This is a very smart mystery, but told in an odd way. Eleanor is a mystery writer who is on tour for her first book's tenth anniversary. There are a number of other writers as well as people with connections to her series on the trip as well: such as her sister who is her assistant and Conner Smith, who is a former love interest and actual a real life character in her books. Conner is a dog, who has actually been blackmailing Eleanor for percentage of her book sales for years. Now Conner is convinced that someone is trying to kill him. Eleanor is actually planning to kill him! Well the fictional version of him from her books anyway. At first she doesn't believe someone is trying to kill him, but it's not long before she begins to suspect he may be right. Then she thinks she might actually be a target as well. But why? Sure plenty of people have reason to want Conner dead, but she can't understand why anyone would want her dead as well. I really liked these characters and the story is excellent. My only real issue is in how author Catherine Mack decided to write the story. She includes many many many footnotes, which honestly is just Eleanor's inner thoughts/4th wall breaking. I didn't get why she chose to not to just weave this into the regular narrative and instead went with footnotes. As such you either had to flip to the footnote as they appeared to get the context or read them all at once at the end of the chapter at which point the comment might not make any sense without flipping back to find was happening when the footnote occured. That being said I enjoyed the story and will definitely be reading the next book in this series...and from how this books ends we already have an idea of what that story is going to be about. Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an ARC of Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies.

3.5 Light and fun! Fans of the Finlay Donovan series will feel right at home! This has much of the same fun banter and shenanigans yet does its own unique thing. The fourth wall is repeatedly smashed down as we circle through suspects of a murder and lots of almost murders.

Love that this took place in Italy! And the setting was very much incorporated into the story. Our characters are funny and relatable. There’s romance and ex-lovers and blackmail galore.

I am being a bit picky here but I just didn’t enjoy the footnotes. They would have been fun if there were less but I didn’t love having to click every few paragraphs for a pithy one-liner and my brain just wouldn’t let me skip them.

This mystery is an easy read. It’s entertaining, and the plot moves quickly. We get an Italian locale, some vapid beautiful people, and a sarcastic narrator. But it’s mostly frivolous and tries too hard to be quirky and funny. Every chapter has a large quantity of footnotes in which the narrator gets even more quirky and “funny.” I don’t mind footnotes, but there were too many to keep up with, and the device interrupted the action. It may have been easier if I weren’t reading the story via ebook. I read this in a day and forgot the plot in about an hour. Oh, I had pretty much figured out who did it about 50% in.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book. My review is voluntary and reflects my honest opinion.

My summary: Ten years ago Eleanor met Connor, a dashing private investigator who turned out to be a con man, in Rome. They had a whirlwind romance and solved a high profile bank robbery case and a murder. Eleanor went on to write a novel based on the events and changed everyone’s name except for Connor’s—which led to Connor demanding (blackmailing? extorting?) a percentage of her advances and royalties. Now ten years later and writing her tenth book, Eleanor decides she’s going to kill off Connor—figuratively, of course—and finally be free of him. She just has to survive one last book tour trip with Connor in Italy. The only problem? It seems that someone else is already after him.

My thoughts: This is likely the most lighthearted murder mystery you will ever read. I 100% picked it based on the title and cover and I was not disappointed at all.

Written as first person narration, it feels like the author is telling you this story over a spritz. It is overall really fun and entertaining. It’s a fast read and the pages flew right by. I literally laughed out loud at times. It is the quintessential vacation read.

I was super amused by all of the writer and book industry jokes. I have no idea how accurate it all is, but I’m going to say it is all completely true and there’s nothing you can say to convince me otherwise at this point.

These footnotes. Absolutely hilarious and completely made the book for me. They are quirky and endearing and funny—but also made me want to chuck my e-reader across the room at first. (My copy was an unformatted ARC edition, so never fear, I’m sure they’ll be perfect once published.) But the footnotes grew on me quickly and soon became my favorite part. Dear Editor—please let her keep them! (If they’re really on the chopping block, I have no idea what is real or not real here.) (See, all of these parentheses could have been footnotes.)

