Don’t Tell Me How to Die by Marshall Karp is a fast-paced, brilliantly twisted thriller with a unique premise that grips you from the very first line. It follows a woman, facing her own mortality, who is determined to find the perfect replacement for herself in her family's life before she dies. What could have been a straightforward story becomes a labyrinth of unexpected turns, tension, and Karp’s razor-sharp humor.

Karp’s writing is brilliant—he juggles suspense, emotional depth, and biting wit effortlessly. The characters are all well-developed, particularly the protagonist, who is complex, driven, and wonderfully flawed.

If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers with a dark sense of humor and plenty of jaw-dropping twists, Don’t Tell Me How to Die is an absolute must-read. Marshall Karp delivers a story that is both emotionally resonant and wickedly entertaining, and you won’t be able to put it down. Five stars, without a doubt!

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed reading it and didn’t want to put it down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Don’t Tell Me How To Die was delightful, bringing together a few different genres but shining in its mystery and thriller element. Maggie is our main character and we get to see her in the present when she’s been given a prognosis of death which she has been preparing for all her life. We get to explore the why behind that in great flashbacks which visit her young adulthood and how her mother’s death shaped some less than stellar behavior. Couple that with a few (yes few) mysteries in the present and this is just a perfect read.

What I loved about this book was the layering from the past that make the final chapters extremely satisfying, with a true understanding of how everything got to an amazing finale.