Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies

Eleanor Dash is traveling Italy in honor of the book series that was launched after a vacation there several years earlier. Her publishing company is sponsoring the trip which includes several fellow authors and a group of lucky fans of Eleanor's series. One of the people on the trip is Connor, the man she fell in love with on that initial trip and who starred as a character in the book that resulted from it. Even though Eleanor no longer loves Connor, her readers do. That and a bit of blackmail on Connor's part keep him in the picture.

Harper Dash is Eleanor's sister, personal assistant, and usually her memory. Harper always has the details and itinerary that Eleanor either forgot or never bothered to learn. When Connor confides that he show more thinks someone is trying to kill him, Eleanor doesn't believe him. Furthermore, she begins thinking about how she can kill him off in her next book and finally be free of him.

After a series of near-misses for Connor and Eleanor which may or may not have been murder attempts, someone actually dies. The trip includes Connor's ex-wife (who was Connor's wife when he met Eleanor, unbeknownst to her), Eleanor's rebound boyfriend Oliver, now also an ex, and other authors with various motives to dislike or distrust Connor. There is no shortage of suspects. Eleanor's reasoning and investigation point to one suspect after another (perhaps further evidence of why she's an author and not a detective) before we finally discover the culprit.

This is a fun little cozy mystery with a lot of fourth-wall breaking, through innumerable footnotes. Eleanor is a mostly likable character, particularly redeemed by her relationship with her sister Harper. Listening to it on audio, the footnotes were maybe the funniest part of the book and didn't interrupt the flow at all. Reading it either digitally or in print I think would have been exceptionally frustrating.

Elizabeth Evans is the narrator who did a wonderful job with the voices, and particularly the accents which helped cement the location. Her pacing kept the story flowing and she was particularly adept at incorporating the footnotes and elevating the humor.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher. show less

The cover and the blurb set my expectations as: Beach-Read, Cosy-Mystery, Book-About-Books, with snarky humour from a strong female character in a glamorous location. It delivered all of that and in style but I was delighted to find that it went further by doing clever things with form and narrative that hooked me into the story and made me smile.

'Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies' has a decent murder mystery plot, a rising body count and a rich suspect pool, all set in Italian tourist hotspots. Eleanor Dash, the main character, had a satisfyingly complex backstory and a relationship with her younger sister that felt real to me. The novel is also rich in humour, much of it at the expense of the publishing industry and the show more behaviour of writers, readers and the kind of devoted fans who have t-shirts made with their favourite author's book covers on them.

All of that made it good fun but what made it stand out for me was the innovative storytelling approach. The whole novel is written as a direct address to the reader from Eleanor Dash.

What's innovative about that?

Well, what starts off as a fairly conventional first-person interior monologue develops into a conversation with four layers to it. The main layer is the interior monologue which provides a real-time account, written up by Eleanor Dash after the event but in which she DOESN'T know what happens next. This is supplemented by footnotes written by Eleanor Dash and used to add details, commentary and cultural references, all of which show that she DOES know what happens next. The third layer is a set of publishing-related materials that Eleanor intersperses throughout the narrative. These vary from a New York Times interview entitled "Ten Years, Ten Books - What's Next For Eleanor Dash?" through lists of the titles of Eleanor Dash's novels to an ever-changing Outline of her next novel, which has the working title of "Amalfi Made Me Do It". This layer made me laugh as well as providing context for the mystery and building Eleanor's character, Finally, there are the points when Eleanor Dash breaks the fourth wall to step out of her role as a character in the novel to take up her role as the author of the novel so she can display the structure of the novel and have an author-to-reader conversation about how the novel is going. These four layers worked very well for me. I especially liked the way the layers of storytelling interacted with each other to amplify the story and deepen my engagement

I loved that Eleanor Dash had three faces: Eleanor as herself, Eleanor as a curated version of herself with more agency and Eleanor as the author of this novel who is putting her character through hell.

I also liked that I didn't get the Guide Book version of Italy, which typically sells Amalfi, Capri and Ravello as glamorous locations. I know those places and I was pleased to see that Capri was presented as choked with tourists, Amalfi looked a little shabby and Ravello was presented as a pretty place to be as long as you were prepared to take your life in your hands driving the coastal cliff road to get there.

There were three things about the book that didn't work for me. Firstly, the audiobook didn't handle the footnotes or the publishing-related materials well so I switched to a Kindle version before the end of Chapter 2. Secondly, thought that Tucci, the Italian Policeman in charge of investigating the murders was too incompetent to be believable. Finally, I didn't enjoy the epilogue. It felt soggy and unnecessary. obook

Even so, 'Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone DIes' was a four-star read for me, It was entertaining and stimulating and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the Vacation Mystery series. show less