Buckle up, fellow readers, because this book is about to become the star of your summer book club! It’s a rollercoaster of laughs, thrills, and unexpected twists that'll have you flipping pages faster than you can say "whodunit." With footnotes that are pure perfection and a blend of murder and romance that's downright addictive, it’s like Agatha Christie met her hilarious alter ego. Trust me, you won't want to put it down! Mark your calendars for the end of the month because this book is a must-have addition to your summer reading list. Highly, HIGHLY recommend!

This was so much fun!! I loved how self aware the book was. The footnotes were my favorite (which is impressive cause I usually hate footnotes in books). All the characters were great, the plot was just so entertaining. The audiobook was great! loved the narrator!! A great, fun, silly cozy mystery!

Now for the very very long wait till book #2!

Like Knives Out, but if a Swiftie wrote it!

I loved this wild ride of a cozy mystery. Eleanor Dash and her hilarious narration of a triple murder investigation while on her book tour. She breaks the fourth wall a few times, has the most hilarious footnotes, and knows how to cast the characters in her own story! If you are looking for a fun, hilarious, and cozy mystery, this new debut in a series by Catherine Mack.
Thank you, NetGalley and Minotaur Books (St. Martin’s Press) for an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Wow! I really loved this book! It’s a fresh take on a travel mystery. I had so much fun with Eleanor, Harper, Oliver, Connor, and all the others. I must admit I only partially figured out whodunnit. I think this is a must read for lovers of light-hearted mysteries.
Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the chance to read and review this book. I simply can’t wait for the next one!

Thank you, NetGalley and Minotaur Books, for my free copy for review.

As I delved into the mystery, I encountered an array of intriguing characters, indulged in the sights, tastes, and flavors of Italy, and found myself captivated by the protagonist's witty charm. Eleanor Dash, a renowned author with a penchant for sleuthing, led our group through the adventure. As the plot unfolded, I uncovered not only the mystery at hand but also the hidden secrets within the group. The engaging narrative style, with the protagonist speaking directly to me, drew me into a web of complex relationships and romantic entanglements, making the journey both thrilling and amusing. However, the humorous footnotes, while entertaining, occasionally disrupted my reading flow. Overall, the experience left me hungry for more and transported me to the enchanting locales from Rome to Sorrento.

This is a must-read for those who revel in immersive destinations, amateur sleuthing, and a generous dose of delightful fun!

2.5 stars. This novel sounded so promising to me: Eleanor Dash is a successful mystery writer. She travels to Italy to work on her newest book in which she hope to kill off her main character, Connor Smith, a man based upon a real person who unfortunately has become entangled in her life. Having read really good reviews, I was eager to dive into this novel. However, I found it difficult to get into and the footnotes (yes, footnotes in a novel) drove me crazy! Additionally, I found the plot to be a bit trite because of too may eye-rolling scenarios. All in all, although the premise of this book had me intrigued, I found the execution to be lacking.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack. Pub Date: April 30, 2024. Rating: 2.5 stars. The premise of this novel sounded quirky, fun and full of cozy mystery vibes. The execution of this novel was weird, dull, all over the place and very over the top. The main character is a female author who is on vacation with some of her readers and a cast of characters associated with her such as her sister, ex-lovers and another author. Death is following them on this vacation and it is a race to figure out the mystery. At times I felt the author was trying to hard to be funny and it was cheesy and predictable. Also, I felt some of the scenes/scenarios were so over the top that the story did not have as much depth as I would have hoped for. This one was a miss for me. Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

In this delightful mystery, bestselling author Eleanor Dash embarks on a book tour in Italy. Her goal? To kill off her main character, Connor Smith, in the next installment of her Vacation Mysteries series. But when an attempt is made on the real Connor’s life—the infuriating con man from Eleanor’s past—she’s enlisted to solve the case. Amid literary rivals, rabid fans, and unexpected reunions, theories abound, and hearts are laid bare. Is someone truly trying to get away with murder? Catherine Mack’s debut introduces us to a world where fiction and reality collide, leaving readers guessing until the very end. 🕵️‍♀️🌟

