have the sheriff of the community constantly in their backyard with a flashlight? But the children stuck together until they were of the age to be able to leave the island. Then they moved away. Except when Dahlia left, she had to leave alone. Dahlia had a a twin, Andy who had promised they would leave together. But on their sixteenth birthday Andy disappeared, leaving a note. Dahlia was heartbroken that he left without her. So when Dahlia was able to leave the island, she spent all her time and energy trying to find out where her brother had gone and why he left without her.

So when Dahlia’s father dies and she has to return to the island, she hopes to find Andy there. Instead as they dig up the family plot where the father is to be buried, they discover a body. It is Andy. Her twin. Her other half. How could she not have known he was dead? Who killed him all those years ago and why?

As the police begin to investigate Andy’s homicide, the Lighthouse children begin their “normal” mourning routines when someone is killed. They build diorama’s of the murder with placement of the body, they prepare for their usual memorial museum of the murdered person. Normal stuff.

Dahlia goes about trying to solve her twin’s death. Suddenly she finds clues which may also uncover who the serial killer may have been all those years ago. She also discovers a part of Andy’s life she never knew existed. That is when the mystery turns even more gruesome. Is it possible for a family who are so far away from being normal learn to come to grips with a life of lies they all lived?

But just when the reader thinks they have the story figured out, the surprises come. One after the other, until you are left with a shockingly unpredictable conclusion. The Family Plot is the most intriguingly entertaining, morbidly enjoyable, plot twisting story to come along in quite awhile. Think Adam’s Family meets the Zodiac Killer. Deliciously different.

Thank you #NetGalley #Atria Books #MeganCollins #TheFamilyPlot for the advanced copy.

Utterly modern and thoroughly captivating, The Family Plot is a wonderfully tense thriller that takes a lens to our true crime obsession.

The Lighthouse family have always been the subject of whispers, living on the remote Blackburn Island in a home dubbed the “Murder Mansion” by locals. One of four children who were raised by a true-crime-obsessed mother to honor the anniversaries of the deaths of murder victims, Dahlia fled her home following the disappearance of her brother. But now that their father is dead, the Lighthouse Children have all come home; and with an unexpected discovery, all of them have secrets that are about to be dragged into the light.

Megan Collins is a self-described Murderino (the name fans of podcast My Favorite Murder have taken on for their group), and her expertise shows. Each child is named for a different famous victim, and the focus on honoring victims rather than glorying in the crimes they endured is certainly welcome. Some true crime does definitely trend to the salacious, though, and that’s not ignored – the author calls it out as something to be avoided.

To the book itself, though, which is suspenseful and twisty, and had me hooked right from the first chapter. There’s a real sadness to this family who ostensibly bond over death and remembrance, but are so disconnected from each other, and Dahlia as the protagonist was even more heart-wrenching in her obvious grief over her brother’s decades old disappearance.

The central mystery is resolved relatively early, though certainly not without a few twists and turns to keep the reader guessing along the way. It leaves room for dealing with the fallout of the revelations at hand, and transitions the novel from purely thriller to something more thoughtful. In the end, The Family Plot is a first-rate read, and one that should appeal to both true crime fans and readers who just love an excellent mystery.

This book kept my attention throughout! From the very first sentence….

“My parents named me Dahlia, after the Black Dahlia- that actress whose body was cleaved in half, left in grass 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.”

Whoa! Megan Collins did a phenomenal job throwing me off track trying to guess who the Blackburn serial killer was…..there were at least 5 characters who made sense to be the murderer! I kept going back and forth between them trying to decide! I KIND OF figured out how it would end before it did…..I figured out who killed Dahlia’s twin brother Andy- but there is no way I could have guessed the WHY he was killed. Holy smokes!

You should definitely pick this one up! It is perfect for October- just enough spooky for the halloween season!

First one i have read by Megan Collins and I will definitely add her to my fave author list. We can bury secrets and then we can literally bury secrets physically in our yard. You just ah e to remember to bury them deeply so they arent uncovered.#netgalley #megancollins. #netgalley

What a crazy train wreck of a family this read was! If you need some drama, murder, serial killings, and want to feel better about your own crazy ass family read this book!
Every single character is epically messed up and needs countless hours of therapy.

To be honest the main character is a better person than I am. The choices she makes at the end was not what I would have done.

I would have told them all to go to hell and set the murder mansion on fire and watched it burn. Some things are just not worth saving, family relationships included.

I really enjoyed this book!

