Don't Tell Me How to Die is a jaw-dropping thriller that takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of emotions. At first, you feel like a cry baby for balling at what seems to start off as a story about grief, but you quickly realize this book is full of dark secrets. It will keep you guessing until the very last page.

Maggie is seventeen years old when we meet her and is dealing with the news that her mother is dying from a rare blood disease. Instead of crumbling, Maggie and her sister Lizzie are faced with a final task from their mother; find their new step-mother. Their mother wants help in picking the woman who will fill her motherly shoes. She know that women will be flocking to marry her husband, but it's important to find a woman who will be a great person, partner, and step-mother.

Years later, Maggie's 43rd birthday is approaching and has received news that she too has the disease that took her mother. Planning your funeral is never easy, but she is taking notes from her mother. She wants to make the most of moments, pick a wife/mother figure for her husband and kids, and tell a few secrets truths along the way.

This book is a whirlwind. I assumed it was solely going to focus on daughter's grieving their mother, but it turned in to the perfect domestic thriller that kept you engaged. There are truths revealed that I never expected and I loved the added suspense. Don't Tell Me How to Die is an unmistakable 5 star read!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This book took me completely by surprise and I am in awe. I wasn't expecting this. I was prepared for a domestic drama with some Hallmark vibes, and boy, how wrong I was.
Well, it started that way, surely. The main protagonist, Maggie, gets the worst news possible: she inherited a deadly blood disease that had killed her mother about 25 years earlier. The first part of the book consists of memories: of the very much loved mother and wife and a truly remarkable spitfire of a human being dying, of two teenage daughters – as close as siblings can be – copying with this loss, of a devastated husband grieving.
Fast forward and Maggie has a successful life of her own now. Still close with her sister and father, married to a great man, with two wonderful kids and a splendid career, she is not yet ready to go, but the clock is ticking. The only things she can do is to embark on a mission and find a decent woman to take her place and take care of her family. And... I'm stopping now. I don't want to spoil the pleasure of finding out the rest for anyone. Trust me, dive in as blindly as you can.
One more thing. Among many other things, this is a remarkable, memorable and emotional story of an incredible, absolutely fantastic friendship. I loved it.

#DontTellMeHowToDie #NetGalley

I've enjoyed Mr. Karp's books written with James Patterson. I liked this book "Don't Tell Me How to Die" very much. It jumps around a bit. Once you get into it more it's not as confusing. It has quite an interesting story. The ending was a surprise. It made you question not only the characters in the book but people you know. It makes me wonder......

"𝓑𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮. 𝓡𝓮𝓹𝓮𝓪𝓽, 𝓲𝓯 𝓝𝓮𝓬𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓪𝓻𝔂." I say to myself while hyperventilating upon finishing this book.

I may have just stumbled into my new bingeable author because this was one of the best books I have read and I don't put that lightly. As someone who loathes being sad, tears were shed and my heart hurt many times throughout this book but I'm truly not upset about it. This offered depth, characters that feel like family with a sprinkle of dark humor and TWIST AFTER TWIST.

I was confused going in, confused halfway through and absolutely gob smacked by the end. I could not stop thinking about this book and I am currently feeling a bit lost since finishing. Easiest 5 star review I have given. WOW.

"𝒩𝑜𝒷𝑜𝒹𝓎 𝑔𝑒𝓉𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝒸𝒽𝑜𝑜𝓈𝑒 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓁𝒹, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓊𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓁𝓊𝒸𝓀𝓎 𝑒𝓃𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽 𝓉𝑜 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒶 𝓈𝒶𝓎 𝒾𝓃 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝓌𝑒 𝑔𝑜 𝑜𝓊𝓉."

Thank you so much NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing and to the author for this ARC. All the above are my own thoughts.

Wowzer!!!! I could not put this book down. It pulled at my heart strings and made me scared at the same time. The tight bond and relationships of the characters was well done. I could feel the love of the mother for her kids and family as well.

But look out…. Don’t mess with the people they love!!!

The twist kept coming and all the questions came to light at the end. ( down to the last sentence) I highly recommend this book. This was my first book by Marshal Karl and ready for the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book confused me. At first, it seems like a story about a family, through several generations, facing various challenges as they make their way in the world. I was waiting for the "thrilling" part. But then there is a twist... and then another twist... and then another twist? And then it turns out that this book is very different from what it initially seemed to be!

I am all for a good twist or two or three. But for me, I just couldn't reconcile the ending with the first part of the book. Somewhere among the twists, I stopped believing what I was reading. When I got to the last page, I was waiting for the "PSYCH!" that would reroute me back to a believable story. I just didn't buy it, and that makes me sad. So many good reviews coming in for this one, but I guess it just wasn't for me.

