Wow, this was such a fun read and I flew through it! It’s a unique mix of queer romance, gothic vibes, and a murder mystery, but it somehow works perfectly without feeling over the top, honestly. I wasn’t sure about Gideon at first, but I loved Zeb right away. His ADHD was written in such a real and relatable way and it made me feel seen. And he was so funny! I kept highlighting lines, which I never do. The mystery kept me guessing, and the ending actually surprised me in a good way. Definitely recommend this one!

all of us murderers follows our queer protagonist zeb wyckham who is invited to a relative’s gloomy manor, lackaday house. to his surprise, he is presented with his borderline evil family and his ex-lover, gideon. pretty quickly zeb discovers that there is much more at play than a simple gathering of family and friends, and the novel quickly descends into total madness.

i totally devoured this! set in what i assumed is a late victorian/early edwardian england, the novel is swathed with a moody, occultist and gothic ideas while still exploring concepts pertinent to a contemporary society, i.e. neurodivergence, the legacy of slavery, misogyny and homophobia. and it does so in a way that doesn’t feel anachronistic! huzzah!

the characters were also superbly written. zeb’s earnestness shone through the entire novel, as did the deplorable nature of his family. I like a consistent character exploration! the only point of contention I have with characterisation is that gideon felt a little lack-luster at times, possible due to how short the novel is and how many characters are at play.

the plot itself was incredibly fun! the keynote for this title rings utterly true, a fantastic fusion of the gothic despair of crimson peek and narrative style of knives out. while it did take some time for the ball to get rolling (something which i enjoyed), once it kicked in, it really kicked in! i was on the edge of my seat for most of the book! my one gripe is that the ending and the epilogue weren’t quite as satisfying as one would want, but maybe that’s just reality for you!

overall, a fantastic novel. will definitely be keeping an eye out for more from kj charles.

As an ardent KJ Charles fan, I was extremely excited to dive into her work! As always, I found an excellent mix of romance, historical tension, and riveting plot, and this time with a touch of horror! I loved the romance between Zeb and Gideon and was genuinely at the edge of my seat towards the end. It did take me a while to get my bearings, and the romance was a bit more of a subplot that some of her other works I favoured a bit more, but I still really enjoyed this. I’d describe this as a queer Knives Out but in Edwardiab England… in other words, perfection!

All of Us Murderers by KJ Charles was such a fun and entertaining book. I enjoyed reading this so much and I'm not surprised because KJ Charles books are always a good time. I read this in one sitting, I couldn't put it down. The writing was fantastic, the characters were done so well and the vibes were definitely there! Overall, a very entertaining book.

KJ Charles's authorial genius shines once again in this satirical Gothic country house mystery crossed with second chance romance.

The Wyckham family is, undeniably, monstrous. They're conniving, backstabbing, and cruel. And they're all at Lackaday House, called there by their cousin Wynn, current heir to the family fortune and its appalling Gothic pile. Zebedee, youngest of the family and despised by the rest, arrives for what he thinks will be a pleasant two week visit with his mysterious cousin, only to find himself in a viper's nest. On top of that, his glowering ex-lover is there in the role of Wynn's private secretary. The house is creepy. The servants are unnerving. The company is dreadful. And beaming cousin Wynn is delighted to host them all as he considers who will inherit upon his death.

This is simultaneously a complex mystery, a gothic thriller, a romance, and a rollicking good time. Zeb's internal monologue gives the story humor and verve. His staunch moral character gives it its soul. A brilliant achievement.

This book was so much fun! It was like Northanger Abbey but wild and queer. I loved Zeb and the ADHD rep in the book, he was so relatable. I am so very glad I was given a copy of this to read. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I love these suspenseful kinds of books, especially when they get ridiculous. I'm a sucker for it every time. I loved the hopeful romance between Zeb and Gideon. Gideon is such a steady character, but is ready to leap into action for Zeb. Their dynamic is everything. I do feel this book dragged on just a bit, but the twist and the end made the payoff worth it. This book was a fun and scary and sad read all at once!

Obsessed!!! This was everything I was looking for in a murder mystery romance book. I loved both MC’s and the gothic manor house felt like a solid 3rd character, The only down fall is I wish I read it in October instead of the middle of the summer! I guess that just means I’ll have to do a reread during Halloween!

4.5 stars

Oh my word, this was GOOD. I feel like I often forget how much I love a good mystery/thriller until I read one. There's just something about a locked-room set-up too. I enjoy it every time.

