*3.5 stars rounded up.

The story is narrated by Eleanor Dash, the author of the best-selling Vacation Mystery series. She and her sister Harper are in Italy for a book event with several other authors and a group of fans. Eleanor's ex-lover, Connor Smith, is also on the trip. She based her main character in the series on him and the real-life case they were involved in. Eleanor has a dirty secret that Connor holds over her head for which she pays him a percentage of her earnings for his silence. Now Connor swears someone is trying to kill him--first in America and then in Rome. Who would want him dead and why? When someone does end up dead, all the authors gather together to try to figure this case out.

This is a fresh and fun cozy mystery with lots of humor, plenty of suspects and a nice twist to the ending. I look forward to reading the further adventures of Eleanor and friends as hinted in the ending. I have to say though, I became annoyed by the use of footnotes to add more information and humorous comments to the story. I felt it disrupted the flow of the plot. I hope they lose that in future books.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new mystery novel via NetGalley and for introducing me to a new author. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Everytime I go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack, book one in the Vacation Mystery series, is a semi-lighthearted mystery, sprinkled with romance. Eleanor Dash, a bestselling author of nine murder mysteries, is plotting out the tenth, and she hopes, the final book in the series. Her publisher has sent her on a ten day promotional tour through Italy for her latest work; the journey takes an unexpected turn into a real-life murder mystery.

An enjoyable story that weaves together charm, intrigue, humor and a little romance, resulting in an engaging read. If you appreciate self-reflexive storytelling and cozy mysteries set against the picturesque Italian landscape, this book is worth adding to your reading list.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
#NetGalley #stmartinspress

The title and concept of this cozy mystery drew my attention, but unfortunately I didn't find it as humorous as I had hoped. Although the footnotes were a clever addition, they were difficult to follow on my e-reader.. That really disturbed the flow of the story for me as well as keeping the numerous characters straight and trying to determine exactly who was speaking a lot of the time. I did enjoy getting a feel for the foods and sights of Italy and will probably read the next book in the series. Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and the author for an advance copy to read and review.

Looking for a fun story to take to the beach? Here it is - Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack.

"Best-selling author, Eleanor Dash, just wants to get through her book tour and kill off her main character, Conor. She wants to go in a different direction with her books and getting involved with con-man Conor has been miserable. When Conor claims that someone is trying to kill him, Eleanor is asked to help him find out who.
Eleanor wonders if she is in danger too, but after one member of their party is actually killed, everyone is a suspect.
Who is trying to get away with murder?"

I love the voice here of Eleanor - definitely some Finaly Donovan vibes. The setting is wonderful. All of the different places in Italy make it exotic. The book-face ladies are hilarious Eleanor groupies. (Think about that next time you go to an author event) Conor is a character you'll wonder about. He's charming, but maybe he's a snake - is he telling the truth? There are plenty of clues from Mack but you probably won't guess the bad guy (I did guess one).

If you haven't been to Italy, this will make you want to visit. Take this book when you go.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is a light hearted mystery. Eleanor Dash is a best selling author that based a main character off a real person in her life. An awful person who blackmails Eleanor, Connor is the bane of Eleanor’s existence. She’s making plans to kill off her main character while it seems someone is trying to kill Connor in real life. Eleanor seems to also be on the hit list. Funny and unexpected, the story is pure enjoyment and I enjoyed loathing Connor right along with Eleanor. Eleanor is likable and a little silly. The story will have you questioning all the people in Eleanor’s life even the ones you’re rooting for. My first book by this author but I enjoyed it so much it will not be my last! My voluntary, unbiased, and non mandatory review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

There was a moment in this book when I assumed everyone may be in on it, that’s how much I liked the little twist! I love how this was written. It almost felt like a fun little letter from a dear friend of mine. This isn’t the kind of thriller that has you sweating and nervous, this is fun (and funny). I read this while on family vacation because the title screamed that this would be the perfect vacation read, and I was right!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing a copy in exchange for an unbiased review. My expectations were probably too high since I recently read the Mysterious Case of Alberton Angels. I expected the format would be similar but this one just did not flow for me (even after I put it down and picked it up several times to try again). Story plot is intriguing though so I encourage others to check it out. Maybe I will revisit this book at a future date.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Bestselling author Eleanor Dash just wants to get the book tour in Italy over with, and then she plans to kill off the leading male character in her novel, and quit writing. Connor Smith has to die. Connor's character, based on her ex (also named Connor) is the driving success for her vacation mystery series, but the real Conner has been blackmailing her for a percentage of the profits ever since she wrote the first book. When attempts are made on Connor's life on the trip, Connor enlists Eleanor to help him figure out who it is that wants him dead (besides her of course). Add to that the stalker-y fans that have accompanied them on the trip, as well as the other authors (one of whom is stealing Eleanor's plots and rewriting them as her own), and this is truly turning into a trip she wishes she could forget.

