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 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

Every Time i Go on Vacation, Someone Dies was a funny mystery, despite the body count! I suppose it would be classified as a cozy, since it lacked the grit and gravity of a traditional mystery. To me, though, this felt like an old fashioned caper, with it's richly described Italian setting and a group of characters worthy of traveling on Agatha Christie's Orient Express

Eleanor Dash became a bestselling mystery writer by chance, and now she is on book ten of her popular vacation mystery series. She made the mistake of modeling her detective on her boyfriend at the time, Connor. She and Connor's relationship has long been history, and Eleanor would like to write Connor out of her books, in other words, kill off her popular detective. Connor has a big fan base, so easier said than done.

And now Eleanor is on an author tour with some of her fellow mystery writers. This group unfortunately includes both Connor, and Eleanor's last boyfriend, Oliver, who left her when he found out Eleanor cheated on him with Connor. Connor is convinced someone is trying to murder him, and although Eleanor is at first skeptical, but begins to believe him. And then she begins to think someone is also trying to kill her.

This was a fun read, well actually I listened to the audio, which was well done. The characters are well developed and the story had a couple of interesting twists. I got the idea this might be a series and if so, I would definitely read the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Catherine Mack, and St Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In Eleanor Dash's first book, art imitated life. Now on tour in Italy, life is imitating art. Eleanor wants to write Connor Smith out of the book series he appears in. She's plotting the demise of his character. Now it seems as though someone has it out for Connor in real life. But who? And will they stop there? Join Eleanor, Connor, a handful of other authors, and a bus load of fans to find out.
I really liked Eleanor and her sister Harper. They have a good relationship. Eleanor narrates the book and is something of an unreliable narrator. She has a lot of good snark. Being a mystery writer, she is quick to see who might have a motive for what all is going on. It's like whoever organized the tour did so to maximize conflict.

The book moves along at a good pace with murder and attempted murder. The only thing that slows it down a little is the use of footnotes. Some of them are funny or informative. I found myself just skimming them after the first few chapters. I don't think I missed much. Another plot device used was the main character breaking the fourth wall and talking directly to the reader. Generally this works well, although it did slow momentum in a few places.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's well written and interesting. I partially figured out what was going, but not all of it. I liked the main character breaking the fourth wall, but wasn't keen on the footnotes. I liked enough of the characters to want to know what happened to them. If you like cozies with an author for the main character and some humor, this might be a good book for you.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack was published April 30, 2024 by Minotaur Books. This is the first book in The Vacation Mysteries series. I'm looking forward to the next book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my review.

More like 3.5

The premise was excellent, and I loved the sense of humor that moved things along. The characters were amusing, and I liked at least one (Oliver) very much. I suspended disbelief over certain aspects of the story because it's meant to be a lighthearted, fun mystery story, not a "based on a true story" crime novel. The book is entertaining but too long for me. I lost interest at one point and skimmed through the chapters because I was bored. However, I still recommend it, as it would be the ideal beach read for many.

Note: I enjoyed the many footnotes included in it, but the ARC document I received made it challenging to connect with them directly with my Kindle, and it wasn't easy to keep up with them timely. This problem was irritating. This problem only exists in the ARC version of the book. That's why I'm adding the extra 0.5 stars.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own and I've shared them with the intention of providing a fair assessment for potential readers.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was such a fun and fresh way of experiencing a cozy mystery!

The mystery is interactive with the reader as the unreliable narrator is constantly breaking the fourth wall. I've never read anything like this, and I will absolutely pick up the second book. I had a love/hate with the footnotes on audio + kindle at first. Once you get used to the footnotes & how the story is told, it is a much more enjoyable experience. I really liked the final 50% and glad I stuck around. I imagine it's much better & easier to follow from the beginning with the physical copy.

I do think the book has some slight pacing issues, but for a change of pace & something different, I think it's worth picking up.

Stunning cover, stunning setting (beautiful Italy!)

This book was so fun to read! It’s perfect for summer beach reading. Set in Italy, a group of authors are on a book tour with some unusual circumstances in the mix.

Author Eleanor Dash is the main tour attraction. She’s been writing for several years and her 10th book in the series is coming up. Evelyn has used the same main character, Connor, who is her former lover that she somehow got stuck with all these years. Evelyn wants to kill him off in the series. She also wants him out of her life.

Each author has a backstory and they all believe someone may be trying to kill Connor and Eleanor, but who? This story is like a game of clue on the Italian coast. I enjoyed trying to figure out who was guilty. There are deaths in the story, but don’t be worried—this is a cozy mystery after all.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to recommend this book and give my honest review.

A successful author goes on a trip with other authors. One of them might be a killer. There are sufficient plot twists to make it interesting. But, the excessive footnotes interrupted the flow of the story and quickly became annoying. I received a complimentary copy of this book and chose to write a voluntary, unbiased review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book is for readers who like:
- fourth wall-breaking narration (mostly in the form of footnotes)
- to vacation vicariously
- a will-they, won't-they relationship

A fun romp in the tradition of Finlay Donovan, ETIGOVSD brings readers through the gorgeous scenery of Italy with a murderer on the loose. It's very meta with its acknowledgment of the conventions and forebears (aka Agatha Christie) of the genre.


The biggest drawback for me was the main character herself. It felt like she was supposed to be messy Milennial, which can be very relatable, but the persona could also be grating at times. She came across as self-deprecating without achieving self-awareness, pointing out her flaws without taking steps to fix them. And some of her narration about writing and publishing came across as a tad condescending.

