We are are whisked away on a whirlwind book tour of Italy with main character Eleanor Dash on, her sister/assistant, a couple of exes, other fellow authors, and a few too many dead bodies. We get to follow along as secrets are revealed, and Italy is explored.

This is compulsively-readable book that seamlessly blends humor, mystery, and the charm of Italian locales. Much like an Aperol spritz on a hot summer day, this cozy mystery offers a delightful escape into a world where secrets unravel against the backdrop of breathtaking scenery.

Combining the wit and charm of the Finlay Donovan series with a hint of White Lotus ✨vibes✨, "Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies" offers a perfect escape for fans of lighthearted mysteries. Perfect for readers who enjoy a dose of humor with their whodunits, this promises a fun-filled journey that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Mack crafts a fun story that keeps you guessing until the very end. I had a hunch about whodunit but there was just enough misdirection to keep me unsure. With its blend of humor, intrigue, and unforgettable characters, I can’t wait for what is next for Eleanor Dash and company.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read. All opinions are my own.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

Eleanor Dash is back in Italy, ten years after her first trip. The first time, she met a dashing investigator named Connor Smith and they solved a series of bank robberies together. She went back home to California with her head still spinning from everything that happened, so she decided to process it all by writing it down. That became her first book which became a runaway bestseller. Now, she’s back in Rome and working on the tenth book of her popular Vacation Mystery series. And she has a plan for it. But she’s not alone on the trip.

The publisher has set up this tour of Italy to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Eleanor’s book, and they are going all out. Not only is Eleanor there with her sister Harper (who also acts as her assistant), but Connor is there too, along with several other authors and twenty fans who won the trip through social media. And just to make things more interesting, the tour also includes Eleanor’s ex (the one after Connor), and Connor’s ex-wife (and no, Eleanor didn’t know that Connor was married that first trip to Rome).

So Eleanor’s plan for this trip, as she’s plotting this tenth novel, is to kill Connor.

Not the actual Connor, of course. But the character of Connor. She wants to end the series. She wants to stop being tied to this man, especially since he’s been blackmailing her for a cut of her royalties. But then he tells her that someone is trying to kill him. Before they left on the trip, someone cut his brake lines. And then in Rome, someone tried to push him into traffic. But Eleanor isn’t true that he’s telling the truth. She’s never completely sure if Connor is telling the truth.

And then someone tries to push Eleanor off a cliff.

It has to be someone on the tour who is trying to kill them, but who would do that? And why? And what if someone kills off real-life Connor before Eleanor can kill him off in her book? And worse, what if someone kills her off before she can figure out who is trying to kill them?

Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies kicks off a new series with a bang. This mystery sparkles with intrigue and interest, from the strong characters to the settings spread around Italy. With layers of secrets and lies and an assortment of crimes and victims to sort through, this novel is filled with questions, more questions, and pizza, pasta, and gelato.

I listened to the audio book for this one, narrated by Elizabeth Evans. Evans brings the character of Eleanor to life, complete with her snark and many, many footnotes. I think anyone who might be annoyed by those footnotes should try the audio book, as it just rolls right into the narration seamlessly, adding to the strong personality that Eleanor brings to the story. But there are so many footnotes that I think reading them would have been irritating.

But that being said, I loved this book. Author Catherine Mack opens up that fourth wall and invites the reader into the story. She encourages us to solve the mystery before her character does and offers fun spoilers throughout (including references to more books, which I really hope is true). This is not a traditional cozy, but instead a playful twist on the mystery genre, with nods to Dame Agatha Christie and notes about other good books to read. Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is a brilliant start to this series, and I can’t wait to see where we go next!

Egalleys were provided by Minotaur Books and an early copy of the audio book was provided by Macmillan Audio through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this book. I found the book was funny and the writing style was good but I found some of the funny parts a bit forced and I just found it was trying hard to be a cosy mystery even though I found it to be okay. I may not be a cosy mystery reader even though I try.

