Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Mack's sly third whodunit featuring bestselling author Eleanor Dash (after No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding) finds her heading to the Bahamas to speak at a murder mystery conference. Upon arriving at the rundown resort, Eleanor and her boyfriend, fellow author Oliver Forrest, are shown to their room, where they discover the dead body of a man whom nobody else at the resort seems to know. Eleanor has little time to consider the victim's identity before she's whisked away to address her first group of students, including her stalker, Cathy. Also present at the conference are Connor Smith, Eleanor's ex-lover who has become a successful rom-com author ("The protagonist of my novels and antagonist of my life," as she puts it), and a host of publishing acquaintances who might plausibly want the worst for Eleanor. Soon after she finally finds the time to investigate the first murder, more bodies start piling up. The series' signature humor, delivered via footnotes and Eleanor's sardonic first-person narration, is as fresh as ever, but Mack nearly overwhelms the proceedings with more suspects and red herrings than usual. Still, there's enough fun on offer here to smooth over the bumps. (Apr.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Dead bodies disrupt a weekend writers' retreat memorably narrated by a disgruntled author. Cynical sleuths are no strangers to mystery fiction, but Eleanor Dash takes snark to an uncomfortable new level. Everything is a source of grievance to the bestselling author: her ex-boyfriend, Connor Smith; her sister/assistant, Harper, whom she's itching to fire; her insufficiently attentive editor, Vicki Morgan; her former best friend, Sandrine, who dumped her; the outdated decor at the Bahamian resort hosting the retreat; the prospective authors she mentors, who rarely write to her standards; and the reviewers of her books, who sometimes wish she'd write better herself. Even the corpse on the floor of her hotel suite seems like a personal affront, causing an irksome encounter with Bahamian police and necessitating a change of rooms. It isn't until a second death hits even closer to home that Eleanor shows much interest in finding the culprit. Mack's trademark self-referential style is unique, and her teasing of a staggering number of possible solutions to the puzzle is awe-inspiring. But Eleanor's relentless sense of victimization is too much of a downer to overlook. Bonding through a shared sense of grievance is increasingly popular these days but can be corrosive in ways Mack may not recognize. When Mack allows her heroine a flash of empathy, as when Eleanor shares a moment with a veteran writer who recognizes that her best days are over, she can be incandescent. Letting in more light would provide a welcome balance to Mack's quirky style and offbeat sense of humor. An oxymoron perhaps emblematic of the moment: a discontent cozy. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