Significant trigger warnings, be warned.

This book will be released on March 4, 2025.

Trigger Warnings:
- Parent loss
- Grief
- Terminal illness
- Death of a child
- Violence
- Drug use
- Alcohol
- Murder

WHY is this book getting so many 5 STAR reviews?

Because it’s ADDICTIVE reading, it’s ORIGINAL, and it’s TWISTY in all the best ways. I couldn’t put it down!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Maggie and Lizzie lost their mother when they were only seventeen. She died from a rare blood Cancer but before she did, she sat her daughters down and she warned them that women would flock to her suddenly single husband “like stray cats to an overturned milk truck” and that the girls would have to protect him.

THE WOMEN CAME-carrying home cooked meals in casserole dishes that would have to be collected a few days later. But, the sisters washed those dishes and delivered them back to their owners before the women could return.

But one managed to sneak her way into the fold….

So when Maggie discovers at age 43, that she too has the disease-she is determined to get ahead of the women who will prey upon her own husband.

And, the woman voted “Most Likely to Kill Someone to Get What She Wants” is determined to succeed at any cost.

Is the omission of a FEW facts, really lying?

DOESN’T EVERYONE HAVE AT LEAST ONE SECRET?

This book unfolds in THREE parts, PAST and PRESENT and PART ONE (46% of the book) reads more like a heartbreaking 💔 FAMILY FICTION/DRAMA-full of flawed well developed characters and MESSY relationships who feel like people you could know-NOT the psychological thriller I expected from the Publisher’s blurb.

DON’T LET THAT FOOL YOU!

Parts TWO and THREE are full of revelations which completely “flip the script” and in an oversaturated genre, full of overdone tropes-this one managed to do what few others have done lately-it CONTINUALLY SURPRISED ME!

I have never read any of the authors collaborations with James Patterson, and I wasn’t familiar with his work-but I will definitely be reading more of it now!

Highly recommended!

PICK UP A COPY on March 4, 2025.

Thank You to Blackstone Publishing for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!

Read this book in one day! So good! At first I wasn’t sure about the storyline. But I’m so happy I kept reading! The authors writing style kept me hooked!

Don't Tell Me How to Die by Marshall Karp

I enjoyed this story so much, I'm sure I'll read this author again. I went into the story without having really looked at what I was getting into. I thought this was about two sisters keeping ruthless women away from their widowed dad...there was that. Then twenty five years later one sister is dying and wants to find the "right" new wife for her husband. There is a little of that, too. So I'm thinking family drama. I didn't look at the thriller label so some things snuck up on me although this isn't a typical thriller, at all. I remember wondering during certain scenes, "why do we need to see this?" and I'd get the answer much later. "Oh, that's why!"

In the earlier timeline, Maggie, the oldest of the two sisters has major problems when her mother dies. Her way of handling things is to go all bad girl in every way. Oh, she kept up her school work, she excelled on that front, but behind the scenes she was in the gutter in a lot of ways and very happy being there. It's as if she has few inhibitions once her mother dies, nothing holds her back, and things go much farther than I could imagine they would go.

But then she meets a great guy, a guy going places, a medical student who becomes a doctor, which leads to becoming much, much more. And Maggie's law career keeps growing and expanding, and she and her husband have the most desirable of lives. They are the movers and the shakers of their community, the people in charge, the ones to look up to and admire. I'm leaving so much out, just as the story leaves so much out until it slaps us in the face with all we didn't know.

Things really explode when Maggie's bloodwork shows she's dying of the same thing disease that took her mother. My head whirls from it all, nothing is laid out for us in the order the events actually happen so it seemed like I was being hit with so many twists and turns. Yet I had my suspicions and it was delightful seeing it all unfold, only it had to unfold the way Maggie wants it to unfold. This is Maggie's story and she's going to give it to us her way, whether it's living or it's dying, she's going to have some say in what happens. This was a great buddy read with Jayme, so much to discuss and question.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC.

I picked this book because of the cover. I didnt even read the blurb and went into it totally blind. Great idea! This is more than a thriller and will take the reader through so many emotions. 10/10 recommend.

Don't Tell Me How To Die is a twisty thriller that took me on a crazy ride and made me feel so many different things. For the most part, I went into this book blind which is how I prefer it. And I have to say if you are not easily triggered I would highly recommend going in blind. Don't Tell Me How To Die follows Maggie through some of the hardest days of her life but also shows the beautiful relationship between sisters and the unflappable bond between some of the most unlikely friends. The book follows a nonlinear timeline, which I am usually not a fan of but in this case, it was done so well that I had no issues following the plot. The plot twists were remarkably done and honestly, every time I thought I knew what was going on I couldn't have been more wrong!

Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the eARC I received in exchange for my honest review.

Maggie is not ready to die. She has an almost perfect life. A husband, Alex she loves, two wonderful kids, her father and sister, and a life that she has worked hard to establish. The only thing missing is her mother. A woman who lost her battle against a horrible disease when Maggie was in high school. She and her sister have been tested every year since without issue, but this year, genetics delivers a cruel blow. Maggie will not be around to see her children grow up or to grow old with her husband. Maggie is a planner, and she tries to predict the same issues that plagued her and her family when they lost her mother.
Told in the present, and in the past, we learned the challenges and heartache that Maggie endured. A seemingly straightforward story that could not possibly have a happy ending, turned into twist and turn central. I won’t say more, not wanting to risk giving any of the plot away.Once I read the last word, all I could think was that the first half was heartbreaking, while the second half took everything I thought I knew and turned it all upside down. This story definitely appeared to be going in one direction then took some very unexpected turns. My first book by this author, and I will definitely read his work again.

Twisty thriller that keeps you guessing until the end!

Thank you Blackstone Publishing for granting me an ARC!

This was such an unexpected read for me. I knew there were mysteries, but the heart of this for me was the family relationships. Maggie watched her mother de too young and now, several years later, she learns that she has the same diagnosis.
I loved Maggie's relationships with her parents and her sister, and everything in her life somehow related to how she cared for people.
The mysteries were interesting and satisfying. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

What. Did. I. Just. Read?! This is brilliant! I was crying, and then I was lifting my hands in surprise at all the turns I never expected! I absolutely LOVE this story!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for allowing to read this. It’s amazing!

I absolutely love anything Marshall Karp writes. And this ending…wow! Thank you Marshall and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy of Don’t Tell Me How To Die.

Marshall Karp’s Don’t Tell Me How to Die is a darkly funny and emotionally gripping thriller about life, death, and the lengths we go to for the people we love. Told from the perspective of a terminally ill woman racing against the clock to secure her family’s future, this story is equal parts suspenseful and deeply human.

The narrator’s biting humor and fierce determination make her unforgettable. Her search for the perfect replacement wife and mother unfolds with sharp twists and unexpected turns, keeping you hooked while tugging at your heartstrings. Karp’s knack for crafting three-dimensional characters and witty dialogue shines through, adding layers to a story that’s both thrilling and tender.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Thanks to #NetGalley and #BlackstonePublishing for the book #DontTellMeHowToDie by #MarshallKarp. If I had to sum up this book in one word it would be WOW. I could only read it a couple chapters at a time because it was emotional for me. I can’t remember the last time a book made me cry. On the other hand, it was crazy and dramatic and the ending blew me away. Never saw it coming!
Maggie’s mom died young from a rare blood disease, sadly she has just been told she has the rare disease and only has months to live. After seeing the women flock to her father when her mother passed, she decides she will search for a new woman for her husband, Alex and mother for their twin children. Can Maggie figure out what’s best for her family before it’s too late?
Packed with betrayal, secrets and murder, this book will totally shock you.

What did I just read!?
Ho hum…just another day, just another thriller. Ummm…WRONG!

If you knew you only had months to live, what would you do?
Would you get your affairs in order? ✅
Would you spend your remaining time with family and friends? ✅
Or…would you plan who your spouse will end up with next!⁉️

Are you kidding me!!? 18% into this read and I’m unabashedly bawling! That just doesn’t happen. I was ugly crying to the point where my dog jumped into my lap to make sure I was ok. (And he’s no lap dog.)

So yes, I was expecting a thriller. This author is known for his collaborations with James Patterson (which I’ve read and enjoyed). So I expected nice, short chapters with a few twists along the way. And it delivered on both counts.

But there was so much more!

We were also treated to a look into an incredible family, filled with love, loss and grief. Best described as a healthy dose of family drama with a side of thriller. Both sides worked and dove-tailed perfectly.

As a friendly tip may I suggest picking this one up over a weekend because at any given time you may be reduced to tears! (Or was that just me?)😉

Absolutely loved it! A favorite for 2025! I will definitely be reading more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing

The character development in this book is outstanding—so much so that I found myself wondering halfway through if I had accidentally picked up something other than a thriller. At first, it feels like not much is happening, but then, out of nowhere, the plot takes off and everything falls into place. It takes some patience, but trust me, it's totally worth it in the end.