This debut was SO much fun. I loved Eleanor. She reminded me a lot of Finlay Donovan from the series by Elle Cosimano. The writing style was similar also, so if you are familiar with those books, or the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, then you will absolutely love this. Eleanor's dry wit, Connor's sleaziness, Oliver's charm & Sylvia's ineptitude were some of my favorite characters. The only character I wasn't completely sold on was Eleanor's sister Harper, who worked as her personal assistant. At some points she seemed extremely loyal and competent but at other times she seemed more of a wallflower and pushover. The epilogue ended with setting the scene for the next book in the series, and I can't wait. I loved this and I think you will too!

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this fun book by Catherine Mack (AKA Catherine McKenzie) and narrated by Elizabeth Evans. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Best-selling author Eleanor Dash is just trying to survive her book tour in Italy in the hottest month. Her other main goal is to kill off the main character of her books, Connor Smith. They have a real-life history as well, very much complicating her life, and he's along for the ride on the book tour. But then Connor is convinced that someone is trying to kill him and enlists Eleanor's help. Is life imitating art?

This was so much fun and it's apparently going to be a series, so count me in. I enjoyed the way it was written - Eleanor "talks" to the reader, filling us in on her thoughts and ideas, giving us hints and clues, and even spoilers. She's funny, with that dark snarky humor that's my favorite. There were references to other books as well as the way readers rate books, some of which will make you laugh out loud or even possibly recognize yourself. Plus, there are footnotes - a lot of footnotes! I had both the audio and digital versions and in the audio, the footnotes are read as they occur; in the book, they are at the end of each chapter. I preferred the audio version so ended up listening to it exclusively. The narrator did great female voices, but the males didn't quite sound like male. But no matter, this is just a fun story with a mystery I didn't solve.

An okay mystery with some mystery,drama,suspense.
The characters where good.
Voluntarily reviewed.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is a fun whodunit on the Italian coast. It is a cozy, which is perfect for those times when you're feeling like suspense, but not the darkness of a thriller. I loved the snarky writing style and the dialogue. Catherine Mack's references to "Mean Reads" and popular thriller conventions made me actually laugh out loud. I have a feeling that this will be a great series. Book two was foreshadowed in the end of this one, and I'm already looking forward to it!

Everytime I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack

Catherine Mack is a terrific writer. I’m so glad I had a chance to read this book from Minotaur books/ St Martin’s Press via Net Galley. It’s one of the most entertaining books out there.

Narrator and novelist Eleanor Dash is in Rome on a book tour with her sister, two ex-lovers and others who are also published authors. Seemingly unimportant clues are dropped along the way. These fall so well together at the end to solve the mystery and you’ll never it see coming. Details, my friends, details! Pay attention! People are in danger and dying.

Eleanor(El) posts footnotes at the end of every chapter. These are like actors’ asides on stage, and are a very clever device. (On my Kindle, I just tapped on the footnote number and it popped up.)

This five star book is smart, original and fun with a great cast of characters. I can’t wait for the next one from this exciting author.

This book had a lot of potential with a very fun premise. Unfortunately the footnotes in the Netgalley version made the formatting difficult, although I also had a physical copy from the publisher, but even so, I still found them distracting. The MC was hard to like and the rest of the cast was hard to keep track of who was who. I did love being transported to Italy and I see it's being set up for a sequel. There were some unique elements, but ultimately not my favourite.

Fun. Satire. Different writing style for sure.

I enjoyed the close knit relationships between all the characters on the book tour group.

Eleanor was a mystery solver past and present, enjoyed the references to other books and movies. Did not enjoy any of the digs at Goodreads—calling it meanreads and numerous other things, blah. Did not enjoy the 237 footnotes. It was weird and caused back and forth if you read them, by the end I did not.

Very wordy. Could definitely have been more to the point, I don’t mean like sentences, I mean like pages. Was a lot to get through that wasn’t pertinent to the actual story. Not sure yet if I would pick up the next book in the series, if it had to be tomorrow then it would be a no.

Thanks to Netgalley and for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

A huge thanks to Minotaur for a copy of Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies by Catherine Mack.

I listened to this thanks to Macmillian Audio and I'm glad because the formatting on Netgalley was so wonky.

I enjoyed the funny mystery, especially with the Italian setting. Who else wanted an Aperol spritz while reading this?