Still, despite these hiccups, the book was highly readable and entertaining with its cast of charming yet suspicious characters. It's really a great choice for a beach/vacation read, and I loved the backdrop of Italy. I'd be interested in continuing in the series to see how the main character (hopefully) evolves in the course of the series and to see where we end up next!

This is a sad one for me to have to write -- i had to DNF this. I love to vacation and I love a good thriller/mystery. This though.... completely missed the mark.

I dont know why there were 10 footnotes per chapter but they were awful reading on an e-reader. Maybe it would be better as the physical book but this was not at all enjoyable to sift through on the kindle.

The characters werent that enjoyable. I felt like it jumped around a bit.

Wasn't for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The premise of this book sounded interesting, but sadly the actual book didn't work out for me. For me the plot didn't seem to go anywhere, even by the end, which is extremely sad. I also got tired of the narrator constantly breaking the fourth wall with her footnotes, which there could have been less of. I know this book will find it's audience. I don't see myself reading anymore in the presumed series it'll become.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for review consideration.

Rating: 2.5

This was a funny, quick thriller that was compared to Knives Out and delivered! Catherine Mack's punchy prose, mysterious, secretive characters, and twists and turns were addictive. I really enjoyed the pacing and the ways that I was constantly proved wrong by the things I thought were going on. I am really enjoying the trend of funny thrillers set on vacation and this was an awesome addition to that subgenre!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for providing an ARC!

This is a new to me author and a new series. Lots of fun, murder & mystery. On my favorite thing…vacation! It’s twisty and fun, lots of banter and an amazing atmosphere. I very much enjoyed this & look forward to more!

Elenaor is a famous murder mystery author whose first book was written about an even that happened in her life. The book moves pretty quickly and Elenaor’s humor is funny and snarky. She never is a damasle in distress. The book does a great job at showing us what writers go through when coming up with a book and the process that leads to publishing. I enjoyed the 4th wall effect where Elenaor is talking to the reader. The footnotes were fun but sometimes confusing (maybe the Kindle edition doesn’t place them properly and would work better in a physical copy). Overall fun read. Looking forward to the next one!

Fresh, clever, and laugh out loud funny! Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is written by an author about an author being an author. Mack smashes through the fourth wall, giving you an inside look at the complex and hilarious world of publishing, while making you feel like you're a part of the story. It's wildly fun, completely addictive, and an absolute must read!

An entertaining read with interesting characters, a great location and a captivating storyline. Although at times I had mixed feelings, I liked the author’s writing style. It’s a quirky, humorous mystery. Catherine Mack is hilarious especially in the footnotes. Although I found them a little distracting I actually enjoyed reading them . She states they may not be included when the book is published but some of them would make for great content within the story.

This book was an absolute delight. The combo or mystery and romance and humour was so fun. I loved Eleanor and her footnotes and I cannot wait to read more.

Loved the Italian setting and the hip, quirky dialogue. Hated the footnotes which were disruptive and mostly irrelevant. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against footnotes and, in general, always read them when they're on the same page and even when they are listed at the end of a book. These footnotes, however, were more than annoying, sometimes occurring in the middle of a sentence or referring to something that happened pages ago. I'm neutral on breaking the fourth wall and mostly enjoyed the author's direct-to-the-reader comments. I appreciated the neatly wrapped up ending and look forward to more books in the series.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an Advanced Reader's Copy and the opportunity to share my thoughts in this review.

Eleanor Dash lost her parents at a young age and helped raise her sister. Eleanor has become a famous author, thanks to the amazing support of her sister, Harper. The two sisters are very close. Eleanor sets off on a book promotion tour to Italy with her sister, two of her ex-boyfriends, some book fans, and a couple of other authors as they travel across Italy to see the sights. It sounds like fun, except there is an attempted murder on Connor, and possibly Eleanor, and someone else gets murdered.

The story was humorous and quite entertaining. I was able to figure out one of the plot twists, but most of them took me by surprise. The book included many footnotes that were entertaining and an integral part of the story, acting almost like a second point of view.
I had an electronic ARC, and I found the footnotes didn’t align well in the version I had. I tried adjusting the font size and the device, but I just couldn’t get it to flow better. I believe this issue detracted from my enjoyment of the story, making it take longer for me to get through it. I would rate the book 3.5 out of 5. I think a different point of view would have worked better than the footnotes, as it felt like 40% of the story was actually in the footnotes.

I will definitely read the next book in the series because the theme and the writing were great.

Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack is a different type of murder mystery book. The author is the narrator in the novel and she is (as she reports) an unreliable narrator. The story follows a multi day tour of Italy with a group of authors. The tour was designed to highlight the next book in the series by the narrator.

There were all sorts of characters in the book. All having some connection to the narrator which were slowly shared thru asides and various conversations (usually accusations). The author also added various footnotes (a LOT of them) to the novel, mostly consisting of explanations or snarky comments. The footnotes almost become a story within a story.

I liked the characters. I liked the story line. I wasn’t thrilled with the footnotes, but I am thinking that in a final traditionally printed book, their placement would add and not detract from the story. I am glad I tried a new author, Catherine Mack and her newest book Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies.

It took me a while to get through this one, it was pretty slow paced. I did not enjoy the extra footnotes, they became annoying at times. I loved the narrator chapters, they were hysterical! I thought the ending was perfect and I really enjoyed it.