Leah’s ARC Review of “Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies” by Catherine Mack

Originally posted on Leah’s Books.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies

• Author: Catherine Mack
• Genre: Cozy Mystery
• Publication Date: April 30, 2024
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Series: The Vacation Mysteries #1

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ALC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Plot Summary

Ten days, eight suspects, six cities, five authors, three bodies . . . one trip to die for.

All that bestselling author Eleanor Dash wants is to get through her book tour in Italy and kill off her main character, Connor Smith, in the next in her Vacation Mysteries series―is that too much to ask?

Clearly, because when an attempt is made on the real Connor’s life―the handsome but infuriating con man she got mixed up with ten years ago and now can’t get out of her life―Eleanor’s enlisted to help solve the case.

Contending with literary rivals, rabid fans, a stalker―and even her ex, Oliver, who turns up unexpectedly―theories are bandied about, and rivalries, rifts, and broken hearts are revealed. But who’s really trying to get away with murder?

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is the irresistible and hilarious series debut from Catherine Mack, introducing bestselling fictional author Eleanor Dash on her Italian book tour that turns into a real-life murder mystery, as her life starts to imitate the world in her books.

Overall Impression

When I received an email offering me the opportunity to read an ARC that was compared to the Finlay Donovan series, there was no way I could resist it. That series is one of my favorites, and I’ve been searching for a series that combines the cozy mystery aspect with the laugh-out humor that runs through each book. The Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich also fall into this category. And the fact that I was offered the audiobook version made this an even sweeter deal.

Right from the start, I could tell I was going to like the book. The narrator, Elizabeth Evans, brought a dynamic energy to her reading. She voiced quite a few different characters, both male and female, with various accents and tones of voice, and did them all really convincingly. 

We’re introduced to the main character, Eleanor, who is also the sole perspective that we get throughout the story. Luckily, Eleanor is freaking HILARIOUS, and isn’t just a character, but also kind of functions a little like a narrator? She provides these funny little asides, referred to as “footnotes” which I couldn’t verify since I read the audio version, directly to the reader, like when a play’s narrator speaks right to the audience. Eleanor, as a mystery writer, offers some insight into the structure of a mystery novel, and checks in with the reader to help them along and see how the reader is coming with solving the mystery.

Eleanor has a snarky sense of humor, and I really enjoyed seeing the world through her eyes. Even with all the humor, she manages to have some serious moments of personal growth throughout the book, but we get to meet the people closest to her—two exes, one of whom may be not so much of an ex, and her sister, who also manages her life, basically. I really enjoyed getting to know all of the characters, although some were more likable than others, but all had depth and complexity to their personalities.

The mystery centers around a murder attempt on her ex, Connor, who is on Eleanor’s tenth year anniversary book tour in Rome. They’ve got quite the crew with them, and it turns out that every single person in the group has a reason to want to kill Connor, Eleanor included. She’s actually been talking about killing him off in her next book, so that she can finally cut ties with him. So when another murder attempt occurs, suspicion centers on Eleanor, and she’s forced to try and clear her name—because the inept policeman assigned to the case has a grudge against Connor and Eleanor. 

I kept trying to figure out who the killer was, and I flipped back and forth between different characters a few times, but even so I didn’t guess right. It’s tightly plotted and written in such a fun way, complete with danger, murder, travel to gorgeous locations, and even some romance. Reading a mystery where I’m surprised is always fun, and the humor and fast-paced action kept the read intriguing to the point where I struggled to put it down. Comparisons aren’t usually accurate, but it was dead on point in this case—this book has Finlay Donovan vibes, and I can’t wait to see more of this series!