But a very interesting title for this book.Because you really don't know what's gonna happen.You don't know if it's mystery a love story.But as we read out it becomes a mystery. E l e a n o r dash wrote mysteries through her vacation series. These stories take place in Italy and you find this out when she does.Different chapters and then puts like footnotes and like little synopsis.It's very very good writing. The main character is cornell smith Was the fictional character in a book?But he actually is a real life person in this book. It's funny because this man was a con man and he was suing her because she used his name in the books.So he kept black mailing her through different means. It was funny because she kept changing things in the book.Especially the book ladies who were taking a tour in In Roman. And this was really funny because they were just trying to meet the writer.And I was laughing hysterically. Title is like every time I go on vacation someone Dead in her box. Through the mystery.

Thank you @netgalley @catherinemckenzieauthor and @minotaur_books for this ARC! Funny. Witty. Light yet, Murder-y. I would kill to be on vacation in Italy right now and THIS BOOK would be my vacation read. 🥰 Also, the footnotes are to die for! (There’s a lot of puns in this book, I can’t help myself)

“𝙄 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙’𝙫𝙚 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣’𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣’𝙩 𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚.”

I had entirely too much fun reading this ARC! The author is constantly “breaking the 4th wall” and clueing the reader in on the story which makes for such an interesting reading experience. The characters are lovable and REAL. And a fellow Swiftie?!? YES. Sign me up.

“𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙬𝙖𝙮? 𝙊𝙝, 𝙖𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙝𝙤𝙡. 𝙍𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩, 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩.”

Definitely recommend this one if you want a fun, airy, vacation mystery! AND it’s the first of a series! I cannot wait for the next one! Hopefully I will actually be on vacation when I get my hands on it!
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ʏᴏᴜʟʟ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
•books about books
•witty humor
•murder mystery
•travel

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is a cozy mystery that follows multiple authors on a book tour throughout Italy. Eleanor is the reason behind the book tour. It is her series that features Connor that brought everyone to Italy. Eleanor didn’t expect to have to worry about her life on the tour along with Connor’s life. I overall enjoyed the story, but I do think the formatting of my copy was a bit off. I think the story would have been more enjoyable if it was formatted the way the author intended. I also believe that the author could have explained more aspects. I found myself confused at some points of the book.

Thank you to St Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the arc. I DNF at 18%. I picked this up at least 6 times over the past month to try and get through it and I just couldn't.

I felt like the characters were extremely unlikeable. The main character tried to be funny but came off as impersonal. I overall didn't love the storyline.

i also felt like the overuse of footnotes was very annoying. I wanted to like this so much but I didn't.

I had an absolute blast with this one, truly. A mystery writer? A last betrayal impacting the now? A crew of characters heading abroad to Rome and death threats abound? All told from the quirky and fun point of view of the writer herself as clues cause twists and turns at every page, red herrings and new secrets are revealed, and the murder is turned up a notch. This was an Agatha Christie-esque “locked room” (almost) mystery done in the most unique and personal way and I couldn’t put it down. Every time I thought I had it figured out, I was thrown another curveball, and I laughed until I cried in between the harrowing moments. I will absolutely be picking up the author’s next one!

This is an hilarious trip to exotic locations with an author, her con man blackmailer and her book tour entourage. The fun starts from page one and continues rolling along all the way to the end! I loved the characters, even con man Connor, also the about-to-be-victim of a killer. He was so arrogant and narcissistic that he was entertaining. Author Eleanor Dash had an honest vulnerability about her that made her a magnetic personality for me and one that was very realistic and relatable. The plot moved along quickly with a lot of laugh out loud moments and a few asides from the narrator that were somewhat thought-provoking and enlightening about what may happen next. This book was one of the most fun books that I have ever read, with a glimpse into publishing, the life of an author and the lives of those who are her followers or assistants. I especially loved the descriptions of the settings in Italy and felt as though I were actually there with Eleanor. This first in a series has more than a little promise as it was a real winner for me and I look forward to more!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

So now I want to visit Italy more than ever before. What a fun, exciting summer read. I could taste the pizza and see all the sites as I was reading it. Making it even more entertaining is the mystery aspect. The pages turned themselves between the whodunnit aspect and the laugh-out-loud comedy. Creatively written and engaging — I really hope to see Catherine Mack write more books like this one.

