Fun and entertaining read set in the world of skin-care MLMs. I really enjoyed this book thought the main character was relatable and was easy to see how people can get so involved in this type of industry. The ending wrapped up a little to easy but all in all would recommend giving it 3/3.5 stars. I want to thank NetGalley and Quirk Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was like junk food for my mind: entertaining but not a lot of substance. I liked the premise, and I could totally see these things happening on a smaller scale (no, Ashleigh, I will not be purchasing your essence of fern oil to stimulate my third chakra). However, the plot wraps up well before the book was over, so it drags a lot at the end.

thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Death in the Downline is part contemporary fiction, part mystery about a late twenty-something woman who gets roped into a MLM (multi-level marketing) company. Drew is a journalist who has been laid off from her job at BuzzFeed. She can no longer afford to live in New York, so she moves back home with her dad in New Jersey, in a dying suburb.

Drew ends up reconnecting with her childhood best friend, Steph, who now is a seemingly successful independent business owner selling skincare products and health supplements. She eventually recruits Drew, whose success isn't the sure thing she was promised. The death in the downline doesn't happen until almost halfway through the book, but the pacing was great as more and more secrets are uncovered.
It starts out as contemporary fiction, but evolves into mystery.

I wish this had come out a few years ago when MLMs were so pervasive. They still are, but don’t seem to have the same stranglehold as they used to. Perhaps Instagram influencers, particularly TradWives have become the new MLM! I'd recommend this if you're a fan of Elle Cosimano (Finlay Donovan series) or Laura Hankin. They have a similar wry style with mystery. An enjoyable read that helps you understand why so many have been roped into MLM companies.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Drew lost her New York City dream journalism job and her boyfriend, Drew returns to her hometown and runs into an old friend, Steph at the grocery store. They go for coffee the next morning. Coffee turns into a multi-level marketing scheme for Drew to get involved in. Drew says no and leaves. Later Steph manages to recruit her into a multi-level marketing scheme. When a distributor dies suspiciously, Drew begins to investigate and discovers dangerous secrets about the whole organization. Will Drew tell Steph what she learns?

The author has written a laugh-out-lou, funny and a perfect skewering of pyramid schemes in this novel. It is a page turner. It shows how women get sucked into doing multi-level marketing schemes, even those who think they won’t get into it. The mystery was one part of the novel that I enjoyed. Drew was my favorite character. It’s a novel I recommend for entertainment.

This was a surprise hit for me! The entire book details the rise and fall of an MLM and how easy it is for intelligent women to be sucked in and taken advantage of. I like how the book was funny but also highlighted the dark side of MLMs. Every character in the book was realistic, I felt like I instantly knew some of the characters. The writing style made it easy to read and although I guessed the murder mystery aspect it was still really enjoyable to see how it unfolded. I would highly recommend reading for a fun time

Thanks to Netgalley and Quirk Books for this e-ARC that I chose to read and review

Thank you to NetGalley and quirky for this advance copy of the book and for also granting my wish to read this book.

I loved this book and parts of the book had me laughing in a good way. I was a little disappointed on the reveal of the killer, but apart from that part of the book I really enjoyed this book and I will be picking up a physical copy. The characters were written so well and the characters made the story what it was which means the characters are done so well. Such a good murder mystery xxx

I hate to say this, but this wasn't for me. The writing seemed very shallow and didn't keep me interested. There was one passage in particular that led to me DNF this book, which was calling basically single mothers and all military wives unhappy. Sorry, but no.

Obviously, I know how dodgy multi-level marketing schemes are and unfortunately, I’ve seen several people I was at school and university with become a part of these scams. So, the competitive nature amongst sellers and the fraudulent promise that these schemes are a quick and easy way to make a lot of money seem like the perfect breeding ground for a thriller!

Drew is a struggling journalist who once had a pretty decent life writing for well-known news outlets in New York. Now at almost 30, she’s back at her dad’s house in her New Jersey hometown and it seems that some of her schoolfriends are still around too. When she bumps into her former best friend Steph in the supermarket, Drew is introduced to LuminUS, a beauty and wellness brand that Steph owes her glowing skin and cushy lifestyle to. The best part is that Drew can become a part of it too! But when a local LuminUS lady dies in strange circumstances, Drew is sure that the brand is behind it and she’s determined to uncover the secrets at its heart.

Drew knows instantly that Steph wants to recruit her to LuminUS and although she is highly skeptical, she goes along with it. I can only assume that this is because although she thought it was suspect, she probably didn’t bank on the brand being dangerous. She simply wanted to re-connect with her old friend over something and obviously, she does need the money. I feel like this probably is the case for a lot of MLM victims. They’re not vapid and gullible. They just want to try something that might be lucrative and become part of a community.

The LuminUS ladies are really not very nice to each other, either face-to-face or behind their backs. There was this very thin veil of illusion that they were all friends but there are so many insults and snide comments about each other’s looks, houses, husbands and social media aesthetics that the toxicity isn’t hidden at all. They’re all obsessed with themselves and maintaining the appearance that they’re thriving and in actual fact, none of them are. So, naturally I didn’t really care an iota about any of them!

Death In The Downline is unique in its setting and it’s very strong on its social commentary of MLM schemes and the faces behind them. It’s a world that I think many of us have at least periphery experience of, which I thought was smart as we can all definitely recognise these women. However, it was very hard to care about what happened to them and therefore the death parts of the plot didn’t hit me. I also cringed a lot at one of the final scenes where a couple of characters were in a karaoke bar, which felt incredibly forced. I don’t think I’ll be reading anything else from Maria Abrams sadly as there wasn’t enough there to keep me gripped but if the premise sounds good to you, you might want to give it a go.

LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS BOOK THAT MADE ME LOL SO HARD!💀🤭😂

I very rarely read cozy mysteries, but when I saw this anti-MLM cozy mystery I HAD TO READ! This book is snarky and funny, too relatable, and I absolutely love the (faux) true-crime podcast that is integrated into the story. I would love to hear this as an audiobook because of that specific feature!

⭐️DEATH IN THE DOWNLINE, out JAN 14th⭐️

Special thanks to @quirkbooks for access to the review copy of this book💕

It was a lot of fun - I'm a bit obsessed with MLM content and it's insanity, and this has all of the interesting intrigue. I did find it a little repetitive and the twists were pretty predictable but it was a good ride.

I featured this book at our Winter Book Buzz, a program where we book talk upcoming titles. I described it as LuLaRich meets Only Murders in the Building. It was a quick read and a fun mystery.

As soon as I saw the cover and title of this book, I knew I had to get my hands on it. This was the first wish I've been granted through Netgalley, so thank you to them and Quirk for the advanced copy.

I've been a second hand witness to how damaging MLM's can be. We all know someone in one, or have been in one ourselves. We've all gotten the DM's about embracing our potential to become boss babes. They've infiltrated our society as a whole, from Tupperware, to skin care, to leggings, to press on nails. The danger of them is real, if not as extreme as in this fictionalized story, but still real.

I loved this book and ate every minute up. I caught myself nodding along and going "yep, heard that line before," throughout the story.

If you haven't heard of this one yet, thank me later. Death in the Downline is what a good modern m*rder mystery is made of. It's the story I didn't know I had been needing.

I read half the story with my eyes and half with me ears on Spotify and let me just tell y'all, the audiobook is so well done. It's narrated by Megan Tusing and Mia Hutchinson-Shaw.

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ 4.5 stars (rounded to five)

I am so thankful to Quirk Books, Maria Abrams, and Netgalley for granting me advanced access to this book before it hits shelves on January 14, 2025. This book encapsulated true horror, and it really resonated with me.

This book gave me flashbacks to when MLMs were really popular. When harassment from #bossbabes ran rampant. What I really liked about this book was the fact that I could actually envision some of my own friends who gave in to the MLM hype. This book shows us exactly how the MLM industry preys upon people and tricks them into thinking they'll be wealthy when really it's bankrupting them - not only financially but mind, body, and soul.

I liked the social commentary and the drama more than the murder mystery but really I just loved this book!

I love those stories about pyramid schemes and MLMs, always wondering how people fall for the obvious sales pitch and lies; Im also a big fan of a crime thriller so when the two stories combined, I was in.

Drew has moved back home after her New York journalism career came to an abrupt halt. She has no job, no friends, is living with her dad in her childhood home - and no idea what she's going to do. She bumps into old best friend Steph, who tells about this amazing business opportunity, Luminus. Steph has everything going for her, she looks great, they have a huge house, brand new car, designer wardrobe and more, all thanks to Luminus.

Drew signs up and her world suddenly changes, she is enveloped in this whirlwind of Luminus meetings, pressure to sell, pressure to recruit, and constant social media posts. Everyone she meets is also involved in Luminus - Drew has no-one to turn to about her concerns.

And then comes the death; one of Drew's associates is found dead at a conference. Is it a tragic accident or something more suspicious?

Entertaining and eye-opening.

I'm obsessed with Multi-Level Marketing schemes and will read/watch any and all documentaries on the topic, so when I saw there was going to be a fictional story centered on the topic it was a no-brainer I needed to read it.

LuminUs is the name of the game and becoming a top-level LuminUS lady is the goal. Yeah, it gives me the ick too!

I absolutely loved how Abrams brought LuminUS to life and all of the women working at the organization. There is everyone from your average participant (Steph) to your skeptic (Drew) to your Queen Bee (Leah). There is so much cringe, but also so much reality. Who here has been a victim of receiving a facebook invite to attend someone’s “product party”?? Yeah, same!

All of that is here, plus a murder mystery! I will say it does take a bit for the actual murdering and mysterying of the story to get started, but there is so much happening that it doesn’t feel like a drag.

❗ When I went to drop my review on Goodreads I saw that this book is listed as the first in a series, so I’m thinking the backstory was maybe needed for future books? Or will there be more MLMs to investigate? Either way, I’ll be stalking for book two’s release date!

I absolutely despise MLMs, so this was a fun read. Little bummed on the reveal of the killer, but overall fun quick read!

Tons of fun, if not the sharpest mystery. The depiction of the MLM was spot on from the crappy products to the Stepford "independent consultants". Things got a little extreme with the level of injury from the products, but I just went along for the ride. I was a little surprised that the killer ended up being who our main character thought it was toward the end because I was expecting a twist there, so the resolution to the two murders ended up a little unsatisfying for me. I also think you might be confused by some of the MLM jargon if you were not already familiar with their terms before going into the book as none of that is explained. Our main character mentions being lost in initial conversations with the huns, but then we never see a scene where she learns what the terms mean.

It was so fun to see our "Hey hun!" internet reality reflected in a cozy mystery, and I so related to the main character's insecurities. A fun read!

This was a fun cozy mystery about the dangers of multi-level marketing companies and their predatory nature! I thought it was well written and kept me on my toes.