So, in All of Us Murderer, we follow Zeb, who has been invited to his cousin's estate (originally belonging to their Gothic novelist grandfather). Having just lost yet another job, he figures he'll go, but when he gets there, he finds his estranged brother and his wife, as well as awful cousin, and his own ex, Gideon, who is the secretary. (Yes, there is a second-chance romance subplot between them.) Anyway, Wynn, the cousin who owns the estate, basically sets all his guests against each other in competing for his inheritance. Zeb has no interest in this but finds himself stuck there. And it isn't long before strange things begin to happen.

Another thing I love is a good ghost story, whether it turns out to be true in the book, or not. And, no, I am not going to tell you whether there actually is something paranormal going on here or not, because, personally, I found trying to figure that out part of the fun.

Certain things might have been a bit predictable, I did guess at the main antagonist, but there were still plenty of twists. A couple of which actually really got me.

Also, I will always love the vibes of a creepy Gothic mansion <s>or faux-Gothic, in this case</s>, with something certainly sinister and possibly supernatural going on, and a very messy rich family at each other's throats. Also, for some reason, when I first requested the ARC I assumed it was contemporary - I have no idea why - but it's actually Edwardian, which was a pleasant surprise. And Zeb was a great narrator.

If anyone is wondering about content, there are a couple of spice scenes, as well as some swearing (including a few uses of the f-word). Other than that, there is of course violence, but I assume everyone already knows that.

I did see a few places where things were spaced weirdly. (ie, there were multiple spaces between words, and one hyphenated word had a space after the hyphen), although since this is an ARC, maybe that'll be fixed, and it's not like that really affects the story.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed this book, there were points where I literally couldn't put it down. Also, I find it very fitting that it's being released during spooky season. Kudos to whoever made that decision. And now I think I may need to read more mysteries soon.

***I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.***

If the cover hasn't already given it away, this is a fun, spooky, emotionally satisfying gothic mystery/romance. The author leans more into the mystery side of things, but provides just enough emotional angst to satisfy fans of her romance catalog. The mystery is twisty, the secondary characters are well-crafted, and the leads are both flawed and lovable.

I love KJ Charles, and this book has - sort of - everything I love about her books. A snarky main character, who is incredibly likeable and whom you will be rooting for after about five paragraphs. A love interest, who's just a perfect match for the MC. A plot full of twists and turns. Horrible characters that are horrible and then get their comeuppance.
So many of them.
And that's where we're getting to the <i>sort of</i>. I very much enjoy absolutely horrible characters reaping what they sow, but normally there's one or two in a book, and the others are somewhere between genuinely nice and not actively horrid.
Now, don't get me wrong: this book is a beautiful love letter to Gothic Novels. Everyone being horrid, is a feature, not a bug. But that didn't stop it from occasionally being exhausting to read.

This is a Gothic romance that is also about Gothic stories, which I loved. All of the characters arrive at the creepy manor house with their own baggage and secrets, but there's also the added dimension that all of the guests are descended from a famous writer of Gothic novels. The main character, Zeb, has read all of his great-grandfather's books, and is able to point out homages to them. This constant, explicit reference to the events of fictional Gothic novels almost helps create doubt when the plot starts to thicken—much like the characters, you find yourself saying, "well surely the atmosphere is getting to everyone" and "but that would be TOO on the nose for a coincidence, there must be something more going on" until it becomes clear that something more is, indeed, going on. The atmosphere is spooky and delicious Gothic fun.

This is a single POV romance, which can be tricky, but KJ Charles does them well. In this book, revealing painful secrets and subjects not talked about, are crucial to the character's success at finding out what is wrong at Lackaday House, and to Zeb and Gideon's romance. They both have to reveal difficult truths and have several hard conversations not just to sort matters out between them, but to survive, and them laying their relationship bare let's you see what is going on in Gideon's head even without his POV.

Oh my goodness this was such a delight! I binged this so fast; can’t remember the last time I’ve done that!

This was a unique one from KJ Charles, but she knocks it out of the park, as usual. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book that’s a queer romance, gothic novel, and murder mystery all in one. It never feels like too much, though, and it makes it stand out from her other novels. It also doesn’t take itself too seriously, which I love.

At first, I wasn’t sure about Gideon, but I loved Zeb from the start. The way she portrays his ADHD is soooo relatable and made me feel seen. He can’t force himself to work on things he’s not interested in? Yup. He loses himself in intense focus once he actually has the opportunity to concentrate on something he’s interested in? Yup. He can’t stop talking or fidgeting? Yup. I’ve never seen an ADHD character portrayed in historical fiction so I really appreciated that. He was also hilarious! I took pics of so many lines I loved while reading on my kindle and I rarely do that.

The plot kept me guessing the whole time. I didn’t see the ending coming, but it wasn’t so out of left field as to be annoying.