Read this is if you want a light beach read of a mystery. Great for fans of the Finlay Donovan series.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

*4.5 Stars*

This was such a fun read!

I really enjoyed this story from beginning until end. The characters were quirky and fun, all while trying to figure out who in the group was attempting to unalive someone else in the group. Just when I thought I had it all figured out another twist was thrown in and I was second guessing myself. I figured out pieces of the solution correctly but I didn't have it all right, which was nice!

The setting of this story was so fun, and I loved the connections and history between all the characters involved. The dash of romance thrown in was icing on the cake for me. I can't wait for more in this series!

After talking with some friends who also read this, I think I would have given it 5 stars had I listened to the audio. The foot notes were a fun addition, especially with how sarcastic some of them were, but they also were distracting while reading the eBook.

Grateful to have received a complimentary ARC copy to honestly review.

This is a modern cozy mystery and I enjoyed it! The story follows author Eleanor Dash on her book tour in Italy wanting to kill off her main character, Connor Smith. Things go array and escalate as someone actually attempts to kill Connor in real life!
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I thought the mystery and whodunnit antics were great and found myself laughing out loud at some parts!
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The author did a great job of intertwining all the other supporting characters while cracking me up with all of Eleanor’s foot notes! Such a creative way to write a book!

Happy Pub Day to @catherinemckenzieauthor and her novel EVERY TIME I GO ON VACATION, SOMEONE DIES. This was such a fun read. A cozy mystery set in Italy, this book has humor, sunshine, drinks, and drama. It’s a classic whodunnit like a good game of Clue.

Eleanor Dash, author of a mystery series, is on book tour with other authors and Connor, an ex-fling who she based one of her leading characters on. Cue the drama when Connor claims someone on the trip is trying to kill him and the number of suspects climb. Looking forward to a second book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to @minotaur_books for inviting me to participate in this book tour! I had a great time reading this book and loved the goodies that accompanied it! I especially love the finished copy and signed bookplate (check out the inside cover illustrations too💗)!

This book is out today and will be a great one for fans of Finlay Donovan, Knives Out, and anyone that loves the Clue game.

Everytime I go on Vacation Someone Dies was SO good! I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style, footnotes, plot twists, character development, all of it. I rated it 4.5 stars and the only reason I took off a half star is because I would have liked a little more romance. I will definitely check out Catherine's other works.

Catherine Mack’s Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is an outrageously fun mystery. It is written about an author whose life has given inspiration to a bestselling mystery book. Clever, witty, and original book that made me laugh out loud more than once. An entire crew of unique characters to get to know while you begin to feel as if you are part of the group too. Who wouldn’t have thought of murdering while also loving con man, Connor? Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is a hoot that can be enjoyed by anyone who loves a great story.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is the perfect book for an afternoon on the beach or by the pool—it’s easy to get into and doesn’t require a ton of attention or deep thinking (not in a mean way, but it’s not dense). It was entertaining enough, I found it a bit predictable. I was really kind of annoyed by the footnotes in the digital format because they were all at the end of the chapter so I either had to flip back and forth or try to remember them out of context. In a physical book, I’d probably skip them. I also don’t love when a character addresses the reader directly, but that’s personal preference, not bad writing. If you want an easy cozy romance, I think this fits the bill rather well.

