I love sordid family dramas and this DID NOT disappoint.

The Calhouns are a picture perfect family, with a beautiful marriage, elegant parties, Christmas cards with coordinated outfits… but there is a lot of filth lurking beneath the surface.

At their annual cherry blossom party, the facade is beginning to crack. Then, a murder shocks their entire world.

Everyone is freaking out. Each member of the family begins to panic, with their individual skeletons in their respective closets being exposed. The investigation into the murder is heating up and the carefully constructed world they have created is crumbling.

This was a great popcorn thriller. I love dysfunctional families and this one was intense. The Calhouns are a freaking mess! With resentment, manipulation, past crimes and infidelity, there are many, many potential murderers… and the ride to find out who was responsible was FUN!

A murder happens at a celebration. The wealthy Calhoun have a lot of secrets as do their children. I really could not get into this book from the beginning. It was another who did it and what a horrible scandalous family. It’s been done and done and this one was not fresh or new.

Such A Lovely Family by Aggie Blum Thompson is a fun novel about a picture perfect family throwing yet another picture perfect event. But their party is spoiled by a brutal murder and it turns out the family is far from perfect. Just a delicious read. Highly recommend!

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. I believe my students/patrons would also love this book and will be acquiring it for the library!