If you’re seeking a fun, semi-lighthearted mystery with a sprinkle of romance, this book is a must-read! 📖✨

Don’t go on vacation with Eleanor!
Eleanor Dash, best-selling author of the Vacation mysteries, is off on a tour through Italy to publicize her latest book. Of course, the tour does not go smoothly, and Eleanor learns firsthand what it is like to have a murder interrupt your touring!
As you probably guessed from the title, there is a lot of humor in this book, with fun snarky comments by Eleanor, so be prepared to smile. There are several features of this book, though, that will delight some readers and put others off.
The book is narrated by author and main character Eleanor Dash. This adds to the fun, but the structure can be confusing. For example, the opening quotes in the book include a quote by… Eleanor Dash, and before Chapter One there is a writeup About the Author that at first made me wonder if Eleanor Dash was a pen name for the real author, Catherine Mack (which is also a pen name). It also had footnotes that are often fun but break up the narrative and are especially difficult in an audio book.
The romance theme is also prominent. Eleanor already had a difficult relationship with Connor, her blackmailer and former love interest who is also central to the vacation series she is writing and who also goes on her tour. The situation becomes even more difficult when another former boyfriend, Oliver, shows up on the trip. Both these men have physical charms that are described several times. Another personal interaction theme is Eleanor’s unusual relationship with her sister, who serves as her assistant.
The pace of the book overall is good, but the first part is largely devoted to the characters and their interactions, so if your main interest is the mystery it takes too long for the murder to occur. Some of the plot points also seemed a bit unlikely, like the makeup of the tour group.
If you enjoy books where romantic elements play a role and the structure described above appeals to you, you will find a lot to like in Every Time I go on Vacation Somebody Dies. If not, I could suggest Agathie Christie.
I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.

2.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. Unfortunately, the ARC was a bit of a mess. The book contains a multitude of footnotes and instead of the footnotes being at the bottom of the page or at the end of a chapter, they are inserted randomly, without any rhyme or reason, and sometimes right in the middle of a sentence, which was beyond annoying. It made reading the book a real chore and difficult to follow. I understand that an ARC is not a fully edited, polished product but the footnotes made the ARC completely unreadable at times, in addition to the fact that there were so many that they eventually lost any usefulness to the plot, so I had to knock of a half star.
The book is about an author, Eleanor, who writes a cozy mystery series called the Vacation Mysteries. She wrote her first book based on a real life experience when she traveled to Rome after college and fell in insta-love with Connor, a private detective who was helping the police solve a series of bank robberies. She and Connor staked out an apartment building next door to a bank that he thinks will be the next target and they are able to catch the mobsters when they see them move into the apartment and start building the tunnel into the bank next door. But then Eleanor realizes that Connor may not have been innocently investigating the crimes, he might have been the mastermind behind the whole scheme. She never reported him and went home and wrote the book to try to understand what actually happened. But when her sister, Harper, encourages her to publish it she does but doesn't change Connor's name. He blackmails her into giving him 20% of her royalties. Flash forward 10 years and now there are 9 books in the series and the next book will not only be the end of her contract but will also be the end of the series because she plans to kill off Connor in the final book. Except she first has to get through the book tour in Italy where the entire series is being promoted. In addition to her sister and Connor, the others on the tour include other authors represented by her publisher, including her ex-boyfriend, Oliver, spy adventure author, Shek, and young upstart, Emily, who Eleanor suspects of stealing her plots. Connor's ex-wife, Allison, is along for the ride (although I'm not sure why) even though Connor brought along a young plaything, Isabelle, who he just met on the airplane as well as Connor's former investigative partner, Guy. Sylvie, their tour director, has a hard time wrangling all of them since many don't want to be in the same room with each other. Eleanor hates these tours where she has to mingle with the book club ladies and she hates it even more when Connor tells her that he thinks that someone is trying to kill him. She doesn't believe him since he tends to be a drama queen but eventually she thinks that he may be right when Shek dies after drinking from a glass that was intended for Connor. But Eleanor also thinks that someone is trying to kill her after she is almost shoved off of a cliff. The police detective called in to investigate Shek's death is none other than the same inspector that Connor and Eleanor dealt with 10 years ago on the robberies. He immediately suspects that Eleanor is the guilty party, especially since evidence is found in her backpack. But she is cleared the next day when someone tried to kill her with Guy's gun. It turns out that the real killers were the family members of the mobsters who were sent to prison after the robberies and they were trying to kill both Connor and Eleanor. Sylvie, Isabella and Marta, who worked for the publisher, are the wife and daughters of the man that Connor and Eleanor got convicted and they are out for revenge. Although it really made no sense to me how they couldn't have managed to kill Connor at the very least since Isabella had been sleeping with him for days. I mean couldn't she have poisoned him in his room? And not a lot happens in the book. There are multiple passages of ruminating over evidence, trying to decide if Connor is really a target or not, trying to identify motives, etc, that run on for far too long and then are repeated just a few chapters later. And then add in the ridiculous footnotes where Eleanor is "talking" to the readers and the book was just too long. I may read the next in the series, but I will not read an ARC.