The Family Plot had a slow and weird start for me. At around the 20% mark, I set the book down for a bit and turned back to it at a later time and I'm so glad I gave it another chance.

Brief synopsis: The Lighthouse Family lives in what is called "Murder Mansion" on Blackburn Island. They are secluded and isolated from the rest of the island. The four kids are "homeschooled" (but not in a good way) with their primary curriculum being murder victims. One day, after his sixteenth birthday, their son/brother, Andy, disappears and it is assumed by the family that he has run away to escape this isolation. Years later, the family reunites after the death of their father. But what they find when there immerses them into their own true crime study. And a study of family relations.

This story was full of eccentric and odd characters but once I embraced those characteristics and focused on the story/mystery, the story took off and moved at a much quicker pace.

What I liked: I liked the creepy setting of both the island and the house. And in the end I appreciated the eccentric characters who were coping with loss, both of their own childhoods and their understanding of what it is to be a family/friend. And, finally, there were definitely thrilling parts of the book that had me turning pages quickly.

What didn't work for me: The beginning just started so slowly on this one and combined with very weird characters, it took time to fully embrace the story.

Overall, I ended up liking this one.

The Family Plot tells the story of Dahlia and the lighthouse family, who are not your normal family. The four kids, Charlie, Tate, Dahlia, and Andy, grew up on a curriculum of murder, learning about true crime and honoring those victims of those crimes. But when Andy goes missing on his 16th birthday, all the kids leave and never come back. Until their father passes. What will they find when they all return?

Let me first start off by saying that I don’t think this book is a thriller! This is a hard-core mystery/ family drama at its finest! I tell you that so you don’t go in with misguided expectations!

Dahlia was such a relatable character for me. I loved her and how she evolved through the book. This book has so many nods to so many different true crime cases and I loved being able to pinpoint certain things that were included that only a real true crime nerd could pick out!

What really got me though was the end! The mystery builds and builds and builds and then it explodes. The last 2 chapters made me SOB, like big heaving sobs! What mystery book makes a reader sob?? THIS ONE!! Megan Collins made me empathize so much with Dahlia and her internal struggle that I broke with her and that has never happened to me in a book. Ever. Megan Collins has quickly become a favorite author of mine and I will buy anything and everything she does. 5 stars all day and night!

I am always looking for books about haunted houses, but especially this time of year. This book centers around Dahlia. She is recently divorced and is trying to find her way. She is going to be in charge of handling the Winthrow Place on Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. This will involve handling all the removal of valuables, deconstructing mantels, you name it, she will handle it.

She has no idea what she is going to be dealing with as she goes through the process, but come hell or high water (no pun intended), she will get it done.

Not overly scary, but enough to hold your interest. I thought it was really well written and enjoyed it.

This was a fun read with twists galore. I was constantly second guessing myself as to who the killer was for a good part of the book. Though I did have a sneaking suspicion of who it could be, there was still enough misdirection and involvement to keep things interesting.

I enjoyed Dahlias character and how the kids were all named after different people who had been murdered, I thought that the whole family dynamic and teaching were really interesting and unique. I also loved that the older sister Tate made die-orama's of the different murders. Not only was that super neat, but I enjoyed the reason behind it. Different people cope with things in different ways and I loved that aspect of the story.

My only complaint about this book is I felt it took the easy way out on who the killer was. I was hoping it would have ben just a little more twisted than it was, considering all the people that were around. There was one person in particular I think would have been a better choice and the story led their way for a little bit, then shied away unfortunately. I think in that aspect, it kind of made their part in the story unnecessary besides having just one more character to suspect for a short bit.

All in all though, I really enjoyed this book. It was definitely unique and I'm always happy when I find books that aren't just run of the mill.

A ghost who refuses to vacate. A salvage company pushed to the brink with the estate purchase that could ruin them. A grave a bit too fresh. A solid thriller with a cast of characters each holding dear a secret of their own. All in all a read that will by turns scare and reveal more than this trio bargained for.

Dahlia Lighthouse hasn't been home in ten years, but now that her father has died, she decides it is time to go home. Her twin brother vanished when they turned sixteen and she has been searching for him ever since. Her and her siblings had a strange upbringing in a mansion on Blackburn Island. They were home schooled, but their curriculum was all about true crime documentaries. While secluded, the only real friends that they had were each other, or so Dahlia thought. While she is home for the buriel, her brother's remains are found in the family plot in the spot reserved for her father. As Dahlia starts searching for the truth about Andy, she discovers more disturbing secrets about her family. Many plot twists and drama to keep your attention.