It took a few chapters to get into this book and figure out what was happening in real-time on vacation with Eleanor and her fellow authors vs what were her thoughts on her 10th book and how sometimes things were blurred. Once I did, I was hooked. The narrator did a great job with the footnotes and I was enjoying the mishaps this group got into.

This was such a fun listen and if you're looking for a fun cozy mystery set in Italy -- definitely check out Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies on audiobook when it comes out on Tuesday - April 30th.

Oh, how fun! Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies, by Catherine Mack, is a story about an author and her traveling companions. Several of the characters are writers, too, so this is a sure win for my fellow scribblers and me.. Step into the real world of publishing and learn all about ‘pantsters,’ and ‘plotters,’ and the inherent competition among writers.

Protagonist and mystery author, Eleanor Dash, has written a series of books with Connor Smith as the main hero. Now, she’s tired of paying him royalties and wants to kill him off. The twists and turns are cleverly woven into the narrative, and it almost seems as if every character, even El herself, is on a secret hit list.

Descriptions of the Italian setting make readers feel like they are traveling with the group. Staged as a writer’s event, we tag along with her devotees, the BookFace Ladies, and visit the Colosseum, the Vatican, Pompeii proper, and several patisseries. I’m craving a cannoli!

“Pineapple!”

What great writing, with individual characters’ voices that are clearly distinguishable. Readers will love Eleaner’s wit and quirky personality. The author inserts footnotes following every chapter, and they almost serve as a subplot—so cleverly done. So much humor so don’t skip them. A recipe for a perfect Aperol Spritz is even included.

Overall this was a really fun read in a beautiful setting - I just came back from a vacation that covered most everywhere the characters went so that was an added bonus for me - I can imagine this making a beautiful easy to watch movie. The story was fun and the format and wit of the main character was entertaining. I was lucky enough to receive this as an ARC from NetGalley and my biggest complaint is that the formatting with the footnotes was incredibly hard to follow and I was constantly scrolling pages forward and back and trying to figure out where they matched up. This I assume will all be fixed for the final publishing but it was super distracting to the experience (the protagonist did tell us multiple times we could ignore the footnotes but I enjoyed the contents! Just not how hard it was to read them).

What a fun book! I was a little skeptical about the format of this book but I have to say that I really enjoyed it. This book played like a movie in my head and I loved the banter between the characters. It reminded me a bit of the Finlay Donovan series in a positive way. The footnotes were also a welcomed surprise (I really enjoyed learning all the facts). This was a fun book that also reminded me of the murder mystery dinner type scenarios. Overall a great read and look forward to more from this series.

Comic mysteries aren't always my cup of tea. There was some good humor here, but I also felt the book leaned too heavily on events in the past that weren't well-explained. The book also has footnotes, which were a bit difficult to read as it necessitated flipping forward and back in my e-book. Eventually I had to give up on those.

Though this wasn't really for me, it isn't a bad book and I know there will be readers who will absolutely adore it!

Catherine Mack's (a pseudonym for the veteran Canadian author Catherine McKenzie) Vacation Mysteries kickoff, EVERY TIME I GO ON VACATION SOMEONE DIES, is full of mystery, humor, wit, and suspense! It features an author-narrator, an alluring Italian setting, an entertaining cast, footnotes, clues, and crimes to solve. Who is capable of murder?

Eleanor Dash, a bestselling author of nine murder mysteries, is working on her tenth installment, which she hopes will be the series' final book.

All Eleanor wants to do is complete the book tour and kill off her main character, Connor Smith, in the last installment of her Vacation Mystery series.

Her publisher has sent her on a ten-day tour of Italy with a consultant, her sister/assistant, twenty fans (including a stalker), and several other authors.

Ten days, eight suspects, six cities, five authors, three bodies . . . one trip to die for.

Connor is her ex (con) and has been blackmailing her for years, receiving royalties from her books. She has dealt with him for ten years, and now she wants him out of her life for good. Now, someone has attempted his real life.

Who is trying to get away with murder?

From fans, literary competitors, a stalker, the publishing business, and another ex, Oliver, a book tour that turns into a real-life murder mystery offers a lot of action and fun.

With loads of snarky humor, EVERY TIME I GO ON VACATION is a light-hearted, highly entertaining read with creative, fun footnotes to enhance your reading pleasure.

From the stunning front cover with fun, clever chapter titles, this delightful, hilarious, entertaining romp is for fans of authors Elle Cosimano and Janet Evanovich. I look forward to the next in the series.

I read the e-book and listened to the amusing audiobook narrated by Elizabeth Evans for a fun, lively, and entertaining performance. Ideal for your upcoming summer vacation escape.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for an advanced reading and listening copy. #SMPInfluencers

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: April 30, 2024
My Rating: 4 Stars
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