I didn’t mind the storyline and liked how the murder solving wrapped up in the end but I felt overall, it was too drawn out. I also didn’t love all the footnotes, I was never sure if I should read them or not so I mostly didn’t. So then I was sometimes skipping whole pages on my kindle to get past them and back into the story. But on the whole, I liked the story and it was interesting.

This was so much fun! It's a different take on the cozy mystery, allowing the reader to be a part of the investigation in a way and I loved it! The writing was witty and humorous, the plot was clever, and the characters were fantastic. I loved everything about this!

pretty fun, requires a lot of suspension of disbelief but if you can do that it's a good time. unique concept

[3.75]

I had no idea what to expect from this book, but I was pleasantly surprised! After 10 long years, and 10 books to match, Eleanor Dash is ready to end this chapter of her life - or at least kill off her main character and real-life dark shadow, Connor Smith. However, once on their Italian book tour, real Connor's life is in danger. Aside from Eleanor, who would have the motivation and means to kill Connor (even metaphorically in a work of fiction)? Everyone is a suspect and Eleanor is at the top of the list. As Eleanor digs deeper into what is going on, the more danger she puts herself and her tour members in increases. Who will make it out of this trip alive? Will Eleanor be able to successfully end her series or will her series end her?

This was such a fun read! I felt like I was right there with the book tour group figuring out the events alongside them. My only complaint was that at times I felt like some parts were really drawn out while others felt rushed and I had to re-read sections to ensure I was getting the right information. However, this did not impact my overall impression of the book too much. If you're looking for a fast-paced, humor-filled read, check this one out! It may also make you reconsider taking a vacation to Italy - lol.

When I first saw this title, I feared a variation of "Murder She Wrote." Fortunately, this was much more original. Eleanor Dash is on a book tour in Italy with some of her best frenemies, including Connor, former boyfriend and star of her very popular book series. She wants to kill him in the series, but it appears that someone is trying to kill him in real life. Is someone really trying to kill him, if so, why does someone want him dead, is he really the target, could the suspect be someone on the book tour? Eleanor has to solve both a real life murder along with one she is writing. Could the police get confused by her fictional murder plotting? Oh yes, plots and theories abound. This is a fun light read. Some readers aren't fond of the footnotes, but they are amusing. If you are reading an e-copy, you only have to click on the footnote to read it and then close it to return to the book. After the first several, it just becomes part of the reading experience and makes you feel as if you are behind the scenes with the writer. This is meant to be the first in the series, and I will probably continue reading to see what happens next.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an early copy. My opinion is my own.

I couldn’t get through this book. Actually I stopped at the end of chapter one. It’s really hard to follow and all of the footnotes were confusing. I just didn’t get it, so I stopped reading.