If you are looking for a book that will provide mystery, romance and laughter then Catherine Mack’s Evey Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies is the perfect choice. Author Eleanor Dash is on a ten day tour of Italy accompanied by her sister/assistant Harper, a group of her fans and several additional authors. Ten years earlier El visited Italy, where she met Connor, an investigator. Working together they solved a series of bank robberies. She put her experiences into her first book, which became a bestseller. Her mistake was not changing Connor’s name in the book. Threatening a lawsuit, he settled for a percentage of her book earnings. Her publisher was insisting on Connor’s inclusion in future books in her series, but after tolerating his arrogance and demands she has decided that she has had enough. It is time to kill off his character and end the series. Someone else has a similar idea and several attempts have been made on his life. She is not sure who organized this tour, but almost everyone has a reason to get rid of him. Then an attempt is made on El’s life. She is saved by Oliver, one of the authors that she had been in a relationship with. There is still a spark between them, making El wonder if they might re-kindle that relationship. When one of the authors is murdered, El becomes a prime suspect despite threats against her own life.

From the childish bickering between the authors to the guide who reads her information directly from the internet (and still gets it wrong), Mack injects her story with humor. She loves footnotes and liberally sprinkles them through the story. Clues are sprinkled throughout the story and she challenges the reader to solve the mystery before reaching her conclusion. With a limited group of suspects and constant twists she will keep you guessing to the end. This is the first book in Mack’s series and she leaves you with the discovery of another body and the hope that El will soon return. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s - Minotaur for providing this book.

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

Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies
by Catherine Mack

A fabulous “whodunnit” among a group of touring authors (who write murder mysteries)! This was a clever book with an added feature. Footnotes. Lots and lots of footnotes that were full of hints and doubts to keep you guessing. In the digital ARC, the footnotes didn’t convert perfectly so I’m excited to see this published.

Can I interest you in a charming, funny and snarky mystery with lots of travel and just enough romance to keep you on your toes?!

Oh was this FUN! A big thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC. Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is out TODAY!

Eleanor Dash is a bestselling mystery author who has been keeping some secrets. The main character in her stories is her ex, Connor Smith, and while the world knows him as her muse, what they don't know is that he's been blackmailing her since she wrote her first book. Desperate to get rid of him, she's decided that she's going to kill him off in her upcoming novel, #10.

What makes this even more awkward is that Connor is joining El, her sister/personal assistant Harper, and a cast of other supporting characters from their book lives, along with superfans on a trip around Italy to celebrate ten years of her writing. And they're all thrown for a loop when it Connor is being targeted in real life. So naturally El decides to take up the case...

I couldn't put this down and found myself giggling through the night. It was such a fun mystery - it kept me guessing (I was wrong every time!) but also rooting for these folks to just get it together. The side characters were well developed and the chemistry with the whole group was excellent. El is an unreliable but incredibly engaging narrator - I LOVED the footnotes and they often made me snort.

The perfect book when you are in a mood to laugh and solve a mystery. What a debut, Catherine Mack!!! Can't wait to read what comes next!

Pub Day Book Review
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This cozy mystery has a gorgeous setting, multiple unreliable characters, and a whodunit plot told from the perspective of a witty, sarcastic narrator all wrapped up in one!
This was one of a few books I've read that included footnotes and I found all of them to be enjoyable, however, some were more so a glimpse into the thoughts of the narrator than actually providing substance to the story. I still loved their inclusion in the story!

I appreciate how this novel broke through the fourth wall and provided a glimpse into the world of publishing! Eleanor was such a snarky and spunky main character to help navigate the journey and I definitely laughed a bit throughout this book.

The setting is MARVELOUS. The descriptions of foods and the vivid scenery were so atmospheric that I had to resist the urge to book my flight to Italy ASAP! It's definitely a travel destination for sure though!!

I had my suspicions regarding who was to blame for multiple murders, however, I became a victim of the infamous red herrings, so I was wrong, oh well! 😅

I loved the nods to the queen of mystery, Agatha Christie and the pop culture references, spoiler there's Taylor Swift gems, sprinkled throughout the story!

Overall, this debut for a new cozy mystery series definitely kept me intrigued and I will keep an out of for more books in the series, especially given the cliffhanger at the end of it!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review! 💛