Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies by Catherine Mack
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I put myself on the hold list at the library for Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies. All I knew was that I loved the cover. So I patiently waited until it was my turn to check it out and listen to the audiobook. And let me tell you, as a cozy mystery lover I adored this book.
It’s also a great Summer read because it’s about an author who goes on a multi-author book tour around Italy. The mentions of pasta and gelato were not lost on me. I was practically drooling every time they visited a restaurant or got a snack. Add to that the great characters and intriguing mystery plot, and I was sold.
This is the first book in the Vacation Mysteries Series and I hope it’s the first of many. Eleanor was a fun character to read about and I’d love to see where she ends up next! So for the full scoop, keep reading for my Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies book review.
P.S. If you enjoy cozy mysteries you may enjoy these other recommendations.
What is Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies About?
“Quick, captivating, and oh-so-much-fun! This delicious mystery is as spellbinding as Knives Out.”—Elle Cosimano, New York Times bestselling author of the Finlay Donovan series
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 competitors, 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. (from Amazon.com)
Who is Catherine Mack?
Catherine Mack is the pen name for USA Today bestselling author Catherine McKenzie. Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies is her first published work under this name, although according to her website there are two more books planned for this series. Yay! As Catherine McKenzie she has published over a dozen novels in the thriller and women’s fiction genres.
What did I Like About this Book?
This book was so enjoyable in quite a few ways. Let me list a few of them.
- The location
- The Relationships
- The History
- The bookish elements
- The humor
The Location
I remember my first time learning about Italy. I was 12 years old and watching The Lizzie McGuire movie with my Mom. We watched Lizzie take a photo in front of the Trevi Fountain and I thought to myself, “Wow. I’d like to go there someday.”
I’m kidding, but only kind of. Now I know more about Italy thanks to TV shows like The White Lotus. Lol. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I found the depictions of Italy (along with the mentions of pasta) to be really fun. I love stories where it feels like I’m traveling along with the characters.
The Relationships
This book (and the relationships in it) was messy but in the best kind of way. First, there’s Eleanor and her ex boyfriend Connor. I know he’s annoying and gets on her nerves most of the time, but I found his antics so funny. I think Catherine Mack did a good job of showing Connor’s narcissism and selfishness, but also his occasional charm. It was easy to see how Eleanor fell for him in the first place.
Then there’s Harper. Although their backstory was sad with their family, it made the girls incredibly close and I loved that. I was sad that there seemed to be tension between them for most of the book. I hope it is something they are able to work through in forthcoming sequels.
And Oliver. I found him to be very sweet and he always showed up in the right places at the right times. But I also questioned him at times too, which made things messy. There were more than enough red herrings in this book to keep me guessing. Ms. Mack did an excellent job of crafting a curious mystery.
The History
Something very interesting about this book is the history between the characters. Eleanor is on her tenth anniversary book tour which means that she’s working on book #10 in her series. And since she wrote the first book not long after her adventures with Connor in Italy 10 years ago, that means he’s been in her life (and annoying her) for that amount of time too.
The two of them bicker like children and I found the hate/hate relationship to be very funny. Connor was really a piece of work and I think most of the funny moments had him involved.
The Bookish Elements
Because this story takes place on a book tour in the sunny vistas of Italy, there are a lot of readers and writers in the ensemble cast. First, there are the book face ladies. They are a group of bookish influencers who post selfies with book covers online. And then there is the group of mystery writers who are participating in the tour.
I think the author did a great job of creating interesting characters who you were never quite sure about. Each of the mystery writers has a different back story and Eleanor knows some of them better than others. That created an interesting environment as she tried to figure out one of the mysteries of the story.
The Humor
I thought this book was really entertaining because of side characters like Connor, but also because of Eleanor herself. Her POV was so funny and entertaining. I loved when she would jump in with a multitude of informative footnotes, sharing details about the past and about pop culture. It was clear to me that the author is a big Bridgerton tv show fan, thanks to all of the references!
First-person narration was a great way to go because Eleanor has a complicated back story and the book moves at a fast pace. As the story progressed, we learned more about her and her past relationships with all of the characters involved and I thought that was great for the mystery. I really felt like little by little I was collecting clues and I had high hopes of solving the mystery on my own.
Did I? No. I wasn’t even close. Haha. But did I have fun along the way? Heck yeah!
How did I Read This Book?
I was actually able to listen to the audiobook by checking it out from my local library through libby. The audiobook version was released by Macmillan Audio in 2024. It is narrated by Elizabeth Evans and I thought she did a fantastic job as Eleanor. The audiobook is 9 hours and 34 minutes although I got through it a little quicker because I like my audiobooks on 1.5x speed.
In Conclusion
If you’re looking for a good time, I would definitely recommend Ever Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies. It’s the debut novel of Catherine Mack and it’s the perfect combination of travel fun, humor, and elusive mystery. It’s a well-written tale of what to do when your past comes back to haunt you. Eleanor is so sure that she wants to stop writing her Vacation Mysteries series because she wanted real life Connor out of her life and yet by doing so, that will cause a lot of problems for everyone around her.
I really enjoyed the tour of Italy part of the story and there were plenty of suspects to keep me guessing. I hope there are new books in this series coming soon because I loved Eleanor, Harper, and Oliver and want to read more about them soon. And even though Connor was a major problem in this book, I wouldn’t mind more of him either. Haha. He caused trouble but he also made me laugh!
If you enjoyed today’s book review, you may want to check out more of my cozy mystery discussions here.