All in all, I loved this one and would highly recommend it!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, I have not read one of KJ Charles' books before but I will definitely pick up another very soon. It was an easy read,, with so many unexpected twists and turns. I found the plot slightly confusing at times, as there is a lot going on, but on the whole a very captivating storyline. The characters were great, so many different personalities, and the main character was incredibly likeable and endearing. I will definitely be recommending to friends and family!

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the DRC!

I've been a long time fan of KJ Charles and this latest book does not disappoint. The writing was engaging and flowed well. I spent most of the book wondering if there really was something supernatural or not given the events that started to pile up. The best of this book was in the main character, Zeb, whose ADHD is written into the story well and portrayed realistically. Zeb was an incredibly sympathetic character and the only one with any sense of moral compass it seems amongst his family. His relationship with Gideon and the slow unveiling of what pushed them apart to begin with was wonderful to read. Overall, if you're a fan of gothic mystery along side a rather sweet romance, this book is for you.

So it's been about a month since I finished reading All of Us Murderers. The heart rate has come down and I've moved onto other books. So how does this one hold up? It's a 5 star for sure!

The most brilliant aspect of this book was the pacing. At the start, I was intrigued but not completely sucked into the story. The characters were interesting, but none really had me obsessed. As I kept reading, I almost got bored - lulled into a relaxed state with the vibes and setting, and then BAM! I'm sitting up straight, gripping the edges of my eReader with white knuckles, holding my breath.

It's an addictive read and one that would be perfect for spooky season if you're looking for gothic horror with unexpectedly cozy queer romance vibes (is it possible to mix those genres? Apparently the answer is yes!).

One month out I've already found myself regularly recommending this book as a "anyone would like it read."

Thank you KJ Charles for yet another brilliant story!

thank you to the author and poisoned pen press for the arc!!

what a delightfully creepy, gothic romp! all of us murderers is kj charles’ mystery-meets-romance at its best — zebedee wyckham finds himself in the middle of an unpleasant family reunion to decide who will receive the wyckham inheritance, with no company but his horrible relatives, servants playing what zeb thinks are just practical jokes, and gideon, the man he’s still in love with. i am such a sucker for second chance romance, and even though kjc doesnt do it often, she hits the mark every single time.

i loved how much this book leaned into the gothic elements! the plot twists and surprise reveals were perfectly executed, and i appreciated kjc’s talent for writing in progressive ideas without making them feel preachy or incongruous with the time period. zeb’s adhd was also wonderfully portrayed with so much empathy, and a clearsighted understanding of how it affects his relationship with gideon.

there are some hilarious moments in here too: one line describing zeb’s cousin hawley as someone who “looked like he would give you a good time, and also the clap” that totally took me off guard and made me laugh out loud. i loved the chatty, gossipy affect of the epilogue, and all the characters’ endings did feel beautifully true to gothic form. all in all, a gorgeous romance and homage to the gothic genre.

I read this because I'd loved this author's Death in the Spires so much; while this is a solid read, it's a very different type of book. The romance is much more central (and that's great, as it's a lovely romance with well-rounded characters and interesting backstory, although there is also more explicit content, which I tend to skip over). The overall feel of the novel is much lighter than Death in the Spires - ironic, given the haunted-house setting - and there is correspondingly less psychological depth to it (which is right for the type of book, to be fair, but I was slightly disappointed because of my expectations).

could a book be any more perfect? i hardly think so...

all of us murderers is a fun, dark murder mystery featuring an estranged family with secrets aplenty, a menacing house, and a lovely queer love story.

zeb, our main character, was a delightful narrator and one i loved from the very first pages. his rambling thoughts, the way he gets lost in books, distracted from tasks, feels achingly familiar to me. at the beginning zeb finds himself at Lackaday House at the behest of his cousin. what he expects to be a somewhat mundane vacation turns into a nightmare when he comes face-to-face with his ex gideon, after parting on bitter terms, now a secretary to his cousin wynn wyckham. it only gets worse from there. this isn't a trip to reconnect with wynn. this is a twisted family reunion; an inheritance game. unexpectedly, all the people zeb wishes to see the least are now under one roof, surrounded by a twelve-foot boundary wall, trying to sabotage one another. what could possibly go wrong?

at the beginning, i was not very sympathetic to bitter-ex gideon. the book alludes to some disastrous event, perpetuated by zeb, that cost gideon his job and reputation. and yet, through the character kj charles crafts in only a few chapters, i knew there was nothing zeb could have possibly done that earned him this kind of disdain. both from gideon and from the rest of his family. and if zeb did do something, it was a either a mistake he deeply regrets or a gross misunderstanding. but as you read more, you come to understand the lies gideon believed that caused him to hold such spite for zeb. all of this a part of a dark scheme to lay bare the black hearts of the wyckham family.