"Every Time I Go on Vacation, Somebody Dies" is an absolute gem in the world of mystery novels! Catherine Mack's storytelling prowess shines brightly in this witty, suspenseful, and utterly enjoyable read. From the charming backdrop of Italy to the quirky characters and the intricate plot, Mack keeps readers hooked from the first page to the last. The way she seamlessly blends humor with suspense is nothing short of brilliant, making this book a delightful rollercoaster of emotions. With each page turn, you'll find yourself drawn deeper into Eleanor Dash's world, rooting for her as she navigates through literary rivalries, unexpected twists, and heartwarming moments. Mack has crafted a masterpiece that will leave readers eagerly show more anticipating the next installment in this captivating series. If you're looking for a mystery novel that will keep you guessing while also leaving you in stitches, "Every Time I Go on Vacation, Somebody Dies" is the perfect choice! show less

This fun little romp through current day Italy, was a delightful cozy mystery, dressed up as an over the top book tour, replete with fans in tow. With the scenes set so well and having performed in all the highlighted locations within the story, I was immediately transported to the Amalfi Coast and Rome. I could smell the delicate scent of lemons floating on a warm gentle breeze; taste the rich earthy wines and savor the magnificent pasta creations. It was fun reliving all these wonderful experiences through the book's writing.

The story itself brought together several authors, with Eleanor being the featured writer. The writers traveled mostly together privately with the occasional interaction with fans who won the privilege of show more traveling with them, but on a separate transport. There was some tension among the characters and as personal items started disappearing, the list of suspects was lengthening. Eleanor and her former beau, Oliver, joined forces trying to work out who was behind the thieving. Just when they thought they'd got a handle on it, one of the suspects dies right in front of their own eyes. As the stakes rise, will the duo be able to solve the mystery before another writer perishes?

This was an interesting format for a cozy travel mystery read. The writing incorporated footnotes at the end of each chapter which provided a bit of additional background to the action of the chapter. For me, I wish I had read a physical copy of the book so that I could easily flip back and forth as each footnote arose. But, having an e-copy of the book, I just read the footnotes as I reached the end of each chapter. The writing itself was solid and the story, often amusing. All in all it was an entertaining read.

I am grateful to Minotaur Books for having provided a complimentary uncorrected digital galley of this book. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication date: April 30, 2024
Number of Pages: 352
ISBN: 978-1250325853 show less

The the narrative frame is fun (a fictional author of mysteries writing an autobiographical memoir with a murder mystery in it) the setting is great (Italy), the characters are fine (classic rom-com people), and the mystery itself goes along swimmingly (despite some plot holes which are not unknown among the Golden Age writers themselves).

In fact, I loved everything about this book except the solution reveal at the end, but it has become characteristic of the rom-com mystery genre to have the answers dropped on the protagonist instead of being sleuthed out, so don't hold that against Mack.

We're not talking Agatha Christie here, although she gets several nods in the footnotes.
Which are my favorite part, but I'm a sucker for fictional show more notes since discovering the early Terry Pratchett Discworld books. show less

Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies is the debut cozy mystery by Catherine Mack full of humour and interesting characters. Set in Italy, a group of mystery fans are on a tour with their favourite mystery writer, Eleanor Dash and her ex-lover, Connor Smith, who is the real-life model for a beloved (by fans, not so much Eleanor anymore) character in her books who she really wants to kill off in her books against her publishers’ advice. Only now, it seems, or at least Connor insists, someone is trying to kill him in real life and he wants her help. Eleanor has her doubts about it until she finds herself the target of a determined killer and now she has no choice but to investigate even if it means also helping Connor.

This is a show more fast, fun, and funny cozy mystery with plenty of twists and turns, interesting characters, and multiple suspects to keep the reader engaged. The story is told in the first person by Eleanor and, in her telling, she adds footnotes. I had both the ebook and audiobook and sort of split my time between the two. With the ebook, this added to the humour. However, I found it tended to break the flow of the audiobook. Still, overall, I quite enjoyed this book in both formats. The audiobook is narrated by Elizabeth Evans who does a great job.

Thanks to Netgalley, St Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read/listen to this book in exchange for an honest review show less

leanor Dash is a bestselling author of mysteries. Her first book was a loosely masked fictional account about a real crime/mystery she and her then lover, Connor, were involved with. Her publisher and the public loved Connor and thus she was locked into including him in all the subsequent installments of her vacation mysteries series. But, she has had it with him and wants to kill him off in the next book. On a tour of Italy with Connor, her able assistant/sister, some other authors, her former lover whom she lost when she got involved with Connor, a group of fans, and an outrageous tour guide, it becomes apparent that someone is trying to really kill Connor and her as well. Some people do die and, as the blurb boasts, “eight show more suspects, three bodies”…..

It took me a while to realize I really liked this book. It was a fun romp through Rome and the Amalfi Coast and, despite the murders, amusing and lighthearted. Eleanor is quite funny and sarcastic; I loved that she often broke the fourth wall. The setting, especially along the Coast, is stunning and some of my favorite things about Italy (gelato, Aperol spritzes) are included. Her digs at Goodreads reviews will resonate with a lot of readers and authors! There is even some romance thrown into the mix.

Mack includes a number of foot notes…kind of asides that Eleanor made to further explain or emphasize something. They were clever and entertaining, but distracting and interrupted the flow of reading. Genre bending, this is a mystery/cozymystery/romcom/travelogue/comedy.

Thanks to @NetGalley and @stmartinspress @minotaur_books for the DRC. show less