zeb's kindness and earnest manner, however, leaves him untouched by this scheme, and allows the two of them to move past their misunderstanding. the chapter where they fully reconcile and talk about their past genuinely had me in tears. it was done so wonderfully well. both of them taking accountability for the actions that separated them, wanting so badly to be better for the other. resolving to do better for each other. and i loved that we actually get to see this in the second half of the book. despite the tumultuous circumstances, their relationship continues to steadily bloom.

i think this was one of kj charles' more wicked books, especially for the lack of the preternatural. everything bad and evil here comes from people, and their greed. the rest of the cast were delightfully horrid. delightful, because it made for excellent storytelling. horrid, because the wyckhams truly were a contemptible lot (to varying degress). like zeb though, i was holding out till the very end for some flicker of goodness. and whereas zeb had to accept his family's reality with resignation, i was more than happy to leave them to their fate. <spoiler>(r.i.p. elise. for all her faults, she did deserve so much better) </spoiler>

i hope this review makes sense. i fear i haven't been able to put down all my thoughts, but i cannot recommend this enough. it's going to be a long wait till October, when i can have this book in my hands.

one thing I do wish for, is for the book to have some kind of family tree. maybe it's more than the wretched wyckhams deserve, but the book is about them and their foul legacy. and honestly, there were a few times while reading that i was confused by who was who's father, or brother, or mother, or child. a family tree dedicated to all their dead relatives (<spoiler>*ahem* and the soon-to-be-dead wyckhams *ahem*</spoiler>) seems exactly as faux gothic as the wyckhams themselves.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A crazy/creepy and very enjoyable romp that leans into its faux-Gothic setting and narrative with gusto. The bones may, by now, be a little familiar (find great lonely doomsy pile of a house, fill with bushel of absolutely atrocious people, season with social justice causes, generously sprinkle on ghosts and/or murders, add fraught queer romance, voila) but that doesn’t detract from its charm.

This one’s a little more outrageous than some of her previous country-house mysteries – the aforementioned Gothic horror genre is alive and well on every page and some of the plot developments do require some healthy suspension of disbelief (SPOILER: where ~does~ one get one’s hands onto a few hundred spiders in one go, and how does one find the exact right complement of domestic servants who not only hold personal grudges against your house guests but also have the correct skills and perfect willingness to execute an elaborate and finely coordinated vengeance scheme against said guests?) /SPOILER). It’s definitely a feature, not a bug, though, so I recommend going in prepared for deliberate creepy wackiness for optimum enjoyment.

Zeb, the MC, was a highlight for me – doing his best to get by in a world that treats his ADHD differences with impatience and scorn, fractured by the incessant unkindnesses lobbed at him and by the loss of a loving (if complicated) relationship, but still managing to hold onto his own decency and kindness towards others. His is the single PV, so Gideon was a little more opaque, which I didn’t mind as such, although I did find myself wishing we’d got into the details of their first relationship a little sooner. I usually love second-chance romance and something about the way this one was told didn’t quite land with me. I greatly enjoyed the open lines of communication, though, and the palpable longing both of them still had for each other.

The side characters are entertainingly horrid. I must say I was glad that Zeb maintained his firm stance of non-belief in things that go bump in the night throughout, because the over-the-top shenanigans definitely required a grounding/reasonable counterweight. The ending felt a tad bit rushed and I wasn’t a great fan of the whimsical summary tone of the epilogue. Overall, though, an excellent way to spend an afternoon, and the outrageousness of the plot is nicely counterbalanced by the sincerity and fraught quality of emotions between our main pair.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've highly enjoyed all of the books I've read by KJ Charles, so I was interested when I saw her upcoming release especially with it being a gothic mystery. When Zeb is suddenly invited to his estranged Uncle's estate, he soon finds out that the invitation is much more than a casual get together. The premise of the book is interesting with an array of questionably morale characters, an ex-lover, and apparently a mysterious ghost figure. Unfortunately, the novel wasn't able to keep my attention. The characters, despite their different entanglements, weren't appealing to me, and I found it really difficult to connect with them and be drawn into their affairs. The mystery aspect felt equally lacking - I was hoping for a strong murder mystery but it felt like it was missing a sense of urgency and suspense. I wanted to figure out the answers, but at no point was I was gripping the edge of my seat and hooked about what was going to happen next. I can see how fans of mystery could enjoy this book, but sadly it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for the e-arc.